Chapter 71 Chongzhen is afraid, so we'll take your place!
Wei Zhongxian's aggressive behavior caught Emperor Chongzhen off guard.
no?
He hasn't even given the order yet. What kind of nonsense is this?
Wei Zhongxian's sudden and intense outburst struck Emperor Chongzhen like a heavy blow to the heart, leaving him momentarily dazed. Even the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner in the hall seemed to pause, and the hem of the young emperor's robe embroidered with golden dragons trembled slightly.
Emperor Chongzhen's slender fingers unconsciously caressed the jade pendant at his waist, but the warm touch could not soothe the turmoil in his heart. He had clearly not issued any decree yet, so how could this old fox have preemptively staged this act of pleading guilty with a bundle of thorns on his back?
Who leaked the information?
The young emperor walked slowly forward, his bright yellow boots making a soft sound as they stepped on the gleaming gold bricks. He bent down and gently supported Wei Zhongxian's withered arm, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority: "What are you doing, Wei Zhongxian? Please rise."
Wei Zhongxian dared not rise; instead, he lowered his hunched body even further, his forehead slamming heavily against the cold gold bricks with a dull thud. His trembling voice, deliberately hoarse, sang: "This old servant knows his sins are grave, I only beg Your Majesty's mercy, to give this old servant a chance to atone for his sins..."
Emperor Chongzhen looked at the powerful old eunuch before him, who had never acted this way before. The emperor sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "Why do you say such things, Wei Banban? You have served the late emperor for many years and made great contributions. How could I not know that? The country is facing difficulties now and needs an experienced and prudent person to assist it. I still expect Wei Banban to continue to serve the court."
Continue to serve?
If he had served for a few more years, the national treasury would likely have become Wei Zhongxian's private coffers.
His voice was calm and unhurried, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if he were truly only reassuring a loyal old minister. His fingers, hidden within his wide sleeves, had unconsciously dug into his palms.
He was clearly an emperor who possessed the entire world, yet he had to coax a eunuch.
Wei Zhongxian was filled with suspicion and uncertainty. If he hadn't known he would die at the hands of Emperor Chongzhen, he probably would have been completely fooled by the young emperor's masterful performance. He slightly raised his head and met Chongzhen's unfathomable eyes—eyes that clearly held a chilling, poisonous glint!
The old eunuch trembled and quickly bowed again, cold sweat on his forehead leaving a blurry wet mark on the brick surface: "Your Majesty is so kind, this old servant is deeply grateful! But... such great favor makes this old servant feel apprehensive."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen chuckled softly, a sound that seemed particularly cold in the empty Qianqing Palace. His tone even carried a hint of helplessness: "Constable Wei is overthinking things. I have only recently ascended the throne, and the affairs of the court still rely heavily on the senior officials. How could I easily believe slanderous words?" He paused, his slender fingers lightly tracing the memorials laid out on his desk, his voice slightly somber, "Could it be... that Constable Wei has heard something he shouldn't have?"
If rumors and gossip were of any use to Wei Zhongxian…
I wonder how many times he's died.
This thought gnawed at Chongzhen's reason like a venomous snake. His gaze swept over the eunuchs standing with their heads bowed in the corner of the hall, and each one seemed to turn into a clay or wooden sculpture as his eyes swept over them.
Only Wang Chengen remained steadfastly behind him.
Wei Zhongxian felt a cold sweat soak through his heavy clothes. He kowtowed heavily, his gray hair disheveled: "This old servant dares not! This old servant is only...only worried about the affairs of the state, fearing only that I might fail His Majesty's trust..."
Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, finally straightening up. As he stood with his hands behind his back, the jade belt at his waist made a crisp clinking sound. He said calmly, "I naturally understand Wei Banban's loyalty. As for those unfounded rumors, I will not take them to heart, and Wei Banban need not mention them again."
His tone was calm, yet every word was like a knife; he neither admitted to having murderous intentions towards Wei Zhongxian, nor did he offer him any real assurances. A gust of wind blew in from outside the hall, lifting the hanging curtains and causing the candlelight on the table to flicker.
Wei Zhongxian knew that he had temporarily passed this hurdle. But the more lenient the emperor's attitude, the more uneasy he felt—every word Chongzhen spoke was like poison coated in honey, seemingly benevolent but actually relentlessly pressing forward. A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the old eunuch's cloudy eyes. Since begging for mercy wouldn't save him, then perhaps...
What's there to be afraid of?
Anyway, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't come and attack him; Chongzhen was just a child.
Wei Zhongxian took a deep breath, a resolute glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes. He suddenly looked up, a sharp look that hadn't been seen in many years appearing on his wrinkled face, his voice hoarse yet unusually clear: "Your Majesty, this old servant dares to speak from the bottom of my heart today—you cannot kill me."
"How dare you!" Emperor Chongzhen's expression changed drastically, and the teacups on the imperial desk clattered as he struck them with his palm. Wang Chengen glared angrily at Wei Zhongxian and stepped directly in front of Emperor Chongzhen.
Wei Zhongxian, however, did not back down. He slowly straightened his hunched back, his withered fingers gripping the hem of his court robes tightly. "Because this old servant has survived to this day," a triumphant look suddenly appeared on his face, a shrewdness and confidence honed by years of experience in officialdom, "it proves that this old servant has the ability!" He suddenly raised his voice, his hoarse voice echoing in the hall, "The Emperor has just ascended the throne, there is constant factional strife in the court, the borders are in dire straits, and the national treasury is empty. Killing me is easy, but what will happen after I'm killed?"
Those historical records perfectly demonstrate just how important Wei Zhongxian was to the Ming Dynasty.
One pillar supports a bright future!
The Qianqing Palace was eerily quiet; even the candlelight seemed to have frozen. Emperor Chongzhen stared intently at the old eunuch, who had suddenly become a different person, and discovered a chilling light that he had never seen before flickering in the eunuch's cloudy eyes.
"The military families of Liaodong, the gentry of Jiangnan, the military garrisons of the nine border regions," Wei Zhongxian said, each word like a hammer blow to Chongzhen's heart. "Does Your Majesty think that a few upright civil officials can subdue these deeply entrenched forces?" He suddenly kowtowed heavily, the sound of his forehead striking the gold bricks echoing in the hall. "This old servant is willing to be Your Majesty's blade! I will do all the dirty work and bear all the infamy! I only ask... I only ask that the Ming Dynasty be forever secure!"
Chongzhen's fingers, hidden within the wide sleeves of his dragon robe, clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms. A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the seventeen-year-old emperor who had ascended the throne, and a sternness beyond his years appeared on his thin face. He suddenly recalled the memorials he had reviewed last month, those tearful words accusing the eunuch Wei Zhongxian of bringing ruin to the country; he remembered the unfinished instructions in the clouded eyes of the late emperor before his death; and he remembered the vow he had made at the Imperial Ancestral Temple upon his ascension to the throne—to purge the eunuch faction and restore order to the court.
"What a fine 'May the Ming Dynasty be forever secure'!" Chongzhen suddenly sneered, his voice clear and melodious like shattered jade. "Wei Banban is quite good at thinking of me." He slowly walked around behind the imperial desk, his fingers lightly tracing the jade seal on the desk that read "Respect Heaven and Follow Ancestors." Suddenly, he turned around, his gaze sharp as lightning: "I want to ask, in the Suzhou uprising of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, who condoned the eunuch in charge of textiles who forced tens of thousands of textile workers to rebel? When the war in Liaodong was critical, who embezzled military pay, leading to a mutiny among the border soldiers?" With each question, the young emperor's voice rose a notch, until finally it was almost a stern interrogation.
Which of these incidents wronged Wei Zhongxian?
Upon seeing this, Wang Chengen, who was standing beside the throne, quickly stepped forward. This old eunuch, who had accompanied Chongzhen since childhood, had a solemn expression, his narrow eyes watching Wei Zhongxian's every move warily. He knew his master's temperament all too well—this young emperor appeared gentle on the surface, but deep down he inherited the most stubborn and fierce spirit of all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Chongzhen stood ramrod straight at this moment, Wang Chengen could clearly see that his fingers, which were resting on the imperial desk, were trembling slightly, a sign of extreme anger.
Wei Zhongxian was clearly caught off guard by the young emperor's sudden attack. A flicker of panic crossed his wrinkled face, but he quickly regained his mournful expression: "Your Majesty, please understand, those were just your subordinates..."
"Silence!" Emperor Chongzhen suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to clatter. Wang Chengen immediately gave a signal to the outside of the hall, and four Imperial Guards silently appeared on either side of the door. "Since my ascension to the throne, I have reviewed memorials until the third watch every night. Do you think I don't know what has happened all these years?" Chongzhen's voice trembled slightly with anger. "The late emperor treated you with unparalleled kindness, and this is how you repay him?"
Mentioning the late emperor, a strange light flashed in Wei Zhongxian's cloudy eyes. He didn't want to discuss these old, trivial matters with Chongzhen anymore.
Anyway, he's already been recruited by the immortal.
He suddenly straightened his hunched back and took out a small booklet from his sleeve: "This old servant is guilty, but please, Your Majesty, take a look at this first."
If we were to ask Emperor Chongzhen to bring up old grievances, it would probably take until tomorrow.
It would be better to get straight to the point.
Chongzhen took it suspiciously, and saw that the cover was written in strange font as "System Product Manual". Opening the first page, there were dense texts with pictures of farm tools he had never seen before, and one page was marked with the words "hybrid rice yield of twenty shi per mu".
"Absurd!" Emperor Chongzhen's fingers tightened abruptly, the paper crumpling between them. "Even the most fertile paddy fields in the Jiangnan region of our Great Ming Dynasty yield only a little over three shi per mu..."
Wei Zhongxian suddenly turned to the middle page: "Your Majesty, please look at this 'sweet potato,' which can be grown even in dry land, with a yield of..." His withered finger traced a line of numbers, "Forty shi."
The young emperor's breath hitched. He noticed that the handwriting, though neat, was strange—each stroke seemed to have been written in one continuous motion with an extremely fine brush, without any pauses or breaks. Even stranger was the unusually smooth paper, which was definitely not from any workshop in the Ming Dynasty.
"Where did this come from?" Chongzhen's voice unconsciously lowered.
"This old servant was blessed by a celestial being." As Wei Zhongxian recounted the events of Songyang County, Chongzhen turned to the last few pages, where he found the record of "The Past of Chongzhen." When the young emperor saw the words "The Emperor died at Coal Hill" in the introduction, his vision blurred.
Wang Chengen hurriedly helped his swaying master.
"A demonic book!" Emperor Chongzhen shouted, but he couldn't help but continue reading.
Outside the palace, the night was dark, and the young emperor's forehead was beaded with sweat. He suddenly noticed a few golden seeds stuck to the last page, with a small note next to them: "High-yield corn variety from the Americas, drought-resistant and insect-resistant."
Taking the opportunity, Wei Zhongxian whispered, "If this substance is used, the severe drought in Shaanxi can be relieved." He deliberately paused, "But this old minister must personally oversee the process..."
He didn't want to be discarded after his usefulness was over.
Chongzhen's fingers unconsciously traced the pages of the book. Why would an immortal summon Wei Zhongxian?
"Your Majesty," Wei Zhongxian's voice suddenly became ethereal, "do you think the contents of this book... are worth trying?"
"Of course we'll give it a try."
Wang Chengen coughed lightly and promptly offered a cup of warm tea. This old servant, who had served Chongzhen for many years, knew best how to conduct himself—he couldn't let his master make a hasty decision in his anger, nor could he give Wei Zhongxian any opportunity to take advantage of him. He lowered his head and humbly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of your health."
Chongzhen took the teacup but didn't drink it, instead placing it heavily on the table. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Wang Chengen's reminder made him realize that it was indeed too early to erupt at this moment. The young emperor suddenly changed his tone, his voice softening: "Since Wei Banban said he wanted to be the knife in my hand..." He paused meaningfully, "then I'd like to see whether this knife is sharp or not."
As the light outside the palace gradually brightened, Wei Zhongxian stood up with his head down and stared directly at Chongzhen. Before he could say anything, a white light flashed, and Wei Zhongxian disappeared from the spot.
Only a panicked Chongzhen Emperor and Wang Chengen were left behind.
"My lord, Wei Zhongxian was arrogant and domineering even before he was summoned by the immortals. Now that he has been summoned by the immortals, what should I do with him?"
— Meanwhile, on the other side, the Ming Dynasty.
Zheng He was reporting to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di about Wei Zhongxian's visit to Songyang County.
The words had barely left his mouth.
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "How dare this eunuch show his face?"
Let's see if he doesn't skin Wei Zhongxian alive! He dared to embezzle our money and ruin our Ming Dynasty.
Not only was Zhu Yuanzhang angry, but Zhu Di was also quite annoyed. It was really unpleasant to have nowhere to vent one's anger.
Zheng He kept his head bowed, his voice growing increasingly weak: "Your Majesty, I have been experiencing dizziness and lightheadedness recently, and Magistrate Jiang has granted me several days of leave..."
"Wouldn't that mean I could take over?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up immediately. He missed the feeling of being full of energy.
"A day off?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! Very excellent!" He turned to Zhu Di, "Fourth Prince, this is a godsend!"
Zhu Di understood, "Father wants to..." He wanted to go too; who wouldn't want to teach Wei Zhongxian a lesson?
"Exactly!" Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth excitedly. "Let's go and meet this Wei Zhongxian ourselves!" He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. "We must let him know the consequences of embezzling our money!"
Should we skin them first or subject them to the torture of being combed and washed first?
A flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous face. Amidst the rumble of thunder, he turned to Zheng He and said, "You should rest well. These next few days... I'll take your place on duty!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Emperor Chongzhen: "It's so painful, being an emperor is terrifying [crying emoji]"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Don't be afraid, child! Your savior is here!" [Sunglasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
