Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and said, "Yuan Chonghuan has just arrived in Ningyuan and has already clashed with the Later Jin army."

At this time, the most important thing is to ensure the supply of provisions and supplies to the front lines and to stabilize the situation both inside and outside the court.

In addition, this was also the time when Wei Zhongxian and his associates were most likely to expose their weaknesses.

Aren't they colluding with the Later Jin?

Since that's the case, they'll definitely take some action and give themselves away.

Therefore, at this time, let's pretend we know nothing and see what they do.

Zhou Ling'er felt that Zhu Youjian's analysis made some sense: "Well, then let Cui Chengxiu live a few more days."

"How's the trial of Sun Yunhe going?"

"Sun Yunhe readily admitted that when Tian Ergeng was killed, he led his men to storm the execution ground and was shot by Sun Chuanting. Later, he also admitted to trying to assassinate His Majesty."

Zhu Youjian listened and nodded: "Since he has admitted it, then this matter is easy to handle."

So, Sun Yunhe isn't that difficult to deal with.

Did he say that Wei Zhongxian ordered him to assassinate me?

"He didn't say that. He only said it was his own idea, that he himself wanted to assassinate His Majesty!"

"What a lackey! He's quite loyal to Wei Zhongxian, isn't he?"

The next night.

At Wei Zhongxian's residence.

Wei Zhongxian summoned his subordinates to his residence to plot.

Wei Zhongxian, pale-faced, paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back: "I never expected that this young emperor would oppose us in every way since he ascended the throne."

Today, an imperial edict was actually issued restoring the official positions and titles of six gentlemen, including Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, and Wei Dazhong.

Their eldest sons were allowed to inherit their titles, their reputations were restored, and they were declared to have been unjustly killed and to be extremely loyal subjects.

You say,

What did Zhu Youjian mean by doing this?

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu coughed and said, "Your Excellency, the matter is already quite clear."

Zhu Youjian meticulously planned to dig up materials from the case of Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, and the other six gentlemen to exonerate them. Wasn't that aimed at us?

This must have greatly encouraged the Donglin Party members.

They would think that the current emperor is a wise and benevolent ruler, and they would see hope again.

And we, especially you, will become the target of everyone's criticism.

Because it is inherently a black-and-white relationship, completely opposed.

"The Emperor has rejected the case of Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, and the other six gentlemen; that's tantamount to rejecting you, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian gritted his teeth in hatred.

He nodded heavily: "You're right, we really regret it."

Over the years, how much have we done for the court? Let's not talk about anything else, just take the matter of taxes, for example, how much silver have we contributed to the court?

The agricultural tax advocated by the Donglin Party only brought in 180 million taels of silver a year, while our family's annual income from the salt tax levied on the court reached 400 million taels of silver.

If it weren't for our efforts to collect taxes, the imperial court would have collapsed long ago.

The soldiers of Bian Wu could not be paid their wages.

Zhu Youxiao was so anxious that he came to our family to discuss countermeasures.

Our family has also helped the imperial court solve the problem of military pay, stabilizing the morale of the troops on the border.

The imperial court is building the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, and Zhu Youxiao is asking our family for help in raising funds. Does our family have no achievements to speak of?

Where did that money come from?

Money doesn't fall from the sky, nor does it grow on the ground. It's all our family's way of raising money for the imperial court. How could the young emperor know about these things?

Among those civil officials, who is easy to deal with?

During the reign of Emperor Jianwen,

Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, and Fang Xiaoru were known as the "Three Idiots of Jianwen".

After Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, was he still able to make decisions?

Isn't that just Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng doing whatever they want?

If it weren't for our family keeping things under control here, wouldn't those Donglin Party members have caused an uproar?

Now, they've forgotten all the contributions our family made.

After hearing Wei Zhongxian's words, everyone felt sorry for him.

Xu Xianchun said with a hint of guilt, "Your Excellency, this is all my fault."

That night,

While I was on duty at the Royal Archives

Unbeknownst to many, the one who came was a fake Grand Secretary who tricked me into handing over the materials on Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, and the other three gentlemen.

They provided evidence for Zhu Youjian to overturn their case.

However, there's one more thing I want to tell you.

Wu Mengming, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had participated in the trial of this case. He marked it as "no evidence found" in an inconspicuous place.

In other words, the facts of this case were not true during the initial trial.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was furious: "Wu Mengming, I've long since discovered that he's not one of us."

"You may not know this, but Wu Mengming and Zhou Ling'er are related."

"Of course he's on the Emperor's side, how could he possibly be on ours?"

"So that's how it is. No wonder Wu Mengming is so devoted to the imperial court."

Xu Xianchun said frankly, "Your Excellency, I still have a group of brothers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Why don't I take those brothers and take Wu Mengming out tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu quickly stopped him: "I've heard people say that you should strike unexpectedly and attack when the enemy is unprepared. But now, the enemy has made full preparations. If you go to attack them, how easy is it for you to succeed?"

Besides, Wu Mengming is now the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he is not so easy to manipulate. If I remember correctly, didn't you two have a duel before?

Did you win?

"I—." When that incident was mentioned, Xu Xianchun was speechless, because he had lost badly that time.

"We must be careful in everything we do now, and we can't afford to cause any more trouble."

After listening to Cui Chengxiu's words, everyone felt that what he said made some sense.

Cui Chengxiu shook his head and continued, "Now, Dorgon has led 5 elite troops to the walls of Ningyuan City. Unexpectedly, the Emperor secretly appointed Yuan Chonghuan without consulting us."

After Yuan Chonghuan arrived in Ningyuan, he brought with him a man named Luo Li, who was said to be an expert in artillery. The Ming army won a great victory, almost killing Ajige, capturing Yuetuo alive, taking 1000 prisoners, and annihilating hundreds of Later Jin soldiers.

Dorgon has already written, questioning us about what happened, why the court has reinstated Yuan Chonghuan, and accusing us of deceiving them.

At this point, Cui Chengxiu took out the letter and handed it to Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian opened the window to watch, and he was also very anxious.

His hands trembled as he said, "You've gone to the Later Jin and reached an agreement with Huang Taiji. We need to find a way to support Dorgon."

Otherwise, how could they have broken through the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, and how could they have entered Shanhaiguan and besieged Beijing?

Choi Seong-soo pondered for a moment: "I think it would be better to do this..."

First of all, isn't Gao Di located in Shanhaiguan?

We can send someone to meet with Gao Di, offer him high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, and explain the advantages and disadvantages to him.

Bring him over here;

Secondly, we need to find a way to divert troops from Ningyuan.

Wei Zhongxian's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Will that work?"

Gao Di is quite loyal to the imperial court.

Cui Chengxiu smiled slightly: "Your Excellency, if we're talking about loyalty, wasn't Li Si loyal back then?"

Ying Zheng's ability to unify the six kingdoms was inseparable from Li Si's strong support.

We must acknowledge Li Si's contributions.

Everyone agreed with Choi Seong-soo's point of view.

"Li Si proposed the prefecture-county system and wrote the 'Edict to Expel Foreign Guests'."

That's why the Qin state had so many talented people.

If Ying Zheng had actually carried out the order to expel the guests, would Qin have had so many top talents?

For this reason, Ying Zheng appointed Li Si as prime minister, a position of great power and influence, placing him above all other ministers.

His son, Li You, was the governor of Sanchuan County. He was also very brave and loyal, but what happened to him in the end?

During his last tour, Ying Zheng fell seriously ill at Shaqiu and died there.

Zhao Gao planned to alter the imperial edict and install Huhai as emperor.

but,

This matter must be approved by Li Si before it can be carried out.

If Li Si disagrees, Zhao Gao's plot will not succeed.

In fact, Li Si could have immediately ordered Zhao Gao to be arrested.

However, Li Si did not do that.

Initially, Li Si opposed altering the imperial edict, but after Zhao Gao's persuasion, Li Si's stance wavered.

It must be said that Zhao Gao was a very eloquent man. His eloquence was no less than that of the strategists of the Warring States period, such as Su Qin and Zhang Yi.

He told Li Si, "Although your contributions are great, if the imperial edict is not altered, it means that Fusu will succeed to the throne."

If Fusu succeeds to the throne, he will surely give important positions to the Meng brothers, Meng Tian and Meng Yi.

Then, at that point, your position will be in jeopardy.

It could even lead to execution.

Zhao Gao then asked him, "What is the purpose of a person's life?"

You saw the rat in the toilet and said that it was hungry.

It runs away in fright at the sight of people.

but,

The rats in the granary were big and fat, and they weren't afraid of people at all.

Aren't rats and humans the same?

So, you want to be a rat in the granary.

If you want to realize your life's ideals, then you must make Hu Hai emperor.

Moreover, Hu Hai was Ying Zheng's most beloved son.

Ultimately, Li Si made up his mind and conspired with Zhao Gao to alter the imperial edict, ordering the death of Fusu and installing Huhai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

This incident shows us that even a loyal person like Li Si can change.

Think about it, no matter how loyal Gao Di was to the court, could he be as loyal as Li Si?

So, it's not impossible.

Wei Zhongxian nodded: "If Gao Di can hand over Shanhaiguan, that would be wonderful."

Before long, the Later Jin army will be able to advance unimpeded.

So, who will go and talk to Gaudi?

Now, even Wei Zhongxian is realizing he doesn't have enough men under his command.

Wei Liangqing and his wife, Wang Shaohui, Sun Yunhe, and others were all imprisoned.

Wei Guangwei said, "Uncle, leave this to me. I'll go and talk to Gao Di."

but,

You have to give me enough money.

A generous reward will surely attract brave men.

Wei Zhongxian nodded in agreement: "Sure, up to ten thousand taels of silver, you don't need to tell me, you can use it directly."

"Please rest assured, Uncle! I will definitely complete this task."

Wei Guangwei thought to himself that his recent mission to Shengjing was mainly due to Cui Chengxiu's efforts, and he himself had only accompanied him for meals and drinks without making any contributions.

This time, going to Shanhaiguan is a chance for me to earn some merit and also to take the opportunity to make some extra money.

These days, making money is the most practical thing.

When Wei Guangwei saw that Wei Zhongxian had agreed, he thought to himself that this uncle was really loyal.

He walked to the table, poured Wei Zhongxian a bowl of tea, and handed it to him with both hands.

Wei Zhongxian took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

He placed the teacup on the table: "Our family miscalculated after all. And to be frank..."

I originally thought that Zhu Youjian was like Qin Er Shi Hu Hai or Emperor Xian of Han Liu Xie, someone I could manipulate at will. But now it seems that's not the case.

Although Zhu Youjian was young, he was very cunning.

He's slowly closing in, gradually taking us down with him.

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu's heart stirred: "Some people say that Zhu Youjian is no longer the same Zhu Youjian he once was."

It is said that he once fell ill and was unconscious. When he woke up again, he was like a completely different person, becoming wise and powerful.

Wei Zhongxian was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Oh, is that so? Does that mean Zhu Youjian is a star descended from heaven?"

Whether Zhu Youjian was a star descended from heaven is hard to say.

However, no matter what, he is definitely not an ordinary person.

Have you ever heard of Prince Ziying of Qin?

"How come I've never heard of that?"

Before Ziying ascended the throne, he also acted like a simpleton, even a bit stupid.

He is somewhat similar to Sima Zhong.

For this reason, Zhao Gao believed he was easy to control.

Therefore, after Zhao Gao killed Huhai,

Ziying was made King of Qin.

However, Zhao Gao never expected that Ziying's apparent naivety was all an act.

He's quite shrewd inside.

He feigned illness and refused to attend court. According to the Qin Dynasty's regulations, if the King of Qin refused to attend court, Zhao Gao would have to personally visit him to invite him.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Gao was arrested as soon as he arrived at the Qin King's residence.

It turned out that Ziying had already set up an ambush, waiting for Zhao Gao to come.

Zhao Gao, who pointed at a deer and called it a horse, wielded immense power and influence, yet he was killed just like that. Do you think his death was unjust or not?

Therefore, Your Excellency, from today onwards, if His Majesty summons you again, you must not go to meet him alone, lest something untoward happen.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian felt a chill run down his spine: "Lord Cui, aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

Would Zhu Youjian dare to lay a hand on our family?

So far, hasn't he refrained from harming Madam Ke, Wang Shaohui, the Wei Liangqing couple, or Sun Yunhe?

Cui Chengxiu waved his hand: "You're oversimplifying things. It's not that the Emperor isn't going to use poison, but that he's secretly gathering evidence so that he can strike together in the end."

Now that the Later Jin army has invaded, he's worried about trouble brewing at home.

So, on the surface, they feign compliance with us, but in reality, they are actively plotting against us.

Xu Xianchun slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Your Excellency, Lord Cui, I think you are worrying too much."

Lord Cui, you can mobilize troops from nearby areas to surround the capital.

Why not force Zhu Youjian to abdicate the throne to the Ninth Prince?

Who says eunuchs can't be emperors? We're going to change the world!