Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 168 The True and False Emperor

The Kyoto court was shaken. At the border of Henan and Huguang, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming and Chongzhen were following Sun Kewang south.

When passing a town, Xianzei suddenly stopped all the people and said they wanted to rest before continuing.

"What are you doing in front?"

Han Qianhu, the Jinyiwei, quickly received news from the front, "It is said that the Eighth King met an acquaintance, please come over and tell his fortune."

"A fortune-teller?" King Xiang shook his head. "It's already this hour, why are you still telling fortunes?"

"Isn't it all about legitimacy these days?" Han Qianhu smiled and was about to continue speaking when he saw two people coming out of a store not far away and were chopped up.

The blood spurted far away, and everyone saw his face turn pale.

One of Zhang Xianzhong's subordinates came out cursing and pointing at the corpse, "What the hell, what do you mean there are no bandit problems recently and business is much better? Just because I'm a thief, your business is not going to be good?"

……

In the inn, except for the innkeeper, his wife, children and elders were all killed. Zhang Xianzhong smiled and asked his subordinates to carry the bodies away. Then he pulled an old Taoist and said, "Wang Tiezui, you didn't expect to meet the Eighth King today, did you?"

"Marshal!" The blind old Taoist saluted quickly.

Zhang Xianzhong laughed, "It just so happens that my eighth concubine is about to give birth, so I would like you to calculate it for me. I will tell you this in advance. If you try to fool me, don't blame me for being blind with my sword."

"Marshal, what are you talking about? When have I, Wang Tiezui, ever told a lie?"

"Okay..." Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand, "Go, invite the eighth concubine over and let the Taoist priest take a look."

Less than an incense stick of time passed, and a delicate woman appeared. Zhang Xianzhong pinched her hard, "When I first fell in love with you, you were almost starving to death. Now you have a big butt and a round waist, showing the appearance of being rich and noble."

"They say you are a lucky person for your husband. Come over here... let the Taoist priest take a look."

The eighth concubine felt pain from being pinched, but her face turned pale as she walked to the blind Taoist priest and said, "Greetings, Taoist priest."

The situation was chaotic, there were wars everywhere, people were being killed and died everywhere. Among the several rebel armies, only Zhang Xianzhong found time to marry eight concubines. Including his deceased original wife, he now had nine wives.

Along the way, he robbed people and took away their wives and daughters. According to the course of history, a few years later, after Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan and captured the Prince of Shu's Palace, the total number of people he took away, including the Prince of Shu's concubines, exceeded 300.

Zhang Xianzhong's famous saying: "With a sword and a gun in hand, you can have all the beauties."

If you can't be the emperor, then you can dominate a region, and the more beauties in your harem the better.

But he shouted slogans loudly, but he never showed any compassion, and was as indifferent as an animal. According to historical records, he would order someone to kill a woman who had just slept with him. Whether it was the Princess of Shu who avenged her husband, Empress Chen who was married in glory, or the singing girl Manxian who pretended to please him, they all died under the sword during their chastity.

"Madam, when did you get pregnant?"

"Last September!"

"What's your horoscope?"

"I was born in the year of Jiayin..." At this moment, the eighth concubine's arms were trembling and her teeth were chattering like beans. She was afraid that if the old Taoist priest said something like "unlucky for husband, short life", she and the baby in her belly would become the fallen soul of Zhang Xianzhong.

This kind of situation has happened before. Last year, Zhang Xianzhong raped a woman, but she was killed by Zhang Xianzhong just because she said the wrong thing.

"So the baby should be born this month. Great, great!"

Zhang Xianzhong heard this and asked, "What do you mean?"

The blind old Taoist said to Zhang Xianzhong: "Eight Great Kings, you are so noble, please take your seat, take your seat quickly!"

As he spoke, he bowed twice to Zhang Xianzhong and said, "Congratulations to the Eighth King, congratulations to the Eighth King."

"Where does your joy come from?" Zhang Xianzhong's eyes were shining, like nails piercing the eyes of the blind old Taoist.

"Please step aside."

Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand doubtfully, and after driving the man out, he asked the Taoist again, "Blind man, can you speak now?"

“Eighth King, your madam’s destiny of wealth and honor is the Queen Mother’s destiny.”

"Hmm?" Zhang Xianzhong's eyes almost popped out. "I'm serious, old blind man. You are an old hand. Don't make fun of me, Zhang."

"Eighth King, I, Wang Tiezui, have been walking around the martial arts world for so many years. If I had been talking nonsense and making random predictions about people's fortunes, how could I be sixty-six now? Wouldn't I have been beaten to death long ago?"

Zhang Xianzhong's smile instantly faded after hearing this, and he became serious, "Okay, okay... Come here, give me some silver."

Sun Kewang ran in from outside and just took out the money, but saw Zhang Xianzhong waving his hand, "No, take the big one."

"Big..." Sun Kewang's mouth twitched, and he took out the largest ingot from his pocket and stuffed it into the blind Taoist's hand.

Zhang Xianzhong grabbed the old blind man and said, "Old Taoist, I'll give you 100 taels of silver to shut your mouth. Don't tell anyone else about this."

"Don't worry, Eighth King. I, an old Taoist priest, know the rules when I travel around the world." The old blind man grinned, took the silver, bowed to Zhang Xianzhong, and said he was leaving.

"You're leaving now? I was thinking of setting up some wine and having a few drinks with you."

"I, the old blind man, never drink. I have said everything today. Please forgive me, Eighth King!"

The old blind man insisted on leaving, and Zhang Xianzhong had no choice but to let him go.

……

The old blind man who came out of the inn suddenly quickened his pace. A young Taoist priest outside hurriedly supported him and asked, "Master, what are you doing?"

"Hurry up!" the old Taoist urged.

"Master, didn't the Eighth King give us a reward? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The old Taoist priest tilted his ear to listen, and after confirming that there was no one around, he said, "I was just talking nonsense. I'm afraid that the Eighth King will be in great trouble soon."

"Ah?" The young Taoist priest's face turned green instantly, and he supported the old blind man and walked away.

But after walking a few blocks, he stopped again.

The old Taoist cursed, "Why don't you leave?"

The young Taoist swallowed his saliva and said, "Master, someone stopped us."

A voice sounded, "Blind man, I didn't expect to see you here?"

"Xiang... Zhu..." The old Taoist's body trembled violently. Although he could not see, his ears were sharp. Although he had not heard this voice for many years, he recognized it at once.

"You are not in Xiangyang City, why are you here?"

"It's been more than 30 years, right?"

"It's been thirty years..." The old blind man never thought that he would meet Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming here. Thinking back to the time when the old Taoist priest almost starved to death, he happened to meet Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming who had sneaked out of home and gave him something to eat, so he came back to life.

Afterwards, the two of them traveled around the world and became brothers with different surnames.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long before Zhu Yiming was found by his father and taken home, while he himself became a wanderer.

"You guys talk, I'll go and spread some information for you." When old friends met, the captain of the Jinyiwei saw this and left tactfully.

Chongzhen wanted to leave, but was stopped by Prince Xiang, who introduced him to the blind Taoist priest: "This is my son Qilin, old Taoist priest, do you want to take a look at him?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Do you need to look at yours? It's just..."

What will be the fate of the descendants of the Ming Dynasty’s vassal states? Is there any need to calculate it?
That's the ass of a turtle. But as soon as his hand touched Chongzhen's face, the smile on his face disappeared all of a sudden, like snow meeting a raging fire, evaporating, "No, this... this is the real emperor, the fake one just now..."

"What is the 'Supreme Emperor'? Is this true or not? Don't curse me, old blind man!" Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Chongzhen's heart was beating so wildly that he almost jumped out.

"Just now..." The old blind man recounted the story of his meeting with Zhang Xianzhong. After hearing it, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming and Chongzhen frowned and their brows were raised into a lump.

"Zhang Xianzhong's son is the emperor?"

"No, no, no..." The old blind man shook his hands repeatedly, "Didn't I just say it? I was just trying to fool him. How could his son be the emperor?"

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming snorted, "Blind man, didn't you say you never lie? Aren't you afraid that Zhang Xianzhong will come after you later?"

"I'm really not afraid. The last time I saw Zhang Xianzhong, he was at the peak of his career. But this time when I met him, I felt that his death was approaching and he would not live long. The next time we meet, I'm afraid he will be in hell. Why should I be afraid of him?" said the old blind man, shaking his head.

King Xiang sneered, "Is it true or not? You old blind man, you are sometimes true and sometimes false."

"What do you mean by true for a while and false for a while? All my abilities were taught by my master. My master's ancestor was Liu Bowen's senior brother several dozen generations ago..."

"Okay, okay, you're telling me this again. Why don't you show me your master's teachings?"

The old blind man's face turned red from holding it in. When he was young, he was choked by Zhu Yiming because of this, and it was still the same now because he really couldn't come up with it.

The two exchanged a few words, and the old blind man gave up. "To be honest, I think Zhang Xianzhong is going to fail this time. You'd better leave as soon as possible. If you're late, you may not be able to leave."

"Little Master, come here, let me touch you again..."

As if he was not satisfied with what he did just now, there was a strange light on the old blind man's face at this moment. He wanted to touch Chongzhen's face again, but unexpectedly Chongzhen took a step back and said, "Since the old man said there are risks next, you should leave as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

The old blind man wanted to follow, but he heard a cough. The King of Xiang's face changed and he patted the old blind man on the shoulder. "Someone is coming, blind man, so goodbye. When you are free, go to Xiangyang Prefecture. I should be able to come back before the end of the year."

After saying this, he left quickly, leaving only the old blind man and his apprentice.

The old blind man tilted his head and muttered, "He is clearly the emperor, and he is in his prime. He should be the emperor today... No, the emperor today is in the capital. Then who was that person just now?"

"Is there something wrong with what Master taught me?" The old blind man muttered to himself. After a while, he threw the bamboo stick in his hand to the ground. "Old thing, I knew you fooled me at the beginning..."

The disciple beside him looked at him suspiciously, "Master? What are you talking about?"

"All fake ones are fake. From now on, you don't have to learn from me..." The old blind man was so angry that he wanted to push the young apprentice far away. Unfortunately, he was blind and tripped by something, and fell to the ground.

……

Not long after Chongzhen and Prince Xiang returned to the team, Sun Kewang came to find them.

"Sir, my godfather will be here soon, please get ready."

"Who?" The water scoop that King Xiang had just picked up suddenly fell to the ground.

The relationship between Chongzhen and Sun Kewang became closer during the lectures. They had a relationship of both teacher and friend, and Sun Kewang also protected Chongzhen very much.

Sun Kewang even said in the army, "Sir, your talent is so great that it reaches the sky and the valley."

So much so that Zhang Xianzhong was also recruited.

Sun Kewang had taken some time to come here to give a tip-off. While he was talking, he heard a bustle outside. Zhang Xianzhong had arrived. He hurried out to greet him, "Foster father, please come this way!"

Chongzhen was a little confused. In his imagination, it might take many days before he could meet Zhang Xianzhong, or he would almost never have the chance to meet him.

It was not until Sun Kewang's voice was heard outside that Chongzhen came to his senses. Even if he wanted to hide, he couldn't.

After opening the door, Zhang Xianzhong first looked around.

Sun Kewang immediately understood and asked Prince Xiang and the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to leave.

There were guards outside blocking the door, and only Sun Kewang, Zhang Xianzhong and Chongzhen were left in the room.

Outside, Captain Jinyiwei and Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming did not dare to go far, his heart was in his throat.

"I am Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King."

He had a sense of chivalry and banditry, a rough voice, thick eyebrows, a beard, a straight nose and a square mouth. When he spoke, the scar at the corner of his eye and eyebrow was extremely obvious.

This was the first time Chongzhen faced Zhang Xianzhong directly.

To be honest, this man is not good-looking. How could such a man marry eight concubines?

The muscles on Chongzhen's face twitched, and he clenched his hands, which finally formed three words: this man who dug up the Ming Dynasty's imperial mausoleum and upended his ancestral grave.

"Eight Great Kings!"

In the not very spacious room, Zhang Xianzhong laughed and continued, "Today, the world is full of hungry people, and the people are living in misery. The Ming Emperor Chongzhen is unjust and levies heavy taxes. I would say that the Ming court's luck has run out. It just so happens that heroes all over the world are rising up. You can come to me, which shows that the people's hearts support you..."

"I have heard that Brother Zhu is well-read and has great ambitions. In this time of national crisis, why don't you join hands with me to accomplish something great?"

Although it was called a meeting between the two of them, in fact, it was Zhang Xianzhong who did most of the talking while Chongzhen was listening, and he would nod occasionally, which was already the limit for them.

Compared with Zhang Xianzhong's smiling and passionate expression, Zhu Changgan looked cold and indifferent, which made the atmosphere a little weird.

Zhang Xianzhong talked for a while and his mouth became dry.

He couldn't help but frown, gave Sun Kewang a look, then stood up and walked out of the house.

Prince Xiang and the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside lowered their heads and did their work.

Then he heard Zhang Xianzhong scolding Sun Kewang: "This man is either a fool or he is unwilling to be used by me. Apart from these two possibilities, there is no other possibility."

He doesn't even know who holds the initiative. Is there something wrong with his brain, or is he waiting for a good price?

While waiting for a good price, you also need to demonstrate your value, right?
How else can I bid?

So in Zhang Xianzhong's eyes, this man was either a fool or too arrogant and not smart enough. In this world, stupid people will not live long.

"I don't need to tell you what to do next, right?"

"Godfather, you must be a man of great talent. Allow me to persuade you a little more..." Sun Kewang wanted to say a few more good words for Chongzhen, but was violently pushed away by Zhang Xianzhong, who left angrily.

"Hey~" Sun Kewang glanced in the direction of Chongzhen, then looked at Zhang Xianzhong who was about to leave, stamped his feet, and finally went towards Zhang Xianzhong.

Upon seeing this, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming dropped his work and trotted into the house. "Oh no, oh no, what did you say to the Eighth Prince? He's in such a hurry to leave, I'm afraid your life is in danger!"

Han Qianhu, the Jinyiwei, also came over at this time, frowning, "Didn't I tell you to bear with it for a while, and when the government troops come next time, we will find a chance to escape?"

Chongzhen said nothing, he knew everything.

But when he first met Zhang Xianzhong, he just couldn't do anything to compromise.

"It's no use saying these now. Find a way to delay Sun Kewang until night. At night, I will contact the Jinyiwei and Dongchang people outside to pick you up." Captain Han found a knife for chopping wood and hid it in his clothes.

King Xiang panicked upon seeing this. After searching for a long time, he stuffed a fire stick into his trousers.

……

(End of this chapter)