Chapter 65

Ming Dynasty, the tenth year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the line of golden characters on the sky screen, and he was completely stunned.

Fifty years of lifespan... blueprints for divine weapons... grain yields doubled... ten years of favorable weather...

This, this reward is more than ten times more generous than the one given to Zhao Kuangyin!

The Immortal... actually values the Fourth Son this much?

The anger in his heart was instantly dissipated by more than half by this generous reward.

That's right, the Fourth Son has faults, but his merits are even greater.

Otherwise, why would the Immortal bestow such blessings? This shows that in the eyes of later generations, the Fourth Son's merits far outweigh his faults!

He looked at his son kneeling on the ground, his eyes complex.

After a long while, he waved his hand: "Get up."

Zhu Di stood up and looked at his Imperial Father.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed,

"Since the Immortal has recognized you, what else can I say?"

Zhu Di felt a warmth in his heart and knelt down again: "Your son will keep your teachings in mind!"

"Alright, alright, get up."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, his tone much softer,

"In the future... work hard, do not let down the Immortal's reward, and do not let down... this empire."

"Yes!"

Zhu Di kowtowed heavily.

At this moment, the voice on the sky screen sounded again, carrying a smile:

【Alright, the eighth place has been tallied!

This Prince of Yan, who walked out of the flames of war, proved one thing with his life: it doesn't matter if you usurp the throne, what matters is your performance.

He was a tyrant, and also a heroic ruler; a maniac who killed, and also a pioneer.

Just as the netizens said: "Without his internal competition, how could there be the later Rule of Ren and Xuan?"】

The image gradually faded, the galaxy shifted, and the sky screen was about to close.

But just at this moment, the image suddenly changed, coming to another plane—

The fifteenth year of Hongwu, the Imperial Palace in Yingtian Prefecture, Nanjing.

Zhu Yuanzhang was napping on the dragon throne (the sky screen played synchronously), when he suddenly saw the characters "Ming Chengzu, Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di" on the sky screen, and he sat up with a start.

The Zhu Yuanzhang in the image (Hongwu plane version) pointed at the sky screen, looking completely bewildered.

"The Fourth Son?! Ming Chengzu? Yongle Emperor? What is going on? Whose ancestor is the Fourth Son trying to be?"

He turned his head abruptly and looked at the young Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, who was standing to the side (he hadn't rebelled yet).

The young Zhu Di looked innocent and waved his hands frantically,

"Father, Father, listen to my explanation! I didn't rebel! I really didn't rebel! It was Yunwen who started cutting down the feudal lords first!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say a word, took off his shoe, and rushed over,

"I'm not dead yet, and you dare to claim the title of ancestor! I named you Zhu Di and made you the Prince of Yan so you would guard the border, not so you would rebel! You rebellious son!"

Slap! A shoe sole hit Zhu Di's back.

The young Zhu Di fled, holding his head,

"Father! Father, listen to me! That 'Chengzu' must have been changed for me by later descendants, I didn't call myself that! Father! The shoe sole is cold!"

Zhu Yuanzhang chased the young Zhu Di all over the hall,

"I don't care who changed it! You think you're justified in rebelling? Let me beat you to death!"

Empress Ma was on the side eating melon seeds,

"Chongba, hit him lighter, he is your son after all."

Seeing this, the Zhu Yuanzhang of the Hongwu tenth-year plane felt his old face flush.

This, this image... why does it portray him as so... so irritable?

However... it seems he did want to do exactly that just now.

And on the sky screen, bullet comments floated by:

【Ying Zheng (Qin Shi Huang): @Zhu Yuanzhang Old Zhu, your Fourth Son has done quite well, put away that shoe sole.】

【Liu Bang (Han Gaozu): Hahahaha! If I had a son who dared to rebel back then, I would have dragged him out and beheaded him! But Old Zhu, your way of educating... tsk tsk.】

【Liu Che (Han Wudi): @Zhu Di Five expeditions to the north, I admire you for that! But killing scholars is wrong. Although I dismissed the hundred schools of thought back then, I didn't kill all the Confucian scholars.】

【Li Shimin (Tang Taizong): @Zhu Di Little brother, your method of usurping the throne is rougher than mine. I only killed for one day, you fought for four years; I only killed two brothers, you killed ten clans... this KPI is a bit high.】

【Zhao Kuangyin (Song Taizong): @Zhu Di Isn't my "releasing military power with a cup of wine" more civilized? Your "swords and axes plus scholars," tsk tsk, no wonder the scholars of your Great Ming didn't listen later on.】

The Zhu Yuanzhang of the Hongwu tenth-year plane looked at these bullet comments, his mouth twitching.

These guys, they love to watch the fun and don't think it's a big enough deal!

And in the sky screen image, he was still chasing Zhu Di and beating him.

Suddenly, a familiar figure jumped out in the bullet comments, it was Qianlong (Qing Gaozong).

He was seen waving his fan and posting a bullet comment:

【"Oh my, I wondered who it was, so it's 'Judy' who started by rebelling!"】

【"@Zhu Di I said long ago, your Great Ming, apart from the Taizu, is no good! Isn't your Yongle Prosperity just burned out with money? My Ten Perfect Military Achievements, those are the real skills! Is your little bit of family wealth enough to fill the gaps in my teeth?"】

The bullet comments were quiet for a second.

In the sky screen image, Zhu Di (Yongle plane version) stopped his steps, sneered, and typed on the sky screen:

【"@Qianlong Are you, a 'bullet comment poet', worthy of evaluating me? I went on five expeditions to the north, I was there in person, licking blood from the blade! And you? Of those 'Ten Perfect Military Achievements' of yours, how many battles did you fight yourself? You fought the Jinchuan for so many years, aren't you ashamed?"】

【"Still Ten Perfect? I think you're Ten Imperfect! A Tungusic wild boar skin, and you dare to jump around in front of me? I moved the capital to Beijing just to guard against you later arrivals! If you keep acting cocky, believe it or not, I'll crawl out of the Changling and chase you back to the White Mountains and Black Waters?"】

Qianlong's face turned green from the retort, the brush in his hand stopped in mid-air, and that "Poem in Praise of Zhu Di" he had just written was not dared to be sent out.

The Zhu Yuanzhang of the Hongwu tenth-year plane, seeing this, couldn't help but slap the table and applaud,

"Well scolded! Fourth Son, scold him hard for me!"

"This Qianlong, one look and I know he's no good! Tungusic wild boar skin? Hahahaha! That was satisfying!"

In the sky screen image, Zhu Yuanzhang finally stopped his shoe sole, looked at his son on the sky screen, then looked at the Fourth Son fleeing in front of him, and sighed:

"Alright, alright, get up. Although you rebelled, considering these achievements on the sky screen... I won't beat you."

"But you must remember, the Great Ming empire was fought for by me and your eldest brother. If you dare to ruin it, I will beat you even if I have to visit your dreams!"

The image gradually faded, and the sky screen slowly closed.

The Zhu Yuanzhang of the tenth year of Hongwu looked at the darkened sky screen and was silent for a long time.

Then, he turned and looked at Zhu Di.

Zhu Di's heart tightened, thinking his Imperial Father was going to get angry again.

But he saw Zhu Yuanzhang walk over, pat him on the shoulder, his tone unprecedentedly gentle.

"Fourth Son, I... recognize you."

Zhu Di felt a sourness in his nose and knelt down,

"Your son... will certainly not fail Father's expectations!"

"Get up." Zhu Yuanzhang helped Zhu Di up.

Eighth place, tallied!

They are now looking forward more and more to who the seventh place will be?