Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

The man who was as majestic as Guan Erye was exactly the person Chongzhen was looking for this time - Yan Yingyuan.

At the shouts of Chongzhen and Yan Yingyuan, Zhao Meng and Zhu Tie each retreated to their side.

"Mr. Yan, this gentleman has come from the capital and has come to visit you specially." When Tang Yuan saw the visitor, he stepped forward and shouted happily.

"So you are a distinguished guest from the capital. I hope you won't blame me for failing to welcome you." After hearing what Tang Yuan said, Yan Yingyuan was slightly startled and hurriedly stepped forward to bow.

"Zhu Tie is a martial arts fanatic. If I have offended you in any way, I hope Mr. Yan will forgive me!" Chongzhen said with a smile in return.

"May I know your name, sir?"

"Liheng, do you still remember me, Huang Fei?" Huang Fei stepped forward and said when he saw Yan Yingyuan asking about the origin of Chongzhen's name.

"General Huang, why are you here?" Huang Fei was standing in the crowd just now, and Yan Yingyuan was so focused on the fight that he hadn't noticed Huang Fei. He was stunned when he heard Huang Fei speak.

"Mr. Zhu is coming to visit you, so naturally I'm accompanying him." Huang Fei smiled slightly and said, "Now that we're here, you can't just let us stand and talk all the time..."

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes, I was negligent. Please follow me to the nunnery for a chat!" Yan Yingyuan said hurriedly.

Looking at Chongzhen again, Yan Yingyuan began to wonder. Huang Fei was the admiral of the Guanliao, Tongjin, Huaihai, and Jiangzhen naval forces, acting at their own discretion. The person he personally accompanied must be someone of considerable rank...

Haihui Temple is an ancient temple, said to have been built during the Northern Song Dynasty. Its architectural style is both simple and elegant, with eaves resembling bird wings, stacked brackets, and exquisitely carved beams and painted buildings. The roof tiles are a bluish-gray, arranged in a staggered pattern. In the sunlight, they shimmer like sparkling scales.

Haihui Temple may not be considered grand and majestic, but each of its halls and buildings exudes a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere. More than ten halls are solemn and majestic, and more than twenty meditation halls are scattered throughout the temple grounds.

Unable to take up his post in Deying County, Yan Yingyuan settled here. He brought his mother, wife, and dozens of his servants to live here temporarily. While the monks' quarters at Haihui Temple weren't spacious or luxurious, they provided a peaceful haven for them. Fortunately, aside from the abbot, there were only a handful of monks in the temple, and the quarters were barely enough to accommodate them. Haihui Temple, more than a religious sanctuary, now served as a temporary residence for Yan Yingyuan and his family.

Entering Haihui Temple and walking along the central axis, the first thing that catches your eye is the Heavenly King Hall, three bays wide. Its tall doors seem to tell stories of the past. Beyond this hall lies the Manjusri Hall, where incense curls and Buddhist chants echo. Further on, the magnificent Great Buddha Hall, also three bays wide, stretches across a corridor supported by sturdy wooden pillars, each intricately carved with patterns that seem to recount ancient legends.

The Guanyin Hall, located on one side of the temple, is three bays wide. Its double-eaved hip roof gives the hall a particularly solemn appearance. Wind chimes suspended from the eaves emit a clear and melodious sound in the breeze, resembling the sounds of nature, echoing throughout every corner of the temple. The Child-Sending Guanyin Hall, located to the south of the temple, is often visited by devout pilgrims who pray for the safety and health of their offspring. The Jialan Hall, situated to the north, houses a statue of the Jialan deity, whose gaze is both kind and majestic, guarding this sacred land. The Jade Emperor Hall in the left chamber and the Ksitigarbha Hall in the right chamber are equally solemn and majestic, their statues seemingly overlooking the world and protecting all living beings.

The temple's layout is exquisite and well-thought-out, with every brick, tile, plant, and tree complementing each other beautifully. Within the courtyard, several ancient pine and cypress trees stand like loyal guardians, quietly guarding the ancient temple. Their trunks are thick and upright, their bark rough and furrowed, the marks of time. Their branches spread out in all directions like a giant green umbrella, shielding the temple from wind and rain. The pine needles, emerald green, sparkle with life in the sunlight, while the cypress leaves exude a unique fragrance that is refreshing and soothing.

Entering Haihui Temple, one must first pass through a quiet corridor. The corridor's walls are covered with exquisite murals, some depicting classic Buddhist stories, others depicting scenes of the spiritual practice of ancient eminent monks. The figures in the paintings are so lifelike that they seem ready to step out of the paintings at any moment. The corridor floor is paved with bluestone slabs, the grain of the slabs clearly visible, each slab bearing the memories of the past.

Turning the corridor, the majestic Main Hall emerged. In front of it lay a vast plaza, paved with smooth, flat stone slabs. Sunlight bathed the slabs, casting a faint golden glow, like a golden avenue leading to a sacred temple. In the center of the plaza stood an ancient, solemn incense burner. Cast from bronze, its body intricately carved with dragon and phoenix motifs, the dragon's body coiling and the phoenix's feathers ethereal and graceful. Curls of green smoke rose from the burner, like wisps of veil, slowly drifting through the air. The delicate scent of sandalwood permeated the plaza, like a shower of Buddha's compassion, inspiring both awe and a sense of peace.

Several stone benches stand in the corners of the square. Carved from a single block of stone, they have a smooth surface, their legs carved with simple, quaint patterns. Sitting on one of these benches, a gentle breeze caresses your face, bringing a touch of coolness. The cheerful song of birds echoes in your ears, like a beautiful piece of music played by nature. The melodious chimes of bells echo in the distance, as if recounting the millennia-old legend of this ancient temple. Here, the hustle and bustle of the world seems to be blocked out by an invisible barrier, leaving only inner tranquility and peace.

Yan Yingyuan invited everyone into a side hall. The Buddha statue in the main hall had been destroyed. After Yan Yingyuan came, he cleaned up the main hall and used it as a place to receive guests.

Entering the side hall, Chongzhen looked around casually and walked straight to the main seat and sat down.

Yan Yingyuan frowned slightly, but said nothing. He turned around and asked everyone to take a seat, but found that everyone who came with Chongzhen was standing on both sides in an orderly manner. Even Huang Fei was no exception!

This made Yan Yingyuan unable to help but look at Chongzhen again, and he was even more confused in his heart. What kind of background did this person have?

"Dianshi Yan, please come and pay your respects to the emperor!" Huang Fei said from the side before Yan Yingyuan could speak.

"Your Majesty? Where is he?" Yan Yingyuan was stunned when he heard this and said hesitantly.

"Wenlu," Chongzhen waved his hand to stop Huang Fei and said with a smile, "Yan Dianshi, I am Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian!"

"Your Majesty?" Yan Yingyuan was a minor official, but he knew the emperor's name. However, due to his lowly position, he had never seen the emperor before. He was unsure of the emperor's authenticity when he suddenly appeared before him, and was at a loss for words.

"You don't know how to kneel and pay homage to His Majesty, Yan Dianshi, do you know your crime?" Wang Chengen couldn't help but say when he saw Yan Yingyuan standing there in a daze.

"Ignorance is not a crime," Chongzhen quickly stopped Wang Chengen and said, "I abandoned the capital and fled here in a panic. What is the point of the emperor's prestige? Besides, Yan Dianshi has never seen me. How can he tell if I am real if he suddenly sees me here?"

"This..." What Yan Yingyuan thought in his heart was exactly what Chongzhen said.

This was human nature. Anyone who suddenly claimed to be the current emperor wouldn't believe it. Furthermore, he'd recently received news that Emperor Chongzhen had perished at sea, and that Emperor Hongguang, Zhu Yousong, had ascended the throne in Nanjing. Yan Yingyuan's first reaction was to report these individuals to the authorities and have them arrested...

But the expressions of these people in front of him did not seem to be fake, especially the person who spoke just now. He had a shrill voice, a pale face and no beard. He should be a eunuch. Could it be that the person in front of him was really Emperor Chongzhen, and he had escaped here from the capital?

But why did he escape all the way to Jiangnan instead of going directly to Nanjing? Why did he come to me?

"Dianshi Yan, why don't you even believe what I say?" Huang Fei saw that Yan Yingyuan was still confused, and he couldn't help feeling unhappy in his heart, and said in a deep voice.

"General Huang, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I just heard about this..." Yan Yingyuan looked at Huang Fei and said.

In fact, at this point, Yan Yingyuan had already believed that although Huang Fei was just an acquaintance of his, he was still a trustworthy person.

But Yan Yingyuan still had other concerns: You have to know that the Southern Ming Hongguang court had already been established, and the nominal emperor was now Hongguang Emperor Zhu Yousong, and Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian was already the previous emperor...

Now that the Chongzhen Emperor is still alive, who will reign supreme? Will the Hongguang Emperor abdicate? The struggle between the Yingzong and Daizong dynasties is still fresh in our memory!

Although he didn't know how Emperor Chongzhen knew him, it was obvious that he came this time to make him follow him. Then he would be involved in the struggle for the throne, which was something Yan Yingyuan didn't want to see.

In fact, he didn't care much about who was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. What he cared about was who could clean up the ruined land of the Ming Dynasty!

"Okay, what's the point of being polite?" Chongzhen laughed and said to everyone, "Everyone, please sit down!"

Although everyone was somewhat resentful, Yan Yingyuan pretended to be confused, and everyone was helpless and could only listen to what Chongzhen said and sit down.

Yan Yingyuan was still quite nervous. After he sat down, he was thinking about what to say, but he didn't expect Chongzhen to speak first.

"Li Heng, I know you are proficient in both civil and military strategy. I came here to seek your advice, but I wonder what you think of the current situation in the Ming Dynasty?"

"this......"