Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 125 My master is named Chongzhen!

Shui Tailang's handsome face turned purplish-red from shouting for so long, but his raised arm and shouting posture was still full of tragic beauty.

However, Qian Qianyi felt that the whole world was fading away rapidly in a silent way, turning into a cold and desperate gray.

Just when everyone thought the emperor was about to succumb to the overwhelming outcry...

A faint, rhythmic sound came from afar without warning.

At first, the sound was very soft and distant, like a sudden rain outside the window in the dead of night in late spring, pattering softly on a broad banana leaf.

It carries a poetic yet inexplicably unsettling rhythm.

Several officials standing on the periphery subconsciously listened intently, a hint of confusion on their faces.

What is that sound?
Was it a troop rotation by the city patrol? Or did some prince or nobleman's carriage foolishly wander into this area?
But they quickly dismissed the idea.

If it started as rain pattering on banana leaves, then a few breaths later it turned into millions of hailstones, pounding heavily on the thick blue tiles of the imperial city, dense and rapid, carrying a metallic texture and a murderous aura!
Then, the voice completely changed.

It was no longer millions of hailstones, but transformed into ten thousand galloping horses! It was the thunderous roar, like a thunderclap, that could make the earth tremble when thousands of troops charged across the plains!
"Boom-boom-boom-"

The sound, carrying an unstoppable force, rushed from the direction of Duanmen Gate, along the straight imperial road!

what happened?

what happened?
The officials standing on one side of the palace gate, who had experienced decades of ups and downs in the Ming Dynasty court and were used to countless bloody battles in the treacherous officialdom, were completely stunned!

From the end of the street in the direction of Duanmen, beneath the huge archway that was divided into light and shadow by the morning light, a black torrent appeared!

Jinyiwei!
They were wearing flying fish robes, which were only worn when carrying out the most important and confidential missions, representing the imperial authority to grant them the power of life and death!

At their waists hung the Embroidered Spring Blades, each one having drunk human blood, representing the empire's sharpest claws and fangs!

They rode on magnificent, tall horses, all carefully selected from the southern Mongolian steppe!
The team was charging forward with the ferocity of a battlefield, kicking up clouds of dust as their horses' hooves pounded the hard stone slabs, sending up countless tiny sparks.

That unstoppable momentum, as if it would crush everything in its path into dust, shattered the tranquility of the morning in the capital like a black thunderclap, rushing toward the Meridian Gate Square!

Everyone was stunned.

The expressions on the faces of the court officials were absolutely priceless!

Those expressions of appreciation, approval, expectation, and confidence that were originally on their faces froze instantly, as if they had been frozen in ice.

Their eyes widened uncontrollably, their pupils almost bulging out of their sockets, and their mouths opened involuntarily, wide enough to fit an egg.

Their minds were completely blank!
The muscles in Qian Qianyi's face were twitching violently and uncontrollably, and his teeth were chattering wildly, making a teeth-grinding "cluck cluck cluck" sound.

He stared intently at the approaching black torrent, a premonition hundreds of times more terrifying than the chill he had felt before, a premonition that could freeze one's soul, like the most vicious curse enveloping him.

In that instant, he thought of it.

He recalled his casual analysis of the young emperor's character during a private conversation with Qian Longxi a month earlier—

"Although Your Majesty has the appearance of a wise ruler, you ascended the throne at a young age, and there must be some violent and eccentric aspects to your temperament. There is nothing to fear. We only need to suppress you with the power of the state and restrain you with Confucian teachings, and you can become a Yao or Shun."

Although I considered that Zhu Youjian might disregard ancestral rules, this was definitely no less than that of the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang!

Even so, Qian Qianyi still harbored a glimmer of hope.

No…no way…he couldn’t…he wouldn’t dare!

He wouldn't dare do that!
Just as Qian Qianyi was internally screaming with self-doubt, the black-clad cavalry had already reached the edge of the square.

Just five steps away from the group of scholars who stood there dumbfounded.

"Whoa—!!!"

Hundreds of knights seemed to be one person, possessing the same soul, as they uniformly tightened their reins!
This movement is full of the terrifying tacit understanding of battle-hardened elites!
Hundreds of warhorses that were charging at full speed reared up almost simultaneously!

They raised their forelegs high, their powerful bodies drawing a terrifying silhouette in the air.

The long, deafening hisses emanating from their mouths blended together, creating a terrifying sound effect like the wailing of ghosts and gods!
The scene freezes on the more than three hundred warhorses rearing up, and in front of them are more than two hundred young faces filled with horror and despair.

Then, time resumed its flow.

More than three hundred Imperial Guards dismounted in perfect unison, landing silently, like more than three hundred cheetahs leaping out of the darkness!
There wasn't a single superfluous word, and no so-called imperial edict was read aloud.

Because the imperial edict was standing not far in front of them.

That solitary figure in bright yellow uniform was the clearest and most unquestionable command!
Li Ruolian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, slowly drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist.

The blade became incredibly dazzling under the moonlight!

Qian Qianyi really felt like he was going crazy!
He had many nightmares.

He dreamed of being impeached by his political enemies and dismissed from office; he dreamed of his family property being confiscated and him being exiled three thousand miles away; he even dreamed of the worst-case scenario, being sentenced to death by slow slicing after losing a brutal party struggle.

But even the most terrifying and insane nightmares are nothing compared to what's happening before our eyes...absurd and incomprehensible!
what is this?
What exactly is this? !

The Imperial Guards' movements were so precise they bordered on the icy.

This silent scene is more chilling than any bloodshed.

Amidst the background noise of countless screams and wails, the Imperial Guards remained remarkably focused.

In this fear, Shui Tailang saw the person he had known most for the past few months.

At this moment, his blue scholar's robe was spotless, standing out starkly against the bloody hell around him.

There was no fear or anger on his face, but rather an almost relaxed and comfortable smile. He was tilting his head and talking in a low voice to Li Ruolian, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had killed countless people. He even let out a few soft laughs!

betray!

A huge, bloody word struck Shui Tailang like a thunderbolt from the heavens!

He understood instantly!

A fury more intense than the fear of death, a fury of being fooled and betrayed, overwhelmed all his reason!

"Li Feiyu!!"

With all her might, Shui Tailang let out a heart-wrenching roar, her voice sharp and distorted with extreme rage: "You traitor! Why did you do this!"

His roar successfully attracted Li Feiyu's attention.

Li Feiyu turned his head to the side, a playful smile on his face.

He slowly took two steps forward, and facing the seemingly crazed Shui Tailang, he chuckled softly:
"My master suffers from severe insomnia. He says that as long as he kills the demon in his dreams, he can finally sleep soundly!"

This nonsensical remark stunned Shui Tailang, who instinctively asked, "What's your master's name?"

Li Feiyu's smile widened. He slowly and deliberately uttered the name that was enough to make the heavens and earth pale and the entire Ming Dynasty tremble!

"My master's name is Chongzhen!"

boom--! !

Shui Tailang felt as if his entire soul had been shattered by those words!
He understood it all!

He writhed in terror, like a fish nailed to a chopping board, and screamed with his last breath toward the emperor: "No! No! I am a scholar! I am a student of the Imperial Academy! Even if I offended the emperor by pleading for the country, my crime does not warrant death! Your Majesty! You cannot kill me! You cannot make an enemy of all the scholars in the land!!"

Just then, Li Ruolian, the Jinyiwei commander who had been silent as iron, slowly walked over. His expression was colder than the bluestone slabs on the square. He walked up to Shui Tailang, looked down at him, and looked at him as if he were looking at an insect.

His voice was low, but every word was like a knife, completely shattering Shui Tailang's last line of defense.

"Shui Tailang, do you think we don't know that you are the illegitimate son of Shui Yuanfan, the grain merchant from Jiangnan who hoarded rice and ruined the country and was executed on the spot?"

The hairs on Shui Tailang's entire body stood on end instantly!

Li Ruolian's lips curled into a cruel sneer as she continued, "Do you think that by contacting the Donglin faction to stir up trouble here today, you're trying to plead for the people? Do you think you can use the mouths of scholars across the land and the hands of the court officials to incite conflict between the emperor and his ministers, to create a blood feud between His Majesty and the scholars of the land, so that you can avenge your father who deserved to die? Do you think we don't know your despicable thoughts?"

Shui Tailang's eyes widened like copper bells, filled with indescribable horror! All his pretense and schemes were as transparent as glass in front of him!
Li Ruolian didn't say another word, as if talking to this insect would sully his mouth.

He nodded slightly to the Imperial Guard who was holding the water chestnut.

Embroidered Spring Blade, rise!

One stroke.

The last thing Shui Tailang saw was a yellow figure standing in front of the palace gate in the distance, still smiling.

The courtiers in the distance were completely stunned.

Their brains have completely stopped functioning.

They just stood there dumbfounded, like a group of clay puppets whose souls had been collectively captured, watching the human tragedy unfold before their eyes.

Several elderly officials, their lips trembling, seemed to want to shout something like "Spare their lives!" but their throats felt as if they had a ball of hot cotton stuffed in them, and they couldn't utter a single syllable.

They are afraid.

An unprecedented, bone-deep fear gripped their necks, froze their blood, and shattered their courage!

Qian Qianyi felt his vision blurring, and the shrill screams in his ears seemed to come from another world.

His entire body was trembling violently and uncontrollably, like a withered leaf in the wind. His gaze pierced through the blood-red hell and landed fixedly on the emperor standing before the doorway.

He saw that the emperor was smiling.

A meaningless sound, like that of a broken bellows, came from Qian Qianyi's throat. He felt his legs go weak and he could no longer support his obese body.

Immediately afterwards, a warm, foul-smelling stream of fluid gushed uncontrollably from beneath him!

Qian Qianyi's consciousness had drifted out of his body.

He couldn't feel the coldness of the stone slab, nor could he hear the faint, suppressed sobs coming from around him.

This isn't political maneuvering, this isn't a system of checks and balances; this is overturning the table! This is blatant tyranny, smashing the chessboard and the players along with it!

Standing next to him, Qian Longxi wasn't in much better shape.

He was older than Qian Qianyi and had experienced more trials and tribulations, yet his face was ashen. His hands were hidden in the wide sleeves of his official robe, his nails digging deep into his palms, but the pain did nothing to dispel the bone-chilling cold.

The atmosphere was equally oppressive in the deep shadows of the Meridian Gate.

Zhou Quan, the young man who had been promoted from the Embroidered Uniform Guard by the emperor, was using all his strength to barely keep himself standing.

A tremendous storm was raging within him!

"Speechless" is not enough to describe his feelings at this moment.

The emperor did not go through him, did not use a single soldier from the Western Depot, and did not even reveal the slightest hint to him.

Zhou Quan's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The emperor possessed more than one weapon; which one he used, or did not use, was entirely up to him. Tools, however, had no right to fathom their master's thoughts!
Zhou Quan's gaze as he looked at that figure was filled with genuine awe.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the emperor, Wang Chengen, the closest eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, also experienced a severe mental upheaval.

Unlike Zhou Quan, Wang Chengen did not experience the sense of loss of being abandoned.

His shock stemmed from a sense of unfamiliarity with his master. He had watched Zhu Youjian grow up from a cautious and timid prince to his current position. He thought he understood this emperor best, his forbearance, his hardships, and his diligent efforts to govern.

Looking at the scene before him, Wang Chengen felt no fear, but rather a surge of warmth welled up from the depths of his heart. What did he see? He saw a decisiveness that the previous emperors had never possessed! He saw the domineering power that only the founding emperor, Gaozu, had ever displayed!
This usually mild-mannered, even somewhat indecisive young emperor revealed his most hidden fangs at the most crucial moment. He disdained debate and compromise; he chose the most direct and effective method to reshape the order!

"This is the true emperor...this is the real emperor!"

Wang Chengen's eyes welled up with tears, and he trembled slightly with excitement.

His eyes welled up slightly, and he trembled with excitement. He lowered his head to hide the emotions that were about to overflow, but the images in his mind surged like a tide, intertwining with the cold and resolute scene before him, forming an almost absurd contrast.

He still remembered, many years ago, when he was just a boy named Prince Xin.

At that time, Zhu Youjian was like the most inconspicuous cypress tree in the Forbidden City, silent, upright, and even somewhat timid. He lived in a remote palace and spent his days reading and practicing calligraphy.

The most vivid memory is that thrilling night in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign.

When news of his elder brother's critical illness arrived from the palace, Wang Chengen witnessed Zhu Youjian's reaction firsthand. It was no longer sorrow, but rather a profound shock and fear.

Surrounded by a group of eunuchs, his face was as pale as paper, his hands tightly gripping his sleeves, his knuckles turning white. On the way to the Qianqing Palace, he even stumbled, and if Wang Chengen hadn't caught him in time, he would have almost fallen to the ground.

At that moment, Zhu Youjian had no desire for the throne in his eyes, only fear of the unknown and worry for his elder brother.

He was like a fledgling bird suddenly pushed out of its nest, facing a stormy sky, looking so helpless and at a loss.

During his time on the throne, he walked on thin ice, handling state affairs with a tentative caution, and mostly trying to win over and appease those deeply entrenched forces.

When did it start to change?

Wang Chengen tried hard to search his memory.

Perhaps it was during the purge of Xu Xianchun that he first revealed his unwavering will. Perhaps it was when faced with the endless factional strife in the court that his gaze gradually deepened. But those changes were like an iceberg slowly growing beneath the surface of the water; its outline was visible, but its true size remained undetectable.

Until today, until this very moment!
He no longer hid, no longer tested, and no longer compromised.

Like a peerless blade drawn from its sheath, he used its sharpest edge to sever the tangled mess. He didn't even bother to untangle the knots, because he knew that on this terminally ill empire, any gentle treatment would be futile. Only the strongest medicine and the most drastic methods could bring it back to life!

This is the true emperor!

This is the kind of domineering spirit that Emperor Taizu should have had when he drove out the Tartars and restored order to the world! This is the kind of decisiveness that Emperor Chengzu should have had when he moved the capital to Beijing and came to rule the world!
(End of this chapter)