Chapter 36: Seek Not the Gods and Spirits, But the Common People!
As the elderly eunuch presented your exam paper—filled with words of profound treason—up to the jade steps, your heart plummeted to the very depths of despair.
Dead. You are absolutely dead.
No one knew better than you just how treacherous that essay was. In it, you had systematically and incisively dismantled the entire seventy-year reign of the God-Emperor. He had commanded you all to critique the contemporary ills of the state, and you had truly lived up to the challenge.
From his lack of administrative competence to his habitual paranoia, from his volatile temperament to his reckless belief in slanderous whispers—you covered it all.
He indulged corruption, he ruled through violent suppression, he ignored the suffering of the common folk, and he lent his ear only to the treacherous and the sycophantic.
He allowed a corpse that should have long since decayed to remain latched onto the necks of hundreds of millions, drinking their blood in great gulps. Even in their agony, the people struggled in vain, as if they were fated to suffer forever.
Thus, you concluded, the God-Emperor had lost his virtue in the eyes of the masses; Heaven itself loathed him!
You had meticulously dissected the various problems of the Great Ming, tracing their causes, their progression, and their inevitable outcomes. You laid every single point bare before him and proved his role as the primary culprit. It was, to put it mildly, a direct and devastating blow to his face.
You had, in essence, repudiated his entire life.
And who was the God-Emperor?
He was a butcher with the narrowest of minds, a madman who killed anyone who caught his fancy! Everyone who had ever offended him was eventually repaid a hundredfold. Before he ascended to godhood, he lacked the power to retaliate, but now? He simply did whatever pleased him—he killed them all!
Therefore, your memorial would almost certainly incite his fury, leading him to grant you the same fate as the rebel leaders: a single punch that would reduce you to nothing but scattered gore.
...
You watched in despair as that unspeakable figure in the yellow robes took the paper.
He seemed surprised that someone had finished the exam so quickly, followed by a flicker of curiosity. He was genuinely intrigued to see what kind of critique the top candidate of this year’s imperial examination could possibly produce for him.
He read a few lines, and then he froze. A moment later, his entire body began to tremble.
It’s over. He’s so angry he’s shaking!
You closed your eyes in resignation, waiting for the enraged God-Emperor to reach out, seize you, and refine your soul into nothingness in an instant.
But the pain you anticipated never came.
Hmm?
The longer you waited, the more suspicious you became. Why hadn't he acted yet? Had the God-Emperor been so enraged that he’d suffered a stroke?
Suddenly, a sob echoed through the hall!
A sob? Whose?
You were baffled. Who was crying in the Golden Throne Hall? Had some other candidate been moved to tears by his own essay on imperial grace? Or perhaps...
"Master... Master! Why... why are you crying?!"
Following the sobbing, a sharp, shrill voice rang out—the voice of a eunuch, filled with terror and panic, as if he had witnessed the collapse of the heavens!
Wait... Master?
...
You jolted in shock, lifting your head in disbelief to stare at the figure in yellow upon the dais... He was holding the essay in his hands, reading it, and weeping.
The invincible, bloodthirsty God-Emperor... was crying?!
You couldn't believe your eyes!
The old eunuch on the stage was genuinely panicked. "Master! Is this essay truly so rebellious?!"
"This fellow townsman of the rebel, you are indeed bold enough to challenge the Emperor! You deserve death!"
The agitated eunuch turned and barked a harsh reprimand at you, still frozen in your state of shock. The other candidates, still writing, were startled awake. Upon seeing the situation in the hall, they were nearly frightened out of their wits. What was happening? Had some idiot actually written a sharp, critical essay?
Damn it! A keyboard warrior is here! Run!
The candidates nearest to you scrambled to put distance between themselves and you, terrified of being implicated.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites in charge of the examination were equally shocked, standing at a loss, glancing at one another. What should they do?
I have never seen such a scene before!
Then, they all looked at you with astonishment: Are you tired of living?!
To think there was a candidate who cared so little for his life that he would charge into a political minefield like this... who was he? Whose subordinate was he?
Seeing that you were about to have your blood splattered across the Golden Throne Hall, you decided to drop the act. With a hardened heart, you stood up in full view of everyone, your pulse racing. Damn it! If I’m going to die, I’ll die!
I shall recite a poem right here in court and let my name go down in history!
"I..."
Before you could even utter a complete sentence, you suddenly heard a heavy, middle-aged male voice: "No... he is right to criticize me. I truly have sinned against this nation, sinned against the world..."
"I have failed my ancestors, failed my people... I wish I could depose myself!"
You: Huh?
Wait... Zhu Youjian, has the Kangxi Emperor possessed you?! Are you going to start berating the court officials next?!
Listening to the sobbing words that were clearly coming from the God-Emperor, you were completely stunned.
"Zhou Liang... come closer. I want to hear your honest words!"
The God-Emperor’s voice rang out again, and your scalp tightened.
In a split second, you steeled yourself and walked forward, stopping less than five paces from the God-Emperor on the dais.
For an instant, you recalled many similar historical scenes: Tang Ju, who did not fail his mission... but you were not Tang Ju, and the God-Emperor was no King Zhao of Qin. Even if you were within "five paces to shed blood," it wouldn't matter—getting close to him was useless.
You thought of Jing Ke attempting to assassinate the First Emperor of Qin, but you were not Jing Ke, and he was not the First Emperor. You couldn't perform a "running around the pillar" maneuver on him.
You thought of Fu Jiezi, who stabbed the King of Loulan to death, but the God-Emperor was no incompetent fool like the King of Loulan.
There were others—Cui Jishu, who struck the emperor; Cheng Ji, who killed the Duke of Gaogui in the street; and so many more.
...
However, none of them applied, because you could not possibly harm the God-Emperor.
Then... who exactly were you two like right now?
You thought for a moment, but found no precedent.
The God-Emperor spoke: "Zhou Liang... do you really think I am that terrible?"
You hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath.
"Yes, Your Majesty is truly terrible."
In an instant, the shocked gaze of the entire hall focused on you: You actually dared to say it?!
But the God-Emperor was not angry. Instead, he asked, "How do I compare to Emperor Shizong in terms of clarity?"
You replied calmly, "Neither of you is clear-sighted. The people of the world have been unable to speak the truth to Your Majesty for far too long!"
"Good! It seems you fancy yourself another Hai Rui."
The God-Emperor asked, his tone pregnant with meaning.
"Then today, I shall surpass Emperor Shizong and emulate Emperor Wen of Han!"
"In the past, Emperor Wen of Han questioned Jia Yi in the Xuan-Shi Palace. Today, I shall question you, Zhou Liang, in the Baohe Palace!"
"Zhou Liang, how do you think the Great Ming can achieve peace and prosperity?"
The Xuan-Shi questioning?
It dawned on you instantly: Yes, this wasn't like Tang Ju or Jing Ke; it was more like the dialogue between Emperor Wen and Jia Yi!
He compared himself to Emperor Wen of Han, so does that make me Jia Yi?
You couldn't help but chuckle silently. Forget it. If I can just die with a bit of dignity, I’ll be satisfied. How could I be so arrogant as to compare myself to Jia Yi?
"How can the Great Ming achieve peace? It must sweep away all corrupt officials, purge the incompetent dogs from the government, and restore the vibrant Ming court of the Taizu era!"
"The nobility! The aristocrats! The powerful clans! Not a single one can be spared!"
"Only by reforming the old and establishing the new can the Great Ming naturally achieve peace!"
Damn it! I'm going all out against the Great Ming!
As you shouted these obvious, sweeping accusations, you sneered inwardly: This time, I’ll surely die and be remembered in history for it...