pappabearbooks Chapter 2: A Mausoleum Turned into a Tourist Attraction? Old Zhu's Temper Was Broken!
Chapter 2: A Mausoleum Turned into a Tourist Attraction? Old Zhu's Temper Was Broken!
Emperor Yongle (Ming Chengzu)? Zhu Di?
At this moment, Zhu Di, in the fifth year of the Yongle reign, was stunned.
As we all know, our ancestors were meritorious and our lineage was virtuous.
An ancestor is often the founder of a dynasty, while a successor is the ruler who inherits the family business.
Although Zhu Di seized the throne through the Jingnan Rebellion, he still believed deep down that he had inherited the throne from his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, and that he was a successor in line to the throne.
For this reason, he even went so far as to abolish the reign title of Jianwen and resurrect his father for five years, claiming that his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, had passed the throne to him.
All of this was simply to tell the world that he was the heir apparent.
Therefore, logically speaking, his temple name should be Taizong.
Now, this Emperor Chengzu has directly elevated him to the same level as Zhu Yuanzhang. Isn't this blatantly telling the world that Zhu Di seized power through rebellion?
That's why Zhu Di was so easily swayed by the voice echoing in his mind.
However, before Zhu Di could recover from the shock of the breach in the temple name of Emperor Chengzu, he was in a state of shock.
The system's cold voice came again.
"Ding dong! Congratulations on becoming a viewer of the live stream. You can give gifts to the live stream. Once your gift popularity reaches a certain threshold, you can unlock the 'Time-Space Bridge' feature."
"The host can tip items by touching them. The system will automatically convert the tipped items into popularity points. Note: There is a limit to the number of popularity points that can be converted from tips during each live stream."
The terms "system," "space-time," and "reward" sounded strange to Zhu Di, but he seemed to understand their meaning instantly, even though he didn't understand them.
Just as Zhu Di was immersed in the breach of defenses and doubts.
At this moment, inside the sky, the man named Liu Yan actually smiled and moved closer to Xu Miaoyun's face.
In an instant, the huge live broadcast room was reduced to just the two intimate faces of the two people.
"Dear viewers, welcome to the live stream of 'Miaoyun Hostel'. I am Liu Yan, a cultural and tourism content creator."
"The adorable new anchor next to me is my wife, a self-proclaimed time traveler from the Ming Dynasty six hundred years ago."
"Starting today, I will be launching the 'Cultural Tourism of China' series of live streams with Miaoyun."
"As a time traveler from 600 years ago, Miaoyun's first stop in this series of live broadcasts is naturally to return home in glory and visit the dynasty that best embodies the spirit of Chinese civilization."
As they spoke, the sky began to shake violently, and the scene within it began to change constantly.
Zhu Di, during the Yongle reign, looked up at the sky and roared loudly.
"You damned brat! Where are you taking my Miaoyun?"
Empress Ma of the Hongwu era couldn't help but grip Zhu Yuanzhang's arm tightly at this moment.
"Zhongba, what exactly is going on?"
As the brief tremor subsided, the next moment a magnificent gatehouse, built against the mountainside, appeared against the sky amidst a verdant mountain range.
To Zhu Yuanzhang's astonishment, he saw two large characters written on the plaque above the gate tower: Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned as he looked at the scene before him.
"Could this be someone's imperial tomb?"
Before Zhu Yuanzhang could even ponder whose imperial tomb could be built so magnificently, Liu Yan's voice rang out again.
"This is Zijin Mountain, located in Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties, and is the joint burial site of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and Empress Ma, the first virtuous empress in history—the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum."
As soon as the voice fell, an eerie silence descended upon the area outside the Fengtian Hall.
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression froze, like a wax figure, and after a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"This...this is our grave with my girlfriend?"
Empress Ma was also stunned at this moment, and she gripped Zhu Yuanzhang's arm tightly, her hands trembling slightly.
After all, wouldn't a living person be afraid if they suddenly saw their own grave?
Moreover, it is only the fifth year of the Hongwu reign, while the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum officially started construction in the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign, which is still nine years away.
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was still reeling from the shock of seeing his own tomb, the live stream camera flipped again, showing Liu Yan reaching out to hold Xu Miaoyun's hand and smiling.
"Come on, today I'll take you home in glory, and we'll also pay a visit to my father-in-law."
As she spoke, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun forward, but they were stopped by the crowd in line.
"Husband, why are there so many people here?"
Liu Yan said helplessly upon hearing this.
"Of course, we have to queue up to buy tickets to enter the park. It's a pity that I've already graduated and can't enjoy the half-price discount anymore, but it's still worth it to see it for seventy yuan. It's the place where our Hongwu Emperor and Empress Ma, the first virtuous empress of all time, rest in peace."
"It's also a good opportunity for these two elderly people to witness our love."
As they were talking, Liu Yan and Xu Miaoyun arrived at a turnstile. Under Zhu Yuanzhang's watchful eye, Liu Yan took out a square box from his pocket and scanned it against the gate.
Then a cold, mechanical voice rang out again.
"Beep! Full-price ticket verified. Please enter the park."
As the turnstiles closed, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun into the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, where a straight stone staircase leading to the mountaintop stood against the backdrop of the sky.
As Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at the stone steps, his body began to tremble.
But this wasn't fear or apprehension; it was anger! Utter rage!
Empress Ma immediately noticed that something was wrong with Zhu Yuanzhang and quickly patted his back, asking him with concern.
"Zhongba, are you alright?"
Just then, Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the sky, gritted his teeth, and roared hoarsely.
"Why...why should we charge money for our relationship with the girl?!"
"Who authorized this collection of money? Where did the money go? Where are the guards at the tomb?"
"Help! Help! This is an act of deceiving Heaven! This is an act of deceiving Heaven!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor, who was in the prime of his life, began to tremble.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright? Imperial Physician! Quickly, summon the Imperial Physician!"
"Quickly help His Majesty into the palace to rest."
In an instant, chaos erupted in front of the Fengtian Hall.
Zhu Yuanzhang supported Empress Ma, his body trembling, but his stubbornness kept him from falling. He spoke in a trembling voice.
"I'm fine! My mausoleum has become a tourist attraction; you even have to buy a ticket to get in!"
"I want to see what surprises the heavens have in store for me!"
The eunuchs quickly brought Zhu Yuanzhang a chair to sit down. Looking at the scene of Liu Yan and Xu Miaoyun walking hand in hand in the sky, Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss for words.
As they were talking, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun up the stone steps toward the main hall of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, saying as they walked.
"The entire Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is divided into three main parts."
"The first part, the Shinto area, mainly serves to guide and create atmosphere."
"The second part is the main mausoleum, the core area for sacrifices and burials, which adopts the 'front court, rear palace' layout of the imperial palace."
Listening to Liu Yan's eloquent speech within the sky, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath. According to the regulations for imperial mausoleums, what Liu Yan said was not wrong.
Zhu Yuanzhang was a man who had seen many life and death. After a brief shock, he calmed down. After all, no one can escape death.
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he had come to terms with it. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural course of life. Just when Zhu Yuanzhang thought that nothing else could make him lose his composure, Liu Yan suddenly turned his head and spoke.
"The third part consists of the surrounding ancillary and accompanying tombs."
"Our father, Duke Xu Da of Wei, lived in this area."
Oh, right!
Liu Yan changed the subject and deliberately leaned closer to the camera to speak.
"The Ming Eastern Tombs of Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Yiwen, are located to the east of the Xiaoling Mausoleum. The tomb of his grandson Zhu Xiong Ying, the Prince of Yu, is also roughly located here."
These words struck Zhu Yuanzhang's mind like a bolt from the blue.
Crown Prince Yiwen? Ming Eastern Tombs? Zhu Xiong Ying, the eldest grandson? Tomb of Prince Yu?
Zhu Biao was the heir to the throne appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang. After Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, Zhu Biao would ascend the throne and become emperor. After Zhu Biao's death, he would also have his own temple name and mausoleum.
And now! In the sky above, this man named Liu Yan actually said that Zhu Biao's tomb is also within the Xiaoling Mausoleum!
Moreover, he was not addressed by a temple name similar to that of Emperor Taizu of Ming, but by the posthumous title of Crown Prince Yiwen.
This can only mean one thing! Zhu Biao did not live to ascend the throne, so he was not qualified to have a mausoleum built separately for him as an emperor.
As for Zhu Xiong Ying, although he did not know his background, Zhu Yuanzhang clearly heard the words "direct grandson".
In an instant, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a song suddenly started playing from someone's cell phone in the sky.
"Flowers bloom and wither, petals fill the sky, and you appear and disappear like a fleeting shadow."
As the music played, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a pang of dread, as if his family had been torn apart, and he couldn't help but cry out.
"Our sister! Our grandson! Our Biao'er!"
Meanwhile, inside the Yongle court, listening to the faint sounds around him, Zhu Di's originally angry heart suddenly calmed down a lot.
"This music is magical. As soon as it plays, I feel refreshed and my mood improves considerably. It's almost like the kind of euphoria that comes with losing your father!"