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

Chapter 175 The inevitable choice
【The end has come.】

【Isn’t it? 】

In this near-eternal dreamland, due to the shortsightedness of the Divine Emperor when he created the world, the laws of this world are extremely imperfect. As a result, humans have never been able to develop reliable scientific theories, thus effectively limiting the upper limit of technology.

[Under such circumstances, no matter how much time passes or how many geniuses emerge, it's impossible to continue a technology that has reached its limit. Therefore, you never have to worry about a mortal overthrowing your rule.]

There will be no internal rebellion to defeat you, no foreign invaders to destroy you, and no "Trisolarans" or "immortal cultivators" to perform deus ex machina on you...

[As long as you govern the country diligently, the world will be forever peaceful and prosperous. Even if there are some minor problems, they are nothing compared to your all-conquering divine power!]

[One can even bluntly say: Even if you were to become the "Second Divine Emperor" and wantonly bully and brutally abuse the people of the world, they would be unable to resist!]

[Because you are the true God of the world! The only sun between heaven and earth!]

[You can become a god with a single thought, bringing blessings to all living beings, or you can become a demon with a single thought, bringing disaster to all living beings. You can do whatever you want...]

[Everything is just like the Divine Emperor back then, which is not a bad thing.]

You can even be more brutal than the God-Emperor, and treat humans as if they were not human, because there will never be another "reincarnation protagonist" in the world to stop you or defeat you. As a simulated projection of the true Creator God, as long as you want, everything in heaven and earth is your private property... The simulated world is just your private server, your single-player game.

[In a private, standalone server, you can make everyone kneel in gratitude forever, letting them cry, dance, and wave their hands. Regardless of "loyalty" or "favor," you can arrange everything, ensuring they will never be able to repay Zhou Taiyang's infinite kindness...]

[Zhou Taiyang: People should eat with their mouths and breathe with their noses!]

Officials: (notes) (notes) (notes)…

【Citizens: (Palm) (Crying) (Palm)! 】

【…】

[Of course, that's the truth, but you would never do that.]

[You are a dragon-slaying warrior and the sun of the people. You have reincarnated three times only to save the people from suffering, not to fight against the God-Emperor and drag those living in the suffering of His side into your own suffering...]

The sun exists forever, and you will never change. However, you do not wish to rule this world forever, so you will abdicate at the right time and live a carefree life in the world... Indulge in the beauty of nature, settle into the mundane world, and find a simple yet fulfilling life. That is your ultimate lifelong pursuit.

This pursuit is selfish, because from now on you will no longer shine upon the world. But... people are always selfish, aren't they? After all, the Celestial Lord is also a mortal...

[In short, from now on, the Ming Dynasty will enter a state of "closing the country to the outside world," its own development will stagnate, and there will be no external force to forcibly break this closed loop.]

This is the "eternal feudal heyday" that the Qing Dynasty dreamed of, but it could never achieve this in the real world. Instead, the Ming Dynasty in the imaginary world did it, which is quite a treat.

[Alright, welcome your eternal feudal heyday. No matter how bizarre, desperate, or illusory it may be, it is the fruit of your struggle... Go and swallow this unrealistic fruit!]

【Eternal! Forever! Permanent! The golden bowl will last forever!】

[Gong Jin Ou, Cheng Tian Xi, the people and things are happy with duckweed, it is really happy! ]

[The sky is high! The sea is mighty! The empire's skies are protected!]

【…】

"My Great Ming is invincible!"

"The Imperial Ming unified the whole world, surpassing three previous dynasties and surpassing the Han and Tang dynasties. From the ends of heaven to the ends of the earth, all were its subjects!"

[“The Heavenly Lord’s kindness is not over yet!”]

[…Long live the Heavenly Lord!]

You sit high in the palace, listening to the various voices of the people singing their praises. Even though you're not one for boasting, you can't help but curl your lips.

[Zhu Youjian, did you see that? My Great Ming is far superior to the Great Ming!]

[Divine Emperor: Children, I have no objection...]

[In fact, he really doesn't have any objections.] [Although he was imprisoned by you as a tool, you didn't keep him locked up all the time. Occasionally, you would take him out for a walk, just to let him out for some fresh air, so as not to make him mentally ill.]

It was during these occasional outings that He witnessed the daily life of the world, which He had never seen before, and saw how peaceful and comfortable the lives of ordinary people were in this "Great Ming Kingdom"...

People no longer had to bear heavy corvée labor and taxes, nor did they have to endure the oppression of corrupt officials and landlords. Although natural disasters of all sizes were still frequent, with a strong government responsible for disaster relief, things were actually not so bad. The relief food was enough to last until the new harvest.

Even if there were to be repeated natural disasters and a total crop failure, the only thing we could do was to relocate to sparsely populated areas like Liaodong and resettle. While leaving our homes is heartbreaking, in this day and age, being alive is the greatest blessing...

In short, this was a typical feudal heyday combined with a semi-industrialized country. While most people still didn't live well, at least they were able to survive... The government was in charge, there was enough food, and even the occasional meat meal was available. There were no tigers, leopards, jackals, or bandits to be found on the roads.

If you really don't want to rely on the weather for your livelihood on the farm anymore, you can go to the city and do some odd jobs, whether it's papermaking, iron smelting, salt making, or glass blowing. At least you can earn some money, and if you work hard, you can easily support a family of three.

【In that case, what else can you say? 】

[It’s enough to just repay the favor…]

[It was precisely because of seeing these worldly affairs, which He had never seen before, that the Divine Emperor's resentment gradually dissipated. Although he still spoke stubbornly, you could see that he was silent.]

After a long silence, he slowly let go of his worries... It was also a dream world, but Zhou had successfully created a prosperous era, while he himself was not only unable to create such a dreamlike peaceful and prosperous era, but instead created a purgatory on earth with his own hands.

[With such an irrefutable discrepancy, what else could He say?]

【Have it? 】

【some……】

[One day, when you took the Divine Emperor out for a walk again, He looked at the bustling world and seemed to have made a great decision!]

Then He spoke to you.

"Zhou Liang... I have something important to tell you!"

[Hearing his sudden seriousness, you were stunned at first, then couldn't help but wonder: "What's going on?"]

Unexpectedly, He hesitated before speaking, "Before discussing this matter, I must ask you a question... You must be sincere and not feign righteousness!"

You frowned. “Ask.”

He took a deep breath and asked sternly, "If heaven and earth were destined to perish, how would you respond?"

You don't hesitate: "Save the world!"

"You'll do anything to save her?"

"We have to save them too!"

"What if the price is giving up your divine power and position?"

【Um? 】

You exclaimed in surprise, then frowned. "What exactly do you want to say? Are you trying to get me to give up my divine power and initiative, and then restore my rule?"

[“I don’t want to restore the monarchy…”]

"He clearly doesn't mean what he says. Clearly, the transformation hasn't been completely effective. You want to transform the emperor into an ordinary person, but it's still too difficult..."

[But his inconsistency doesn't stop him from asking you a serious question: "I'm asking you seriously... do you truly love the people of this world? Are you replacing me because you truly want to benefit them, rather than satisfy your own lust for power?"]

[“Don’t lie to me, because this is very important…”]

[Listening to this seemingly profound question, you can't help but fall into deep thought...]

……

(End of this chapter)