Chapter Eleven: The Final Intruder

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I’m stunned—boxed!

Suddenly attacked by a boxed weapon, not only was the simulated "Zhou Liang" shocked out of his wits, but even the real Zhou Liang was dumbfounded.

Yet the reason for his shock wasn’t simply that someone had opened a box offline—it was the self-revealed identity of the leader opposite him:

“Li, the Great Grandson, Li Laiheng?!”

Who was Li Laiheng?

Answer: The great-grandnephew of Li Zicheng!

To explain, Li Zicheng himself had no direct descendants. He only had a nephew named Li Guo, who also had no direct heirs but only an adopted son—Li Laiheng.

Because of this, although he had no direct blood relation to Li Zicheng, according to the ancient patriarchal system, after both Li Zicheng and Li Guo died, Li Laiheng was unquestionably the legitimate heir to the throne of the Great Shun dynasty.

In the original historical timeline, Li Zicheng was defeated at Yipanshi. His relatives and subordinates fled south with him, and after Li Zicheng was killed at Jiugong Mountain, his nephew Li Guo and great-grandnephew Li Laiheng successively became the actual leaders of the Great Shun regime.

After surrendering to the Southern Ming, these former peasant rebels transformed into Ming soldiers, fighting the invading Qing armies for years. They nearly single-handedly held up the fragmented Southern Ming, but ultimately were overwhelmed and completely destroyed in the long river of history.

Yet even in defeat, Li Laiheng and his comrades remained genuine heroes of resistance against the Qing, fondly remembered by people.

Of course, this was the original historical timeline.

In the current Divine Emperor timeline, the Great Shun regime was crushed from top to bottom by the Divine Emperor’s iron fist and labeled as “rebellious traitors,” never to have their names cleared.

After all, the anti-feudal fighters were ruthlessly suppressed by the vicious feudal forces, and nearly all the rebels perished under the Divine Emperor’s despair-inducing divine power.

But Li Laiheng seemed to be an exception.

No one knew how he survived the terrifying disaster when the Divine Emperor destroyed Shuntian Prefecture. After the tragic deaths of Li Zicheng and the main rebels in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, multiple anti-Ming uprisings broke out in Shaanxi and the Central Plains under the banner of “Li the Great Grandson.”

This enraged the Divine Emperor, who brutally massacred cities in both regions to suppress tens of millions of disloyal rebels.

Yet strangely, no matter how often the Divine Emperor and Ming armies crushed these uprisings, this “Li the Great Grandson” always survived. Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard caught many rebel leaders claiming to be “Li the Great Grandson” and tortured them one by one, but none turned out to be the real one—they were all imposters.

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No one knew if Li Laiheng truly survived the great disaster in Shuntian Prefecture, nor did anyone know if those who raised his banner were genuine or not.

In any case, “Li the Great Grandson” had become a fixed anti-Ming symbol. Rebels always pretended to be him to rally support. He was like a curse haunting the Ming court and the Divine Emperor alike...

What? Sounds familiar?

Indeed, it’s just like the “Third Prince Zhu” who troubled the Qing dynasty for decades. Although this world no longer had the Qing, it had its own “Li the Great Grandson,” as if fate had arranged it so...

During his thirty-eight years leading the Pig Slaughter Society, Zhou Liang was curious about this mystery and secretly sent people to investigate. Even the non-human Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn’t find the real one, so as a mere mortal, he was even less likely to.

So the best guess was that Li Laiheng most likely perished in the Shuntian disaster, and those claiming his name were just seeking an easy legitimacy to attract followers.

Just like the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising at the end of Qin, who used unrelated figures like Fusu and Xiang Yan as banners, who cared whether they were real? As long as people believed it, that was enough! After all, rebellion against Qin was a necessity, uprising would happen with or without a banner...

“So, is this Li Laiheng real or not?”

Zhou Liang furrowed his brow. His reason told him the man was probably fake, but probability, if not absolute, still left room for doubt.

“Age-wise, it fits. Even if Li Laiheng was only twenty when he marched into Beijing with the army, by the forty-seventh year of Chongzhen, thirty years had passed, and fifty would definitely be considered old in ancient times.”

“Location fits too. I’m here in Mizhi County, Li Zicheng’s hometown. If Li Laiheng really survived and went into hiding, returning to his roots wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Besides, the Ming court is still hunting him everywhere. Besides rebel leaders raising his banner, what ordinary old man would dare claim to be Li Laiheng?”

“So, although he’s probably fake, it’s not absolute... well, let’s see how things unfold.”

Shaking his head, Zhou Liang pushed aside the distracting thoughts and focused intently on the unfolding plot...

[Li the Great Grandson?!]

[You were shocked. Though young, the name “Li the Great Grandson” was thunderous in your ears, as many anti-Ming uprisings once broke out in Shaanxi under his banner.]

[Though thirty years later, the Divine Emperor had plowed Shaanxi more than once, leaving the people too famished to rebel even at home, your parents—who lived through those times—often told you stories of those days, so the name was not unfamiliar.]

[Now that this group had been boxed offline, you naturally were terrified... but was the old man really Li Laiheng?]

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[You harbored some slight doubt...]

[The old man seemed to sense your suspicion but scorned arguing, instead sneering coldly.]

["I had no intention of revealing myself again, but you, this damn prodigy, dare slander the Prince of Rebellion, weaving false charges, spewing rumors and hearsay spread all over northern Shaanxi..."]

["Many voices make a tiger... I’m afraid future generations will really believe your damn writings!"]

["Though I, Li Laiheng, have lived my life skulking in the shadows like a rat, I simply cannot tolerate a fool like you! Since I’m about to die anyway, I might as well drag you, this mouthy little mutt, down with me, to comfort the spirit of the Eternal Prosperity Emperor!"]

[You: ...]

[Spicy!]

[A chill ran through you: this move not only denied you the fame and fortune your writings might have brought but instead summoned an active grim reaper!]

[The magistrate’s reward of a thousand silver taels will probably come too late; it’s better to buy paper money to burn for you...]

[Alert! Your loyal article failed to bring the expected fame and fortune and instead attracted the deadly Grim Reaper. If you don’t handle this well today, it will surely be death without hope... Your heart is in turmoil, unsure what to do... You choose:]

[A: Loyalty! You’ve already insulted him, so death is certain. Since you’ve already published your grateful articles, maintain your loyal persona to the end, angrily denounce the rebel, and die heroically for the country! Surely the Divine Emperor will honor your funeral when he learns of your deeds...]

[B: Kneel down, sliding down to the ground! Plead with the Prince of Rebellion, claiming you were forced, that those damn articles weren’t yours but were prepared by your master Deputy Official Ding and Official Xue beforehand, used to deceive the world... In short, you were coerced. How could someone your age write such flattering rubbish? Please believe me, Prince!]

Zhou Liang: ...

...