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

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty,

Hongzhou looked at Zhu Gaoxu lying in the coffin on the sky, and saw the relief of a fellow traveler on his face.

That's exactly right, isn't that interesting? How can you live a life without personally holding your own funeral?

He loves to hold his own funeral and knows all about funeral rites.

"The footage is good, but it doesn't clearly demonstrate a understanding of Ming Dynasty funeral rites."

Hongzhou shook his head with some regret, as if the flatbread he had wrapped with noodles instead of braised pork.

"The need for Dharani sutra blankets during the burial of Ming Dynasty princes is clearly a practice that only began in the Qing Dynasty."

Han Dynasty

"He's holding his own funeral? Hey! This guy's a fucking genius."

Liu Bang laughed and exclaimed in admiration. He thought Zhu Gaoxu would go home and wait, or that he had really committed suicide, but the idea of ​​holding a funeral for himself was indeed beyond his expectations.

As his smile faded, he found himself somewhat envious of the relationship between Zhu Di and his son, even though he knew it might not be true and was merely a later interpretation.

He also wanted his son to have a little tiff with him, but given the current situation, that seemed unlikely.

Liu Ying was too kind, weak, and overly concerned with propriety. Interacting with this son was like seeing those Confucian scholars, causing Liu Bang a sense of unease.

Liu Ruyi resembled him the most, but with Lü Zhi still around, he couldn't get too close to her.

The other sons are still young.

No, Grandpa can't fight with his own son, but he still has his father; Grandpa's father is still alive.

A sudden, wicked idea flashed into Liu Bang's mind.

Even your father wants to argue!

The only man who gets to eat the offerings he himself makes.

These three brothers are only born to the same mother, otherwise they would have fought to the death long ago.

Follow-up comment: I was just kidding. Even children born to the same mother can be beaten to death.

Follow-up comment: You're subtly mocking Erfeng again, you little hater!

[If I were in their shoes, I'd feel wronged too. My entire personal savings went into military spending, and in the end, I still got scolded. Who wouldn't feel wronged!]

Follow-up comment: Zhu Di was too good at manipulating his sons. Not only did they have to spend money, but they also had to put in effort, and if they didn't do well, they would be scolded.

[It's so good that these three brothers are like this. If Zhu Gaochi hadn't died so young, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way.]

Follow-up comment: Indeed, Zhu Gaochi's only flaw was the same as his uncle's—he died too young. Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang were truly father and son; both of their eldest sons died young.

Follow-up comment: It's different. Zhu Gaochi at least became emperor, and the succession to the throne was orderly. Zhu Biao, on the other hand, never became emperor. Even a ten-month emperor is still an emperor!

Commentary: The fact that Zhu Gaochi was able to be given the temple name "Ren" in just ten months demonstrates his own abilities.

Follow-up comment: Besides being too fat, he actually died from overwork. He was the regent crown prince for over twenty years, with a war-loving emperor above him who wanted money, two immature younger brothers below him, and his own father often scaring him.

What?!

The eldest son died young? And he only reigned as emperor for ten months?

A tremendous storm surged through Zhu Di's heart, a man seasoned on the battlefield. He knew the consequences of the Crown Prince's early death; he had experienced it firsthand, and in fact, he was a beneficiary of it.

His gaze fell on Zhu Gaochi, who still had a huge stomach, looked exhausted, had dull eyes, and had dark circles on his cheeks.

Zhu Di was somewhat dazed. He still thought Zhu Gaochi was the mischievous child who used to pester him to ride a big horse, and he still thought Zhu Gaochi was in good health and could handle it.

So you were already close to giving up?

Zhu Di knew that the entire burden of the country rested on Zhu Gaochi's shoulders. Although he had only been emperor for ten months, in reality, he had been doing the work of an emperor for more than ten years and still had to be scolded by this old man.

Zhu Gaochi, upon learning that his lifespan was short and that he might even die young, remained calm, as if he had expected it. He knew his own body was in good condition, but he never imagined that he would receive the temple name "Ren" (仁, meaning benevolence) after only ten months as emperor.

So it seems the second son rebelled after my death? Just like Dad, he also rebelled against his eldest nephew. The second son truly lives up to his reputation as the one most like Dad among us.

April of the first year of Hongxi

Zhu Gaochi, who had been on the throne for eight months, looked displeased.

He had recently begun to feel unwell, but he never imagined he would only have a little over two months to live.

"His Majesty!!"

The courtiers were filled with grief; this was the wise and benevolent ruler they had long awaited, how could he have only a few months left to live?

Many people lowered their heads and wiped the tears from their faces with their sleeves; many of them had received favors from Zhu Gaochi.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to recall His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Yang Shiqi temporarily suppressed his grief. His Highness the Crown Prince had just been sent to Nanjing by His Majesty. If the emperor were to collapse and the Crown Prince were unable to return in time, with the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao eyeing the city covetously, it would likely be another Jingnan Campaign.

"Immediately dispatch a swift steed to retrieve the Crown Prince overnight and order his return to the capital!"

Zhu Gaochi no longer wanted to move the capital or implement new policies; he wanted to leave a stable empire for his son.

We must send more people to the King of Han and the King of Zhao to keep a close watch on them!

During the Jiajing era,

"It's truly a pity that Emperor Renzong only lived for ten months. If he had been able to cultivate Taoism and preserve his health, he might have been able to extend his life by a few months."

Zhu Houcong truly felt sorry for his ancestor, Emperor Renzong. If Renzong had lived even a few more years, the Ming Dynasty would have been much more stable.

In truth, Zhu Houcong felt a little guilty; he felt apologetic, but not much. After all, there weren't enough seats available.

The only problem is that there wasn't enough space, so they had to move Emperor Renzong's memorial tablet out.

Surely our ancestors will understand me.

Is there something wrong with the Zhu family's genes? Or is the position of the eldest son cursed? Why do they all die young?

Zhu Gaochi's son only lived ten months longer than his father, which is too short.

"I am quite curious about what kind of person Zhu Gaochi was, that all the officials would give him the temple name 'Ren' (仁, benevolent)."

Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, was quite curious; to be honest, he liked this temple name quite a bit himself.

I just don't know what my posthumous title will be.

Zhao Zhen was very curious; no emperor is immune to curiosity about his own temple name, and he even hinted at his temple name and posthumous title in various ways, such as Qianlong.

Just how benevolent was Zhu Gaochi that he received such high praise from later generations?

The scene on the screen changed again. Instead of Zhu Gaochi as they had expected, the image that appeared was that of Prince Han, Zhu Gaoxu, and Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui.

The two were in a secret room. Zhu Gaoxu was dressed in heavy armor, while Zhu Gaosui sat slumped to the side, his face filled with terror.

Isn't this still that drama called "Ming Dynasty"?

The ancients learned from the comments that this was a later fabrication and artistic embellishment. This kind of thing is not surprising; they even secretly wrote unofficial histories of emperors in private.

The people of later generations are so far away, how could they know such specific details? But I must say, the changes were very good and quite amusing.

Zhu Gaosui, on the other hand, looked excited. "Is it finally my turn?"

I said it's impossible that the eldest and second eldest brothers would praise me, but when it's my turn, I'd skip over them. That doesn't make sense!

As the camera zooms in, the voices of Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui gradually become clearer.

"Third brother!!"

"Let's stage a coup!!"