Bring the Dead Back

"In a sense... you could say you invented it..."

Qin Ning couldn't help but chuckle wryly, then continued, "In the first year of Xuande, Prince Han Zhu Gaoxi was trapped by Emperor Xuande, Zhu Zhanji, under a bronze cauldron, which was then surrounded by piled-up charcoal and set ablaze, burning him alive."

Holy crap!

Hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi flew into a rage.

He also realized that the so-called "cauldron chicken" was named precisely because of this incident!

"Fine, fine, fine, you Zhu Zhanji! To treat me so cruelly—and I am your own second uncle! Tyrant! Tyrant!"

Zhu Gaoxi fumed, panic and anger mixing in his voice, "Father, mother, you must stand up for me!"

By now, Zhu Zhanji was already sweating bullets.

He hadn’t expected that the "cauldron chicken" Qin Ning mentioned would turn out to be this.

Boiling his own second uncle to death.

That was a massive deal—especially with Zhu Yuanzhang present.

Everyone in the Great Ming knew that Imperial Grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang hated nothing more than fratricide.

Sure enough, when Zhu Zhanji stole a glance at his grandfather and saw that the old man’s expression had already begun to sour, he couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat.

"Master, surely there were many unknown reasons behind this, weren't there?"

Empress Ma stepped forward and asked, "I don’t think Zhanji is a bad kid at heart. Why would he do such a thing?"

"Of course there were reasons."

Qin Ning nodded, then said, "Well, let's just say Zhu Di had a hand in it too."

Hearing this, Zhu Di’s face went completely numb.

Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande—three reigns already—and this still manages to come back to bite him?

"The heir is often ill; you should strive on."

"Zhu Di once hinted that 'the heir is often sick,' which made Zhu Gaoxu feel the crown prince’s position should have been his. But in the end, Zhu Di still appointed his eldest brother, Zhu Gaochi, as crown prince. So Zhu Gaoxu never accepted it in his heart."

"He refused to leave for his fiefdom, secretly recruited soldiers, manufactured weapons, unlawfully used imperial ceremonial vessels, and even killed innocent officials. These actions angered the court."

"After Emperor Renzong passed away, Ming Xuanzong—Zhu Zhanji—ascended the throne. Because he was young, Zhu Gaoxu saw an opportunity. He wanted to emulate his father, Zhu Di’s 'Jingnan Campaign' and seize the throne."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di exploded with fury, "When did I ever say to you, 'the heir is often ill; you should strive on'?"

Zhu Gaoxi broke out in a cold sweat, "Fa... Father... it was a hint—the master just said it was a hint."

"Even so, you had no right to rebel! Secretly recruiting soldiers and manufacturing weapons—what exactly were you up to?" Zhu Di was absolutely livid—no doubt about that.

What galled him most was this brat trying to emulate the Jingnan Campaign.

Damn it.

His father was here right now, and this was a matter he hadn’t settled with him yet. Now, he’d probably get a taste of the whip himself.

"I, I..."

Zhu Gaoxi was on the verge of tears, stammering without getting out a single complete sentence.

Qin Ning continued, "After Prince Han’s rebellion failed and he was captured, Emperor Xuanzong initially had no intention of killing him. He only demoted him to commoner status."

"But Zhu Gaoxu just had to court death. Later, when Emperor Xuanzong went to visit him, Zhu Gaoxu deliberately tripped him. This enraged the emperor, who declared, `The emperor’s dignity must not be insulted.' He then ordered a three-hundred-jin bronze cauldron placed over Zhu Gaoxu, surrounded it with charcoal, set it on fire, and burned him alive."

"This is the origin of 'cauldron chicken.'"

Hearing this, Zhu Zhanji breathed a slow sigh of relief.

As it now stood, executing his second uncle was entirely justified—nothing to fear.

"To be so utterly reckless! Zhanji had already spared your life, and yet you had to go and meet your doom yourself! You, you, you..."

Zhu Di grabbed a whip from somewhere and began lashing Zhu Gaoxi without another word.

"Alright, enough."

After a moment, Xu Miaoyun stepped forward to intervene, "None of this has happened yet, and it never will. Spare him this once."

"If it weren’t for your mother pleading for you, I’d have beaten this unfilial brat to death today! Getting whipped to death by me is still better than ending up as cauldron chicken!"

Zhu Di snorted coldly and continued, "Get back to your compound and reflect on your actions! Without my order, you are never to step one foot outside your own gate as long as you live!"

"Y-Yes... Yes..."

Zhu Gaoxi wiped the cold sweat from his brow and, in disgrace, let his younger brother Zhu Gaosui lead him away.

"Father, take this elixir."

At this, Zhu Zhanji pulled out a pill from his clothing—one of those Qin Ning had given him back at Yumu River.

"Elixir?"

Zhu Gaochi was taken aback. "What elixir?"

Zhu Zhanji explained what would later transpire.

Learning that he had only been emperor for ten months before dying left Zhu Gaochi completely dumbfounded.

Without hesitation, he took the pill and bowed to Qin Ning in gratitude, "Many thanks to the Master for bestowing the immortal elixir."

Then, turning to Zhu Zhanji, he added: "Zhanji, even though your father now has the Master’s help to extend his life, the course of history cannot be defied. Don’t worry, I will still reign for ten months as emperor, then pass the throne to you."

"Damn brat! Your old man is still alive and well, and you're already thinking about passing the throne to your son?" Zhu Di nearly choked.

"Uh..."

Zhu Gaochi realized the problem in his words and scratched his head awkwardly, "Father, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhu Di snorted, "Don't think that just because the Master gave you that pill, you can just let everything slide. Look at how fat you’ve gotten! From now on, I will personally oversee your meals. If you don’t lose some weight within a year, don’t blame me if this whip pays you a visit."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi broke into a cold sweat and could only respond with a meek "Yes."

Afterward, Zhu Di ordered a banquet to be prepared in honor of his father and mother, with Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji joining as attendants.

Once the meal was over, Qin Ning accompanied them to the outskirts of the capital, where they planned to set up a portal connecting to the Hongwu era.

Since this was a secondary timeline, the portal could not directly connect to the later dynasty.

However, later-period equipment could be sent to the Hongwu era, and from there transported here.

After the portal was built, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately left with Empress Ma and Xu Miaoyun. They needed to take care of some matters back home and select a few craftsmen to bring over.

After all, Zhu Di was still his son, and the Yongle era was his Ming dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but take extra care, hoping to help the Yongle era develop quickly as well.

"Master, with your abilities that seem to reach the heavens, there’s something I would ask..."

After seeing off his parents and Xu Miaoyun, Zhu Di turned to Qin Ning with a serious expression and began to speak, "I wonder... could you bring back those who have passed away?"