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In the study of a luxury mansion by West Lake in Hangzhou late at night, Su Ning had just finished reviewing Da Ning Capital's investment report for the next quarter and was preparing to rest.

Suddenly, a long-lost yet incredibly clear mechanical voice echoed in my mind:

【ding dong——】

[System energy reserves have reached a critical point; the spacetime portal is ready.]

[The host will be forcibly transported to another world in one hour. Please make a choice among the following worlds as soon as possible.]

As soon as the cold notification tone ended, five options, each shimmering with a different luster, floated in Suning's mind:

【Nirvana in Fire – An Epic of Political Intrigue and the Martial World】

【"Crossing the Guandong" - A Tragic Epic of Patriotism and Love for One's Country】

[Zhu Yuanzhang - The Entrepreneurial Path of an Iron-Blooded Emperor]

【"All Is Well"—The Ethical Dilemma of Modern Families】

[A Little Reluctance: A Realistic Reflection of Educational Anxiety]

Su Ning frowned slightly, tapping her fingertips lightly on the mahogany desk as she fell into deep thought.

“Nirvana in Fire…” he murmured to himself, “It is indeed familiar. I played Prince Yu in it and know the court structure and relationships inside and out. But precisely because of this, it lacks challenge. Repeating the path I’ve walked before is not my style.”

His gaze then turned to "Crossing the Guandong," and he shook his head: "This subject matter is too heavy, the historical background is special, and there are red lines everywhere. As an outsider, a slight mistake could trigger an unpredictable chain reaction, so it's best to keep a respectful distance."

When he saw "Little Reunion," he almost burst out laughing: "Tipping kids, school district housing, extracurricular classes... these mundane family matters really don't interest me. As for 'All Is Well'..."

He paused, "It seems completely out of place for an outsider to rashly intervene in someone else's family drama."

Ultimately, his gaze settled on the option "Zhu Yuanzhang".

“The founding of the Ming Dynasty…” Su Ning stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked at the deep night outside. His eyes gradually sharpened. “Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed too ruthless to the civil service. The Hu Weiyong case, the Empty Seal case, and the Guo Huan case often implicated tens of thousands of people. Working under him was like dancing on a knife’s edge.”

“However,” he changed the subject, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, “the situation would be quite different if one chose to serve the future Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di. Although this Emperor Yongle was equally decisive in his ruthlessness, he greatly valued truly talented individuals. Xie Jin, who was so arrogant and conceited, was initially given important positions, wasn’t he? Yao Guangxiao, a monk, was able to participate in crucial matters and had a successful career from beginning to end.”

He paced slowly in his study, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear: "More importantly, 'Zhu Yuanzhang' tells the story of Zhu Di's reign during the Hongwu era, when he was still the Prince of Yan in Beiping. If one could join his ranks before he rose to power and assist him in achieving his great cause, this merit of following the dragon's rise would be invaluable..."

With that in mind, Suning no longer hesitated.

He strode to the bookshelf beside him, took out a yellowed copy of the History of Ming, and quickly flipped through the key events of the Hongwu era.

"System, I choose the 'Zhu Yuanzhang' world." He silently recited in his mind, "The teleportation location should be set near Beiping Prefecture, and the time should ideally be around the 20th year of Hongwu."

[Instruction confirmed]

[World Coordinates: The 20th Year of Hongwu (1388) under Zhu Yuanzhang]

[Teleportation countdown: 00:59:38]

Suning took a deep breath and began making final preparations.

He changed into a plain-colored cloth outfit and carefully put away several seemingly ordinary but actually mysterious personal items.

As a seasoned player who has experienced multiple worlds, he knows how to protect himself in feudal society.

“Zhu Di…” he murmured the name, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Let me see what kind of person the Yongle Emperor in history really was.”

The ticking of the countdown echoed in my mind, and the air in the study began to ripple slightly.

A journey through time and space spanning six hundred years is about to begin.

……

Just as Su Ning was organizing the items she needed for her time travel, her phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the name "Liu Yifei" flashing on the screen, he was slightly surprised, and then answered the phone.

"Qianqian, what made you think of calling me today?" Su Ning held the phone to her ear while continuing to organize several portable antique-style accessories.

Liu Yifei's voice, tinged with laughter, came from the other end of the phone: "What? It's only been a short time since we parted, and Teacher Su has already forgotten me?"

Her voice sounded especially soft in the night.

"How could I forget?" Su Ning stopped what she was doing and walked to the window. "It's just that I was worried you might be in some trouble when you called at this hour."

"It's nothing, I just finished work and saw the news about Fan Lin joining your 'Bizarre and Outlandish' company." Liu Yifei paused, her tone slightly inquisitive, "so I made a special call to confirm the accuracy of the news."

Su Ning smiled slightly: "The information is correct. Fan Lin is indeed now a member of 'Bizarre and Unusual.' However, she has chosen a management position, serving as the director of the company's creative content department."

"Director?" Liu Yifei's voice was tinged with surprise. "Didn't you join as an artist?"

“It was I who suggested she change her career path,” Su Ning explained. “I’ve always felt that in this industry, being a pawn is far less interesting than being a player. Fan Lin has the ability and vision; she shouldn’t be confined to the identity of an actress.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Liu Yifei's thoughtful voice came through: "It seems that you genuinely care about Fan Lin."

“Of course.” Su Ning said frankly, “I treat every female friend in my life with sincerity and hope to help them find the path that is most suitable for them.”

"Soulmate?" Liu Yifei caught the word, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Judging from your words, you have quite a few soulmates around you?"

Suning chuckled upon hearing this: "Haha, well... I have no comment!"

"Cunning." Liu Yifei laughed. "But to be honest, I'm very curious, how did you convince Fan Lin to give up her spotlight? You know, there aren't many people in this industry who can make such a decisive transition."

“It’s actually very simple.” Su Ning looked out the window at the night sky. “I just made her understand that true freedom is the right to choose. And she deserves a bigger stage.”

“A bigger stage…” Liu Yifei repeated the phrase softly, her tone thoughtful. “So, in your opinion, what constitutes a bigger stage?”

"The answer is different for everyone," Su Ning said meaningfully. "For Fan Lin, it's the power to manage a department in a film and television company; for Chen Xiaojun, it's the sense of accomplishment of building a film and television empire; and for some people..."

He paused deliberately, "It might just be a space where one can fully display their talents without being bound by worldly constraints."

Silence fell again on the other end of the phone, with only the faint sound of breathing audible.

After a long while, Liu Yifei said softly, "Teacher Su, do you know? Sometimes I feel that you are much more complicated than you seem on the surface."

“People are multifaceted.” Su Ning glanced at the time; there was less than half an hour left before the time travel. “Like you, you’re a goddess in front of the camera, but in private you’re a curious little one who’ll call late at night to find out what’s going on.”

Liu Yifei was amused by this description: "Okay! I admit I'm a little curious. But more than that, I admire you. The fact that you could make Fan Lin make such a choice shows that you really have something special about you."

"Thank you for the compliment." Su Ning's tone softened as she heard the system notification in her mind. "It's getting late. You have work to do tomorrow, right? Get some rest."

“You too.” Liu Yifei’s voice carried a hint of lingering affection. “Next time I go to Hangzhou, I’m going to see for myself what kind of magic your ‘bizarre and fantastical’ things are.”

"You're welcome anytime." Su Ning smiled as she hung up the phone, but her eyes became deep.

He knew that the call wasn't just to confirm Fan Lin's whereabouts.

Liu Yifei's subtle probing and the interest revealed in her words hinted at a certain possibility.

But now is not the time to think about that.

The system's countdown has entered its final stage, and a brand new world awaits its arrival.

Placing his phone on the table, Su Ning took a deep breath, preparing for his journey through time.

All the entanglements of the modern world must be temporarily set aside.

……

An hour flies by.

As the clock struck midnight, a familiar electric current suddenly swept through my body.

Su Ning felt her consciousness being pulled away, and the scene before her eyes began to distort and blur.

"It's starting..." He closed his eyes, preparing to welcome Beiping in the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign as he had envisioned.

However, the expected smooth crossing did not occur.

In the spacetime tunnel, a violent energy turbulence suddenly struck, sweeping his soul away from its predetermined course.

[Warning! Temporal turbulence encountered!]

[Coordinate correction in progress... Correction failed!]

[Activate emergency response plan...]

The system's notification sounds were intermittent amidst the chaos.

Su Ning felt dizzy and disoriented, her consciousness adrift in the torrent of time.

In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign, a thick cloud hung over the sky of the Ming Empire.

Before the world could recover from the untimely death of the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, Empress Ma, the mother of the nation, also passed away.

Inside the Forbidden City in Nanjing, the white banners had not yet been removed when another death was reported, and a somber atmosphere of grief permeated every palace.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, sat alone on the dragon throne. This once powerful and influential founding emperor now appeared old and lonely.

The death of his wife, Ma Xiuying, almost took half of his life.

"Chongba..." He could still hear the Empress's dying words, her once gentle eyes now closed forever.

At the same time, the Eastern Palace was also shrouded in gloom and despair.

"How is Yunhu?" Crown Prince Zhu Biao, despite his illness, forced himself to inquire about his youngest son's condition. The successive loss of his eldest son and his mother had left this usually gentle and refined crown prince looking haggard.

The imperial physician replied tremblingly, "Your Highness, the imperial grandson fell into the water and was frightened. Cold pathogens entered his body, and he has a persistent high fever. We...we have done everything we can."

Just now, four-year-old Zhu Yunwen accidentally fell into the water while playing in the Imperial Garden. Although he was rescued in time by a eunuch, he fell ill due to excessive fright.

Inside the Eastern Palace, the imperial physicians knelt on the ground, their faces ashen.

The successive blows had made Zhu Yuanzhang's temper extremely violent. If anything were to happen to his third grandson, they would all likely be buried with him.

The young child on the sickbed was pale and breathing weakly, as if he might stop breathing at any moment.

Just as his life hung by a thread, an invisible stream of soul light pierced through the barrier of time and space and entered Zhu Yunwen's frail body.
Three days later, Zhu Yunwen's high fever miraculously subsided.

Half a month later, under the careful care of the imperial physicians, his health gradually recovered.

However, the observant palace maids and eunuchs noticed that the young imperial grandson, who had escaped death, seemed quite different from before.

Zhu Yunwen was once mischievous and restless, the most troublesome young master in the Eastern Palace.

But now he has become unusually quiet, often sitting alone by the window, gazing at the sky outside the palace walls in a daze.

Those once innocent and carefree eyes were now filled with a depth that belied their age.

"System, what's going on?" Su Ning, who had already transmigrated into Zhu Yunwen's body, questioned in his mind, "What happened to the 20th year of Hongwu? What happened to Beiping? How did it turn into a soul transmigration? And into a four-year-old child?"

[During the time travel, an uncontrollable spacetime turbulence occurred, causing a deviation between the coordinates and the carrier.]

[Current Time: Autumn of the 15th year of the Hongwu reign]

[Current Identity: Zhu Yunwen, Grandson of the Ming Emperor]

"A slight deviation?" Su Ning was almost laughing in anger. "From the 20th year of Hongwu to the 15th year, from a commoner in Beiping to a grandson of the emperor in Nanjing, is that what you call 'a slight deviation'?"

[The carrier's identity has been detected to have extremely high development potential; the host is advised to seize the opportunity.]

Su Ning sighed helplessly and began to sort through the fragments of memories belonging to the original owner of the body in her mind.

Zhu Yunwen was the son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao and his late wife, Lady Chang, and the grandson of Chang Yuchun, the Prince of Kaiping and a famous general who helped found the Ming Dynasty.

In this era where the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was clearly defined, he should have been the most esteemed legitimate grandson.

However, his birth mother died early, and his father Zhu Biao favored Zhu Yunwen, the son of his second wife Lü. Coupled with his originally unruly nature, his position in the Eastern Palace was quite awkward.

Now that Lady Lü has just been promoted to Crown Princess, it is precisely the time for her to establish a virtuous image.

On the surface, she showed great care for Zhu Yunwen, but having experienced the intrigue of modern palace dramas, how could Su Ning not see the subtlety in it?
“Since Heaven has given me this identity…” A sharp glint flashed in Su Ning’s eyes, “then I shall live well in this Ming Palace.”

He looked out the window, where the autumn sunlight streamed through the window frame, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone floor.

The wheels of history are rolling forward, and he has become a player in this game.

……

The warm autumn sun shone through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled light and shadow on the blue brick floor of the sleeping quarters.

Su Ning sat quietly by the window, sorting out the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

He stretched out his chubby little hand, but his eyes were so deep that they didn't look like those of a four-year-old child.

“Zhu Yuntong…” he murmured, this name destined to fade into obscurity in history books.

As a visitor from a later era who was well-versed in the history of the Ming Dynasty, Su Ning was all too aware of the predicament behind this identity.

On the surface, he was the most noble grandson of the Ming Dynasty emperor, the grandson of the founding general Chang Yuchun, and the second son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

But in reality, this immense respect was precisely his biggest burden.

“The nobles of Huaixi…” Su Ning’s fingertips lightly traced the window frame.

His maternal grandfather, Chang Yuchun, was one of the Twenty-Four Generals of Huaixi and the first fierce general of the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

My maternal uncle, Lan Yu, is now a powerful figure in the northern frontier, and is the Marquis of Yongchang, whose prestige in the Ming army is growing daily.

The Chang family's influence in the military was also deeply entrenched, with intricate connections to the entire Huaixi military group.

This, in fact, touched the most sensitive nerve of Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang.

The image of that imperial grandfather flashed into Su Ning's mind...

A ruthless warlord who climbed from the bottom to the throne had an extreme desire for control over power.

He could tolerate meritorious officials, but he could never tolerate any existence that might threaten the Zhu family's rule.

"If that cheap older brother Zhu Xiong Ying were still here..." Su Ning sighed inwardly.

As the eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, who was personally raised by the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying would naturally be able to control these arrogant and fierce soldiers if he succeeded to the throne.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was kind and wise, and enjoyed high prestige among civil and military officials, which was enough to balance the power of various factions.

But Zhu Yunwen was different.

If a prince with such close ties to the nobles of Huaixi were to ascend the throne, the power of his maternal relatives would inevitably grow stronger.

This was something Zhu Yuanzhang could not tolerate.

“That’s why I later made the firm choice to select Zhu Yunwen…” Su Ning’s eyes cleared.

Lady Lü came from a family of civil officials and had no connections in the military.

Choosing Zhu Yunwen as the successor could both prevent interference from the empress's relatives in politics and allow the civil official group to check the power of the military generals.

This was Zhu Yuanzhang's true consideration.

He could even foresee that one day in the future, his grandfather would raise his sword and wipe out Lan Yu and other generals of Huaixi, completely eliminating this potential threat.

As Lan Yu's grand-nephew, Su Ning's situation will be even more difficult.

"Not to mention that the empresses of later emperors were all chosen from commoner families..." Su Ning shook his head with a wry smile.

Starting with Emperor Renzong of Ming, it was no coincidence that many of the empresses of the Ming emperors came from humble backgrounds.

The rule established by Zhu Yuanzhang was to fundamentally eliminate the possibility of interference in politics by relatives of the empress.

Zhu Yunwen, who had the blood of the Chang family flowing through his veins, was born to stand on the opposite side of this rule.

Footsteps sounded outside the bedchamber, and Su Ning immediately composed herself, reverting to the innocent expression befitting a child.

The one who entered was the Crown Princess Lü.

Now that she has been officially appointed, it is precisely the time for her to establish a virtuous image.

She held a bowl of ginseng soup, her smile gentle: "Yun Tong, it's time to take your medicine."

Su Ning nodded obediently as much as possible, letting Madam Lü feed him the medicine spoonful by spoonful.

He clearly saw the complex look that flashed across Madam Lü's eyes...

There was concern, calculation, and perhaps a subtle, barely perceptible wariness.

"Thank you, Mother," he said in a childish voice, but his mind was clear.

In this deep palace, his every move was closely watched.

His past misbehavior made him unappreciated, but his unusual quietness after escaping death has probably attracted the attention of some people.

After he finished taking his medicine, Lady Lü gently wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Yun Tong, you must be good and rest well. Your father is worried about state affairs these days, so don't bother him anymore."

Su Ning nodded obediently, but a chill ran through her heart.

These words sounded like concern, but in reality, they were a reminder that the Crown Prince did not like his unruly son and that he had better behave himself.

After Ms. Lü left, Su Ning walked back to the window.

The autumn wind rustled the sycamore trees in the courtyard, causing the leaves to flutter down.

"Now that I have come to this era and become Zhu Yunwen..." His gaze gradually hardened, "I cannot sit idly by and wait for my death."

He knew that, according to the original historical trajectory, he would eventually be demoted to a prince and die in depression during the Yongle era.

But now, there is still room for everything to change.

“The noble families of Huaixi are a crisis, but also an opportunity,” he murmured to himself. “The key is how to convince my grandfather that I can control this power, rather than be controlled by it.”

A distant bell tolled; it was the palace's clock striking the hour.

Su Ning looked up into the depths of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, where the ruler of this empire sat, his imperial grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Let me see what kind of path I can forge in this real Ming Dynasty."

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his youthful yet resolute face.

This grandson of the emperor, whose body contains the soul of six hundred years in the future, is ready to live in this era and live a wonderful life.

...(End of chapter)