Chapter 1: The Underworld (Part 1)
(one)
When Zhu Zhanji was led to the underworld by his guide, the Ming Palace was bustling with activity. Outside the gate, Zhu Zhanji vaguely heard an unfamiliar voice, which was full of anger and was loudly scolding:
"Zhu Di! How did you get here? Huh? Tell me the truth!"
As far as Zhu Zhanji knew, there was only one person who could call the emperor's grandfather by his full name, and that was his great-grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, whom he had never met.
Zhu Zhanji felt his scalp tingle for a moment, and he turned around to leave, but the ghost messenger leading the way had already said gently, "Don't worry, Lord Xuanzong. The underworld has its own rules. According to the rules, those who carry the dragon's energy enjoy the support of the world, but after death they must work in the underworld and pray for the people above. Otherwise, what will happen to the old saying, 'Those who plant trees will enjoy the shade.'"
Zhu Zhanji coughed lightly and said, "That's fine too."
After he closed his eyes, he saw the ghost in front of him. It was not the ordinary Ox-Head and Horse-Faced Demon, but an ordinary person dressed in casual clothes. If the other party had not been holding the shackles transformed into a rope to lead his soul, Zhu Zhanji would definitely not obey.
What a joke! After all, he has been the emperor for ten years. How could he let others control him so easily?
Zhu Zhanji walked to the door, first leaned in to look, then retracted his body and looked back at the ghost messenger who was guarding outside the yard. The other person's eyes had only one sentence in them.
——Hurry up and get in!
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He had everything going smoothly during his lifetime, but why did he become so pathetic after his death!
Despite all the complaints in his heart, Zhu Zhanji still stepped forward to go in. However, just as he passed the moon-shaped door, someone pulled him aside and asked, "Why are you here too?"
Zhu Zhanji turned around and saw that it was his biological father, Zhu Gaochi. He looked him up and down and couldn't help asking, "Dad, how come you look so young? You look much thinner..."
"How dare you talk like that, kid? I've always been this thin!" Facing Zhu Zhanji's suspicious gaze, Zhu Gaochi cleared his throat and said, "They're all ghosts. Isn't it easy to restore their youthful appearance?"
Zhu Zhanji wanted to refute, but since he had died in his prime, there seemed no need for him to be "recovered", so he did not want to pursue the matter further. Instead, he asked, "Dad, why are you standing outside? There's still a fight inside...?"
He had never met Zhu Yuanzhang, but Zhu Zhanji had seen how Zhu Di punished his father and two uncles. By analogy, he knew that the situation was not optimistic.
Zhu Gaochi certainly wouldn't say Zhu Yuanzhang's exact words were "get out of here." He simply said, "I was kicked out not long after entering the room. It's not our turn to interrupt when the elders are talking."
Zhu Zhanji was well aware that his father was also a slippery person, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to serve as the crown prince smoothly for so many years. So he said, "Are you really not going to intercede for grandpa?"
"If you think you have the face to do so, then go ahead and say it."
"Just pretend I didn't say anything..."
After an unknown amount of time, there was no movement inside, and Zhu Yuanzhang's voice rang out again:
"Which unworthy descendant has come again? Come in!"
Zhu Zhanji knew that he had to step into the fire, so he had no choice but to go in and kowtow, saying, "Great-grandson Zhanji pays homage to the great grandfather."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, looked at Zhu Di and asked, "You have lived for so long, why are your children and grandchildren so short-lived?"
Zhu Di, who was originally surprised that Zhu Zhanji died at such a young age, laughed awkwardly and said, "Dad, Zhanji is also your descendant..."
"My descendants? Do I have a traitor like you?"
Zhu Zhanji watched as the awe-inspiring Zhu Di, now in his prime, was reprimanded by Taizu like a young boy. It was difficult for him to avoid the scolding, so he could only cautiously say, "No matter what, this world belongs to our Zhu family. Zhanji hopes that Grandpa Zeng will calm down."
After these words were spoken, Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Zhu Di secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand towards Zhu Zhanji, signaling him to get up, and then glared at Zhu Gaochi.
He originally felt sorry for his son who had been emperor for less than a year, but now it seems that his love for the crown prince was not in vain.
After passing the test of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Zhanji felt much more relieved, but he still didn't dare to stand up casually. He just secretly glanced at the young man standing next to Zhu Yuanzhang.
This person should be Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen. No wonder the emperor was scolded as soon as he came in. It was probably this person who "complained".
The ghost told him that all descendants of the Zhu family who had been emperors would enter the Ming Palace Garden one after another, naturally including the deposed Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen.
"Okay, get up."
Zhu Zhanji then stood up.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked him up and down and asked, "Aren't you the good grandson of the fourth son's family? Why are you coming down at such a young age? Did someone threaten you?"
Zhu Zhanji smiled awkwardly and said, "It's my health that's failing me, my health that's failing me..."
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a look of dismay, "I have established rules to provide you, my descendants, with luxurious living, yet you, even your life spans are so short—"
Zhu Zhanji was not sure how to respond, so he changed the subject and asked politely, "Grandpa knew I was the crown prince. Could it be that Grandpa the Emperor revealed it?"
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent, and it was Zhu Gaochi beside him who explained, "Grandpa Taizu has a treasure given by a ghost messenger. It's called... Projection! It can continue what happened above, just like a shadow play. Of course, I've seen it before."
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but feel a little annoyed when he heard this. He should have asked earlier, otherwise he was afraid that the great ancestor would think that he was a hypocrite and would teach him a lesson as well.
Zhu Gaochi lowered his voice a bit: "Grandpa Taizu closed it shortly after seeing the Jingnan Rebellion, otherwise he wouldn't have scolded so harshly..."
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice rose a few degrees, and he said, "I am afraid that you unworthy descendants will be so angry that you will come back to life!"
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but secretly sigh that time in the underground was indeed different from that on the ground. Taizu Ye actually persisted in scolding him until his death. No wonder there was no need to establish a cabinet and a Silijian...
Zhu Di immediately suggested, "Dad, why don't you take a look at it?"
He must have been extremely confident to be able to say this. Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and finally turned the projection back on as Zhu Di wished.
Zhu Gaochi was very cooperative and took down a map from the treasure box next to him. The map automatically showed the territory conquered by the Ming army led by Zhu Di. Zhu Zhanji was beside Zhu Gaochi, holding one end of the map.
Just as Zhu Di firmly believed, Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time after reading it, and indeed did not say any words of blame.
He was full of confidence in his martial arts skills, as well as his diplomacy with foreign countries. At least the territory of the Ming Dynasty was still quite considerable during his tenure.
"You've done your best to honor the Ming Dynasty I left behind..." Zhu Yuanzhang sneered at Zhu Di's smug expression and asked, "But what exactly is the Cabinet? And what kind of government office is the East Factory?"
Zhu Di: “…”
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, who were standing beside Zhu Di, looked up at the sky and down at the ground, without saying a word.
Anyway, Zhu Di was there to hold up the sky if it fell, so they were just "following the ancestral system."
As the world war was about to break out, a ghost messenger's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner. The food has been delivered."
"snort!"
During the meal break, Zhu Zhanji asked his father, "I wonder if there is a place for the concubines of past dynasties to be accommodated?"
"Yes, but they are not with us. We can meet regularly. However, some are allowed to reincarnate early, such as the concubines who were buried alive. I heard that the underworld will arrange for them to reincarnate into a good family and live a peaceful and worry-free life."
"I see……"
Zhu Gaochi chuckled and said, "Now that you're down here, be careful. Grandpa Taizu is a traditional man. If he knew about your little misdeeds, he would definitely point his finger at you and scold you!"
Zhu Zhanji muttered, "Grandpa Taizu himself may not be much better... No, Dad, what are you talking about?"
Zhu Gaochi said with a forced smile, "Your thoughts can't be hidden from your mother, and you might not be able to hide them from your father either. Tell me, should we depose Hu Shanxiang?"
Zhu Zhanji: "...That's not the case, but..."
"But? But what?"
Zhu Zhanji felt a little uneasy for a moment and said, "Dad, when you mentioned something that can be concealed, I suddenly remembered another thing..."
"What?"
Zhu Zhanji stammered, "I ordered Chen Shan to teach the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department to read, so that they can review documents more easily and reduce their burden."
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to skin his own son Zhu Di alive and tear out his tendons. If one day he got the urge to turn on the projection to see what would happen in the future, would Zhu Zhanji still be able to do well at that time?
When Zhu Zhanji came to his senses, Zhu Gaochi was already eight feet away from him.
Seeing his son looking at him, Zhu Gaochi said calmly: "Don't let the blood splash on me later."
Even the power to approve documents is given to eunuchs. The scene will be much more grand than deposing the queen.
Zhu Zhanji: "..."
It seems that a short reign has its advantages.
As the saying goes, "If good things don't work, bad things will not work." Shortly after lunch, Zhu Yuanzhang turned on the projection again, asked Zhu Di to stay by his side, and asked Zhu Yunwen to bring a ruler, obviously intending to deal with Zhu Di anytime and anywhere.
Fortunately, the projection has already played to the part where Zhu Di died. Unfortunately, the projection will soon play to the part where Zhu Zhanji ordered the eunuchs in the inner study to learn to read and write.
"Who is this little girl? She's crying like this at such a young age. How can a traitor like you have such a filial offspring?"
Zhu Di looked in the direction he pointed and saw that it was indeed his great-granddaughter. He could hear that Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with her performance and said with relief: "This child is Zhanji's eldest daughter. She has always been a smart and filial child, and is no worse than her father."
Zhu Zhanji never thought that his daughter would be useful after his death. He immediately tried to win her favor and said, "Grandpa Emperor is right. How can the descendants of the Zhu family be bad?"
Zhu Yunwen said sarcastically, "Of course, Fourth Uncle's descendants are just like Fourth Uncle. They understand what it means to keep a low profile and put on a show."
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yunwen with a gloomy expression, but when Zhu Yuanzhang glanced over, he changed his face to a smile and said, "What are you saying, nephew? This is also your cousin's grandson. How can we say two different things to each other as family members?"
Zhu Yunwen was young after all, and he immediately shouted angrily: "Who is your family?"
Although Zhu Yuanzhang loved Zhu Yunwen, as the head of the royal family, he naturally cared more about the harmony of the Zhu family. What's more, what Zhu Zhanji said was right. After all, the world still belonged to the Zhu family, and this was the most important thing.
So Zhu Yuanzhang just coughed and said, "Let's continue and watch."
Zhu Gaochi's reign was brief, and the projection only showed excerpts, so it was quickly skipped over. Instead, Zhu Di said, "You've worked hard."
Zhu Gaochi had been the crown prince for so many years and had handled many things for Zhu Di. He was the pillar of stability in the rear. However, because he had been the crown prince for too long and died after only one year on the throne, Zhu Di inevitably felt a little guilty towards this son.
Zhu Yunwen, however, said quietly, "He died of obesity, right? Besides, that Li Shimen wrote to the emperor saying that my good cousin visited the concubines during the mourning period..."
Zhu Di: “…”
Zhu Gaochi: “…”
In line with the principle of "a friend's death is worse than my own death", Zhu Gaochi decisively said: "Grandpa Taizu, why don't you continue to wait and see."
He was emperor for only one year, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't hit him.
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "Humph, what a loving father and filial son."
Facing a "disaster", Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to stand still and accept the "inspection" of his reign by Emperor Taizu.
As expected, seeing Zhu Zhanji favoring eunuchs, Zhu Yuanzhang flew into a rage and shouted, "Kneel down!"
Now it was Zhu Zhanji's turn to "take the punishment" obediently. Zhu Yuanzhang was not polite in his attack and gave him a good beating. Then he sat down breathlessly and pointed at Zhu Zhanji and said, "Eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in government! This is the rule I established in the beginning. You are such unfilial descendants, bastards who have abandoned their ancestors and are crazy villains!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he stopped speaking Mandarin and spoke in dialect.
Zhu Di couldn't bear to see his grandson suffer like this, and said, "He hasn't been emperor for many years, Dad..."
"You've only been emperor for twenty-two years, and you've ruined the reputation of the Zhu family! Shame on you!"
Now Zhu Di also knelt down obediently with his grandson.
Zhu Yunwen's face was full of gloating.
Zhu Gaochi, the only one standing, tried to smooth things over by saying, "Zhanji also has achievements, right..."
Zhu Zhanji hurriedly said, "My great-grandson once led troops on a border patrol and defeated the Wuliangha. As for this eunuch, although he has greater power, he is still within the control of the emperor..."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, took a closer look at it through the projection, and couldn't help asking, "Why is there another girl? Who is this girl?"
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that it was Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Zhanji replied somewhat uncomfortably, "This is Huanhuan. She has grown up now. My great-grandson wants to train her and send her to patrol the Liaodong border..."
Zhu Yuanzhang rebuked him, "Nonsense! How can a girl patrol the border?"
Zhu Gaochi helped to speak up, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but this granddaughter of yours has quite a bit of talent in her head. She's been clever since she was young and can make some ingenious machines. If you don't believe me, just use the projection to see for yourself!"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned back to look, skeptical. Seeing that Zhu Yuhuan did have talent in this area, and seeing that she was extremely diligent in studying and practicing martial arts, and was also very concerned about farming and weaving, and even thought about water-powered weaving, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression eased a little. He said, "If all your descendants were like this girl, I could barely accept them."
Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi both responded, their eyes looking at Zhu Zhanji, each revealing only one sentence.
——Your son should be reliable, right?
When Zhu Zhanji thought of his eldest son's childish appearance before his death, he was suddenly filled with an ominous premonition.
"By the way, what's this girl's name?"
Zhu Gaochi hurriedly said: "Yu Huan, 'He Xi Yu Zhi', 'Shen Yao Huan Bing' Yu Huan, grandson gave her this name, hoping that she can prosper with the country.'"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in understanding and said, "That's a nice name." Coming from a poor background and a hardworking personality, he felt a certain admiration for Zhu Yuhuan, a young but hardworking descendant. He quickly scanned a few more sections on the projection and said, "He's truly a filial child, respectful and affectionate to both his grandmother and mother."
Zhu Zhanji was a little unsure and did not dare to rashly "present the treasure" to his son.
He had some understanding of his son. Although he was smart, he was definitely not as diligent as his sister Zhu Yuhuan. With Zhu Yuhuan as a "pearl in front of him", he was afraid that Zhu Qizhen might not be able to win Zhu Yuanzhang's favor.
Don't show your butt instead of your face.
Instead, Zhu Yunwen, who was standing by, spoke softly, "Grandpa Emperor, the ghost messenger mentioned that this projection has a so-called 'relay' function. It can show what's happening in the real world. What's most important is to see how the current emperor governs the people of the Ming Dynasty."
"Yun Wen, that makes sense. Let me see where this 'relay' is."
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