Ming Dynasty: A centenarian madman criticizes the Grand Secretary and brings his coffin to court!

That's enough of the crazy stuff.

I felt good cursing.

This also frightened the souls of all the civil and military officials in the court.

Gu Canghai stood in the center of the main hall, his chest heaving violently.

After all, he was a 108-year-old man, yet he was carrying a coffin, wielding an axe, and giving a lecture on "The Mad Dog's Art of War."

This amount of exercise is more than what young people do for three days and three nights at a club these days!

A deep sense of exhaustion washed over me like a tide.

The countdown on the system panel was still relentlessly flashing red.

[Life remaining: 23 hours and 58 minutes.]

Although the "mad dog aura" had given him a second chance at life, his body was ultimately at its limit.

Gu Canghai let out a long breath.

then.

He let out a huge, earth-shattering yawn in full view of everyone.

"Ah—yawn—!!!"

This yawn was lazy and casual, as if the person here didn't consider the solemn and majestic Fengtian Hall at all, but rather felt as if they were on their own kang (heated brick bed).

I'm tired.

Gu Canghai rubbed his aching lower back and waved his hand:

"Alright, stop standing there like idiots."

"Go do what you're supposed to do!"

"Wang Zhen, go and transport your coffin and provisions."

"Yu Qian, go and organize the troops, take the imperial sword and go kill people."

"That guy...that guy..."

Gu Canghai pointed to Zhu Qizhen, who was still in a daze on the dragon throne, seemingly having forgotten his name for a moment:

"Oh right, that Great Ming War God."

"You should go back and tidy up too. Smash all your cricket jars and replace them with chamber pots."

"Dismiss the court!"

That's it... the court session is over?

The officials looked at each other, each one as if they were dreaming.

Is this over?

They're not playing by the rules!

According to the normal procedure, shouldn't we be chanting "Long live the Emperor!" and then everyone leave in an orderly manner?

But who would dare disobey the old madman's order?

"We... take our leave..."

The officials felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They all lowered their heads and backed away, trying to leave this place of trouble filled with murderous intent, the stench of urine, and the smell of madness.

however.

Just then.

Gu Canghai did not leave the palace and return home as everyone expected.

But...

He walked straight to the large coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood that had just imprisoned Wang Zhen, which was placed in the center of the main hall!

He walked to the coffin and plopped down on the edge of it.

then.

In front of the emperor and all the officials.

He bent down.

He took off his official boots, which were stained with the blood and mud of the Imperial Guards and had long been worn through...

rub!

He took it off in one go!

A rich, fermented salted fish aroma, aged for a hundred years, instantly filled the hall.

That smell was even more overpowering than the stench of urine on Wang Zhen earlier!

"Ouch... this old rheumatism in my legs..."

Gu Canghai rubbed his feet while casually tossing his two worn-out boots aside.

pat!

One of the boots flew right down to the foot of the imperial steps.

It's less than five meters away from the dragon throne!

Zhu Qizhen's eyelids twitched violently as he looked at the worn-out shoe that reeked of a biological weapon, and he felt completely horrified.

"Gu... Minister Gu?"

"What...are you trying to do?"

Zhu Qizhen pinched his nose and asked with a look of horror.

Aren't you leaving yet?

What are you still doing here?

This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony! The center of power in the Ming Dynasty! Not a bathhouse!

Gu Canghai raised his head and looked at Zhu Qizhen with an expression of utter certainty:

"What are you doing?"

"Go to sleep!"

"At my age, I've been working on this all morning and I'm about to fall apart."

"It's too far to go back home, and the journey is bumpy."

"This Fengtian Hall is spacious, cool, and has good feng shui."

"I'll just have to make do here for the night!"

talking.

Gu Canghai patted the coffin lid beneath him, making a crisp "thump-thump" sound.

"Your Majesty, this place is quite nice."

"May I take a nap? No problem, right?"

Zhu Qizhen: "..."

No objections?

I have a huge problem with this!

Whose good family member sleeps in the imperial palace?

And he was sleeping in a coffin?

"This...this is outrageous..."

Zhu Qizhen weakly protested:

"If Grand Tutor is tired, I can have the imperial carriage take you back to your residence, or... arrange a bed in a side hall..."

"No need for that!"

Gu Canghai waved his hand, directly interrupting the emperor's "good intentions".

He flipped over and leaped, like a nimble old eel, and burrowed directly into the coffin!

Only a messy white head was visible.

"There's no place like my doghouse, no matter how good it is."

"This coffin lid may be a bit stiff, but at least it's grounded!"

"and……"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Gu Canghai poked half of his body out of the coffin.

He gave Zhu Qizhen, who was preparing to slip away, an extremely "kind" and extremely "enthusiastic" smile:

"His Majesty."

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"This is the Supreme Emperor Edition! Wider and larger than before!"

"That bastard Wang Zhen only took half; there's still half left!"

Gu Canghai patted the empty seat next to him and extended a devilish invitation:

"Come on!"

"You're welcome!"

"We, ruler and subject, sleep side by side, just like Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang back then."

"Shall we have a proper chat right here in this coffin about our experiences and lessons learned from going to our deaths at Tumu Fortress?"

Anyway…

Gu Canghai chuckled and pointed to the large beam overhead:

"Anyway, there's a 99% chance we won't be coming back this time."

"Sooner or later, they'll all end up in this box."

"Go in early and get used to it, so you won't be unable to sleep in the underworld!"

boom!!!

These words were like the final Himalayas that broke the camel's back!

Zhu Qizhen stared at the dark, gaping opening of the coffin.

Looking at Gu Canghai's old face, which was full of wrinkles from smiling.

Then I recalled Wang Zhen's heart-wrenching screams from inside earlier.

An electric current called "physiological fear" instantly pierced through the top of his head!

He seemed to see the Black and White Impermanence (the deities of death) waving at him from beside the coffin!

"No!!!"

"I'm not sleeping!"

"I'm not sleepy!"

"I still have memorials to review! I... I'll be leaving now!"

Zhu Qizhen let out a scream that was out of tune.

He scrambled down from the dragon throne.

He even forgot to take the jade seal that he usually treasured the most.

Like a rabbit whose tail has been stepped on, it sprinted out the side door at top speed and fled in panic!

terrible!

That's insane!

This isn't a prime minister; this is clearly a vengeful ghost demanding a life!

"Your Majesty! Wait for this old minister!"

"Your Majesty, slow down! Be careful not to fall!"

Seeing that the emperor had fled, the other civil and military officials dared not linger.

The Fengtian Hall is now filled with an overwhelming sense of yin energy!

This coffin is so eerie!

What if Grand Tutor Gu sleepwalks and grabs someone to sleep with him?

Splash! ...

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The once packed Fengtian Hall was instantly emptied of everyone, leaving not a single soul behind.

All that remained were wood chips, broken floor tiles, and that blood-stained axe.

And that worn-out boot that smelled of salted fish.

Empty and desolate.

Dead silence.

As Gu Canghai watched the group of people flee in a disheveled state, the mockery and madness in his eyes gradually faded.

Instead.

It was a deep, unfathomable weariness, and a loneliness that no one could understand.

"Oh……"

"A bunch of cowards."

Gu Canghai gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He slowly shrank back into the coffin.

Lie flat.

Place your hands behind your head.

Through that huge sliding opening, I looked at the majestic, towering dome of the Fengtian Hall, painted with golden dragons.

Here.

It is the highest point of the Ming Dynasty.

It is the pinnacle of power.

It was at this very moment that the loneliest place in the entire Ming Dynasty was.

"Snoring...snoring..."

Gu Canghai closed his eyes and pretended to snore.

But in my heart.

He was speaking softly to an audience that didn't exist.

"Zhongba..."

"You must have seen it in that world, right?"

"Your descendants are getting worse with each generation."

"That little brat named Zhu Qizhen is good for nothing except being born into the right family."

"That guy named Zhu Yong is as fat as a pig; he can't even lift a knife."

"This Ming Dynasty..."

Gu Canghai's fingers gently stroked the rough wood grain of the coffin's inner wall.

"If the Ming Dynasty doesn't take drastic measures soon, it will truly perish."

"This time, I'm going to..."

"But I've lost all my savings for my funeral."

"Even this old body is going to be thrown away in that godforsaken place, Tumu Fort."

"Zhongba..."

"If you're watching from heaven, please bless these mad dogs so they can win."

"otherwise……"

"Once I get down there, I'm going to dig up your imperial tomb..."

The voice grew softer and softer.

Finally, it turned into a long sigh.

The silence lingered for a long time in the empty hall.

Above the sky.

The Hongwu Plane.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been praising the "mad dog strategy," fell silent at this moment.

Dead silence.

He looked at the figure in the picture, curled up in the coffin, looking so thin and old.

That was Gu Canghai.

Those were his brothers who had herded cattle, stolen chickens, killed Yuan soldiers, and built the Ming Dynasty together since childhood.

He's 108 years old.

He should be enjoying his grandchildren and living a long and peaceful life.

But it was all for his worthless descendants, and for the sake of his Zhu family's Ming Dynasty.

At this age when I am nearing the end of my life.

He carried a coffin, wielded an axe, and transformed himself into a madman, into a demon.

All for... to give the Ming Dynasty a breath of fresh air.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes reddened.

A single, murky tear slid down the resolute face of the Hongwu Emperor.

It dripped onto the floor tiles underfoot.

"That old madman..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice choked with emotion as he reached out, wanting to touch the non-existent screen:

"I...I'm so sorry."

"Our Zhu family... owes you so much."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side, was already sobbing uncontrollably.

This is not crazy at all.

This is clearly a peerless national hero!

He was a national hero who would burn himself to ashes to illuminate the path ahead for the Ming Dynasty!

Just as this somber atmosphere was about to permeate the entire Hongwu era.

suddenly!

The image on the sky suddenly flashed!

The image of the black coffin from the orthodox dynasty gradually faded away.

Instead.

It was a cheerful, rustic suona sound – "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix"!

Followed by.

Several lines of large, contrasting text appeared on the screen.

It interrupted everyone's grief.

[Let's pause the somber mood and get a little more exciting!]

[The review of the Ming Dynasty's fate continues!]

[A look back at the battles that made the most famous of the Ming Dynasty's number one madman!]

You think he went crazy because he got old?

【Do not! 】

[He was a troublemaker from a young age! A super troublemaker who made the Hongwu Emperor question the meaning of life!]

[Famous scene 1: The boy who stole Zhu Yuanzhang's roast chicken!]

The images flow.

Let's turn back time a hundred years.

Late Yuan Dynasty.

Rural Fengyang.

As the sun sets, old trees stand tall, and crows cry at dusk.

A young boy named Zhu Chongba (Zhu Yuanzhang), wearing tattered shorts and with a runny nose, was squatting on the edge of a field, leading a skinny old ox. He looked miserable.

And beside him.

A boy, also dressed in tattered clothes, was squatting down, but his eyes were gleaming and he had a wicked smile on his lips.

That was it—

A young version of Gu Canghai!

The young Gu Canghai held a tree branch in his hand and poked Zhu Chongba's butt:

"Hey, Chongba."

Are you hungry?

Zhu Chongba clutched his stomach and nodded: "Hungry... so hungry I could eat a whole cow."

"Eating beef is forbidden; that belongs to the landlords."

Young Gu Canghai chuckled and, as if by magic, pulled out an...

Shiny and fragrant—

Big roast chicken!

"look!"

"What is this?"

Beyond the sky.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was wiping away tears, saw the roast chicken and his eyes widened instantly.

sad?

What is sad?

That familiar, unforgettable, and painful memory of being tricked instantly assaulted his brain!

Holy crap!!!

Zhu Yuanzhang jumped up, pointed at the sky, and cursed loudly:

"Gu Canghai! You bastard!"

"That chicken... that was an offering used by Landlord Liu in his ancestral worship!!!"

"You told us back then that it was a pheasant you caught from the river?!"