I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 722 Pig Brain

Chapter 722 Pig Brain

For a moment, Wang Wenzhou and Zhu Youjian were locked in a fierce battle, neither gaining the upper hand. One said, "You slept with my baby, you've wronged me!" The other retorted, "You killed my whole family, you've wronged me!"

Da Yu'er smiled bitterly to herself. This wasn't two men fighting; it was clearly a couple arguing over a trivial matter! Was this what they meant by "love-hate relationship"?

"Bang, bang, bang..." The sounds of smashing and breaking echoed intermittently from inside the imperial study. A group of guards outside were very worried, fearing something had happened to Zhu Youjian. It wasn't that they didn't want to go in and help; it was that when they went in earlier, they were not only scolded by Zhu Youjian, but also kicked out by Wang Chengen.

The guards couldn't understand what the relationship was between Wang Wenzhou and Zhu Youjian. A subject, and a rebellious one at that, had beaten the emperor until his face was covered in blood, yet the emperor hadn't killed him!

"Bang!" Wang Wenzhou kicked Zhu Youjian to the ground, and he was so exhausted that he collapsed to the ground.

Wang Wenzhou cursed and said, "Alright, that's enough! You fucking killed my most beloved baby, I've had enough of living! No matter what I did in the past, after I die, please spare my remaining babies!"

"Hehe!" Zhu Youjian said with a wry smile, "Boxin, stop pretending! Do you think I would dare to kill you? If you weren't certain I wouldn't dare to kill you, would you have come to the palace with me?"

"Pah!" Wang Wenzhou spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed, "Zhu Youjian, who the hell are you accusing me of pretending? My baby is in your hands, and now I'm in your hands too. Why don't you dare kill me? As long as the armies from all over the country come to support the emperor, my subordinates outside the city won't be a threat to you!"

"Is that so?" Zhu Youjian pointed at Da Yu'er and laughed, "You, Wang Wenzhou, a cowardly and timid man, would risk your life for a woman?"

Wang Wenzhou curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Zhu Youjian, we are both men. But the things we cherish most are different. What you cherish most is your empire, your Ming Dynasty. But what I cherish most is my baby! I would do anything for them!"

"Haha!" Zhu Youjian laughed loudly, "Good! What a fine man! Compared to you, I am nothing but a shameless, heartless scoundrel!"

Wang Wenzhou nodded and said sarcastically, "Little pig, it seems you do have some self-awareness!"

"No wonder! I finally understand!" Zhu Youjian said with a wry smile, "You probably don't know yet, but my palace has been surrounded!"

"Huh?" Wang Wenzhou frowned and asked in confusion, "My baby is so powerful. I spent so much time and couldn't even get into the city, but she actually did."

Zhu Youjian said helplessly, "I let her in myself! Chen Yuanyuan led Wu Sangui's troops and surrounded my palace!"

"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou was deeply moved. In this critical moment, it was his own baby who saved his life!

"Little pig! Don't worry, although you killed my whole family, I don't want you to die!" Wang Wenzhou said seriously, "Speaking of which, I admire you! As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, you live like a beggar!"

"Baby, come here, let me have a sip of wine!" Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Dayuer.

Da Yu'er quickly took a sip of wine, squatted down, and fed it to Wang Wenzhou.

Wang Wenzhou took a sip of wine, pointed at Zhu Youjian's tattered clothes, and mocked, "Baby, look, this is the dignified Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Compared with Huang Taiji, that barbarian, isn't he shabby?"

Da Yu'er blushed, looking shy and quite beautiful. She didn't know how to answer, mainly because she was afraid her nemesis would be jealous. Although she was a girl from the grasslands, where there was no concept of fidelity, she had some education and knew that Han Chinese women placed great importance on fidelity, and a woman could not serve two husbands.

Zhu Youjian blushed and quickly straightened his clothes, hiding the underwear that Wang Wenzhou had torn out. His underwear wasn't actually torn by Wang Wenzhou; it was already tattered and patched.

“Brother Zhu! I truly admire your diligence, frugality, and character! And what I admire even more is that you do have the people in your heart. Of course, the people of the Ming Dynasty are suffering under your rule, but that cannot be entirely blamed on you!” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

Zhu Youjian was quite embarrassed. He didn't care about what Wang Wenzhou said otherwise. He really cared about the people's suffering! He felt that since he ascended the throne, he had been diligent in governing for the people every day, but even so, as Wang Wenzhou said, the people of the Ming Dynasty were indeed suffering.

"Boxin!" Zhu Youjian said with a wry smile, "Between you and me, brothers, there is nothing we cannot say! Let's put aside our grudges for now. I ask you, if you were me, how would you govern the Ming Dynasty and ensure that its people can live in peace and prosperity!"

Zhu Youjian didn't dare say, "If you're so capable, you do it yourself. He's the emperor; he wouldn't be foolish enough to incite his ministers to rebel." Of course, he meant it that way. He had done everything he could, yet the Ming Dynasty was still plagued by widespread suffering. What could Wang Wenzhou possibly do?

Wang Wenzhou laughed and scolded, "Little pig, you're so stupid! In other dynasties throughout history, being an emperor might have been very tiring. But being an emperor in the Ming Dynasty didn't have to be so tiring at all. You should learn from your brother, your father, and your grandfather!"

Your grandfather didn't attend court for 30 years, yet the Ming Dynasty remained peaceful and prosperous, with all nations sending tribute. Your father, though he wasn't emperor for long, slept with beautiful women every day. And your brother, needless to say, if he hadn't been emperor, he would have been a master craftsman, spending his days doing carpentry—wouldn't that have been more enjoyable than dealing with politics?"

Zhu Youjian was quite embarrassed and said with a wry smile, "Boxin is joking! Times have changed. I also want to be a peaceful emperor. But the Ming Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles. If I do not work hard to govern, I will surely become a ruler who brings about the downfall of the country."

"Tch!" Wang Wenzhou reached into Da Yu'er's clothes, patted her a few times, and laughed and scolded, "Little pig! You're such an idiot! Haven't you realized that the reason the Ming Dynasty is in its current state is all because of your mistakes!"

"Huh?" Zhu Youjian's expression changed, and he laughed and scolded, "Boxin, we're brothers, and you're still lying to me?"

"Fake news!" Wang Wenzhou sneered. "You're just a pig-brain! Don't you think that if you hadn't forced Wei Zhongxian to his death, would the Donglin Party have become the dominant party? Old Wei was just as loyal to your family as I was to him!"

"He's loyal?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "A eunuch who dares to call himself 'Nine Thousand Years Old,' is he loyal?"

Wang Wenzhou laughed and scolded, "Little pig! Even if he really is the Ninth Prince, let me ask you, he's just a eunuch, he doesn't even have a son, would he rebel against you? Why don't you use your pig brain to think about whether he resisted when you were dealing with him?"

It's not that he doesn't want to rebel, but that he dares not. He's a eunuch; even if he rebelled, no one would follow him because he has no son. Following him means no future! Everything he has is given to him by your family!

Old Wei isn't stupid; he understands this too. But you're the foolish one, yet you don't realize it!

"Fine!" Zhu Youjian said coldly, "I'd like to hear how you plan to exonerate this eunuch who has brought disaster to the country!"