Chapter Four: Disaster! Emperor Chongzhen Dies of Rage!
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Beside him, Wang Cheng’en wore a face full of terror.
Since when had the Crown Prince become so resolute?
Regaining his composure, he hastily pleaded,
“Your Highness, I beg you, please don’t say such things. These words must not be spoken lightly!”
“His Majesty, please don’t be angry. The Crown Prince must be suffering from hysteria to say such things!”
Hysteria?
Hearing this, Chongzhen’s anger flared immediately.
“Nonsense about hysteria!”
“You must have heard the noises outside just now, right? That rebellious son managed to enter here safely because he had already dealt with the imperial guards outside.”
“He came fully prepared and has been scheming for a long time!”
“Rebellious son, am I wrong?”
Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and replied calmly,
“No, Your Majesty. I had already decided to rebel when I tried to advise you before and you refused to listen.”
“Now, the entire palace is under my control.”
Chongzhen sneered, his gaze chillingly sharp as he stared at his son.
“What? You intend to commit regicide?”
He truly could not understand what was happening—how had the once gentle and refined Crown Prince suddenly turned into a son who would kill his sovereign and seize the throne?
Regicide?
Yet, upon hearing the word, Zhu Cilang shook his head.
“I dare not. I only wish to ask Father Emperor to abdicate.”
“If Father Emperor is willing to issue an abdication edict and pass the throne to me, then Father Emperor can remain in the palace as the Retired Emperor.”
“I assure you, aside from no longer handling state affairs, Father Emperor’s treatment will not differ in the slightest.”
Zhu Cilang made his stance clear.
“Hahahahaha! You want me to abdicate? In your dreams!”
Chongzhen first laughed wildly, then ground his teeth and snarled,
“You rebellious son, how dare you commit regicide and usurp the throne? Do you know you will be condemned by thousands and scorned by millions?”
Zhu Cilang found this laughable and said,
“As long as I can save the Ming Dynasty, what does it matter if I am condemned by thousands and scorned by millions?”
“Even if history records me as a usurper who committed regicide, so what?”
“Compared to the fate of our great Ming Empire, what are those trifles?”
At these words, a subtle change flickered across Chongzhen’s expression.
“You’re so confident you can save the Ming Dynasty?”
He asked again, his tone softening somewhat.
Suddenly, he sensed something strange in his son—something he himself had never possessed.
It was a kingly aura!
“Of course!”
Zhu Cilang replied solemnly.
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“Although Father Emperor does not believe me, I swear I will save the Ming Dynasty and lead it to its pinnacle once more!”
Chongzhen closed his eyes, calming his breath, then spoke again,
“Rebellious son, do you really think these matters are as simple as you imagine?”
“You cannot defeat the ministers in court; you are no match for them!”
“And those nobles—they are far more terrifying than you realize. You cannot defeat them, understand?”
As he spoke, his expression grew frenzied, as if recalling the years of struggle against those ministers and nobles.
Of course, he had mostly lost—and lost terribly.
“How does Father Emperor know I cannot defeat them?”
Zhu Cilang smiled and said,
“Just because Father Emperor cannot defeat them, does that mean I cannot?”
“From beginning to end, those ministers and nobles have never feared an emperor like Father Emperor, but rather emperors like Taizu and Chengzu, who were ruthless and decisive.”
“But Father Emperor, you cannot be like them, whereas I can!”
“I will become an emperor even more feared than Taizu and Chengzu!”
“I want them to tremble at the sound of my voice and shiver at the sight of my shadow.”
Chongzhen’s eyelids twitched, and a fierce fire surged within him again.
“Rebellious son! Are you planning to be a tyrant?”
A tyrant?
Zhu Cilang answered calmly,
“As long as it saves the Ming Dynasty and restores it to greatness, what does it matter if I become a tyrant?”
“Better to be a tyrant than an emperor who presides over the fall of the nation, right?”
Another damned ‘emperor over a fallen kingdom’!
Hearing this, Chongzhen was on the verge of losing control.
This rebellious son truly struck at the most painful spot!
The next moment, he ground his teeth and asked,
“You’re not doing this alone, are you? Who else is helping you?”
Zhu Cilang wanted to tell him it was all his doing, but considering his plans, he kept silent and simply clapped his hands.
Clap! Clap!
At once, the main doors were pushed open again.
Zhang Shize, heir to the Duke of Yingguo; Wang Xiantong, newly titled Earl; and Li Guozhen, Earl of Xiangcheng, entered trembling.
At the sight of these three, Chongzhen’s face turned even more sullen.
He never imagined that these nobles, whom he had long entrusted with great responsibilities, would side with the Crown Prince in rebellion!
At the same time, Zhang Shize, Wang Xiantong, and Li Guozhen were nearly in tears from fright.
Could they really listen to the conversation between the Emperor and Crown Prince just now?
They were only spared because they were now tied to the Crown Prince’s cause; otherwise, they would have been silenced instantly.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Regaining their composure, the three hurriedly bowed to Chongzhen, after all, he was still the Emperor.
“Good, good…”
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Chongzhen pointed at the nobles before him and bitterly smiled.
“This explains why the Crown Prince specifically ordered you to the Eastern Palace earlier. So you had already conspired with him to rebel, didn’t you?”
“I trusted you all so much before. You really deserve to die!”
Hearing this, Zhang Shize instinctively wanted to argue but was pulled back by the seasoned Li Guozhen, who motioned for silence.
After all, they had stormed the palace alongside the Crown Prince; it was useless to argue now.
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