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

"According to verification by several bloggers on the Internet at the First Historical Archives of China, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and the reign of Emperor Yongzheng after him, the imperial edicts and documents of both emperors avoided using the character '承' and replaced it with an alternative character. However, there was no such avoidance before Emperor Kangxi."

"The taboo against the character '承' was not relaxed until the Qianlong era, and the normal writing style was gradually restored. It was also Qianlong who sent Hong Chengchou to the list of traitors."

"Therefore, during the reigns of Emperor Kangxi and his son Emperor Yongzheng, the avoidance of the character '承' was an undeniable fact."

Why avoid using the character "承" (chéng)?

"Generally speaking, there are two types of taboos in the royal family regarding characters. One is the taboo of the emperor, which means avoiding the names of the emperor and his father and grandfather. The other is the taboo of sages, such as writing the character '丘' in '孔丘' as '斤' or changing it to '某'."

"Throughout history, no sages have ever avoided using the character 'Cheng' in their names, so it can only be used by emperors. However, the current emperor and his nominal fathers and grandfathers do not use the character 'Cheng' in their names, which makes the character 'Cheng' in Hong Chengchou's name so special."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded.

He was the most qualified to speak on the matter of taboo words. The imperial taboo system was extremely strict and systematic, and the taboo word "承" was indeed extraordinary.

"At that time, Hong Chengchou was a surrendered official of the Ming Dynasty, and his status was very special. If he had no relationship with Kangxi, Kangxi would have avoided him at all costs. But why did he deliberately avoid the controversial and meaningful character 'Cheng'? This is quite intriguing."

"Some people ask, then why not avoid using the character '畴'?"

"First of all, the use of the character '畴' in imperial edicts and documents is far less than that of the character '承'. After all, the Manchus also followed the example of the Ming Dynasty, and the first sentence of their imperial edicts was 'By the mandate of Heaven.' Secondly, they had already avoided using the character '承'. If they were to openly avoid using the character '畴', it would be too obvious. Once it was confirmed, the Manchus would never let Kangxi off the hook."

Emperor Chongzhen continued to nod.

Zhu Ziming continued, "The two things I mentioned earlier—appearance and taboo words—I believe are the most direct and compelling evidence. Appearance is innate, inherited through bloodlines, and cannot be changed. As for taboo words, this is proven by imperial edicts and other documents that have been preserved to this day. It is not speculation or baseless."

"Besides, there is actually a lot of supporting evidence that points to a closer relationship between Kangxi and Hong Chengchou."

"For example, Hong Chengchou's loyalty to the Qing court before and after the young Emperor Xuan Ye returned to the palace changed drastically. At first, he merely offered advice and did little work, but later he personally went to the battlefield to fight for his life. For example, Kangxi's attitude towards his nominal birth mother, Lady Tongjia, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was quite different. He observed mourning for one for only a few days after her death, while he observed mourning for the other for three full years. For example, the mysterious deaths of Dorgon and Lady Tongjia, and others related to this matter. For example, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was not buried with Emperor Huang Taiji after her death. Her last words were that she did not want to disturb Emperor Huang Taiji, who had been buried for many years, and that she hoped to be close to her descendants. For example, Kangxi's longevity gene. People before Kangxi all died young, but the three generations after Kangxi all lived long lives. There was also the rebellion of the loyal minister of the Manchu Qing, Oboi, and so on."

"If one coincidence is a coincidence, two coincidences are still coincidences, but ten coincidences stacked together are definitely not as simple as just coincidences."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded emphatically, his expression one of utter agreement.

He came to the bookstore with a "nothing to lose" mentality, hoping to learn about disaster relief strategies. To his surprise, the "nothing to lose" actually worked. Zhu Ziming actually told him a seemingly feasible disaster relief strategy and used a novel perspective to guide him to look at the essence of the entire disaster relief problem.

What he didn't expect was that he would stumble upon such a huge piece of gossip.

For the first time, Emperor Chongzhen experienced the joy of gossip, and what he was really enjoying was gossip about his own traitorous subordinates and his greatest enemy.

Huang Taiji, you schemed and plotted, but you never imagined that Hong Chengchou, a surrendered general of the Ming Dynasty, would eventually steal your home.

The moment Hong Chengchou was lured into surrendering, he was nailed to the pillar of historical shame. He probably never imagined that in the end, he would become the last solace for the entire Han dynasty.

It also became the best solace for Emperor Chongzhen, who hanged himself from the crooked locust tree.

Therefore, after listening to Zhu Ziming's account, Chongzhen felt a great sense of relief and exhilaration, as if a long-suppressed feeling had been released.

Zhu Ziming said, "History is certainly not a fantasy novel, but sometimes you can't deny the authenticity of history just because it's bizarre. Take Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, for example. He started with a bowl. Who would have thought he could ascend to the throne? If a novel were written like that, it would definitely be severely criticized for indulging in unrestrained fantasy."

"Therefore, the true history may be covered up or falsified, but history exists in its own way and cannot be changed. As time goes by, it will slowly reveal its truest self."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in deep agreement.

This wasn't the first time Chongzhen had heard Zhu Ziming say this, but each time, Chongzhen gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of it.

"Alright, have you gotten any inspiration after saying all that?" Zhu Ziming really thought the other person was a novelist like him.

"Huh? Yes, yes, yes!"

After a moment of surprise, Emperor Chongzhen nodded repeatedly.

"By the way, could you sell me these two books?"

Chongzhen pointed to the two books that Zhu Ziming had just brought over to show him the portraits: one was "Biography of Hong Chengchou," and the other was "Emperor Kangxi."

In fact, Chongzhen only wanted the portraits, especially the portrait of Kangxi, because he wanted to take it back and compare it with Hong Chengchou's.

He had never met Hong Chengchou, or perhaps he had, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Hong Chengchou was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Wanli era and spent most of his time serving as an official in local areas. He was currently serving as the Grain Supervisor in Shaanxi, which was one of the important reasons why Zhu Ziming chose him as the imperial envoy.

Zhu Ziming nodded, repeating his previous statement: "I own a bookstore, how could I refuse to sell you books?"

"Thank you, sir!"

Chongzhen sincerely expressed his gratitude, then took a box from beside him and pushed it in front of Zhu Ziming: "This... is just a small gift, I hope you will not refuse it, sir."

The box was exquisite, unlike modern designs. Zhu Ziming didn't stand on ceremony and opened it directly.

Inside was a blue and white porcelain cylindrical bottle.

The cylindrical bottle looked quite exquisite, but Zhu Ziming was stunned.

"Sir, then I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell!"

Chongzhen was also in a hurry to get back, so he said goodbye to Zhu Ziming, put away the two books, and left the bookstore.

As Zhu Ziming watched Chongzhen's retreating figure, his expression gradually became somewhat confused and bewildered.

no……

Another bartering session?

I bought several books, and they all look like this!

If he doesn't have money, he should just say so. Zhu Ziming could easily give him a few books, but he keeps bringing up these counterfeit books sold on the street and asking to buy more.

Are you deliberately picking a fight?

Where did these mountain people come from?

He always wears ancient costumes, speaks with a strange accent, and has a strange knowledge base. He seems cultured, but he is actually a student who missed out on nine years of compulsory education.

In short, it's filled with two words from head to toe: ancient and strange.

That's right, it's not one word, but two words: strange, as mentioned earlier, and ancient, how to say it?

Despite being so young, he acts like an old relic.

Old-fashioned.

Yes, it's definitely old-fashioned.

Thinking of this, Zhu Ziming suddenly remembered something else and abruptly widened his already large eyes.

No way!

Could he really be an ancient person?