Transmigrating to the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty: Becoming a Great Emperor Through Idlene

The cell was very quiet. The only sound was the crackling of the torches burning.

Sun Chuanting stood there, like a stone statue. His breathing was somewhat rapid, and his eyes were fixed on the emperor, as if trying to discern from that young and pale face whether the words were true.

"Your Majesty... are you testing this sinner?" He finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"I don't have the time for that." Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and said, "Sun Chuanting, I know you've been wronged. Every word you said in your impeachment of Wen Tiren is reasonable."

However, I cannot let you go or give you an important position right now. The entire court is watching, and Wen Tiren's cronies are also keeping an eye on things.

The moment you're released from prison, you'll either be killed by them or won over by them. Either way, you'll be unable to do what I require of you.

"What has Your Majesty ordered this humble subject to do?"

"Go to Shaanxi." Chongzhen spoke slowly, making sure the other party remembered every word: "In the name of the merchant caravan, gather displaced people and establish an armed force. Do not recruit government troops or garrison soldiers, only some impoverished farmers, miners, and blacksmiths. Train them, arm them, but they cannot use the banner of the Ming Dynasty. At least not for now."

Sun Chuanting's expression quickly turned serious.

Shaanxi. Refugees. Armed forces.

He knew exactly what these words meant when put together. He was from Daizhou, Shaanxi, and he knew his hometown's situation best: years of severe drought, no harvest, and the government had even added three taxes to the levy, forcing farmers to resort to cannibalism. This was how figures like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong rose to power.

"Does the emperor now want him to do the same thing?"

"Your Majesty..." Sun Chuanting's voice trembled, "This is... nurturing a bandit to enhance one's own power!"

"No," Chongzhen said, looking at him. "This is fighting poison with poison. Why couldn't Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong be wiped out? Because they were among the vagrants. When the government troops came, they dispersed among the people, and when the government troops left, they gathered together again. What you need to do is organize the vagrants before they arrive. Not to make them bandits, but to make them militia. In peacetime, they will cultivate wasteland to support themselves, and in wartime, they will protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people."

"What about...the imperial court?"

"The court will not know," Chongzhen said. "At least not until I am ready. So you must die, disappear, or change your identity. Sun Chuanting died because of his outspoken remonstrance, and the one who survived is 'Sun Ting,' a Shaanxi merchant, an ordinary person struggling to survive in chaotic times."

Sun Chuanting fell silent. He lowered his head, looking at the shackles on his feet. The shackles were heavy, chafing his ankles raw and bleeding. He had thought a lot in his cell over the past six months.

He thought about the future of the Ming Dynasty, his own ideals, and the people starving to death in Shaanxi.

He once thought he would die here, becoming a symbol of tragedy.

But now, the emperor has given him another option. An option that is... unimaginable.

"Why 'your subject'?" he asked, raising his head.

"Because I have read your memorial," Chongzhen said. "In your memorial you said: 'The rise of bandits is not due to the bandits themselves, but to the people. The reason why the people become bandits is not because of the people, but because of the officials.'"

You also said: "To quell the bandits, we must first pacify the people; to pacify the people, we must first clean up the bureaucracy, equalize land taxes, and develop water conservancy."

Sun Chuanting was astonished. This was a memorial he had written six months ago, a lengthy three thousand words, which had been submitted but then disappeared without a trace, and he was subsequently imprisoned. He believed the emperor hadn't even read it.

"I have read it," Chongzhen said slowly. "I also think what you say makes sense. However, I am currently unable to clean up the bureaucracy, equalize land taxes, and develop water conservancy. The interests of most officials lie in the corrupt bureaucracy, the unequal land taxes, and the lack of water conservancy. If I insist on doing these things, they will unite to pull me off the throne."

These words were so direct that Sun Chuanting couldn't believe they came from the emperor's mouth.

"Therefore, I can only do it in another way." Chongzhen said, "On the surface, I am still the same 'tyrant,' building palaces, avoiding court meetings, and letting them fight for power and profit."

"Secretly, I intend to do real work. And you, Sun Chuanting, are the blade I've chosen. Insert this blade into Shaanxi, into the heart of the bandits' lair. Not to suppress the bandits, but to... establish a foothold."

Sun Chuanting understood. He completely understood.

The emperor didn't want him to fight in wars, but rather to farm.

On the land of the refugees, a seed is sown. What this seed will become is currently unknown. But it is certainly better than Li Zicheng's men planting poisonous weeds.

"Your Majesty..." He took a deep breath, "Your Majesty chooses the second option."

"Have you thought it through?" Chongzhen looked at him. "Once you've chosen this path, there's no turning back. You'll be misunderstood by everyone, recorded in history as 'dying unjustly in prison,' your family will mourn for you, and your colleagues will sigh for you."

But the real you will be in the loess gullies of Shaanxi, digging soil, planting grain, and training troops alongside starving farmers. And you could die there at any moment, silently and without a trace.

Sun Chuanting smiled. This was the first time he had smiled in six months. Although the smile was bitter, his eyes shone brightly.

"Your Majesty, when I wrote that memorial half a year ago, I never thought I would leave the imperial prison alive. Now that Your Majesty has given me a chance to do what I want to do, I... cannot ask for more. As for my posthumous reputation, my family's tears... I can't care about that anymore."

"Three days from now, you will 'die of illness'," Chongzhen said. "Your body will be taken away by your family. The real you will leave the imperial prison through a secret passage. Wang Chengen will prepare new identity documents, travel permits, and... ten thousand taels of silver for you."

"Ten thousand taels?" Sun Chuanting was taken aback.

"Not much," Chongzhen said, "but use it sparingly. This money isn't for recruiting soldiers, but for buying grain, farming tools, and medicine. It's not for establishing an army, but for 'land reclamation corps.' Farmers will only follow you if they're well-fed. As for weapons… I will find another way to provide them."

"Your Majesty... understands."

"One last thing." Chongzhen walked to the prison cell door, turned back to look at him, and said, "Mr. Sun, I don't expect you to save Shaanxi, nor do I expect you to quell the bandits. I only hope that three years from now, on a piece of land somewhere in Shaanxi, the people there will be able to survive because of you. That will be enough."

Sun Chuanting knelt down. Not to pay homage to the emperor, but to the responsibility he bore.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Chongzhen said nothing more and turned to leave. Wang Chengen followed behind, while Luo Yangxing accompanied him tremblingly, all the way to the entrance of the yamen.

Before ascending the imperial carriage, Emperor Chongzhen told Luo Yangxing, "Sun Chuanting is ill. Take good care of him. If anything goes wrong... I will hold you accountable."

Luo Yangxing trembled and quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty! I will certainly summon the best imperial physician!"

The imperial carriage set off and slowly returned to the Forbidden City.

The snow started falling again. A few snowflakes landed on the sedan curtain, but they melted quickly.

Emperor Chongzhen leaned back in the sedan chair and closed his eyes.

The first move has been made.

Next up is the second one.