Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 1 Return to the Eighth Year of Hongwu
Inside the golden platform and on the gilded dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes.

What comes into view is an extremely grand scene.

There are twelve dragon flags, one on each side.

There are sixty-four flags including the Sun Flag, Moon Flag, Gate Flag, etc., and six rows each of the Luan Flag, Bear Flag, Five Mountains Flag, and Twenty-Eight Constellations Flag.

There is also a Beidou flag and a banner...

There are hundreds of different types.

Each flag has five armored soldiers, one holding the flag and the other four guarding with bows, crossbows, swords and knives.

There were also two tigers, two leopards, and six elephants...

There were also captains holding golden melons, golden scepters, swords, round fans, candle cages, blue dragon and white tiger banners and other equipment to guard the surrounding area.

The ceremonial guards were majestic, the ministers and officials stood in awe, and the envoys from various countries were respectful...

Numerous ceremonial guards and numerous people filled the spacious Fengtian Gate Square, but there was no chaos at all, only the grand atmosphere of a great country!

There was a hint of confusion in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

Are you dreaming again?
These past scenes are truly imprinted deep into the soul.

It has been fifteen years since we lived in the modern era, more than six hundred years later.

I often dream about the past in the middle of the night.

But Zhu Yuanzhang knew that these scenes could only appear in dreams.

He can never go back...

Today, he is no longer the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

But it was an associate professor at the New China History Institute named Zhu Jianjun.

The original Hongwu Emperor had already lived out his life and was buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Even though he didn't know how long he was in confusion, when he opened his eyes again, he had become a ten-year-old boy, and still possessed all the memories of Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang.

But he couldn't go back after all.

If this place is thousands of miles away from Ming Dynasty, or even one hundred thousand miles away, as long as it is still on the earth, with the help of various advanced modern transportation, he will do everything he can to go back.

But now, there is a gap of more than six hundred years!

Even with advanced modern technology, there is no way to cross the time and space of more than six hundred years.

The past is the past, and once it’s gone, it can never go back to the past...

By now, after experiencing the initial confusion and long-term silence, he has become accustomed to modern life and has long accepted his identity in the modern world.

No longer dreaming of going back to the Hongwu period and having such unrealistic dreams.

God has been kind to him.

He was originally a commoner from Huaiyou. Four of his eight family members starved to death, and he himself almost died of starvation on the roadside.

Later he even became a monk and begged for food.

A person who initially just wanted to avoid starving to death later became the emperor of a country.

He drove out the Tartars, restored China, and founded the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years.

I thought my life had come to an end, but who would have thought that by chance, I came to the modern era and lived my life again, witnessing all kinds of scenes that I had never dreamed of before.

It's really a unique opportunity.

People need to be content.

Even if one has too many regrets in the previous life, even if one reads the history of Ming Dynasty and sees so many unfilial descendants that make one furious and want to beat them to death.

Even if I wanted to kill those Shanxi merchants, gentry, and daring corrupt officials, and wipe out all the Tartars...

After confirming that he really couldn't go back, he had to slowly let it go, accept his life in the afterlife, and wait for it calmly.

Only in the middle of the night would I dream that I had once again become the Hongwu Emperor, the one who was feared during the Hongwu Dynasty and who was slandered beyond recognition in later generations...

The memories of decades in his previous life not only brought him endless reminiscences, but also brought him a lot of wealth.

It made him better understand how to behave in society, and his memory of the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty made him unique in history.

At only 25 years old, Zhu Jianjun, who also comes from a rural background, has already become an associate professor in the history department of a prestigious university.

It directly broke the record that had stood for decades since the school was founded!
Modern life is quiet and peaceful, and he is no longer the powerful Emperor Hongwu.

But he also enjoyed a lot of modern things that even the emperor couldn't enjoy...

"Awesome!"

The ceremonial officer drew out his voice and shouted out these two words in a slightly strange tone.

The ministers and envoys from various countries who had been standing solemnly bowed down one after another.

As the music sounded, a sound like a tsunami followed—

"Tianfu is virtuous!"

"Thumbs up again~"

"Hai Nei Xian Ning!"

"Three praises~"

"Hail, holy bow!"

This dream is too real, isn't it?
The dreams I had before were never so clear!
The thunderous applause interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts.

In the past, when people cheered, they would shout "Long live the emperor".

The current name was first proposed by him and Li Shanchang in the second year of the Hongwu reign, as he felt that only the old turtle that had become a spirit could be called "Long Live the Dragon". He wanted to change it, so he discussed it with Li Shanchang.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the people kneeling down with interest, without saying a word.

Anyway, it was just a dream, so I didn't need to pay attention to it. I'd just wait and see how things developed. The emperor's powerful voice didn't come out as promised, and all the civil and military officials were surprised.

But no one dared to look up at this time.

Just stay still.

Zhu Yuanzhang waited for more than twenty breaths and found it interesting that no one moved.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm in good health! Gentlemen, please stand up!"

The voice is loud and full of energy.

When he heard this, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment.

Because this voice is exactly the same as in the previous life, it is Zhu Yuanzhang's voice!

Doesn’t belong to Zhu Jianjun!

I subconsciously looked at my hands, and my pupils shrank!
These hands have broad palms and many scars on the fingers, which are the marks left by the chaotic years at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

It is completely different from the palm of Zhu Jianjun's hand when he was in his twenties in later generations.

I pinched myself hard, and pain came.

There's actually pain?!

Could this... not be a dream?!
Could it be that everything I see before my eyes is real?!
But...how did I return to the Hongwu period from the modern times more than 600 years later?
My thoughts raced, and some of the seemingly confusing memories began to become clear.

On Friday afternoon, he suddenly had the urge to visit the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum again.

It happened to be the weekend, so I bought a plane ticket and went on a spontaneous trip.

That night we stayed in a hotel not far from the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

The next day, he did not take the subway, nor did he pay attention to the person who asked him to rent an electric car. He chose to run there.

It's time to exercise.

We arrived at the end of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum scenic area and looked at the words "This mountain is the tomb of Ming Taizu" engraved on the stone.

There is also the mausoleum that looks like a hill.

I stood there for a long time.

He was not reminiscing about his past, but thinking about his sister.

Not only himself but also his sister is buried in this mausoleum!
This girl who didn't mind being poor or lowly, and resolutely married me, treated me wholeheartedly, taught me countless principles of life, and gave birth to children for me!
When he was locked up by Guo Zixing, he was dizzy and hungry, and he clearly realized that Guo Zixing was going to kill him.

It was his sister who, regardless of the danger, got two freshly-oven pancakes and couldn't wait to put them in her arms and secretly send them to him.

Her skin was red and blistered from the burn, but she ignored it and just urged herself to eat quickly...

In the 15th year of Zhizheng, he led his army across the river, and his sister and family stayed in Hezhou.

The Yuan Tartars counterattacked, cutting off the connection between the front and Hezhou, leaving Hezhou isolated.

When people were in panic, it was the girl who stood up to encourage the soldiers, calm people's hearts and stabilize the rear.

In the 20th year of Zhizheng's reign, Chen Youliang led his troops eastward and marched straight to Jiangning.

He personally led his troops to resist.

Chen Youliang was a powerful force, his army approaching the city. Some officials, wealthy families, and common people in the city prepared to flee, while others began to hide gold and silver and hoard food...

At the critical moment, it was the girl who stepped forward again, took out all the gold and silk, and personally rewarded the soldiers to stabilize the morale of the army...

After he became emperor, he wanted to find his sister's family and reward them, but his sister wouldn't let him...

Later, there were many times when I was angry and wanted to kill someone, but the girl stopped me.

Where there are girls, there is home!

With the girl around, his harem was in good order and there was never any chaos.

When I need her most, she always stands behind me silently, encouraging me and helping me...

But such a good girl died so early!

On the Bingxu day of the eighth month of the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign...

Zhu Yuanzhang never wanted to think about this day, but he couldn't help but think about it all the time.

It was on this day that his sister passed away!
Leave me forever!!
The past is still vivid in my mind, but all that remains before me is a cold grave.

A heart-wrenching pain swept through his body, and tears blurred his eyes.

He stretched out his hand to hold the heavy and cold stone brick, and in a trance the girl appeared before him.

He was holding two hot pancakes, handed them to me, and urged me to eat them while they were hot.

Completely ignoring her skin burned by the pancake...

At this moment, Zhu Jianjun could no longer control his emotions, tears streaming down his face until he fainted...

The rest is completely lost in memory...

When you regain consciousness, it will be now.

Is this a dream?
Or is it true?

Did the girl miss me too, and seeing that I was suffering in the afterlife, she took me back?
Or was it that God took pity on me and made it seem like it was just a dream, allowing me to see many things that happened later?
Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists tightly.

No matter what it is, this time, I will never let the girl leave me so early!

When this thought arose, Zhu Yuanzhang's heart suddenly tightened.

What year is it now?
But don’t let it be the Bingxu day of August in the fifteenth year of Hongwu!
If that were true, it would be so painful that people would want to die!

'Dong Dong Qiang'!
'Dong Dong Qiang'!
At this moment, the familiar sound of flower drums rang out, interrupting my thoughts.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked in the direction of the sound...

(End of this chapter)