The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 342: The Zhao Family and the Sima Family (4600 words)
It's a bit too straightforward and frank.

However, at this moment, he felt a domineering aura from Emperor Shengwu.

Tell him clearly, no matter who he is, what his identity is, or what his purpose is.

As long as he doesn't kill innocent people indiscriminately, the Ming Dynasty can accommodate him.

Because the Ming Dynasty has the confidence.

And this is undoubtedly a good thing for Ji Dongming.

The more tolerant the Ming Dynasty and Emperor Shengwu are, the better.

"Ji Dongming pays respect to His Majesty the Emperor." Ji Dongming bowed solemnly again.

"No need to be polite." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand and asked, "What are you good at? Are you still devoted to martial arts?"

Knowing that this was to arrange his position, Ji Dongming said truthfully: "In addition to martial arts, I am best at military strategy, and I believe I am proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia."

"Military strategy!" Zhu Houzhao was delighted. There were very few great masters who were good at military strategy in the whole world.

He is truly one of the rarest talents.

"Old Gu, there is a great master who has come to surrender. He is said to be good at military strategy. Come and discuss with him and see how far he has come." Zhu Houzhao sent a voice transmission directly.

"I have called someone to come over later to examine the extent of your military strategy.
I will arrange a position for you." Zhu Houzhao said.

"Yes." Ji Dongming responded, and he was certain in his heart that he was asking someone to examine his military strategy.

His surname is Gu, so if nothing unexpected happens, he should be the famous Minister Gu.

He had no worries at all, only confidence.

When it comes to military strategy, he believes he is no worse than others.

After a pause, he said, "Your Majesty, I have two things to report to Your Majesty."

"Just tell me whatever it is." Zhu Houzhao said generously.

"The first thing is what I said about offering treasures." Ji Dongming said seriously.

Zhu Houzhao became interested and looked at the other person curiously.

"Your Majesty, do you know the Eight Diagrams?" Ji Dongming asked.

"Eight Diagrams, I don't know." Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and shook his head.

Ji Dongming paused. How famous was Zhuge Wuhou's Eight Diagrams?

Emperor Shengwu didn’t even know!

But he couldn't think of any reason why Emperor Shengwu would deceive him about this matter.

Is it true that the rumor that Emperor Shengwu only likes martial arts and does not read literature is true?
This thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't show it on his face, and explained, "Your Majesty, this Eight Diagrams Formation is a rare treasure that Zhuge Liang spent many years to refine.

By integrating the art of Qimen Dunjia, it can also greatly enhance the user's mental willpower. The user can manipulate the power of Qimen Dunjia to control celestial phenomena and launch attacks.

Its power is enough to shake the world and destroy mountains and rivers.

Back then, Zhuge Liang relied on the Eight Diagrams to single-handedly overwhelm the power of hundreds of thousands of Wei troops from a hundred miles away, launched a celestial attack, and destroyed tens of thousands of Wei troops.

If he hadn't been so ambitious, he would have wanted to destroy the hundreds of thousands of Wei troops in one fell swoop and thus destroy Wei.

It caused him to consume too much energy and die of exhaustion. The outcome of that battle was unknown."

"Zhuge Liang relied on this Eight Diagrams to overwhelm the might of hundreds of thousands of Wei troops!
How could it be so strong? "Zhu Houzhao was really surprised.

Zhuge Liang knew that literati, like Lao Wang, used literature to gain enlightenment.

The strength is also at the level of heaven and man.

Lao Wang had mentioned these to him before.

But even if one is at the level of a celestial being, it is already good enough to be able to compete with the military strength of tens of thousands of ordinary elite troops.

How could they possibly overwhelm the might of hundreds of thousands of Wei troops?

Could it be that among the hundreds of thousands of Wei troops, there were very few elite troops and the military strength was not strong?

Thinking of this, Zhu Houzhao said it directly.

"Your Majesty, these hundreds of thousands of Wei troops, with a total of nearly 300,000, are the 300,000 troops that Wei used to fight wars in the south and the north and to establish the country. They are definitely all elite troops." Ji Dongming said affirmatively.

"If it's true, this Eight Diagrams Formation is truly a rare treasure." Zhu Houzhao became completely interested.

"Your Majesty, I dare to guarantee with my life and property that it must be true." Ji Dongming affirmed.

"Okay, I believe you." Zhu Houzhao said happily, "The treasure you want to offer is this Eight Diagrams?"

Ji Dongming's expression froze, and he said truthfully: "Your Majesty, before I came to the Ming Dynasty, I wanted to get the Eight Diagrams and present it to Your Majesty.

But I am not strong enough to do anything to the current heir of the Zhuge family.

I chased him from the Sui Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. After arriving in the Ming Dynasty, I dared not act recklessly anymore.

So he came to the capital, joined the Ming Dynasty, and presented the clues of the Eight Diagrams."

"Who is this contemporary heir of the Zhuge family? Does he have the Eight Diagrams Formation in his hand?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

“According to my research over the years, after Zhuge Liang died, he did not leave the Eight Diagrams Formation to the people of Shu.

Instead, he let his descendants hide their identities and guard the secret of the Eight Diagrams until today.

Now the descendant of that lineage is in Sui State, and he is the general of Sui State, and his surname is Xun." Ji Dongming replied.

"Is this contemporary successor willing to hand over the Eight Diagrams Diagram to our Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Houzhao asked thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty, I don't know either." Ji Dongming suppressed some of his thoughts and told the truth.

"Since he has come to our Ming Dynasty, let's talk to him and see if he is willing to give the Eight Diagrams to our Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Houzhao said decisively. Another voice transmission flew out and reached Guo Bujing and Cao Zhengchun at the headquarters of the Factory Guard.

"Your Majesty, what if he doesn't want to?" Ji Dongming asked tentatively.

“If such a treasure is real, it will be like adding wings to a tiger for our Ming Dynasty.

Of course I snatched it away.

At most, we can spare his life and give him some compensation." Zhu Houzhao said without hesitation.

"Your Majesty is wise." Ji Dongming praised sincerely.

"Haha." Zhu Houzhao laughed a few times and asked curiously, "What about the second thing you mentioned?"

"Your Majesty, the second thing I want to tell you is about my true identity." Ji Dongming said with a more serious expression.

"You say." Zhu Houzhao became more interested.

“Your Majesty, I come from a family that is reviled by the world.

This family's reputation is ruined.

As a result, I have been hiding my real identity for so many years." Ji Dongming said solemnly with a hint of helplessness.

"Which family?" Zhu Houzhao was very interested.

"Sima family." Ji Dongming uttered these three words, feeling a little uneasy.

He hesitated for a long time before confessing his identity so directly.

After all, if he confessed his identity and Emperor Shengwu was unhappy, he would never be able to make a comeback.

But he also knew that facing an unparalleled overlord like Emperor Shengwu who dominated the world, if he concealed anything from the beginning, he would never be able to gain his trust in the future.

After all, compared to Emperor Shengwu, he, a mere Ji Dongming, is actually nothing.

Hiding your identity is just a dead end.

If he chooses to assist someone who is trying to dominate, he can conceal his identity so as not to arouse the monarch's suspicion and fear.

It won’t be too late to reveal his identity after everything is settled and he has made the greatest contribution.

However, this is absolutely impossible when facing Emperor Shengwu and the Ming Dynasty.

Taking a gamble is his best option now.

I just hope that because of the information about the Eight Diagrams and his expertise in military strategy, you'll give him a chance.

Don't just kill it with one blow.

Ji Dongming felt more and more nervous, like a criminal about to be sentenced.

Zhu Houzhao was thinking, and asked: "Sima family, the one of Sima Yi?

I have heard of it.”

"That's right." Ji Dongming nodded.

Wei Jinzhong, who had been silent all the time and seemed to be non-existent, couldn't help but look at Ji Dongming with a slightly strange look in his eyes.

Obviously, Sima Yi's Sima family shocked him.

Not reverence, but notoriety.

It stinks so much that people avoid it, as if they were smelling a tiger or wolf.

"So you are the descendant of Sima Yi. I have heard some about you. The Sima family has a very bad reputation." Zhu Houzhao said, making Ji Dongming's heart tighten.

"Old Gu, now that you're here, it's just right. Can you tell me in detail what the Sima family has done?" Zhu Houzhao glanced outside and said directly.

A clear and majestic figure walked in, bowed respectfully first, glanced at Ji Dongming deeply with the corner of his eye, and said respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty." Without thinking, Gu Xi spoke directly to him.

He revealed everything that Sima Yi and his son, as well as the State of Jin, had done.

There is not much bias, just explain it truthfully.

Even so, Ji Dongming, who was listening at the side, still felt increasingly nervous and helpless.

Because of these things, he really couldn't even make an excuse.

But as a descendant, what can he do?
Can only accept.

"Oh! I get it. This Sima family is really useless." Zhu Houzhao said with disdain after listening, causing Ji Dongming's face to turn pale and he was speechless.

"According to what you said, Old Gu, the biggest crime of the Sima family is that they swore an oath by the Luo River but broke the oath." Zhu Houzhao said thoughtfully.

Then he shook his head, not caring: "Well, this point, throughout history, there are many people who have broken their promises for the sake of great causes.

Those people are all the same, no comparison with me.

There is no one like me who keeps his promises, and I am the only one in the history."

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao was full of pride again.

Gu Xichao and Wei Jinzhong both nodded in agreement.

Ji Dongming's eyes moved, as if he saw a ray of fire in the darkness, and he looked at Emperor Shengwu expectantly.

"Second, it is to seek power and usurp the throne." Zhu Houzhao continued: "This is not good.

But the Sui and Song dynasties were all like this.

To our Ming Dynasty, they are all the same, there is no difference, they are just a bunch of traitors and rebels.

I don’t really care.”

At this point, Zhu Houzhao seemed to understand something, and smiled proudly, and asked: "Ji Dongming, do you know why your Sima family has such a bad reputation?

What is your biggest mistake?

"Your Majesty, please give me some advice." Ji Dongming said respectfully.

"Because your ancestors are so useless." Zhu Houzhao showed his disdain without any concealment.

"Such a big country, look at how it is governed?

The noble families have become powerful, the people are living in poverty, and there is still a fool who becomes the emperor.

They were simply waste among wastes. In the end, they even lost the entire north and retreated to the south.

And then he still doesn't make any progress and runs the country in a mess. He is such a waste that it really offends my eyes.

It would be strange if the Sima family had a good reputation.

Being caught as an example and despised by the world is what he deserves."

Zhu Houzhao became more and more disdainful as he spoke, but Ji Dongming was not angry in his heart because it was the truth and he didn't dare.

“Your Sima family has such a bad reputation, in a nutshell, it can be summed up in one sentence.

Your ancestors were too useless and not strong enough. This was the biggest mistake of the Sima family and harmed countless people."

Finally, Zhu Houzhao concluded.

Wei Jinzhong and Gu Xichao nodded. Although His Majesty's words were a bit rough, they were indeed the truth.

Ji Dongming also nodded in agreement.

Under the power of Emperor Shengwu, he remained extremely calm.

When he was calm, he looked at what his ancestors did and was disdainful of it.

Of course, I can only think about it in my heart and can’t say it out loud.

After all, that was his ancestor.

He is not Emperor Shengwu, and he does not have the confidence, courage, or lawlessness to speak ill of his ancestors at will.

"By the way, you can take a look at the Song Kingdom." Zhu Houzhao seemed to have thought of something, and said with even stronger disdain: "The Zhao family in the Song Kingdom is very similar to your Sima family.

The same rebellion and usurpation of the throne, the same poor governance of the country, and the people are living in misery.

They were also unable to defeat the alien races, and their northern lands were also occupied by them.

Similarly, they still have no ambition to make progress, hide in the south, and are cowardly and incompetent.

Humph, if there were no Ming Dynasty, perhaps the Zhao family of Song would be even more useless than your Sima family.

The Sima family was the first to lose most of the Han territory, making the northern Han people become two-legged sheep.

The Zhao family directly destroyed the entire Han dynasty, making all the Han people in the country slaves and lambs. "

There was a sound of "Pa!" Zhu Houzhao got angry while talking. He controlled his strength and slapped the dragon table, saying angrily: "These rubbish are really shameful.

How can you be worthy of being an emperor of the Han people together with me?

Damn it, I have to destroy the State of Song as soon as possible, so that I don’t feel sick of it.

When the time comes, all those useless people in the Zhao family will be skinned to death.

What kind of person is this? How dare you be the emperor with me?"

As Ji Dongming listened, he gradually felt an indescribable strange emotion and could not help but look towards the west in the direction of the Song State.

Don't tell me yet.

The Zhao family and his Sima family are really similar.

Suddenly, he felt a little happy.

With the Zhao family's company, perhaps the Sima family's reputation will be a little better in the future?

At the same time, he also felt that he had recognized the real Emperor Shengwu.

Domineering and strong, careless, lawless, frank and straightforward, etc.

Although his Sima family was belittled and looked down upon, he could not feel the slightest bit of anger.

Instead, I felt a sense of awe, dominance and heroism.

As for Gu Xichao and Wei Jinzhong, they were more accustomed to it.

"Your Majesty, don't be angry. After we conquer the Sui Dynasty, we will conquer the Southern Song Dynasty, Jin Dynasty and Liao Dynasty.

It won’t be too late to settle accounts with the Zhao family then.” Gu Xichao advised.

"Yeah." Zhu Houzhao nodded, looked at Ji Dongming, and said casually: "I have said so much, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty's words are full of wisdom, and I think they are completely correct.

My ancestors were indeed incompetent, which led to the current fate of the Sima family and harmed countless people.

But they are my ancestors after all, so I can’t say much.

I only hope that I can do more for the people with the rest of my life, so as to pay back some of the sins committed by my ancestors and the Sima family." Ji Dongming said with a sincere and respectful heart.

Zhu Houzhao looked at him for a few times, frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "Okay, since you said so, I will temporarily believe that you will do it, and I will watch you do it."

"I will do it even if it means death." Ji Dongming's face lit up with joy, and he said firmly with excitement in his heart.

Because this sentence means that Emperor Shengwu is willing to accept him and the Sima family.

Gu Xichao and Wei Jinzhong couldn't help but frown. The preconceived impression made them feel bad about Ji Dongming. Instead, they were wary and disgusted with him.

There is no other reason, he is a descendant of the Sima family.

“Well, the sins committed by our ancestors cannot be escaped by our descendants.

Even though you are separated by hundreds of years, it is still the same.

Being their descendant is a sin in itself.

No matter how much you do, it can never make up for the sins committed by your ancestors.

From now on, you will pay for your sin as their descendant in my Ming Dynasty.

If you do well enough, I will allow you to use Sima as your surname, reopen your family tree, and restore the Sima surname openly.

At that time, we will split from Sima Yi's Sima family and establish a new Sima family.

The court will prove to you that you are qualified to stand upright in the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Houzhao nodded and said seriously.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty's kindness is something I would never be able to repay even if I die." Ji Dongming was so excited that he could no longer control himself. He knelt on the ground trembling all over.

The Sima family was massacred, but this branch of their family luckily escaped and changed their identities.

Until now, my biggest wish is to be able to reappear on the land of China under the Sima family name.

But this is really too difficult.

Because the Sima family's reputation is so bad, no one in power would trust the Sima family, and officials would not contact the Sima family.

He is the most outstanding person in the Sima family in hundreds of years.

But every time I think of these difficulties, I still can't help feeling suffocated and powerless.

(4600 words, Chapter will be updated around o'clock.)
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(End of this chapter)