Chongzhen's speech became slower and slower, but every word he said was extremely clear.

Everyone present knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Chongzhen.

They had previously kowtowed to Chongzhen because Chongzhen was the emperor and father, and they were his subjects.

Kowtow is the rule.

Chongzhen's edict was very similar to the last will and testament of Emperor Wen of Han, and was full of the kindness of a monarch and father.

Now bowing is a sign of respect from the heart.

Chongzhen closed his eyes and kept talking: "You must assist Zhu Cixiong with all your heart and soul. I have no other request, only to let the people of the Ming Dynasty have their own houses, the farmers have their own fields, the sick have their own doctors, and the diligent have their own jobs... Only when the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country is prosperous and the people are strong, can we truly achieve a prosperous and rejuvenated era."

Qiu Yu knelt on the ground, and said with tears of gratitude: "Yes, we will obey your majesty's order."

Chongzhen gave some instructions and then waved his hand, signaling others to leave except Qiu Yu to stay.

Soon, the emperor and his minister were the only ones left in the hall.

Without waiting for Qiu Yu to ask, Chongzhen took the initiative to say: "Lord Qiu is a smart man, I just want to say one thing."

Qiu Yu wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "I am all ears."

Chongzhen said word for word: "A new emperor appoints new ministers."

Qiu Yu was stunned for a moment, but soon understood what Chongzhen meant.

Just because Chongzhen valued him doesn’t mean Zhu Cixiong would also value him.

After Zhu Cixiong takes over power, he will inevitably recruit "newcomers" and form his own team.

Of course.

The newcomers here are not newcomers in the court, but people who are capable but have not been valued by Chongzhen.

Chongzhen's words were to remind him that Zhu Cijiong would definitely replace him as the chief minister of the cabinet once the situation stabilized.

Only by honestly handing over power can there be a good ending, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable.

Chiu Yu had no intention of controlling the cabinet and holding power.

He just wanted to return home with honor and glory.

For this reason, Qiu Yu assured: "Your Majesty, rest assured, although I am stupid, I can understand these principles."

Chongzhen closed his eyes and nodded, and replied in a weak voice: "That's good, leave now."

When Qiu Yu was about to say goodbye and leave, he suddenly heard Chongzhen ask, "Lord Qiu, do you think I am a wise ruler or a foolish ruler?"

Qiu Yu answered without hesitation: "A wise ruler."

"reason?"

"Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy. You first quelled the internal strife and then eliminated the external threat. Today, the national treasury is full and the people are prosperous. It is already a prosperous era. Therefore, I believe that Your Majesty is a wise and holy ruler who deserves the title."

"Haha," Chongzhen laughed bitterly, "Looking only at the second half of my life, I can barely be considered a wise ruler. But I don't just have the second half of my life, I also have the first half."

"This..." Qiu Yu did not expect Chongzhen to say such words at this time, and was speechless for a moment.

Chongzhen opened his eyes and waved his hand gently: "Back off."

Qiu Yu slapped himself in annoyance, blushed, lowered his head and said, "I'll take my leave."

After Qiu Yu left, Chongzhen met Li Ruolian, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Looking at Chongzhen's appearance, Li Ruolian felt sad and frightened.

The reason for sadness was that Chongzhen was about to die.

The reason for the fear was that Chongzhen was about to die.

He was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and did a lot of dirty work for Chongzhen.

Some emperors did this to protect their reputation.

Before they die, they will kill all those who do the dirty work for them to prevent future troubles.

He was afraid that Chongzhen would get rid of him.

Chongzhen saw through Li Ruolian's thoughts at a glance.

He raised the corners of his mouth hard, forced a smile and said: "Commander Li is not only a meritorious official of the court, but also a meritorious official of mine. It is said that when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked; when the flying birds are gone, the good bows are hidden; when the enemy country is destroyed, the counselors die, but I just like to let the meritorious officials have a good end."

Li Ruo Lian raised his head, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, I have no regrets in my death."

Chongzhen shook his head: "No, I will never go back on my word."

Li Ruolian lowered her head and let her tears fall on the golden bricks of the hall.

Chongzhen began to plan.

He thought for a while and then said, "Commander Li."

"I am here."

"After the new emperor ascends the throne, he will certainly find you to inquire about certain matters. You can neither say nothing nor tell everything."

"I understand."

"No, you don't understand." Chongzhen instructed: "You can't reveal a single word of the dirty work you did for me, otherwise you will die. But you must tell the new emperor everything about the former crown prince Zhu Cilang, otherwise your life will be in danger."

In addition to Chongzhen himself, Zhu Cijiong also wanted to protect Chongzhen's reputation.

If Li Ruolian revealed those shameful things.

Zhu Cixiong had reason to believe that Li Ruolian would tell others about these things.

In order to protect Chongzhen's reputation, he would also kill people to silence them.

But if I say nothing, I won't be able to gain Zhu Cijiong's trust.

Those who lose trust may fall out of favor at best, or even lose their lives at worst.

So Chongzhen had to find a way out for Li Ruolian.

Li Ruo Lian raised his head suddenly: "Your Majesty, this..."

"Don't worry, you don't know much."

Li Ruo Lian still asked with some concern: "During the suppression of the rebellion, His Majesty asked me to go south to convey the will to Zhang Rong and Wang Zhixin..."

"You could say that."

Li Ruo Lian knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "I thank your majesty for your grace."

Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "Okay, Commander Li, please leave."

Li Ruo Lian kowtowed again with tears in his eyes: "I obey your order."

When he turned around, Chongzhen reminded him: "You can also tell the new emperor what I just said, but you have to think carefully before you speak."

Li Ruo Lian left the Palace of Heavenly Purity with gratitude.

It was already the hour of Hai.

Chongzhen rested for a while and told Wang Chengen: "Let Wang Zhixin come."

Wang Zhixin walked quickly to the dragon desk and knelt down to salute: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Chongzhen opened his eyes and glanced at Wang Zhixin without saying anything.

Wang Zhixin didn't dare to look up at Chongzhen, nor did he dare to ask, so he could only kneel on the ground and wait.

After a while, Chongzhen still didn't speak.

Wang Chengen, who was standing by, thought Chongzhen was dying, so he hurried over to him and whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

Chongzhen opened his eyes and shook his head gently to signal Wang Chengen not to speak.

Seeing this, Wang Chengen took two steps back and returned to his original position.

The Qianqing Palace returned to peace again.

After waiting for a moment, Chongzhen slowly said to Wang Zhixin: "Wang Zhixin, you are a smart person. After the new emperor ascends the throne, you must assist him wholeheartedly and don't try to be clever."

Wang Zhixin kowtowed and said, "I will obey your Majesty's order."

Chongzhen waved his hand: "Back off."

"yes."

Wang Zhixin kowtowed again, stood up and left

After leaving the gate of the Qianqing Palace, Wang Zhixin stopped.

He stood in the snow and wind, feeling confused and puzzled.

Chongzhen clearly only said one sentence, so why did it take so long?

After thinking for a while, I still couldn't figure it out, so I could only shake my head and leave.