Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 6 The Emperor is dying! God help him!
Wenhua Hall, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Zhu Youjian ate the last piece of cake.

In the dimly lit hall, he suddenly felt a little lost.

In two hours, he will ascend the throne and become the ruler of this great empire.

but……

What about after that?

This question had been lurking deep in his heart, but he hadn't had time to think about it properly because of the many things that had been happening these past two days.

He opened his palm, and every line was clearly visible.

The first horizontal line, high above, represents a natural disaster caused by the Little Ice Age.

Initially, there was famine in Shaanxi, and then in Shanxi.

Then Henan suffered famine, Huguang suffered famine, the capital suffered famine, and the Huai and Yang prefectures all suffered famine.

By the tenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the empire suffered from drought in the north and floods in the south, with no place spared.

"They cook human bones for firewood and boil human flesh for food."

The historian casually remarked that there was a great famine, but behind that lay a landscape of bones covering the fields.

The second horizontal line, starting at the tiger's mouth and ending at the palm, is a sign of misfortune caused by pigs.

The sky was as red as blood, yet the court's exorbitant taxes continued to pile up.

Desperate starving people broke bamboo into spears and wove straw into armor, eventually storming the capital and forcing the emperor to hang himself on Coal Hill.

Afterwards, Liaodong defected, and the Qing army swept across the Central Plains, conquering the country from north to south.

The Yangzhou Massacre, the Jiading Massacre, and the Jiangyin Massacre: after 81 days, the entire city was covered in ink.

"The number of officials who died in service during the late Ming Dynasty was so great that it was unparalleled in the Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties."

The number of officials who died in the historical records alone exceeds a thousand, not to mention the countless nameless soldiers.

Thus, the land of China was submerged, its culture and traditions were severed, and the backbone of China was broken.

The third diagonal line grows diagonally from the bottom of the palm.

It was the corrupt officials of the Ming Dynasty and the wealthy princes who amassed riches by exploiting the land, who lavishly and cunningly shifted the burden of taxes onto the common people and the landlords.

Their influence was deep and intertwined with the nation, sucking the last vestiges of the Ming Dynasty's lifeblood, ultimately dragging this dilapidated behemoth into the abyss.

Zhu Youjian examined it for a while, then closed his hand and clenched it tightly.

So what?
To struggle with the heavens is a joy; to struggle with the earth is a joy; to struggle with man is a joy.

Come on, let me see just how far this unfinished game of chess has progressed!

"Someone come here to help me change my clothes!"

……

……

At noon, outside the Wenhua Hall, bells and drums resounded in unison.

Zhu Youjian, dressed in a ceremonial robe and wearing a crown, slowly entered from the side hall, guided by officials from the Court of State Ceremonial.

Before ascending the throne, he would offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temple, and the state, and kneel before his ancestors and the late emperor.

After going through this extremely complicated set of rituals, he was now somewhat numb.

He was like a puppet pulled by strings, mechanically performing every action under the guidance of the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial.

Until the moment he turned past the last screen and stepped into the main hall of Wenhua Hall.

"Om-"

Zhu Youjian's mind went completely blank for a moment.

Before me was a dense, dark mass of people.

Civil officials stand to the east and military officials to the west, arranged on either side.

The crimson robe, the blue robe, and the green robe—the three colors of court attire flowed like distinct rivers, stretching from inside the palace all the way to the red steps outside and to the horizon.

He saw Zhang Weixian, the Duke of England.

He saw Grand Secretary Huang Liji.

He saw that the civil and military officials, the cabinet ministers and ministers—the most powerful and influential people in the Ming Dynasty—had bowed their heads before him.

Everyone was bowing, as if their breathing was being suppressed to the extreme.

The entire hall was silent, yet it seemed as if a grand voice was echoing within it.

That voice belonged to the Emperor!
This ancient dynasty, spanning thousands of miles and lasting for over two hundred years, is waiting for its emperor to ascend the throne!
"Please, Your Majesty, ascend the throne..."

The drawn-out chanting of the officials from the Court of State Ceremonial broke the tranquility of the scene.

Zhu Youjian composed himself, took a step, and walked to the throne atop the nine steps.

Before the throne, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, holding a long whip, suddenly lashed it into the air!
"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of whips echoed throughout the main hall.

Instantly, all the civil and military officials inside and outside the hall knelt down in unison, like waves of wheat swaying in the wind.

"Your Majesty, we humbly request that you ascend the throne!"

A roaring sound, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, came from every corner, converging into a torrent that shot straight into the sky.

Zhu Youjian stood before the throne, gently stroking the cold armrests, took a deep breath, and slowly sat down. The moment he sat down, a shiver rose from his back, instantly making the hairs on his body stand on end.

The praise officer sings again.

"Five bows and three kowtows—"

All the officials bowed and kowtowed in unison. The more than a thousand officials, stacked one on top of the other, produced an astonishingly uniform and muffled sound.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Is this the supreme being?
Is this the emperor of the Ming Dynasty?

Is this the most expensive person in the world today?

Zhu Youjian was momentarily dazed and almost lost control of himself.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

In the end, however, he forced himself to remain silent and simply opened his mouth to complete the final ritual.

"All of you, rise."

The master of ceremonies then took turns singing in turn.

"Rise—"

With this ceremony completed, the roles of ruler and subject were finalized.

Zhu Youjian let out a soft breath, but his heart was still pounding.

His gaze passed over the dark mass of officials below, over the majestic palace gates, and looked towards the sky.

The world is vast and interconnected, spanning nineteen directions.

Who among the heroes and beasts in later historical records is there already, and who is eager to try?
……

At the same time, in Baishui County, Shaanxi Province.

The autumn sun hung high in the sky, not very hot, but still dazzling.

The dry, cold autumn wind whipped up the yellow dust from the ground, stinging people's faces.

Several gaunt men squatted under a dead locust tree at the entrance of the village, their faces full of sorrow.

"Damn it, after paying this year's autumn tax, our family will only have enough grain left for next year's planting. We're even worried about having enough food for the winter."

A dark-faced man spat fiercely.

The saliva left a dark mark on the dry ground, which was quickly covered by the dust blown by.

"Who says otherwise? These days are getting harder and harder to bear."

The person next to him sighed, their voice hoarse.

The middle-aged man squatting in the middle had deep wrinkles on his face, as if they were carved by a knife.

He listened silently to everyone's complaints, and after a long while, he spoke, his voice revealing a calmness that had been worn down by life: "Let's wait and see, there will always be a way."

"Wait? How can we wait?" The dark-faced man became agitated. "Look at Chengcheng County next door. I heard that Zheng Yanfu led the charge in killing the county magistrate! Now they have a new official, and I hear life is much better for them!"

As soon as he said this, a chorus of envious comments immediately arose from the surrounding crowd.

"That's killing an official! A job that could cost you your head!"

"But they're living a comfortable life now!"

"I heard that our county magistrate's term is coming to an end this year. Is he going to be replaced? Maybe the next one will be better?" A young man's eyes gleamed with hope.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wang Er's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. He simply said, "Who knows what kind of person is coming? Let's just hope that God will have mercy."

Speaking of God, everyone subconsciously looked up at the bright white sun, and a sense of despair washed over them.

"Damn it, if it doesn't rain soon, the wheat seeds in the field will turn into roasted beans!" someone cursed angrily.

Suddenly, a man who hadn't said much approached, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Hey, I have something to tell you. I heard it from a clerk in the county town. Don't tell anyone else."

Seeing him like this, everyone perked up and crowded around.

He said... the current emperor seems to be seriously ill and on his deathbed.

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm pond; everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

"real or fake?"

"Then... then does that mean there will be a general amnesty?"

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, will he be able to exempt us from this year's grain tax?!"

In an instant, all the sorrow and despair seemed to be swept away by this sudden news.
-
Attached image: Baishui County is 50 kilometers away from Chengcheng County, which takes about 12 hours to walk.

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　 1. The enthronement ceremony comes from the "Imperial Edict of the Ming Dynasty," which is not very meaningful, so I won't post it. After all, no one wants to enthrone themselves at home, haha.

　　 2. The encyclopedia states that the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty began with Wang Er, that is, in July of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign. This is a lie.

　　 3. Zheng Yanfu was the man who killed Zhang Douyao, the magistrate of Chengcheng County, in July of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627). The original text reads: “Zhang Douyao, the magistrate of Chengcheng County, was so insistent on collecting taxes that a mutiny broke out, and he was killed by Zheng Yanfu and others. The ringleader has not yet been apprehended, but the rebels are gradually being captured.” — *Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty, Volume 82*

　　 4. Wang Er is from Baishui County, which is quite far from Chengcheng County. You can see this in the picture posted at the end of the article.

　　 5. The Baishui County Annals record: "In the second year of Chongzhen's reign, Wang Er and Zhong Guangdao, residents of Luohe North, gathered a crowd to commit thievery. Councilor Liu Yingyu attacked and dispersed them, and Wang Er was beheaded."

　　 6. Furthermore, in May of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, Wu Huan, the censor of Shaanxi, submitted a memorial stating that "the banditry began in July of last year, with Wang Er's gang of border bandits being few while local bandits were numerous."

　　 7. In conclusion, Wang Er of Baishui launched his rebellion in July of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, not in July of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, and he was captured and killed the following year.

　　 8. Shaanxi suffered a severe drought in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign and another drought in the first year of the Chongzhen reign, so Wang Er could not withstand it. However, it is now the 24th day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, and Wang Er has definitely not rebelled yet.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)