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

Zhu Cilang transmigrated to the city a few days before the fall of the capital. Bandits were besieging the city, a plague broke out, and the city was powerless and without soldiers. He had already done his best.

Emperor Chongzhen's stubborn nature meant that Zhu Cilang could not save him.

Zhu Cilang could not stop those who followed Chongzhen in death from remaining loyal.

As for how he escaped the capital and how he defied fate, we can only wait and see.

Stacks of paper money were thrown into the burning brazier, and Zhu Cilang was filled with mixed emotions...

Standing not far away, Li Yan was equally unsettled. He watched helplessly as Ni Yuanlu jumped into the moat. He ordered his men to rescue her, but Ni Yuanlu refused...

The body of Emperor Chongzhen had been lying outside the imperial city for two days, but only a few dozen people came to pay their respects, which surprised Li Yan.

At this moment, he finally understood why Zhu Cilang had insisted on burying Emperor Chongzhen's body as soon as possible; perhaps it was all within Zhu Cilang's expectations...

Li Yan slowly walked to Zhu Cilang's side and whispered:

"Looking back at history, dynastic changes are commonplace. The rebel leader Li Zicheng was righteous enough to allow his ministers to pay their respects, but unexpectedly, the ministers all retreated. Your Highness, please accept my condolences!"

Zhu Cilang threw another stack of joss paper into the brazier, quietly watching the flames, and said calmly:

"They're all thinking about how to curry favor with the rebel leader, how could they dare jeopardize their own future? Perhaps they're even eagerly inviting him to ascend the throne, little do they know that history will repeat itself when the rebel leader falls from grace!"

Li Yan was speechless!

Seeing that Li Yan had nothing to say, Zhu Cilang gave a light snort:

"The lord gave seventy thousand taels of silver, and the rebel king seems quite pleased. The Great Shun must be facing a financial crisis. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the amount of military pay needed is enormous, at least several million taels of silver!"

"If the rebel leader ascends the throne, he will surely grant a general amnesty, reward meritorious officials, and appease former Ming officials to serve him."

"At that time, the required silver could have reached tens of millions. Da Shun had no national treasury, so where would the silver come from?"

"Without money, how could Li Zicheng grant a general amnesty, or reward his soldiers?"

"If the rebel leader only wants to become emperor himself and doesn't reward the brothers who risked their lives for him, the Shun army will inevitably fall into internal strife..."

Zhu Cilang's words shocked Li Yan greatly!

He knew very well the boy's past; he had never left the inner palace and had never been involved in politics!

If that's the case, why was the young crown prince so clear about the affairs of the Great Shun Dynasty? And how could he see through the worries of the rebel king?

Li Yan realized he had underestimated the young crown prince of the Great Ming Dynasty. He was far more complex than ordinary people imagined, so he quickly bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness is right. May I ask if there is a solution to this impasse?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and shook his head:

"Jiangnan is wealthy and outside the sphere of influence of the Great Shun Dynasty. North of the Yangtze River, natural disasters and man-made calamities abound. The fields of Chibi are littered with corpses of the starving. The people have all followed the rebel leader Li Zicheng in his uprising. Who will farm the land?"

"The area outside the Great Wall was occupied by the Jurchens, who frequently raided the area, making life even worse for the surrounding people. When Li Zicheng arrived, he refused to pay taxes and began to turn against the Shun regime..."

"If I'm not mistaken, the rebel leader, left with no other choice, will inevitably plunder the wealth of officials, gentry, and nobles in the capital. The more excited they are now, the more miserable their deaths will be..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan was greatly alarmed and hurriedly bowed again.

"Your Highness is truly gifted. Please continue, I am all ears!"

Zhu Cilang looked at Li Yan and slowly said:

"I know you are a man of great talent, General. However, with figures like Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing holding immense power, Li Zicheng will not heed your words. Torturing all the officials is imperative!"

"In the near future, Wu Sangui may surrender to the Jurchens and occupy Shanhaiguan, ready to invade at any time. The Shun regime is in grave danger!"

"What?"

Zhu Cilang's words shocked Li Yan even more, and his expression changed...

It wasn't just a few words from Zhu Cilang that could deceive Li Yan; the key was that every single sentence hit the nail on the head.

Li Zicheng was short-sighted, but Li Yan was talented and understood that Zhu Cilang's words made some sense.

Li Yan did not know whether Wu Sangui had surrendered to the Jurchens.

Li Yan knew that Li Zicheng trusted Liu Zongmin, Niu Jinxing, and others very much. After Ningwu Pass, Li Zicheng basically ignored Li Yan's advice.

Upon entering the capital, Li Zicheng was determined to reward his army and meritorious officials. However, there was no money left to pay the military expenses and rewards for his hundreds of thousands of troops.

Under normal circumstances, Liu Zongmin and his gang would rob officials, gentry and landlords in the capital. If they manage to steal silver this time, what will the future hold?

The Jurchens beyond the Great Wall had long been eyeing them covetously, but Li Zicheng was short-sighted and could not see it. As a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty, Li Yan was well aware of this.

If the barbarians were allowed to enter the pass, China would be plunged into catastrophe, and the Great Shun regime would be a sinner for all time. Li Zicheng was a sinner, and Li Yan would be no exception.

Seeing that Li Yan's face was pale and his body was trembling slightly, Zhu Cilang gently patted Li Yan's shoulder and smiled:

"There's no need to panic. If everything becomes uncontrollable, you can take your wife and come south with me. Relying on the natural defenses of the Yangtze River, anything is possible!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan was speechless for a moment...

……

Just as Zhu Cilang had predicted, Duke Cheng, Zhu Chunchen, and Grand Secretary Wei Zaode led civil and military officials to pay homage early in the morning.

They dared not wear the official robes of the Ming Dynasty; instead, they were all dressed in plain clothes, standing outside the Meridian Gate with forced smiles on their faces, gazing longingly at the Hall of Supreme Harmony…

It was nearly noon when the Shun army generals finally arrived...

Liu Zongmin walked ahead with a carefree attitude, followed by Gao Yigong, Niu Jinxing, Hao Yaoqi, Zhang Nai and other generals of the Great Shun Dynasty.

Liu Zongmin held an extremely high position in the Da Shun army. Even the Prime Minister Niu Jinxing dared not offend him. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was second only to the emperor.

The Ming Dynasty officials waiting outside the Meridian Gate kept bowing and scraping to them, but the Shun generals all looked at them with disdain, not even glancing at them, and swaggered into the Hall of Supreme Harmony...

After entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Liu Zongmin looked around, then turned to Prime Minister Niu Jinxing of the Great Shun Dynasty and asked:

"Prime Minister, what are those people doing here?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be an attempt to persuade the Chongzhen Emperor to usurp the throne. After the Chongzhen Emperor's death, they wanted to secure their own futures by urging the Li Zicheng (Chuangzi) to replace the Ming dynasty!"

Forced into rebellion by officials, Liu Zongmin and his followers rebelled to avoid starvation. They deeply resented Ming officials and were enraged upon hearing this.

"Bah! Disloyal and unjust scoundrels! As officials of the Ming Dynasty, they dare to urge Emperor Chongzhen to ascend the throne even before his burial! They are utterly shameless..."

Hao Yaoqi also glared angrily:

"Damn it, we brothers have followed the rebel leader through thick and thin for years, and we haven't even been given official positions after we stormed the Ming capital. They actually dare to dream of reaping the benefits without lifting a finger! Brothers, let's crush these bastards..."

Seeing Liu Zongmin and Hao Yaoqi say this, Zhang Nai and the others nodded in agreement:

"Yes, let's kill these disloyal and corrupt officials..."

Seeing that the situation was not good, Niu Jinxing hurriedly advised:

"Generals, please calm down. The rebel leader has not yet held court. We cannot kill anyone here; it would be bad luck!"

Before joining the rebel army, Niu Jinxing made a living by fortune telling. After joining the rebel army, Li Zicheng trusted him and often asked him to tell fortunes.

Upon hearing Niu Jinxing say that killing people today would be unlucky, the generals abandoned their plans to commit massacres.

However, they had nowhere to vent their anger, and everyone felt a tightness in their chest, with some even groaning in anger...

Seeing the grim expressions on everyone's faces, especially Liu Zongmin's wide-eyed glare, Niu Jinxing hurriedly said:

"Gentlemen, today is not the right day for killing, but torturing these corrupt officials would be fine..."