Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 102: The two abstract supreme beings battled to the edge of the universe...

【I am willing to die to show my determination! 】

This is your answer.

"Are you crazy?!"

The Divine Emperor's face twisted with rage, and he cursed through gnashing teeth. He rarely got angry, and rarely lost his composure, but today he truly couldn't hold it back anymore...

He couldn't understand why some people would rather seek death than survive.

[Do stories of sacrificing one's life for justice really exist in reality? ]

【Your answer is: Yes! 】

[This is the greatest perseverance you've ever held in your life, and the belief you've never forgotten...]

If you lack this faith, even if you succeed in overthrowing the Divine Emperor in the future, you will only become another Divine Emperor who harms others for his own benefit.

【So, you must draw a clear line between yourself and Him! 】

[Therefore, this heart-to-heart talk between you, the ruler and his subjects, is destined to end in disharmony...]

After repeatedly confirming that you were a fool who couldn't possibly be on the same page with Him, the Divine Emperor completely lost his patience and left the Imperial Prison with a cold snort.

[You remain expressionless, quietly awaiting your fate of death.]

[And this wait lasted for a very long time...]

【…】

【Day by day, month by month, year by year.】

[From the time you were imprisoned at the age of nine, to the age of ten, fifteen... you waited for a long, long time, but never received the imperial edict to sentence you to death.]

[At first, you thought the Divine Emperor simply wanted to choose an auspicious day to send you on your journey, but as you waited longer and longer, this assumption gradually became less reliable...]

【Could it be...that He has forgotten you?】

You inexplicably came up with an outrageous guess, but you quickly dismissed it, because the Divine Emperor couldn't possibly be suffering from Alzheimer's... If He's holding off on killing you, it means He truly doesn't want to kill you.

You find it a little funny: He clearly shouted that he wanted to fight and kill, but when it came time to do it, he hesitated and even gave up... What on earth was going through the mind of the Divine Emperor?

[Unable to comprehend, you sighed inwardly: No matter what the Divine Emperor is thinking, as long as you are still alive, then continue to live well.]

[So, you really did live peacefully in the Imperial Prison...]

[During your time in the Imperial Prison, although you were confined to a cell, your official position had never been revoked by the Divine Emperor, and your reputation within the Imperial Guard was high, so your life was actually better than that of ordinary people.]

[There are vegetables, meat, and fruit, and there's no work for you to do on weekdays. This prison is really comfortable...]

[And these days weren't boring, either, because every day, criminal officials were dragged into the imperial prison to be beaten. While they were being beaten, they would also talk to you about many things: about the people's livelihoods, interesting things happening in the officialdom, and the progress of government affairs.]

[Thanks to their words, even though you are in the Imperial Prison, you still have a relatively clear understanding of the general situation of the world...]

"Let Lord Zhou know that His Majesty scolded Minister Li again today!"

An official from the Ministry of Personnel, who had just been beaten with a belt, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Pointing at the old minister who was still being beaten, he said jokingly, "Your Majesty scolded him for not sharing your worries, saying that he was greedy for too little. He should at least embezzle 70% of the disaster relief funds!" The old minister was originally grimacing in pain, but when he heard someone complaining about him, he immediately acted as if he didn't feel the pain and angrily said, "This foolish emperor! Normally, he lets me embezzle student aid and military pay, but this time he actually lets me embezzle disaster relief funds... How can I embezzle that! Hundreds of thousands of disaster victims along the Yellow River are still waiting for food. If I embezzle even this, who knows how many people will die?"

"Anyway, I'm not greedy for this. Even if the tyrant wants to skin me alive and stuff me with straw, I won't be greedy!"

This speech drew praise from the officials: "Minister Li, you are so righteous! We said we won't be greedy, and we won't be greedy! This will piss off that tyrant emperor!"

"The Minister is so righteous! He's not afraid of the powerful! He's truly a role model for us!"

【you:……】

[This scene is so fucking abstract!]

The emperor forced his ministers to embezzle disaster relief funds, but the ministers refused to do so, even arrogantly stating, "Even if I'm skinned and stuffed with straw, I won't embezzle!"

[This is more than just an abstraction? This is simply abstraction! It is abstract to a degree that is beyond the imagination of normal people!]

[And now, this extremely bizarre and abstract plot actually happened in the Ming Dynasty court, and it caught your eye, making you suspect for a moment that you had eaten uncooked mushrooms...]

[However, you do understand this quite well: Ever since you were imprisoned, the Divine Emperor has forcibly issued an imperial decree, demanding that all officials commit corruption... This is to ensure that they remain the enemies of the people of the Ming Dynasty, so that the Jinyiwei, who are born out of "class hatred," can continue to draw divine power from them!]

Under normal circumstances, all officials would naturally be delighted, because they used to have to use their power for personal gain in secret, but now with the imperial edict, corruption no longer needs to be hidden; it can be brought out into the open!

[After all, this was corruption under imperial order, a great opportunity that countless corrupt officials throughout history have dreamed of!]

[But nowadays, the officials in the imperial court have to work during the day and be beaten at night. Under such extreme torture, they have long become mentally abnormal...]

[These kindhearted individuals had no desire to engage in corruption; they simply wanted to be good officials serving the country and its people, devoting themselves to the Ming Dynasty. However, the Divine Emperor forced them to engage in corruption, which naturally provoked their resistance.]

Faced with such disobedient officials, the Divine Emperor was of course furious, but he did not dare to kill them indiscriminately, because killing them would be useless. As long as the Jinyiwei continued to torment the officials with spinning tops every day, these psychopathic officials would continue to emerge. If he killed one group of psychopaths, the next group would continue to fight him, and this would continue for generations to come...

[Hence, this incredible plot came into being.]

On one side are the collectively corrupt officials, and on the other side is the Divine Emperor who forces them to commit corruption. The two abstract supreme beings battle to the edge of the universe, even obliterating the Great Dao!

You watched the prison officials' abstract performance with an uneasy expression, the absurdity lingering in your heart...

[And that's not all. Just as the officials, all in a state of abnormal spirits, roared with laughter, a Jinyiwei who had been busy spinning a top finally gave up. He let out a shrill roar, and then, in full view of everyone, he dropped his belt and slid down to his knees towards you in the cell!]

His eyes were filled with madness, tears and snot dripping down his cheeks. He was in a state of abnormal madness. He kowtowed to you and cried non-stop, "Sir!!! I really can't stand it anymore! I really can't stand it anymore!"

You looked at him in surprise, and seeing that he was clearly abnormal, you thought for a moment and asked with concern, "Anmin, what's wrong with you?"

[This person is exactly the Yu Anmin from back then, but now he no longer has the same high spirits as before and is completely broken down.]

"My Lord! I've been beaten like a spinning top in the Imperial Prison for six years now. At first, they scolded me out of pain, but as time went on, it seemed as if the pain didn't bother them anymore. They even talked and laughed while being beaten, and some even rolled their eyes in pleasure..."

"When I beat them, I didn't feel the pleasure of revenge. Instead, I felt a sense of humiliation..."

“Sir! Please save me! I’m really going crazy!!!”

……

(End of this chapter)