Jianwen

"Brother Zheng makes a good point!"

Li Shimin nodded. "The Imperial Jade Seal is essentially just an ordinary stone. It could be the one on a mountain or the one on the ground. But only if it has been passed down by Brother Zheng can it truly be called the Imperial Jade Seal."

"If you want to go, then let's make a trip."

Qin Ning spoke, then continued, "However, I can see everyone has had a bit too much to drink. Let's rest tonight, and tomorrow everyone will gather here again. I'll take you there."

"Got it, Master," everyone replied in unison.

...

In the blink of an eye, one night passed.

The next day, at noon, everyone gathered again at the base of the Hongwu era. Apart from Qin Ning, those present included Qin Shi Huang, Li Shimin, Zhu Yuanzhang, Yongle Zhu Di, Zhu Biao, and Empress Ma.

"Old Zhu, here, take this jade seal. Later, you can give it to your fourth son yourself."

Qin Shi Huang took out a jade seal and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang, unable to help adding, "You people are truly strange. A perfectly fine jade seal, and you insist I break off a corner. And after breaking it off, you have me patch it up with gold. Isn't that like taking off your pants just to fart?"

"Ha ha, Brother Zheng, you don't understand. That's called gold-inlaid jade. In our later era, a jade seal with a missing corner is the orthodox one," Li Shimin said.

Qin Shi Huang was baffled. "Why is that?"

Qin Ning explained, "There's a story behind this. In the late Western Han dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the Han throne. To prove he was mandated by heaven, he sent his cousin to demand the hereditary imperial jade seal from his aunt, Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun. Wang Zhengjun furiously cursed Wang Mang for being ungrateful, and in a fit of rage, she threw the jade seal hard to the ground, breaking off a corner."

"That throw left a permanent scar on the jade seal. But in later times, this missing corner ironically became an important feature for identifying the authenticity of the hereditary jade seal."

"After getting the jade seal, Wang Mang was heartbroken. He ordered his craftsmen to inlay the broken corner with gold to repair it. This repair technique later became known as 'gold-inlaid jade,' and the name has been passed down ever since, standing as a witness to the clash between power and desire."

"Oh?"

After hearing Qin Ning's words, Qin Shi Guang finally understood. "So that's what happened. This Wang Mang... Master just said the Grand Empress Dowager was his aunt. Doesn't that mean Wang Mang was a maternal relative of the Han imperial clan?"

"Yes," Qin Ning nodded. "This Wang Mang... how to put it? He's quite controversial in later ages. Some even speculate that he might have been a time traveler."

"Time traveler? You mean, like you, Master? Someone who can freely travel through different eras?" Everyone was startled.

Qin Ning smiled and shook his head. "Freely traveling through time probably isn't possible. He likely just stumbled into great luck and somehow traveled back to the Western Han, and then couldn't return."

"The reason people guess he was a time traveler is mainly that, after he came to power, his Xin dynasty implemented quite a few new policies. While some of them seemed to restore ancient ways, from certain perspectives of later ages, they were remarkably advanced for their time."

"If that's the case, if Wang Mang really was a time traveler, wouldn't his Xin dynasty have been incredibly powerful?" Qin Shi Huang asked.

Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Zheng, you're wrong there. The Xin dynasty wasn't even as good as your Qin dynasty. Your Qin dynasty ended with the second emperor; the Xin dynasty ended with its first emperor. And it only lasted fifteen years total, one year less than your Qin."

"Ended with the first emperor?" Qin Shi Huang was stunned. "Then this Wang Mang is truly useless. Hmph, a time traveler? Trash."

"Mainly, Wang Mang's opponent was something else. Grand Sorcerer and Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. Many people in later ages speculated whether this guy might have gotten some kind of system or something," Qin Ning said with a smile.

"Master, what is a system?" Everyone was puzzled.

"We'll talk about that later. It's time to go. Aren't we supposed to head to the Jianwen era? Don't forget the real business," Qin Ning said.

Hearing this, everyone snapped back to reality.

Then, with a wave of Qin Ning's hand, the figures of Zhu Yuanzhang and the others vanished from where they stood.

When they reappeared, they were inside a palace in the Jianwen era.

A young man in a dragon robe was kneeling before a portrait on the wall.

The person in the portrait was none other than Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Imperial Grandfather, your grandson is unfilial and has failed your hopes. Today, Fourth Uncle's army enters the capital. After only four years, this realm is about to change hands. Your grandson is truly ashamed of your cultivation and has come to the underworld to atone for his crimes!"

The young man in the dragon robe was none other than the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen.

After saying this, he kowtowed heavily several times before Zhu Yuanzhang's portrait. Then he picked up an oil lamp nearby, ready to set the palace on fire and burn himself alive.

"Hmph..."

Just then, a cold laugh came from behind him. "In just four years, you've lost the empire I passed down! How can you have the face to come see me in the underworld?"

The voice startled Zhu Yunwen. He spun around and saw several figures who had somehow appeared before him.

"Imperial... are you Imperial Grandfather?"

He recognized Zhu Yuanzhang at first glance, his face full of disbelief.

But Zhu Yunwen couldn't understand why the Imperial Grandfather before him looked so young.

"Yunwen."

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could respond, Zhu Biao stepped forward. Looking at his son, who was now the same age as himself, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Father... Father King?!" Zhu Yunwen was stunned again.

Then he noticed that Empress Ma was also there. He couldn't hold back his tears. "Imperial Grandmother... you... you've all come back to take Yunwen away?"

"Little Nephew, long time no see. How have you been?"

Then, Yongle Zhu Di, who had been standing in the back, stepped forward.

"Fourth... Fourth Uncle? You, you—!"

Zhu Yunwen was terrified. He quickly said, "Imperial Grandfather! Hurry! Fourth Uncle has rebelled! He's a traitor! Imperial Grandfather, quickly, take off your shoe and hit him with it!"

Because Yongle Zhu Di had taken a medicine pill from Qin Ning earlier, he now looked about the same age as during the Jingnan campaign. That's why Zhu Yunwen thought this man was the Zhu Di who had just taken the capital.

"Stop it! What kind of shouting is this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly. "This fourth son here is not the one you know."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Yunwen was confused.

Then Zhu Biao briefly explained to his son how they had traveled through time.

"You've traveled through time?" Zhu Yunwen was utterly incredulous. Then he couldn't help asking, "Imperial Grandfather, what are you here for this time?"

"Your Fourth Uncle is about to ascend the throne. We've come to deliver the jade seal to him," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Yunwen was completely dumbfounded.

Coming to deliver the jade seal to Fourth Uncle?

This isn't right, is it?

Shouldn't they be here to stop Zhu Di from seizing the throne?