Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2831

Chapter 1344 An Unexpected Identity

Looking at the imperial edict that had arrived from thousands of miles away, Zu An sighed inwardly. This world had indeed changed. The edict had arrived so quickly, so rapidly. Since the intelligence system was so much faster than in the old feudal dynasties, perhaps there really was a chance to rebuild order. He

received the edict, which contained the coordinates of the capital city. Zu An activated his spiritual energy and was quickly teleported to the capital.

He had tried before; historically, the distance from Shaanxi to the capital should have been short enough for his cultivation level.

However, when he flew, he found that the entire world seemed to be rejecting him, and the distance was far greater than thousands of miles. The world had expanded considerably, likely due to the changes caused by their arrival, restricting everyone’s freedom.

But with the protection of this imperial edict, he could teleport directly.

Upon arriving in the capital, he immediately went to the agreed-upon location west of the Forbidden City to find Chu Chuyan and Isabella.

However, only Isabella was there.

She was dressed in palace attire, exuding a beauty that blended youth and classic elegance.

“Brother Zu!”

Isabella was the first to see him and ran over happily, clearly having been waiting for a long time.

“Sister Bella!”

Feeling the girl’s trembling body, Zu An’s previously chaotic heart calmed down slightly.

At this moment, a palace maid timidly reminded her, “Princess, this is improper. If outsiders see this, it will easily cause gossip.”

Isabella straightened up shyly, stuck out her tongue at Zu An, her cheeks flushed.

Zu An suddenly realized something: “Your current identity is a princess?”

“Yes,” Isabella secretly transmitted her voice to avoid the maid’s eyes and ears, “My identity in this world is Princess Changping, Zhu Meichu, the second daughter of Emperor Chongzhen, nicknamed Ajiu.”

Zu An: “…”

He never expected that she had become Ajiu, the pitiful person in history whose country was destroyed in the end, whose arm was cut off by Emperor Chongzhen, and who was asked to die for her country.

“I’ve been waiting for you here every day these days. I’ve finally waited for you. Hmm, where is Sister Chu?” Isabella looked around.

Zu An’s heart tightened: “You haven’t seen her either?”

“No, I thought you two would be together.”

Zu An shook his head, wondering where Chu Chuyan was.

“Brother Zu, you don’t need to worry too much. Sister Chu is highly skilled and alert, more than capable of protecting herself. She’s probably on her way.” Isabella comforted him.

Zu An hummed in agreement. He was able to get here in the shortest time thanks to the imperial decree. If Chuyan was far away, it wouldn’t be easy for her to come here.

At this moment, the imperial decree flickered slightly, and a voice rang out, urging him to hurry to the palace.

Hearing the voice, Zu An looked at Isabella with a strange expression: “Chongzhen is…”

“That’s right, the Grand Elder.” Isabella also had a bitter face. She was always a little afraid of the serious Grand Elder, and she didn’t expect to have to play father and daughter in this world. It was quite difficult for her.

“Where are the others from the Merchant Guild? And those guys from the Templar Knights?”

“You should know when you get to the Imperial Study.”

…

When the two arrived at the Imperial Study, Zu An finally understood what the other person meant.

Those summoned this time were mostly from the Order faction.

The Grand Elder was none other than the Chongzhen Emperor, who sat high on his throne;

the Commander Augustus was none other than Yuan Chonghuan, the commander who fought against the Manchus in the Northeast; and Adrian was Yuan Chengzhi.

Upon learning all this, Zu’an’s mind was in turmoil—was this the power of fate?

But what shocked him even more was the identity of the Second Elder. That handsome, devoted old man who had captivated countless women was, in this world, Wu Sangui!

Wu Sangui was a notorious traitor in this world, historically known for his ruthless actions, including letting the Qing army enter the Central Plains for Chen Yuanyuan, thus becoming a villain for all time.

How did the Second Elder, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, become connected to this notorious traitor?

And how could someone as affectionate as him fall for Chen Yuanyuan in this world?

It seemed impossible.

The Fourth Elder, Mostima, was in the court, serving as the Minister of Finance.

The Sixth Elder, Naraku, was known in this world as Sun Chengzong. He guarded the Northeast alongside Augustus and his son, with the latter responsible for military affairs, while Naraku was primarily in charge of administration and logistics.

The others who participated in this Order Ceremony were mostly assigned to work under these elders.

As Zaun sized up the others, they were also sizing him up.

Adrian couldn’t help but question, “Shouldn’t you be a historian or missionary recording everything? How did you become a regional governor?”

“I don’t know why either. I’ve been this way since entering this world,” Zaun replied, equally bewildered.

“Your identity is definitely suspicious!” Adrian suggested to Oberon, “Elder, I suggest we kill this guy on the spot. He might ruin our grand plan to rebuild order.”

Isabella quickly spread her arms to protect Zaun: “You’re talking nonsense! With Brother Zaun’s help, we have even more strength. Don’t use this opportunity for personal revenge!”

Seeing her tense expression, Adrian’s face grew increasingly grim.

The Fourth Elder, Mostima, chuckled and said, “Bella is right. Now is the time when we need manpower. After all, he is a divine messenger and has abilities. With his help, we will be greatly aided.”

Augustus coldly replied, “Not long ago, I led my men to a great victory over the Manchu army. According to the time conversion of this world, I can completely pacify Liaodong in less than 5 years. Why would I need anyone else’s help?”

At this moment, a group of people around him flattered him. Zu’an roughly understood. It turned out that in the Battle of Ningjin not long ago, Augustus led his army to a great victory over the army of the Manchu Khan Huang Taiji. No wonder he was so arrogant.

But the idea of pacifying Liaodong in 5 years sounded so familiar.

Isabella hurriedly defended Zu’an, “Brother Zu also lifted the siege of Hancheng not long ago and defeated several rebel armies.”

She had already inquired about Zu’an’s recent activities on the way to the palace.

Adrian scoffed, “Don’t be fooled by him. Those Wang Zuogua and Miao Mei are nothing but a bunch of peasant rabble. One of my knights could easily quell them. What kind of military achievement is that?”

“You!” Isabella exclaimed, but unfortunately, she didn’t know much about the situation and didn’t know how to retort.

It was the Fourth Elder, Mostima, who stepped in to smooth things over: “The Empire’s finances are in serious trouble. They can’t maintain an army in Shaanxi. Even the most skilled cook can’t cook without rice. His ability to quell the rebellion is still commendable.”

“Alright, I called you back to solve problems, not to argue,” the Grand Elder snorted, setting the tone. “I’ve figured out that the root cause of this imperial crisis is fiscal collapse. The inflow of silver from the Americas has drastically decreased, and Japan’s closed-door policy prohibiting silver exports has led to deflation throughout the Ming Empire.”

“Unable to collect taxes normally, we had to increase taxes on ordinary people. The Liaodong tax, the suppression tax, and the training tax became the final straw, leading to a vicious cycle of ‘starving people – refugees – bandits.'”

“Everyone, what are your thoughts on how to solve these problems?”