Chapter Twenty-Three: Hemp Rope, Forever the God!

Tyrannical divine power—if it is born from tyranny, then that would certainly make sense.

For a moment, Zhou Liang felt a flash of realization: "If this hypothesis of mine holds true, then the reason the Chongzhen Emperor went on a frenzied slaughter of all living things back then can be explained..."

According to the historical records of later generations, while the Chongzhen Emperor was a garbage-tier emperor—a classic example of someone who was both incompetent and obsessed with control—he was not the kind of degenerate, inhuman tyrant who would resort to mass slaughter at the drop of a hat. Such bloodthirsty, cruel monarchs who "killed as if they couldn't get enough, and punished as if they feared they weren't being excessive" could likely only be found in the eras of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, or the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms... oh, and one would have to add the "Glorious God" and Dorgon to that list. In any case, it had nothing to do with the original Chongzhen.

Yet, on this current world line, ever since the Chongzhen Emperor ascended to godhood, the number of commoners who had died directly at the hands of His invisible grasp reached at least ten million, and if indirect casualties were included, the number likely exceeded a hundred million! This inhuman monarch was nothing like the Chongzhen of history.

Zhou Liang had previously been unable to fathom the reason, but now he began to understand: The God-Emperor’s slaughter of the world was very likely an act performed specifically to harvest divine power.

"However, it is too early to draw a definitive conclusion, and for now, I have no use for this conjecture." Shaking his head, Zhou Liang refrained from delving too deeply into a mystery that transcended mortal understanding, turning his attention back to the five-year-old "Zhou Liang" in the simulation. He had a premonition that this life was nearing its end.

...

[“Tyrannical divine power... could it be born from the act of tyranny itself?”]

[You, being clever, quickly arrived at this answer, which was not particularly difficult to guess. Although the evidence was not yet fully sufficient, your intuition told you that this hypothesis was likely correct.]

[Yet, you remained deeply puzzled: “If divine power could be conjured out of thin air simply by inflicting violence upon others, why would the officials of the realm be so willing to submit to the God-Emperor?”]

[If it were really that simple, wouldn't high-ranking officials like the Provincial Administration Commissioners have long since carved out their own territories to openly rival the God-Emperor in the capital?]

[Even if they couldn't defeat the God-Emperor—the Primarch of this divine power—could they not simply flee the Ming Empire and go abroad to live like kings in their own right?]

[Yet, the reality was that the Ming Empire remained as stable as Mount Tai. No one under the God-Emperor dared to challenge Him, and the various provincial governors would rather be framed and executed as death-row prisoners than flee the empire to become local despots elsewhere.]

[This was highly suspicious. Were they truly that loyal? Had the God-Emperor branded their minds, or was there something else at play?]

[Therefore, you were certain that there must be some constraint upon the officials of the realm that you had yet to encounter: it could be "mental control," "divine power manipulation," or perhaps even "curses" or "immortal arts"...]

[Thus, you realized the limitations of your own knowledge. On this "Heterodox Ming World Line," there were still many things that required your slow exploration and unraveling.]

[It was just that, in this lifetime, you would likely have no chance to solve the mystery.]

[...]

[In September of the 48th year of the Chongzhen era, the last remnant of the rebel leader, Li Laiheng—the "Grandson of the Rebel King"—who had been in hiding for thirty-one years, was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Mizhi County, Shaanxi, the ancestral home of the rebels!]

[Subsequently, Li Laiheng confessed: for many years, he had been engaging in the treasonous business of "Opposing the Ming and Restoring the Shun." To subvert the Ming Empire, he had colluded with officials at all levels in Shaanxi, not only maintaining frequent written communication to build ties but also bribing them with vast amounts of gold and silver.]

[Upon hearing this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard were shocked!]

[At this critical juncture, the guards fully demonstrated their fearless spirit of "fearing no hardship" and "daring to charge." Risking future impeachment by the censors, they upheld their supreme spiritual creed of "Loyalty to the God-Emperor, Loyalty to the Ming," shouted "Loyalty!", and rapidly apprehended all related suspects.]

[Thus, the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner, along with almost all local prefects and magistrates, were rounded up. The meticulous guards searched their homes and seized a mountain of evidence, including letters from the rebels and various treasures with a total value exceeding one hundred million taels of silver...]

[Upon verification, just from the home of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner alone, they recovered ten "Western fire-lighting lenses," over a thousand catties of "exotic spices from India," ten "Western Regions blood-sweat horses," and a hundred "Eastern geishas"...]

[The evidence was conclusive, as solid as a mountain!]

[Subsequently, the Embroidered Uniform Guard sealed the treasures, horses, servants, and singing girls, and compiled the details of the case into a dossier, sending it to the capital while respectfully awaiting the God-Emperor’s decree...]

[The God-Emperor was furious and ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort the rebel remnants and the families of the corrupt officials to the capital.]

[In November, a total of ten thousand suspects and accomplices arrived in the capital.]

[In December, after successive reviews by the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review, it was confirmed that the guards' reports were true. They were sentenced according to the "Great Ming Code" based on the severity of their crimes...]

[In the first month of the following year, the God-Emperor rejected the rulings of the three judicial offices and, in a fit of rage, personally issued the verdict.]

[Li Laiheng and ten of his old subordinates were sentenced to the slicing execution—seven thousand two hundred cuts!]

[Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner Liu Yizhao was sentenced to the slicing execution—three thousand two hundred cuts—with his head displayed across the nine border regions!]

[Prefects like Lin Yuxuan of Xi'an and Zhu Xuan of Northern Shaanxi were sentenced to be "skinned and stuffed with straw," then displayed across the two capitals and thirteen provinces as a warning to others!]

[Over ten thousand family members of the corrupt officials were exiled to Ningguta, Lingnan, and the northern deserts, to remain in the lowest social caste for generations...]

[Finally, it was your turn.]

[The God-Emperor seemed not to have expected the existence of someone like you—a child whose age and insight were so mismatched that the Embroidered Uniform Guard even suspected you of being a "supernatural entity"...]

[But a criminal was a criminal. Since you voluntarily admitted to being part of the rebel faction, you were sentenced to death!]

[However, considering the crucial role you played in the case, the God-Emperor felt a surge of "mercy." Not only did He commute your slicing execution to a simple hemp rope hanging, but He also spared your family from collective punishment...]

[Hearing this verdict, the heavy stone in your heart finally fell: as long as your parents and relatives were not implicated, that was all that mattered.]

[As for the hanging...]

[Looking at the very same model of hemp rope delivered personally by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you almost couldn't keep a straight face: Well, you were going to die the same way as the God-Emperor... though it was a pity you didn't get to visit the old crooked tree on Coal Hill to check in.]

[“To think a kid like you would enjoy royal treatment!”]

[The old man Li, disheveled and wearing shackles and chains beside you, couldn't help but laugh out loud!]

[You didn't show weakness: “Old man, didn't you enjoy the same treatment as the grand eunuch Liu Jin!”]

[“Liu Jin? Bah! Is he worthy of being compared to me?”]

[Li the old man dismissed it with contempt: “If you’re going to compare, compare me to Supervisor Yuan! Back in his day, Supervisor Yuan only received three thousand five hundred cuts; I am getting seven thousand two hundred! Rounding up, I am much more impressive than Supervisor Yuan...”]

[It was a strange sight: facing death, neither the old nor the young showed the slightest fear, as if death were not worth mentioning!]

[However, you sincerely felt that Old Man Li was more impressive than you: you weren't afraid because you could reset, but Old Man Li was simply possessed of an iron will...]

[Seven thousand two hundred cuts—not even a duck is sliced that thinly! If the executioner changed professions to sell Peking duck, he would surely slice it to the thinness of the beef in Lanzhou ramen!]

[Alas, to use such talent for slicing people instead of ducks—it was a bit of a waste of talent.]

[After the two of you bantered for a while, Li Laiheng finally calmed down, and then said to you solemnly: “Since we are to be executed on the same day, I must look after my junior. I shall go first!”]

[“I go first, you follow slowly, and we shall cross the gates of the underworld together! When I see the Rebel King in the netherworld, I will certainly introduce you to him. Then we can rebel to our hearts' content in the afterlife!”]

[He laughed heartily, stepped forward briskly, and went with the guards to meet his seven thousand two hundred cuts.]

[With the dignity of Li Laiheng!]

[“Laughing at the sky, I walk out the door; are we, the likes of us, merely weeds in the field?”]

[This Tang poem welled up in your heart; although the sentiment might not be perfectly fitting, you felt it suited him well.]

[With a sigh, you turned your gaze to the hemp rope in the hand of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.]

[“Tell me, should I recite a death poem? Just like the people in the storybooks?”]

[You suddenly asked the guard with a serious expression.]

[The guard also became uncharacteristically solemn: “You may recite it. If the prose is good, it is not impossible for me to help spread it.”]

[Literati facing death usually had this ritual, and in his eyes, you, a child prodigy, evidently met the standard, so he was willing to do you this one favor.]

[“Good!”]

[You recited: “In my early years, I knew the hardships of the world... No, that’s not right, it can’t be that.”]

[You shook your head, thought for a moment, and smiled.]

[“Three years a wandering guest, today again the prisoner’s crown. Infinite tears for the mountains and rivers, who says the world is vast? Knowing the path to the springs is near, it is hard to bid farewell to my home. On the day my heroic soul returns, I shall watch the spirit banners in the sky!”]

[After the poem, you laughed loudly, put the noose around your neck, and suspended yourself in mid-air!]

[This day was the twenty-sixth of the first lunar month, your sixth birthday. Exactly three years had passed since you were three years old, when you recited "Grandpa God-Emperor Hangs One Hundred Thousand Rebels with a Hemp Rope" and apprenticed under Deputy Director Ding of Mizhi County, officially stepping into the affairs of the Ming Empire!]

[...]

[On the twenty-sixth of the first month of the 49th year of the Chongzhen era, the last rebel, Li Laiheng, died a miserable death after seven thousand two hundred cuts!]

[On the same day, the six-year-old child prodigy of Mizhi County, Zhou Liang, also died by hanging for colluding with the rebels. From then on, there were no more rebels in the world!]

[A hemp rope hung the Chongzhen Emperor, thus initiating this strange world line.]

[A hemp rope also hung Zhou Liang, thus ending this world line that should never have existed.]

[Congratulations to the hemp rope, winner of this round’s MVP!]

[The hemp rope is the eternal god!]