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

(As pointed out by a reader, Li Zicheng's original name was Li Hongji, and he has not changed his name yet. After checking, it seems that there is no definitive answer as to Li Zicheng's original name, so let's just go with his original name, Li Hongji. After all, the name Li Zicheng does seem to be self-chosen, implying that he would build his own career.)

Who is Li Zicheng?

Emperor Chongzhen's sudden question left everyone in the room filled with doubt. Who was this Li Zicheng? Why did the Emperor want to see him?

Only Hong Chengchou knew what the emperor meant.

This was one of the names on the list the Emperor had given him before. The Emperor had written it first, and the name even sounded like a person's name, so Hong Chengchou remembered it well.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor himself came to find this person, and this person turned out to be someone from the post station system.

however……

Surprisingly, after the emperor finished asking his question, no one responded or stepped forward.

Emperor Chongzhen's expression hardened, and he sharply ordered, "Who is Li Zicheng? Step forward!"

No one answered, and no one stepped forward.

At this moment, the postmaster stepped forward tremblingly: "Your Majesty, there is no one named Li Zicheng at the post station."

"What? Li Zicheng isn't here?"

This time, it was Emperor Chongzhen's turn to be somewhat bewildered.

How could this happen?

How could Li Zicheng not be there?

The History of Ming clearly states in the section on bandits that Li Zicheng was a native of Mizhi, whose family had lived in Lijiqian Village of Huaiyuan Fort for generations. As a child, he herded sheep for the Ai family, a prominent clan in the county. Later, he became a postman at the Yinchuan Post Station.

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Was the history book wrong? Or did he make a mistake somewhere?

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen remembered something and said to the people standing in a row at the post station, "Which one of you is from Mizhi? Step forward."

At this moment, someone finally stepped forward, but it wasn't one person, it was two.

Fortunately, there was only one young one.

Emperor Chongzhen walked directly up to the young man and asked, "What's your name?"

The young man was a little nervous, not knowing why the emperor wanted to find someone from Mizhi, or why it had to be him, but he still answered truthfully, "Li Hongji."

Emperor Chongzhen then asked, "Where in Mizhi is your ancestral home?"

The young man replied, "Li Jiqian Village, Huaiyuan Fortress."

boom!

These words struck Emperor Chongzhen like a thunderbolt.

It can't be wrong.

This young man, about the same age as him, was none other than the future Li Zicheng!

"Raise your head."

Upon hearing this, two people were stunned. One was naturally Li Hongji, the person involved, and the other was Hong Chengchou.

What's wrong with Your Majesty? Why do you always make people look up?

Next, will I have to scrutinize other people's faces again?

Just as Hong Chengchou had expected, after Li Hongji raised his head, the emperor indeed stared at Li Hongji's face.

Recalling the day the emperor stared at him, Hong Chengchou still felt uncomfortable, as if ants were crawling on his body. Li Hongji was probably even more uncomfortable now, because how could a mere courier have the composure of Hong Chengchou?

But to Hong Chengchou's surprise, the courier named Li Hongji remained unfazed, and even tried to catch a glimpse of what the emperor looked like out of the corner of his eye.

What audacity!

On the other side, Emperor Chongzhen looked at Li Hongji, who was not yet Li Zicheng, with an extremely complicated expression.

Sixteen years later.

Li Hongji not only changed his name to Li Zicheng, but also captured the capital.

He was forced to kill his own empress and daughter, and even more so, he was forced to hang himself on the crooked locust tree on Coal Hill.

The Ming Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years, also perished at the hands of this man!

The country is destroyed and the family is ruined!

There is nothing more tragic than this in the world.

The person who caused all of this was right in front of him, and Chongzhen almost ground his back teeth to powder.

kill?

Not kill?

kill?

Not kill?

Two thoughts swirled in Chongzhen's mind.

"It's useless. Even if you kill one Li Zicheng, there will be thousands more Li Zichengs."

Zhu Ziming's words echoed in Chongzhen's mind, and Chongzhen calmed down a little.

After letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Emperor Chongzhen began, “I had a dream some time ago. I dreamt of a man named Li Zicheng, a bandit. He chased after me with a knife, leaving me with no way out. When I woke up, I met a wise man who interpreted my dream and told me to come to the Yinchuan post station and find a man named Li Hongji, who could resolve this nightmare.”

Everyone was stunned by what they heard.

The Emperor had such a strange dream?

However, this is not a strange thing, because when emperors have such dreams, they usually have a specific meaning. There are many such examples in history, such as King Wu Ding of Shang dreaming of Fu Yue, Emperor Wen of Han promoting Deng Tong because of a dream, King Wen of Zhou dreaming of Jiang Ziya when a flying bear appeared in his dream, and Emperor Taizong of Tang dreaming of a virtuous minister seeking the white-robed young general Xue Rengui, and so on.

Generally speaking, only wise rulers can receive divine guidance.

Unexpectedly, even their emperor encountered this dream. The dream seemed ominous, but it was actually an auspicious omen.

But was Li Hongji really the wise minister who appeared in the dream?

This rough-looking man from northern Shaanxi had dark skin, a tall frame, and deep-set, though piercing eyes. Most importantly, he remained unfazed by the emperor's scrutiny, displaying remarkable composure and demeanor.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Li Hongji and said, "Li Hongji, are you willing to kill that traitor Li Zicheng for me?"

Li Hongji was visibly excited and immediately knelt down: "If I can share Your Majesty's burdens, let alone killing Li Zicheng, even if it means going through fire and water, I, this humble subject, would gladly die a thousand deaths!"

"Okay, okay!"

Emperor Chongzhen said "good" three times and then said, "Then you shall come back to the capital with me and stay by my side as my guard."

Li Hongji was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and banged his head against the ground repeatedly.

"This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!"

Li Hongji didn't have any grand ambitions. He just wanted to continue working at the post station and have food to eat, and that would be enough for him. He never expected that not only would the post station be saved, but he would also become a bodyguard by the emperor's side. It was like a dream.

Or rather, he wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

Outside the post station, Li Hongji packed his bags, preparing to leave with the emperor's main entourage. Everyone in the post station came out to see him off.

"Little Li!"

The postmaster patted Li Hongji on the shoulder with both large hands and laughed, "This morning I asked you where you were going after leaving the post station? I didn't expect you to be working all the way to the capital! Keep up the good work!"

"If I become rich and powerful, I will not ask you for anything more!" Mr. Sun, the accountant, held Li Hongji's hand tightly.

Finally, amidst the envious gazes of everyone at the post station, Li Hongji left the post station where he had stayed for three years.

On the carriage returning to the capital.

Emperor Chongzhen stretched and looked unusually relaxed.

Although the Ming Dynasty has undergone some changes, Emperor Chongzhen was still uneasy until Li Zicheng was dealt with.

He could have spared Li Zicheng's life, but he took Li Zicheng with him. No, it should be said that he had already killed Li Zicheng, because he took Li Hongji with him. In this historical timeline, there would no longer be "Chuang Wang" Li Zicheng, only Jinwuwei Li Hongji.