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

Chapter 99: Corruption is ordered by the emperor, so you have to be corrupt!
[What kind of king do subjects fear the most?]

Some would say he was a tyrant and workaholic, like Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. Serving under such an emperor was like having your head on your waistband; you were insecure every day!

Some would also say he was one of those human-like gods from the Northern and Southern Dynasties who slaughtered ministers indiscriminately, ran around naked after going insane, and even ripped out the bones of his concubines to make a pipa, which he played while crying...

Some would say it was like Emperor Wu of Han, an emperor who went crazy in his later years. After the witchcraft rebellion, the ministers who supported the crown prince's rebellion were to be killed, those who opposed the crown prince's rebellion were also to be killed, and those who sat on the fence were to be killed even more...

[Admittedly, each of the above statements has its merits, and there is indeed no definitive answer to this question... But for the officials of the Ming Dynasty, there was only one type of emperor they feared the most, and that was someone like Wanli Laodeng!]

【Why? 】

Wanli was neither like Hongwu who liked to implicate ministers, nor like Zhuqizhen who led his own troops to fight and risk his life. Why was he so feared?

The answer is simple. Despite Hongwu's brutality, his targets were primarily corrupt officials, military nobles, and officials of similar ranks. If you truly desired to be a law-abiding, honest, and upright official in the lower to middle levels, you could have safely survived the Hongwu era.

[As for Zhu Qizhen, no matter how abstract he is, he only led a personal expedition that cost him his life. Being an official under him, as long as you don't get involved in that personal expedition and matters related to Guan Qian, is generally not bad.]

【But Wanli is different! 】

Serving under the Wanli Emperor, a unique figure in history, was a difficult task, whether you were an aspiring and upright official seeking to contribute to the Ming Dynasty or a corrupt official seeking to abuse your power for personal gain...

[Because Wanli was truly capable of such a devastating operation that he played rotten for nearly thirty years. During these thirty years, the Ming emperor seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth: vacancies were not filled, court sessions were not held, and memorials were not responded to...]

In the end, the imperial court was completely torn apart by him: By the 30th year of the Wanli reign, the two capitals of the north and south were short of three ministers, ten vice ministers... and all regions were short of three governors, sixty-six provincial governors, provincial judges, and other officials, and twenty-five prefects...

What does this mean? This basically means the Ming Dynasty has fallen into anarchy, and the court can't even carry out basic administrative operations!

[It can be said that the Ming Dynasty actually fell during the reign of Emperor Wanli! ]

This is exactly why Ming officials feared emperors like Wanli: under a tyrant, you can be a treacherous minister; under a tyrant, you can be a lackey; but under a tyrant, you can do nothing!

[And now, the Divine Emperor has brought out the same tactical play as his grandfather, Wanli. Facing the emotionally charged memorials from the officials, he completely ignored them, giving neither an approval nor a rejection...]

This really makes everyone feel confused: Who can handle this kind of emperor?

But they had no other choice. After all, they were still officials and couldn't just walk away... So, they had to endure the beatings at night while frantically submitting petitions to the court, begging the Divine Emperor for a definitive answer!

[What the hell is going on? You want to kill me, or even cut me up? Your Majesty, please give me a clear answer! What does it mean to read a message but not reply?!]

[The Divine Emperor remained silent from beginning to end. Later, He not only stopped responding to the memorials, but He even stopped attending court!]

Every morning, officials who had been beaten with belts all night could only stare blankly at the empty throne in the Golden Palace...

【What Wanli Laodeng is reborn! 】

[All officials completely collapsed...]

【…】

【Day after day, month after month.】

[Work during the day, get beaten at night.]

Under such extreme torture, the officials' mental states became increasingly distorted day by day... Finally, they became perverts! Some officials simply surrendered, spending their days in the Jinyiwei's prisons. Even when you called them to attend the morning court, they ignored you and continued to slump in their cells, their eyes blank.

[As they played, they even felt a little bit of pleasure from their numbness. Their crazy and strange expressions made the Jinyiwei, who were originally enjoying spinning tops, feel terrified...]

[Fight? Not fight?]

If they didn't fight, they wouldn't want to take advantage of the divine power for free. If they did, they were afraid they'd enjoy it... After hesitating for a long time, their desire for divine power finally overcame everything. The Jinyiwei gritted their teeth and continued to beat them vigorously, but their desire for revenge had inexplicably changed...

[Another group of officials experienced even more severe mental distortions. Although they didn't become lunatics, they... became corrupted!]

These corrupt officials who once ran rampant, faced with daily despair and punishment, underwent a strange mental distortion: they changed their ways and not only began to work hard to govern, but also became charitable. When they saw poor people on the street, they would go up to them, ask about their well-being, and give them money and clothes!

[You thought they were pretending at first, but when they clearly confessed their past sins and expressed their willingness to be whipped forever to atone for their sins, you were shocked to find that they were not acting...]

This isn't a traditional reformation, but simply the ultimate mental distortion. They've brutally denied their entire lives and decided to atone for their sins in an extreme way... This is a form of psychopathology even more frightening than simply being indifferent and giving up!

[And when you face their decline, although it seems very abstract, you have to admit: if they can really continue in this state, it can be regarded as a good thing.]

[Because of their efforts to atone for their sins, the court's administration has truly changed from its former decadence and darkness, and is beginning to transform into the brand new court that you saw after the reforms in your previous life...]

[Disaster relief funds, military training, and shortfall checks...everything is done very well!]

You have to admit that these officials are not completely useless and incapable of governing the country. Their previous behavior was simply the result of their deliberate refusal to do good things. As long as they are willing to do their job well, the Ming Dynasty will prosper!

[And so, you watched in amazement as the Ming Dynasty grew better and better: crimes were cracked down on, petty officials were investigated, withheld grain and wages were repaid, and annexed land was redistributed.]

The Ministry of Industry even organized a large number of professional technicians to prepare for a major overhaul of the Yellow River and clean up river channels and ditches across the country to combat possible floods and droughts in the future.

[This... is it done already?!]

You look confused: "I haven't even started to reform the Fa in this life, how come everyone has already improved the Fa?"

【this……】

You scratch your head in confusion: "I don't quite understand it, but if Ming can change for the better, then that's a good thing. After all, isn't that the purpose of your reforms?"

[Thinking of this, you can't help but feel relieved: It seems that although you didn't directly implement the Reform Movement in this life, your constant efforts have indirectly led to a reform in the Ming Dynasty...]

[In short, this is a good thing. It means your efforts have not been in vain. As long as you keep moving forward, the road ahead will continue to expand...]

[But just as the situation seemed so promising, the Divine Emperor, who had been playing badly for a long time, suddenly appeared!]

In the fifty-second year of Chongzhen's reign, the displeased Emperor issued an imperial decree: All officials are to continue their corruption!

[Don't want to be greedy? You have to be greedy! ]

[You are not allowed to fall into evil, just keep on being greedy! ]

……

(End of this chapter)