Chapter 9

Previously, Zhao Junchen had not realized that Xu Qingyan, though merely a lowly attendant who had only followed him around and engaged in no learning, actually had considerable insight. He was well-informed about the current state of the Ming Dynasty in various aspects.

Through conversations with Xu Qingyan, Zhao Junchen learned many things he wanted to know. As he had conjectured, the turning point in the Ming Dynasty's fate indeed began with Emperor Chongzhen. Before Emperor Chongzhen, the history of the Ming Dynasty did not differ much from what Zhao Junchen knew. However, in this timeline, Emperor Chongzhen was a once-in-a-century "wise and enlightened ruler." From the moment he ascended the throne, he worked hard to improve the lives of the people, reformed the civil and military systems, removed corrupt officials, and appointed virtuous ones. He vigorously developed the grain production in Huguang and the salt production in Suzhou and Hangzhou in the south, and prepared the army to resist the Jurchens and Mongols in the north, greatly improving the chaotic situation of the Ming Dynasty. The famous rebels like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, who were well-known in history, were suppressed as soon as they emerged. These changes not only altered the fate of the Ming Dynasty's downfall but also saved him from the fate of hanging himself on a coal hill.

At one point, Zhao Junchen even suspected that this completely different Emperor Chongzhen might be a time traveler like himself. However, after thoroughly understanding Emperor Chongzhen's actions, Zhao Junchen negated this idea. Although Emperor Chongzhen was a once-in-a-century wise and enlightened ruler, his actions never escaped the constraints of feudal rulers' thinking. He extended the life of the Ming Dynasty, but it was merely treating symptoms rather than the root causes, making only minor adjustments. He ignored the fundamental problems of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, although the Ming Dynasty continued, the chaotic situation immediately returned to normal after Emperor Chongzhen's death. Despite his lifelong efforts, the Ming Dynasty did not even achieve a "revival."

Perhaps influenced by his subjective bias, according to Xu Qingyan's introduction, the current political forces in the Ming Dynasty could be roughly divided into the corrupt officials represented by certain individuals, the powerful ministers represented by certain individuals, the treacherous officials represented by certain individuals, the sycophants represented by certain individuals, and some self-righteous but incompetent officials who only caused trouble.

In the countryside, there were "rebellious commoners" everywhere, who did not think about working hard but instead were intent on rebelling. Although there were no major upheavals, small disturbances occurred frequently, and rebels and unruly people were seen everywhere—this was evidenced by the bandages on Zhao Junchen's head.

Although Zhao Junchen had mentally prepared for the situation described by Xu Qingyan, the severity of the situation still shocked him, and he was somewhat skeptical.

If the situation was really like this, the current Ming Dynasty's survival could be attributed to divine protection. If this situation continued, the emergence of another "Li Zicheng" or "Zhang Xianzhong" would only be a matter of time.

Perhaps, Xu Qingyan's description was just a case of projecting his own nature onto others?

After all, in a small person's eyes, everyone in the world is a small person. Xu Qingyan, who had followed the original Zhao Junchen, engaged in corruption, bribery, and deceit, and could be considered a small person. In his mind, all the officials in the court were as greedy and incompetent as himself, and the people who opposed Zhao Junchen were all rebellious and traitorous.

"These matters, how much is true and how much is false, can only be investigated over time."

Thinking this, Zhao Junchen asked Xu Qingyan about the situation at the Liaodong border.

After all, Zhao Junchen was very concerned about the Jurchens who had established the Qing Dynasty in the original history.

"Qingyan, have there been any recent developments at the Liaodong border? Have the tribes outside the border been active recently?"

Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, Xu Qingyan was very puzzled. The original Zhao Junchen was only interested in money, so why was he asking so many unrelated questions today?

Although puzzled, Xu Qingyan still answered, "What else? Since the late emperor personally led the campaign and killed the leader of the Jurchens..."

Halfway through his sentence, Xu Qingyan suddenly paused, frowning and thinking hard.

Zhao Junchen reminded him, "You mean Huang Taiji?"

Xu Qingyan slapped his thigh and said, "You have a good memory, sir. Yes, that's right, Huang Taiji. After the late emperor personally led the campaign and killed Huang Taiji in the chaos, the barbarians initially kept shouting for revenge and frequently harassed the border, causing a lot of trouble for our Ming Dynasty. But in recent years, they have become more peaceful. Plus, the Wu family, who have been guarding Liaodong for generations, are skilled in military affairs, so there have been no major incidents in recent years."

Zhao Junchen frowned and asked, "The Wu family?"

Xu Qingyan nodded and said, "Yes, the Wu family. The head of the Wu family, Wu Yingxiong, has always been respectful to you, sir. When you were promoted to the position of Deputy Minister of Revenue at the beginning of the year, Wu Yingxiong even sent a generous gift. Have you forgotten?"

Zhao Junchen smiled faintly and nodded, saying, "I remember now, Wu Yingxiong... Speaking of which, who is the current leader of the Jurchens?"

Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, Xu Qingyan frowned and thought hard again.

Clearly, he had heard about these matters but had never paid much attention to them.

Zhao Junchen, as before, gently prompted Xu Qingyan, "Dorgon?"

Xu Qingyan shook his head and said, "There is such a person, but I heard that he was killed during an internal conflict among the Jurchens a few years ago."

Zhao Junchen asked again, "Aisin Gioro Fulin?"

Xu Qingyan still shook his head and said, "This person was the former khan of the Jurchens, but he died of illness many years ago."

"Aobai?"

"I've never heard of this person."

Zhao Junchen sighed and asked the name he least wanted to hear a positive answer to: "Aisin Gioro Xuanye?"

Just as Zhao Junchen was expecting Xu Qingyan to deny it again, Xu Qingyan nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, you are very smart, sir. It is him. Since he became the khan of the Jurchens, they have become much more peaceful, and there have been few wars in Liaodong. Instead, I've heard that they have had many conflicts with the Mongols, but they are in remote areas, and I don't know the details."

Aisin Gioro Xuanye, known as Emperor Kangxi in the history Zhao Junchen was familiar with, was regarded by many historians as the "emperor of the ages."

According to the timeline, the current Aisin Gioro Xuanye was probably a few years older than Zhao Junchen, not yet thirty.

But now, he was only the khan of the Jurchens.

The Qing Dynasty, which should have been established, perhaps did not come into being because the Ming Dynasty did not decline under Emperor Chongzhen's governance.

These familiar names made Zhao Junchen feel somewhat complex.

Although history had changed, these influential figures still appeared in this timeline due to the inertia of history.

If the change in history was due to a single chance event, then the appearance of these figures might be a necessity within that chance.

However, after understanding the general situation and having a clear mind, Zhao Junchen did not want to think too much about these matters.

Where would the Jurchens under Xuanye's leadership go? Would the Wu family still betray the Ming and join the Qing as in the history he knew? These major events that would influence the world were too distant for Zhao Junchen.

Compared to the fate of the entire world, Zhao Junchen now needed to change his own fate.