Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 625 A Glorious Return to the Capital in Secret!
The officialdom is always the hunting ground with the keenest sense of smell.

The imperial court's telegram to all the prefectures and counties was carefully worded and appeared to be as calm and normal as ever.

The above only states that the traitor Wang Shoulian committed rebellious acts at the Confucian Temple, causing the Emperor to be alarmed. Now, the rebellion has been quelled with lightning speed, and the ringleader has been executed.

Beneath this whitewashed official rhetoric, every word is like a funhouse mirror, revealing distorted yet undeniably real and ominous signals to the officials.

The real shock came from the unannounced internal directive that accompanied it.

All ministers in charge of political and military affairs in Beijing were forbidden from returning home and were required to stay at the Qin Zheng Hall day and night to discuss state affairs.

This was tantamount to dropping a depth charge on the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

This means that the empire's power center has entered a state of emergency at the highest level.

The only explanation for the court's extreme tension is that something has happened to the supreme emperor!
The so-called "imperial procession being frightened" was nothing more than a pretext to appease the people.

The emperor is probably already... in grave danger!
This terrifying speculation, like a dark cloud, quickly enveloped the minds of every official, becoming an unspoken secret among them.

When Prince Zhu Gang of Jin traveled north from Fujian and entered the heart of the Ming Dynasty, he was no longer treated with the courtesy due to a foreign vassal king by local officials, but rather with a series of fanatical acts of loyalty akin to paying homage to the crown prince.

Local officials along the way led all the city's officials to go ten miles outside the city to welcome them, splashing water on the streets and kneeling on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

It was even more powerful than when Zhu Gang was still enfeoffed in Shanxi and at the height of his power.

After all, everyone knows that Zhu Gang is the second son of the Supreme Emperor and the eldest brother among all the Emperor's living uncles.

The young emperor Zhu Yunwen has no children to this day.

If the worst-case scenario comes true, then this rightful "royal uncle" will be the only choice to inherit the throne and rule the world!
No one dared to be negligent in the slightest when it came to the "future emperor," and no one was willing to miss this enormous gamble of seizing the opportunity to become emperor.

In a short time, rare treasures, gold and silver antiques were sent into the Prince of Jin's residence like a flowing river, with everyone doing their utmost to curry favor with him.

Zhu Gang, at the center of this massive vortex, was in high spirits and full of self-satisfaction.

He sat comfortably in his luxurious carriage, peering through the gauze curtains at the obsequious local officials, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

He was risking his life and fortune in this scheme.

Find wealth in danger!
Unexpectedly, everything went so smoothly!

The throne that was once out of reach now seems to be within his grasp.

……

The dragon lies hidden in the abyss, the phoenix sings in the wild.

The imperial procession returning to Nanjing from Shandong was shrouded in an indescribable and eerie atmosphere.

It is like a silent, golden dragon, winding along the official road.

His outward appearance remained as dignified and solemn as ever, but inside, it seemed, a secret was festering.

The imperial carriage, which should have been the center of attention, remained tightly shut, like a magnificent mobile mausoleum, becoming the silent eye at the center of the storm in the procession.

Local officials along the way naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest, and came to receive the emperor with utmost respect and caution, in accordance with the highest regulations.

However, the imperial court had already issued an edict: His Majesty was in poor health due to the tragedy in Qufu and needed to rest. On the way back to the capital, he was not to see any officials.

This imperial decree weighed heavily on the hearts of every official who came to greet the emperor.

Their smiles were humble yet stiff, and their gazes toward the imperial carriage were filled with awe, yet also tinged with an undisguised curiosity and apprehension.

In stark contrast to the officials' anxiety, the common people along the way were completely unaware of it.

Their beliefs were pure and unwavering.

If the court says His Majesty is safe and sound, then he must be safe and sound.

Thus, the roadsides were still lined with kneeling pilgrims who had come to pay homage. They excitedly kowtowed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" offering their most sincere prayers to the imperial carriage, whose true form they could not see.

Inside that spacious, luxurious, and secluded carriage, Zhu Yunwen was enjoying a long-awaited vacation that belonged to "mortals."

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces are locked in a fierce battle.

He sat around the stove with Gulizaba and Dinaruoya.

The fragrance of incense and tea intertwine with the unique scent of the young woman's body, creating a warm and enchanting scene.

Outside the window, there is a deafening roar of worship; inside, however, there is the comfort and tranquility of stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life.

Their relationship with each other also warmed up rapidly in this unique environment, becoming incredibly close.

Zhu Yunwen once aspired to be a monarch who could both accomplish great things and enjoy life to the fullest.

Ke Ming was in the midst of a painful period of reform, and countless things required his personal attention. Many officials were still struggling to adapt and needed his "guidance" or even coercion to get them to obey orders.

So much so that he almost became a top-tier "ox or horse" like Zhu Yuanzhang, who completely sacrificed himself to the country.

This "fake death" actually gave him a chance to catch his breath, allowing him to truly experience the ultimate pleasure of being an emperor.

With the empire in my grasp and the beauty in my arms, I will not have wasted this second life!
The only drawback is perhaps the arduous journey day and night.

Although the cement road he personally supervised has connected the north and south, and the shock absorption technology of his imperial vehicles is quite advanced, long journeys are still inevitably a bit bumpy.

Fortunately, this minor flaw has long been overshadowed by this rare moment of leisure and tenderness.

All the formalities of welcoming and sending off guests, as well as the tasks of appeasing officials and coordinating the ceremonial procession, were handled by Consort Xu Miaojin.

She became the perfect facade for this colossal lie, making it flawless.

Thus, in a strange atmosphere of tension on the outside but relaxation on the inside, the convoy sped south, quickly crossing the Jianghuai region and arriving at the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The majestic outline of Nanjing City can be seen in the distance across the vast river.

The Yangtze River Bridge, which spans the natural barrier and was personally ordered to be built by Zhu Yunwen, now has two or three more towering piers, standing like giants in the middle of the river.

The massive fleet dispatched by the imperial court to receive the emperor was already quietly waiting on the shore.

However, following Zhu Yunwen's secret instructions, Xu Miaojin issued an order that shocked everyone:

"Issue the imperial decree: His Majesty is exhausted; he will not cross the river today, but will instead camp on the spot." ...

As night fell, a group of figures, like water droplets merging into the darkness, silently left the heavily guarded Holy Carriage Camp.

Zhu Yunwen did not choose to cross the Yangtze River under the starry night.

Nanjing, after all, was the capital of the empire and the core of the entire Ming Dynasty.

Even though he had personally ordered the demolition of the city walls that symbolized the old era, a vast network woven by the navy, imperial guards, and patrol officers still protected this city that never sleeps without leaving a trace.

At night, any boat attempting to cross the river will become the most conspicuous target in the eyes of the river defense patrol team.

It is highly likely to attract a thorough investigation, which would backfire.

The truly great hermit lives in the city.

True safety is never found in the shelter of darkness, but in the bustling crowds of daytime.

They found a secluded high ground on the north bank of the river and looked out at the opposite bank.

When the Great Wall of Light stretching across the sky came into complete view for the first time, Gulizaba and Dinaruoya held their breath in unison.

That wasn't just a patch of lights; it was a dazzling galaxy cascading down upon the earth!
The flames stretched for dozens of miles, endlessly, dyeing the entire night sky a magnificent orange-red.

Along their journey, they had already been captivated by the wealth and prosperity of the heartland of the Ming Dynasty.

They also knew that the once most magnificent capital city in the Western Regions paled in comparison to any random prefecture in the Ming Dynasty.

But when they witnessed the night view of Nanjing with their own eyes, they truly understood that everything they had seen before was nothing more than fireflies beside the bright moon.

Nanjing was the truly prosperous city.

"Those...those are all lights?" Gulizaba's voice trembled with extreme shock.

Zhu Yunwen stood beside them, his eyes reflecting the pride and emotion of being the creator of the first floor.

Electric lights were already quite common in Nanjing.

In that sea of ​​light, there were countless factories with lights burning all night, pleasure boats on the riverbanks reveling all night long, banks on the financial street keeping their accounts settled all night, and countless streets with newly installed streetlights.

Behind those countless lights, gathered together bit by bit, lies the newly established power system of the Ming Dynasty.

This place was no longer just the political heart of the Ming Dynasty, but also the engine of the entire Industrial Revolution that he himself ignited.

He used the enormous wealth he had amassed through various modern financial means to fund the construction of the Ming Dynasty.

Besides laying roads to all parts of the empire and building water conservancy projects that benefit all people, almost all the remaining resources were poured into this land.

Zhu Yunwen knew that in the early stages of reform, only by concentrating all human, material, and financial resources to create an unparalleled center could the economy of the entire empire be truly driven and an unprecedented leap forward be achieved.

The magnificent city of miracles before him was the culmination of all his hard work.

The group rested for the night in Jiangbei.

When it was broad daylight and the river was bustling with activity with thousands of sails racing across it, they changed into the clothes they had prepared beforehand and mingled into the surging crowd, boarding the public ferry that traveled between the two banks.

The number of people traveling to and from Nanjing every day is well over a million.

Zhu Yunwen and his entourage, especially the two exotic beauties with veils and graceful figures, attracted a few curious glances, but in Jinling, a metropolis where all nations paid tribute, it was nothing unusual, and they were quickly overwhelmed by more novel sights.

The bustling crowds are their best disguise.

The ferry smoothly docked at the south bank pier. After disembarking, the group leisurely hired an inconspicuous carriage and joined the bustling traffic of Jinling City, soon heading towards the Daming Academy of Sciences in the south of the city.

Upon reaching a side door of the Ming Academy of Sciences, Zhu Yunwen took out an inconspicuous black iron token from his sleeve and handed it to the guard.

The guard glanced at it, but his expression immediately hardened. He dared not be negligent in the slightest, turned around, and hurried inside to report.

Before long, a series of hurried footsteps came from deep within the courtyard.

Leading the group were Lai Wen'an, the dean of the Ming Academy of Sciences, and Wen Yuanliu, the vice president of the Imperial University of Peking and Duke of Wei.

Both men had slightly disheveled official robes and uneven breathing, clearly indicating they had traveled at a rapid pace.

When their eyes fell upon Zhu Yunwen's all-too-familiar face, the two were struck as if by lightning, their bodies trembling violently. They instinctively tried to kneel down, but Zhu Yunwen's gaze froze them in place.

Both were outstanding individuals, and they instantly understood the emperor's intention. They immediately suppressed their shock and doubt, bowed, made a "please" gesture, and respectfully led the way.

They led Zhu Yunwen and his entourage into a newly built core building within the Academy of Sciences.

The security here is as tight as that of the imperial palace, with guards every three steps and sentries every five.

Even with Dean Lai Wen'an personally leading the way, they were still subjected to thorough checks at every step. From verifying their identities with a password to checking the secret mark on their waist tag, and then verifying their warrant documents, they went through seven checkpoints, each one extremely rigorous and meticulous, before being allowed to enter.

As the heavy steel doors slowly closed behind us, a magnificent and futuristic hall came into view.

Countless copper wires of varying thicknesses, wrapped in insulating rubber, hang down from the ceiling like a spider web, converging into rows of neat server racks below.

On the cabinet were hundreds of machines that looked similar to telegraph machines, but were more sophisticated and complex, emitting a subtle and rhythmic "tick-tock" sound.

Hundreds of staff members in uniform moved about busily and efficiently, creating a tense yet highly effective atmosphere throughout the hall.

Gulizaba and Dinaruya opened their beautiful eyes wide, curiously gazing at the wondrous scene before them that they could never have imagined in their lives, feeling as if they had stumbled into the workshop of some deity.

Zhu Yuntong gestured for them and their accompanying guards to wait there, while he, Lai Wen'an, and Wen Yuanliu entered a more confidential quiet room together.

Once inside the secret chamber, isolated from all the noise of the outside world, Lai Wen'an and Wen Yuanliu could no longer contain themselves. With a thud, they both knelt down, their voices trembling with excitement: "Your Majesty, we... pay our respects!"

"I have come here incognito today, not in the court, so my two ministers need not stand on ceremony." Zhu Yunwen smiled calmly and gestured for the two to rise.

After Wen Yuanliu stood up, he still bowed and said, "The imperial court sent a telegram saying that His Majesty encountered a rebellion in Shandong and was frightened. All ministers of state affairs and ministers of military affairs are on duty in the Qin Zheng Hall and cannot go out. The court has entered a state of emergency."

"Your Majesty, we have been anxious day and night, unable to eat or sleep. Only now that we have seen Your Majesty is well can we finally put our minds at ease."

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly and said, "The Academy of Sciences of the Great Ming Dynasty is responsible for monitoring all telegrams exchanged throughout the country. This matter is jointly handled by you two ministers. Didn't you see anything in those telegrams?"

……

P.S.: I still need a little time to adjust. The chapter I requested to make up for will be posted in a couple of days! Ugh, this was supposed to be yesterday's chapter, but I forgot to post it! There will be another chapter tonight!
(End of this chapter)