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

Chapter 43: Martial Law in the Capital!

[December 24, 73rd year of the Chongzhen reign, Gengchen in the lunar calendar, auspicious for banquets, murders, coups, and falling from towers...]

[Watching Lu Zhongcheng, with a ferocious expression, stab Chen Ge Lao through the neck with a single blow, your blood boils. After so much preparation, it's finally time to close the net!]

[You have been preparing for this day for over six months: Although this confrontation was destined for your victory from the moment the Divine Emperor issued his decree, you still have to take it seriously.]

[While the Divine Emperor may support you, He won't proactively help you. The only force you can directly rely on is the Emperor's personal guard, the Imperial Guard. Therefore, you can only rely on the Imperial Guard's power to control the overall situation.]

[For this reason, you first drank with Lu Zhongcheng for six months, actively addressing him as "brother" and being extremely humble, in order to build a close relationship... Even though you don't actually like drinking, you don't like being on a brotherly basis with others.]

However, even if you win over Lu Zhongcheng's Imperial Guard, it doesn't guarantee victory. Times are different now. While the military is still a powerful political force, the Divine Emperor has also bestowed considerable divine power upon all court officials. This makes it difficult for you to defeat them with just the Imperial Guard if they become organized and hostile.

Therefore, you will ultimately have to rely on the might of the Divine Emperor himself... But the Divine Emperor won't proactively seek help from others. If you wish to borrow His power, you must find a suitable excuse to invite Him over, and summon all the officials as well. Everyone should engage in a face-to-face fight, and only then will the Divine Emperor take action!

[This excuse can only be the Divine Emperor’s birthday…]

[That's why you took the trouble to build a garden far away from the capital, and use it to host the birthday celebration, so that all officials would be forced to come even though they knew it was a trick.]

[For good luck, you even named the garden "Changchun Garden," referring to the "Changchun Garden Incident" that occurred during the Qing Dynasty, when Emperor Kangxi passed away and Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne!]

[There's also "Gongjingdong," which refers to the story of Minister Kim "killing insects and shooting the sun" in the Korean drama "The Fifth Republic"!]

[There's also the Joseon singer's hometown song, Minister Kim's assassination of the insects, and Kaka's previous drinking to boost his courage...]

[You used too many allusions, just to achieve your goal quickly and seize power in one fell swoop!]

[This is your only chance... It is our duty to restore the glory of the Ming Dynasty!]

[Of course, as a meme expert, you didn't choose the "Changchun Garden" and "Gongjing Cave" memes randomly. Besides being a pretext for a coup, there's also something else that's not meant to be shared with outsiders...]

[“During the Changchun Garden Incident, the old Emperor Kang Mazi passed away…”]

[“During the Gongjingdong Incident, Park Kaka, who called himself the sun, was shot and destroyed by the murderous Minister Kim…”]

【cough! 】

You coughed quietly, the implication of which was self-evident...

【…】

[Chen Ge Lao was caught off guard and stabbed to death. The remaining officials were naturally terrified!]

[Of course they don’t understand the Korean drama meme you’re using, but they do understand what the “Hongmen Banquet” is…]

[The bleeding elder, the Jinyiwei commander with a bloody face, the Prime Minister with a cold gaze, and the aloof and expressionless Divine Emperor...]

[This is the Hongmen Banquet!!!]

[The terrified Baigong were thrown into chaos. Some ran away in fear! Some were so trembling that they couldn't move! Some kowtowed and begged for mercy...]

"I didn't do anything! Spare me! Spare me!"

[For example, the timid Minister of Revenue was so frightened that tears streamed down his face and he kept yelling and screaming!]

【But there are also tough guys among them! 】

[Seeing the Prime Minister's tragic death, they thought they were doomed today. Their desperation only provoked a fierce counterattack from them...]

The Minister of Personnel roared, picked up his knife, and lunged at you with a murderous look on his face!

He's not a fool. He wouldn't charge the Emperor's tower. Fighting Lu Zhongcheng wouldn't be very useful either. By comparison, replacing this clay-sculptured Prime Minister like you would be more effective!

"Besides, you haven't received a formal infusion of massive divine power yet. With the little divine power you gained from the provincial examination, he, the dignified Minister of Personnel, can defeat you at least a hundred times! With such an extreme one-for-one exchange, the probability of winning is almost 100%!"

[But you, like a seasoned veteran, remained calm in the face of his attack, even calmly raising your glass to drink...]

[It was at this moment that a blinding golden light instantly pinned the charging Minister of Personnel to the ground, leaving him powerless to resist!]

[At the same time, the rest of the officials were also pinned to the ground by the golden light!]

[All the officials, realizing what had happened, immediately felt despair: It's over...] [The Divine Emperor calmly waved his hand, and all the officials unconsciously knelt on the ground.]

"I will obey your order."

He said slowly.

Upon hearing this, you also stood up from your seat and bowed respectfully... Lu Zhongcheng also gasped and let go of the knife, then knelt down without a word, pushing away a golden mountain or toppling a jade pillar.

[The God Emperor said. 】

["The officials who celebrated my birthday were so audacious that they plotted to murder me and assassinate the Prime Minister."]

"Fortunately, the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei guards protects me. He has made great contributions and has been granted the surname of the emperor as a token of his grace!"

Lu Zhongcheng… no, it was Zhu Zhongcheng who burst into tears of gratitude and repeatedly kowtowed to the Emperor for his grace!

"The Prime Minister has also made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. He is specially awarded the Nine Gifts and appointed as the Governor-General of the two capitals of Shuntian and Yingtian, as well as the thirteen provincial governments of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. All matters concerning the internal and external vassal states must first be reported to the Prime Minister to assist in the new administration!"

[When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked! ]

【Only you are different.】

Listening to this long list of titles and the supreme power behind them, you just breathed a sigh of relief.

【Finally... I have real power! 】

[The previous title of Prime Minister was just an empty one, but now you truly possess the power that matches it. From now on, all major political affairs of the world will be decided by you alone, and everything will be decided by you alone!]

[And this is all your reward for passing the test. This "Gengchen Coup" destined to go down in history, you won...]

But before you could begin to thank him with all your heart, you saw the Divine Emperor smile meaningfully and say, "I heard that the Prime Minister is over thirty and still doesn't have a courtesy name. How about I give you one?"

"In the past, Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin, three heroes, assisted Emperor Gaozu of Han, who maintained the Han Dynasty for four hundred years. Now the Prime Minister is also named Liang, which is the same name as the Marquis of Liu of the previous Han Dynasty. Why not use Zifang as his courtesy name?"

"I do not have the blessing of Emperor Gaozu of Han. I do not have the support of the Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty. I only have the Prime Minister to assist me in governing the country. I hope that the Prime Minister can provide me with all his strength and help me continue the Ming Dynasty for another four hundred years, just like the Three Heroes did!"

[“How is it, my Zifang?”]

【ovary?】

[You were stunned for a moment, then thanked Long for his kindness.]

"Your Majesty, I, Zhou Zifang, will certainly live up to your trust! Long live the Emperor!"

【…】

On December 24, the 73rd year of the Chongzhen reign, the cabinet's chief minister, Chen Ni, and the six ministers and other officials, driven to despair, attempted to assassinate the emperor and stage a rebellion, seizing power in a coup to obstruct the new policies.

[It is known in history as the "Gengchen Coup!"]

[Fortunately, Prime Minister Zhou Liang and Jinyiwei Commander Lu Zhongcheng risked their lives to protect the emperor, and only then was the rebellious coup suppressed!]

[On this day, Lu Zhongcheng was given the national surname as a reward, and thus became known as "Zhu Zhongcheng"!]

On the same day, Prime Minister Zhou Liang was awarded the Nine Gifts and appointed Governor-General of the two capitals of Shuntian and Yingtian, as well as the thirteen provincial governments of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. All matters concerning the internal and external provinces must first be reported to the Prime Minister to assist in the new policies!

[On the same day, the Divine Emperor bestowed upon the Prime Minister the name "Zifang," emulating the story of the Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty who assisted Emperor Gaozu of Han!]

On the same day, the Prime Minister mobilized 3,000 elite troops from the Fengtai Camp to enter the capital, ordered Zhu Zhongcheng to seal off the nine gates of the capital, and declared martial law in the capital!

On the same day, imperial guards were dispatched throughout the city to capture the rebels and their followers. Nearly 10,000 of them were captured, and the entire city was in a state of panic.

The next day, Ming Dynasty Prime Minister Zhou Liang and Zhou Zifang issued an imperial decree to the two capitals and thirteen provinces: The new policy will begin today!

……

(End of this chapter)