xymnovel Chapter 30 Following in the Footsteps of the Jiajing Emperor
Chapter 30 Following in the Footsteps of the Jiajing Emperor
After Cao Bianjiao rested for a few days.
The infantry battalion led by Hong Chengchou arrived.
Hong Chengchou was naturally aware of the encounter between Cao Bianjiao and Li Zicheng.
After arriving at the military camp.
Cao Bianjiao came to the camp gate to greet him.
"Governor."
Hong Chengchou dismounted and said, "I already know about your encounter with Li Zicheng. You acted too impulsively."
"Being brave is not a bad thing, but heaven cannot protect you forever, and swords have no eyes."
Although Cao Bianjiao defeated Li Zicheng and even bit off one of Li Zicheng's ears.
However, Cao Bianjiao acted too impulsively in this battle.
When facing Li Zicheng, their enemy.
To venture deep into enemy territory alone, without personal guards by your side, is tantamount to suicide.
Cao Bianjiao bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "I was impulsive and rash, I'm sorry."
Hong Chengchou sighed softly.
"I know you resent Li Zicheng for killing your uncle, but a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. You must not act impulsively because of this again."
"Yes."
"By the way, on the way here, I heard someone say..."
"When you were deep in enemy territory, you were clearly killed by Li Zicheng, who pierced your body through your body. How did this happen?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Bianjiao was about to explain.
But he glanced around.
He said, "Governor, please come with me."
Hong Chengchou and He Renlong and the others beside him exchanged glances.
It's unclear what Cao Bianjiao is up to.
So he followed.
We arrived at the main tent in the camp.
Immediately afterwards, Cao Bianjiao took out the immortal totem that had been broken in two from under his pillow.
"Governor, look."
Looking at the immortal totem that Cao Bianjiao held in his hands.
Hong Chengchou frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Governor, you heard correctly. I was indeed blinded by rage that day and only wanted to kill Li Zicheng."
"Unexpectedly, he fell into Li Zicheng's trap and went deep into the enemy camp alone."
"Later, I fought for a long time, but finally I was exhausted."
"Li Zicheng took advantage of my exhaustion and launched a sneak attack, knocking me off my horse. What followed was what all the soldiers saw: Li Zicheng pierced my throat."
Upon hearing this, Hong Chengchou remained silent for a moment.
He Renlong, standing to the side, also said, "Cao Bianjiao, what exactly are you trying to say? When did you start making up stories? You survived having your throat pierced?"
It's not surprising that someone can survive a spear thrust into vital organs like the heart, throat, or brain.
It's unheard of for someone to survive a puncture wound to the throat.
Cao Bianjiao also knew that this was fantastical.
He continued, "I know this doesn't sound real, but I really did have my throat pierced. I could even feel myself unable to breathe, and blood was splattering everywhere."
"As for why, I survived even though my throat was pierced."
"All I know is that as I was dying, I heard a breaking sound."
The sound of something breaking?
Hong Chengchou frowned slightly and asked, "What kind of sound was that?"
Cao Bianjiao hesitated, then shook his head slightly; the sound lasted only a moment.
He couldn't describe exactly what the sound was like.
"All I know is that after that voice rang out, my wounds were completely healed."
"After the battle, I discovered that it was broken."
He Renlong looked at what Cao Bianjiao was holding.
That's when I remembered.
"Is this the immortal totem bestowed upon you by His Majesty?"
Hong Chengchou understood Cao Bianjiao's meaning: "Are you saying that it was His Majesty's bestowal of the immortal totem that saved your life?"
Cao Bianjiao shook his head slightly.
"I don't know, but it's just too much of a coincidence."
Everyone fell silent.
Hong Chengchou gazed at the immortal totem that had shattered in two, his fingertips gently stroking the broken surface.
If what Cao Bianjiao said is true.
It can even heal through wounds; the Undying Totem truly lives up to its name.
However, such a divine object...
Why did the emperor bestow this upon Cao Bianjiao?
Although Cao Bianjiao was indeed brave and skilled in battle, was Cao Bianjiao truly worth the emperor bestowing such a divine object upon him? Wouldn't it have been better to keep it for himself?
Did His Majesty foresee that Cao Bianjiao was destined for this calamity?!
Or is there another deeper meaning?
Hong Chengchou looked at the generals, all of whom remained silent.
With a solemn expression, he surveyed the generals and said, "This matter need not be discussed further."
He lowered his voice: "I will personally write the secret memorial and present it to the Emperor without changing a single word."
"As for His Majesty... we can only know as much as His Majesty wants us to know."
The secret of the immortal totem is no longer a secret they can delve into.
The word "immortal" carries far too heavy a burden.
After speaking, Hong Chengchou turned and walked out of the tent, gazing at the dark, inky clouds in the sky.
A thought began to gradually emerge in my mind.
What exactly happened inside the Forbidden City? Where did the emperor obtain this thing?
Whether the emperor who bestowed the title of immortality would bring disaster or a new beginning to the Ming Dynasty remains to be seen.
The word "immortality" is no ordinary feat.
The Ming Dynasty was not lacking in matters involving the word "immortals".
Take the Jiajing Emperor, for example. He secluded himself in the palace for decades, cultivating Taoism and seeking immortality through alchemy...
But the Jiajing Emperor proved that there is no true path to Taoism in the world; otherwise, he would have died after practicing Taoism for decades.
If Emperor Chongzhen had followed in his footsteps, it would have been fine if he had truly chosen the path of immortality.
If it's fake.
The Ming Dynasty... can no longer afford to have an emperor who only knows how to cultivate Taoism.
……
Wuying Hall.
Zhu Youjian sat high on the dragon throne, his gaze calm and composed as he surveyed his ministers.
Messages relayed from the border.
Since he chose to appoint Yang Sichang, the Jin army has been making moves.
Clearly, this campaign to suppress the peasant army will not be easy.
He will face pressure from both inside and outside the industry.
After listening to the report from the Ministry of War, Zhu Youjian slowly stood up.
"Grand Secretary Wen, the rest of the matters are for your cabinet and the Six Ministries to discuss themselves. I am tired, you may all leave."
The most important things for a country are nothing more than military and finance.
He would listen to almost all the military reports.
But the finances... are a mess, and I don't want to waste my energy arguing with these old foxes.
Instead of wasting time, it would be better to focus more on the development of the Minecraft world.
The officials bowed and retreated.
Zhu Youjian looked toward the Ministry of Revenue and called out, "Vice Minister of Revenue Cheng Guoxiang, please stay."
Cheng Guoxiang was somewhat surprised.
Stand still and wait.
After the officials had left, he glanced nervously at Zhu Youjian.
He had naturally heard that the emperor enjoyed killing people with his own hands.
I couldn't help but feel a little scared.
He feared that the emperor, unpredictable in his moods, might kill him outright.
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Youjian produced a memorial and said, "Minister Cheng, did you write this quarterly rent document for the capital's rental housing?"
Cheng Guoxiang quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, it was written by your humble servant."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My intention in writing this memorial was simply to alleviate the burden on the people."
When renting out houses in the capital for a quarterly period was a problem, and the national treasury was empty, all the officials were trying to squeeze money from the common people.
Cheng Guoxiang was the first to set his sights on the powerful and influential figures in Beijing.
"Capital City Rental for One Quarter" means, as the name suggests, borrowing a quarter's rent from tenants in the capital.
In theory, he could borrow 500,000 taels of silver, which, although not a large sum, was enough to show his sincerity.