I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Zhu Chunchen was overjoyed; as long as they could break out, there was still a chance for things to turn around!

These guards have followed him for many years, and in a life-or-death situation, he will not hesitate to act!

As expected, the Embroidered Uniform Guard began to show signs of weakness and retreated.

Zhang Jinyan, seeing a glimmer of hope, stepped forward and said, "Duke Cheng, this great undertaking can be accomplished!"

Zhu Chunchen nodded and said, "Go quickly to the Five Cities Military Command to fetch troops; leave this to me!"

"good!"

Zhang Jinyan rushed toward the gate again, but at that moment, a series of crackling sounds suddenly came from the direction of the gate.

Zhu Chunchen was startled; he recognized the voice all too well.

It was a musket!

bang bang bang...

The sound of muskets rang out again, followed by a series of cries.

Zhang Jinyan was positioned further forward and was hit head-on by the musket. He screamed and fell to the ground.

bang bang bang...

The gunfire continued, and with each shot, someone fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a figure appeared at the gate; it was Li Ruolian, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Chunchen's teeth were almost broken. The Embroidered Uniform Guard actually prepared muskets, showing no martial ethics!

"Luo Yangxing, Li Ruolian, I'll fight you to the death!"

bang bang bang...

All that answered him was the cold sound of muskets and various screams of agony.

Faced with overwhelming firepower, the rebels retreated in disarray, and no matter how Zhu Chunchen shouted, no one dared to step forward.

After gaining the upper hand, the Imperial Guards did not advance further, but instead remained in place, standing on both sides to make way for a passage.

Luo Yangxing and Li Ruolian simultaneously turned and bowed, shouting, "Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Chunchen stared wide-eyed at what lay ahead in disbelief.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

The Imperial Guards shouted in unison, their voices so loud they made one's eardrums ache.

Finally, Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, appeared.

He was dressed in a dragon robe, holding a sword in his hand, his face full of murderous intent.

Upon seeing the emperor's arrival, the rebels dared not resist any longer, throwing down their swords and kneeling down in a flurry.

Zhu Youjian strode up to Zhu Chunchen, his long sword pointing forward.

"You traitorous minister, why do you not kneel before me?"

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Zhu Chunchen sighed helplessly and said, "What difference does it make whether I kneel or not?"

"snort!"

Zhu Youjian snorted coldly and said, "Kneel down and your entire family will be executed; refuse to kneel, and your entire family will be executed!"

Zhu Chunchen suddenly burst into laughter, then his face darkened, and he said, "Either way, I'm going to die. What difference does it make if my nine or ten generations of relatives are involved?"

"Very well, I will only ask you one question: As a Duke, you should be closely connected with the nation's people, so why do you rebel?"

"Good question!"

Zhu Chunchen seemed to have a lot of grievances, and immediately said, "Nurhaci occupied Liaodong and declared himself emperor in Shenyang, Li Zicheng occupied Shaanxi and Gansu and declared himself emperor in Xi'an, and Zhang Xianzhong declared himself emperor in Sichuan. Is this still the Ming Dynasty?"

"My title of Duke was earned by my ancestors through bloodshed, and everything I enjoy today is only rightfully mine. If the Ming Dynasty is to perish, why should I be buried with it?"

"From the moment your carpenter brother began to favor Wei Zhongxian, the Ming Dynasty was destined to perish, beyond saving!"

Zhu Youjian coldly replied, "Who is right and who is wrong will be judged by posterity. Today, I will not argue with you about right and wrong. What my elder brother has done is his business. Since ascending the throne, I have toiled day and night, striving to revitalize the Ming Dynasty. Tell me, where have I wronged you?"

Zhu Chunchen thought for a moment and said, "You did the right thing, you did well, but what can you do about it?"

"Since the Battle of Sarhu, our main force has been completely lost. In recent years, we have only been barely clinging to life. Your Majesty, what use is it no matter how well you do? The Ming Dynasty has no hope!"

"As a Duke, it is true that I should share the fate of the nation. However, I am powerless to stop the sinking of the Ming Dynasty. Shouldn't I have left myself a way out?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

At that moment, a person covered in blood struggled to crawl up to the two of them.

This man was Zhang Jinyan, the Minister of War, who had just been riddled with bullets by the first wave of musket fire and was clearly beyond saving.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I... I was deceived by the Duke of Cheng. I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness..."

Zhu Youjian lowered his head and looked coldly at Zhang Jinyan.

"When you were plotting to defect to Li Zicheng, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Zhang Jinyan, panting heavily, said, "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I did not defect to Li Zicheng. It was all the Duke of Cheng's idea, and he was the one who secretly contacted the people. I was unaware of it..."

Zhu Chunchen angrily retorted, "Zhang Jinyan, you despicable man, who was it that approached me in the first place, asking for a way out?"

Zhang Jinyan struggled to say, "Duke Cheng, you were the one who contacted Li Zicheng, you were the one who sent the money and provisions, and these troops are all your men. I, Zhang, was simply deceived by you. I am innocent..."

"You bastard, you didn't act like this when you came begging to me!"

"I...I...want to live, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong..."

Blood was gushing from Zhang Jinyan's chest; he pressed hard, but to no avail.

Zhu Youjian stared coldly at Zhang Jinyan, noticing that his lips had turned pale from excessive bleeding.

There are far too many people like this in the imperial court.

They enjoyed the privileges granted by the imperial court, and amassed great wealth by acquiring land.

However, in times of crisis, they never thought about how to serve the court or contribute to the country; they only thought about leaving themselves a way out.

To continue enjoying wealth and luxury, they might even collude with the enemy and betray their country!

Thinking of the fate of the Ming Dynasty and the end of his predecessor, Zhu Youjian was filled with rage and raised his hand to stab Zhang Jinyan in the thigh with his sword.

"what!"

Zhang Jinyan immediately screamed in pain.

Zhu Youjian said, "I've come to ask you: were you involved in secretly contacting Li Zicheng?"

"No, no..."

Zhang Jinyan wanted to explain, but saw Zhu Youjian pull back his longsword and stab down again.

This time, the other leg was stabbed, and blood flowed down the blade, staining the ground crimson.

Zhang Jinyan cried out again, struggling as he pleaded, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me..."

Zhu Youjian gripped the sword hilt, twisted it forcefully a few times, and asked, "Speak, were you involved?"

"Yes, yes..."

Zhang Jinyan could no longer hold on and had to admit it.

"Confess the truth!"

"Yes, yes..."

Zhang Jinyan was panting heavily, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead and falling to the ground, mixing with the blood.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare my life, spare my life..."

Zhu Youjian remained expressionless and said, "I will give you a quick death!"

Zhang Jinyan said with a wry smile, "If Your Majesty refuses to forgive me, what difference does it make whether I speak or not?"

"If you don't speak, I will kill your entire family, one by one, right in front of you, and then I will cut you into a thousand pieces. Don't worry, I have found the best executioner, and I guarantee you won't die within three thousand cuts."

Zhang Jinyan was horrified and muttered, "You...you tyrant, you'll die a horrible death!"