Chapter 41 Emperor Yongle, should we also call you Emperor Yongle...?

"Isn't this inappropriate?" Zheng He frowned, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the remote control, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes.

The reason was simple: if Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang were to see the story of Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, rebelling, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood on the spot. Thinking of that decisive and ruthless founding emperor, Zheng He's back was already covered in a layer of cold sweat.

"What's wrong with it? It's good to have seen it; a short pain is better than a long one." Yuchi Jingde sat imposingly in his chair, his large, round eyes wide open. "Besides, how many people have the chance to glimpse the future? What are you still hesitating about?"

The mighty Tang general stood up as he spoke, his large, fan-like hand slamming heavily onto Zheng He's shoulder, almost causing the slender Zheng He to stumble. "Although the future holds many uncertainties, knowing them early allows us to prepare for them sooner. Isn't it our duty as subjects to share the burdens and difficulties of our lord?"

Zheng He pursed his lips, hesitating for a long time before lowering his voice and saying, "I'm afraid that His Highness's future plans to raise an army... will be discovered by His Majesty." He couldn't help but feel wary. "Although His Highness the Crown Prince has passed away, His Majesty favors his grandson to inherit the throne. If he finds out that the Prince of Yan will rebel, the consequences..."

"What are you afraid of?!"

Before Zheng He could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a loud shout from Yuchi Jingde. The renowned Tang general slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups clatter. "So what if they rebelled! Our Emperor dared to rebel with only eight hundred soldiers back then, and look how prosperous the Tang Dynasty is now!"

As Yuchi Jingde spoke, he became more and more excited, his thick beard trembling: "If you ask me, what does the ability to govern a country and bring peace have to do with how one gains power? The important thing is whether one can enable the people to live a good life! Look at our Zhenguan era, those TV dramas depict people not picking up lost items on the road and not locking their doors at night, with all foreign tribes submitting and all nations coming to pay tribute. Isn't that much better than the orthodox system that those pedantic scholars talk about all day long?"

"If the Emperor Emeritus had seen this TV series earlier, perhaps the Xuanwu Gate Incident would never have happened." Li Shimin had always been quite bothered by the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer to Zheng He mysteriously: "Besides, if your Prince Yan is really as capable as he is portrayed on TV, it might actually be a good thing! It's better than..." He swallowed the words back, but just winked meaningfully.

Anyone with eyes can see who is more suitable to be emperor.

Zheng He was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head with a wry smile. Even so, the thought of the emperor's ruthless methods still sent a chill down his spine.

To watch or not to watch...

Zheng He made a decision in his heart, but it was still his shift time, and he still had to go and work on his brick kiln.

—

The people in the mourning hall looked at the spot where Zheng He had stood, now empty.

Inside the mourning hall, filled with the scent of sandalwood, the air seemed to freeze. Everyone stared intently at the spot where Zheng He had disappeared, even their breathing became cautious. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhu Shuang's forehead, and his legs trembled involuntarily.

Does God truly exist in this world?

This thought lingered in everyone's mind. Zheng He, who had just been alive, had vanished into thin air before everyone's eyes, leaving not even a trace of his robe. Zhu Di subconsciously touched his arm to confirm that he was still real.

King Zhu Shuang of Qin shuddered. When people are vulnerable and frightened, they want to seek justice from an official.

Even though that adult is now old.

"Father..." Zhu Shuang's voice trembled noticeably. He staggered to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, grabbing his father's sleeve like a child who had done something wrong. "I...I just kicked the divine messenger..."

The old emperor slowly turned his head, his once worldly-wise eyes now bloodshot. He didn't speak immediately, but instead swept his cold gaze across Zhu Shuang's face. That single look sent a chill down Zhu Shuang's spine, and he hastily released his grip.

Seeing this, Zhu Di quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Second Brother, don't be afraid, Zheng He shouldn't be angry..." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang's expression and added, "I just don't know if that Magistrate Jiang will be angry..."

Who cares if a eunuch gets angry? He's afraid of immortals.

The candles in the mourning hall suddenly started moving on their own without any wind, startling several guards so much that they almost drew their swords. Zhu Shuang even collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling and unable to speak.

"Oh, it's alright." Zhu Di reached out to help Zhu Shuang, only to find that his second brother's inner garment was soaked with cold sweat.

Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke, his voice terribly hoarse: "All of you, shut up." He stood up, leaning on his cane, his cloudy eyes sweeping over each of his sons present. "Fourth son, when is he coming back?"

If he never returned, they would never see Zheng He again, so Zhu Yuanzhang guessed that Zheng He would come back.

"The third quarter of the hour of You (酉时)" translates to around 5 or 6 pm.

"Then let's wait, let's wait for him to come back."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around, looked at Zhu Biao lying there, and tears streamed down his face. "If there are immortals recruiting, why not recruit Biao?"

If I had known a few days earlier and received help from the immortals, perhaps Biao'er wouldn't be lying here.

An elderly father's heart clenched painfully.

The crowd quieted down, though occasional sobs could still be heard; the civil and military officials outside were crying loudly.

Zhu Yunwen, dressed in hemp clothing, knelt before the altar, his grief so intense that he was practically emaciated.

Time passed slowly, and Zhu Shuang was starting to get impatient. When was he finally coming back?

This feeling of being neither alive nor dead is just too awful.

Zhu Shuang was going crazy.

It is unknown how much time has passed, but the sun has already begun to set in the west. A flash of white light appeared, and Zheng He reappeared in the mourning hall, carrying a black box.

"Sanbao, what is this?"

As soon as Zhu Di saw it, he couldn't help but ask, "This Magistrate Jiang is really good to Sanbao, giving him all sorts of rare and wonderful things."

I just don't know what this dark thing is.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent; he too wanted to know what it was.

"This thing is called a television set, and it can show you the future." Zheng He pursed his lips. He had made up his mind. Perhaps Prince Yan's rebellion, like Emperor Taizong of Tang's, was a stain, but its merits outweighed its flaws.

Besides, he was also very curious about the seven voyages to the Western Ocean.

Can we see the future?

Inside the mourning hall, people's pupils dilated involuntarily, and their breathing gradually became heavier. Who didn't want to know what the future held?

Zhu Yunwen, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, turned his head when he heard that the future could be foreseen. He already knew that his grandfather intended for him to inherit the throne.

How well will he perform as emperor?

Zheng He was holding a remote control, about to turn on the television.

"Wait!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly raised his hand, the old emperor's cloudy, single eye fixed on the small screen, his throat rumbling with labored breathing. "Tell me first..." he said, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "...Is there any hope for Biao'er's death?"

A sudden tremor ran through everyone in the mourning hall. Zheng He lowered his eyelashes, casting two shadows on his pale face. "Your Majesty, please forgive me..." he said, his voice barely audible, "Magistrate Jiang said that the will of Heaven is hard to defy."

These six words fell heavily in the mourning hall, as if nailing another invisible seal onto Zhu Biao's coffin.

Time cannot be turned back.

The predetermined ending cannot be changed.

"Bullshit!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly roared. "We don't believe in any destiny! Open it! We want to see for ourselves what kind of bullshit destiny this is!"

Destiny?

If that little beggar who herded cattle outside Haozhou City believed in fate, he should have obediently starved to death in the dilapidated temple. If that wandering monk who begged for food with a broken bowl believed in fate, he should have turned into withered bones in the chaos of the world. If that Red Turban soldier who risked his life to rebel believed in fate, he should not have even dreamed of sitting on the dragon throne!

But Zhu Yuanzhang fought his way out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, trampled fate under his feet, and sat on the throne.

Open it?

These were words spoken by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, so Zheng He no longer hesitated and pressed the remote control.

This TV series was also found for him by Magistrate Jiang; he said it was some kind of documentary.

Magistrate Jiang is a mild-mannered man; he probably won't harm him, Zheng He thought.

But to my surprise, as soon as I opened it, I heard...

"Long live the Prince of Yan! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor..."

The people in the mourning hall were surprised. They knew that the next emperor should be his nephew Zhu Yunwen. Ever since his elder brother passed away, his father had this intention. Once his father made up his mind, no one could change it.

So, how did Zhu Di become emperor?

Zhu Shuang was displeased. In terms of civil administration and military achievements, in what way was he inferior to Zhu Di?

"Fourth brother, this is usurping the throne! Father is still here! Are you planning a rebellion?"

The television screen still showed images of Zhu Yuanzhang, who stared intently at one of them: a man on horseback entering the Forbidden City, with thousands shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Prince of Yan?" Zhu Yuanzhang uttered from his chest.

His narrowed eyes gave off a menacing look.

Zhu Yuanzhang, aside from his own family, killed almost everyone in his family, including his brothers who fought alongside him to conquer the empire. In order for Zhu Yunwen to be able to sit on the throne, he killed the unstable Lan Yu.

Now that his own son Zhu Di is rebelling, does Zhu Yuanzhang also want to kill him...?

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Zhu Shuang and his brothers stared intently at Zhu Di, like wolves pouncing on their prey.

Zhu Di knelt on the ground: "Father, this scene is incomplete and contradictory, how can you believe it?"

"Yes, it's all so incoherent," Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled.

He was unaware that the fourth brother harbored such great ambitions.

As they spoke, the screen switched, and although no one was there, a deep female voice could be heard, seemingly carrying the weight of history:

The river of history flows ever onward, and among the hundreds of emperors, the achievements of Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, are unparalleled. Although he bore the infamy of a usurper throughout his life, this emperor, whose reign title was "Yongle," forged one of the most glorious periods in Chinese feudal history.

As the documentary's grand narration echoed in the mourning hall, countless gasps suddenly exploded in the frozen air. The usurper was unprecedented and unparalleled.

This is such high praise. Could Zhu Di have done that well?

Is that person really the fourth brother?

Zhu Shuang took a few steps back, but his eyes were fixed on Zhu Di. Although the other princes reacted differently, their eyes were all fixed on Zhu Di. Was the person mentioned above really the fourth prince?

Among them, the most eager eyes belonged to Lady Lü and Zhu Yunwen. One had the throne within reach, and the other had the position of Empress Dowager right before their eyes. Who would have thought that someone would rebel?

Lady Lü's gaze almost made Zhu Di want to be slowly tortured to death.

But Zhu Di didn't care. Ever since he learned that he would rebel and take his nephew's place, he had been in a state of anxiety. He wanted to know how history would record him and whether his act of usurping the throne had been nailed to the pillar of shame.

Now that he heard how the historical records evaluated him, Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief. Hmm, well done!

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent. This little brat is unprecedented and unparalleled.

Where do you place him, the father?

He originally wanted to deal with Zhu Di's usurpation, but once it involved comparisons and rankings, he wanted to keep watching. He wanted to know what this little brat had done to earn such a reputation.

He led five expeditions to the northern deserts, driving the remnants of the Mongols to the banks of the Onon River; he dispatched Zheng He on seven voyages to the Western Ocean, reaching as far as the east coast of Africa; he oversaw the compilation of the Yongle Encyclopedia, preserving the wisdom of Chinese civilization; he moved the capital to Beijing, establishing the political structure of "the emperor guarding the nation's gate," and later generations referred to him as the Yongle Emperor.

The scene unfolds abruptly: on the azure sea, Zheng He's treasure fleet, like a moving castle, cleaves the waves; before the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, envoys from all nations kneel in a sea of ​​worship; on the northern grasslands, the flames of Ming army cannons illuminate half the sky...

Treasure ship...

That was Zheng He's fleet. He looked up at the scene, as if trying to imprint it deeply in his mind, thinking that one day the caged bird would fly to the sea and to the distance.

Fly to places where no one has ever been before.

Amidst the chaos, the eunuchs in the mourning hall also looked up at the scene. Who wouldn't want the treasure ship fleet to be recorded in history?

Moreover, the person was wearing the same clothes as him.

Can people like them really be remembered in history?

It should be noted that eunuchs are usually portrayed as treacherous and wicked figures in historical records, and no palace attendant has ever been recorded in history like Zheng He.

After these events were reported, the princes quieted down. The fourth prince had done... well, it seemed... not bad...

How are they supposed to complain to the old man now...?

Zhu Shuang thought for a moment. Since he couldn't refute the fourth brother's argument based on strength, he decided to condemn him morally.

"Fourth brother, your eldest brother is still lying here, and you dare to usurp your nephew's position? What kind of uncle are you?"

This nephew...

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Yunwen kneeling on the ground. Zhu Yunwen had not eaten or drunk anything for several days while keeping vigil, and his hempen clothes looked empty on his body. Filial and gentle, this was Zhu Di's impression of Zhu Yunwen.

Um.

Even Zhu Di, who was relatively weak in morality, felt a rare pang of guilt, especially since this was at his elder brother's funeral hall, which he was quite careful about.

Therefore, Zhu Di did not respond.

Prince Zhu Su was the only one happy for his brother Zhu Di. His handsome face appeared even paler against the backdrop of his plain white mourning clothes. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips as he spoke softly to Zhu Shuang: "You talk as if you're showing any sentimentality, Second Brother."

Considering personal relationships?

What kind of feelings can someone who doesn't even have much humanity have?

This is blatant irony.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned around, his eyes fixed on Zhu Di, and everyone in the mourning hall stopped moving.

"Fourth Prince," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse, like sand scraping against rough gravel, "Shouldn't we... also call you the Yongle Emperor?"

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Author's Note: Updated! [Laughing]