Chapter 53: Fiercely Confronting Chongzhen—A Devoted Father and Dutiful Son!
*Cough cough...*
Chongzhen first cleared his throat a few times, then pointed at the Ming Daily on the table and asked,
"Did you put together this Ming Daily?"
Zhu Cilang continued sipping his tea, ignoring Chongzhen.
Chongzhen was momentarily stunned, then suddenly erupted in fury!
What’s going on?
This rebellious son didn’t even greet me first, and now when I take the initiative to speak to him, he outright ignores me?
Even if he’s a traitor, he’s still my son. How dare he treat me like this?
*Smack!*
In the next moment, Chongzhen slammed his palm heavily on the table, then stood up abruptly, pointing at Zhu Cilang and scolding,
"Traitor! What kind of attitude is this? Even if I’m imprisoned by you, I am still your emperor! Is this how you treat your father?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang finally looked calmly at Chongzhen.
The reason he ignored him before was because of the matter with Lu Xiangsheng, but now it was time to ask what was really going on.
So Zhu Cilang spoke at last,
“Your son has a question for the emperor and hopes for an honest answer.”
Though somewhat evasive, the rebellious son finally spoke.
Chongzhen sat back down reluctantly, scowling as he asked,
“What question?”
Zhu Cilang continued,
“Today, while wandering in the capital, I happened upon Lu Xiangsheng’s brother and family. They came to claim compensation for Lu Xiangsheng.”
“I want to ask, Your Majesty, why has the court refused to grant compensation and a posthumous title to Lu Xiangsheng, even though he died in battle three years ago?”
“Why does the court treat a hero who sacrificed himself for the nation so coldly? Are they not afraid this will dishearten the generals still fighting valiantly for Ming?”
Chongzhen’s expression barely changed.
Hmph!
He snorted coldly, saying,
“What kind of hero is Lu Xiangsheng? His family has come several times before asking for compensation and a title; I did not grant it then, and I will not now!”
Zhu Cilang was not angry but sensed something was amiss.
No matter how harsh or foolish an emperor might be, he shouldn’t treat a heroic general who died for the country like this!
And why did he say Lu Xiangsheng wasn’t a hero?
Could there be some misunderstanding?
Thinking this, Zhu Cilang pressed again,
"There must be a reason."
---
"A reason?"
Chongzhen sneered and continued,
“Lu Xiangsheng was killed by the Manchus after he surrendered to them!”
“He betrayed Ming. I am already being generous by not punishing his family. Why should I grant him compensation or a posthumous title?”
...
Zhu Cilang was stunned by this.
The next moment, he swore loudly,
“Who the hell spread this nonsense?”
Zhu Cilang was furious. A hero who died fighting for the country suddenly labeled a traitor who surrendered to the Manchus?
Who the hell was spreading such lies?
Chongzhen gave Zhu Cilang a displeased glare,
“You are still the crown prince of Ming. How can you speak such crude and disgraceful words?”
Zhu Cilang suppressed his anger and said,
“That’s not important. What matters is who told you this?”
Chongzhen looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he cared so much.
But he finally said,
“It was Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian.”
Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian — the officials and eunuchs Chongzhen trusted most. They were the very ones who had framed Lu Xiangsheng!
Realizing this, Zhu Cilang finally understood everything!
“Ha ha ha ha...”
Suddenly, he burst out laughing, shaking his head as he did.
Chongzhen was baffled by Zhu Cilang’s reaction,
“Traitor! Why are you laughing? Are you mad?”
Zhu Cilang looked at Chongzhen with profound sadness in his eyes,
“You ask why I am laughing?”
“I’m laughing at your ignorance!”
“I’m laughing at your foolishness!”
“That you have been completely fooled by an official and a eunuch!”
“Indeed, Lu Jinxiang was not wrong—Father, you truly are a foolish ruler!”
“You don’t deserve all those loyal ministers and generals who died for you!”
You, you, you...
---
Upon hearing this, Chongzhen’s face flushed red with rage, leaving him speechless.
He had wanted to praise this rebellious son for the excellent work on the Ming Daily today, but after just a few words, the son nearly infuriated him to death!
As a father and emperor, even if there were mistakes, it wasn’t his son’s place to criticize him!
Besides, what fault did he have in this matter?
Lu Xiangsheng was simply a general who surrendered to the Manchus and was later killed. Why should he receive a posthumous title and compensation?
Just as Chongzhen was about to accuse Zhu Cilang again, the latter spoke first.
“If I told you that you were deceived?”
“Lu Xiangsheng died because Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian abandoned him when he was in danger!”
“Yang and Gao envied Lu Xiangsheng’s achievements and feared his continued victories would undermine them. So they deliberately made things difficult for him on the battlefield and with supply lines!”
“This meant that although Lu Xiangsheng was nominally in command of the imperial forces, he could only muster fewer than twenty thousand men!”
“By the time of the decisive battle against the Manchus, Lu Xiangsheng had less than five thousand troops!”
“At that time, Gao Qiqian was stationed less than fifty miles away at Jize, commanding twenty thousand elite Guan Ning cavalry!”
“Lu Xiangsheng sought his aid, but Gao ignored him. Ultimately, Lu Xiangsheng had no choice but to fight the two-man Manchu army to the death!”
“Lu Xiangsheng and his five thousand valiant soldiers perished on the battlefield!”
“After his death, Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian, fearing your blame, slandered Lu Xiangsheng, claiming he was killed only after surrendering to the Manchus!”
“And you believed them, which is why Lu Xiangsheng’s body lay unburied for over eighty days!”
“Do you really think Yang and Gao alone could have concealed the truth?”
“You are mistaken! It’s not just Yang and Gao deceiving you! All the civil and military officials are deceiving you!”
“They don’t want you to know the truth. They only want you to know the ‘truth’ they choose to reveal!”
“Father, you are truly a failed emperor. The officials deceive you, the nobles deceive you, the eunuchs deceive you—everyone deceives you. Isn’t that laughable?”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t even have the face to meet the ancestors of the Zhu family in the afterlife!”
As Zhu Cilang said these words, a deep sorrow filled his heart.
Everyone knew Lu Xiangsheng was wronged, but no one told Chongzhen the truth; everyone was deceiving him.
In fact, in the original history, when Chongzhen learned of Sun Chuanting’s death in battle, he even believed Sun had fled!
Seventeen years into his reign, some may have initially been loyal to him, but over time, as they saw his true nature, their loyalty waned.
In the end, officials and generals colluded to deceive him, leaving Chongzhen ignorant of the frontline situation and causing him to make a series of fatal mistakes.
Rather than a true emperor, Chongzhen was merely a puppet—
A puppet kept in the Forbidden City by others.