Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 185 In this troubled time, remember me, Gong Yang Xiao Ming
The city of Anlu was in chaos.

There was killing everywhere, and those wealthy families were defeated without any resistance in the face of the bandits who were as fierce as wolves and tigers.

In order to prevent the bandits from killing innocent people, Chongzhen stipulated that after they broke into the houses of wealthy people, they were not allowed to kill or steal money, otherwise they would be executed immediately.

In addition, with the presence of 3,000 "old camp soldiers" from the Jinyiwei and Dongchang serving as military supervisors, the situation was better than expected.

These wealthy families were tied up one by one and sent to the county government.

They will come here to be tried publicly, by the people of the entire county, and their crimes and punishments will be determined based on their crimes.

In order to save her own life, the county magistrate's sixth concubine gave away information about a "skinny horse" training site in Anlu city.

This "thin horse" point, on the contrary, became the greatest resistance. Dozens of gangsters and thugs inside, armed with knives, guns, shields, bows and arrows, actually shot and killed more than a dozen refugees who went to search.

"Old Han, take a few people over there and chew it off." The old blind man cursed angrily, "Damn it, can this thing break your teeth?"

Old Han brought dozens of Jinyiwei people and hundreds of bandits with him.

At the command, arrows rained down.

How could dozens of ruffians and assassins withstand the attack of the Jinyiwei? In less than an incense stick of time, the house was completely breached. In addition to the dozens of ruffians and assassins who had died before, several middle-aged madams who were responsible for training and more than one hundred girls aged twelve or thirteen were dragged out.

In addition, there was a fat man, less than five feet tall, but weighing three hundred pounds. He raised his hand and said, "Don't kill me, I have money. Spare my life and I will tell you where the money is..."

But before he could finish his words, he was stabbed on the neck.

Lao Han rubbed the knife on the body and said, "Even if we kill you, we can still find the money."

"Commander Han, we have caught up with the Anlu County Magistrate. This bastard wanted to run away with the property, but his car got stuck outside the city. We caught up with him and brought him back."

"Take him back to the county government office!"

Old Han glanced at the hundred or so young women behind him and said, "Take them over as well."

……

"Governor, it's bad. The rebel 'Prince Xin' has captured Anlu. The county magistrate and the county town, including dozens of gentry in the city, have all died for their country..."

Early in the morning, the messenger ran into the residence of Gou Youquan, the governor of Wuchang Prefecture, with the news.

Gou Youquan ran out from the backyard with his pants in his hands, "What? They entered De'an Mansion?"

Gou Youquan angrily threw the shoe he was about to kick onto the ground, "A bunch of rubbish, even if they can hold out for a day or two, we can gather troops to support them."

This has happened twice in a row. A county as big as Anlu was conquered in less than a day. By the time the troops from the Governor's Office arrived, the bandits had already left.

What is even more infuriating is that the Governor's Office only has 30,000 troops, while this group of bandits has 60,000 troops.

Now that we have captured Anlu, I am afraid that the number of people will only be more than before, not less.

"Oh, what should I do?!"

The governors and provincial governors of the Jiangnan provinces did not want to allow Sun Chuanting and the emperor's five camps to enter Huguang, because by then, the situation would be beyond their control. If the Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a thorough investigation, they would probably suffer the consequences.

But now the bandits are so rampant, and they cannot stop the decline. If the emperor blames them, they will still be in danger of losing their lives.

……

In Anlu City, Chongzhen looked at the boxes of gold, silver and treasures being carried up with mixed feelings.

"Reply to the king, a total of 120,000 taels of silver were confiscated from Anlu City, of which 50,000 taels belonged to the county magistrate, 30,000 taels belonged to the 'matchmaker', and the total amount of the evil gentry was 40,000 taels."

"Leave 50,000 taels to buy weapons, horses, and food, and divide the rest among the others."

"Yes!"

Chongzhen turned around and went back to the county government office, drove everyone out, threw the sword in his hand on the table, and slowly sat down on the chair.

"Heh..." He smiled bitterly, "This is my Ming Dynasty."

"How can they be officials serving the court and the people? How can the officers and soldiers be soldiers who have fought in hundreds of battles?"

The two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty had already turned these people into fat borers. Chongzhen looked north and asked, "Uncle, what is your intention?"

"Could it be... to kill all the millions of gentry in Jiangnan? To rebuild the Ming Dynasty?"

Just as he was thinking, a sound suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Why aren't the lights on?" King Xiang walked in from outside and lit the sheep-horn lamp in the county government office.

It was not yet the hour of Xu, but the sky had already become completely dark.

Seeing Prince Xiang, Chongzhen's expression improved a little, "Why are you here?"

King Xiang's face turned dark as he asked, "You're asking me why I came here. If you don't take off your wet clothes quickly, how will your body withstand the cold?"

Only then did Chongzhen realize that he was still wearing clothes wet by the rain, and his body was trembling slightly unconsciously.

"These are clean clothes found in the county magistrate's mansion. Put them on first." King Xiang placed the clothes on the table, then reached out and pulled his wet clothes off.

"No... I'll do it myself. I'll do it myself."

Chongzhen's old face turned red. Although he had already accepted Prince Xiang as his elder in his heart, he couldn't help blushing when he was stripped like this.

King Xiang snorted, "What are you afraid of? I'm changing my son's clothes, so why should I be ashamed?"

Although he said this, he still turned around.

Upon seeing this, Chongzhen turned his back and began to change his clothes. Little did he know that Prince Xiang slowly turned around halfway and stood on tiptoes to take a few glances.

I thought to myself, "That's right, the birthmark is right there."

He is my son for sure. What on earth does that bastard Old Han mean?
Seeing that Chongzhen was about to put on his clothes, he quickly turned his head and coughed, "Are you dressed?"

"Get dressed."

The county government office was leaking everywhere, so Prince Xiang simply found some firewood, lit it, picked up Chongzhen's wet clothes, and placed them by the fire to dry while they started chatting.

"My son, why does your father feel that you are a little different from before?"

"What's the difference?" Chongzhen asked with a smile as he took it from Prince Xiang.

"You used to... go to brothels and bars with that bunch of scholars every day. If you say you're good at studying, I can barely accept that, but... have you ever held a sword, let alone killed someone?"

Chongzhen's hands, which were baking clothes, paused unconsciously. What did it mean?
Did King Xiang realize that he and his son were not the same person?
But Chongzhen still pretended to be calm and said: "Well... things are unpredictable. Maybe after seeing too many lives and deaths, people have changed unconsciously!"

Prince Xiang stared at Chongzhen's eyes with burning eyes. After a while, he nodded and said, "This makes sense, but I hope you won't fall into indiscriminate killing."

"Don't worry, Dad. I know my limits."

King Xiang asked again, "Then how do you see that His Majesty asked you to go undercover as a rebel?"

"Is there any secret in this?"

King Xiang shook his head. "You are still young. I have never told you that our emperor is not an easy person to deal with."

"Back then, in order to kill Wei Zhongxian, he tried again and again, rewarding him and praising him. When it came time to kill him, he was not vague at all."

"And Yuan Chonghuan and Wen Tihen, who are not favorites of your majesty? They were honored in front of the public one moment, and their heads fell off the next moment."

"Besides, we are still vassal kings, so we have to be on guard!"

"I, your father, hope that you won't work so hard and offend all the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. If they submit a memorial to impeach you, our Majesty may push you out..." King Xiang patted his son and gave him a meaningful admonition.

"Father, is this how our Majesty looks to you?"

"It's not just in my eyes. Ask the officials of the Ming Dynasty. Who doesn't say the same thing?"

Chongzhen's face turned blue and purple, and it felt hot.

How could he not understand what King Xiang meant?

Doesn't this clearly mean that the emperor is a non-stick pan. When there is credit, he comes forward to claim it, but when it comes to responsibility, he shrinks back and pushes others to take the blame.

"Okay, I'll go hang the clothes up. No one else will tell you these things, but you have to take them to heart."

Prince Xiang took the half-dried clothes and left, leaving Chongzhen standing there in a daze. "Is this the reputation I have among the subjects of the Ming Dynasty?"

……

In Anlu City, there were ruins everywhere, and the rain had stopped.

For the government troops and officials, it was a devastating disaster, but for the rebels and poor people, this siege could be said to be a feast.

The gold, silver and grain of corrupt officials, the land, shops and grain of bullies and evil gentry all fell into the sacks of the rebels and the common people.

"If you dare to do such evil, I will catch you and chop you to pieces!"

"Damn it! How dare you do evil in the name of 'Prince Xin'?"

Old Han led the Jinyiwei to patrol the city. Anyone who dared to oppress or rob the people would be killed without mercy, no matter if they were rebels or local citizens.

Without iron and blood, rules cannot be established.

After the previous rebel attacks on the city, local ruffians always took the opportunity to rob and commit crimes in the chaos.

But after being killed several times by the Jinyiwei, they all became obedient.

After patrolling a few times, several people came to the city gate to stand guard.

One of the Jinyiwei officers under Old Han looked around and asked, "Brother, you have been trying to find connections to transfer back to the capital, why are you silent now?"

"Are you really planning to rebel under this damn prince?"

Old Han rolled his eyes at him and said, "You know shit."

He walked to the door, looked around, and closed the door. "Miao Haishi, how long have you and I worked together?"

"It's been more than eight years. Why are you asking this, brother?"

"Right now, there is a piece of heaven-shattering wealth that I have been holding in my heart and feeling uncomfortable. Today, I will tell you about it, brother. Please do not tell anyone else."

Miao Haishigan swallowed his saliva and said, "Brother, just tell me. I promise not to tell anyone else."

"Have you seen His Majesty?"

"Of course I have seen him." Miao Haishi said affirmatively. Although he was far away, he had been in the Jinyiwei for so many years and was a captain of the Jinyiwei. It was not easy not to meet the emperor.

"Then don't you find that our prince is quite similar to the emperor?"

"Do you mean……"

"Think carefully, think about the details." Han Zisen reminded: "The way the prince walked, the tone of his voice, including the way he held the sword today... Have you thought of anything?"

Miao Haishi recalled carefully, and the next moment, his eyes widened like a donkey calf, his mouth opened wide, and he stared at Lao Han with fear.

"Brother, what do you mean?"

"Got it?" Han Zisen nodded vigorously. "This is a chance for you and me to rise to prominence. If we can take this step well, we may be able to be granted the title of Duke and Marquis like Commander Li in the future."

"Brother, you are awesome!"

"Don't make it public. The identity of the prince is only known to you and me. You must not disclose it to anyone. King Xiang has asked me twice, but I didn't tell him. You should know how serious it is."

The muscles on Miao Haishi's face couldn't help but tremble, and a strange red color stained them. "Brother, from today on, I will listen to you. I will do whatever you tell me to do."

Han Zisen motioned for him to come closer, and then he continued, "Next, one of you and I must guard the prince to prevent any accidents from happening."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we can be considered to have made our presence felt around the prince. If something unexpected happens, it will be considered as our credit for saving the emperor."

"Being the first to reach the top, breaking through the formation, beheading the general, and capturing the flag may not be as great as saving the emperor!"

Miao Haishi's chest heaved, and his breathing was rapid, "Thank you for your support, big brother!"

Why did Lao Han tell Miao Haishi? On the one hand, it was to find a helper, but the biggest reason was that the prince always sent him out. Now that he knew the prince's identity, he didn't want to leave for a moment, for he was really afraid that something might happen to the prince.

Once you are in danger, not to mention any credit, even your head will be gone.

Therefore, he had to find a reliable person to watch over him.

Next, the two discussed some details until it became completely dark, and then they left one after the other.

……

"Master, please take a seat. I'll pour you a cup of tea."

The old blind man was sitting in a position with his hands hanging down, and his apprentice was serving him tea.

"Master, what should I do next?"

The old blind man tilted his ears to make sure there was no one else around, then he said softly, "There's no need to panic now. Our lord is far from reaching his limit. He will definitely continue to capture cities and occupy more territory."

"Master, do you think the man in the capital would let him mess around like this?" the apprentice asked with a worried look on his face.

"You don't understand what it means to be the emperor?" The old blind man scolded, "No matter how hard he tries, the throne will still be his in the end."

"Just watch. The power displayed by our prince will definitely exceed our imagination."

The young apprentice looked suspicious, but didn't dare to talk back.

The old blind man seemed to be able to see through it, and taught him a lesson: "Don't be unwilling. When you become successful, you will know how to be grateful to me, an old man."

"Come, take this opportunity to teach you a few more tricks so that you can know how to observe the stars at night." The old blind man pointed to the backpack he carried every day, "There is a secret compartment at the bottom. Take the book out of it."

The young disciple walked over and took out the book. He looked at the words written on it and couldn't help but read them out loud: "Master, who is Tianxi?"

The old blind man hit him on the head with his cane and said, "Eyes are for seeing, not for speaking."

"Go and lock the door and set up the incense table. From today on, you are officially admitted."

"what?"

The young apprentice had a confused look on his face, with a grin on his face. He had served the old blind man for more than three years, and he was only considered to have been admitted today?
Although frightened, he still followed the old blind man's instructions and put the incense table and other things in order.

"Your Majesty!"

After everything was heard, the old blind man slowly said, "The first step to get started is to inherit our master. I have always said that our ancestor has a history with Liu Bowen, but that is not true. Our ancestor is the current black-robed prime minister Yao Guangxiao, who is proficient in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism."

"However, ever since our ancestor helped Emperor Yongle ascend the throne, the Ming Emperor has been very wary of us. We have no choice but to hide our identities and not make them public. We make a living by fortune-telling and physiognomy. This tradition has been passed down to me for twelve generations."

This was his true master. He had previously not told the King of Xiang the truth about saving his life.

The young Taoist stared blankly at the scroll in his hand, and finally understood.

Yao Guangxiao, when he was young, wasn’t his name Tianxi?
His Adam's apple rolled, "Master, according to what you said, do we also have to take the path of rebellion?"

bang~
The blind stick hit the young Taoist's head again. The old blind man said to him solemnly and resolutely: "This is not called rebellion, this is called following the will of heaven. We just follow the will of heaven."

The young Taoist priest rubbed his head and said with a bitter face, "Master, should we reconsider this?"

Rebellion is a road of no return. If you are not careful, you will lose your head.

The old blind man hit him on the head with a stick again, "Once you set foot on this road, there is no way back."

"Besides, I feel our prince's face and it seems that his luck is getting better and better. This is a sign of great luck. You can rest assured!"

"Master, you are almost seventy this year. Even if this master succeeds, you won't be able to enjoy the blessing for a few days, right?" The young Taoist priest was puzzled. "What's the point?"

I have followed the old blind man for so long, and I have been eating simple meals every day. He is blind, but I have never seen him covet fame, wealth or power.

The old blind man smiled and said, "It is precisely because the earth has covered my neck that I am not afraid anymore. I want to put into practice everything I have learned and realized in this life to see if the knowledge passed down by the ancestor is as mysterious as he said."

As he said this, the old blind man's dry eyes seemed to be moving, as if he wanted to open them and take a look at the world.

Having lived for nearly seventy years, he has been struggling to find an opportunity, an opportunity to display his talents. What's wrong with being blind? Does a blind person deserve to be unknown?

The old blind man's body shook, and his originally bent back instantly straightened up, "I want this chaotic world to be remembered by all. I am the old blind man, Gong Yang Xiao Ming."

The young Taoist priest looked at his master, the muscles on his face twitching, and thought to himself: "Crazy, all crazy..."

(End of this chapter)