Bring some shock to the world of cultivating immortals

Chapter 981 The Secret History of the Ming Dynasty (Two in One)

"Is Mr. Zhou leaving?"

In the county government office, Li Kuan cheerfully placed a cup of tea in front of Zhou Li, then sat opposite him, straddling the chair without any airs or dignity, and asked, "Where are we going this time? Longhu Mountain? Or further south?"

"This time we're going to the capital."

Zhou Li picked up the teacup and said.

Li Kuan tensed up visibly.

"Master Zhou."

Li Kuan was sweating. He looked at Zhou Li. He was usually calm and composed, but now he seemed particularly nervous. "Go to the capital... for what?"

"You don't usually ask these questions."

Zhou Li glanced at Li Kuan with a half-smile. Everyone was familiar with this good guy. He would not ask too many questions about anything related to Zhou Li, for fear of being involved in some cause and effect. But this time, Li Kuan opened his mouth and asked a question that he would never ask normally.

“Hey, this…”

Li Kuan smiled with difficulty, then whispered, "I am just worried about you, Mr. Zhou. The capital is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and there are many extraordinary people. You must not bring the experience of Northern Liang to the capital."

"For example?"

Zhou Li asked back.

"For example, the Imperial Guards in Beijing."

At this point, Li Kuan seemed to have made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said directly, "Mr. Zhou, the capital is different from other places, and even more different from Beiliang. If Beiliang is a paradise where there is no competition, then the capital is a meat grinder where various forces are entrenched."

"so serious?"

Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, "Even the emperor can't do it?"

"Mr. Zhou, in a sense, you and I have worked together for several years. There are some things I cannot say to others, but I must say them to you."

Li Kuan's expression was extremely serious at this time. He looked at Zhou Li and said, "Do you know about the flood and epidemic rebellion?"

"Flood and epidemic?"

Zhou Li frowned, "What about the emperor being sick?"

“Not only that…”

Li Kuan sighed, rubbed his brows, and said slowly: "During the flood and epidemic, it was not only Emperor Hongxi who was sick, but the entire Ming Dynasty was infected with the evil epidemic."

"In August of the 22nd year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Hongxi ascended the throne. During his reign, he governed in an enlightened way, developed production, and gave the people a rest. He redressed unjust cases, abolished harsh policies, and made the people live and work in peace. Everyone praised the emperor for his benevolence."

After a pause, Li Kuan continued, "If it had continued like this, the Ming Dynasty would surely have regained its glory. However, no one expected that less than a year after ascending the throne, Emperor Hongxi would fall seriously ill in May of the first year of Hongxi's reign. His health deteriorated rapidly and the government was on the verge of collapse in an instant."

"This isn't right."

At this time, Zhou Li asked in confusion: "I remember that Emperor Hongxi increased the power of the cabinet after he ascended the throne. Logically speaking, the Ming Dynasty with a cabinet should not have collapsed directly because the emperor was seriously ill, right?"

"Dragon and tiger energy."

From a historical perspective, Emperor Hongxi was a real person, and the Ming Dynasty was a real dynasty. If it were true history, the death of Emperor Hongxi did have a great impact on the Ming Dynasty, but it did not reach the point of "collapse of the government."

But the problem is that the Ming Dynasty in this world has one more thing.

Dragon and tiger energy.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has dragon and tiger energy in his body, and the dragon and tiger energy represents the fortune of the Ming Dynasty."

Sighing, Li Kuan said helplessly: "In the past, even the death of Taizu would not cause the dragon and tiger energy to riot. But the Jingnan Campaign caused the dragon and tiger energy of the Ming Dynasty to begin to boil. Too many souls who died unjustly, died innocently, and should not have died made the originally pure dragon and tiger energy mixed with human anger."

"Taizong ascended the throne by stepping on dragon bones and a sea of ​​blood. We cannot say whether what he did was right or wrong, or whether it was a move to protect himself, but the Dragon and Tiger Qi judged that Taizong's access to the throne was not legitimate, and that he was too aggressive and aggressive and lost the kindness of the people. Therefore, at that time, the Dragon and Tiger Qi began to show signs of rebellion, but Taizong was too strong, so strong that the Dragon and Tiger Qi did not dare to act recklessly in front of him, so the Dragon and Tiger Qi remained dormant."

"At first, Taizong did not want to pass the throne to the crown prince Zhu Gaochi, because he thought Zhu Gaochi was kind-hearted and could not suppress the long-standing resentment of the dragon and tiger. The second prince Zhu Gaoxu was strong and powerful, and was most like Taizong, so Taizong had the idea of ​​changing the crown prince."

After a pause, Li Kuan continued, "Fortunately, the evil monk Yao Guangxiao left behind a warning before his death, telling Emperor Taizong that if he forcibly levied the Dragon and Tiger Qi, the Ming Dynasty would perish within three generations. Only a kind-hearted person can appease the Dragon and Tiger Qi and make it submit to the court."

"The kind-hearted person is Hong Xi?"

Zhou Li asked.

"No, it's Zhu Zhanji, the crown prince of Emperor Hongxi."

Looking at Zhou Li who was somewhat stunned, Li Kuan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and then continued: "Emperor Hongxi is indeed generous, but this does not mean that Emperor Hongxi is kind without any bottom line. On the contrary, do you think that a person who can make the King of Han and the King of Zhao willingly serve as his vanguard can be a good person?"

"Within less than a year of his reign, Emperor Hongxi had already consolidated the power of various departments, and the military power was firmly in his hands. Resting with the people and calming their hearts were also his means of calming the dragon and tiger energy. What he wanted to do was to hand over a gradually stable Ming Dynasty to Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, so that Zhu Zhanji could completely control the dragon and tiger energy of the Ming Dynasty and make the Yongle lineage legitimately become the real royal family."

Li Kuan didn't continue speaking.

Only then did Zhou Li understand the truth.

Zhu Di killed his nephew to ascend the throne, which was not a legitimate reason for his ascension. In addition, the Jingnan Campaign caused countless casualties, and the dragon and tiger qi of the Ming Dynasty was extremely repulsive to the royal family of Zhu Di's lineage, which could cause riots at any time. Zhu Di originally wanted to pass the throne to his father's second son, the King of Han, but Yao Guangxiao's words "If the dragon and tiger qi are forcibly taken, the Ming Dynasty will perish in three generations" changed his mind. Zhu Di still let the crown prince Zhu Gaochi inherit the throne, and Emperor Hongxi ascended the throne.

When Emperor Hongxi was in power, he rested with the people and won their hearts. He knew that he was the link between the past and the future, and what he had to do was to win the hearts of the people and make the dragon and tiger qi submit to him. After Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji inherited the throne, Zhu Di's lineage would be completely recognized by the dragon and tiger qi, and the Ming Dynasty would no longer have to worry about the dragon and tiger qi rebellion.

but.

"An epidemic brought Emperor Hongxi to the brink of death, and the dragon and tiger energy also showed signs of rioting. There were too many dragon and tiger energies involved in Emperor Hongxi. Although the cabinet had power, they were nameless. Their second-rank status made them unable to bear these rioting dragon and tiger energies."

After a long sigh, Li Kuan said helplessly: "So, the prime minister appeared."

The official system of the Ming Dynasty is very unique, divided into "power" and "name". Power represents power, that is, the right to speak in the court. And name represents "name", and only with a name can one carry the corresponding dragon and tiger energy.

In the simplest terms, the second-rank generals are more famous than powerful, because they need dragon and tiger energy rather than the right to speak in the court, so the second-rank generals are "famous but lack power". The three cabinet elders are more powerful than famous, because what they have to do is to coordinate the various departments and issue decrees, so they are generally third-rank in name.

The epidemic of Emperor Hongxi caused the dragon and tiger qi to riot, but under Emperor Hongxi, only the cabinet had the power to control the dragon and tiger qi. But the problem was that the three cabinet elders had power but no name, and could not carry the corresponding dragon and tiger qi. Therefore, once the emperor died completely, the dragon and tiger qi of the Ming Dynasty would riot, and I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty would not be able to continue.

Therefore, Emperor Hongxi took a risky move and made a decision that went against his ancestors.

The prime minister system that was abolished by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was brought back.

Some people may wonder why the identities of the three ministers are not directly mentioned, so that they all have first-rank positions.

But in fact, it is not important to have a first-rank position, but fame is the most important. It is useless to have a first-rank position recognized by the emperor. He must have a place in history or in the hearts of the people to become a first-rank person who carries the dragon and tiger energy. Therefore, the Hongxi Emperor at that time either reincarnated his father or Zhu Yuanzhang, or restored the only person who could carry the dragon and tiger energy in a short period of time.

Only the prime minister.

If Emperor Hongxi had been given more time, he would have certainly created a new powerful and prestigious first-rank official position. But the incident happened suddenly, so he could only re-establish the prime minister system to give the Ming Dynasty a little protection.

"So what is the new chancellor's name?"

Zhou Li asked.

This is a problem that has troubled him for a long time.

The prime minister's son was named Han Juexin, which shows that the prime minister's surname was Han. But the problem is that the prime minister is like a centurion, everyone calls him the prime minister and never says his name, which makes the prime minister's name an eternal question like whether the centurion was circumcised or not.

"a lot of."

To Zhou Li's surprise, Li Kuan gave Zhou Li a wonderful answer: "He can be called Han Shichang, Fang Zhongshu, Li Ziqu, Wang Bushu, Zhao Cheng, he has many names."

"What's the matter?"

Zhou Li was confused, "Let's speak Chinese."

"Because he is the chancellor."

Li Kuan's expression involuntarily became gloomy, "Do you think that just anyone can become the prime minister?"

"There was a class of students and a tutor at the Imperial College in the capital. No records or hometowns were recorded, and no traces were left. They left no trace in the entire Ming Dynasty, and the case was closed with only a simple sentence, "No more words."

Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized something and his pupils contracted.

"The Prime Minister is a collection of seventeen people."

Li Kuan closed his eyes, and a trace of pain appeared involuntarily in the corners of his eyes. "This monster was created by the souls of my seventeen students."

A piece of cloth sewn together to fill the hole in the Ming Dynasty.

The cloth is stained with the blood of the soul.

"Then how can he have a child?"

Zhou Li recovered and asked in confusion: "The one I killed at that time..."

"He is now a person with seventeen memories, but his personality is no longer the same as any of those seventeen people."

Li Kuan's voice was a little muffled. "I had a total of 18 students in that class, and only Yao Heng survived. One of the students was named Han Shichang. He had a child before he was integrated into the prime minister. Unfortunately, the child was not raised by Han Shichang, who was gentle and kind, but was controlled by the prime minister who had a strong desire for power and was taught to be that damned person."

Zhou Li said nothing, just took a sip of tea.

"In other words, you merged seventeen souls into one body and created a chancellor who could contain the dragon and tiger energy of the Ming Dynasty, correct?"

Zhou Li asked.

"Ah."

Li Kuan nodded.

"who are you?"

Zhou Li asked.

"The chief priest of the capital."

Li Kuan no longer concealed it and said in a deep voice: "He was once the number one person under the emperor."

"Lao Li, you are awesome..."

Zhou Li said.

"I am the sinner."

Li Kuan raised a bitter smile, his eyes full of gloom. "If I had resisted the pressure, been patient for a while, and not been so impatient for a while, the soul fusion would not have failed. In fact, the purpose of this soul fusion is not to create a prime minister with eighteen souls in one body, but to allow a gifted child to be taught knowledge by seventeen people of similar age in a short period of time."

"Unfortunately, I was too impatient and failed to merge souls, creating an existence that was eroded by negative emotions but learned to hide itself. In order to cover up this inhumane experiment, I wanted to commit suicide to apologize, but Emperor Hongxi replaced the poison I took with a fake death drug. After I woke up, my wife and I boarded a carriage to Beiliang."

Zhou Li thought of Li Kuan's wife. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and said in surprise: "Your wife's brain disease..."

"I saw my son being torn into countless pieces and merged into the monster's body. I went crazy."

Li Kuan half-opened his eyes and whispered, "Li Ziqu, my wife and I's only son."

Zhou Li was silent.

What could he say? Insult Li Kuan or attack him?
Everything Li Kuan did was to ensure the continuation of the Ming Dynasty and to prevent the Dragon and Tiger Qi from rioting and causing chaos. He was just a little impatient and made a wrong move, but the question is, who can guarantee that this unprecedented experiment will be successful once?
His son also went.

"No wonder you never wanted to return to the capital."

Zhou Li sighed, then asked, "What happened next?"

"It was too late to merge the souls again at that time."

Li Kuanwei lowered his eyelids and said slowly: "The prime minister has become the prime minister, and the dragon and tiger energy has also fallen on the prime minister. There is no risk of collapse as before."

"Later, Emperor Hongxi recovered from his illness for unknown reasons. However, during his tenure as prime minister, he had already taken control of the government. He controlled most of the dragon and tiger energy and also controlled a lot of military power. He mastered all the methods of the seventeen geniuses, including suppression, promotion, forming cliques for personal gain, and assassination. These methods that were once hated by the seventeen people were fully displayed by him. When Emperor Hongxi returned to the government, he was greeted by a court that had nothing to do with him."

Seventeen geniuses who were carefully taught by the world's best talents were integrated into one body. While sharing the memories of seventeen people, he also possessed their negative emotions. The most terrifying thing was that he could control his emotions and would not easily reveal them. After deceiving everyone, he controlled everything as the prime minister.

"If Prime Minister Feilong had not been unable to completely control the dragon and tiger energy, I'm afraid the world would have already changed dynasties."

Looking at Zhou Li, Li Kuan said with a complicated expression:

"But Zhou Li, people will change."

"It's not impossible to turn into a dragon."

(End of this chapter)