Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

It was the third watch of the night.

Zhu Youjian was resting in his tent.

Suddenly, the system's voice rang in his ears:

[Congratulations, host. Your mission is complete. Luck Points +1.]

[Current Luck Points: 1. This allows you to revive one family member.]

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's heart pounded wildly.

"Djokovic, get up and have some porridge."

Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the tent, followed by a woman walking in, carrying a bowl in her left hand and a cage in her right. The cage was covered with a black cloth, so it was unknown what was inside.

The woman walked to the table and placed her belongings on it.

Zhu Youjian jumped up and got off the bed.

He looked at her by the light and realized that the woman in front of him was not his own mother, Liu. So who was she?

"Mother, is it really you?"

Zhu Youjian's voice trembled slightly due to excessive excitement.

"My child, you have suffered all these years."

"mother!"

Zhu Youjian knelt down in front of his mother with a thud.

Although many years had passed, Liu's appearance had not changed much.

Mother and son met and embraced, weeping bitterly.

After crying for a long time, Liu pulled Zhu Youjian up from the ground.

Zhu Youjian wiped away his tears and asked, "Mother, where have you been all these years?"

Madam Liu sighed, "Your mother is a bit heartless, but I have no choice. When you were five years old, your father severely punished me for a trivial matter, ordering people to beat me half to death with a cane."

He thought I was dead, and didn't let the imperial physician treat my mother. He ordered people to wrap my body in straw mats and throw it in the wilderness, leaving it to be abused by wild animals.

Fortunately, I met a kind person who saved my life.

I wanted to go back to take care of you, but when I thought about how cruel your father was to me, my heart turned cold.

Besides, must those who aspire to great things endure hardship?

As your mother, I also wanted to temper your will, so I made a tough decision and returned to my hometown, hiding my identity.

From then on, everyone in the world thought I was dead.

This time, I heard you went to Shanhaiguan to defend against the Later Jin army, and I was worried about you, so I came to see you.

The mother and son recounted the events leading up to their separation.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian sighed deeply: "Mother, now that you've come, please come back to the capital with me."

To everyone's surprise, Madam Liu shook her head: "No, I'm not going back. I came here to tell you something, and then to give you two things."

"What is it?"

"I heard that the Emperor is dying, but he has no children. You are his only brother. If nothing unexpected happens, he can only let you succeed him."

However, Wei Zhongxian holds great power and harbors wolfish ambitions; he is very likely to harm you.

You cannot eat any of the food from the imperial kitchen, lest it be poisonous.

That Lady Ke was the most vicious of all, and she was also skilled in poisoning. Many concubines in the palace died at her hands.

Therefore, I'm giving you a silver needle for testing for poison, so you can test whether there's any poison in the food." As she said this, Liu took a silver needle out of her pocket.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "My mother is so thoughtful; she even thought of these things."

Liu placed the tip of the silver needle into the porridge bowl, and after a short time, the tip of the silver needle turned green.

"You see, if the test result is green, it means that there is no poison in the food and it is safe to eat."

Immediately afterwards, Liu took out the arsenic from her bosom, then took out another bowl, put the arsenic in the bowl, and poured in half a bowl of water.

Liu then put the end of the silver needle into the bowl, and in an instant, the tip of the silver needle turned purplish-red.

"When the silver needle turns this color, it means the food contains a deadly poison. Do you understand?"

Zhu Youjian's pupils gradually narrowed: "I've remembered."

Liu handed the silver needle to Zhu Youjian.

After carefully examining the silver needles, Zhu Youjian accepted them and put them in his pocket.

"You are still young, and there are many things you haven't experienced yet."

I'm so worried.

The court and the countryside are fraught with danger; people's hearts are unpredictable. No matter what happens, one must think calmly, be cautious, and never be too trusting of anyone.

Liu removed the black cloth from the cage, revealing a pair of white homing pigeons inside.

"These carrier pigeons were trained by your mother. They can find you anytime, anywhere. If you have anything to say, just send a message to me by carrier pigeon."

Zhu Youjian glanced at them and saw that the pair of carrier pigeons were all white with red eyes, very energetic, playing with each other and flapping their wings from time to time.

"If you want to deal with Wei Zhongxian, you must remember that you can only outsmart him, not attack him head-on. You must never offend him on the surface."

His power is too great; his henchmen are everywhere, both inside and outside the court. You must be careful with every word and action you take.

"Mother, I understand."

"Also, I'd like to ask you, do you have any concubines?"

Zhu Youjian blushed: "I've got it."

"Who is she?"

"She is Zhou Kui's daughter, Zhou Ling'er."

"Is she pretty?"

"She was beautiful and graceful, knowledgeable in calligraphy and painting, and skilled in medicine. She was simple, honest, and did not pursue extravagance."

Upon hearing this, Liu nodded in satisfaction: "In that case, you must treat them well."

"I will."

"If you have the chance, bring her here so your mother can see her."

As she spoke, Liu took off a jade bracelet from her hand. "This jade bracelet was left to me by your maternal grandmother. It has been with me for many years. You can take it and give it to Zhou Ling'er. Just say it's a little something from your mother."

Zhu Youjian took the jade bracelet in his hand and examined it carefully. Although it might not be particularly valuable, he could tell that it was exquisitely crafted.

He put the bracelet away and asked, "Mother, how are you doing back in our hometown? I have some gold and silver here; you can take it back with you."

"No need. Back in my hometown, I still have a few acres of land. I had nothing to do, so I cultivated those few acres, and now I have no worries about food and clothing."

You'll need money for many things in the future.

I heard that your sister-in-law, Zhang Yan, treats you quite well.

"Yes, my sister-in-law takes great care of me."

Liu placed her hands in front of her abdomen and paced back and forth in the tent: "She was also a woman with a tragic fate, having to become a widow at such a young age."

You should pay more attention to her in the future.

"I know."

"I heard you won a great victory this time, not only capturing prisoners but also taking Daishan prisoner."

"Yes."

"So what do you plan to do with them?"

"The Later Jin army has invaded our borders, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities. I intend to kill them all as a warning to others!" Zhu Youjian said, his eyes filled with resentment.