The First Part: Emperor Hongwu Chapter 31: Martyrdom, Suspicion, Brutality, Weakness

  Lingbi, The Final Victory

  It seems to be in coordination with Zhu Di's determination, the court side does not know who came up with the idea that the northern army is about to fail and Xu Hui Zu should be called back to defend the capital. As a result, Xu Hui Zu, who had just won, was recalled again. Only Ping An and He Fu were left in Xiaohe to confront Zhu Di. Due to the feeling that this place is not easy to defend, the two men decided to merge their troops to guard Lingbi after consultation.

  But the house leaks and encounters continuous rain at night, the two lower-ranking soldiers were already exhausted, and the grain-transporting team was defeated by Zhu Di, all the grain was taken away, this time it can be said that it was the end of the Southern Army's life, they couldn't even eat a full meal, how could they fight. So the two men bumped into each other, decided to break through and escape tomorrow, to ensure consistent action, they also established a password: three cannon sounds.

  The next day, the southern soldiers were packing their bundles and preparing to slip away when suddenly three cannon shots rang out. The soldiers heard the signal and without saying a word, they took off running. But what they never expected was that these three cannon shots weren't their own escape signal, but rather the opposite - it was the northern army's attack signal!

  The Northern Army also formulated an attack code on the same day, and this code happened to be three cannon shots as well!

  It's really miserable, can't blame the government.

  This was a very ridiculous scene, the northern army, which was preparing to attack, happened to meet the southern army, which was fleeing in disarray. Where could they still talk about politeness? The northern army took advantage of the situation and pursued the killing, not only annihilating the southern army but also capturing Ping An and thirty-seven other high-ranking generals. Only He Fu ran fast and escaped alone on horseback.

  Zhu Di's persistence finally paid off, he kicked away the last stumbling block on his path forward and began to march towards his final goal.

  The Battle of Jingnan thoroughly defeated the main force of the Southern Army, and since then, the Southern Army has never been able to organize a decent counterattack. After going through countless hardships and defeating countless enemies, Zhu Di finally saw the dawn of victory.

  Sheng Yong, Tie Huan, and Ping An have become history, no one can stop my forward march!

  Zhu Di's next target was Yangzhou, where the defender was the Supervising Censor Wang Bin. He had intended to resist but was betrayed by his subordinates and Yangzhou surrendered without a fight.

  The fall of Yangzhou dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Southern Army. Today, we don't need to look at maps; with just a little geographical knowledge, we know how far apart Yangzhou and Nanjing are. Zhu Di's Jingnan campaign has finally reached its final stage; he only needs to take one more step to enter the capital city that he has been dreaming of day and night.

  Zhu Yunwen, who was sitting in the imperial city, had reached a state of extreme panic. He never expected that the reduction of vassals would lead to his own throne being insecure. His six senses were disordered, and Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were not in the capital at this time. His think tank only had Fang Xiaoru left. Since so, he could only ask this bookworm for a strategy.

  Fang Xiaoru, on the other hand, was calm and composed. He took out his scholarly attitude and listed several countermeasures: First, send out high-ranking officials to recruit soldiers outside the capital; then issue a call to arms across the country to buy time; meanwhile, send someone to negotiate with Zhu Di, expressing willingness to cede territory and lull him into complacency.

  Zhu Yunhe saw that he was so confident, so he acted according to his plan, hoping that this bookworm could pull him through at the last moment.

  It was later proven that Fang Xiaoru was indeed a first-class loyal minister, but he was absolutely not a first-class meritorious minister. His proposals for going out to recruit soldiers and calling for the king's rescue were all unable to fundamentally solve the problem. Zhu Di had already fought his way to the gate, how could they come up with a solution in time? And as for negotiating with Zhu Di to cede land in exchange for time, it was even more absurd. Playing tricks to gain time was precisely one of Zhu Di's strong points, and he would not fall into Fang Xiaoru's trap. After four years of hard work, Zhu Di did not rebel just to become a landlord of a piece of land; what he wanted was everything under heaven.

  Although this was the case, at that time the ministers still followed Fang Xiaoru's deployment to arrange everything. The most important task of negotiating with Zhu Di was given to Princess Qingcheng. Please do not misjudge her status from her title as princess, in fact, she was the niece of Zhu Yuanzhang and the elder of Zhu Yunwen. According to her identity and age, she was Zhu Di's older sister.

  The Princess of Qingcheng personally crossed the river to negotiate with Zhu Di, who warmly received her. This also made the princess think that Zhu Di was a person who could be reasoned with. She explained reason and moved him with emotion, saying a lot of things like brothers shouldn't hurt each other. Zhu Di listened very seriously and kept nodding in agreement.

  The Princess of Qingcheng stopped and waited for Zhu Di's response. Zhu Di finally spoke up after she finished talking, but what he said really startled the Princess of Qingcheng.

  Zhu Di said in a calm tone, "This time I rose up in arms, only to avenge my father (I don't know where the hatred comes from), eliminate treacherous officials, and follow the example of Zhou Gong assisting politics. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

  Then he looked at his cousin with a profound gaze and said, "If you don't agree to my request, on the day I conquer the city, I hope all of you brothers and sisters will move immediately to Father's tomb to live temporarily. I'm afraid that when the time comes, it will be too late for everyone."

  After finishing speaking, Zhu Di fell silent and did not speak again.

  This is intimidation, this is naked intimidation! Qing Cheng's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her own brother, realizing that everything she had said earlier was useless. This good brother not only insisted on his own way but also dared to threaten her. Only then did she understand that in his eyes, there were no brothers or sisters, only two kinds of people: those who supported him and those who opposed him.

  The Marquise of Cheng didn't understand Zhu Di, nor could she possibly understand him. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering he had endured to get where he was today. Now that victory was within sight, she thought she could just dismiss him with a few words? It was simply a pipe dream!

  Zhu Dian wrote a letter about his conversation with Qingcheng Junzhu and handed it over to her to take back, making his attitude clear.

  Zhu Yunwen learned of the negotiation results, and he finally realized that all his fantasies had been shattered. His opponent would not issue another order to "spare my nephew". He looked at everything in the palace, those eunuchs, palace maids and ministers still treated him with utmost respect, but he knew in his heart that even if a new master took over soon, they would still do the same.

  Because they are just servants, as long as their interests are guaranteed, the replacement of masters is really not a very important issue for them.

  Zhu Yunwen finally realized that the so-called master of the world was just a lonely person, a helpless person. His life was not meant to enjoy wealth and honor. From the day he ascended to the throne, suffering had begun. He had to guard against ministers, guard against vassals, guard against eunuchs, and everyone around him. He and his throne were an open target, having to respond to external and internal pressures and blows at any time.

  He would use his own life to guard his power, and once the throne of power was taken away, it also meant the end of his life. Because this rare product of an emperor can only have one in a unified era. This is both a natural law and a social law.

  Zhu Yunwen's biggest mistake was that he didn't know that the moment Zhu Di launched his campaign to quell the rebellion had already decided the fate of two people, one being Zhu Di himself and the other being him. The rebellious Zhu Di certainly had no way back, but neither did he. Because since ancient times, power struggles can only have one winner, either this or that.

  Things have come to this point, let's just follow the course of nature!

  A blank check

  Zhu Di, after rejecting Zhu Yunwen's offer of peace, launched his final attack. He deployed his troops at Puzikou and prepared to cross the river to attack the capital, but what he did not expect was that in this last moment, he encountered stubborn resistance.

  The defenders were led by Sheng Yong, who led the Southern Ming soldiers in a desperate counterattack and defeated the Northern army, temporarily blocking Zhu Di. Sheng Yong was indeed worthy of his reputation as a great general, and he did not give up hope at the last moment, but chose to persevere stubbornly. He proved his loyalty with action, although he did not maintain this loyalty to the end.

  The resistance of Sheng Yong achieved an unexpected effect, and Zhu Di's army had also been exhausted after a long battle, the soldiers were very tired and did not want to fight anymore, hoping to return for rest. This time Zhu Di was also shaken, because he also saw that his troops had indeed reached their limit, if they continued to fight, it might lead to a complete collapse of the army.

  If Zhu Di had retreated at this point, history might have been rewritten. As the saying goes, "Heaven helps those who are determined." The rascal Zhu Gaoxu, who was released by Huang Zicheng's wise decision last year, led the reinforcements to come and assist in the battle, which helped Zhu Di a lot. He was very excited, patted his son on the back and said emotionally: "Work hard, the prince is not in good health!"

  This so-called heir was his eldest son Zhu Gaochi, and this sentence was undoubtedly an instruction to pass on the throne to him when heard by Zhu Gaoxu. So he made every effort to attack Sheng Yong with all his might, and under the full support of the life army Zhu Gaoxu, the northern army defeated Sheng Yong greatly, and then crossed the Yangtze River in one move, reaching the final destination, the capital city.

  Zhu Gaoxu was definitely going to fight to the death, because the empire he would eventually inherit would all be his own. If he didn't fight to the death, who would? However, he seemed not to have carefully analyzed Zhu Di's words. Zhu Di had only said that the Crown Prince was in poor health and hadn't said anything about passing the throne to him. This sentence was absolutely ambiguous depending on how you understood it, and later historical facts proved that this sentence with too much free information was just an empty check for Zhu Gaoxu.

  Zhu Gaoyi is widely recognized as a shrewd person, but when it comes to cleverness, he still can't compare to his father. He seems to have forgotten that checks are only valid if they can be cashed, and his father obviously didn't open a bank, but rather started out by robbing one. If someone like that could issue a check that could be cashed, now that would be a strange thing.

  No matter what happened later, at least Zhu Di had achieved his goal for the time being and crossed the river smoothly. The next step was to enter the city, but this last step was not so easy. As we mentioned earlier, the capital city at that time was built with the sponsorship of rich businessman Shen Wansan and the Ming government, and the city walls were made of granite mixed with glutinous rice stone ash, which was very solid. And there were more than 100,000 troops in the city, how easy it is to attack!

  Zhu Yunwen also realized this, so he refused to escape south and followed Fang Xiaoru's suggestion to defend the city. This Fang Xiaoru was indeed a hardliner. When Zhu Yunwen feared that they could not hold out and asked him what to do if the city fell, he said: "Even if we can't hold the city, it is only right for the Emperor to die for the country!"

  Fang Xiaoru was a scholar, and his whole life had never experienced the turmoil of war, but when disaster struck, he showed unyielding integrity, admirable! Regrettable!

  Although that's the case, the solid defense of the capital at that time was also one of the reasons why Fang Xiaoru dared to speak out. Zhu Di couldn't even take Jinan, let alone the capital?

  But Fang Xiaoru did not understand that the most solid fortresses in this world are often breached from within. Zhu Di was no fool, he dared to lead his army to besiege the city, and naturally had a way to break the city, and this method was very effective.

  Zhu Di's method of attacking the city is his spies, and now it's time to introduce his two senior spies who are in charge of defending the Golden River Gate of the capital. One is Gu Wang Zhu Ju, and the other is Li Jinglong.

  Li Jinglong and Zhu Di had known each other since childhood, and although they later became enemies on the battlefield, Li Jinglong still maintained a sense of distinction between public and private matters. No matter how fiercely they fought, it did not affect his feelings towards Zhu Di. Moreover, judging from his poor command, he could also be considered one of the contributors to Zhu Di's conquest of the world.

  Although Li Jinglong had lost many battles and was scolded as a useless general, he didn't have any problems with his integrity. However, his later behavior of secretly colluding with Zhu Di gave him a new label - "traitor". If we compare the Jingnan campaign to a football match, Li Jinglong's original actions could be seen as a clumsy defender scoring an own goal, but after he decided to betray his master, he became someone who deliberately scored a fake goal.

  From then on, Li Jinglong finally took off all his disguises, he not only lost face but also abandoned his mask. Afterwards, he continued to live a miserable life under Zhu Di's rule. In summary, his life was a life of shamelessness and ignominy. If Li Wenzhong knew that he had given birth to such a son, he might have died from anger again.

  Shameless Li Jinglong shamelessly lived on, which is not surprising, because this is his way of life.

  With the help of these two traitors, Zhu Di's army entered the capital and the throne was seized.

  Integrity

  What is called integrity, this thing, on ordinary days many people hang it in their mouths, and often use it as a big stick to hit others. But true integrity always shows up at critical moments. And at such times, the outcome of insisting on integrity will not be fresh flowers and applause.

  Only true heroes can show their integrity when facing slaughter.

  This is the true courage.

  Zhu Yunwen sat stupidly in the palace, he was not entirely unprepared for the arrival of this day, but when it finally came, it still seemed so cruel. He could no longer be emperor, and ordinary people could no longer be ordinary people either. Having walked down this path, there really was no turning back.

  At this time, the strategists around him had disappeared, and those bookworms who were high-profiled in their daily lives finally understood that there was a gap between theory and reality. In this last moment, even Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were nowhere to be seen. Zhu Yunwen thoroughly understood what it meant to be deserted by his followers, and he angrily shouted at the empty hall: "It's you people who gave me these ideas, but when things come to a head, you all ran away with your lives!" But now his angry shout would no longer receive any response from the group of officials, only the echo of the deep and grand hall.

  At this point, it was meaningless to blame anyone. He looked back at the palace where he had spent his childhood, a place that everyone yearned for and revered. Born into an imperial family, what glory, what honor!

  Every blade of grass and every tree here is extremely familiar to him, but as a prince, he has no good feelings for this place. As the heir to the throne, he has been carrying too much pressure all along.

  In his view, everyone here is a monster, they stop at nothing, using all sorts of conspiratorial means to harm, frame and persecute others, all for one goal - power.

  Is the scenery at the top really that good? Zhu Yunfeng smiled wryly, he had a deep understanding of it, for it is cold at high altitudes. But what's rich in drama is that everyone seems to know the meaning of this sentence, yet no one pays attention to it. They still keep climbing towards the peak.

  Burn down this palace and destroy it completely!

  Zhu Yunwen's complaints and anger are justified, but he underestimated the integrity of his ministers. Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng, among many others, did not flee; they were using their individual strength to salvage the court from its crisis.

  Zi Tai recruited troops in Guangde, Huang Zi Cheng recruited troops in Suzhou, and Lian Zi Ning and Huang Guan recruited troops in Hangzhou. Although the actions of these bookworms could not truly save the country, they did their best to fulfill their promises, so today we can say that they were a group of brave and honorable people.

  Zi Tai and Huang Zicheng were captured one after another and executed, refusing to surrender.

  Huang Guan, whom we mentioned earlier, was another triple winner of the imperial examination in the Ming dynasty. At that time, he held the position of Right Servant-in-Attendance.

  His recruitment had little effect, but after hearing the news that the capital was about to fall, he still insisted on going to the capital, although he also understood that this trip would be fatal. But for him, fulfilling his promise and doing his duty meant far more than escaping with his life.

  When he arrived in Anqing, news came that the capital had fallen and a new emperor had ascended the throne.

  Huang Guan understood that the situation was already beyond salvation, but he didn't show the panic people imagined. Instead, he lamented and wept, saying: "My wife is a woman of strong character; she must have died already."

  After that, he invited his wife's soul and went through the necessary rituals. He then took a boat downstream along the river. When he arrived at Luocha Rock, he dressed up neatly, bowed eastward, and threw himself into the river to die.

  Huang Guan was not wrong, his wife had already jumped into the river at Huaiqing Bridge with their two daughters and ten relatives before him. Anyway, the couple finally reunited.

  Huang Guan, as a trusted follower and martyr of Zhu Yunwen, was hated by Zhu Di. He crossed out Huang Guan's name from the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination, so that in the history of the Ming Dynasty, there is only one record of someone who achieved the top three honors in the imperial examinations. Although we have mentioned this before, I would like to clear the name of this brave man once again:

  Huang Guan, during the Hongwu era, successively achieved top honors in three imperial examinations. His name was deleted from the list of successful candidates by Zhu Di, who usurped the throne, and he died a loyal death.

  I believe that truth can never be concealed forever.

  There were not only the above-mentioned people who had a sense of justice. Huang Yan and Wang Shu Ying, both Hanlin revisers, who had been recruiting soldiers with Qi Tai in Guangde, after hearing the news of Qi Tai's capture, knew that all was lost, so they bathed and changed their clothes, and wrote down their last words:

  Since I was born, it has already been predetermined; there is no supplement at the time of death, and it is in vain. Fortunately, there will be no shame for future generations.

  Then the two of them took their own lives. For these two scholars, they had done enough, as stated in their wills, they lived a life of integrity and honor, without shame for future generations.

  It turns out that integrity is not exclusive to those scholars and officials, ordinary people also have integrity.

  A woodcutter from Taizhou was a man of integrity. He was an ordinary person who left no name in history, which is normal because at that time he was just a commoner who went up the mountain to cut firewood every day and then carried it into the city to sell. He never overcharged or cheated anyone when selling firewood. Many people bought his firewood, but from any angle, he should not have had anything to do with the Jingnan campaign. However, this kind of person jumped into Donghu Lake and died after hearing that the capital had fallen.

  Maybe someone thinks he's foolish, no matter which emperor ascends to the throne, you still chop your firewood and live your life, but I think his behavior has already told us that justice is in people's hearts.

  Although he was just an ordinary woodcutter, his heart was tied to the world. As an ordinary person, he had no way to express his anger and protest, so throwing himself into a lake was his only means of expression.

  Ordinary people can also become heroes, as long as you have courage.

  Apart from the literati and the common people, a military general also showed his loyalty. This man was Zhang Lun, a great general under Sheng Yong. After Sheng Yong's defeat and surrender, the Northern army also hoped to persuade him to surrender. Zhang Lun smiled and said: "Do you think I am someone who would betray myself?"

  He then resolutely went to his death.

  Zhang Lun was an inconspicuous general, and we had not mentioned him before. Although he did not have any military achievements, he was a great man. On the contrary, professional generals such as Sheng Yong and Ping An all surrendered to Zhu Di.

  Sheng Yong and Ping An were endowed with great talents, originally had strategic ideas, went through hundreds of battles, but unexpectedly did not match up to their own subordinates and an ordinary woodcutter! Indeed, it's lamentable.

  Mystery

  Of course, Zhu Yunwen did not know about these righteous acts of his subordinates. He burned down his own palace and then disappeared without a trace, giving rise to one of the greatest mysteries in history. However, this mystery was not triggered by Zhu Yunwen's disappearance. As early as when Zhu Di entered the capital city, the Northern Army received a strange order, which was not to enter the Imperial City but to retreat to Longjiang Inn. It is clear that Zhu Di did not want to bear the sin of killing his own nephew. He besieged the Imperial City, giving Zhu Yunwen time to either take his own life or abdicate.

  But Zhu Yunwen's choice was beyond his expectation. Burning the palace indicated that Zhu Yunwen did not want to abdicate, but this nephew with a few bones of pride also did not commit suicide. After entering the palace, Zhu Di did not find Zhu Yunwen's body. Neither abdicating nor committing suicide, there is only one option left - escape.

  The fate of Zhu Yunwen thus became a mystery for the ages. This incident later triggered a huge reaction and chain effect, while Zhu Yunwen's escape itself was like a detective story, which we will analyze in detail later, and here is not detailed.

  Atrocities

  Zhu Di finally sat on his throne, he thought it was what he deserved, because he had paid too much for it. How many times had he risked his life, how many times had he been on the verge of defeat, only to achieve today's victory and success.

  But after a short period of excitement, Zhu Di immediately realized that he had more important things to do, which was to eliminate those who opposed him from taking the throne. Thus began one of the rare brutal episodes in history.

  Zhu Di first found Fang Xiaoru, he knew that Fang Xiaoru was famous all over the world, and Dao Yan had told him before he conquered the capital: "After the prince conquers the capital, Fang Xiaoru will definitely not surrender, but you must not kill him! If you kill him, the scholars of the world will be extinct!"

  With the warning from this military advisor, Zhu Di naturally did not dare to slack off. He predicted that Fang Xiaoru would definitely not surrender easily, but he also did not expect things to evolve into a tragic drama that would break historical records.

  Zhu Di met with Fang Xiaoru in the grand hall, hoping that Fang would draft an imperial edict for him. In fact, finding someone else to draft the edict was also possible, but if it were written by Fang himself, it would have a better effect on soothing the hearts of people across the land. Therefore, this edict had to be written by Fang Xiaoru.

  But Zhu Di never thought that Fang Xiaoru came at the summons, not to write a decree for him, but to bring out the skills of a speaking official and engage in a legal debate with Zhu Di over the right of succession.

  Fang Xiaoru entered the grand hall in tears, ignoring Zhu Di and not paying homage. Zhu Di was extremely embarrassed and tried to persuade him, saying: "Sir, please don't be like this, I'm just following the example of the Duke of Zhou assisting with governance."

  This remark enraged Fang Xiaoru, who immediately asked: "Where is King Cheng?!"

  "He died from self-immolation."

  "What about King Cheng's son?!"

  "A country needs an older monarch."

  "What about King Cheng's brother?!"

  "This is my family's affair."

  Social youth Zhu Di finally learned the best debate hand and inheritance law expert Fang Xiaoru's ferocity, he didn't have so much patience, letting someone take out paper and pen for Fang Xiaoru, forcing him to write.

  Fang Xiaoru did not write.

  Continue to force.

  Yan Ze usurped the throne.

  Zhu Di had become so enraged that he lost his composure:

  "Aren't you afraid I'll destroy your entire clan if you don't write?!"

  "What if you kill ten of my clansmen!"

  In reality, Fang Xiaoru did not necessarily mean to let Zhu Di exterminate his own family when he said this. However, he did not understand Zhu Di, who was not the kind of person to make empty threats about not letting him see tomorrow's sun, but could guarantee that next year's sun would shine on his grave.

  Moreover, he is extremely proficient in the law of violence and will use it at the right time. At least his usage skills have surpassed those of Chen Youliang back then, because he understands an important principle:

  Violence can't solve everything, but it can solve you.

  He had Fang Xiaoru dragged out.

  The final outcome of Fang Xiaoru was: dismemberment and the extermination of ten clans.

  Historically, there were only nine categories, but humanity once again showed its incredible creativity. The extra category should thank Zhu Di's invention and creation, who added Fang Xiaoru's friends and students to the directory of slaughter in order to make up the number.

  Fang Xiaoru was a man who dared to resist violence, his death was very tragic, but it is of great value, his behavior should be the model for scholars, and we will always remember him.

  From a criminal psychology perspective, it is most difficult for a murderer to kill the first person, but once they have set a precedent, subsequent killings are relatively easy.

  Then Zhu Di began his slaughter.

  Due to the excessively gory and violent content below, I will try to express it in brief and euphemistic language; those with poor psychological endurance can skip reading.

  Tie Xuan, cut off his ears and nose, then cooked them, stuffed them into his own mouth. Zhu Di asked: "Is it sweet?"

  Tie Zhong replied: "The flesh of a loyal minister and filial son, what is not sweet!" Ling Chi then killed his son.

  Huang Zizhen, Ling Chi, exterminate three clans.

  Qin, slow, exterminate three clans.

  Xun Zining, Ling Chi, exterminate the clan.

  Exterminate with respect, delay in execution, annihilate the clan.

  Chen Di, Ling Chi, killed his son.

  Moreover, the wives and daughters of Tie Xuan, Fang Xiaoru's daughter, Qi Tai's wife, and Huang Zicheng's sister were all taken into the Teaching Institute to become prostitutes.

  Speechless, beyond criticism.

  Weakness

  Many people often exclaim that Zhu Di is a psychopathic killer when they read this, but the fact may not be so.

  As we said before, Zhu Di is a two-faced person. His cruelty was only aimed at those who opposed him, and these massacres of opponents cannot explain his strength, but rather expose his weakness.

  Caesar of ancient Rome, upon learning that his wife was having an affair with a politician, did not erupt in anger, although he could have punished the man with his powerful position. He divorced his wife and later reused the man who had an affair with her.

  Caesar is not a fool, nor is he Wu Dalang. He is a man with a strong desire for power and authority. The reason he can ignore his wife's betrayal is that he has extreme confidence in his own position and prestige. He has a broad mind and believes that what belongs to him will always be his.

  Yes, from history we can know that tolerance has never been weakness.

  Zhu Di was a weak person, due to the illegitimate source of his throne, he worried day and night that someone else would emulate him and take away his position. He also feared the rumors on the streets, so he continued to slaughter those who opposed him, altering history. But in fact, opponents have always existed, and history has left behind his brutal mark.

  Beyond the mist of history, what we see is not a strong and confident Zhu Di, but rather on that glorious throne sits a pale-faced middle-aged man, looking around at people with vigilant eyes, and constantly saying to them:

  "This is my throne, you shall not come near."

  I believe this is the true face of history.

  The matter finally came to an end, and Zhu Di fell into deep thought as usual. After experiencing such turmoil, no one knew what he was thinking at this moment. Generally, at this time, no one dared to disturb him, but Zhu Neng was an exception. He had outstanding military achievements and was Zhu Di's number one confidant. In order to report the news of searching for Jianwen remnants, he walked to Zhu Di's side as usual and broke the silence:

  "Your Highness,..."

  Zhu Dian's head suddenly lifted up, staring at Zhu Neng with an extremely cold gaze.

  Zhu was intimidated, that terrible gaze made him tremble with fear, even the fierce battles on the battlefield had never made him so fearful. He knew he had made a serious mistake, and so he corrected it.

  "Your Majesty."

  Zhu Di finally entered the grand hall representing the highest power, a place he was not unfamiliar with. He had previously come to kowtow and worship, or to offer sacrifices and prayers. But this time it was different, he had become the master of this place. He sat on the emperor's throne, looking down at his ministers. Although this position had belonged to his nephew Zhu Yunwen just a short while ago, although his ascension was not normal from both the legal substantive and procedural aspects, there was one rule that could guarantee his reasonable but illegal occupation of this position.

  The name of this rule is called Cheng Wang Bai Kou.

  Zhu Di finally triumphed, receiving the homage of his ministers. This was what he deserved; he had put in the effort and now it was time to reap the rewards. The shadow of his father seemed to reappear before his eyes.

  Although you didn't hand the throne over to me, I still managed to get it through my own efforts. I will prove with my actions that I am the most suitable successor for this empire. I won't let you down, and this vast empire will become even stronger under my rule! I will carry on your glory, making everyone look up to us, look up to our great nation!

  Great Ming!