Chapter 42 Old Zhu: The Yongle Emperor is Biao'er?

Riding upon a magnificent dragon, Li Er commanded the mythical beast to soar across thousands of miles, the special visual effects propelling him rapidly toward the vast army of An Lushan.

As the giant dragon materialized above the vanguard, the thunderous roar of the dragon, accompanied by its own epic entrance theme music, instantly plunged An Lushan’s ranks into utter chaos.

Looking up and catching sight of Li Er, An Lushan was paralyzed with such intense fear that his legs turned to jelly and he collapsed directly onto the ground. His warhorse could not stop frantic neighing, and one steed after another dropped to the ground, cowering in terror.

Standing proudly atop the dragon’s head, gripping a great feathered bow, Li Er raised his voice in a powerful proclamation: "Rebel An Lushan, you dare to defy the mandate of heaven! Today, I shall bring you and your minions to justice!"

Amplified by the dragon's majestic resonance, his words carried clearly into the ears of every single rebel soldier.

A wave of immediate turbulence swept through the army!

Everyone present instantly recognized him as Emperor Taizong, the very sovereign whose divine manifestation had been broadcast across the celestial screen.

One by one, the soldiers dropped their weapons to the ground...

Struggling desperately to his feet, An Lushan put on a brave front and shouted with a trembling voice, "Do not let him deceive you! Emperor Taizong passed away long ago. He is nothing more than a ghost, what could he possibly do to us?"

Yet the morale of the troops had long since shattered, and many soldiers began to steal away in secret.

Glancing down at the panicked rebel forces, Li Er declared, "You are all soldiers of the Great Tang. Look upon this era of peace and prosperity—how could you bear to destroy it?"

"I give you my imperial promise: join me now to quell this rebellion, and your past transgressions shall be completely pardoned. Think of your families, think of your children!"

……

Moved by Li Er’s stirring appeal, many of the wavering soldiers picked up their weapons once more, turning their blades against their former allies. In the end, only An Lushan’s sworn loyalists and desperate death-squads remained!

Several commanders had long harbored deep resentment toward An Lushan’s brutal tyranny. Now that Emperor Taizong himself guaranteed their pardon, why should they hesitate? After all, even if the rebellion succeeded, what glory would ever trickle down to mere foot soldiers? They would remain low-ranking grunts forever—and besides, the celestial screen had already prophesied their ultimate failure.

Suddenly, sounds of slaughter erupted throughout the rebel camp as they turned upon one another.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, An Lushan desperately attempted to break through the encirclement with his elite guards.

Seizing the precise moment, Li Er drew his bow to its fullest extent. A flash of golden light surged forward, and the great feathered arrow streaked across the sky like a falling star, aiming straight for An Lushan.

An Lushan’s eyes widened in horror. Before he could even react, the mighty arrow pierced straight through his chest, snuffing out his life in an instant.

Bereft of their leader, the rebel forces completely disintegrated into a routed rabble.

Observing the chaotic battlefield, a faint smile played at the corners of Li Er's lips. At the same time, he could feel that the duration for the divine true dragon’s descent was rapidly drawing to a close...

Steering the giant dragon forward, he surged toward the position held by Shi Siming!

Employing the exact same strategy—initial intimidation, a mixture of coercion and temptation, compounded by the demise of his co-conspirator An Lushan.

The soldiers within Shi Siming’s army were hardly fools, and one after another, they defected.

Even Shi Siming himself briefly considered throwing down his arms and surrendering... but circumstances forbade it!

As one of the primary masterminds behind the An Lushan Rebellion, anyone else might hope for pardon, but never him.

Li Er felled Shi Siming with a single arrow as well, rendering the suppression of the rebellion merely a matter of time.

The allotted time for the true dragon's descent had finally expired, and brilliant golden light enveloped Li Er as he hovered majestically in mid-air.

"Any who dare to violate the Great Tang shall be executed, no matter how distant!"

Only this deafening, resolute oath lingered in the firmament!

Every citizen of the Great Tang heard it with absolute clarity, and one and by one, they dropped to their knees in profound reverence and kowtowed!

"Farewell, Your Majesty Emperor Taizong!"

Li Heng also knelt in devout worship, chanting, "Farewell, Imperial Great-Grandfather!"

At this moment, Li Heng was the happiest man alive. Having previously feared that his status as Crown Prince was hanging by a thread, he had unexpectedly inherited the supreme throne out of nowhere.

Heh, such was destiny! When fate favored one, nothing extra needed to be done to become the Son of Heaven!

Immediately, he commanded court painters to capture the magnificent scene of Emperor Taizong descending upon a dragon to personally bestow the imperial mandate upon him. With such undeniable proof, who would ever dare to question the legitimacy of his ascension?

An order delivered in person by Emperor Taizong himself—who dared to disobey?

Meanwhile, having traversed the celestial screen back to his own era, Li Er felt a lingering sense of melancholy.

Putting everything else aside, riding a dragon was truly exhilarating beyond measure!

The sensation of hurtling through the wind with absolute mastery over everything in the universe left him utterly captivated and craving more.

Concurrently, the imagery upon the celestial screen shifted once again as a brand-new title prepared to emerge.

At this very moment, monarchs across all dynasties fixed their complete, undivided attention upon the divine projection!

After all, the time had finally come for the Emperors of Eternal Ages to take center stage.

[The Third Emperor of Eternal Ages: The Yongle Emperor of the Great Ming, the Last Sovereign of the Great Emperor lineage!]

(Pay close attention to the phrasing... The third *one*, not the third *rank*! It denotes a distinct sovereign entity—do not project your own ranking systems into this! Do not assume who it *should* be... Who could it be? Who is it? This denotes the *third individual*!)

(A solemn reminder once more, this denotes an *individual*!!! Not a leaderboard ranking, so please stop asking me where Emperor Wu of Han is...)

Attracted by the impending title, the emperors beneath the celestial screen focused intently.

During the Hongwu era of the Great Ming:

"Biao'er, did you see that? An emperor of our Great Ming has made the list! The Yongle Emperor, hahaha..." Old Zhu’s previously sunken spirits lifted considerably.

With a brilliant glint in his eyes, Old Zhu murmured, "I just wonder who this Yongle Emperor might be, to actually be deemed worthy of the exalted title of 'Great Emperor'!"

Zhu Biao wore a look of radiant delight as well. "Father Emperor, whoever he may be, he is undoubtedly a descendant of our Zhu family. To bear the title of Great Emperor, he must possess extraordinary achievements."

"Hahaha... Well said! Though, in all honesty, I strongly suspect this person might actually be you, Biao'er. By the way, why don't I just go straight into the chat group and ask?"

With that thought, Old Zhu immersed his consciousness into the depths of his mind!

A Broken Rice Bowl: "@Yongle Emperor, well done, you've truly brought great honor to our lineage! Tell me, which generation of my descendants are you?"

Greater Han Wild Boar: "The last Great Emperor, quite impressive!"

Yongle Emperor: "Um... Well... I have some urgent matters to attend to. You all will understand once you finish watching."

[Your group member Yongle Emperor has gone offline!]

"Father Emperor, well? Did you find out who it is?" Zhu Biao looked expectantly at a bewildered Old Zhu.

Nearby, several of the other imperial princes, including Zhu Di, were equally eager to discover the identity of this figure. Ordinarily, they would not have been permitted to return to the capital, but with their mother critically ill and their nephew's life hanging by a thread, how could sons and uncles fail to return and pay their respects?

Upon their return, they had immediately encountered the celestial screen's proclamation regarding the Yongle Emperor—hailed as the final Great Emperor—triggering a tidal wave of curiosity among them.

Everyone pricked up their ears to listen closely!

Old Zhu remained entirely baffled. Did this young fellow seem genuinely terrified of him?

"I have no idea. The moment the kid saw me, he immediately logged off."

While everyone was still caught in a state of bewilderment, the celestial screen resumed its broadcast.

Accompanied by an imposing background melody, the narrator's deep voice resonated:

[Some say his ascension lacked legitimacy, while others accuse him of waging relentless wars of expansion, yet everything he accomplished continues to command the profound respect of posterity!]

[He is the sole sovereign in history to hold two temple titles—some remember him as Ming Taizong, while others call him Ming Chengzu, but future generations prefer to address him by his regnal title: the Yongle Emperor.]

"Taizong?" Upon hearing this, Old Zhu felt virtually certain that the young man must be his beloved Biao'er.

Zhu Biao himself froze, instinctively touching his own chest in sheer disbelief that these words could possibly refer to him.

Meanwhile, Prince of Yan Zhu Di was genuinely overjoyed, feeling a pure, heartfelt happiness for his eldest brother.

Yet... what about the phrase "ascension lacked legitimacy"?

At once, everyone plunged back into confusion, leaving even Old Zhu struggling to comprehend.

His Biao'er's accession lacked legitimacy? What absolute nonsense!

Zhu Di and the other brothers standing nearby wore expressions of absolute disbelief.

Throughout history, whose claim could possibly be more legitimate than their eldest brother's?

Their father Zhu Yuanzun had only one son with the Empress—themselves being mere unexpected occurrences.

……