Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Qin Dynasty

The newly established Celestial Curtain Bureau is working diligently to organize the information revealed by the heavens, with Prime Minister Li Si overseeing the process.

"Li Si, have you almost finished processing what Tianmu said?"

Ying Zheng sat upright on the dragon throne, his tone revealing impatience, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the armrests of the throne.

Since the appearance of the celestial canopy, revealing that many dynasties would rise and fall in the future, the First Emperor, who swept across the land, became more and more confused in his heart.

Not only did the Qin Dynasty fail to continue its lineage for ten thousand generations, but many other dynasties even emerged afterward.

Could the Great Qin Empire, which he personally built and which was the foundation for the Qin people to build for thousands of generations, really be short-lived?

"Your Majesty, I have almost finished compiling the information about future events that Tianmu mentioned."

Li Si held the silk in both hands, steadied himself, and then slowly spoke:

"According to the Heavenly Canopy, after the Qin Dynasty, there were the Han Dynasty for four hundred years, the Tang Dynasty for nearly three hundred years, the Song Dynasty for more than three hundred years, and the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years. Whether there were other dynasties in between is currently unknown; but conservatively speaking, the descendants mentioned in the Heavenly Canopy are at least eighteen hundred years old today."

"Eighteen hundred years..."

Ying Zheng frowned slightly. He had thought that the future, as the heavens had described, would be no more than a thousand years, but he had never imagined it would be so far away.

Now, Ying Zheng no longer thought that his Qin Dynasty could last for thousands of years.

Although the Zhou Dynasty ruled for eight hundred years, the various feudal lords ruled their own territories, and the emperor's authority was completely lost.

If things were to continue in this way, Ying Zheng would rather see the Qin Dynasty perish than let the glory of the Qin people become a laughing stock for future generations.

Li Si stole a glance at Ying Zheng, whose expression was inscrutable on the dragon throne, and lowered his voice, each word spoken with utmost caution:

"The text that floated across the sky earlier mentioned that the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties had the longest reigns in history, but it did not mention my Great Qin..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Si quickly took several steps back, knelt down with a thud, and bowed his head, his whole body trembling slightly.

Upon seeing this, the other ministers in the hall were all terrified and knelt down in unison with Li Si, not daring to utter a sound.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence. The ministers bowed their heads and lowered their eyes. Only Ying Zheng's breathing echoed slowly in the hall.

After a long silence, Ying Zheng finally spoke, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, but rather a hint of indescribable melancholy:

"So, the Qin Dynasty's reign will last less than two hundred years?"

"Fusu's descendants are rather disappointing."

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng glanced at Fusu. He was gentle and refined, a true gentleman, but unlike an old Qin man.

He showed none of the fierceness and courage of the Qin people; Confucianism truly produced a fine young master.

Given Fusu's personality, if he had been born in the Warring States period, he certainly wouldn't have been suitable to be a qualified crown prince.

Now that the world is unified and the chaos has just ended, Fusu is filial, loves the people, and is of upright character, making him the most outstanding among all the sons.

However, this excellence lacked the strength and decisiveness that an emperor should possess.

Even though Fusu had repeatedly offered frank advice, he never imagined that after his death, Fusu would not be the one to succeed him.

But Fusu's father was Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng.

Faced with such a brilliant and unpredictable father, and yet never being formally named crown prince, one can imagine the psychological pressure Fusu was under.

Ying Zheng himself could never have imagined that the Qin people, with the legacy of six generations of success and seven wise rulers, would rise from a small border state in the Western Regions to eventually conquer the world and establish the Great Qin Empire, only to perish after just two generations.

During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty

"Hehehe, the Yongle Reign, Zhu Laosi, you did a great job! You'll be remembered in history! The Yongle Reign, even your father didn't have a Hongwu Reign."

After a cold laugh, his gaze was like a knife, falling directly on Zhu Di, who was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang's sons knelt in a row, all looking at Zhu Di in front of them with admiration.

Fourth Brother, well done! You've got guts! The brothers are impressed. You're awesome.

Zhu Di felt as if the sky had fallen. Cold sweat slid down his forehead and soaked his robes. "I, Zhu the Fourth," he thought, "I'm doomed."

Zhu Yuanzhang, with his hands behind his back, slowly circled Zhu Di, his tone seemingly gentle, yet carrying a chilling undertone:

"Not bad, not bad. The fourth brother has quite an extraordinary demeanor now. In my opinion, he has the bearing of an emperor."

But in Zhu Di's eyes, his father's pacing back and forth was not looking at his son at all, but rather sizing up a dead man waiting to be slaughtered.

He was trembling all over, his voice trembling:

"Father, I never intended to rebel! With my elder brother here, how could I dare to harbor even the slightest disloyalty?"

"Alright, alright, don't scare the fourth brother."

Seeing this, Empress Ma quickly stepped forward and gently helped Zhu Di up, then waved to the other princes.

"You all get up too."

Zhu Biao walked to Zhu Yuanzhang's side and whispered:

"Father, something terrible must have happened, otherwise how could the fourth prince have become emperor?"

Zhu Biao raised his younger brothers from a young age. Zhu Yuanzhang was impatient and would often punish the princes. Every time, Zhu Biao would stand in front to protect his younger brothers.

He never tolerated his younger brothers' misbehavior and disciplined them strictly.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was away fighting wars, Empress Ma was in charge of managing the household affairs, while the education of the princes fell entirely on Zhu Biao's shoulders.

He perfectly embodied the phrase "eldest brother is like father" throughout his life.

Moreover, Zhu Biao believed he was quite capable and could keep his younger brothers in check no matter how much trouble they caused.

He was not worried at all about any rebellion by vassal kings after he became emperor.

He thought to himself that something must have happened to him. The next emperor must have done something too harsh, forcing his fourth brother to rebel.

"Father, elder brother, why do you say that fourth brother is rebelling? Can't he have a legitimate succession?"

King Zhu Shuang of Qin, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up, his tone full of doubt.

"Is it his turn to succeed to the throne normally?" Prince Zhu Gang of Jin glanced at him with annoyance.

"He's the fourth son. Even if something really happens to the eldest brother in the future," he said, then added to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao:

"Dad, I didn't mean to curse my older brother, I meant if, what if..."

"According to the order of seniority, it should be you and me. Are you suggesting that you and I should both die before the fourth brother, and he has no one above him? How could such a thing be possible?"

"I always tell you two to read more books, but you never listen," Zhu Biao said, giving Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang a slap on the head.

"Asking you to read a few books is like taking your lives. Studying history enlightens the mind; don't you even understand this simple principle? How will you govern your fiefdoms after you've been enfeoffed?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was standing to the side, suddenly kicked Zhu Di and scolded him with exasperation:

"You brainless idiot! Is the Yongle reign title even usable? That was the reign title used during Fang La's rebellion. Even before Fang La, Zhang Yuxian of the Southern Han dynasty used the same reign title when he rebelled!"

"Huh?" Zhu Di was completely dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief. "Your subject... Your subject thought that this reign title meant that the people would enjoy eternal peace and happiness, and was a sign of a prosperous and peaceful era. How could it be..."

"How could that be?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "Those scholars are just indirectly calling you a traitor!"

"Looking at your mind, all you seem to know is how to wage war. I really don't know how you managed to create this 'Yongle Reign'."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, saying with a sense of disappointment and frustration.

After finishing his tirade, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression gradually became serious. His gaze swept over the assembled princes, and he said in a deep voice:

"Now that we're talking among ourselves, I have something to tell you:"

"Whether Biao'er ascends the throne or you govern your fiefdoms in the future, remember to be wary of those civil officials."

"None of these civil officials are good people. We see that they have become accustomed to the indulgent life of the former Song and Mongol Yuan dynasties. Since they cannot take power from us, they want to plot against the emperors of the future."

"Oh, right," Zhu Yuanzhang remembered something, turned to look at Zhu Biao, his tone softening instantly, full of concern:

"I will send you a few more imperial physicians, and you will also have to reduce the time you spend handling state affairs each day. I can still do it, so I will help you as much as possible. Your most important task right now is to take good care of your health."

"That's right, brother!" Zhu Di immediately perked up and chimed in.

"If you ask me, all you have to do is give the order, and my brothers will tie up our father and immediately accuse you of being emperor."

"Our father is old now; it's our turn to take over."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang not only did not get angry, but his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh and laughed:

"This is a good idea. Now that Biao'er has ascended the throne, we can keep an eye on the court from behind, grow vegetables, take walks, enjoy our grandchildren, and live a happy family life."

"Father, please don't joke," Zhu Biao said with a wry smile. "I'm still young and need more experience before I can shoulder the responsibility of governing the country."