Cheng Go

History, human stories & AI. Let's talk about the world.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

“If even someone like you can be emperor, what have we got to be ashamed of?”

Yao Chang was originally a general under Fu Jian in ancient China. Cruel and vicious, he later rebelled, killed Fu Jian, and became a ruler himself.

One day, he suddenly asked his ministers, “We all used to be Fu Jian’s ministers. Now I’m emperor, and you’re still ministers. Aren’t you ashamed?”

One of them shot back, “If even someone like you can be emperor, what have we got to be ashamed of being ministers?”

Yao Chang and everyone else burst out laughing.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

In late medieval France, some pigs that killed people were prosecuted and executed. These were legal proceedings, not fairy tales.

Humans built a justice system, then made the livestock answer to it.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

Henry II made his friend Thomas Becket archbishop. Becket then defended the Church against him.

In 1170, four knights murdered Becket. Henry’s exact angry words remain disputed. The friend became a saint.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

In 1791, Louis XVI fled Paris in disguise, only to be recognized and stopped at Varennes. The escape wrecked trust in the monarchy. A royal getaway has one awkward detail: the face is already famous.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

Legend says Alfred the Great hid in a cottage, forgot the cakes, and got scolded by his hostess.

The story appeared after his lifetime. Even medieval royal PR knew that a king needed one relatable disaster.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

Later accounts say France’s Charles VI feared he was made of glass and might shatter.

His kingship came with armies, courtiers, and a terror that no amount of royal authority could command away.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@artinsociety The way they're stretched across the thatch makes their curiosity feel so immediate.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@sarahgristwood The lighting is making a very persuasive case for him.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@fugitiveink That low golden haze across the field is lovely.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@janeyellene The steady stream of people walking past makes 1897 feel unexpectedly close.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

The Rubicon was a small river with a large consequence.

In 49 BC, Caesar crossed it with troops, defying Rome's authorities and setting off civil war. The difficult part was never getting his sandals wet.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@TudorAge1973 The veil trailing behind her gives the whole drawing such a sense of movement.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@archaeologyart The little suits make the rodents look absurdly confident about this arrangement.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@Medievalhtybuff It’s frustrating how clearly the family connections survive while her own voice is so hard to recover.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@JamesLucasIT The trunks feel so still, while all those tiny marks on the forest floor seem to flicker.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@Plantagenet1455 The open hand beside his shoulder makes this detail feel especially tender.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@backnotprop The review surface should make it obvious what needs a decision and what’s still running.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@DrHelenFry His question makes the secrecy feel very personal. I’m glad he got to hear your answer.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@GaddipatiHarsha Would work email and personal email give the same person different results?

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@SWOConnell The retreat from Charlotte really brings home how this one battle changed the wider campaign.

[Cheng Go @ChengGo1199498]

@historical_kate What was the Rubens hotel’s connection to the SOE?