I, Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty, resurrected Empress Ma at the start.

Upon hearing this, all the officials lowered their heads and remained silent.

Zhu Yunwen stood in the Fengtian Hall, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

This is so awesome! Absolutely amazing!

That outburst just now made Zhu Yunwen's face turn green with anger, and the ministers were so angry that they almost buried their heads in their crotches. Even the old Zhu was speechless after being roasted by him.

This feeling is even more refreshing than drinking iced plum juice on a hot day!

【Ding! ! ! 】

The voice in my head rang again.

[Congratulations, host! Mission complete! Successfully prevented the investiture!]

[Ding, System Reward: Randomly resurrect a deceased relative; currently selecting...]

Zhu Yunwen's heart suddenly raced.

Who should be chosen? Who should be chosen? Who should be chosen?

I absolutely must draw Grandma! I absolutely must draw Empress Ma!

As long as Grandma is alive, Old Zhu has to suppress his anger no matter how much he wants to be.

Grandma was the only one who could make Old Zhu submit; with her around, he was an unshakeable support!

[Ding, extraction complete. Congratulations, host, the resurrection target is...]

Zhu Yunwen clenched his fists.

[Empress Ma!]

What the hell!

Zhu Yunwen almost jumped up on the spot.

It worked! It really worked!

His grandmother, Empress Ma, the Big-Footed Lady Ma, is coming back to life!

[Ding, resurrection is currently cooling down and is expected to take one minute. Please wait patiently.]

One minute?

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback.

Do I have to wait another minute?

Right here? Right here in the Fengtian Hall?

Before he could think any further, a voice exploded in his ears.

"Grandfather!"

Zhu Yunwen knelt on the ground, his eyes red and his face full of grievance, as if he had been greatly bullied.

"Grandfather, you saw it all! Zhu Yunwen has no respect for the emperor and father, and spouts wild words, daring to say that Grandfather is leading the Ming Dynasty to its doom!"

He looked up, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter if my grandson suffers a little injustice, but I simply cannot stand by and watch him insult my imperial grandfather and the imperial court like this!"

"We beg our Imperial Grandfather to severely punish Zhu Yunwen in order to restore order to the court!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the courtiers also began to move.

The ministers who had been scolded by Zhu Yunwen and were now kneeling down as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"Your Majesty! His Highness Zhu Yunwen has behaved improperly in court and has disrespected His Majesty. We implore Your Majesty to punish him!"

"Your Majesty, the imperial dignity is inviolable, and the laws of the court must not be disregarded. We beseech Your Majesty to uphold justice and punish those responsible!"

"I second that proposal!"

"I second that opinion!"

Zhu Yunwen looked at the group of ministers who had just been pretending to be mute, but now they were all speaking righteously and passionately, and he almost wanted to laugh.

I asked you all to speak just now, but you all sounded like gourds with their mouths sawed off.

Now that they've seized the opportunity to criticize him, they're quite eager to do so.

On the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang's face was already unbearable to look at.

He stared at Zhu Yunwen, his chest heaving, clearly furious.

"Zhu Yuntong!"

He slapped the armrest and stood up.

"We see you've truly become lawless!"

"Let me ask you, where did all your manners go? Did you learn all those rules and etiquettes but forget them?"

"After your mother passed away, have you become so ignorant and incompetent? So lawless?"

"If we don't punish you today, you'll never know who you are!"

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Someone come here!"

Two Imperial Guards immediately entered from outside the hall.

"Take Zhu Yunwen away and administer royal family discipline!"

Zhu Yunwen knelt on the ground, his tears still wet, but he couldn't hold back his smile.

Royal family law.

That was a real, solid beating.

After the fight, even if you don't die, you'll be badly injured.

He glanced at Zhu Yunwen furtively, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

Trying to fight me?

What can you use to fight me?

Two Imperial Guards stepped forward to grab Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen stood still, without moving.

He was counting down the seconds in his head.

Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty...

Has a minute been up?

Is Grandma still alive?

What about people?

"Zhu Yunwen, what are you still standing there for? Kneel down and accept your punishment!"

Zhu Yunwen's voice was filled with barely suppressed smugness.

Zhu Yunwen ignored him and listened intently to the sounds outside.

There was nothing there.

Only the wind.

Finished?

Is the system lying to me?

His heart skipped a beat.

The guard's hand was already outstretched and was about to touch his arm.

"Who dares to touch my precious grandson?!"

A shout came from outside the hall.

The voice carried a hint of anger, a hint of urgency, and a hint of something indescribably familiar.

Zhu Yunwen suddenly looked up.

All the officials and civil and military officers turned their heads in unison.

On the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang shuddered, his face instantly changing color.

That sound...

He had heard that voice for over twenty years and could recognize it even with his eyes closed.

Zhu Yunwen froze, his smugness still lingering on his face.

Sunlight streamed in through the entrance to the palace.

A figure strode across the threshold.

At that moment, the entire Fengtian Hall seemed to have been paused.

Everyone froze in place.

The figure stepped across the threshold and entered the hall.

Dressed simply and plainly, just like when she used to walk around the palace.

His face bore the weariness of a traveler, but his eyes were still so bright, so... that it was hard to look directly at them.

Empress Ma.

She really was Empress Ma.

With a "clatter," someone's jade tablet fell to the ground.

Then, with a "thud," someone's legs went weak and they knelt down.

"This...this..."

An old minister's lips trembled, and his face was as white as paper.

"A ghost...a ghost..."

I don't know who was so blind as to mutter those words.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible to everyone in the Fengtian Hall, where you could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly turned his head, his eyes piercing like knives, and stabbed in that direction.

That look in his eyes was so cold it could freeze you to death.

The muttering minister, who seemed to be a physician in the Ministry of Rites, instantly turned pale, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, his head hitting the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

It’s over.

That was the only thought in his mind.

He said to His Majesty that the Empress was a ghost.

This is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

Zhu Yunwen ignored all of this.

He rushed to Empress Ma in three strides and grabbed her arm.

Hot.

Live.

It's really alive!

His eyes welled up with tears, and he almost burst into tears on the spot.

Grandma!

He was an orphan in his previous life, and in this life he transmigrated into the body of Zhu Yunwen. His mother died early, and he never knew what it was like to have a grandmother who loved him.

But now, Empress Ma was standing right in front of him, alive and well.

"grandmother!"

He shouted, his voice trembling slightly.

Then he turned his head and glared at the minister who had said "ghost".

"You're the ghost!"

He pointed at the man, his voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire Fengtian Hall.

"Your whole family are ghosts!"

"This is my grandmother! Empress Ma! The founding empress of the Ming Dynasty! The real deal!"

"Open your dog eyes and look! Is this a ghost? Do ghosts have shadows? Do ghosts have body temperature?"

He grabbed Empress Ma's arm and shook it hard.

"Did you see that clearly?!"

The minister knelt on the ground, not daring to lift his head, and trembled even more violently.

Zhu Yunwen was still not satisfied and added another sentence:

"My grandma is alive and well. If you dare utter another word about ghosts, I'll tear your mouth off!"