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

"Li Zicheng has already reached Datong. Given time, I'm afraid the capital will fall."

Zhou Kui acted as if nothing had happened, talking as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

A thought suddenly popped into Zhu Chunchen's mind: Could this old man be sent by Emperor Chongzhen to test him?

Otherwise, why would you say these things so late at night?

Thinking of this, he put on a smiling face and asked, "The backup plan that the Earl of Jiading mentioned, could it be supporting His Majesty's southward relocation?"

Zhou Kui sighed softly and said slowly, "The Ming Dynasty is now like a candle in the wind, teetering on the brink of collapse, and I'm afraid it's beyond human power to save it. I don't want to see the Zhou family line die out. If the Duke of Cheng still has a way to survive, I hope you can give me some guidance."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chunchen frowned, becoming even more certain that the old man was here to test him!

So he straightened his back and said solemnly, "I, Zhu Chunchen, as the Duke of the Great Ming, bear the immense grace of the Emperor and should live and die with the nation. If that day ever comes and the Great Ming suffers misfortune, I will defend this land with my own flesh and blood to demonstrate the loyalty of my Zhu family!"

Zhou Kui looked at Zhu Chunchen as if he were a fool and said, "Duke Cheng, please stop pretending in front of this old man!"

Zhu Chunchen immediately blushed and said, "Every word I have said comes from the bottom of my heart. If the Earl of Jiading does not believe me, he may appeal to His Majesty for a judgment!"

"Duke Cheng, you've misunderstood!"

Zhou Kui waved his hand and said, "You and I both serve in the Five Military Commands and know the strength of the Beijing Garrison best. Since the Battle of Sarhu, our army has lost all its elite troops, and the defense of the capital region is practically non-existent. The years of barely surviving are nothing more than a breath of fresh air in a turbulent situation."

"Nowadays, many officials in the court are disloyal. This is not surprising; when disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives, and no one wants to be buried with the Ming Dynasty!"

"As the commander of the Left Army Commandery, I am well aware that during this period, the Duke of Cheng has not been diligently deploying troops. Instead, he has secretly dispersed his forces. Otherwise, Li Zicheng's offensive could not have been so smooth!"

"Although my Zhou family are relatives of the emperor, we still want to live. If we sit and wait for death, what way will we have to survive once Li Zicheng enters Beijing?"

"After much deliberation, I've concluded that if I want to live, I must show some sincerity..."

Immediately afterwards, he took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and placed them in front of Zhu Chunchen.

"This is 50,000 taels of silver. I humbly request that the Duke of Cheng deliver it on my behalf."

Zhu Chunchen's face was very ugly. He first looked at Zhou Kui, then picked up the silver note, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The silver notes are genuine. This old man wasn't testing us; he was actually preparing to defect to the enemy!

However, he still couldn't imagine how the father-in-law of Emperor Chongzhen could have such thoughts.

Seeing this, Zhou Kui asked, "Does the Duke of Cheng still not trust me, Zhou?"

Zhu Chunchen thought for a moment, then asked, "Who should I give this money to?"

"Of course it's Li Zicheng, the rebel leader!"

"How can we let the rebel leader know that the money was given by your father-in-law?"

"This, this..."

Zhou Kui pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll write another personal letter. The Duke of Cheng should be relieved now!"

Zhu Chunchen did not express his opinion, but simply took the paper and pen and watched as Zhou Kui wrote a letter requesting surrender.

Finally, he truly believed that this old man was not sent by Emperor Chongzhen.

But he couldn't help asking, "Father-in-law, as a relative of the emperor, you've enjoyed wealth and honor for generations. Aren't you afraid that this will leak out and lead to the execution of your entire family?"

Zhou Kui scoffed, "Even if this letter reaches the Emperor, so what?"

"I'll just deny it to the death when the time comes. Surely His Majesty can't possibly exterminate my Zhou family?"

Now it was Zhu Chunchen's turn to be confused.

When I was doing those things, I did it secretly, afraid that even the slightest word would leak out.

Now, Zhou Kui, relying on the emperor's favor, doesn't take anything seriously at all.

But it's good, the more people you drag down with you, the more strength you'll have.

If everyone sticks together, they can fight for greater benefits when Li Zicheng enters Beijing.

"Alright then, let's not beat around the bush. I'll help you deliver the silver notes and letter!"

Zhou Kui's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Then I'll await your good news!"

Zhu Chunchen added, "The items can be handed over, but I can't guarantee what the other party's opinion will be."

"We still need the Duke of Cheng to say a few kind words..."

"Your Excellency, to tell you the truth, I only just got in touch with the rebel leader. Nobody knows how things will develop from here."

"Oh well!"

Zhou Kui stood up and said, "I'm sorry to have bothered you, farewell!"

Zhu Chunchen returned the greeting: "No need to see me off!"

After Zhou Kui had walked away, he picked up the letter and read it carefully three times.

There were no flaws in the text; it was just an ordinary letter of surrender.

But then I thought, even his own father-in-law was siding with outsiders, so Emperor Chongzhen's days were indeed numbered.

Originally, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the emperor's last line of defense. However, in order to raise funds for the army, a large-scale investigation into corruption was suddenly launched, and more than 70% of the high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were imprisoned, which aroused the wrath of the emperor and the resentment of the people. When Li Zicheng entered Beijing, who would still be willing to fight for you?

"Someone come here!"

The butler, Laifu, came in and asked, "Master, what are your orders?"

Zhu Chunchen pointed to the silver notes and letters and said, "We need to find a way to deliver these things to the rebel leader as soon as possible."

Laifu said, "Why don't we use the name of the trading company to make another shipment?"

"If we smuggle too much goods, it will easily attract the attention of the Imperial Guards. It's better to be cautious."

"Sir, the Imperial Guards are in complete chaos; how can they possibly keep an eye on the merchants?"

Zhu Chunchen nodded and said, "You've reminded me. Taking advantage of the chaos within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we should send them out of the city tomorrow. To be on the safe side, you should make the trip yourself."

"yes!"

The following morning, a caravan bearing the sign of Yingfu Trading Company left the city through Xizhimen and headed straight for Datong, Shanxi.

During this period, most of Shanxi had been captured by Li Zicheng.

Logically speaking, it would be inappropriate to go to Shanxi to sell goods at this time, but with the head steward of the Duke of Cheng's mansion in charge, there would be no obstacles wherever they went.

After leaving the city, the caravan's pace noticeably quickened.

However, just as they arrived in Changping, they heard the sound of horses' hooves behind them.

Lai Fu initially thought they were traveling merchants, but the sound of their voices grew increasingly urgent, which seemed rather strange.

The sound of horses' hooves was powerful and resounding, with occasional clanging sounds of metal and stone—clearly warhorses!

Just as he was at a loss, the other party had already surrounded him.

"When the Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting an investigation, everyone must lay down their weapons, put their hands on their heads, and obey without mercy! Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"

Lai Fu was suddenly startled, but still forced a smile and said, "Sir, you've worked hard. I'm just a smuggler..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Lai Fu looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person was about forty years old, with dark skin, and wearing a bright red flying fish robe.

It was none other than Li Ruolian, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!