Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 475 ignites the capital, spreading like wildfire.
His Majesty?

The crowd was shocked, and their initial disbelief diminished considerably.

After all, His Majesty has created far too many unparalleled myths and legends. The fact that the dead have been brought back to life is not unprecedented. At most, this time it is just that the resurrected person is from the ancient times.

But Wang Jing still had a thought that even if it was the work of his own emperor, which was unpredictable and mysterious, it was still a bit too exaggerated. After all, those were two meritorious officials of the early Ming Dynasty who had fought alongside Emperor Taizu and made great contributions to the country and were enfeoffed as kings. They had been dead for more than a hundred years.

How could he be brought back to life and return to the Ming Dynasty?

Does that mean that if His Majesty were willing, he could even bring back to life all the people who had existed and died in the Ming Dynasty from the reign of Emperor Taizu Gaozong Hongwu to the Zhengde period?

With this in mind, the ministers and vice ministers, apart from Wang Jing, Xu Yu, and Ma You, suddenly became interested.

He wondered if his own emperor was capable enough, could he bring back those famous ministers and generals from the Hongwu era, the Three Yangs and other meritorious officials of the Ming Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Taizong, as well as Yu Qian, the Junior Guardian of the Ming Dynasty, to serve the Ming Dynasty again?

If these people were here, would they still need to rack their brains over how to stabilize the allocation of officials throughout the land?

Among the ministers and vice ministers, one of them suddenly suggested, "Now that the two princes have returned, shouldn't we go and pay them a visit?"

"We should go, we should go."

"Go, have a look."

"Now that the King of Taiping and the King of Weiwu have returned, it is time to go and pay them a visit."

"A resurrection! If it's true, what else could our Great Ming Dynasty possibly worry about?"

The opinions of the several ministers and vice ministers reached a consensus instantly. Even Li Chengen was extremely curious, not about the resurrection of the dead, but about the demeanor of Chang Yuchun, a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ghost King Xu Ruowu.

The capital city, the Chang residence.

As Chang Yuchun strolled through this familiar yet unfamiliar mansion, his eyes filled with nostalgia and sorrow. The people and things he knew had long been worn away by time, disappearing almost without a trace with the passage of time.

Although the Chang family mansion was still the same Chang family mansion, his wife and his children were no longer alive.

This is no longer his home.

"I wanted to buy osmanthus flowers and share wine, but it will never be the same as the carefree days of my youth."

"Even a withered tree can sprout again in spring, but a person can only be young twice."

"In the end... there's no going back."

Just as Chang Yuchun was filled with emotion, a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a marquis bowed to him from behind and said, "Emperor Liezu, the Ministers of the Six Ministries and Duke Zhang Mao of Yingguo are requesting an audience outside the gate."

Chang Ning's expression was extremely complicated. He never dreamed that he would one day see the illustrious ancestor of the Chang family again.

Originally, their lineage was summoned back to Nanjing in the second year of the Hongzhi reign to serve as the hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They thought that this had restored some of their ancestors' glory, which was better than eating mushrooms in Lin'an Guard in Yunnan all the time.

Unexpectedly, good fortune came from heaven. His Majesty the Emperor suddenly showed mercy and transferred him from Nanjing back to the capital a few days ago, bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Huaiyuan, and granted permission to reopen the Changfu residence.

These past few days, Chang Ning had been feeling uneasy, not understanding what His Majesty was thinking.

It wasn't until Chang Yuchun returned that he learned it wasn't that the Zhu family had remembered the Chang family's past contributions, but rather that the current emperor had resurrected their Chang family's illustrious ancestor, the Prince of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun, and thus granted him this special favor.

"Then, let's meet."

Chang Yuchun nodded with a complicated expression. He used to find those complicated matters annoying, but having been given a second chance at life, he knew he still had to do something.

At the very least, we must do something to help the Chang family descendants, whose lineage has already declined, to achieve something.

Even without the favor and glory of the Kaiping Prince's Mansion back then.

At the very least, that marquisate should be made legitimate, right?

……

The Chang family mansion in the capital was bustling with activity, with a constant stream of visitors.

The area in front of the Majestic Prince's Mansion was equally bustling. Although the Majestic Prince's Mansion had also fallen into decline, the return of the Ghost King Xu Ruowu was sending a signal that this once-ruined and dilapidated mansion would surely return to its former glory.

Moreover, the powerful and influential figures in the capital, as well as some old fogies, also wanted to see if the matter was true or false.

Guests flock to the inn like clouds.

Xu Weixiong watched the restless crowd and the high-ranking officials hurrying past, his brows furrowed: "What do you gentlemen think? Is that Ghost King real or fake?"

Xu Yanbing shook his head, indicating that he had no answer.

Li Chungang was the same.

They were not from the Ming Dynasty and had never dealt with Xu Ruowu, so how could they know whether the ghost king Xu Ruowu who had been resurrected was real or fake?
"it is true."

A sudden sound rang out, and everyone looked over curiously.

Xu Fengnian pointed in the direction of the palace, his expression inscrutable, and slowly uttered two words: "Heavenly Sword".

Heavenly Sword?!
Everyone's pupils contracted, instantly recalling the incident that had caused such a stir throughout the world.

"Rumor has it that the Heavenly Sword does indeed have the ability to bring the dead back to life."

"The Sui Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, the Mongol Yuan Dynasty—no matter how you verify it, the various sources of information you receive all confirm that the Heavenly Sword truly exists."

"That emperor once possessed the Heavenly Sword, and it is said that although the Heavenly Sword was stolen, he had already comprehended its power."

"Even during his campaign to quell the rebellion, he repeatedly resurrected Ming soldiers who had died in battle."

"Now it seems that it is true."

Xu Fengnian's narration was slow, but the amount of information was enormous, so much so that the people present found it difficult to remain calm.

"Besides, Second Sister, everyone, please don't forget."

"The Investiture of the Gods has the power to grant immortality to all officials of the Ming Dynasty. Who can be sure that the Investiture of the Gods can only enshrine living gods? What about the spirits of the dead and the ancients who have passed away? Can't they be enshrined as gods?"

Xu Fengnian's reminder once again stirred up even more turbulent emotions in the hearts of those present who were already in a state of unease.

Only Xu Weixiong looked at Xu Fengnian at this moment, with complicated feelings: "It seems that Xiao Nian has really grown up."

As news spread, the entire capital was in an uproar.

Countless people want to know if the news of Chang Yuchun, the King of Kaiping, and Xu Ruowu, the Ghost King, coming back to life is true.

Does their emperor truly hold the power of life and death over the prime minister?

On that day, Xu Fengnian's speculation was also spread throughout the capital by "interested individuals" through certain information, causing the entire capital to be even more agitated.

Inside the palace, Changsun Wangqing helped Zhu Jinzhen handle state affairs while glancing outside the Wenhua Hall and said with a faint smile, "Your Majesty, the Ghost King Xu Ruowu has been resurrected, and the Prince of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun, has returned to the declining Chang Mansion. The commotion caused is quite significant, even greater than the shock caused by the gold and silver mountain sent from the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion from Liyang a few days ago."

"The claim that you comprehended and mastered the ability to bring people back to life from the Heavenly Sword has become increasingly rampant in recent days, spreading like wildfire throughout the capital and even the entire country. The Secret Guards have been unable to suppress it."

"There are even rumors that Zhang Sanfeng, who was in seclusion on Wudang Mountain, once again left Wudang alone with a small entourage and headed towards the capital."

Zhu Jinzhen laughed it off upon hearing this.

Let them guess.

From the moment he decided to select Chang Yuchun as the left vanguard in the expedition against Japan, it was destined that this matter would overturn the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that even the Ghost King Xu Ruowu returned to the Ghost King's Palace.

As for Zhang Sanfeng?
Zhu Jinzhen only needed to think for a moment to roughly guess his purpose.

Everyone has regrets, and Zhang Sanfeng was no exception.

Of course, they might also be there because of Chang Yuchun or Xu Ruowu, wanting to see if the rumors in the martial arts world are true.

(End of this chapter)