Chapter 002: Shock

Emperor Chongzhen had never seen such things; immediately, his eyes widened to an extraordinary degree, as if they were about to pop out.

Thus, Emperor Chongzhen turned his head and coldly shouted to the outside: "Come in and make arrangements!"

This was overheard before Emperor Chongzhen's words, and it immediately startled him; does this mean someone is about to have bad luck

Emperor Chongzhen immediately understood that the person before him had concerns, so he turned his head and coldly reprimanded the eunuch, saying: "Leave!"

At this moment, Zhang Mingwei casually took out a mobile phone from his pocket and shook it, saying: "This is the evidence, which is absolutely non-existent in this era. Moreover, I have stored some video materials that I can show you, allowing you to witness the history of the next four hundred years. Whether it is true or false, I believe you will be able to distinguish it at a glance"

However, they did not know that, in the hearts of the seemingly composed eunuch, there was also a great deal of anxiety. After all, some matters cannot be fully understood until the very end, and one cannot predict what a person's final choice will be. What if the so-called eunuch who opens the door to welcome the thief turns out to be oneself, what then

The wonder of this magical thing, the absurdities within the image, at this very moment, are all overlooked by him. His eyes are solely fixed on the phone screen

However, he thought to himself that he had always been loyal to the Emperor, so the eunuch who opened the door to welcome the thief should not be him

The general meaning is that Emperor Chongzhen understood. Although at this moment, he had already come to believe that Zhang Mingwei was from over four hundred years in the future, his concern about being a king of a fallen nation was indeed genuine. This was undoubtedly a significant blow to him

Currently, Wang Dehua and Wang Cheng'en are the two most trusted eunuchs of Emperor Chongzhen. After listening to Zhang Mingwei's words, he could not help but feel deep hatred for the treacherous Wang Dehua, truly a case of knowing a person’s face but not their heart

Then, after glancing at the emperor for instructions, he hurried a few steps towards the palace gate

Given the current crisis facing the Ming Dynasty, and the fact that this person is using this miraculous object to respond to the question of whether the country will perish, he can certainly deduce who this father and son are!

Zhang Mingwei, who was nearby, observed their arrangements and would offer suggestions, guiding them on how to set things up. This made the two young eunuchs even more curious: with such a strange accent, he directed Master Wang to do whatever he wanted, and the Emperor had no objections at all. Who exactly is this person?

Emperor Chongzhen, however, appeared dazed, merely staring at the mobile phone screen, motionless

Although there has been no final confirmation that the person before him truly comes from four hundred years in the future, at this moment, he is very eager to know the answer to this question

In fact, the person in the video should be Cao Huachun. However, there is controversy among later generations regarding whether Cao Huachun opened the door to welcome the bandits. On the other hand, there is no dispute about Wang Dehua welcoming the bandit army and persuading Li Zicheng to ascend the throne alongside others. Therefore, he answered so candidly.

The Emperor Chongzhen beside him looked on with great curiosity. Not only was his short hair unusual, but his attire was also quite strange. However, what was even more peculiar was the object in his hand, which was actually glowing! Even as an emperor, he had never seen or heard of anything like it before.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen could not help but feel greatly curious and quickly asked, "What evidence is there?"

The two young eunuchs suddenly saw a stranger in peculiar attire within the palace, and they were both taken aback. Fortunately, with the eunuch directing them, there were no mistakes made.

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly saw Emperor Chongzhen turn his head to look at him, his gaze icy, instantly cutting off what he was about to say.

However, just as he was about to walk closer, he heard a strange cry coming from within that peculiar object: "Farewell to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty on his journey!"

At this moment, Zhang Mingwei had already called up the video and solemnly said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, please watch first, and I will answer your questions later"

Then, he said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, this is a video created by later generations based on historical records. If you have any questions, I can answer them"

For future generations, one can leave behind everything, but the mobile phone is indispensable

In a state of anxiety, he hurriedly walked over, wanting to understand what was happening. Why was the Emperor in such despair? He wondered if there was any way to alleviate the Emperor's mood.

After speaking, he turned on his phone, used facial recognition, and went to find the video of "The Elegy of Chongzhen"

The video of "Elegy for Chongzhen" has been popular online for a long time. It was after seeing this short video that Zhang Mingwei began to write a novel set in the Chongzhen era, hoping to assist him, so that his efforts would be rewarded rather than leading to the destruction of his family and country

As the video begins, the banner of the King of Chaos flutters, and a mournful background music immediately plays.

After a brief pause, he did not respond directly: "I happen to have a video here titled 'The Elegy of Chongzhen'; Your Majesty may take a look at it first."

Emperor Chongzhen had not yet responded, and the fallen eunuch had already gotten back up, rushing over with a panicked expression, while simultaneously shouting: "You bold demon, daring to speak such heretical words..."

After he went down, Zhang Mingwei quietly replied to Emperor Chongzhen: "The one who welcomed the thief is named Wang Dehua, who always accompanied Your Majesty, and ultimately hanged himself beside Your Majesty after escorting him on his way, named Wang Cheng'en."

As Emperor Chongzhen was about to speak again, a eunuch at the palace gate suddenly raised his voice and announced: "Your Majesty, the white cloth has arrived"

Then the Grand Eunuch heard this and hurriedly brought two young eunuchs into the palace

Zhang Mingwei sighed again upon seeing this, then turned off his phone to save some battery

Zhang Mingwei looked around and then said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, do you have a large piece of white cloth, preferably three meters long and wide... about one zhang in size, to be hung on the wall."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately turned to look at the eunuch beside him

This eunuch is quite clever, as he quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes," without even waiting for the emperor to speak.

In a short while, the two busy young eunuchs were sent out by the chief eunuch. As for himself, he bent down to face Emperor Chongzhen, anxiously awaiting the emperor's reaction

These are all in Simplified Chinese, but Emperor Chongzhen can mostly recognize them. However, since it is the first time he is seeing them, he reads slowly and cannot finish in time, so they are gone.

This further convinced Emperor Chongzhen that the person before him was certainly not an ordinary individual

After speaking, he tapped on the start button and held the phone screen in front of Emperor Chongzhen.

Zhang Mingwei listened and looked at Emperor Chongzhen, noticing his anxious demeanor, he sighed inwardly, for reality is always cruel

As expected, shortly thereafter, the scene shifted, and the voices continued, all of which serve to confirm this point

These movements and sounds were indeed very strange, causing him to worry about Emperor Chongzhen while also feeling a great deal of curiosity; therefore, he quickly turned back.

But before he could walk any further, he saw that strange person holding something, raised in front of the emperor, with a glimmering light flashing. Voices and music emanated from that shining object, which took him by surprise

However, no matter how poor his mood was at that moment, he still wanted to know the subsequent historical developments

Upon seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately felt as if he had been struck by a thunderous blow, akin to being struck by five thunders from above

With this thought, he felt somewhat reassured. However, he was still a bit uneasy about the Emperor facing a stranger alone. Nevertheless, seeing Emperor Chongzhen looking at him with a cold gaze, he ultimately bowed and accepted the imperial decree, leaving with a heart full of apprehension.

Emperor Chongzhen then slowly turned his head to look at Zhang Mingwei, and did not speak immediately. Scenes from earlier flashed through his mind, and after a long while, he finally asked slowly: "Who is the eunuch that opened the door to welcome the thief? And who is the eunuch that has always accompanied me?"

How can there be a flag moving inside this strange object? Moreover, there is also sound coming out?

Zhang Mingwei listened and was just about to speak when he caught sight of the eunuch who had rushed over earlier from the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he fell silent.

The mobile phone has a projection function, and the effect will certainly be more impressive when projected.

At this moment, the scene shifted, revealing a person sitting in a house, holding the face of a child kneeling before them. At the same time, a voice was heard: "Today you are the Crown Prince, but if the imperial city falls..."

The eunuch just now did not leave; he merely instructed the people outside at the palace gate to attend to their duties. Although it was a bit far away, some sounds could still be heard.

As soon as this first thought arose, he saw a line of text appear on the screen: "Spring of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the twenty-seventh day of March in the year 1644..."

However, what drew his attention even more at that moment was the emperor's expression, which was unexpectedly ashen!

His words were not fully understood by Emperor Chongzhen and that eunuch, yet it did not hinder them from sensing Zhang Mingwei's immense confidence. Therefore, although they had not yet witnessed it, they were already convinced to a large extent

As for Emperor Chongzhen, he was very concerned about one matter and did not want to wait for the eunuch to return. In a tone filled with apprehension and a hint of hesitation, he asked: "Am I... am I the ruler of a fallen nation?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingwei said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I will play a segment of a documentary that begins from the late Ming Dynasty, which depicts the true historical development. After Your Majesty watches it, you will understand that what I am saying is indeed true"

Caught off guard, the eunuch fell to the ground in fright