The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Upon hearing Liu Ji's words, even Old Zhu couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you trying to pull this 'donning the imperial robe' thing on us? You haven't even prepared the imperial robe yourself."

"Moreover, Han Lin'er is dead. If we declare ourselves emperor now, it will inevitably draw criticism."

Old Zhu wasn't afraid of being criticized, but he was afraid that his legitimacy was questionable, which would make it difficult to recover lost territory.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that inheriting the legal system of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty will only make the following matters more legitimate."

Liu Ji said softly.

"Oh? So, you plotted to kill Han Lin'er?"

Although separated by a veil, the way Old Zhu spoke, with his eyes slightly narrowed, still allowed countless people to sense his murderous intent.

Liu Ji immediately lowered his head and dared not speak.

After an unknown amount of time, the murderous intent in Old Zhu's eyes dissipated, leaving only a helpless sigh.

"We are well aware of the problem you mentioned, but the Song Dynasty is, after all, our Central Plains dynasty."

"Very well, it's too late to say all this now, so let's do as you say."

He did not pursue the matter further.

He himself knew that whoever did this on their own initiative, although it was suspected of disobeying orders, was doing it out of good intentions.

With the Jiangnan region newly pacified, he could not afford to cause a major internal conflict over such a matter.

After this conversation, the sky slowly darkened, and the scene that reappeared was the time when Yingtianfu was offering sacrifices to Heaven!

"Your subject Zhu Yuanzhang respectfully beseeches the heavens, the sun and moon, the mountains and rivers, and the mausoleums of all imperial ancestors: Since the end of the Song dynasty, the Yuan emperor Shizu ruled the Central Plains from the desert for over a hundred years, but now his reign is coming to an end!"

"Your subject, acting in accordance with the will of Heaven and the wishes of the people, has driven away the century-old scourge from the Central Plains and pacified the warlords of the North and South. On the fourth day of the first month, I hold a sacrifice at the summit of Zijin Mountain to proclaim this to Heaven and the Emperor."

"Now we establish the Great Ming Dynasty, with the reign title Hongwu!"

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang proclaim himself emperor in the sky filled countless people with patriotic fervor.

Especially the literati of the Song Dynasty, who couldn't wait to take up their swords, mount their horses, and single-handedly charge into the Jin army's camp for a fierce battle!

This is the spirit that our great Central Plains should have!

But after the initial excitement, many people realized something and their hearts sank.

The conversation between Lao Zhu and Liu Ji earlier seemed to reveal something else.

This was something that countless upright and unyielding literati of the Song Dynasty, such as Xin Qiji, found hard to accept.

The phrase "lost the Central Plains for two hundred years" is easy to understand.

After the Mongol Yuan dynasty destroyed the Song dynasty, it occupied the Central Plains for two hundred years.

But Liu Ji's subsequent words, while still easy to understand, are hard to believe.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, lost for four hundred years!

The entire Song Dynasty lasted only a little over two hundred years. Does this mean that throughout the entire Song Dynasty, countless people sacrificed their lives but failed to recover even a moment of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?

Although the sky kept saying that the Song Dynasty was a weak era, Zhu Yuanzhang would often seize the opportunity to mock them.

No one could have imagined that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would never have been recovered, not even for a moment, throughout the entire Song Dynasty!

Moreover, many literati and scholars in the Southern Song Dynasty did not expect this either.

Returning to the old capital was, in fact, just talk.

When the royal army has pacified the Central Plains, remember to tell your grandfather at the family sacrifice.

Even Lu You probably didn't expect that the day he longed for to pacify the Central Plains would be delayed by more than two hundred years.

If it weren't for Zhu Yuanzhang driving out the Tartars, restoring the Central Plains, and reunifying the North and South, the Central Plains would probably have been completely divided after the Mongol Yuan Dynasty!

"As I have said, in terms of expelling the Tartars, restoring the Central Plains, reunifying the North and South, and preventing the continued division of our Central Plains Dynasty, I, Zhu, deserve the title of the number one wise ruler!"

Liu Bang answered without hesitation.

He maintained the same view from beginning to end.

what?

You, Ying Zheng, were the first person to achieve unification?

so what!

True unification was not truly achieved until the reign of Qin Shi Huang and the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Qin Shi Huang's achievements were indeed remarkable, but compared to Zhu Yuanzhang's, they still fell short.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang became an incompetent ruler after he became emperor, Liu Bang still acknowledged that he deserved to be at the top of the list of wise rulers!

"Indeed, I didn't expect Old Zhu, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, to be so humble."

Li Er nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

However, he remembered that when the immortal first started compiling the list of wise rulers, that man with thick eyebrows and big eyes kept saying that he was definitely not destined to be on the list.

If even he is not destined for this, then how many people in this world can be called wise rulers?

"If we really have to rank them, I would also agree that he deserves to be ranked first."

Ying Zheng hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

There's no way around it, Old Zhu has just accumulated too many negative traits.

It all started with the Southern Song Dynasty retreating south and settling in a corner of the country, losing a large amount of northern land in the Central Plains, a loss that lasted for over a century!

Following the Mongol invasion and the complete annihilation of the Southern Song Dynasty, the entire Central Plains were controlled by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty for over a century.

It can be said that the most important Central Plains region of the dynasty was lost by the Song Dynasty for a full two hundred years!

Over the past two hundred years, the differences between the North and the South have grown increasingly larger. If the next dynasty is not the Ming Dynasty, but another dynasty that accelerates the division between the North and the South, then there may no longer be a Central Plains dynasty!

To prop up a collapsing building and turn the tide!

No matter how much praise he receives, Lao Zhu deserves it!

"Actually, I guess my dad doesn't think he's that good either."

Seeing how these people were praising Zhu Di to the skies, Zhu Di felt a little embarrassed for his father.

"Why is this?"

Liu Bang was puzzled.

If he had accomplished such a feat, he would be so proud of himself that he would personally add even a single word that the historian had omitted!

“My father did kill quite a few people. It was common for blood to flow like a river outside the Fengtian Hall. And I think there were problems with his choice of successor!”

Zhu Di said confidently.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Di during the Hongwu era was already bowing his head in submission.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. He knows nothing about fathers. Obviously, you, brother, are the most suitable heir to our Great Ming Dynasty, without exception!"

Although Lao Zhu is currently engaged in a challenge, he can't spare the time to beat him up yet.

But there's no guarantee that someone won't gossip after the challenge. The best option for the young Zhu Di is to make his older brother happy!

Of course, the less beating I get, the better!

"That's true. With the eldest son gone, we should choose a more virtuous and capable successor from the remaining heirs."

Li Er deeply agreed with Zhu Di's words.

"But since Old Zhu made such a foolish choice, why don't you dare to oppose him?"

"You might as well just call it 'Fengtian Jingnan'!"

Zhu Di: "?"

Do you want to listen to what you are saying?

"Fengtian Jingnan" is the ancestral instruction left by my father. You want me to use the ancestral instruction to deal with that living ancestor?

"It would be better to just stage a military coup now, correct your father's mistake, and kill your nephew than to rebel again in the future and drag countless people into the flames of war."

"Royal matters should be resolved behind closed doors."