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

Chapter 66 Chongzhen and the Divine Emperor

[So... is that so? ]

[In an instant, you seem to lose all your strength, and your eyes gradually become empty...]

[It turns out that the Divine Emperor never intended to restore order to the Ming Dynasty, nor did he ever consider being a good emperor. All of his seemingly proactive reforms were actually just attempts to provoke his subjects to rebel.]

After all, everyone knows that the reason the Ming Dynasty fell into its dark and corrupt state was due to the Divine Emperor himself: it was he who condoned corruption, it was he who acquiesced to darkness, it was he who propped up the zombie-like Ming Dynasty... Everything was the result of his deliberate actions.

[Isn't it? Think about the auspicious things it did for you before: it replaced the turbid waters of the Yellow River with clear water, smoothed the turbulent East China Sea into a calm mirror, and even interfered with the movement of the Imperial Star light years away...]

[All signs indicate that its power can bring true peace and prosperity to the people of the Ming Dynasty, as long as it is willing!]

【But it just doesn't want to! 】

Not only did it ignore the natural and man-made disasters that befell the Ming Dynasty, it also blindly pursued the loyalty of officials. Even if it knew they were corrupt, it would ignore them unless someone stabbed it in the face.

[This series of abnormal behaviors shows that it is actually deliberately causing suffering to the Ming Dynasty...]

What is the purpose of doing this?

You didn't know it before, but now you understand: it wants everyone to hate it, and eventually force everyone to rebel. Then it will come out and use "revenge" and "suppressing the rebellion" as an excuse to justify and brutalize the rebellious subjects!

[After this brutal outburst, corpses littered the land, bones piled up into mountains, and wailing and misery filled the earth... The great God-Emperor, in turn, regained his invincible divine power and extended his lifespan. This cycle would continue endlessly, naturally leading to eternal immortality...]

[Thinking of this hopeless truth, your spirit gradually collapses: I... can't save the world at all!]

You thought that by eliminating the infestations of the Ming Dynasty you could rectify the bureaucracy, that by equalizing land and exempting grain taxes you could reduce the number of refugees, that by diligently reclaiming wasteland you could ensure the people had ample food and clothing, that by providing disaster relief and resettlement you could ensure the world's stability through the frequent natural disasters and climate cycles... You thought that as long as you could govern this vast and ancient country well, you could achieve world peace!

[But now you realize that these are actually all trivial details. The true enemy of the Ming Dynasty has always been only one, and that is the Divine Emperor himself, who is the source of darkness!]

So what if the governance is successful? It merely allows the numb people to glimpse a glimmer of hope, awakening their will to resist... In a normal historical world, this would naturally be a wise strategy to change the world. The people's anger would destroy all shackles and darkness!

[But in this abnormal God Emperor plane, this invincible spiritual weapon has become a means of hastening death...]

If they had never seen the light, they could have endured the darkness. The Divine Emperor's oppressive policies had little effect on his obedient subjects, as they had long since despaired of reality and would not choose to resist. As a result, the Divine Emperor had no way to "revenge"...

[And your diligent efforts to govern the country have awakened the world from its numbness! ]

They may not understand profound truths, but they truly see light and hope in you that they have never seen before, and so they spontaneously throw themselves into your presence like moths to a flame!

They fought for you and for the light, even throwing themselves into the war against the God-Emperor's tyranny, even though they knew the chances of winning were almost zero...

[And this is exactly what the Divine Emperor wants!]

[Ever since the massive Li Zicheng uprising, it had waited for nearly a hundred years for a nationwide uprising to finally surge forth again. Thus, it opened its mouth in joy, awaiting this sumptuous feast that would follow the light!]

[You are indeed his number one loyal friend! ]

【"Ha ha……"】

【After figuring this out, you can't help but laugh miserably! 】

Looking back on your life, from the time of the questioning in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, when you were promoted to Prime Minister, you always believed that you were on the road to a bright future. So whether it was eliminating corrupt officials, equalizing land and exempting grain, or reorganizing the army and rebuilding its morale, you worked enthusiastically!

[Unexpectedly, what you thought was a bright road was actually a dead end! All the tragedies today were already predetermined...]

[Do you think the Divine Emperor is the backer of your new political reforms?]

[Wrong! It has always been the biggest boss! It's just that you've never acknowledged this fact. You still only see it as the Zhu Youjian from before the 17th year of Chongzhen, ignoring that it was already the tyrannical God-Emperor who had returned from the dead and slaughtered millions of people across the world...]

Having realized this, you stared blankly at the strange, red-haired creature on the dragon bed, emitting an ominous aura. No matter how you looked at it, you couldn't see any trace of a human being, let alone connect it to the ambitious but incompetent Emperor Chongzhen in history. It was obvious that it was no longer the Emperor Chongzhen you knew.

It’s a pity that you woke up too late...

The Divine Emperor seemed to see through your thoughts: "Do you think I'm evil?"

You stare at it blankly, without saying a word.

[And your look seemed to have angered it: "You blame me? That's outrageous!"]

"Zifang, have you forgotten? Weren't you the first to bring up the accumulated ills of this world? I'm not afraid to tell you that I never intended to stir up such a large-scale uprising. As long as some unruly people rebel and are suppressed, I will have enough to maintain my needs..."

"The current situation is entirely due to Zifang!"

In front of you, it begins to shift the blame fiercely: "Back then, I had no intention of ruling the empire. It was Zifang's impassioned speech during the palace examination, discussing the accumulated ills of the world, that irritated me. In my excitement, I decided to let you rule the empire for me!"

[“And then, it was you who took the initiative to capture the six ministers in Changchun Garden, cleaned up official corruption, and initiated the New Deal.”]

"You've been governing better and better since then. You've brought the vast two capitals and thirteen provinces to life under your rule... Tell me, could this be my fault?"

"I have never offered you any assistance, nor have I ever urged you to implement new policies... If you want to blame someone, blame yourself, Zifang, for being too good at governing the country..."

【As it spoke, it seemed to have a sour taste in its mouth.】

"I ruled for seventeen years, but the situation worsened, and I even lost the country at one point... But Zifang brought peace and prosperity to the country in just a few years, bringing peace and prosperity to the people..."

"If you hadn't been such a great healer, how could the world trust you so much that they would risk their own lives and even kill me for you?"

"This is all Zifang's fault!"

"Also, if Zifang had rebelled earlier, how could there be so many people willing to fight for you?"

"It's all because of you, Zifang, that you're determined to be like Yue Fei or Yu Qian, neither corrupt nor lustful, and certainly not one to abuse power. There's nothing tainted on you at all... How could such a flawless saint not attract such admiration?"

"Zifang's evidence is as strong as a mountain, which has led to this situation!"

"It was all Zifang who misled me. What fault have I done? What fault have I done?"

It spoke louder and louder, more confidently and assertively, as if it had always been a pure little white flower, and that the current situation was the fault of its subjects!

You stare in amazement as it frantically blames you... After a long moment, you let out an inexplicable smile: It seems my previous guess was wrong. Although its appearance and personality have changed, it's still clearly the Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian...

[It is Chongzhen, but not Chongzhen.]

[It is undoubtedly more evil and extreme than the Chongzhen Emperor back then, wantonly carrying out its tyranny on the land of the Ming Dynasty!]

However, its underlying tone remains identical to that of the Ming Dynasty's number one non-stick pan, which frantically cried out, "All my ministers have misled me!" and "I am not the ruler who ruined my country, but my ministers are the ones who ruined my country!" before hanging himself.

[It always finds many reasons to justify its own unnatural behavior, and it always manages to shift the blame to others in a timely manner...]

[This is the Divine Emperor.]

【For the first time in your life, you truly see its true face! 】

……

(End of this chapter)