Chapter 1

"Doctor, how is the Emperor's condition?"

In the Forbidden City of the capital of the Ming Dynasty, inside the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, a eunuch in a dragon robe with a high-pitched voice asked, drawing the attention of everyone present to the imperial physician.

Red candles burned high, and a young man in a dragon robe lay on the golden and splendid bed, his breathing intermittent, clearly on the verge of death.

The imperial physician sitting beside him had white hair and a beard, though over sixty, he was still doing his best to diagnose the young man on the bed. Perhaps due to the presence of the surrounding people, he was extremely nervous, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The various men and women around did not know what the imperial physician was thinking, but they held their breaths, waiting for his words.

The woman sitting on the bed held the young man's other hand tightly. She wore a phoenix crown and a red robe, with bright eyes and a beautiful face, exuding a cold demeanor that kept others at a distance.

But at this moment, she was deeply worried, her concern for the young man's safety evident, and despite her regal bearing, a touch of feminine vulnerability was revealed.

"Doctor Weng, what is wrong with the Emperor? Why has he been unconscious since this morning?"

The woman frowned slightly, though her heart was in turmoil, her demeanor remained dignified, a true royal lady.

Her question broke the silence, and though the others were worried, they did not say more. What they were thinking was unknown.

Clearly, this woman held a very high status among the people present. Doctor Weng trembled, thinking to himself that the moment had come.

He dared not remain silent and, pretending to do his best, opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and cannot understand the cause. I am truly guilty and deserve death..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress was visibly angry.

"Doctor Weng Bingshi, as an imperial physician, you do not even know what illness the Emperor has. What use are you? Guards!"

The Empress's anger caused two burly guards to enter from outside, standing on either side of the physician, ready to take him away at a command.

Weng Bingshi's face was filled with fear, his beard trembling, and he fell to his knees, begging for mercy, his body shaking uncontrollably, unable to say anything meaningful.

"Empress, spare my life..."

Heaven help him, he truly did not know what strange illness the Emperor had.

To think, the Emperor was fine yesterday, but today he suddenly fell unconscious. Could it be some kind of evil? But he could only think this in his heart, for saying it aloud would only hasten his death.

"Empress, forgive me, forgive me..."

"Hmph." The Empress glanced at him coldly, about to speak again, but suddenly noticed the Emperor's hand move.

Almost instinctively, the Empress grasped the Emperor's hand, both surprised and delighted.

"The Emperor's hand...!"

Weng Bingshi, though surprised, knew he could not remain on the ground, for that would be a death sentence. He quickly wiped his sweat, got up, and began to diagnose the Emperor.

This time, his face was not as grim as before. He looked relieved and bowed, saying:

"Heaven blesses the Ming Dynasty, Heaven blesses the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor is unharmed!"

In truth, Weng Bingshi was not happy that the Emperor was recovering, but that he had saved his own life, at least for now.

Hearing the physician's words and seeing his genuine expression, the people around the bed breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor was still alive, and they had their pillar of support.

The eunuch in the dragon robe was Wang Cheng'en, the chief eunuch of the Office of Ceremonial. Only the most trusted eunuchs could wear such a robe.

Wang Cheng'en breathed a sigh of relief, waved his hand to dismiss the others, and bowed, saying softly:

"I am relieved that the Emperor is unharmed, Empress. I will take my leave now—"

Wang Cheng'en, being the most trusted eunuch of the Emperor, always made the right choices at critical moments. The Empress's fine brows relaxed, and she nodded in agreement.

As the sound of footsteps gradually faded, she looked at the young man on the bed with tender eyes, her voice trembling with emotion:

"Emperor, we have suffered together for many years. I cannot live without you, and the Ming Dynasty cannot live without you. Please, do not let anything happen to you—"

Tears streamed down her unadorned face, and she placed the Emperor's still slightly weary hand on her cheek, saying reproachfully:

"Seventeen years have passed, and I have watched you toil day and night, yet the Ming Dynasty has only declined. Is this truly the will of heaven, as the Manchus claim?"

Suddenly, the young man on the bed opened his eyes, took a deep breath, wiped the Empress's tears, and forced a smile:

"Even if there is a heavenly mandate, it belongs to the Ming Dynasty. Empress, you worry too much!"

The Empress was stunned, then embraced the Emperor tightly, crying:

"Emperor, you have finally woken up. I was so afraid."

...

Three days later, the Emperor walked through the golden and splendid palace, still feeling a sense of unreality. Anyone who suddenly found themselves in a different time and place, regardless of their new identity, would find it hard to adapt immediately.

In his previous life, he was just a historical novelist, so poor he almost had to pawn his pants, with an unremarkable appearance, no car, no house, and no savings. But what he loved most was studying the history of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Even though he was not a university professor, he spent his free time researching online and buying books, studying both official and unofficial histories. After years of diligent study, he had achieved some success.

Of course, all of this stemmed from his admiration for the Ming Dynasty, the last legitimate Han Chinese dynasty.

Back then, despite his unsatisfactory life, he was at least not in danger.

One day, after eating cheap skewers from a street vendor, he passed by a lottery booth and, with the two coins he had left, bought a ticket on a whim, without much thought.

Who would have thought that his first lottery ticket would win him two million yuan? Even now, he still felt a bit regretful.

"Why couldn't that damn yellow-haired kid have let me spend the money before hitting me?"

Recalling the incident, the Emperor still felt regret. He had been so happy that he drank too much and was hit by a motorcycle driven by a hurried yellow-haired youth. He was unconscious and woke up in the palace, surrounded by people crying.

Honestly, at first, he was quite happy to find himself as an emperor. He thought, even if it wasn't the powerful Han or Tang dynasties, the Song dynasty would be fine, at least he could enjoy himself.

He imagined the experience of being an emperor, with three palaces and six courtyards, and the pleasure of having many consorts.

But as he listened to the conversations around him, he began to feel something was wrong. The people's clothing did not match the Qing dynasty he was familiar with from historical dramas.

It was only now that the Emperor realized the era he was in. He felt a sense of despair, with no other thoughts but to survive.

Yes, to survive.

"Why did I have to become an emperor in the Ming Dynasty? Even if I had to go back in time, I could have been a shoemaker in the Three Kingdoms, telling lies to move Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Why did I have to be an emperor in the Ming Dynasty?"

Except for the early emperors like Hongwu and Yongle, who were both literate and martial, most Ming emperors were not free due to the cabinet system. Even spending money required a good reason, or they would face ridicule. What was the point of being an emperor?

Look at the Qing Dynasty, where the emperor could do whatever he wanted, and his subjects would happily say, "If the emperor commands, the subject must obey." The education of servility produced loyal subjects, which seemed exciting.

The Emperor kicked a white stone pillar in anger, muttering to himself:

"Even if I had to be in the Ming Dynasty, why did I have to be here in January of the 17th year of Chongzhen? Li Zicheng will be here in less than three months. This is just a disaster waiting to happen."

Of course, he did not kick the pillar too hard, as the palace's white stone pillars were of such high quality that even a knife could not damage them easily. It was better not to harm himself.

The Emperor looked up and realized he had walked to the East Warm Pavilion.

It was somewhat amusing that the eunuchs at the door were delighted to see him, and one of them quickly said:

"Your Majesty, the memorials for the East Warm Pavilion are ready!"

"..."

The eunuch, Li Chun, was very clever, drawing the Emperor's attention with his words.

However, the Emperor was in a state of confusion, just passing by, and had no intention of reviewing the memorials.

But seeing the eunuchs so happy and the door already open, he felt it would be impolite to refuse. He cleared his throat, put on a dignified air, and walked in.

Seeing the mountain of memorials on the desk, the Emperor hesitated, thinking about turning back.

"It's just reading some memorials, it won't kill me. I'll treat it like grading homework for elementary school."

After some hesitation, the Emperor finally sat down, though the ancient Chinese characters on the memorials were difficult to read, making him feel very uncomfortable.

Just one glance at the reports made his neck feel cold and his heart sink.

"The rebel Li Zicheng has established the Great Shun dynasty in Xi'an, changing the era name to Yongchang, and even proclaimed himself emperor. On the second day of the first month, he claimed to have a million troops advancing eastward..."

"In Shanxi, the officials and people of Yangqu and other states and counties have all surrendered. The rebel's forces are formidable, directly threatening Fen Prefecture... If Fen Prefecture falls, Taiyuan will be in danger... Please hear this, Your Majesty..."