On the first day of the eighth month of the first year of Taichang, white mourning banners hung throughout the Forbidden City.
Zhu Xiaoxiao knelt on the golden-brick floor of Qianqing Palace, dressed in mourning robes, while muffled sobs filled his ears.
He made suitably mournful noises, but the hand hidden inside his sleeve was idly fidgeting. The thin calluses on his fingertips were traces left by years of sanding wood.
Just nine days earlier, his grandfather—the legendary slacker Emperor Wanli, who had gone nearly thirty years without attending court—had finally breathed his last.
That’s right. Zhu Xiaoxiao had been spectacularly unlucky enough to be reborn as Emperor Wanli’s eldest grandson and Emperor Taichang’s eldest son, Zhu Youxiao.
So what if she would eventually become emperor? She had played at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, emperor-development games.
As a seasoned connoisseur of good looks, Zhu Xiaoxiao had only ever wanted to become emperor so she could build herself a massive harem and collect beauties like stamps. Now that fate had actually kicked her into an emperor’s shoes, all she could do was lament how little she’d studied when she finally needed the knowledge.
If she ever got the chance, Zhu Xiaoxiao would memorize every word of such reference works as *Shao X*, *X Ming*, and *Official of X Rank*.
The newly enthroned Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo, was sobbing bitterly before Emperor Wanli’s spirit tablet. No matter how one looked at his trembling back, there was something distinctly frail about it.
Zhu Xiaoxiao guessed that, besides grief, this cheap father of his was probably also feeling the wild joy of having finally made it through. After all, he had never been Emperor Wanli’s preferred choice for crown prince. Until the succession was settled, every moment had been like walking on thin ice.
“Your Highness.”
A shrill voice sounded above his head.
Zhu Xiaoxiao looked up to find Wang An, a brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
This eunuch, whom later histories would remember as virtuous, had reddened eyes. He said softly, “Your Highness must go to Renzhi Hall to keep vigil. Lady Western Li is already waiting ahead.”
Emperor Taichang had two Select Attendants surnamed Li, commonly known as Eastern Li and Western Li. After Zhu Xiaoxiao’s birth mother died the previous year, Emperor Taichang had assigned Western Li to look after him.
Zhu Xiaoxiao obediently rose and followed Wang An out through the gates of Qianqing Palace. Select Attendant Li stood at the foot of the white-marble steps, dressed entirely in mourning white. She was strikingly beautiful, and although she wore a sorrowful expression, a certain feverish light glimmered in her slightly upturned phoenix eyes.
“Xiao’er, come here.” Select Attendant Li extended a hand, her voice gentle. “Come with Auntie and kowtow to your imperial grandfather.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao let her take his hand.
Select Attendant Li deliberately adjusted her position to ensure that all the eunuchs and palace maids nearby could see the eldest imperial grandson firmly in her grasp.
On the way to Renzhi Hall, the chief seal-holding eunuchs of the Inner Court’s Twenty-Four Offices hurried past like a colony of disturbed ants, each with his head lowered and his steps hurried.
When they reached Huiji Gate, a squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards approached from the opposite direction. They wore flying-fish robes and carried embroidered-spring sabers at their waists.
The man at their head appeared to be about forty. His face was lean, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
Zhu Xiaoxiao recognized him at once.
Luo Sigong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He had taken up the post less than three months ago and had previously served as the Pacification Commissioner of the Northern Garrison Branch.
When the two groups met, Luo Sigong stepped aside and dropped to one knee.
“This subject, Luo Sigong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to Your Highness and Select Attendant Li.”
Select Attendant Li gave a slight nod, maintaining an air of dignity. “Commander Luo, you have worked hard. His Majesty has only just ascended the throne, and the safety of the palace rests entirely in your hands.”
“It is my duty.” Luo Sigong lowered his head as he replied, his manner respectful.
Just as Select Attendant Li was about to lead Zhu Xiaoxiao away, Zhu Xiaoxiao suddenly stumbled and cried out as he pitched forward—straight toward Luo Sigong.
Don’t get the wrong idea. Sure, she’d been single for more than a decade, but she wasn’t deliberately trying to cop a feel.
“Your Highness, be careful!”
Luo Sigong reacted instantly, rising and reaching out in the same motion to catch Zhu Xiaoxiao firmly by the arm.
Zhu Xiaoxiao’s fingers brushed, seemingly by accident, across the inside of Luo Sigong’s wrist. In an instant, a mechanical voice that only he could hear sounded in his mind.
【Historical Figure Contacted: Luo Sigong】
【Identity: Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard】
【Current Loyalty: 45/100】
【Traits: Cautious and suspicious; skilled in interrogation; eager to distinguish himself through meritorious service and shake off his reputation for having risen through favoritism】
【Spend 1,000 Artisan Points to activate the Trial Imperial Aura?】
【Trial Imperial Aura Effect: Causes the target to develop a strong sense of identification with the host and temporary loyalty for 30 days. Cooldown: 30 days】
Zhu Xiaoxiao silently commanded: *Activate.*
Almost at the same moment, he raised his eyes toward Luo Sigong.
From Luo Sigong’s perspective, the eldest imperial grandson had just regained his footing and looked up at him. Those once-clear eyes now held a depth that seemed impossible in someone so young. Deep within his pupils, a streak of dark-gold light seemed to flash past.
Stranger still, a powerful impulse suddenly surged through Luo Sigong.
*This boy is destined for greatness! I’d go through fire and water for you, Your Highness!*
“Thank you, Commander Luo.” Zhu Xiaoxiao’s voice was still clear and youthful, his tone calm. “With my imperial grandfather’s passing, there is unrest both within and beyond the court. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the Son of Heaven’s personal force. At a time like this, we need a steady man like you to hold the fort.”
Luo Sigong’s heart gave a jolt.
Such words would have been perfectly ordinary coming from a veteran court official, but from the mouth of a fifteen-year-old boy…
Well, perhaps it wasn’t so strange after all. He was imperial blood, after all.
He dropped to one knee again, bowing his head even lower.
“Your Highness praises me too highly. I will do everything in my power to safeguard the palace and maintain order while the new emperor establishes his rule.”
Select Attendant Li was growing impatient. She tugged at Zhu Xiaoxiao’s hand.
“All right, Xiao’er. Don’t keep Commander Luo from his duties. We still have a vigil to attend.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao obediently turned away. After taking a few steps, he glanced back.
Luo Sigong was still kneeling where he had been, and their gazes met across the distance.
【Temporary Loyalty Activated: 95/100 (29 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes remaining)】
The system’s mechanical voice sounded in his mind. Zhu Xiaoxiao lowered his eyes and allowed Select Attendant Li to lead him onward.
Inside Renzhi Hall, Emperor Wanli’s imperial coffin rested in the center. Consorts and concubines knelt all around it, while the cries of princes and imperial grandsons rose and fell, genuine grief mingling with feigned sorrow.
Zhu Xiaoxiao knelt at the very front of the princes’ ranks. As the eldest imperial grandson, his position was second only to that of his father, Emperor Taichang.
He lowered his head, his consciousness immersed in a semitransparent interface.
【Emperor Development System】
【Host: Zhu Xiaoxiao】
【Age: 15】
【Current Identity: Eldest Imperial Son】
【Talent: Lu Ban’s Hundred Refinements】
【Skill: Beginner Woodworking (Proficiency: 1,127/10,000)】
【Artisan Points: 3,876】
【Items Owned: Trial Imperial Aura (On Cooldown)】
【Main Quest: Prevent the Fall of the Ming Dynasty (Progress: 0.001%)】
The interface was extremely minimalist. Silver-white characters floated against a dark-blue background. Switching between screens revealed his body’s basic attributes, while a constantly ticking countdown occupied the lower-right corner.
【Time Until Emperor Taichang’s Death: 26 days, 17 hours, 42 minutes】
Zhu Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly.
She had been a civil engineer in the twenty-first century. After finally escaping the fate of spending her life pouring concrete, she had passed the examinations to become a senior engineer at an architectural design institute. Who could have known that, only a few years later, she would work herself to death in front of her computer?
When she opened her eyes again, she had become Zhu Youxiao, the eldest imperial grandson of the Ming dynasty’s Wanli era—and had somehow acquired an inexplicable Emperor Development System.
The system had told her that her task was to prevent the Ming dynasty from collapsing. As a reward, she would be allowed to live out her natural lifespan in this world. It had said nothing about sending her back to her original world, which probably meant her corpse had already been hauled off for cremation.
As for the talent 【Lu Ban’s Hundred Refinements】, it allowed her to earn Artisan Points by making things with her own hands. Those points could be exchanged for items and skills in the system store, or even used to summon historical figures.
Practical enough. She couldn’t say it had absolutely nothing to do with her profession, though the connection was tenuous at best.
It was probably a talent Emperor Tianqi himself had possessed. Zhu Xiaoxiao knew a thing or two about the emperor’s reputation as a figurine-making enthusiast. She vaguely remembered playing some incompetent-emperor simulator that had used this very guy as its model.
No offense intended. Zhu Xiaoxiao readily admitted that if she’d been in his shoes, she wouldn’t have done any better. At most, she could guarantee she wouldn’t dissolve in water. In the end, she probably still wouldn’t escape the crooked-neck tree.
Fortunately, she had the system. By the standards of a certain web-novel site, that practically made her a top-tier male lead.
And so, for the past fifteen years, Zhu Xiaoxiao had spent her days playing the clueless imperial grandson, babbling “aba aba” like an idiot, while at night she hid in her bedchamber and tinkered furiously with wood.
At first, she had only turned wooden beads and whittled chopsticks. By now, her craftsmanship had improved enough for her to make intricate mechanical puzzle boxes. Each time she completed something, the system awarded her Artisan Points according to its complexity.
She had accumulated several thousand Artisan Points. Apart from the thousand she’d just spent activating the Trial Imperial Aura, she’d been saving the rest to purchase 【Basic Physical Enhancement】 from the system store for five thousand points.
The skills of Ming dynasty imperial physicians were wildly unpredictable—miraculous one moment, disastrous the next. Rely on them? Forget saving a collapsing dynasty; they might kill her trying to treat an ordinary cold.
Compared with securing her succession to the throne, her health was a problem that could still be addressed later. Zhu Xiaoxiao had therefore decisively chosen to place her bet on the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“Young Master.”
A low voice came from beside him.
Zhu Xiaoxiao turned his head and saw a eunuch in his thirties kneeling diagonally behind him.
The man was tall and sturdily built, with rugged features but a shrewd glint in his eyes. He held a soft cushion, which he nudged toward Zhu Xiaoxiao.
The future Lord of Nine Thousand Years, Wei Zhongxian, was currently nothing more than an obscure junior eunuch in the Directorate of Imperial Delicacies.
Zhu Xiaoxiao glanced at him but did not accept the cushion. He merely gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Wei Zhongxian awkwardly withdrew his hand, his thoughts drifting back to the previous day.
While serving breakfast, the eldest imperial grandson had suddenly called out to him.
“Wei Jinzhong, that name of yours is no good. Change it to Zhongxian. Loyal and virtuous—that’s what a subject ought to be.”
The words had been spoken casually, yet they had sent a shiver down Wei Jinzhong’s spine, followed by a surge of wild joy.
The dazzling power once wielded by Wang Zhi and Liu Jin was still vivid in his mind. He had severed his own manhood and entered the palace precisely so he could rise above the crowd!
How could a man of ambition remain forever beneath others?
The struggle over the succession during the Wanli era had only strengthened Wei Zhongxian’s determination to ingratiate himself with the crown prince’s faction.
The eldest imperial grandson enjoyed woodworking. Wei Zhongxian’s abilities were limited, but he had often tried to cater to that interest. Yet His Highness had never once asked for his services.
Yesterday, however, the prince had given him a new name. Surely that meant he had finally accepted him.
Emboldened by this, Wei Zhongxian had dared to curry favor more openly, only for his attempt at flattery to backfire. Seeing that Zhu Xiaoxiao did not seem displeased, he quietly relaxed.
While he was lost in thought, a sudden commotion broke out outside the hall.
A eunuch’s shrill announcement rang out.
“Her Highness Consort Zheng has arrived—”
The weeping throughout the hall abruptly faltered.
Every gaze turned toward the entrance.
Dressed entirely in plain silk mourning robes, Consort Zheng slowly entered. Although she was already over fifty, she had taken excellent care of herself, and her every movement still carried the graceful dignity of a woman who had enjoyed imperial favor for many years.
Two palace maids followed behind her, each carrying a brocade box.
Consort Zheng walked straight to the imperial coffin and bowed gracefully.
“Your Majesty! How could you leave this humble concubine behind and go…”
Her sobs were soft and sorrowful, moving enough to touch anyone who heard them.
But Zhu Xiaoxiao noticed that the shoulders of Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo, who was kneeling in front, stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Consort Zheng had been at the very center of the struggle over the succession. Relying on Emperor Wanli’s favor, she had repeatedly attempted to strip Zhu Changluo of his position as crown prince and have her own son, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, installed in his place.
The struggle had dragged on for decades, nearly bringing the entire Ming court to its knees.
Now that Emperor Wanli was dead and Zhu Changluo had ascended the throne, Consort Zheng had lost her greatest protector. By all rights, she ought to have kept her tail between her legs and behaved herself.
Yet judging by her performance today…
Sure enough, after finishing her lamentations, Consort Zheng rose and turned toward Emperor Taichang, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief.
“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself in your grief. When the late emperor was alive, he often spoke to me of Your Majesty’s benevolence and filial devotion. Now it seems he truly did not misjudge you.”
*Bullshit! I’d have been lucky if you hadn’t joined the late emperor in cursing me!*
Zhu Changluo’s face was somewhat pale, and he forced out a faint smile.
“Consort Zheng, you are too kind.”
He had spent decades living at Consort Zheng’s mercy and feared her to the bone. Even now, he couldn’t quite summon the authority of an emperor.
“It is only what I ought to do.”
As she spoke, Consort Zheng signaled for the palace maids to bring forward the brocade boxes.
“Last year, the late emperor bestowed upon me several hu of pearls from the Eastern Sea, along with a Hotan jade disc. I thought that, with a new sovereign now on the throne, the palace might find itself short of funds. I therefore offer these to Your Majesty as a small token of my regard.”
The entire hall fell silent.
Consort Zheng was openly extending an olive branch. Whatever her private motives, if Zhu Changluo accepted her gifts, he would effectively be acknowledging a reconciliation with her. Their past grievances would be wiped clean, and he would no longer be able to pursue the matter of the succession struggle.
Zhu Changluo’s hand trembled faintly inside his sleeve.
Consort Zheng had spent years cultivating her influence at court, and her supporters were everywhere. Before Emperor Wanli’s death, he had even issued an edict to make her empress. Although the Grand Secretariat had firmly rejected it, the incident alone demonstrated the extent of her influence.
Zhu Changluo had only just ascended the throne. The dragon throne was barely warm beneath him. If he accepted Consort Zheng’s overture now, would the gentlemen of the Donglin faction still charge into battle for him as they had before?
“Consort Zheng, I appreciate your kindness.”
Zhu Changluo finally spoke, his voice dry and hoarse.
“But the late emperor has only just passed away, and I am overwhelmed with grief. I have no mind for anything else. You should keep these things for your own use.”
A tactful refusal, certainly, but a refusal all the same.
The smile on Consort Zheng’s face faded slightly, but she did not press the matter.
“In that case, I shall keep them for now. If Your Majesty ever needs them, you may send someone to collect them at any time.”
With that, she turned and swept her gaze across the hall. When she saw Zhu Xiaoxiao kneeling behind Zhu Changluo, her eyes lingered for a moment.
Zhu Xiaoxiao lowered his eyes, avoiding Consort Zheng’s gaze.
After Consort Zheng left, the atmosphere in the hall grew even stranger. Zhu Changluo was visibly distracted. He had knelt for less than half an hour before complaining of dizziness and allowing the eunuchs to help him back to Qianqing Palace.
The princes and imperial grandsons also breathed sighs of relief. One after another, they adjusted their kneeling positions, and some even secretly slipped soft padding beneath their mourning robes.
At some point, Select Attendant Li had moved over beside Zhu Xiaoxiao.
Lowering her voice, she said, “Xiao’er, did you see that? Consort Zheng is frightened. She’s practically falling over herself to curry favor with His Majesty.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao said nothing.
But Select Attendant Li continued anyway.
“If you ask me, His Majesty should have accepted those gifts and shown Consort Zheng a little goodwill. After all, she’s spent so many years building her influence. Just think how many people in the palace still take their cues from her! If they truly fall out, it won’t do His Majesty any good.”
Although Select Attendant Li was now raising the eldest imperial grandson, her position was awkward. She was neither a crown princess nor a high-ranking consort, merely a Select Attendant.
If Consort Zheng fell from power and the palace’s established factions were reshuffled, a consort like her, with no powerful backing, could easily find herself pushed to the margins.
That was why she hoped Consort Zheng and Emperor Taichang would reconcile, preserving at least the appearance of balance within the inner palace. Only then could she maneuver between the two sides, perhaps even curry favor with Consort Zheng and secure her support for being elevated to empress!
Zhu Xiaoxiao finally turned to look at her.
“Auntie is quite right.”
Someone whose every scheme was written all over her face was practically an endangered species in this palace.
Select Attendant Li struggled to suppress her pleased smile and affectionately slipped an arm around Zhu Xiaoxiao’s shoulders.
“Good child. Don’t worry. As long as Auntie is here, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you. Once His Majesty… Ahem. Well, when the time comes, Auntie will still be counting on you.”
As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously stroked the fabric over Zhu Xiaoxiao’s shoulder. The ambition in her eyes was practically overflowing.
Zhu Xiaoxiao allowed her to keep her arm around his shoulders, but his gaze drifted past the hall doors toward the sky outside, which was gradually growing brighter.
【Luo Sigong’s Temporary Loyalty Duration: 29 days, 22 hours, 17 minutes remaining】
As a central figure in the Three Great Cases of the Late Ming, Zhu Xiaoxiao had no intention of allowing the Palace Transfer Case to unfold and handing the Donglin faction the political credit for helping a new emperor secure the throne.
Emperor Taichang was the legitimate successor on whom they had pinned their hopes. Unfortunately, before they could ride his rise to power, they would have to make do with an even younger eldest imperial son.
Then again, perhaps they could soar even higher with him.
And as for the Red Pill…
Knowing full well that Consort Zheng was up to no good, how could Emperor Taichang sternly reject gifts of gold, silver, and jewels, yet happily accept a breathtaking beauty?
If he could keep his lower half under control, he wouldn’t fall ill. If he didn’t fall ill, he wouldn’t take the wrong medicine.
But what good would stopping him once do? Emperor Taichang had a mouth of his own. Even if Zhu Xiaoxiao managed to stop him from taking the Red Pill, who could guarantee he wouldn’t secretly go off and swallow some Green Pill or Black Pill instead?
The Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn’t been of any use in his father’s hands, either. Resources were limited, and Zhu Xiaoxiao had to make sure she successfully ascended the throne first.
Let go of the urge to save others. Respect their chosen fate.
A crown prince who doesn’t want to become emperor is no good carpenter.
Sorry about this, cheap old dad. Try to understand.
That’s just how struggles for the throne have always worked!