Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 38 The Loneliness That Cannot Be Spoken Of
Even worse.

These words, like several pieces of ice, fell heavily into the depths of Zhu Youjian's heart, without stirring up any ripples, but only making the already dark and lifeless lake water freeze even harder in an instant.

Because he is a time traveler.

This identity is not an honor, but an insurmountable abyss.

An abyss that eternally separates him from this era and from everyone in this world.

The things that later generations called common sense—those thoughts and insights about systems, economics, science, and the evolution of human nature—that filled his mind were nothing short of monstrous on this land, within this magnificent Forbidden City.

They are heretics, the whispers of vengeful spirits, forbidden things capable of utterly overturning, tearing apart, and burning this seemingly stable world from the most basic level of cognition.

Therefore, he was destined to be alone.

Zhu Youjian withdrew his gaze from the void and landed on the indistinct shadow opposite him in the dim light.

That was Zhang Weixian, the Duke of England.

An old man who has stood firm through the storms of the Wanli, Taichang, and Tianqi reigns in the Ming Dynasty court; a rare figure in the corrupt and decadent nobility group who still retains some semblance of ancestral glory.

Zhu Youjian's heart was like a mirror repeatedly washed by the waters of the Milky Way, able to clearly reflect the true nature of all things in the world, including the most subtle thoughts deep in people's hearts that even their owners had never noticed.

He looked at Zhang Weixian, but the memory of that stormy autumn day from his previous life surfaced in his mind.

When the late emperor passed away, Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke plotted to keep the news a secret and disrupt the peace.

It was this old man before us who, acting on the Empress's decree, held the imperial edict like a stabilizing force, puncturing the eunuch faction's overwhelming conspiracy.

It was he who, together with his sister-in-law Zhang Yan, helped the then Prince Xin overcome numerous obstacles and pave the bloody and arduous road to the Imperial Palace.

The merit of supporting the establishment of the regime.

These four words, in any dynasty, signify an almost unbreakable political bond.

Therefore, Zhang Weixian's loyalty is reliable.

Zhu Youjian had no doubt about this.

But what is the source of this reliable loyalty?
It wasn't because he could comprehend the crazy and dangerous blueprint in his mind that wanted to turn the whole world upside down.

Zhang Weixian cannot, and never will.

His loyalty stemmed from something older and more fundamental.

This stems from the deep-rooted symbiotic relationship between the Ming Dynasty's nobles and the Zhu imperial family over the past two centuries, a relationship where they shared both glory and ruin.

It stemmed from his defense of the word "legitimacy" and from his final sense of responsibility to this dynasty.

He is a cornerstone.

One of the few relatively solid foundation stones supporting this palace called "Da Ming".

The blow he had recently struck at Duke Zhu Chunchen was not, for Zhang Weixian, the "cause" that made him loyal, but rather the "effect" that made him, the cornerstone of the state, even more "pure".

That slash was too fast, too ruthless, and too unreasonable!
It is a purification process, and also a warning.

It made Zhang Weixian, the shrewd and calculating Duke of England, realize more clearly that the new emperor he was loyal to was completely different from any emperor he had served before!

Zhang Weixian chose to bow his head more firmly and submit more completely.

This is not speculation, but confirmation!
This confirmed that his initial choice was correct, and that he must continue down this path.

Zhang Weixian's loyalty was the highest level of loyalty that this old world could offer.

……

Zhu Youjian's gaze pierced through Zhang Weixian, through the carriage walls, and looked out into the deep darkness.

Zhang Weixian is the cornerstone, but the cornerstone is used to support the old palace.

He was to build an unprecedented structure on this ruin.

He can rely on this foundation, but he cannot and should not expect it to understand the construction of new buildings.

This is the loneliness he cannot express to others.

In that darkness, Zhu Youjian could see countless eyes.

Those were the eyes of other nobles in the capital.

They are probably like frightened domestic dogs now, temporarily restraining their claws because of Zhu Chunchen's fate.

But Zhu Youjian knew that their inherent greed and arrogance were malignant tumors carefully cultivated by two hundred years of pampered life, which had long since penetrated their bones and could not be removed!
They are just lying low.

Licking the wounds of fear in the dark corners, waiting for the opportunity to retaliate.

As for the civil service group?

That goes without saying.

Various parties and factions exist, with numerous names and categories.

But if you peel back the carefully crafted facade of sages, the hardships of the people, and ancestral laws, you will find that their core is the same.

They are believers from different factions within the same denomination.

The name of this sect is "Interest".

They represent the interests of millions of landlords, gentry, and merchants across the land. They are the countless greedy hands of this enormous, boundless interest group reaching out to the imperial court!

They are the true and largest third faction in this country.

Why was Wei Zhongxian able to wield such immense power in the court?
He is not the cause of the illness.

This wicked fellow is merely the most conspicuous and ugly sore on the body of this terminally ill dynasty.

Wei Zhongxian is a mirror, reflecting with unparalleled precision the darkest and most shameless desires deep within the hearts of all the third-class people of this era.

He opened all the doors to their greed, and in return, they elevated Wei Zhongxian to a pedestal. And what about themselves?

Zhu Youjian felt that what he was going to do was exactly the opposite of what they, and almost everyone in the world who held power, did!

What I need to do is to act like the most ruthless and inhuman creditor, walk into their gluttonous feast, and then, bit by bit, take out what should belong to the Ming Dynasty and all the people of the world from their already overflowing mouths.

This is tantamount to making an enemy of the entire world!

The road ahead is long and arduous...

This line of poetry, like a distant sigh in the wilderness, echoed softly in Zhu Youjian's mind.

This path is destined to have no true companions; from the very beginning, it has only been his lonely shadow.

But do I have any way out?

Zhu Youjian shook his head inwardly.

No more.

From the moment he decided not to be a conservative ruler who passively awaited death in a facade of peace, but rather a tyrant who would personally tear apart this false peace and rebuild order from the ruins, he had already cut off all his escape routes.

This is not a game that can be negotiated.

This is not a political game where compromises can be reached through the exchange of interests.

This is a war.

A war of life and death with no rules whatsoever!
Alternatively, he could use the most ruthless methods to completely remove these ticks clinging to the body of the Ming emperor, along with the flesh they infested, even if it would severely damage the country's vitality and cause rivers of blood to flow.

Or, he might be completely devoured from within by these ubiquitous ticks, ultimately becoming a lonely and pathetic joke, like the Chongzhen Emperor he replaced in history, hanging on a crooked tree on Coal Hill.

There is no third possibility!
……

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Weixian’s voice suddenly broke the suffocating silence in the carriage, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, “It’s getting cold.”

His voice was a little dry, as if it had been blown by the wind for a long time.

Zhu Youjian slowly withdrew his gaze from the endless darkness and placed it on Zhang Weixian.

He saw that the veteran general, who had seen life and death on the battlefield, was subconsciously wrapping his luxurious mink cloak tighter around himself, as if the biting cold had penetrated the thick walls of the carriage and seeped into his very bones.

“Yes,” Zhu Youjian said casually, “it’s cold.”

His voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

"This winter will be colder than usual."

Zhang Weixian's heart suddenly trembled for no apparent reason.

He certainly understood the emperor's implied meaning.

This is about the weather, but it also refers to an impending political winter that will sweep across the entire world!

And he, as His Majesty's most loyal subject, as the most solid foundation, will have to stand at the forefront of this cold wind to bear the most violent impact.

Zhang Weixian felt fear, yet also a sense of resolute determination that he had no choice but to do it.

Zhu Youjian stopped speaking.

He closed his eyes again, immersing himself completely in the darkness that belonged only to him.

His heart remained completely free of confusion and hesitation.

Although the road to "greatness" was full of thorns and traps, it became clearer and straighter in his heart than ever before.

compromise?

That's the epitaph of the weak!
Give in?
That's a passport to national subjugation!
Since this world has become so stingy that it has left no room for any warmth or tenderness for itself.

Since those so-called pillars of the nation only want to be termites gnawing away at the building,

Then I can only become the cleaner wielding fire and sharp blades.

God blocks and kills God.

Buddha blocks and kills Buddha!
In the darkness where no one could see, Zhu Youjian's lips curled into a cold, even slightly smug, smile.

He suddenly felt that this was good too.

At least, there won't be any more unrealistic fantasies.

At least, he no longer has to wear a mask of hypocrisy and feign politeness with people he despises from the bottom of his heart.

Let this blizzard rage on!
Let it use its most primal, frigid cold to thoroughly cleanse this filthy land, freezing all that decaying, degenerate, and shameful things, and then smashing them to pieces.

And then, on these ruins...

Perhaps new seeds can sprout anew.

The carriage then entered the city gate of the imperial city.

The towering city gates slowly closed behind them, emitting a deep, sigh-like thud that completely shut out the cold, real world outside.

Zhu Youjian opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The Forbidden City is still the same Forbidden City, with its red walls, golden tiles, carved beams, and painted rafters. Under the cold moonlight, it resembles a beautiful monster ready to devour its prey.

This is his palace.

It is also his prison.

It was also his battlefield.

There was no way out for him.

The only way is to keep moving forward!
(End of this chapter)