"You're playing with me. If you want to time travel, just go to Chenghua, Hongzhi, Jiajing, and Wanli Emperors. If not, you can get me a vassal king, but you ended up traveling to this unlucky emperor."
Under an ancient locust tree in Meishan, after half an hour of self-doubt, Ye Xuan finally accepted the fact that he had traveled through time, and that he had just ascended the throne in the seventh year of the Apocalypse.
It is said that Chongzhen was unlucky because he had the intention to revive the Ming Dynasty, but he did not have the power to revive it.
There were internal and external troubles, the corruption of court officials, and constant natural and man-made disasters. After struggling for seventeen years, the Ming Dynasty still perished, and he was hanged from a crooked neck tree in Meishan.
In Ye Xuan's view, the Ming Dynasty was played to death by Zhu Youjian himself. Although it was a bit exaggerated, if he didn't try to kill himself, the Ming Dynasty could last at least ten more years.
"Come here, chop down this locust tree...forget it, chain it up!"
After fully waking up, Ye Xuan originally wanted to cut down the ancient locust tree, but after thinking about it, he gave up.
If you really want to hang yourself, there are too many places in the palace where you can hang yourself, so locking it up will serve as a reminder to yourself at all times.
Wang Chengen, who was waiting on the side, didn't know why the emperor had such a strange order, but the emperor's words were God's and must be carried out, so he immediately called a young eunuch to whisper a few instructions.
"There are still seventeen years left, and the Ming Dynasty's basic base is still there. It seems that it can be saved?"
After Ye Xuan finished complaining about Chongzhen Zhu Youjian, he sat in the pavilion aside and fell into deep thought.
Now that you've got it, make peace with it. Since you can't change your current situation, try to adapt.
Now there are three paths before him: to be a foolish king, or a tyrant... or to be a wise king!
"If you want to be a foolish king, then you can choose a few more concubines, live the life of a king who doesn't go to court early every day, and enjoy seventeen years of glory and wealth. It's not a waste of time for you to come to this world!"
"When you become a tyrant, you will kill Wei Zhongxian's eunuchs, Donglin Party, and some people who defected to the slave establishment, and even kill the Nine Tribes! Even if you die, you will have to support these people."
"Be a wise king? Rewrite the outcome of the Ming Dynasty and continue the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years?"
For the time being, it is impossible to be a faint king. Ten of the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty died abnormally.
It's hard to say what's far away, but let's talk about what's nearby. Chongzhen's father, Guangzong Zhu Changluo, died at the age of 38 after taking the great tonic "Red Pill" paid as tribute by the eunuchs.
His elder brother, Xizong Zhu Youxiao, fell into the water and fell ill while boating in the harem. He took the "magic medicine" and died suddenly at the age of 23;
If you become a fool, you may be 'drowned' one day. The risk factor is too high, so rule it out!
tyrant? It seems impossible for the time being. We don’t have military power. It’s okay to kill a few civilian officials. If we want to kill them all, they will probably kill them before they are killed. It’s too dangerous. Rule it out!
Mingjun? There are constant natural and man-made disasters. There are powerful enemies outside and treacherous ministers causing chaos inside. Without military power, even government orders cannot leave the city of Beijing.
Reform will definitely affect the interests of the officials and gentry. Once they unite and want to be a wise king and rewrite history, it is better to just go to sleep. Everything is possible in the dream.
"You can't be a foolish king, you can't be a tyrant, and you can't be a wise king. Damn it, you're trying to force me to death. Why don't you just...let me lie down completely? How many years can I play?"
Ye Xuan looked dejected. In fact, the start was on hell difficulty.
Let alone him in this situation, Zhu Taizu and Zhu Laosi probably came in person, so they had to be careful in the early stage.
During the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign, it can be said that God was about to destroy the Ming Dynasty, and major natural disasters never stopped, especially in Shaanxi, Henan, and Huguang.
Man-made disasters, dominated internally by the two uprisings of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and externally by the slave establishment, swept through most of the Ming Dynasty, massacred dozens of cities, and killed tens of millions of people.
Thinking of the tragedy that would happen in the Central Plains a few years later, with bones exposed in the wild and no roosters crowing for thousands of miles, Ye Xuan lamented in his heart.
Wang Chengen, who was not far away, watched the expression on the face of the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty change from contemplation to lamentation, from doubt to dejection, and then to anger. He was amazed in his heart and his eyes were filled with distress.
Although the man in front of him is an emperor, he is still just an unprepared seventeen-year-old boy.
The situation in the court was treacherous, and the Ming Dynasty was troubled internally and externally, and all the heavy burdens fell on him.
After the roar, Ye Xuan calmed down. Anger cannot solve the problem.
"Wang Cheng'en, how long have I been on the throne?"
"Your Majesty, you succeeded to the throne on August 24th. Today is September 16th, and you have been on the throne for twenty-three days."
Listening to Wang Chengen's response, Ye Xuan was relieved, but he also had an extremely headache.
According to historical records, at this time, Zhu Youjian had not yet started to attack Wei Zhongxian, which meant that Wei Zhongxian and his party members were still there.
Wei Zhongxian is a double-edged sword. If he is still here, the Donglin Party and other civil servant groups will not dare to be too reckless, and he is even better at making money.
The troublesome thing is that Wei Zhongxian is a time bomb. He dared to conceal the news of Emperor Tianqi's death, and he dared to stop the British prince from carrying the sedan chair when Chongzhen ascended the throne. This shows that this man has different ambitions.
Although it is said that Wei Zhongxian's power comes from the imperial power, and Wei Zhongxian's death is a matter of imperial edict, but that was when the imperial power was stable, and his edicts may be rejected by the cabinet now.
Most of the six ministers and nine ministers in the entire court are his people, and they control the cabinet, Dongchang, Jinyiwei, Si Lijian, Yuma Jian and the internal military.
This power can blow him to pieces at any time, which is the most difficult thing to do.
Ye Xuan remembered that Zhu Youjian of Chongzhen in history also spent three months testing various rewards in the early stage.
Then with the help of the civil servant group, he used a trick to mobilize 10,000 soldiers out of the palace, and then issued an imperial edict to remove Wei Zhongxian from power.
"Everything is still in time. Although I don't have any cheats, I have read "The Legend of Chongzhen" and know some major events and trends in the future.
Know which ministers are loyal, capable ministers and officials, and which ministers are treacherous and mediocre.
Coupled with some knowledge from later generations and a vision beyond this era, this Ming Dynasty can still be saved! "
Ye Xuan murmured to himself, looking at the locust tree with a firm expression.
"Zhu Youjian, go with peace of mind. Everything about you will be inherited by me, Ye Xuan. From now on, I will be Chongzhen, the 16th emperor of the Ming Dynasty. I make an oath here:
Those who you, Zhu Youjian, cannot kill, I, Chongzhen, will kill.
What you, Zhu Youjian, cannot do, I, Chongzhen, can do.
Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong rebelled? It depends on whether I give them a chance!
Build slaves to massacre my Central Plains people? Then I will slaughter the slaves, destroy their species, and destroy their clan!
The eight major Shanxi merchants had liaisons with slaves, and were they their eyes and ears? Then I will confiscate the family and exterminate the clan!
If a scholar is ignorant, incompetent, shameless, treasonous and surrenders to the enemy, then kill him and turn the world upside down!
…
In a word, destiny is in me. I, Chongzhen, can do what you, Zhu Youjian, can do, and I, Chongzhen, can do what you, Zhu Youjian, cannot do.
In short, I want everyone in the Ming Dynasty to be like a gentleman, the country will be free of trouble, and the world will be righteous!
One day in the future, I will let Oara, Tatar and other tribes become the pastures of my Ming Dynasty.
Let Xibo and Tubo become the orchards of my Ming Dynasty,
Let Myanmar, Siam, and Annan become the granary of the Ming Dynasty,
Let the southeast coast become the fishing ground of our Ming Dynasty,
Let Fuso and other places become the mining areas of our Ming Dynasty.
Congratulations are coming from all directions, and all nations are coming to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty to continue its national destiny for another three hundred years! "
After Chongzhen finished speaking, he suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. He had a clear goal and was full of energy.
The rising sun shone on Ye Xuan's body, making him look extremely sacred.
Now he wants to be a tyrant, not cruel, but violent!
From then on, he had the final say in the Ming Dynasty.
As for the issue of the era name, he had nothing to do. According to the etiquette, the new emperor must determine the era name when he ascends the throne. It has been more than half a month, and the era name has been decided long ago. Who told him to time travel too late.
If he had come earlier, he would have chosen "Qian Sheng" among the four titles sent by the cabinet. It was such a domineering title.
But the era name of Chongzhen is okay. Chongzhen = revitalize, revitalize the Ming Dynasty, the meaning is okay.
PS: It is now the seventh year of the Apocalypse, and Chongzhen’s reign begins in the second year.
Chongzhen turned around and looked at the Forbidden City under the morning sun, and then at the row upon row of Beijing City in the distance, with smoke rising from the kitchens.
If he hadn't traveled through time, two years later, this place would be surrounded by slaves. A dozen years later, a plague would sweep through the city and kill 200,000 people.
"Now that I'm here, from this moment on, I will protect the Ming Dynasty!"
Just guarding requires capital. Inside the palace, there is Wei Zhongxian who has different aspirations. Outside the palace, there are various parties who deceive the superiors and subordinates. Among the people, there are gentry who form a clique to sell out the country's conditions for personal gain. Besides, there are foreign enemies such as slaves who are eager to destroy the Ming Dynasty.
In such a complicated situation, if he doesn't handle it well, he will follow the emperor's brother. He must first ensure his own safety before talking about other things.
After thinking for a while, Chongzhen thought of someone.
As long as this person is around, I dare not say anything else. At least life safety is absolutely guaranteed.
