Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

"What kind of junk is this?!"

"I am well, do not worry."

Late at night, Emperor Hongli was still processing memorials. Although he outwardly looked down on these sycophantic memorials that asked him how he had been eating and sleeping lately, he was actually quite pleased inside. After all, being an emperor was not as easy as many people thought throughout history. Although one could enjoy all the riches of the world and wield the greatest power in the world, it was very difficult to sit on the throne for a long time, sit securely, achieve something, and earn the title of a wise ruler in the history books.

At this time, Hongli had only been on the throne for five years. He was at the height of his ambition as a young monarch and worked diligently in handling state affairs almost every day. This was completely different from the "Ten Perfections" emperor who would later frequently travel to the south of the Yangtze River. If you didn't know better, you would think that a new emperor had been born.

Among these mountains of memorials, the sudden appearance of a sycophant whose opinions were completely detached from state affairs would actually please most emperors. People always need to find some amusement, and emperors are no exception.

"The grain and fodder reserves in the Northwest are sufficient. Your Majesty, I request an imperial edict to boost the morale of the soldiers."

"Okay, okay, okay, okay----"

Clutching the memorial sent from the northwestern border, Hongli excitedly shouted "Good!" seven or eight times. This immediately startled the two eunuchs who were dozing outside the screen. Suppressing the urge to yawn, they subconsciously peeked through the gap. They saw that Hongli had completely lost his imperial dignity. He had unbuttoned his shirt, his inner robe was open, and he was holding the memorial in his hand. He seemed to want to put it down but also pick it up. His face was so excited that he was completely overjoyed.

The two eunuchs exchanged a smile and then turned their backs again, knowing that if they were to look any further and discover something shameful, they would be in big trouble.

The Hongli Emperor behind the screen was still too young. Although he pretended to be respectable on a daily basis and often imitated his grandfather Kangxi's methods of doing things, and took his father Yongzheng as his role model in being diligent in government, he actually loved to play deep down.

They were simply overwhelmed by those grand narratives and royal responsibilities.

"Long live the Emperor! But we'll have to use it later; it's already past midnight."

Outside the screen, the eunuch whose stomach was growling first, hearing the gloomy voice inside, took the initiative to suggest having a late snack. The so-called late snack was actually a midnight snack. After all, the Qing Dynasty court only had two regular meals a day. Most of the time, if they were hungry, they would have a snack at different times, and the late snack was the last snack.

They mostly eat liquid foods like steamed buns, noodles, and tea, which is actually fine from a health perspective.

"Just bring some milk tea, you can divide the rest among yourselves."

"Your Majesty's boundless grace! We, your humble servants, are moved to tears of gratitude!"

The voices echoed from inside and outside the screen. Several eunuchs happily ran towards the imperial kitchen and soon brought a bowl of milk tea to the table. Meanwhile, the eunuchs and guards outside were sharing snacks, dried meat, and meat porridge brought from the imperial kitchen. They were eating much better than Hongli.

After finishing his bowl of milk tea, it was time for Hongli to go to bed.

"Long live the Emperor! Shall we choose a concubine?"

The head eunuch brought over a tray with the titles of the concubines on it. Empress Fucha's position was the most prominent, but Emperor Hongli had just reunited with his fourth son, Yongcheng, the day before. So, he chose Consort Jia, the Consort Jin.

Sitting in the imperial sedan chair, Hongli habitually tilted his head to the side. Moonlight shone on the red walls and golden tiles, illuminating the figures of those accompanying him, the most conspicuous of whom was Hongli in the sedan chair.

Upon returning to his palace, Hongli, with the help of palace maids, removed his small hat and the extremely green thumb ring, and then lay down on the dragon bed fully clothed.

About seven or eight minutes later, Consort Jin was brought in from outside. Compared to the shameful scene in later TV dramas where she was wrapped in a quilt and brought in, Consort Jin, at her level, actually came on her own.

As soon as she was in her arms, Consort Jin began to tell Yongcheng about the funny things that happened at his wet nurse's place that day, such as riding the eunuch like a horse and catching insects. Basically, these were all things that children would do.

Hearing these stories, Hongli was instead reminded of his own childhood:

"At that time, I was summoned by my grandfather. He asked me, 'Can you ride a horse?' I replied, 'Of course I can, and I can even ride a horse like a Baturu.'"

"My imperial grandfather laughed and said, 'You are a Baturu, then what am I?' I was young then, but I was also very bold, so I mustered up my courage and said, 'Your imperial grandfather is the number one Baturu of my Great Qing.'"

"Haha, that's how I got to sit on the throne."

Hearing the continuous laughter, Consort Jin giggled and said sweetly:

"Is His Majesty truly a Baturu?"

"Baturu----"

Hongli hummed in response, then turned and embraced the smiling Consort Jin.

"Today I'll show you, you slut, what it means to be the First Baturu."

"That's probably just bragging."

The curtains of the bridal chamber trembled with the discussion about the Baturu, while outside, the eunuchs with keen ears watched the newly lit incense and made bets.

"I'll bet half an incense stick's time."

"I'll bet a stick."

The time it takes for half an incense stick to burn quickly came to an end. The unlucky guy who had bet two taels of silver broke the new incense stick next to him in anger. What was even more laughable was that the incense had barely burned halfway through, not even a minute had passed, when it stopped burning inside the room.

That unlucky guy cursed inwardly:

"Your Majesty, what's the use of being a few hours slower? Why don't you hurry up?!"

As night deepened, the incense used for probing the time went out, although many people in the palace were still busy in shifts, preparing the imperial meal for the next morning, as well as clothes for the concubines to change into, and even the sacrificial meat to be offered to the ancestors.

On the dragon bed in the palace, Hongli's snoring, accompanied by Consort Jin's kicking, gradually deepened, and slowly, the scene changed from night to day. However, this was no longer the palace, but a battlefield.

On the battlefield, yellow sand filled the sky, and the air was thick with murderous intent. Hongli stood on the dragon throne, wearing his ancestral dragon-patterned armor. Before him lay hundreds of thousands of troops. The Qing Dynasty's dragon flag was like a curtain in the sky, almost obscuring half the heavens. And across Hongli's line of sight was a ruined city, with the words "Ili" written on it in Mongolian script.

This is the stronghold of the Jungar, and his army has already reached here. All that remains is to annihilate their kingdom, destroy their shrines, and end this entanglement that has lasted for generations.

Hongli laughed, a hearty, almost manic laugh. Under the watchful eyes of his entourage, he drew his gleaming, nine-dragon sword, adorned with dragon patterns, pointed it towards the distant city of Yili, and roared with boundless pride:

"The time has come to breach the city; those who are the first to scale it will be granted official titles and ranks, and will be promoted five ranks in succession."

In an instant, smoke and fire filled the air, and the sounds of battle were deafening. Hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded the city of Yili, and in less than half a day, the city fell.

The scene shifts, and Hongli sits on the golden throne of the Dzungar Khan. Before him kneels a group of Dzungar royal nobles, the Dzungar Khan at the head of the group weeping as he expresses his gratitude.

"Grateful for the Emperor's kindness and the Celestial Empire's benevolence, I will never forget it for the rest of my life!!"

At this moment, Hongli felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his life. On the throne of the Khan, he was like a god who had descended to earth, receiving the offerings and reverence of mortals at all times.

At this moment, Hongli saw his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, and his father, Emperor Yongzheng, who had died young. Neither of them were as good as him. Let alone them, in the rebellious emotions in Hongli's heart at this moment, even his ancestor, Emperor Huang Taiji, was just lucky to have the right timing. If he had met him, let alone starting with thirteen suits of armor, what difference would it make if he had thousands of suits?

Indeed, I am the true emperor of all time, the one at the top of the imperial temple.

Hongli went mad. He was completely absorbed in it all. He had the empire, the achievements, and the beauties. Everything was so wonderful, until that one voice rang out:

"howl!!"

"Who's there?! Who's there?!"

The scene shifts again, and Hongli is no longer on the throne, but on an unfamiliar battlefield. Before him, there are no longer hundreds of thousands of troops, nor the Dzungar Khan who cried out to him in gratitude. Only a huge golden mountain remains in front of him, from which come chilling howls and constant thunderclaps in the sky.

Hongli retreated step by step, the joy on his face completely gone, replaced by an unprecedented fear. He didn't understand, he really didn't understand why what was just a good thing had turned into such a terrifying situation.

"howl!!"

On the summit of Jinshan Mountain, a snow-white wolf, as noble as daylight, suddenly appeared, startling Hongli into running away like a mad sheep. He felt that his two legs were not enough and wished he could run on all fours.

Behind him, the white wolf, relentlessly pursuing him, leaped forward amidst starlight that seemed to appear out of nowhere, landing directly in front of Hongli. Before he could react, a scimitar, gleaming with a cold light, shot straight at Hongli's face.

"Ah, no!!"

"Help! Help!!"

In the dead of night, Hongli was so frightened that he got up, his forehead already soaked with sweat. The awakened Consort Jin looked at the emperor, who looked like a stray dog, and hurriedly helped him sit up.

"Help! Help!"

"Your Majesty, don't panic, don't panic! This is the imperial bedchamber; there are no assassins here!!"

"No……"

Hongli's expression remained flustered, but being an emperor after all, the fear in his eyes gradually faded as he looked at the familiar surroundings and Consort Jin before him, though he continued to mutter:

"Someone wants to kill me..."

"Whoever dares to do so, His Majesty shall execute their entire clan!!"

"It's not a person, it's a white wolf."

"Even the White Wolf's entire family must be exterminated!!"

"Yes, exterminate their entire family, they must be exterminated..."

Hongli's incoherent speech seemed to have found a sense of security. Only the words "extermination of nine generations" could make him feel that he was still the great Qing emperor who had the power of life and death and was determined to surpass his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, instead of the pitiful figure who had just rolled around on the ground, being eaten by wolves.

It took a while for Hongli to calm down completely. Consort Jin kept wiping his sweat, while he sat blankly on the dragon bed, muttering to himself with lifeless eyes and resentment:

"Mountains in dreams, wolves in mountains!!"

"Is this a fleeting dream, or a prophetic warning from Heaven?!"

"Summon the Imperial Observatory—"

Under the cover of night, the Forbidden City was a place of quietude yet also activity. Some people were sleeping peacefully, while others were working hard. And then there was the emperor, whose mind was filled with thoughts of the wolf he had just dreamed of.