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

Chapter 111: Gradually Reaching Despair
【you:……】

[What the hell, what do you mean I don’t know?! ]

[I made a great decision to reveal my true identity. Although I haven't revealed everything, for a time traveler, this is already a revelation!]

[I thought this would be a way to exchange sincerity for sincerity, to trade my own secrets for important information He knew. But after you blew yourself up, He actually said, "I don't know"...]

[The Prime Minister and you are connected by heart, but you are playing tricks on him!]

【Where are you getting it for free?! 】

You're trembling with anger, your hands and feet freezing in the scorching heat, tears streaming down your face... You can't help but ponder: What's wrong with this emperor? Can he ever get better?

[In short, this ironic "I don't know" really makes your heart darken, and the sincerity that has finally risen up in you suddenly cools down.]

Can He really know nothing?

[Absolutely not! As the only true God in this Lostbelt's history, if He doesn't know, then no one else will know!]

Even if He doesn't know everything, He must know at least some of it, right?

[You just come up and say you don’t know anything. You’re kidding me!]

[Especially since you just told Him part of your secret... If He really didn't know anything, then why would He say He wanted to exchange secrets with you? This is clearly a trick on you!]

[Looking at His smiling face, you want to punch Him into a pig's head...]

[Of course, you didn't make a move in the end. You simply bowed your head, frowned, and saluted Him. Then, you turned and left without a word.]

[Since sincerity cannot be exchanged for sincerity, then let’s never exchange it again…]

【Zhou Liang (has turned evil).】

【…】

In the days that followed, you never again took the initiative to visit the Divine Emperor in the Imperial Palace. You no longer asked Him about the changes in heaven and earth, nor did you report your policies and directions to Him. It was as if you had already forgotten the nominal supreme ruler of the Ming Empire...

You admit that you were deliberately taking revenge on Him.

[Originally, you were planning to combine the information he knew to try to achieve the perfect ending for "The Paperhanger," but now it seems you've better give up...]

[You've decided. Since He's giving you the cold shoulder, you'll show him what the Japanese dual monarchy system with Ming Dynasty characteristics is all about!]

【…】

In the seventy-second year of Chongzhen's reign, you organized historians from the Ming, Joseon, and Japanese dynasties to jointly compile the "History of China," while simultaneously announcing the reduction of the fiefs and annual salaries of the Ming imperial clan!

[As soon as this order was issued, all the princes were furious! ]

[In shock and anger, the Crown Prince, Prince Ding, Prince Yong, and the Princess, the children of the Divine Emperor, took the lead, and the Princes of Qin, Jin, and Fu and other distant vassal states jointly followed suit. All the Ming Dynasty clan members blocked the entrance to the Prime Minister's residence and openly protested your actions to reduce the power of the vassal states!]

"You, Zhou, are not short of money. The Ming Dynasty has already completed its reforms. Most of the people now live and work in peace and contentment. There is no need to reduce the fiefs of the princes to distribute them to the common people... You, Zhou Liang, are clearly deliberately harming the Ming Dynasty's relatives. You are plotting a rebellion!"

[Faced with such a heavy accusation from the princes, you showed no fear at all. Not only that, you even drew the Imperial Sword bestowed upon you by the Divine Emperor and rushed out of the Prime Minister's residence, viciously intending to chop down the princes!]

[Your sudden change of attitude frightened the princes so much that they ran away in panic...]

"Zhou Liang! You're crazy!"

The nearly 70-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Cilang was terrified, his face pale. The old man ran away, shouting, "Attacking the Crown Prince is treason! You want to die!"

"Rebellion? Are you worthy enough?"

You swung your sword fiercely: "Look at what I hold in my hand. This is the Imperial Sword! I can execute tyrants and corrupt officials. I will execute first and report later. This is a special authorization granted by the Emperor!"

"If you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame me for retelling the story of Yuan Chonghuan beheading Mao Wenlong!"

Crown Prince Zhu Cilang, breathless from running, cursed again upon hearing this: "How dare you compare yourself to Yuan Chonghuan?! Fine, fine! Just wait for the same fate as Yuan Chonghuan, and you'll be stabbed to death!" [After a round of beatings and scolding, the princes finally ran off in shock and anger, following the crown prince... It seemed they were planning to report this to the Divine Emperor.]

[But you just sneered, then put away your sword and returned home...]

Are you afraid of death?

[Of course I’m scared.]

[But at the same time, you're not afraid of death. One reason is that you can endlessly reincarnate through the history of this Lostbelt. Death is just a matter of starting over!]

[The second reason is that you are in a very bad mood right now...]

[The Divine Emperor's malicious act of freeloading is a waste of your sincerity... and since sincerity can't be exchanged for sincerity, let's just have a blast with Him!]

"Since 'He' is unwilling to provide you with any information, no matter what you do next, you will inevitably repeat the mistakes of your previous life. No matter how much you try to prolong your reign, you will always have to wait until the Divine Emperor's later years, when the dark chaos will re-emerge."

So, why are you still being polite to Him?

[The vassal king you didn't dare touch in your previous life, you will crush him to pieces in this life! ]

"You must completely cut off the fiefs and annual salaries of the vassal princes. Even if they go to the palace to complain, saying that you are harming your relatives and plotting rebellion, it doesn't matter."

[Even if the Prime Minister is plotting a rebellion, what can you do to him?]

In your turmoil, you no longer care to consider the consequences. All you want now is to apply the dual monarchy system of Japan, as seen in normal historical lines, to the Ming Dynasty: you are the Shogun, and the God-Emperor is the Emperor. You want to turn Him into a mere mascot, without even a single powerful relative!

[What? The Divine Emperor is holding you accountable?]

[Kill me if you dare! Is the Prime Minister afraid of me?]

[In short, you, already insane, decided to embark on a path of self-destruction...]

【…】

Soon, the news that you were planning to reduce the fiefs and salaries of your clan members reached the Divine Emperor. Simultaneously, the Crown Prince and others also lamented to him about your various signs of rebellion.

They even mentioned your comparison to Yuan Chonghuan, saying you were mocking Your Majesty... This is a stark reversal of your true colors. Your crimes are truly heinous! They are unforgivable!

[Respect the Emperor and punish the traitors! Return power to the throne! Take back the power that was defrauded by the Zhou shogunate!]

[Your Majesty! Please give your orders!]

[The Crown Prince and others spoke excitedly...]

[But to everyone's surprise, in the face of your provocative behavior, the Divine Emperor remained surprisingly silent.]

He has no intention of pursuing responsibility, nor does He intend to discuss matters privately with you. As for any intention of "overthrowing the shogunate," He has absolutely no intention of doing so.

[No one knows what "He" is thinking, but it seems that "He" really intends to allow you to reduce the fiefdoms of the clan members, making the Zhu Ming Dynasty exist in name only, and then become a good mascot from now on...]

[So, time passed year after year...]

【…】

[In the seventy-third year of Chongzhen's reign, you kept your word and completely slashed the fiefs and salaries of the clan members. From then on, the Ming Dynasty royal family lost most of their privileges and even lost official income. They could only rely on the shops under the royal palace to support their huge expenses...]

In the seventy-fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, you once again seized upon the nobles, deposing many of them who had relied on their ancestors' meritorious service and fining them tens of millions of taels of silver. Many were even flogged in the imperial prison...

[In short, you launched a brutal campaign against the former imperial family of the Ming Dynasty, with such ferocity that it seemed as if the Ming emperor had already fallen...]

【You are heading towards your own dead end. 】

……

(End of this chapter)