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No one made things difficult for those people who were carrying the imperial edict along the way. When Tang Yu's subordinates heard that these people were carrying the imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen to recruit Prince Tang as his son-in-law, they did not make things difficult for these people who delivered the imperial edict. They also sent people to protect them along the way and treated them with good wine and meat, which touched them deeply.
These people could not help but be moved. After the capital lost contact with other parts of the Ming Dynasty, living conditions in the capital became more and more difficult day by day. The lives of the rich and powerful people in the capital were not greatly affected. But those little eunuchs, soldiers, and Jinyiwei, although they were still very powerful when bullying the common people, they actually lived a tight life. It was only slightly better than those common people and they were not starving to death. Therefore, these people who came out with the imperial edict of Emperor Chongzhen, facing the long-lost good wine and meat, were all smiling.
Although there were no troops besieging the capital of the Ming Dynasty outside the city, the capital was surrounded by forces under Tang Qi. The Ming soldiers guarding the capital and Shanhaiguan were suppressed by these forces and could not act rashly. Especially the Guanning Iron Cavalry in the Shanhaiguan area. It might be possible to mobilize a small number of troops, but Emperor Chongzhen and Hong Chengchou would never dare to transfer the large troops from Shanhaiguan, because Shanhaiguan still had the forces belonging to Tang Qi. He had a large number of auxiliary troops under his command. These auxiliary troops were a powerful threat to the Guanning Iron Cavalry. Among them were not only the Jurchen cavalry that the Ming Dynasty feared, but also Mongolian cavalry, Japanese auxiliary troops and tens of thousands of auxiliary troops from other ethnic groups. These people were stationed outside Shanhaiguan. Their main task was not to threaten Shanhaiguan, but to stabilize the order in the Northeast and Mongolian grasslands and prevent the people in these two places from having any disloyalty.
However, Emperor Chongzhen and Hong Chengchou did not understand Tang Qi's intention. They thought that Tang Qi's deployment of so many troops outside Shanhaiguan was a threat to the Ming Dynasty's Shanhaiguan. This resulted in Emperor Chongzhen not daring to act rashly even though he still had more than 200,000 troops under his command. These more than 200,000 troops needed food and drink, which made Emperor Chongzhen, who had no source of income, miserable. As food and other things became increasingly scarce, those civilians and soldiers who could not survive continued to flee the city to seek work in other places. Although the escape of these people alleviated the pressure on daily necessities in the capital to a certain extent, it also caused the capital to gradually lose its former prosperity. In turn, some small businessmen also left this place because their business was not doing well.
This is a vicious cycle. When the common people who can run away have run away, the unlucky ones are the eunuchs, soldiers, and guards who are slightly higher in status than the common people. These people could still survive in the past, but now, these people who don’t have much family wealth want to rely on the little things their black-hearted superiors give them to survive. After going through a series of checkpoints, it would be unfair to them if these eunuchs, soldiers, and guards starve to death without them.
Chen He was a small eunuch without any power. This time, he was able to become the person to issue the imperial edict for Tang Qi. It was not because he was lucky, but because other eunuchs with a little ability were unwilling to take this task. This kind of thing, running to the enemy's camp to read the imperial edict, was considered a dangerous task by anyone. If Chen He did not have any power, he would never have taken this task. Chen He did not want to die, although he was just a small eunuch and there was no happy life in his life. As a human being, a good death is always worse than a miserable life.
When Chen He led a few people out of the capital to issue the imperial edict, he was still dejected, thinking that this time he would be in trouble. He never dreamed that after Tang He and his men occupied the territory, they would be treated preferentially. Although they had no money to offer, they were well fed and well drunk. Chen He had not eaten meat and wine for a long time, so his appetite was greatly opened, and everyone with him was even more happy. Wherever they went, they would be beaming with joy.
Chen He was not a fool. When he saw those people treated him so well, he became more cautious and did not rush to find Prince Tang to read the imperial edict. God knows if Prince Tang would kill them all at once once the imperial edict was opened. Now that they had delicious food and drink every day, it would be a fool not to delay a little and think of ways to enjoy a few more days in this world. At least, this kind of thing should not be done by him, Chen He.
Chen He was making plans in his mind, but no matter how slow he was, he was finally not far from Jinling City. At this time, Chen He had heard that Prince Tang had already captured Jinling City, and the entire Ming Dynasty, except for the capital, had fallen into the hands of Prince Tang. So, no matter how stupid Chen He was, he knew that if he opened the imperial edict in front of Prince Tang and read out loudly something like "By the Mandate of Heaven" and "The Emperor summons" and so on, he was afraid that before he could finish speaking, the axemen on both sides would rush up and chop off his head.
Hiding was not a solution. Where could a small eunuch like Chen He hide? Besides, since they entered the sphere of influence of Tang He's men, they had been escorted by Tang He's soldiers all the way. Even if Chen He wanted to run away or hide, he had no chance. So Chen He gritted his teeth and led several escort personnel into Jinling City. As for the people who greeted them, there was no one himself, and Chen He did not dare to expect them to come to greet them under such circumstances. The soldiers who escorted them all the way from Yangzhou to Jinling, after sending Chen He and his men into Jinling City, handed over the escort mission to the soldiers guarding Jinling City and left. The soldiers guarding the city gate of Jinling City took Chen He and his men to a camp. Soon after, another team of soldiers came and guarded Chen He and his men, shattering Chen He's last hope of escape.
Just as Chen He and his companions were waiting anxiously, someone finally arrived to greet them. The moment they saw Chen He, the person was very polite and said, "I am a new official guarding Jinling City. I wonder what kind of decree from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty this young eunuch has brought with him. Could you please let me examine it first?"
Last time, Hou Fangyu bought a post of prefect in Jiangnan region through Tian Hongyu and others. Later, through some means, he also gained some power. In the process of Chen Zilong leading the army south, Hou Fangyu persuaded the Ming officials he had made during this period to give up the Yangzhou area, allowing Chen Zilong to lead the army to march straight to the city of Jinling, accelerating the occupation process of the southern part of the Ming Dynasty. Because of this contribution, Hou Fangyu was appointed as the new city guard of Jinling by Tang Qie because of his own talents.
Chen He came to see Tang Qi with the imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen. This matter was not a big deal, but it was not a small one either. It mainly depended on Tang Qi's attitude. Although someone had already brought the news of Chen He and his friends, Tang Qi had never expressed his position on the matter. Therefore, as the governor of Jinling City, he did not know how to receive Chen He and his friends.
From Hou Fangyu's perspective, marrying Princess Daming is still a good thing, especially since such power is in the hands of a man, the prince consort. In Hou Fangyu's heart, he still envies Tang Chen's good fortune. However, no matter how much Hou Fangyu envies Tang Chen, it is not Hou Fangyu who makes the decision. Before Tang Chen gives the order, Hou Fangyu can only check with Chen and the others first. After all, Prince Tang can no longer be treated as a prince. Not only Tang Chen's safety has become the top priority, but even Tang Chen's face is very important and cannot be sloppy at all.
This was not the time for Chen He and his men to act like imperial envoys. When he heard Hou Fangyu's question, Chen He obediently took out the imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen and said, "Your Excellency Hou has arrived. I was blind and beg for forgiveness for any inattention I may have shown you earlier. This is the imperial edict from the Emperor. Please review it first."
Hou Fangyu hummed a sound. As the victorious party, it was normal for him to be a little arrogant. He unfolded the imperial edict and took a look. It was a summons for Tang Yu to be the imperial consort of the Ming Dynasty. He couldn't help but think to himself, I heard that the eldest princess was very beautiful. It would be a great fortune for the prince to be the imperial consort. However, since the prince was ready to seize the world of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty might not be able to stay. Since ancient times, which country has The emperor can end up with a good ending. No matter how kind the prince is, his important ministers will not allow such a troublesome person to continue living in this world. It's a pity for the beautiful little princess. She is also unlucky. I think the prince has not made any instructions for so long, probably because of this. After all, at the prince's position, there are some things that cannot be handled at his own will.
Hou Fangzai sighed slightly. After all, he also grew up in the Ming Dynasty. For a scholar, overthrowing the Ming Dynasty was not a moral thing. Being a founding minister was just a glory. But in terms of conscience, anyone with a conscience would not think that killing the former master was glorious. In some ways, Emperor Chongzhen could be regarded as the former master of all scholars who came out of the Ming Dynasty.
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