My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 112 Chongzhen: My son should be like Yao and Shun, the Ming Dynasty will be yours!
Inside the governor's office, a red carpet was rolled out, and magnificent ceremonial guards stood solemnly on both sides. Flags of various colors fluttered in the wind, demonstrating the majesty and glory of the Ming Dynasty royal family.

The musicians who were temporarily brought in from Xuanfu were also working very hard at this moment. For a while, the drums and music sounded together, and the sound shook the sky, as if the heaven and earth were moved.

With Fang Zhenghua's order, the ceremony officially began.

Chongzhen was wearing a dragon robe and a crown on his head. He sat upright on a temporary platform, looking at Abunai who was slowly walking towards him with sharp eyes.

Under the attention of everyone, Abunai finally came in front of Chongzhen and slowly knelt down.

Immediately, Fang Zhenghua, who was standing next to Chongzhen, began to read the imperial edict.

"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Mindful of the generations of friendship between the various Mongolian tribes and the Ming Dynasty, I hereby appoint Borjigin Abunai as the Great Khan of Mongolia!"

"May our two countries forever unite as one, jointly resist foreign enemies, and share in peace."

"Appreciate this!"

After that, Fang Zhenghua handed the imperial edict to Abunai personally, along with a temporary national seal.
Abunai took the imperial edict with both hands, his eyes full of excitement.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is grateful to you, your Majesty!"

After a series of complicated procedures, the enthronement ceremony finally came to an end.

Outside the governor's office, the people and merchants were all cheering, because this scene represented that Xuanfu would usher in a more peaceful future.

Zhu Cilang did not break his promise to Abunai. In the afternoon of that day, he prepared the supplies promised to Abunai and handed them over to Abunai.

These materials all came from the eight imperial merchants. Although a portion was given to Abunai, there were still countless left.

Except for the gold, silver and jewelry to be taken back to the capital, the rest were left in Xuanfu for future transactions with Abunai.

Zhu Cilang knew that Abunaiding would bring a large number of cattle, sheep and horses to exchange for these things, and then transport these cattle, sheep and horses back to the capital, so that the soldiers in the Beijing camp would also be able to eat meat.

As the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, he really put a lot of thought into the food supply for the Ming soldiers.

That night, Abunai came to say goodbye to Zhu Cilang, preparing to leave Xuanfu early the next morning for the grassland to gather those Mongolian tribes and Mongols who were unwilling to submit to the Jiannu.

Zhu Cilang naturally had no objection and agreed immediately.

However, before leaving, Abunai kept Qiqige.

Qiqige looked gloomy at this moment, but she understood that for the future of Mongolia, she had no choice but to do so.

After Abunai left, she looked at Zhu Cilang and asked:
"Your Highness, what are you going to do to me?"

Zhu Cilang was stunned when he heard this and asked:

"What did it do to you?"

Qiqige continued:

"I know my brother's painstaking efforts, so I will not disobey any of your orders. You can do whatever you want to me."

As he said this, he acted as if he was ready to let Zhu Cilang deal with him.

It seemed that no matter what Zhu Cilang wanted to do now, she would accept it!
Zhu Cilang was speechless. If he were an adult, he might really do something to Qiqige.

But the only thing is that he is not an adult!
He is only thirteen years old now, just like a junior high school student in later generations. His body is not fully developed in all aspects. He does not want to harm his body for the sake of momentary pleasure.

After all, the Ming Emperor had a short life, so he wanted to live a few more years!
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang said:

"Can you pour tea?"

Pour tea?

Qiqige didn't react for a moment and looked at Zhu Cilang with some confusion.

Zhu Cilang didn't say anything, but just gently shook the teacup in his hand.

This time, Qiqige finally understood and was speechless.

She had been prepared to make the greatest sacrifice, but she had not expected that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty would only treat her as a maid.

This made her feel mixed emotions, but she was helpless.

But if you think about it carefully, this is also a good thing for her. At least she doesn't have to do things she doesn't like.
The next morning, Qiqige went to see Abunai and her people off with mixed feelings. Only when their figures gradually disappeared on the vast grassland did she return to the governor's office with a sad heart.

From now on, she is alone!
After breakfast, Zhu Cilang began to implement his next plan.

The core of this plan is to clean up the Donglin Party, Chu Party, Zhejiang Party and other forces in the court.

He had already prepared for this and brought his previous book of life and death to Xuanfu, which was densely packed with the names of many officials.

Although only a few of them were involved in this incident, in Zhu Cilang's view, these people were all parasites that were corroding the Ming Dynasty and must be eliminated.

Chongzhen did not leave at this time. He stood beside Zhu Cilang, looking through the list of people on the book of life and death, with a look of surprise on his face.

After a moment, he looked up at Zhu Cilang and asked:
"You want to kill all these people?"

Zhu Cilang replied expressionlessly:

"Of course."

Chongzhen was speechless for a moment, and then looked down at the name above.

Zhou Yanru, Fan Fucui, Feng Quan, Zou Yuanbiao, Qian Qianyi, Li Jiantai
He knew half the people on the list, and had never heard of the other half.

But since they are on the life and death record of this rebellious son, they must not be good people, and they should be quite wealthy.

Looking at the eunuchs beside him busy copying the list and preparing to issue the imperial edict to confiscate the property, Chongzhen had a lot of thoughts in his mind.

He turned to look at Zhu Cilang and suddenly asked:
"Rebellious son, after we return this time, are you planning to lock me up in the harem again?"

Zhu Cilang looked up at Chongzhen and replied calmly:
"What else? Father should also know that you cannot control the Ming Dynasty with your current strength."

"Would you give Sun Chuanting 100,000 troops and not ask him what he would do in Shaanxi, nor assign him a supervisor, but simply provide him with a steady supply of food and military pay, fully supporting his plan to suppress bandits?"

"Will you give Hong Chengchou all the support he needs, stay out of everything, and fully support his plans in Liaodong?"

"Will you give Zheng Zhilong what he wants, and make him and his 200,000-man navy submit to you completely?"

"You won't! Because you're afraid these people will deceive you like Yuan Chonghuan did!"

"But if you don't support these people's plans and layout, then you can't save the Ming Dynasty!"

"By then, there will be only two possible outcomes for the Ming Dynasty."

"One possibility is that the bandits will become increasingly powerful and eventually capture the capital, leading to the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Our entire family will then commit suicide together and sacrifice their lives for our country!"

"One is that the Jiannu completely break through the Jinning defense line, and then break through the capital, and our whole family will commit suicide together and sacrifice our lives for our country!"

"Instead of this, you might as well hand over the world to your son."

"Anyway, you've already tried to save Ming, but you didn't succeed!"

"In that case, why don't you let me give it a try?"

"I want you to remember one thing: in the entire world, the only two who truly hope that the Ming Dynasty will last forever are you and me, father and son."

"Other people may have some ulterior motives, but you and I, father and son, will never have any. Everything we strive for and do is just to help the Ming Dynasty reach its peak again!"

These heartfelt words silenced Chongzhen.

Even the Jinyiwei who were copying the imperial edict and guarding the surrounding area fell silent.

Because they knew what Zhu Cilang said was right.

What the Ming Dynasty needs is not an emperor like Chongzhen, but an emperor like the Crown Prince.

With the Crown Prince around, the Ming Dynasty will surely reach its peak again!

Unlike before, although Chongzhen was silent now, he was not angry.

Because now he has accepted his fate.

He understood that even if he returned to the capital and took that position again, he would not be able to do as well as Zhu Cilang, and might even lead the Ming Dynasty back to its original track.

Because his suspicious character cannot be changed!

He cannot completely trust anyone, nor can he give anyone his full support.

This was the aftereffect of his previous unreserved trust in Yuan Chonghuan. He really no longer trusted anyone!
And such a person is really not suitable to be an emperor!
Like I said before, he has completely accepted his fate!
At this moment, looking at Zhu Cilang in front of him, Chongzhen suddenly thought of the words his royal brother said to him before his death:
My brother should be Yao and Shun, the Ming Dynasty will be yours!

And now, he really wanted to say the same thing to Zhu Cilang from the bottom of his heart:
My son should be like Yao and Shun, and the Ming Dynasty will be yours!

But he didn't say it in the end.

Fortunately, he didn't say it out loud, otherwise Zhu Cilang would have felt sick for at least several days. After all, these words were a bit too unlucky!

In the end, Chongzhen just sighed and said:
"Just do as you say! After we return, I will stay in the harem and you will continue to supervise the country!"

"As long as you are willing, I can abdicate the throne to you at any time!"

"However, you can no longer confine me to Kunning Palace. I can roam freely throughout the harem as long as I don't leave. What do you think?"

Zhu Cilang thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with this, so he nodded:
"Then it's settled."

"Besides that, I will allocate one million taels of silver to you every year. You can spend it however you want. I have no control over it."

"As long as you, Father, don't cause any trouble for me, that's all that's fine."

In this way, the father and son reached a rare consensus.

Soon, the imperial edict to confiscate the property was ready.

Zhu Cilang then called in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, his personal soldiers, and the White-Pole Soldiers, and divided them into groups of 100, sending them to various places to search properties with the imperial edict.

However, this time, the houses in the capital were not raided, but the hometowns of these people far away in various places in the south of the Yangtze River.

Even though those guys haven't been convicted yet, we can already start by confiscating their property. After all, it's better to do it sooner rather than later.

So, troops set out from Xuanfu again and headed straight for various parts of the Ming Dynasty.

During this period, Qin Liangyu officially took over the position of General of Xuanfu.

She disbanded her White Spear Soldiers and integrated them into the border garrisons, greatly enhancing Xuanfu's military strength.

Of course, Qin Liangyu did not leave all the White Spear Soldiers in Xuanfu. Ten thousand of them were to follow Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang back to Beijing, and her son Ma Xianglin would also go back with them.

After all, Qin Liangyu was really worried if no one was sent to escort Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

Things were also going very smoothly for Shi Kefa. After he officially took over the position of governor of Xuanfu, he formulated a series of policies, which greatly promoted the development of trade in Xuanfu and increased the enthusiasm of the merchants here.

In general, everything in Xuanfu is moving in a good direction.

Two more days passed, and Zhu Cilang finally decided to return to Beijing!

Because if you calculate the time, he has been in Xuanfu for nearly six days, which is far beyond the time previously planned.

If you count the time it took to return, he was away for a full half month.

Now he can't wait to go back to the capital.

He wanted to know how Bi Maokang's research on the flintlock rifle was going.

Want to know how Johann Adam Schall von Bell’s cannons are doing?

And did Bi Wenxuan manage to get the hot air balloon?
So, early in the morning, the army of Xuanfu started to move again.

Under the gaze of everyone, Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang's imperial carriages left the city in a grand procession. Qin Liangyu personally escorted them to a point twenty miles outside the city before returning to Xuanfu.

Ma Xianglin brought 10,000 white-pole soldiers to escort, Fang Zhenghua brought 1,000 clean soldiers, Li Ruolian brought the remaining 700 Jinyiwei, and Li Hu brought the remaining 1,000 personal soldiers to escort the emperor.

In this way, the group left Xuanfu in a mighty manner and embarked on the journey back to Beijing.

At the same time, outside Nanjing.

A group of men and horses came galloping towards the capital, heading straight for the city of Nanjing.

The officer guarding the city was about to reach out to stop them when he saw what was happening, but he was stunned by the attire of the man in the lead.

Because that person was wearing a garment that looked like a dragon robe!

In the late Ming Dynasty, although the management of clothing had become relatively relaxed and the people occasionally overstepped their bounds, wearing dragon robes so blatantly was undoubtedly tantamount to rebellion and a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of the family.

The officers guarding the city were stunned for a moment and were at a loss.

However, in the moment he was stunned, the team had already arrived in front of him.

The leader looked at him coldly and said:
"I am Zheng Zhilong, the general of Fujian. I have important business to attend to in the city."

As he spoke, he handed over a document.

That's right!

The person who appeared here at this moment was Zheng Zhilong, the good father-in-law of the Ming Dynasty!

The officer guarding the city came to his senses and looked at Zheng Zhilong carefully, and found that what he was wearing was not a real dragon robe, but a python robe!

Even so, this dragon robe is scary enough, because it is one of the highest honors bestowed by the emperor on his subjects, representing an extremely noble status.

After coming to his senses, the city guard officer carefully took the document, examined it carefully, and then respectfully returned it, saying:

"Your humble servant greets General Zheng. Please come in, General Zheng!"

As he said this, he made a gesture of invitation.

There was no way around it, a higher-ranking official could crush a lower-ranking one, not to mention that Zheng Zhilong’s general was more than ten ranks higher than his, and he was also wearing a dragon robe!

Can't afford it!
Really can't afford to offend!

Zheng Zhilong seemed to be in a good mood. He casually took out a handful of silver from his sleeve and threw it to the officer guarding the city, saying:

"Take it for tea."

After saying that, he entered Nanjing city without looking back.

The purpose of his visit to Nanjing this time was to find his son Zheng Sen, who later became Zheng Chenggong.

Originally, Zheng Zhilong planned to let his son take his daughter to the capital after returning to Jiangnan, but then he thought again and felt that this was inappropriate.

After all, the important matters ordered by the Crown Prince are more important, so it is better to arrange the important matters first.

So he went straight to Fujian, arranged the troop deployment in Fujian, and then hurried to Nanjing.

Because he was busy on his way, he didn't even have time to go home.

However, it doesn't matter. After picking up Zheng Sen, the father and son can go home, and then let Zheng Sen take his sister to the capital.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but feel excited.

After all, he was about to become the prince's father-in-law. How could he not be excited?

Zheng Zhilong led a team of personal soldiers and ran wildly on the streets of Nanjing City, which naturally attracted a lot of people's attention.

Coupled with the dazzling dragon robe he was wearing, no one dared to stop him.

Even the soldiers patrolling the city retreated aside obediently when they saw this.

Soon, Zheng Zhilong arrived at the place where Zheng Sen was studying.

He dismounted and said to the guards at the door:

"Go and ask Zheng Sen to come see me."

The guard at the door did not know Zheng Zhilong, but he recognized the dragon robe he was wearing and knew that the man in front of him must be a person of noble status.

They did not dare to delay and hurried in to pass on the message.

Soon, a young man in his twenties came out.

This person was none other than Zhu Cilang’s brother-in-law Zheng Chenggong—of course, he is still called Zheng Sen now.

Zheng Sen looked confused when he left the room, because the visitor didn't say who was looking for him.

When he arrived at the door, he immediately saw his father and the shining dragon robe on his father.

However, Zheng Sen didn't recognize the python robe for a moment and mistook it for a dragon robe. He then said with horror:

"Dad, are you crazy? Why are you wearing a dragon robe? Are you going to rebel?"

When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he was speechless.

He walked up to Zheng Sen, patted him on the head without any hesitation, and said:

"You rebellious son, look carefully! Is this a dragon robe? This is a python robe! A python robe!"

Zheng Sen was a little dizzy after being photographed. He looked down and realized that the dragon on the clothes did have four claws - a four-clawed python, which means it was a python robe, not a dragon robe.

After coming back to his senses, Zheng Sen asked again in confusion:
"Father, why did the emperor give you the dragon robe? What did you do?"

In Zheng Sen's opinion, the emperor would not easily bestow the dragon robe on his subjects, because it represented the highest honor.

But the Zheng family obviously did not have this honor. After all, they were just pirates who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

Logically speaking, you cannot wear this dragon robe no matter what.

When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he smiled mysteriously, and then said:
"To tell you the truth, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has taken a fancy to our third sister, and wants to marry her as his concubine."

"This matter has basically been settled. This dragon robe was also awarded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Of course, this isn't done for no reason. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is about to attack the Jiannu navy, so there's going to be a tough battle soon."

"Get ready and take your sister with you to the capital."

Zheng Chenggong was confused by the news for a while, mainly because it was too shocking.

It took him a while to come back to his senses, and he looked at Zheng Zhilong and asked:

"But father, what does this have to do with me? Why should I go to the capital?"

Zheng Zhilong smiled and said:

"I don't know why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would take a liking to you, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally appointed you to be his bodyguard."

"When you get there, you'll definitely be able to get a Feiyu uniform and a position as a thousand-householder. Isn't that better than studying?"

"Of course, if you really want to study, it shouldn't be difficult to say hello to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and then enter the Hanlin Academy."

When Zheng Chenggong heard this, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

He originally studied for a career in politics and to become an official.

But now his sister is about to become the prince's concubine, and their Zheng family will soon become the foreign relatives and nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Ming Dynasty had a regulation that relatives by marriage could not hold official positions.

In other words, his path to study has been blocked, and he can only become a nobleman in the future.

In that case, why bother reading books?

Just stay by the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and maybe you can become a general or something in the future.

Thinking of this, Zheng Chenggong nodded and said:
"Okay, let's go."

Then, the two of them first came to Zheng Chenggong's residence, packed up their things, and left Nanjing and headed straight for Fujian.

It probably won’t be long before Zheng Chenggong and his sister arrive in the capital.

Zhu Cilang will also meet Zheng Chenggong, whom he has always been thinking about, and his future prince's concubine.

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Zhu Cilang was sitting in Chongzhen's carriage and yawning, when suddenly a Jinyiwei came to report that the team that went to Shanxi to confiscate property was about to return and was now less than a hundred miles away from the capital.

As for why it took so long, it was simply because I had so many things to bring.

All the silver, gold, and rare treasures took more than two hundred carriages, and the road was rugged, so it took nearly twenty days to reach the capital.

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he immediately became alert and asked:

"How far are we from the capital now?"

The Jinyiwei replied respectfully:

"Returning to His Royal Highness, it's not far, less than a hundred miles."

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment, then ordered:

"Immediately tell them to wait for us in Liangxiang County (now Fangshan District, Beijing), and then return to Beijing together."

"I obey!"

The Jinyiwei responded and hurried off to pass on the message.

This time, Zhu Cilang was no longer sleepy at all.

He didn't expect that on his way back he would meet a team returning from a house-raiding mission in Shanxi. Now they could go back to Beijing together and resolve all the problems.

Chongzhen was in a good mood at this time. Since he completely accepted his fate and decided to let go, he became much more energetic.

I talked and laughed with Zhu Cilang along the way, and it was a rare opportunity for me to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way.

Moreover, this was his first time leaving the capital, and what he saw and heard along the way had a great impact on him.

He even thought that if he had the chance in the future, he might go out for a walk again.

After all, people are always trapped in one place!
The scene returns to the capital. In the past half month, the ministers in the capital have not had it so easy.

At this moment, the four cabinet ministers, including Xue Guoguan, were all frowning and looking worried while handling government affairs.

The reason they were so depressed was that they hadn't seen the emperor and the prince for half a month.

It’s understandable that he couldn’t see the emperor, after all, the emperor was in poor health, but it was a bit strange that he couldn’t see the prince.

Although the imperial physician said that the prince was also ill and could not attend court, they always felt that there was something fishy about this matter.

The emperor and the crown prince fell ill at the same time, and each of them was ill for half a month. This had never happened before.

They wanted to ask for an audience with the emperor or the crown prince, but were stopped by the Imperial Household Department. The eunuchs simply wouldn't let them visit, which made them feel a little nervous.

Could it be that the Imperial Household Department is threatening the emperor to control the princes?

(End of this chapter)