The moment he saw Xu Miaoyun, Zhu Di was instantly stunned.
“You are… Fourth Brother?”
Xu Miaoyun was also startled, then she quickly realized who she was looking at, gazing at the Yongle Emperor before her.
Last night, she had learned about this from Xu Wanning—that Qin Ning had visited the Yongle reign with her father-in-law, the Emperor, and her mother-in-law, the Empress.
And this Zhu Di before her looked much older than her husband, the Prince of Yan.
She understood at once.
“Yes… it’s me.”
Zhu Di’s voice trembled slightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
In the Yongle court, Empress Xu had passed away from illness in the fifth year of Yongle.
After that, Zhu Di never appointed another empress, entrusting the management of his harem to his daughter-in-law, the heir’s consort, née Zhang.
“Grandmother?”
Zhu Zhanji, standing nearby, also caught on.
It wasn’t that he failed to recognize Xu Miaoyun immediately.
After all, the Xu Miaoyun before him was far too young, quite different from the grandmother he remembered.
And more importantly, he had only been a few years old back then.
Zhu Di longed to embrace the Xu Miaoyun before him, but he held himself back in the end.
Because he knew full well that this was the wife of Zhu Di from the Hongwu reign, not the empress of his own Yongle era.
Just being able to see her once more in his lifetime was enough to satisfy him.
“You are…”
Xu Miaoyun looked at Zhu Zhanji, her face showing some confusion.
Being called “Grandmother” by someone around her own age naturally felt a bit strange.
But remembering that he was from a later era, she quickly let it go.
“Grandmother, I am Zhu Zhanji. My father is Zhu Gaochi.”
Zhu Zhanji walked up to Xu Miaoyun, then knelt down directly and kowtowed to pay his respects.
“Gaochi’s child—I never imagined you’d have grown so big.” Xu Miaoyun was pleased and helped him to his feet.
“Grandmother, my father misses you deeply. In our time, you passed away in the fifth year of Yongle. Grandfather and I were about to return. If it’s possible, could you come with us? Let my father see you too,” Zhu Zhanji said.
“This…”
Hearing this, Xu Miaoyun paused for a moment, then looked at Qin Ning.
“It’s fine. If you want to go, I’ll take you,” Qin Ning said.
“Alright, then I’ll go along and have a look,” Xu Miaoyun nodded.
Zhu Di said excitedly, “Good, good. If Gaochi sees you, he will surely be overjoyed.”
“Master, why don’t you take me along too? Let me go see the children as well,” Empress Ma stood up and said.
Zhu Yuanzhang added, “If Sister wants to go, then I’m going too.”
By this time, the morning court had already ended, and for the rest of the day, Zhu Yuanzhang had nothing much to do anyway.
Though Zhu Biao was studying in a later era, with the help of the Grand Secretariat in handling state affairs, Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t need to keep a constant watch.
“Fine,” Qin Ning agreed.
Soon, under his lead, the group vanished from Kunning Palace.
In the Yongle reign.
At Yumu River.
Inside a military tent, Grand Secretary Yang Rong, who had accompanied the campaign, paced back and forth in a panic.
“They said His Majesty was resting—how did he suddenly disappear? And the Crown Prince’s grandson is missing too? What on earth happened?”
Yang Rong felt as though the sky had fallen. When he had come last night, he had been baffled to find that not only had His Majesty’s health improved, but he had also grown much younger.
He had been elated all night, only falling asleep as dawn approached, believing that Heaven had truly blessed Great Ming.
But then, when he woke up late this morning and came back—not only had His Majesty vanished without a trace, but the Crown Prince’s grandson was also nowhere to be found.
“Whoosh!”
Just as he was pacing frantically, like an ant on a hot pan, the space inside the tent seemed to shimmer slightly.
Then, five figures appeared out of thin air before Yang Rong.
They were none other than Qin Ning, Xu Miaoyun, Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma, Zhu Di, and Zhu Zhanji.
Their sudden, inexplicable appearance nearly scared Yang Rong to death on the spot.
Once he regained his wits, he hurried over to Zhu Di. “Your humble servant, Yang Rong, pays homage to His Majesty.”
Zhu Di nodded, then turned to Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma. “Father, Mother, this is Yang Rong, the Chief Grand Secretary of my Yongle court.”
Father?
Mother?
What is going on?
Yang Rong was stunned. His Majesty’s father and mother?
That would be Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Empress Xiao Ci, née Ma?
Both of them had passed away countless years ago, hadn’t they?
As Yang Rong was reeling in shock and confusion, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance upward.
He saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was wearing a dragon robe, and he was greatly alarmed.
Even more astonishing was that this middle-aged man in a dragon robe looked remarkably similar to the Hongwu Emperor in his memory.
Although Yang Rong was a jinshi from the second year of the Jianwen era and had never served in the Hongwu court, he was born in the fourth year of Hongwu. By the time Zhu Yuanzhang passed away in the thirty-first year of Hongwu, Yang Rong was already twenty-six. During that time, he had once seen Zhu Yuanzhang in person and had viewed his portraits many times.
“Impressive, impressive. A Chief Grand Secretary—truly a man of talent,” Zhu Yuanzhang remarked, nodding.
“You… you are truly the Hongwu Emperor?” Yang Rong asked, utterly incredulous.
Zhu Di spoke up. “No need to doubt. This is my father, our Great Ming’s Hongwu Emperor, from the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign.”
He then briefly recounted the events of last night and today to Yang Rong.
“Traveling across time is possible?” Yang Rong was even more astonished, his face full of disbelief.
He never imagined that at his age, he would encounter such an unheard-of phenomenon.
“Yang Rong, I will accompany my father and the others back to the capital first. I order you to lead the army on its return march and take charge of all military affairs. Any issues?” Zhu Di said.
Yang Rong immediately knelt and replied, “Your Majesty, your humble servant accepts your command.”
“Let’s go,” Qin Ning said.
With that, he waved his hand and led Zhu Yuanzhang and the others away, vanishing on the spot.
…
Above Shuntian Prefecture.
Over the Forbidden City.
Qin Ning brought Zhu Yuanzhang and the others here.
“So this is the later Beiping?” Zhu Yuanzhang remarked.
“Yes, Father,” Zhu Di replied.
Looking down from high above, the entire Forbidden City and Shuntian Prefecture lay spread out before them. Zhu Di couldn’t help but sigh. “I never imagined my Shuntian would turn out like this—far grander and more magnificent than I had envisioned.”
“So, shall we go straight to Zhu Gaochi?” Qin Ning asked.
Zhu Di said, “No, Master. First, take us to the Imperial Study. I’ll have someone summon Gaochi.”
“Fine.”
Qin Ning nodded. Without further ado, he waved his hand, and the group disappeared from midair.
Before long, at the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace.
“Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you to the Imperial Study immediately,” someone reported.
Zhu Gaochi, who was busying himself with state affairs, frowned upon hearing this. “According to the latest reports from our scouts, the army is withdrawing. By the schedule, they should only be near Yumu River now, still a thousand li from the capital. How could His Majesty suddenly summon me from the Imperial Study? Did he fly back?”
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
