The Ming Dynasty began in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

Li Zicheng was putting on an act, and Zhu Cilang could only smile bitterly to himself.

He couldn't do anything to this villain for the time being, and he was still hoping that Li Zicheng would treat his father's remains well!

Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the somewhat nervous Li Yan, then at the smug Li Zicheng, Zhu Cilang cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, since you say you will treat my father and son well, I will tell you the whereabouts of my father, Emperor Chongzhen. Your Majesty's word is law, and I hope you will not break your promise."

Li Zicheng had already called himself "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "I"), but Zhu Cilang still addressed him as "大王" (Da Wang, meaning "Great King"), as if he didn't acknowledge him as emperor, which made Li Zicheng somewhat unhappy.

But upon closer examination, it seems there's not much of a problem with Zhu Cilang addressing him as "Great King." He was previously known as the "Chuang King," and although he established a regime, he never ascended the throne as emperor.

He forced a smile and said:

"Rest assured, my word is my bond!"

Li Zicheng believed that finding the Chongzhen Emperor was equivalent to finding a large amount of gold and silver treasures...

Little did he know that Emperor Chongzhen was the poorest emperor in history, and at this moment, apart from his body hanging from a tree, he had nothing...

"Your Majesty, if I'm not mistaken, Father should be hiding in the Shouhuang Pavilion in Jingshan Park. You can go and search there..."

Zhu Cilang did not say that Emperor Chongzhen had committed suicide, precisely because he did not want Li Zicheng to overthink it, as it would be difficult to explain.

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng couldn't help but glance at Zhu Cilang a few more times, thinking to himself:

"Emperor Chongzhen had a filial son..."

He was initially wary of Zhu Cilang, but seeing that Zhu Cilang had willingly betrayed the emperor, he felt that this person was not going to amount to anything, and his wariness immediately lessened.

He immediately shouted loudly outside:

"Guards, take my men and accompany me to the Shouhuang Pavilion in Jingshan Park!"

"Yes, sir!"

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Nai immediately summoned a squad of his personal guards to await further instructions.

Before leaving, Li Zicheng said to Zhu Cilang:

"Let's go together!"

Zhu Cilang bowed and thanked him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Zicheng and Zhang Nai led the charge, protected by five hundred personal guards, with Zhu Cilang and Li Yan following behind...

After about half an incense stick's time, the group arrived at Shouhuang Pavilion in Jingshan Park, but did not find Emperor Chongzhen or any eunuchs.

Li Zicheng sensed something was wrong and hurriedly issued an order:

"Zhang Nai, divide into groups of fifty, split up, and quickly search for the whereabouts of Emperor Chongzhen. Find him alive or dead!"

"yes!"

Zhang Nai received the order and had just commanded his men to disperse and search for the Chongzhen Emperor when he suddenly heard Zhu Cilang's weeping voice and received the following order:

"Father..."

Zhu Cilang ran while crying...

Li Zicheng and his men hurriedly looked in the direction Zhu Cilang was heading and discovered that there seemed to be two people hanging from a tree not far away!

As darkness fell, Li Zicheng and his men could not see clearly and had no idea that one of them was the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

But Zhu Cilang knew very well that the two people hanging in the tree ahead were his father and Wang Chengen, and he immediately rushed over, crying out...

Although Zhu Cilang was mentally prepared, seeing his father, barefoot and with his long hair covering his face, hanging from a crooked tree, still made his heart ache...

If Emperor Chongzhen had listened to Zhu Cilang's advice, this outcome would never have happened. But he insisted that the emperor should die for the country, which may have been his fate!

Zhu Cilang knelt at his father's feet, kowtowed three times, quickly rose, picked up his father's body, untied the knot in his belt, and gently placed it on the ground.

Only then did Li Zicheng and his men realize what was happening. Li Yan and Zhang Nai stepped forward and laid down the body of the most loyal eunuch in history.

Looking at the two bodies on the ground, Li Zicheng felt extremely distressed. It wasn't that he felt sorry for the two people, but that he was worried about not being able to find the place where Chongzhen hid the silver!

He walked over to Chongzhen's side and found a piece of cloth on the ground. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were words written in blood on it.

Li Zicheng bent down and picked up the blood-written letter from Emperor Chongzhen. His literacy was limited, and he didn't recognize some of the characters. He casually handed the letter to Li Yan.

"Look at what's written on it?"

Li Yan took the blood-written letter and read it, feeling a mix of emotions. He felt that Emperor Chongzhen wasn't a bad person, but his imperial power didn't extend to the countryside, and he had been deceived by his ministers...

Seeing that Li Yan remained silent, Li Zicheng hurriedly asked:

"What does it say up there? Tell me quickly!"

Li Yan nodded:

"This is a letter written in blood by Emperor Chongzhen before he committed suicide."

"Seventeen years after I ascended the throne, the rebels have been pressing on to the capital. Although I am of meager virtue and have offended Heaven, causing the rebels to approach the capital, it is all due to the mistakes of my ministers. When I die, I have no face to meet my ancestors in the underworld. I will remove my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the rebels tear my body apart, but do not harm a single commoner."

When Li Yan read the words "traitor," he did not copy them verbatim, but changed them to "righteous army."

After hearing this, Li Zicheng snorted coldly:

"False compassion, absolute false compassion! What bullshit about accidentally harming one civilian? The righteous army are civilians, and we are also of civilian origin. How could we harm civilians?"

Zhu Cilang scoffed at Li Zicheng's words. Did Li Zicheng really not want to harm ordinary people?

Since the uprising began, the main force of the bandits has remained stationary, relying entirely on ordinary people to fill the gaps. Every time they attacked and seized territory, tens of thousands of innocent civilians died...

"This is?"

Suddenly, Li Yan exclaimed in surprise. He had spotted two patches on Emperor Chongzhen's exposed undergarment...

Li Yan felt his worldview had collapsed. The emperor of the mighty Ming Dynasty was actually wearing a patched robe.

Li Zicheng followed Li Yan's gaze, but found nothing, and asked calmly:

"What is it?"

Li Yan realized he had lost his composure and quickly bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, look..."

Only after Li Yan pointed it out did Li Zicheng notice the patches on Emperor Chongzhen's robes.

Although he was extremely shocked, Li Zicheng still snorted coldly:

"Hmph, Chongzhen knew his remains would be discovered, so he deliberately dressed up for us to see, simply hoping to gain a good reputation after his death!"

Before Li Zicheng could finish speaking, Zhu Cilang cupped his hands and said:

"No, Father Emperor is very frugal. He often wears robes with patches, which Mother Emperor sews by hand. After every major disaster, Father Emperor doesn't eat meat for a long time..."

Li Zicheng laughed heartily upon hearing this:

"As the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, you will naturally protect your father."

"If the Zhu family's rule was so good, and Emperor Chongzhen loved his people so much, why did the people rebel? Why did he commit suicide?"

As a time traveler, Zhu Cilang knew very well that no dynasty in history could compare with later generations, let alone the fact that the Chongzhen era coincided with the outbreak of the Little Ice Age.

Even in the 1970s and 80s, some people in China still couldn't get enough to eat. How could people in ancient times have been able to have enough to eat and wear?

If Li Zicheng could unify the country, could he have done it?

Of course not! Li Zicheng was short-sighted, and the people under his rule would suffer even more!

Zhu Cilang found his father's boots, carefully helped him put them on, and then stood up to look at Li Zicheng and said:

"The world does not belong to the Zhu family; the Zhu family is only ruling and managing it temporarily."

"Since ancient times, emperors have taken turns sitting on the throne. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. The Ming Dynasty has lasted for more than 270 years. Now it's Li Zicheng's turn."

"During the Chongzhen reign, the Ming Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles and natural disasters. The Red Cliffs were filled with starving corpses, and the Jurchens beyond the Great Wall were eyeing the country covetously. The Great Shun Dynasty had a long way to go and a heavy responsibility."

"With my father's passing and the Crown Prince's position effectively null and void, I have no desire to argue with the rebel leader, nor do I wish for further conflict. I simply want a peaceful life."

"Before that, I implore the King of Chuang to treat your father's remains with care. He was once your ruler too. Thank you!"

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he bowed again.