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

Images flow across the sky.

Gu Canghai, carrying a cage of rats, caused a ruckus in Kunning Palace, frightening Empress Hang so much that she fell seriously ill, temporarily saving the five-year-old, trembling deposed crown prince, Zhu Jianshen.

but.

No one could understand it.

Especially outside the sky, countless viewers watching the live broadcast, including Zhu Yuanzhang in the Hongwu world, were filled with questions.

Why?

Who is Zhu Jianshen?

That's the son of Zhu Qizhen, the "Knocking-the-Door Emperor"!

He is the son of that traitor who nearly caused the downfall of the Ming Dynasty!

As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's son knows how to dig a hole.

Zhu Qizhen was so incompetent, how good could his son be?

Why would Grand Tutor Gu risk turning against the current emperor and empress for such a mere child?

Just then.

The image on the sky flashed.

That era, filled with the smell of gunpowder and bloodshed, has gradually faded away.

Instead.

It's a faded, yellowed piece, carrying a touch of languor and luxury—

The Story of Xuande!

【Ding--】

[Time rewind: The third year of the Xuande reign.]

Location: Imperial Garden, Forbidden City, Beijing.

[Characters: Emperor Xuanzong of Ming (Zhu Zhanji, age 29), Gu Canghai (age 50).]

[The Event: A Case That Seemed Like a Wasteful Pursuit of Leisure, But Was Actually Full of Danger—]

[Cricket Betting!]

on the screen.

Autumn is high and fresh.

Chrysanthemums are in full bloom in the Imperial Garden.

A young emperor dressed in casual clothes, with a heroic appearance and a carefree attitude between his brows.

He was squatting on the ground without any regard for his image, his butt sticking out, staring intently at a blue and white porcelain jar in front of him.

This was Zhu Zhanji, who was later jokingly called the "Cricket Emperor" or "Cricket King"!

And beside him.

Standing there was Gu Canghai, who was then in his prime, dressed in a red robe, holding a thick account book in his hand.

"bite!"

"Bite it to death!"

"Go get it! Bite its legs! Break its whiskers!"

Zhu Zhanji held a straw stick in his hand, constantly poking at the two crickets in the jar, his expression excited, shouting loudly:

"Well done!"

"The Great General is mighty!"

"Kill that old bastard!"

This scene...

He looks like a lazy and incompetent ruler who neglects his duties!

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, watching from outside the canopy, frowned, and the shoe sole in his hand began to stir restlessly again.

"this……"

"Is this our beloved grandson?"

"Is this the Xuande Emperor who ushered in the prosperous reign of Renxuan?"

"All you do is play with bugs all day?"

"He's made our Ming Dynasty lose face..."

however.

Zhu Yuanzhang's curses hadn't even been uttered yet.

on the screen.

Gu Canghai's single sentence sent chills down everyone's spines...

I felt numb instantly!

"His Majesty."

Gu Canghai expressionlessly opened the account book in his hand, the vermilion pen hovering in mid-air:

"You just said..."

"What's the name of this black-headed cricket again?"

Zhu Zhanji didn't turn his head, his eyes still fixed on the carnage inside the jar, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his lips:

"This one..."

"Call him 'Minister of Revenue'!"

"What about the yellow-headed one?"

"Call him 'Minister of Personnel'!"

boom!!!

The moment those two names were mentioned, the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere instantly transformed into a sinister and eerie one!

Naming crickets after a high-ranking official of the imperial court?

What kind of twisted sense of humor is this?

"Okay."

Gu Canghai nodded, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner:

"Which one does Your Majesty favor?"

"I have high hopes for the position of Minister of Personnel!"

Zhu Zhanji poked the yellow-headed cricket hard with a straw stick:

"Because he's ruthless!"

"Greedy enough!"

"One bite, and you can even crush the bones!"

"As for that 'Minister of Revenue'..."

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Zhu Zhanji's eyes:

"I'm getting old."

"My teeth aren't working either."

"If you can't even protect my national treasury, keeping it is just a waste of food!"

"bite!"

"Bite it to death!"

Accompanied by a low roar from Zhu Zhanji.

In the jar.

The yellow-headed cricket named "Minister of Personnel" pounced and bit off the thigh of "Minister of Revenue" in one bite!

"Squeak—"

The black-headed cricket screamed and rolled around, and was quickly torn to pieces.

The outcome is decided!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhu Zhanji stood up, dusted off his hands, and laughed heartily.

"We lost!"

"Grand Tutor!"

"The Minister of Revenue has lost!"

"Since we've lost..."

Zhu Zhanji turned around and looked at Gu Canghai. His eyes, which had been full of playfulness, were now a cold abyss.

"Then..."

"You have to accept the consequences of your bet."

"The real Minister of Revenue..."

"Ran their property!"

"Since he can't protect the national treasury, then let's use his family's wealth to fill it!"

Gu Canghai showed no surprise.

The vermilion pen in his hand was used to write the name that had already been written on the ledger.

I drew a big one—

Red cross!

"As you command."

Gu Canghai closed the ledger and said calmly:

"The Imperial Guards are already waiting at the gate of that official's residence."

"We're just waiting for His Majesty to decide the victor among these crickets."

"Now……"

"His whole family should already be on their way to the imperial prison."

……

Beyond the sky.

The shoe sole in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He stared wide-eyed at the emperor and his minister in the scene, who seemed to decide life and death with a mere laugh.

I felt a chill run down my back!

"this……"

"Are they playing with crickets?"

"This is absolutely suicidal!"

"This is utterly manipulative!"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, his eyes shifting from anger to shock, and finally to... ecstasy!

"good!"

"What a wonderful grandson!"

"This method..."

"They're even more cunning and ruthless than we were back then!"

"By using the pretext of indulging in frivolous pursuits, they made the court officials lower their guard."

"Using cricket fighting as a pretext, they're inciting infighting among the ministers!"

"This is called—"

"Playing dumb to fool the enemy!"

……

on the screen.

Zhu Zhanji seemed somewhat tired after dealing with a minister.

He slumped onto the stone bench in the pavilion, took the tea that Gu Canghai offered, and let out a long sigh.

"teacher."

"You mean me...?"

"Isn't that absurd?"

"Doesn't he seem like a tyrant?"

Gu Canghai took a sip of tea and shrugged.

"A tyrannical ruler?"

"Your Majesty, you are by no means a tyrant."

"You're a movie star!"

"Your acting skills are so good that even Emperor Taizong would have to give you a thumbs up."

"hehe……"

Zhu Zhanji gave a wry smile, looking at the square patch of sky in the Imperial Garden:

"I didn't want to either."

"But teacher, look at all these civil and military officials."

"Civil officials form cliques, military generals seek personal gain—which one is easy to deal with?"

"If I were to govern the country properly, if I were to reason with them..."

"They have ten thousand 'ancestral rules' and ten thousand 'sayings of the sages' waiting for me!"

"They will band together, they will risk their lives to remonstrate, and they will turn me into a mere puppet!"

Zhu Zhanji suddenly crushed the teacup in his hand, and blood mixed with tea flowed down:

"so!"

"I can only pretend to be insane!"

"I can only play dumb!"

"I can only be a 'Cricket Emperor' who squanders his talents!"

"Only this way..."

"That's why they'll fight each other like crickets in a jar, vying for my favor and trying to please me!"

"Only when they start fighting..."

"I……"

"He is the true master of this Ming Dynasty!"

This is the art of imperial strategy!

This is the joy of a tyrant—you can't even imagine!

Because the tyrannical emperor is playing you!

And you... actually took it seriously!

Gu Canghai looked at the young yet weathered emperor before him, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.

He reached out and helped Zhu Zhanji bandage his wound.

"His Majesty."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"This Ming Dynasty home..."

"It's not easy being a parent."

Zhu Zhanji grasped Gu Canghai's hand in return, his gaze suddenly becoming extremely solemn.

It was an entrustment, and also a plea.

"teacher."

"I am not afraid of being tired, nor am I afraid of being infamous."

"I'm afraid..."

"After I'm gone, what will become of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Zhanji pointed in the direction of the Eastern Palace, where the then young Zhu Qizhen lived.

"My son (Zhu Qizhen)..."

"I know, he's been protected too well."

"Unlike me, I grew up on horseback with my grandfather, Emperor Taizong, and have seen bloodshed and know the wickedness of people's hearts."

"he……"

"I'm afraid we won't be able to control these wolves and tigers roaming the court!"

"teacher!"

Zhu Zhanji gripped Gu Canghai's hand tightly, his voice trembling:

"Say yes to me!"

"No matter what happens in the future."

"No matter how incompetent my descendants may be..."

"Please, teacher..."

"You must protect this Ming Dynasty for me!"

"You must do it for me..."

"Let's leave an heir for the Zhu family!"

Even if one is rendered useless, even if it's replaced...

"As long as they are of my blood..."

"As long as the Ming Dynasty still exists..."

"Now I can rest in peace, even in the afterlife!"

……

The image gradually freezes.

The image is frozen on the young emperor's eyes, filled with both hope and worry.

The image freezes on Gu Canghai's solemn nod.

This is a promise.

A promise that transcends life and death!

……

Flashbacks of images on the celestial screen.

We returned to that late night in the third year of the Jingtai reign.

Gu Canghai stood outside Kunning Palace, having just finished reprimanding Empress Hang.

He carried the cage of rats and looked towards the direction of the East Palace.

There.

Living there is the deposed crown prince, Zhu Jianshen, who is only five years old and sleeping soundly!

He was the son of Zhu Qizhen.

He is Zhu Zhanji's grandson.

"Little Ji-ko..."

Gu Canghai gazed at the stars in the night sky and murmured to himself.

His voice carried an endless sense of vicissitude and helplessness.

"You were right to worry back then."

"Your good son, Zhu Qizhen..."

"He's truly a piece of trash!"

"He squandered all the wealth you left behind! He broke the backbone of the Ming Dynasty!"

"I'm already being lenient by not killing him!"

Gu Canghai took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes:

"but……"

"Don't worry."

"Since I promised you, I won't go back on my word."

"Your son is ruined..."

"Then I'll protect your grandson!"

"This Zhu Jianshen..."

"Although he was a child with a hard life, although he had a slight stutter and was somewhat attached to his mother..."

"but!"

"As long as I'm alive!"

"Nobody can touch him!"

"No one will be allowed to cut off Zhu Zhanji's lineage!"

"this……"

"I owe you!"

……

The Hongwu Plane.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Gu Canghai's monologue.

The tears could no longer be stopped.

He turned around, hugged Zhu Biao tightly, and cried like a child:

"Biao'er!"

"Did you hear that?"

"That's a true loyal minister!"

"This is truly a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor!"

Even if the emperor is a useless fool, even if the empire is about to collapse...

"He still remembers the promise he made back then!"

"He's still working for our Zhu family..."

"Hold on to this last hope!"

Zhu Di's eyes were also red-rimmed, and he bowed deeply to the sky:

"gentlemen……"

"You've suffered!"

"Although my grandson (Zhu Zhanji) died young, the best thing he ever did in his life was..."

"It's about this Ming Dynasty..."

"I've entrusted it to you!"