Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

The next day, as dawn broke.

Zhu Cilang's carriage rolled over the bluestone road, and the mottled city wall was faintly visible in the morning mist.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at Zhengyang Gate."

Han Zanzhou's voice came through the carriage curtain.

Zhu Cilang gently lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the deep green moss on the city bricks.

This is the outermost wall of Nanjing's four-tiered city wall.

It is said that Emperor Taizu conscripted more than 200,000 laborers to expand the old walls of the Six Dynasties to their current size.

The soldiers and officials guarding the city knelt on the ground in unison, their armor gleaming coldly in the rising sun.

As the carriage passed through Zhengyang Gate, the view suddenly opened up, and the majestic Hongwu Gate slowly came into view.

The gate tower is magnificent, and its golden glazed tiles gleam in the sunlight, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

Huang Degong spurred his horse closer to the carriage window and whispered:

"Beyond Hongwu Gate lies the palace. My military tally expires here. I urge Your Highness to be extra cautious..."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly. The palace gates were as deep as the sea; from then on, he would be all alone.

Before the words were finished, twelve dragon flags suddenly emerged from within the deep wall.

The eunuch holding the imperial staff announced in a shrill voice:

"Your Highness, Prince Fu, Regent, respectfully welcomes the Crown Prince to the Fengxian Hall!"

Zhu Cilang looked up.

Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, dressed in a python robe and jade belt, with a bulky figure, was kneeling in the road.

Beneath the prince's crown, his round, chubby face was covered with flabby flesh, almost obscuring his eyes.

Large beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his flabby skin, revealing his inner panic and unease.

Zhu Cilang knew perfectly well—

Ten days ago, when news of the fall of the Forbidden City reached Huai'an, it was this obese prince kneeling before the carriage.

Under the planning of Ma Shiying, the governor of Fengyang, and with the support of the generals of the four towns north of the Yangtze River, he seized the power of regent in the capital.

"Uncle Wang, please rise."

Zhu Cilang landed on a gilded stool, his boot tip stopping precisely at the edge of the projection of the Prince of Fu's crown.

"I have heard that during these days of regency, the Prince has been working tirelessly, even increasing the number of guards at the outer city gates by three times. This is truly a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

His gaze swept over the gold seal at the Prince of Fu's waist—a hereditary token bestowed upon the Luoyang princely estate by the founding emperor.

At this moment, the four small characters "Regency for the State" were newly engraved on the side.

Prince Fu's entire body of fat trembled violently, and the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" he was holding nearly fell to the ground:

"As a member of the imperial family, I should devote myself wholeheartedly to my duties and dare not slacken in the slightest."

"The reinforcement of troops has ensured the safety of our Great Ming's southern capital. This is all thanks to the brave service of Governor Ma, General Gao Jie, and other generals. What merit do I have?"

Amidst the gasps of his accompanying officials, Zhu Cilang pointed to the layers of palaces.

"Uncle, are you aware that the layout of this palace city subtly corresponds to the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions?"

His tone was casual, as if he were having a casual conversation:

"Back then, Liu Bowen used the Ziwei Enclosure to correspond to the Qianqing Palace, and the Taiwei Enclosure to transform into the Wenhua Hall, but he deliberately placed the Tianshi Enclosure outside the Jubao Gate."

He paused, then his gaze fell upon Prince Fu.

"Does Uncle Wang think he foresaw that a vassal king would be appointed as regent with the support of merchants?"

The color drained from Prince Fu's face instantly, turning deathly pale.

The Crown Prince's words, ostensibly about astrology, were in fact a veiled attack on the heart.

Not only did it subtly satirize the past events of his father, the Old Prince Fu, vying with Emperor Wanli for the position of crown prince,

It directly alludes to the fact that Zhu Yousong's current position as regent is entirely supported by the wealth of rich merchants in Jiangnan.

We arrived at Chunhe Hall.

Zhu Cilang caught a glimpse of an elderly minister with white hair kneeling in the corridor. His scarlet robe was embroidered with a mythical beast, and it was stained black with sweat.

Han Zanzhou whispered that this person was Liu Zongzhou, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Liu Niantai? He was indeed a loyal minister, what a pity...

"The regent should abdicate!"

As Liu Zongzhou shouted, Zhu Cilang was receiving the third petition presented by the Prince of Fu.

"Uncle Wang, why are you in such a hurry?"

After Zhu Cilang entered the palace, Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, immediately submitted a memorial requesting to resign from his position as regent.

Following the etiquette of "three refusals and three concessions," Zhu Cilang humbly accepted the letter of resignation for the third time.

According to historical tradition and etiquette, as the eldest son of Emperor Chongzhen, the Crown Prince's legitimacy was indisputably legitimate.

Zhu Cilang unfolded the gold-flecked paper, glanced over the clichés like "lacking in virtue and talent," and spoke again:

"Within the past ten days, Uncle Wang has reassigned Huang Degong to guard Luzhou and Gao Jie to garrison Sizhou, and even replaced 30% of the commanders of the Lianjiang flood control force..."

Prince Fu suddenly banged his head on the ground:

"I transferred Huang Degong to Luzhou to prevent Zhang Xianzhong from advancing eastward down the Yangtze River; I ordered Gao Jie to guard Sizhou to prevent the Jurchens from advancing southward."

"When Emperor Chengzu was in the Jingnan Campaign, he said, 'The sons of the Zhu family would rather die fighting for the country than be humiliated by the enemy.'"

Having said that, he suddenly ripped open his python robe, revealing a white linen garment underneath.

"I wear mourning clothes day and night within the palace walls, fearing only that I might neglect the proper conduct during the mourning period; how could I dare to have the slightest selfish thought!"

"Uncle Wang, please rise!"

Zhu Cilang stepped forward and helped him up.

"These ten days have been arduous, as we have to manage the Emperor's funeral and oversee the defense of the four garrisons."

A hint of sincerity flickered in his eyes.

"Once this busy period is over, I'd like to hear you talk about the reform of the Jiangxi Water Flood Control Bureau."

"Our Zhu family lineage is now reduced to just a few pillars; Uncle Wang, you must hold the Ming Dynasty up."

"Your subject will faithfully uphold the ancestral teachings of the founding emperor, safeguard the Zhu family ancestral temple, and protect this half of our land!"

Prince Fu's shoulders trembled slightly, and his forehead struck the blue bricks heavily as he prostrated himself in gratitude.

As the sunlight quietly shifted across the Golden Water Bridge, Zhu Cilang's python-patterned boots finally stepped onto the steps of the Wenhua Hall.

He glanced one last time at the figure still prostrate before the Chunhe Hall, the fat on the back of its neck glistening in the slanting sunlight.

The glass gulls in the Wenhua Hall pierced the sunlight, and twenty eunuchs knelt to welcome the new master, holding a yellow silk box.

As soon as he entered the palace, he felt an atmosphere completely different from that in Beijing.

Although the palaces in Nanjing are not as grand as those in the capital, they possess a unique refinement and elegance characteristic of the Jiangnan region.

Twelve eunuchs dressed in purple robes quickly led the way.

From the nine-zhang-high golden pillars of Fengtian Hall to the caisson ceilings and brackets of Wenhua Hall, at every crucial moment, they would kowtow and report in detail.

Zhu Cilang suddenly stopped on the platform of Wuying Hall, his fingers lightly touching the moss seeping from the cracks in the bricks, startling the Grand Master of Ceremonial Affairs to kneel down.

Meanwhile, officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Courts hurried through the palace corridors and halls, carrying imperial edicts in their hands.

The Imperial Palace Museum lit hundreds of palace lanterns throughout the night, illuminating the entire hall brightly.

The clamor of the new emperor's ascension ceremony had already spread throughout Jinling City with the evening drumbeats.

The next morning.

Dewdrops condensed on the glazed tiles of the Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Cilang sat upright behind the sandalwood table, wearing a light blue robe with a plain gauze overcoat, calmly eating his breakfast.

"Your Highness, Eunuch Han and General Huang, the Earl of Jingnan, request an audience!"

The young eunuch on duty, carrying the hem of the robe, hurried into the palace to report.

"Announce!"

Zhu Cilang was wiping his fingertips with a plain handkerchief when he looked up and saw Han Zanzhou stagger and crash open the gilded palace door.

The old eunuch's scarlet python robe was damp with dew, and his three-peaked hat was askew, revealing his graying sideburns.

Following closely behind him was Huang Degong, still clad in his iron-scaled armor, his shoulders covered in frost, his face ashen.

Han Zanzhou suddenly knelt down in a panic:

"Your Highness...this is a cataclysmic event!"

The white porcelain spoon held by Zhu Cilang hovered in mid-air.

"But the Jurchens have captured Dezhou?"

The old eunuch stammered:

"It's...it's the heartless bastards in Jinling City..."

Huang Degong suddenly took a step forward.

"Let me explain!"

He said angrily,

"This humble general dares to report! This morning, rumors spread throughout Yingtian Prefecture, daring to slander His Highness as a fake dragon, a mere imposter!"

His eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

"How dare you accuse me of secretly plotting this conspiracy with Eunuch Han without any basis?"

Zhu Cilang slowly lowered the porcelain spoon that had been hanging there, and a little soup splashed out.