Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 495 Why should I save him?!

"You may leave!" After the young eunuch put the things down, Emperor Longwu dismissed the eunuch. After all, it was most reassuring for Emperor Longwu to handle the remaining matters personally!
"Yes." The two eunuchs quickly and obediently withdrew.

Immediately, Emperor Longwu carelessly poured oil from the lamp onto the cloth and threw in the candle flame he was holding. In an instant, flames roared through the Qianqing Palace! The cloth crackled and popped as it burned!

"What are you doing?!" Not long after the flames were lit, Empress Dowager Sun's angry roar came from outside the Qianqing Palace.

Behind Madam Sun were a group of eunuchs, armed with tools, ready to extinguish the flames at any moment. Clearly, these people had come prepared! Or perhaps, one of the eunuchs had leaked the information!
However, Emperor Longwu didn't mind at all! He merely glanced at Empress Dowager Sun, who entered with a group of palace maids and eunuchs!

"In the twenty-second year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Taizong sealed the palace gates late at night!"

That night, the Imperial Tutor Yao Guangxiao died in the Qianqing Palace!
Meanwhile, that very night, all the palace maids, eunuchs, guards, and even a few concubines who were within a hundred paces of the Qianqing Palace perished in the flames!

"Are you sure you want to come in now?" Looking at the group of eunuchs and palace maids who rushed in with various fire extinguishing tools to put out the fire, Emperor Longwu casually mentioned a past event!
Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words, the eunuchs and palace maids stopped in their tracks one by one. After exchanging a glance with the terror in each other's eyes, they fled out of the palace as if they had seen a plague god!

In an instant, only the maid who had been serving Empress Dowager Sun and Empress Dowager Sun herself remained, quietly watching the flames burning in the Qianqing Palace!
At this moment, not only the eunuchs and palace maids were filled with panic, but even Madam Sun's eyes were filled with terror!

After all, Empress Dowager Sun knew that the only thing that could cause such panic among the palace maids and eunuchs was a royal secret! And one that required them to be silenced! For a moment, a look of helplessness flashed in Empress Dowager Sun's eyes!
"Close the door! Anyone who enters before this fire is extinguished will die!" The Emperor Longwu's clear voice rang in everyone's ears as he looked at the group of restless eunuchs and palace maids standing outside the Qianqing Palace.

For a moment, the palace maids and eunuchs standing outside the Qianqing Palace breathed a long sigh of relief. They knew that they would not die for the time being!

The guards who had been standing outside the hall did not relax for a moment. In fact, they even silently retreated a distance, putting some distance between themselves and the palace maids and eunuchs who had surrounded them.
Because some of them had experienced that terrifying scene firsthand! Therefore, they knew all too well how horrific it was! Maintaining distance was the safest option!
After all, they had heard rumors from their predecessors that back then, any guards who had spoken to the eunuchs and palace maids from the group in the twenty-second year of Yongle's reign were also executed! Knowing too much really can kill people!

With a crisp "snap!", the gates of the Qianqing Palace were slammed shut!
At this moment, only Emperor Longwu and Empress Dowager Sun remained in the room! The maid's face was deathly pale! She didn't know if she would be silenced!
"Lady Sun, have you come here today to speak with me?" Looking at Lady Sun standing quietly before the flames, Emperor Longwu sat on his dragon throne and asked casually, as if he were asking, "Have you eaten?"
But at this moment, Sun seemed to be in a daze, silently watching the flames burning in front of her, without any response.

Seeing Empress Dowager Sun's expression, Emperor Longwu knew that she was unaware of the item's existence! So he offered an explanation.
"This burning object was written by me personally in the Qianqing Palace in the twenty-second year of the Yongle reign!"

My grandfather, eldest uncle, father, and third uncle were all present at the time.

Of course, Emperor Xuanzong was also there, as well as the old monk from Jiming Temple who arrived late!

However, the old monk passed away right there in the palace that very night! His relics were cremated and then taken out of the palace.

Therefore, only the Zhu family knows what's written here!
Now, Grandpa is gone; my eldest uncle is gone; my father is gone; my third uncle is gone; even Emperor Xuanzong is gone!

Only I knew about this.

Originally, we agreed that the things written here were meant to be passed down to future generations!

But now I regret it! Because your son is far too incompetent!

I cannot gamble with the foundation laid by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong on whether your son will improve, or even whether future emperors will be as incompetent as they were!
Therefore, I have decided to destroy it!

Furthermore, in my opinion, it seems that when Emperor Xuanzong passed away, he did not pass it on to you, did he?
Since that's the case, then I'll take the liberty of burning it!

"Just pretend nothing happened!" Emperor Longwu said calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary, looking at Sun Shi staring blankly at the burning flames.
However, Empress Dowager Sun knew that there must be an extraordinary secret hidden within the burning flames! Otherwise, Emperor Longwu wouldn't have personally burned it down and insisted on watching it burn completely before he was satisfied! But now that it was already burned, there was no point in Empress Dowager Sun pursuing the matter any further! Therefore, Empress Dowager Sun decided to let the matter rest.

"Madam Sun, what brings you here?" Looking at Empress Dowager Sun, whose eyes were filled with resentment, Emperor Longwu asked his question again.

"I beg you to save Zhen'er!"

"Save my son!" This time, Empress Dowager Sun seemed to have realized something and replied softly.

Hehe~!

Madam Sun, you're asking me to save your son?!
Go rescue that naked guy who's being paraded through the streets on a carriage!

Why?

"Why should I beg him?!" Looking at Empress Dowager Sun's pleading expression, Emperor Longwu chuckled mockingly and replied with disdain!

He is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty! He is the face of the Ming Dynasty!

"You came here to save the Ming Dynasty, didn't you?!" Empress Dowager Sun roared at Emperor Longwu with grief and indignation as she listened to his mockery of her son. At this moment, she no longer seemed to be the high and mighty Empress Dowager, but a grieving mother!

Unfortunately, Emperor Longwu didn't buy into that at all!
"Hehe~! Mrs. Sun, things aren't as rosy as you think~!"

Let me tell you! What I promised Emperor Taizong was to save the Ming Dynasty!
Not the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Let me just tell you directly!

The Ming Dynasty could have countless emperors in the future!

"But they may not be your sons! That good-for-nothing!" Looking at the Empress Dowager Sun, who was agitated and saddened, Emperor Longwu stood up without any politeness, placed his hands on the table, looked down at the Empress Dowager Sun, and said disdainfully!
Seeing Emperor Longwu's resolute appearance, Empress Dowager Sun was speechless for a moment!

Emperor Longwu was clearly not going to tolerate Empress Dowager Sun's bad temper!
“Sun, do you know what I saw today when I was fighting in the Oirat camp?”
Today, while I was fighting in the Oirat camp, I saw a naked fellow lying on the ground like a dog! He begged me to save him and bring him back!

I didn't even glance at him before leaving!

Sun, tell me, why should I save him?!

With this one battle, he directly destroyed decades of accumulation for our Great Ming Dynasty.
Or was it because of this battle that he destroyed almost the entire Xun Gui Group, allowing the civil officials to dominate in the future?
Or was it because of this battle that he directly entered the ranks of the most famous tyrants throughout history?

Or was it this battle that nearly destroyed the Ming Dynasty's enduring legacy?
Tell me!

"Why should I save him?!" Emperor Longwu asked sternly, looking at Empress Dowager Sun, who was pleading with him.

(End of this chapter)