The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

Emperor Chongzhen truly regarded this place as his Grand Council, so much so that he even consulted Zhu Ziming on matters concerning personnel appointments.

And he genuinely didn't know who would be the most suitable candidate.

However, Zhu Ziming's answer surprised Chongzhen.

Hong Chengchou?

Because he had also read the History of Ming, where was Hong Chengchou placed? In the Biographies of Traitorous Officials!

What is a traitor?

A "traitorous official" refers to an official who served in the previous dynasty, surrendered to the subsequent dynasty, and then took up a post again.

Hong Chengchou was a traitor. When Chongzhen first saw him, he was shocked because later, when the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil, he relied on Hong Chengchou and appointed him as the governor of Yansui, the governor of the three border regions of Shaanxi, and the governor of Jiliao. But in the end, Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Manchus and became an important minister of the Manchu dynasty.

Besides Hong Chengchou, there was another person who surprised Chongzhen.

That was Qian Qianyi.

This leader of the Donglin Party, who claimed to be dedicated to the country and its people, said he wouldn't jump into the water when he was about to die for his country. He was eventually included in the list of traitors.

It's utterly shameful!

For traitors like Hong Chengchou and Qian Qianyi, Chongzhen did not have the time or energy to deal with them, nor did he know how to deal with them.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Ziming brought up one of them on his own initiative.

Hong Chengchou?

Emperor Chongzhen paused for a moment, then asked, "But wasn't Hong Chengchou a traitor?"

Zhu Ziming nodded: "Hong Chengchou did eventually surrender to the Manchus, but he is not now. Moreover, it must be said that Hong Chengchou is also a rare talent."

"Hong Chengchou was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Wanli era, but he was also exceptionally gifted in military affairs, especially in suppressing rebellions."

"Because of the complexity of this disaster relief effort, we need someone with skill, strategy, and the ability to mobilize troops to lead it. Hong Chengchou perfectly fits all these qualities, and he happens to be in Shaanxi. Therefore, appointing Hong Chengchou as the imperial envoy for this disaster relief is most appropriate."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slowly, as if that made sense.

Hong Chengchou was indeed very suitable to be the imperial envoy for this disaster relief mission in Shaanxi.

"But he was ultimately a traitor."

It's clear that Emperor Chongzhen was very concerned about Hong Chengchou's act of serving two masters.

Zhu Ziming thought for a moment and said, "As for the term 'traitor'... In fact, Hong Chengchou, like Yuan Chonghuan, is a highly controversial figure. The difference is that Yuan Chonghuan's controversy lies in whether he was wronged and whether he can be considered a hero, while Hong Chengchou's controversy lies in his integrity."

"During the Chongzhen reign, Hong Chengchou suppressed domestic rebellions and resisted the invasion of the Manchus. He can be considered a pillar of the Ming Dynasty in its later period."

"However, in the Battle of Songjin, due to factors such as Chongzhen's urging for battle and poor internal coordination, the army was ultimately defeated and captured."

"After being captured, Hong Chengchou once went on a hunger strike to try to die, but eventually surrendered to the Qing. After surrendering, he was highly valued by Huang Taiji and Emperor Shunzhi. He was appointed as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Minister of War and Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, with the same titles he held during his service in the Ming Dynasty. He entered the inner court to assist in military affairs and was granted the title of Grand Secretary of the Secretariat. He became the first Han Chinese prime minister of the Qing Dynasty. Hong Chengchou did not disappoint the Qing emperor's favor. First, he pacified Jiangnan. He went south to oversee military affairs and adopted the strategy of 'pacification as the main approach and suppression as a supplement' to quickly stabilize the situation in Jiangnan for the Qing Dynasty. Then, he managed the southwest. He was ordered to manage five provinces including Huguang and attacked the Yongli regime of the Southern Ming. He basically pacified the southwest in six years."

"Finally, although Hong Chengchou helped the Qing Dynasty quickly unify the country by relying on his talents, he was still included in the Biographies of Traitorous Officials when the Qianlong Emperor compiled the Biographies of Traitorous Officials, and was praised for 'not being able to entrust his master with a mission in times of crisis,' which can be described as taking advantage of him completely."

"In short, there has always been a lot of controversy and conflicting opinions about Hong Chengchou's surrender to the Qing. His ending was quite frustrating, but it was also a deserved punishment."

"but……"

Zhu Ziming hesitated halfway through his sentence, then stopped speaking and ultimately did not continue.

When Chongzhen heard Zhu Ziming stop speaking at the crucial moment, it was as if his bowels had been suddenly cut off, which made him very uncomfortable.

Emperor Chongzhen pressed further, "But what?"

Zhu Ziming said, "Do you remember the conspiracy theory I told you about last time?"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded emphatically.

He certainly remembered that. The conspiracy theory about Emperor Tianqi that he had mentioned last time had greatly shocked him and even overturned his worldview, making him re-examine the eunuch faction and the entire civil service group.

After he returned and told Empress Zhang, she was so shocked that she fainted.

But why bring this up all of a sudden?

Under Chongzhen's curious gaze, Zhu Ziming said mysteriously, "There is also a conspiracy theory about Hong Chengchou."

! ! ! !

Emperor Chongzhen immediately perked up, his eyes gleaming: "What conspiracy theory?"

After taking a sip of tea, Zhu Ziming slowly said, "These are all unofficial histories, speculations from some people on the internet, and of course, some of my own guesses. Just listen to them and don't take them seriously."

The more he said this, the more interested Chongzhen became. He swallowed and moistened his throat, then said, "Tell me about it."

Zhu Ziming treated it like gossip, without any reservations, and said, "Hong Chengchou's surrender is very strange."

Emperor Chongzhen asked with great interest, "Oh? How so?"

Zhu Ziming asked, "According to widely circulated unofficial histories, do you know who persuaded Hong Chengchou to surrender?"

Emperor Chongzhen asked, "Who?"

Zhu Ziming replied, "Consort Zhuang!"

Emperor Chongzhen frowned: "Consort Zhuang?"

Zhu Ziming curled his lip: "Empress Xiaozhuang, the Empress Xiaozhuang from the 'Secret History of Empress Xiaozhuang'!"

Emperor Chongzhen still looked puzzled.

Zhu Ziming had no choice but to explain: "Xiaozhuang, also known as Empress Xiaozhuangwen, married Huang Taiji, the eighth son of Nurhaci, the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty, in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign. She was made a Consort Zhuang and gave birth to three daughters and one son. Her son later ascended the throne as the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and she naturally became the Empress Dowager. Later, her grandson, the Kangxi Emperor Xuan Ye, ascended the throne, and she became the Grand Empress Dowager."

Emperor Chongzhen finally showed an expression of understanding.

She turned out to be the Crown Prince's concubine.

Zhu Ziming continued, "When Hong Chengchou was captured, Consort Zhuang was one of Huang Taiji's concubines. It's quite remarkable that a concubine could persuade a commander of the enemy to surrender!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in strong agreement.

This is indeed very bizarre.

How could a captured enemy general possibly meet the Khan's concubine?

Not to mention, the Khan's concubine actually came to persuade him to surrender, and in the end, she succeeded.

For example, if the Ming Dynasty had defeated the Qing Dynasty and captured Huang Taiji, Emperor Chongzhen would have sent Empress Zhou or Consort Tian to persuade them to surrender, and they would have succeeded.

This is not just bizarre, it's outrageous!

Zhu Ziming continued, "The process of persuading him to surrender was even more bizarre!"

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and his inner gossip was burning fiercely...