Chapter 2839: Surprising Identities

Looking at the imperial edict that had been delivered from thousands of kilometers away, Zu An was awed.

This is indeed a different world. If the imperial edict was delivered so fast, the communication networks here should also be much more efficient than in the ancient feudal dynasties. There might just be a chance to re-establish order.

Zu An accepted the imperial edict. Marked on it were the coordinates of the capital. He channeled his ki and was soon teleported to the capital.

The laws of this world were rather peculiar. Typically speaking, with his cultivation, Zu An should have been able to swiftly cover the distance between Shanxi and the capital. In fact, he had already tried it out. Yet he felt a bizarre rejection from the world when he tried to fly there himself, and the distance was much longer than he had expected.

The world must have adjusted itself in response to the increased strength of its inhabitants.

But with the imperial edict’s protection, Zu An could teleport there right away.

As soon as Zu An reached the capital, he made his way to the Forbidden City’s western wall to look for Isabella and Chu Chuyan.

But only Isabella was waiting for him there. She was dressed in palace clothes, exuding a youthful yet traditional charm.

“Big brother Zu!” Isabella spotted him and ran over excitedly. She had been waiting here for some time now.

“Little sister Bella!” Zu An’s nervous heart calmed down a little as he felt her trembling body.

Just then, a maid timidly reminded, “Your Highness, this is inappropriate. Rumors might arise if others see this.”

Zu An’s eyes widened. “Did you take on the role of a princess?”

“Yup,” Isabella replied via telepathy to prevent the maid from eavesdropping on their conversation. “I’m the Chongzhen Emperor’s second daughter, the Princess of Eternal Peace, Zhu Meichuo. My nickname is Lil’ Ninth.”

Zu An was speechless.

To think that she became Lil’ Ninth, the pitiful princess who had her country destroyed and her arm chopped off by her father, the Chongzhen Emperor.

[1]

“I’ve been waiting for you the last few days. You’re finally here. Hm? Why don’t I see big sister Chu?” Isabella looked around.

Zu An’s heart clenched up. “You didn’t see her either?”

“I didn’t. I thought you two were together.”

Zu An shook his head as he wondered where Chu Chuyan was.

“Don’t worry too much, big brother Zu. Big sister Chu is strong and sharp-witted. I’m sure she’ll be able to protect herself well. She’s probably on the way here now,” Isabella consoled him.

Zu An nodded. He was able to teleport here quickly thanks to the imperial edict. If Chu Chuyan had transmigrated to a faraway place, it would indeed take some time for her to get here.

Just then, the imperial edict glowed. A voice urged him to quickly enter the palace.

Zu An looked at Isabella and frowned. “Chongzhen is...”

“Yes, it’s the First Elder,” Isabella replied with a bitter expression. She had always been fearful of the stern First Elder. She didn’t think she would have to role play as his daughter in this world. This was a huge bummer to her.

...

It was only when Zu An arrived at the Imperial Library that he understood what First Elder Oberon intended.

Those who had been summoned here were all members of the Order faction.

First Elder Oberon was the lofty Chongzhen Emperor. Augustus was the Northeast Field Marshal tasked with the responsibility of fending against the Manchus, Yuan Chonghuan[2], whereas Adrian was Yuan Chengzhi.

This made Zu An’s heart pound rapidly.

Is this the power of destiny?

But what shocked him more was the Second Elder’s identity. The devoted, dashing middle-aged man, who had charmed many women, was actually Wu Sangui[3]!

Wu Sangui was an infamous Han traitor in this world. In history, he was infuriated that Li Zicheng had held his concubine, Chen Yuanyuan, hostage after invading the imperial palace, so he granted the Manchus free passageway into the Central Plains. That made him a sinner for many generations to come.

How did the righteous Second Elder Hermes end up as this infamous Han traitor? Isn’t he known for his devotion to his lover? Did he fall in love with this world’s Chen Yuanyuan?

This feels impossible no matter how I look at it.

Fourth Elder Mastema was an official in charge of finance. Meanwhile, Sixth Elder Naraka was Sun Chengzong, a military official assigned to guard the northeast together with Augustus and Adrian. His responsibilities lay more toward the administrative and logistics side.

The others participating in the Order Ceremony were mainly their underlings.

While Zu An was assessing the others, the others were also assessing him.

Adrian asked, “Shouldn’t you be a historian or a missionary? How did you end up as a provincial commissioner?”

“I don’t know either. That’s the position I ended up with.” Zu An was confused as well.

“There’s something wrong with his identity!” Adrian told Oberon. “First Elder, I propose executing this fellow, or else he might derail our plan to re-establish order.”

Isabella opened her arms to protect Zu An. “Nonsense! With big brother Zu’s help, we will be a step closer to our goal. You’re just trying to exact vengeance on him!”

Adrian’s expression darkened.

Fourth Elder Mastema also spoke up cheerily, “Bella is right. We should get all the help we can right now. I’m sure he’d be of help as a Memory envoy.”

Augustus scoffed, “I just tore through the Manchu army. By this world’s time, it should take me no more than five years to quell the unrest in Liaodong. We don’t need help from an outsider.”

The others in the Order faction took the chance to fawn on Augustus.

From their words, Zu An understood that Augustus had just crushed the Manchu army under Hong Taiji’s command in the Battle of Ning-Jin[4].

No wonder he’s so proud that his ass is almost poking into the sky.

But why does the ‘quell the unrest in Liaodong in five years’ part sound so familiar to me?

[5]

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Isabella anxiously spoke up for Zu An. “Big brother Zu rescued the besieged Hancheng and defeated several rebel armies as well!”

Zu An had told her what he’d done on the way to the Imperial Library.

Adrian sneered, “Don’t be fooled by him. Whether it’s that Wang Zuogua or Miao Mei, they are merely a bunch of rabble. Any one of my underlings could easily subdue them. That’s no merit at all.”

“You!” Isabella was infuriated, but she didn’t know the situation well enough to refute him.

Fourth Elder Mastema stepped forward to defuse the situation. “There’s a huge gap in our finances right now. We don’t have the money to maintain an army in Shanxi. Even a skilled housewife will struggle to whip up a meal without rice. His ability to quell the rebellion with limited resources at hand is still praiseworthy.”

“Enough. I gathered all of you here to solve problems, not to squabble.” First Elder Oberon harrumphed as he set the tone straight. “I have looked into the Ming Dynasty’s woes. The root of its problem lies in the collapse of its finances. Silver import from the Americas has slowed, and Japan has closed its markets and forbidden export of silver. This has resulted in deflation.[6]

“Due to a lack of funds, additional taxes have been imposed on the populace. In particular, the Liaodong military levy, the bandit subjugation levy, and the troop training levy have inflicted great suffering upon the populace. This has resulted in the people falling into poverty and resorting to banditry.

“How should we resolve these problems?”

1. The Chongzhen Emperor was known to love his family. When rebel leader Li Zicheng invaded the imperial palace, the Chongzhen Emperor was afraid that his family would be tortured and forced into prostitution, so he tried to kill them. Lil’ Ninth lost her arm but survived the ordeal. ☜

2. Yuan Chonghuan was a national hero of the Ming Dynasty. He managed to defeat the Manchus on several occasions, hindering their war efforts. However, the Chongzhen Emperor later sentenced him to death by ‘slow slicing’. ☜

3. Wu Sangui was a Ming general who was later condemned as a Han traitor for defecting to the Qing Dynasty. When Li Zicheng stomped the imperial palace, he also held Wu Sangui’s family hostage. In response, Wu Sangui opened the Shanhai Pass for the Manchus to enter Beijing and establish their rule. ☜

4. Yuan Chonghuan, the general whom Augustus has transmigrated into, achieved this feat as well. ☜

5. Yes, Yuan Chonghuan famously made this declaration in history as well. Two years into the plan, he was framed for colluding with the enemies and sentenced to death by ‘slow slicing’. ☜

6. The Ming Dynasty tried to roll out copper coins and paper notes, but both attempts failed. Their dominant currency is silver. ☜