Chapter 60: Zhu Qiyu's Actions Break Old Zhu's Heart!
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Zhu Biao watched Old Zhu convulsing endlessly on the floor. With a sudden bound, he rushed forward, first pinching his philtrum, and then shouting frantically at the imperial physicians behind him: "Physicians, quickly... Wake up, Imperial Father!"
A moment later... under the full resuscitation efforts of the imperial physicians, Old Zhu's breathing gradually stabilized!
In the Yongle era space-time.
The silver needle on top of Zhu Di's head was blasted flying... His chest heaved violently, and a mouthful of old blood gushed straight out of his mouth!
"Yu Qian... We of the Zhu family have failed you..."
...
"You little bastard..."
In the Xuande era.
Zhu Zhanji sat heavily on the ground, his face a mask of utter disbelief...
"It's over, it's over. I have no way to face Grandfather down below..."
Grand Guardian Yu... The precious treasure that their family had cherished for three generations had actually been murdered by this wretched bastard!
I... How am I supposed to explain this to Grandfather?
He cast a sideways glance at Zhu Qizhen standing nearby and Empress Dowager Sun kneeling on the floor.
"I want you dead, dead... Yu'er, watch closely, this slash is going to be magnificent!"
With that, his eyes burning red, he drew the heavy saber from his waist and walked step by step toward Zhu Qizhen, a dense and suffocating murderous aura radiating from his entire body.
Empress Dowager Sun clung to Zhu Zhanji's thigh, weeping bitterly: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... No, please don't! After all, he is your own flesh and blood! Zhen'er... Run! Your father has gone mad, he's gone mad..."
Slash!
In a single stroke, Empress Dowager Sun's neck was severed by the heavy saber, and a fountain of blood spewed forth, staining the blue bricks on the floor crimson...
Zhu Qizhen was scared out of his wits... His entire body shook violently!
"Father... No... Don't, Zhen'er is scared! Mother... Mother, wake up!"
Yet Empress Dowager Sun, lying in a pool of blood, mustered every last ounce of her strength and cried out two words: "Run... Run... Run away~"
"Rebellious son, rebellious son... Go down below and explain this to your great-grandfather!"
Another slash... The God of War of the Great Ming ascended to heaven!
Zhu Qiyu behind them had never witnessed such a spectacle... He stood there completely paralyzed, "So much blood... So much blood!"
"So, so much blood..."
Zhu Zhanji had completely gone on a murderous rampage... Slaughtering officials wave after wave...
The Hall of Heavenly Purity flowed with blood like a river, and no amount of persuasion from anyone could stop him!
...
At this moment, the scene upon the heavenly firmament shifted once again!
Yu Qian had lived up to the Old Zhu family above, and lived up to the common people below, truly achieving a clear and untroubled conscience... Yet... yet the person he had failed the most was the very one who regarded him as a Jiang Ziya or Zhuge Liang—Zhu Qiyu!
In the vision, Zhu Qiyu was now lying upon his bed... His complexion pale as death, resembling a vessel stripped of its soul!
He simply gazed at the sunlight streaming beyond the great doors... as if he could see his own child who had died within the inner palace...
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"Father... Father, come quickly... Hurry..." Bathed in the sunlight, Zhu Jianji giggled incessantly as he waved toward Zhu Qiyu.
Catching sight of Zhu Jianji frolicking in the sunshine, Zhu Qiyu's face lit up with overwhelming joy and eagerness. He struggled frantically to crawl down from the bed... and walked with stumbling, unsteady steps toward the great doors...
"Ji'er... Ji'er... Father is coming... I'm coming, wait for Father..."
Upon reaching the threshold... he realized... everything was nothingness; his Ji'er was dead, truly dead!
Zhu Qiyu began to collapse psychologically... He threw his head back and laughed aloud, a laughter so aggrieved, so helpless!
As helpless as an abandoned infant...
"I was wrong... I was wrong. This imperial court... this court was never my court; it belonged to my Elder Brother... and the Empress Dowager's!"
"I was wrong... I should never have left Ji'er alone in the inner palace... I should have foreseen this long ago..."
"This throne... you are the ones who forced me to sit upon it... You forced me!"
"Grand Guardian Yu... Why... Why... In heaven's name why, even you refused to acknowledge me... Why!"
At this moment, Zhu Qiyu looked utterly deranged, alternately weeping and bursting into hysterical laughter before the empty, lifeless air!
Puchi!
A mouthful of blood spewed from his mouth... His body slumped heavily onto the floor...
This time, he saw it again... He saw his Ji'er waving at him once more...
"Father... Ji'er misses Father..."
Zhu Qiyu reached out his hand, and this time he caught it—he grasped his son's hand, pulling Zhu Jianji tightly into his embrace, "There, there... Father has come!"
When he turned back, only a cold corpse remained upon the floor...
And the vision froze right here!
It was a sight that tore at one's heartstrings... Old Zhu, having just regained consciousness, was greeted by such a heartbreaking scene, his heart shattering completely.
"Good child, good child, our good descendant!"
"The imperial house is too bitter; in your next life, do not be reborn as a scion of the imperial family!"
...
[Zhu Qizhen severed two hundred years of the Great Ming dynasty's national fortune with a single stroke of his blade, wiped out all the loyal ministers of the Jingtai era, even desecrated his younger brother's tomb after his death, bestowed upon him the malicious posthumous title of "Li" (Cruel), and forbade his burial in the imperial mausoleum.]
[He heavily employed treacherous officials such as Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, and Cao Jixiang—the "Gate-Seizing Meritorious Officials"—granting them immense authority.]
[Once these individuals seized power, they fought for influence and formed cliques for private gain, plunging the imperial court into utter corruption and foulness.]
[Factions led by Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang later manipulated the political situation, causing the influence of eunuchs and the Brocade Guard to rear its head once more, aggravating political instability and laying the groundwork for the "Shi-Cao Incident."]
[Rehabilitating Wang Zhen: Wang Zhen was the chief culprit behind the Tumu Crisis; he instigated Zhu Qizhen to lead a personal expedition, resulting in the annihilation of the entire Ming army, the capture of Zhu Qizhen himself, and the deaths of numerous high-ranking court officials.]
[Yet after Zhu Qizhen's restoration, not only did he rehabilitate Wang Zhen, offering sacrifices, mourning rites, and erecting a temple for him, but he also allowed Wang Zhen's remnants to regain power. This move chilled the hearts of countless loyal officials and further worsened the political atmosphere of the court.]
[Abolishing the refugee policy: The refugee policy implemented during the Jingtai Emperor's reign had played a positive role in stabilizing social order, but after taking power, Zhu Qizhen abolished it, ordering refugees to return to farming without providing them with food or land. He also condoned officials plundering the refugees, resulting in millions of displaced people and triggering rebellions.]
[The imperial court dispatched an army of two hundred and fifty thousand, taking seven full years to quell the unrest. The common people were reduced to utter destitution, and the social economy suffered catastrophic devastation.]
[Foreign policy blunders: He permitted the Mongol Tatar tribe to occupy the Hetao region under the guise of tribute, enabling the Mongol tribes to use Hetao as a springboard for frequent incursions into the Ming borderlands, leaving the northern frontiers of the Ming Dynasty in a passive and vulnerable position.]
[Simultaneously, he connived at the rise of the Jianzhou Jurchens, not only pacifying them but also opening horse markets that allowed the Jurchens to easily acquire various resources. This fueled the progressive growth of the Jianzhou Jurchens, leaving a lingering hazard for future generations.]
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Having barely managed to hold on until now, Zhu Di could no longer endure it as his body staggered.
"You rebellious son! You'll be the death of me..." Zhu Di cursed furiously, his vision turning pitch black, and he fainted dead away from sheer rage.
Seeing this, Zhu Gaozhi turned pale with fright, rushed desperately to Zhu Di's side, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Physicians! Summon the imperial physicians quickly!"
Before long, the imperial physicians hurried over. After a round of diagnoses, they shook their heads toward Zhu Gaozhi and said, "His Majesty has suffered an overwhelming surge of anger and grief, making it difficult for him to regain consciousness immediately. He will require careful recuperation."
Burning with anxiety, Zhu Gaozhi kept vigil by Zhu Di's bedside, his eyes filled with dread.
Could his own father have been literally angered to death?
...
In the Chenghua era of the Great Ming.
Tears streamed down Zhu Jianshen's face at this moment!
"My family, have you seen this... Have you all seen this? This is the rotten mess that old codger left behind for me... All of my suffering stems from this old codger!"
"Men... Go dig that old codger up for me right now; I want to whip his corpse!"
The gathered civil and military officials in the grand hall were now certain of one thing... Their former emperor had indeed been beaten to death alive by their current sovereign!
No person of sound mind could possibly utter words about whipping a corpse...
...
High above, the heavenly firmament continued to scroll!
[Zhu Qizhen performed only a few decent acts in his entire life: First, he sired Zhu Jianshen to clean up his mess; second, the restoration of the deposed Empress Hu to her rightful imperial status; third, the abolition of the concubine funeral-suicide system, bringing an end to the practice of live human burials that had persisted since Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to power!]
...
Beneath the heavenly canopy!
In the Jingtai era of the Great Ming.
Zhu Qiyu's eyes welled with tears as he gazed at the civil and military officials filling the court.
"Is this my destined fate in the future?"
"Hahahahaha... You are the ones who forcibly forced me onto this throne in the first place!"
"Grand Guardian Yu... Say something! Speak, is this true or not?"
A suffocating heaviness gripped Yu Qian's chest... If all of this was real, he truly had failed Zhu Qiyu.
The one who supported him to the throne in the beginning was him, and the one who later supported welcoming Zhu Qizhen back was also him...
Zhu Qiyu looked at Yu Qian, who kept his head bowed, and continued bitterly: "I never wanted to be any damn emperor; you forced me into it... So be it, so be it! Go on, go out and welcome your emperor back!"
"I, your father, am done with this throne! Whoever wants to do it can take it!"
...
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