Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 50 Damn it, why is it freezing so fast this year?!

In early November of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627), before the winter solstice, it had already snowed in Beijing.

Zhu Youjian got out of bed as usual, but was so cold that he went back inside and hugged his wife tightly to keep warm.

"Your Majesty, please get up. You haven't attended court for two days." Zhou Yufeng said with some helplessness.

"I'm not going!" Zhu Youjian buried his head in the soft jade as if throwing a tantrum. Lately, the court sessions had been filled with trivial and absurd matters, such as the rumbling in Nanjing, which was said to be a treachery among his own people from the northwest to the southeast.

The relatives of that Grand Secretary and that Vice Minister had their hometown ransacked again by mutinous soldiers. They requested the impeachment of Du Wenhuan, the Commander-in-Chief of Yansui, and Sun Chuanting, the Governor of Yansui, for their poor military management and allowing their troops to loot. They also said that the emperor's heavy reliance on relatives of the empress was a path to the downfall of the country, and that Sun Chuanting's appointment was made by imperial decree without following proper procedures. They criticized the emperor for not acting as a wise ruler...

But who was Zhu Youjian? This level of criticism was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him.

Shaanxi Governor Hong Chengchou and the Three Border Governor Sun Chengzong were also impeached because, under their rule, the number of popular uprisings in Shaanxi not only did not decrease, but instead showed a trend of widespread rebellion.

Zhu Youjian accepted all the impeachments mentioned above, which meant he had no objection. Although the court officials were furious, the emperor was holed up in the palace and protected by the unyielding Southern Barbarians, the White-Pole Guards, so they were powerless to do anything about him.

Now the entire court is under Bi Ziyan's control, and all departments must revolve around his reforms. It's the end of the year again for accounting, and every day is filled with various audits and calculations, which is tedious and mentally taxing. Zhu Youjian attended these court meetings a few times and then didn't want to go anymore.

At noon, Zhu Youjian's stomach was growling with hunger, and he finally crawled out of bed. After eating, Zhu Youjian went to Maoqin Hall, where the "great traitor" Sun Shiwan had already been working for a long time. Her resentful eyes made Zhu Youjian somewhat afraid to look directly at her.

"You've really worked hard, let me give you a shoulder massage." Zhu Youjian walked up behind Sun Shiwan with a fawning tone, as if their roles had been reversed.

Faced with the emperor's hands touching her all over, Sun Shiwan could no longer resist. She slapped Zhu Youjian's hand away and whispered, "Your Majesty, I think I'm pregnant."

"Huh?!" Zhu Youjian was a little stunned. He was only seventeen years old, and he was going to be a father?!

Although this was somewhat expected, since they hadn't used any protection, why was Wanwan the first to get pregnant?! He had clearly spent more time with Zhou Shi and done more for her!
……

This heavy snow came earlier than usual, sweeping across the entire north. The riots in Shaanxi seemed to have cooled down slightly because of this snow. A timely snow promises a good harvest. The heavy snow temporarily relieved the drought that had lasted for nearly a year in Shaanxi and gave the farmers in Shaanxi hope.

The uprising initially gained momentum, capturing the county seat, killing corrupt officials, and dividing the government treasury. However, for most of the following period, the displaced people were driven away by government troops, living in constant fear. The displaced people quietly disbanded, becoming obedient citizens again, returning to their hometowns, hoping for a good harvest in the coming year.

Many died on the road, their deaths becoming military merits for the government troops. However, the unclaimed land was not given to these survivors to divide; instead, it was seized by the lords. But it didn't matter; the lords also needed someone to cultivate the land for them, and being a tenant farmer would at least provide them with food.

Liaodong has been a bitterly cold place since ancient times, and snow has already started falling here as early as October.

Li Huasi, the armored slave, was fleeing for his life in this icy wasteland. He had been on the run all night, from night until daybreak, without daring to stop for a moment. His chest heaved violently, his throat gasped for breath, and it had even turned into wheezing. Every breath of cold air he inhaled felt like a knife cutting into his lungs. His body was in excruciating pain, and his mind was on the verge of collapse, but he dared not stop. Because if an armored slave were caught by his master while fleeing, he would be tortured to death with his tendons severed, with no chance of survival. But if he didn't flee, would he survive?! In Liaodong today, millet cost four and a half qian per dou, and rice cost eight qian per dou. Even his master could only drink thin porridge every day, let alone a slave like him?
Li Huasi was quick-witted and had learned a few words of Jurchen. Last night, he clearly heard his master say that he was going to kill them, this bunch of cripples, to save the bran to feed the horses, and then catch a new batch of Aha to farm next spring.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Li Huasi was terrified. In desperation, he went straight into the icy river. However, the sound of breaking the thin ice gave away his position. The water under the ice was unexpectedly warm, and his master on the bank was cursing in Jurchen.

Li Hua Si crawled under the ice for an unknown amount of time. Just before he was about to suffocate, he popped out by pushing the ice open with his head.

He grabbed onto the withered grass on the bank and, using both his hands and feet, struggled with all his might to climb out of the river. However, soaked to the bone, how could he possibly survive in this icy and snowy landscape? Perhaps having foreseen this outcome, the Jurchen armored man chose to leave, for he was already beyond saving.

A piercing pain overwhelmed Li Huasi, the burning sensation making him feel unreal. He wanted to take off his tattered clothes, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably.
"Go home, I want to go home!" Li Huasi hissed in a low voice. He twisted his body and tried to crawl southward, but his movements became slower and weaker.

With a snap, a pair of rather bulky cotton boots landed in front of Li Huasi.

"Commander, we've found an escaped slave here, still half-dead!" a soldier's excited voice rang out.

"Take him back. Whether he lives or dies is up to fate. Damn it, he's got a death wish, daring to jump into the water in this weather!" Mao Wenlong cursed in a low voice.
Thump! Mao Wenlong picked up a stone and threw it onto the river. The thin layer of ice was instantly smashed into pieces, and the stone sank to the bottom of the water, stirring up a series of bubbles.

"Damn it, why did the ice freeze so quickly this year?!" Mao Wenlong's face was somewhat gloomy. Their Dongjiang Town, guarding Pi Island and relying on its navy, was usually not afraid of the Jurchens. However, every winter when the river froze over, it was the weakest time for Dongjiang Town. The Jurchen cavalry could ride directly across the river and launch surprise attacks on them.

Now that wretched Yuan Keli is back, Mao Wenlong doesn't want this old man to make a fool of himself as soon as he takes office!

He's out here to scout out the Jurchens' movements so he can be aware of their intentions and make preparations in advance. This year is exceptionally cold; it looks like things aren't going to be easy.

In fact, it wasn't just him who was having a hard time; the Jurchens were also having a tough time. They were currently in a period of weakness, with a large outflow of population and a shortage of food.

Before his death, the old servant went mad and began a massacre of the Han Chinese in Liaodong. Those without grain, kill! Gentry, kill! Women, kill! The old and children, kill! Kill, kill, kill!!! He slaughtered them all, county after county.

The chaos caused by Gao Huai pushed the Liao people towards Nurhaci, but at that time there were still more than four million people in Liaodong. Now Liaodong is desolate, and less than one million people are still alive! At that time, the Liao people did not believe the court and chose to submit to the Jurchens. Now the Jurchens have shown their true colors.

After Nurhaci massacred Liaodong people, the conflict between the Han Chinese and the Manchus in Liaodong intensified. Mao Wenlong took in Liaodong refugees and thus established Dongjiang Town.

I'm in a terrible state, my mind is blank. Let me take a nap, I'll update more tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)