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

"Oh? Lord Ma wants to welcome me to the capital?" Chongzhen had expected this outcome, but still wanted to understand the reason, so he feigned surprise and said, "Lord Ma is the most meritorious official who helped Prince Fu Zhu Yousong ascend the throne, and he also enjoys his utmost trust. Why would he welcome me to the capital?"

"Lord Ma's loyalty to His Majesty is evident to all," Earl of Sincerity Liu Kongzhao quickly added. "Supporting Prince Fu was not Lord Ma's original intention. However, His Majesty's death had already been confirmed at court. To prevent the Ming Dynasty from falling into chaos, Lord Ma stepped forward, hoping that the new emperor would be able to stabilize this half of the Ming Dynasty after ascending the throne."

"In that case, I should thank Lord Ma?" Chongzhen said with a smile and a hint of sarcasm.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind," Liu Kongzhao responded hastily. "But Lord Ma and I are all doing this for the country and the people. I hope Your Majesty will forgive us."

"What is Lord Ma's plan?" Chongzhen looked directly at Liu Kongzhao and asked.

"Then Hongguang asked Lord Ma Shiying to contact Liu Zeqing to come to Nanjing to defend the emperor. Lord Ma took advantage of the situation and contacted Liu Zeqing. Lord Liu took the opportunity to capture Nanjing City under the pretext of defending the emperor and invited Your Majesty to Beijing..." Liu Kongzhao raised his eyes quietly while speaking, secretly observing the expression of Emperor Chongzhen, trying to find some clues from his face.

"Oh... there is also the matter of Liu Zeqing here," Chongzhen pondered for a moment, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and said.

"Just because Liu Zeqing wasn't mentioned in your Majesty's anti-rebellion manifesto, Hongguang assumed that Lord Liu would support him..." Upon hearing this, Liu Kongzhao, the Earl of Sincerity, felt somewhat guilty. After a brief pause, he continued, "I never expected Lord Liu to be so devoted to your Majesty that he would be willing to die for you!"

"Fish seek fish, shrimp seek shrimp, and turtle seeks big turtles," Chongzhen cursed in his heart.

These two people were in cahoots with each other, and their intentions were obvious. They just wanted to gain the credit for the decision to support the emperor. They betrayed Zhu Yousong so easily. I wonder how Zhu Yousong would feel when he found out about this.

"It's great that the two gentlemen are willing to surrender the city!" Chongzhen nodded slightly and said, "When are they planning to launch the rebellion?"

"Lord Ma and Lord Liu have agreed to launch the rebellion in the next few days. When I rushed here, Lord Liu Zeqing was already organizing his troops," said Liu Kongzhao, the Earl of Chengyi, hurriedly. "Once Lord Liu Zeqing arrives in Nanjing, he can move in under the guise of assisting in defending the city. When His Majesty's army arrives, we'll welcome His Majesty into the city..."

How could Chongzhen not know that Ma Shiying had a plan that worked for him? He was the most important official who helped the Hongguang Emperor ascend to the throne. If he hadn't schemed against Shi Kefa, how could Zhu Yousong have ascended to the throne?

If he and Liu Zeqing took Nanjing beforehand and imprisoned Emperor Hongguang, it would be too embarrassing. The best approach would be for Emperor Chongzhen to lead his troops south as well. Once they were about to reach Nanjing, he and Liu Zeqing would capture Emperor Hongguang and welcome him to the throne. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with Emperor Hongguang. This would be far more prudent and more pleasing than capturing him first and then waiting for Emperor Chongzhen to enter the city.

"Okay! Then go back and tell Ma Shiying to act according to the plan. I will cooperate with him!" Chongzhen didn't want to waste any more words with him. He waved his hand and said crisply, "Marquis Chengyi, go and inform him quickly!"

Chongzhen's quick agreement was unexpected, and it made Liu Kongzhao, the Earl of Sincerity, feel a little uneasy. But regardless, Chongzhen had already agreed, and his mission was finally successfully completed. Thinking of the impending success, Liu Kongzhao's originally anxious heart suddenly became warm.

Seeing Liu Kongzhao, the Marquis of Chengyi, leave happily, Shi Kefa felt inexplicably uneasy.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, aren't you agreeing too quickly? Ma Shiying was the chief minister who supported Prince Fu. Could this be a trap?"

"Yeah, that Liu Zeqing is a bastard. What will happen in the future if we let these two guys get involved? Besides, we invited him before, but he never came. Now he joins forces with Ma Shiying. Who knows what they will do? What if he and Ma Shiying team up to do something weird, we..." Huang Degong also shook his head and tried his best to dissuade him.

"Xianzhi, Hushan, do you think Ma Shiying is a loyal person who serves the emperor, or is Liu Zeqing such a person?" Chongzhen asked slowly with a smile on his face.

"Neither. These two are both fickle villains who curry favor with the powerful." Shi Kefa shook his head helplessly, his tone full of contempt.

"So I don't think it's false that the two of them are actively trying to get closer. You know, I now have powerful troops from several towns and I have orthodox righteousness. Anyone who understands the current situation knows that Emperor Hongguang cannot compete with me, and his abdication is a foregone conclusion. It is normal for them to stab Zhu Yousong in the back at this time," Chongzhen said calmly, his eyes revealing the wisdom of seeing through the world.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right," Shi Kefa said after a moment's thought. "So, what Liu Kongzhao said just now is ninety percent true. Not only do they want to stab Hongguang, but they also want to take control of the situation in Nanjing first, and then welcome Your Majesty into the city. At that point, they'll have the final say! With this great achievement in hand, even if Your Majesty dislikes them, you'll have no choice but to accept it. Not only that, but you'll also have to reserve a place for them in the new dynasty!"

"You're right, it's really like that." Huang Degong nodded thoughtfully.

"Are we really going to let such a treacherous villain succeed?" Li Ruolian said bitterly from the side.

The civil and military officials in the capital who knelt to welcome Li Zicheng into the capital had already chilled his heart, and he therefore hated these two-faced people.

"They've calculated that we don't want to start an internal war right now," Chongzhen said slowly and leisurely. "Whether it's the Shun regime or the Qing court, although they're fighting each other, they haven't ignored us. If we start an internal war, I believe they'll definitely pounce on us. So, these two's calculations are correct."

"Are we just going to let them succeed?" Huang Degong said angrily, his face full of resentment and dissatisfaction.

"Their plan is correct. If we don't want them to succeed, we have to send troops to attack Nanjing." Chongzhen sighed softly and said solemnly, "But I don't want an internal war to break out at this time. It's better to avoid fratricide if possible. Now that there is a peaceful solution, why not?"

"I'm just so angry!" Li Ruolian said indignantly, clenching his fists and burning with anger in his eyes.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Chongzhen said calmly, with a confident look on his face. "They want to scheme against me, but why shouldn't I want to scheme against them too?"

"Oh? Does Your Majesty have any good ideas?" Huang Degong's eyes lit up when he heard this and he asked excitedly.

"Who is responsible for the defense of Nanjing City now?" Chongzhen did not directly answer Huang Degong's question, but asked in return.

"The garrison of Nanjing City was led by Biancheng Earl Chen Zhilong and the garrison eunuch Han Zanzhou," Zhu Ge replied. "However, Han Zanzhou's military power has been stripped, and Lu Jiude is now in charge."

"Han Zanzhou! Back then, I described him as 'loyal, diligent, and prudent,' which is why I sent him to Nanjing. And Zhao Zhilong was personally selected by me," Chongzhen said after a brief recollection. "Zhu Ge, go to Nanjing and ask Zhao Zhilong what I said when I first took office, on the day of your departure."

"Yes!" Zhu Ge immediately accepted the order.

"You should also go to Zanzhou's place." Chongzhen thought for a moment and then said, "I will write a letter to each of them. You can take it to them for review..."

"Your Majesty, Qian Qianyi has long enjoyed a great reputation among the literati. I intend to write a letter to persuade him to contact all officials. Is that okay?" Shi Kefa was a member of the Donglin Party after all. Even though Qian Qianyi was now notorious for trying to please Ma Shiying, he still wanted to lend him a hand and seek a glimmer of hope for the Donglin Party.

"Yes!" Chongzhen nodded slightly and agreed, "Let Hou Fangyu go to Qian Qianyi."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Hou Fangyu was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly responded.

"Chaozong, your Fushe Society is also full of talented people. When you go back this time, you must invite them all to work for the court..." Chongzhen said thoughtfully: "When we arrive in Nanjing, I want to meet them."

"I obey your order!" Hou Fangyu was stunned at first by Chongzhen's words, but then he was overjoyed and said hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Shi Kefa's heart was stirred. His earlier attempt to protect Qian Qianyi was actually a way to help the Donglin Party during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen. He knew full well that Chongzhen loathed the Donglin Party, but now Chongzhen was showing considerable interest in the young men of the Fushe Society. This was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for the Donglin Party. After all, the Fushe Society had close ties with the Donglin Party, with many of its members either descendants of Donglin Party members or their disciples. If the Fushe Society could rise, it would be a win-win for the Donglin Party...