Chapter 1 The Beginning
The fiftieth year of Qianlong's reign, the twelfth of August.
The moon hung high in the sky, its pure moonlight gently cast upon the Forbidden City, occasionally brushed by a gentle breeze, enhancing the picturesque atmosphere.
However, the old dog Qianlong had no mood to appreciate the moonlit scenery, nor did he pay much attention to the fact that it would be the thirteenth of August after midnight, only quietly reminiscing in his heart about the Empress Fucha, who had passed away many years ago.
The thirteenth of August was the Emperor's birthday during the Qianlong Dynasty, and Qianlong the old dog was about to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday.
According to the rules of our Great Qing, the Emperor's birthday, along with the New Year's Day and Winter Solstice, were known as the three major festivals. For any Emperor's birthday, the preceding and succeeding three days were reserved for non-judicial matters. Princes and officials were required to wear python robes, present "ruyi" to the Emperor, and perform the grand court ceremony. The Emperor first paid homage at the Imperial Ancestral Temple for sacrifice, then paid respects to the Empress Dowager, and finally received congratulations at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The so-called receiving congratulations at the Hall of Supreme Harmony was when princes and officials presented congratulatory memorials and performed rites of celebration. Princes and envoys from outer territories would also line up to offer congratulations. A banquet for the Emperor's birthday would be held at the Hall of Supreme Harmony at noon.
If it were an emperor like Qianlong, who was prone to making a fuss and showing off, for his sixtieth or seventieth birthdays, he would first send officials to report to Heaven, the Imperial Ancestral Temple's rear hall, the Hall of Imperial Ancestors, and the Altar of Land and Grain. For a month, judicial matters would be suspended. On the day itself, princes and officials would wear python robes. Officials, successful candidates in the imperial examinations, scholars, students, and elders from various provinces who came to the capital to offer congratulations would line up outside the Meridian Gate and the Gate of Heavenly Peace to pay their respects. Officials from various provinces, prefectures, sub-prefectures, and counties would also set up imperial tablets in their yamen halls to offer congratulations and wish my Great Qing's imperial dogs eternal life.
If it weren't for Zhu Jinsong, the foremost rebel leader, Qianlong the old dog would likely have been guessing what kind of gifts he would receive on the thirteenth of August and reminiscing about the deceased Empress Fucha a month prior.
However, the reality was that in Shandong, there was Zhu Jinsong, the foremost rebel leader, and in Shanxi, there was Zhu Zhongzhi. Of my Great Qing's original eighteen provinces of Han territory, only more than half of Zhili remained. The princes and envoys from outer territories had all returned to their respective homes, and no one cared about Qianlong the old dog anymore.
Therefore, Qianlong the old dog had long lost interest in guessing gifts. He simply ordered a simplified celebration within the palace, listening to opera and admiring the moon in the courtyard, as if he had passed both the Emperor's birthday and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Saving money to quell bandits, as long as Fucha remained in his heart, his heart would be filled with moonlight. Whether the Emperor's birthday and Mid-Autumn Festival were grand or meager mattered little.
Unfortunately, as Qianlong entered the twelfth night of the twelfth month of his fiftieth year, while he was listening to opera, admiring the moon, and secretly reminiscing about the long-deceased Empress Fucha with his Manchu princes and officials, a roaring sound of killing and shouting erupted outside the palace. Subsequently, fires broke out, and the entire Forbidden City fell into chaos.
The mood for admiring the moon was gone, the mood for celebrating the Emperor's birthday was gone, and even the mood for secretly reminiscing about Empress Fucha was disrupted. Qianlong the old dog immediately turned to Heshen, the Grand Tutor, and roared, "Go send someone to see what's going on!"
Heshen, the Grand Tutor, acknowledged with a "Yes" and first instructed the guards of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to protect Qianlong the old dog and the princes and officials well, then personally led his men towards the palace gates.
Not long after, the shouts of killing outside the palace gates gradually subsided. Heshen, the Grand Tutor, returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity carrying three bloody heads and reported to Qianlong the old dog, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Yu Feng Beile, son of Prince Yu, along with the Commander of the Infantry, Jilun, and Celeng E'fu's son, Celeng, have rebelled. They led the Heavenly Way Sect rebels in attacking the Forbidden City. Yu Feng Beile, Jilun, and Celeng have all been executed, and the palace guards are currently beheading the remaining rebels."
Upon hearing Heshen's report, Qianlong the old dog's face turned from green to red. Just as he was about to unleash his anger, Prince Yu, Aisin Gioro Xiuling, knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to Qianlong the old dog, saying, "It is unjust! Your Majesty, this son of mine is only sixteen years old. It is possible that he was misled and joined some Heavenly Way Sect, but this child has always been loyal and would never rebel! I beg Your Majesty to discern!"
Qianlong the old dog, however, laughed in his rage and glared at Xiuling, shouting, "Silence! Now that their heads are here, can Heshen have falsely accused them!"
Upon hearing Qianlong the old dog's words, Heshen, the Grand Tutor, quickly explained, "Reporting to Your Majesty, when I arrived at the palace gates with some guards, Yu Feng Beile was wearing a dragon robe and ordered the gate guards to surrender the gate. It is not that I deliberately falsely accused Yu Feng Beile!"
Having said this, Heshen, the Grand Tutor, turned his gaze back to Prince Yu, Xiuling, "If Prince Yu does not believe me, you can go and see for yourself. Yu Feng Beile's corpse is still wearing a dragon robe!"
Xiuling's heart was shocked, and he collapsed to the ground like an old dog whose spine had been removed, muttering, "This is impossible, absolutely impossible, my son..."
Qianlong the old dog waved his hand at Heshen and ordered, "Arrest Prince Yu! Heshen, personally lead men to search the residences of Prince Yu and Prince Chaoyong Heshuo!"
After Heshen, the Grand Tutor, bowed in acknowledgment, Qianlong the old dog looked with disgust at the heads of Yu Feng and the other two, and ordered, "Guards, take these three dog slaves' heads and feed them to the dogs!"
Heshen, the Grand Tutor, who was on his way out of the palace, did not stop, but inwardly uttered an apology—he had seen foolish people before, but he had never seen anyone as foolish as this.
Do you think I, this Grand Tutor, truly support your rebellion?
With just the handful of people in your Heavenly Way Sect?
Yes, I said that my Great Qing could no longer withstand turmoil, but have you ever considered what that has to do with you?
Yes, I said that my Great Qing's capital city is high and its moats are deep, but have you ever considered how many rounds of cannon fire such walls and moats can withstand?
Don't be foolish. I, this Grand Tutor, merely fancied the money from your families.
Now it's not bad. You've rebelled, and the money I fancied is about to be mine. A portion will be used to give our Great Qing's loyal followers a few months' worth of banner pay, and the rest, I'll split with His Majesty fifty-fifty.
Thank you!
Of course, Heshen, the Grand Tutor, also knew that with the money from just Prince Yu and Prince Chaoyong Heshuo's families, it would at most last a few months. To truly solve this problem, it would likely still fall upon the hands of the rebel Zhu and the others.
However, upon thinking of these two rebel Zhu families in Shandong and Shanxi, Heshen, the Grand Tutor, couldn't help but get a headache.
Would these two rebels accept enfeoffment from my Great Qing?
...
While Heshen, the Grand Tutor, was overseeing the investigation of Prince Yu's rebellion case in the capital, Zhu Jinsong, the foremost rebel leader, was receiving the envoy, Xu Ke Xin, sent by Qianlong the old dog and Grand Tutor He.
Initially, Zhu Jinsong had not intended to meet with any envoy sent by Qianlong the old dog and Grand Tutor He.
In Zhu Jinsong's opinion, he, a dignified Heavenly Emperor's descendant and descendant of Yan and Huang, what kind of status would it be to meet an envoy sent by the Jurchen?
Furthermore, my Liang Menggu rebellion group is now strong and well-equipped. Perhaps one day, this rebel leader, in a fit of glee, might march directly to the capital.
Moreover, Xu Ke Xin's name alone did not sound like a good person.
However, after further consideration, Zhu Jinsong felt it was very necessary to meet them.
Talk of enfeoffing Zhu Jinsong as the Young King Ming, and other such nonsense, was naturally omitted. Zhu Jinsong could not accept the enfeoffment of my Great Qing.
Zhu Jinsong was only interested in one thing.
After secretly calculating in his mind, Zhu Jinsong said to Xu Ke Xin, "Qianlong the old... Qianlong and Grand Tutor He wish to make peace, and it is not impossible."
However, before Xu Ke Xin's face could show a smile, Zhu Jinsong continued, "However, I still have a few conditions. As long as Qianlong and Grand Tutor He agree, I will immediately withdraw my troops and guarantee not to attack your Great Qing again."
Xu Ke Xin bowed slightly and said, "May I know what conditions His Highness the King Ming has? I beg His Highness the King Ming to inform me. If I can agree, I will agree immediately. If I cannot agree, I will return to report to His Majesty."
Zhu Jinsong suppressed the disgust and killing intent in his heart, chuckled, and said, "First, your Great Qing court needs to provide ten million taels of silver as compensation for military expenses."
Xu Ke Xin secretly calculated in his heart and felt that this condition was not difficult to meet, so he bowed slightly and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, regarding the condition of ten million taels of silver, I can agree on behalf of His Majesty."
Zhu Jinsong let out a cold laugh and continued, "The second condition is to have Qianlong the old... have Qianlong send the Yongle Encyclopedia to me, as well as 'Qiqu Tushuo,' 'Tiangong Kaiwu,' 'Junqi Tushuo,' 'Jingji Lu,' 'Jingji Yan,' 'Jinglue Fuguo Yaobian,' 'Jinglue Sugao,' 'Jingshi Ji,' 'Jingshi Qiyao,' 'Jingshi Shiyongbian,' 'Jingshi Yaolue,' 'Jing She Yi Ji,' 'Jing Yuan Tong Zong,' and the blueprints and documents of the Ming Dynasty treasure ships, without missing a single one."
"In short, all those that were destroyed by the Siku Quanshu must be sent to me. Don't tell me they were burned, and don't think of fooling me with your altered versions. I know Qianlong definitely has another copy."
"Thirteen thousand six hundred volumes of books, plus one million seven hundred and ninety-six thousand Ming dynasty archives, I want to see them all, without missing any."
"As long as these two conditions are met, I can agree to Qianlong's request for peace and guarantee that I will not march north again."
Upon hearing the names of these books, especially after hearing about the blueprints and documents of the treasure ships, Xu Ke Xin knew something was wrong.
According to my Great Qing's intelligence, Zhu Jinsong was merely a rebel leader from a peasant background, who had achieved his current status through sheer luck.
However, just hearing the book titles reported by Zhu Jinsong indicated that my Great Qing's intelligence was definitely flawed.
This Zhu Jinsong was definitely not of peasant origin as stated in my Great Qing's intelligence.
After carefully deliberating in his heart, Xu Ke Xin cautiously tested the waters and said, "Your Highness's requirement is truly a bit difficult?"
However, seeing Zhu Jinsong's face immediately turn dark, Xu Ke Xin, startled, immediately changed his tone and said, "However, it's merely some books. I can agree on behalf of His Majesty."
Zhu Jinsong's expression immediately shifted from cloudy to clear, and he chuckled, "That's right. It's not good for either of us to resort to armed conflict over a mere sum of money and some books.
"I'm not an unreasonable person either. Look, since I acknowledge your Great Qing's title of King Ming, then the Ming dynasty materials should naturally belong to me, right? I am a reasonable person!"
Xu Ke Xin nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, I also trust His Highness the King Ming. However..."
Zhu Jinsong's expression immediately turned from clear to cloudy, and he asked, "However, what?"
Xu Ke Xin was startled again and hastily replied, "However, Grand Tutor He once instructed me that if peace negotiations with His Highness the King Ming were to be reached, I should ask His Highness the King Ming to personally sign and thumbprint as proof."
Upon hearing Xu Ke Xin's request, Zhu Jinsong's expression eased again. Ignoring Zeng Cheng and others who were advising him, he directly signed his name on the peace document.
After signing, Zhu Jinsong said to Xu Ke Xin, "Within a month, I want to see the silver and those books and documents. If everything is there, our two sides will cease hostilities. If anything is missing, I will immediately lead my troops north and take the capital!"
Xu Ke Xin, trembling, agreed, "Yes! Your humble servant remembers."
However, after Xu Ke Xin left, Zeng Cheng, who had been signaling and advising Zhu Jinsong, could not hold back and angrily said, "The Great Leader is extremely foolish! The Great Leader is a descendant of the Great Ming's founding emperor, a Heavenly Emperor's descendant, a descendant of Yan and Huang, how can he accept the enfeoffment of that Tatar?"
"Furthermore, even if the peace document must be signed, it should be signed by us ministers, so that there is room for regret later. Now that the Great Leader has personally signed the peace document, if we attack the Great Qing again in the future, won't it harm the Great Leader's reputation?"
Zhu Jinsong responded with a hum, then looked at Zeng Cheng with a completely serious expression and said, "The reputation of the three words 'Zhu Jinsong' is worthless compared to the 'Yongle Encyclopedia' and the books and documents of past sages!"
"Master Zeng, you should know the value of the books I just mentioned."
"As long as I can exchange them for the 'Yongle Encyclopedia,' 'Qiqu Tushuo,' 'Junqi Tushuo,' 'Tiangong Kaiwu,' and the treasure ship blueprints, even if the name 'Zhu Jinsong' becomes notorious, it will be worth it."
Saying this, Zhu Jinsong let out a cold laugh and added, "Moreover, what relationship does the signature of Zhu Jinsong have with my Zhu Zhongru? One must know that the Great Leader of Liang Menggu is named Zhu Zhongru, the fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, how could he be called Zhu Jinsong?"
"I remember a wise saying: The paper I have not signed is like feces in a latrine. In my opinion, even these things signed with the Tatars are still feces in a latrine. After all, deceiving the Tatars, how can that be called deception?"
Zeng Cheng looked at Zhu Jinsong, who had a serious expression on his face, and felt as if tens of thousands of Mud Horses were trampling through his heart, leaving him in utter chaos.
I have never seen such a shameless person!
However, upon thinking of the Great Leader's stubborn temper, Zeng Cheng swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue and instead said, "The Great Leader is wise. However, what if the Tatars refuse to exchange them for those books and documents?"