Chapter Summaries

Zhu Ying spared five princes from severe punishment while Zhu Yuanzhang ordered four disgraced princes stripped of their titles and imprisoned. Zhu Ying moved his ancestry-recognition ceremony outside the capital to announce the new bank, then met Zhu Di’s captured adviser Yao Guangxiao and showed him a world map.

• Zhu Ying sentenced the five remaining princes to a year’s salary docking, and Zhu Biao urged Zhu Yuanzhang to publicize the princes’ crimes.
• Liu Jing reported that the ancestry-recognition ceremony was scheduled for ten days later, and Zhu Ying arranged to hold it outside Ying Tian City so he could announce the bank’s establishment.
• The Imperial Clan Court proclaimed that Zhu Di, Zhu Fu, Zhu Gui, and Zhu were stripped of their titles, removed from the imperial genealogy, and sentenced to life imprisonment, prompting praise from the gathered commoners.
• The Lord of the Imperial Clan Court announced that the people could attend Zhu Ying’s ceremony and hear him proclaim policies for the realm.
• Zhu Di, Zhu, and three other princes arrived at the Imperial Clan Court, while Zhu Di recognized that Zhu Ying had driven their downfall.
• Liu Lei brought Yao Guangxiao to Zhu Ying, who offered him service and revealed a world map that astonished the monk.

Zhu Ying persuaded Yao Guangxiao to become his strategist, tasking him with planning the Ming Dynasty’s future expansion across the world. He then reviewed preparations for new industries and his ancestral recognition ceremony before Yun Qi arrived with ceremonial robes and an ennobling edict for Lin Fu.

• Yao Guangxiao analyzed Zhu Ying’s reforms and raised the problem of supporting the growing imperial clan, while Zhu Ying explained that he had separated that burden from the national treasury.
• Zhu Ying revealed his ambition to spread Huaxia’s territory across the world and recruited Yao Guangxiao to study the map and plan future expansion.
• Zhu Ying appointed Yao Guangxiao as his strategist, arranged a residence for him, and approved his request for a copy of the world map.
• Lin Fu reported that fine salt, cane sugar, glass, soap, perfume, new banknotes, and loyal shopkeepers were ready for the ancestral recognition ceremony, and Zhu Ying ordered him to entrust key roles only to proven loyalists.
• Liu Lei informed Zhu Ying that Chief Eunuch Yun Qi had arrived, and Yun Qi delivered ceremonial robes for Zhu Ying’s family along with an edict granting Lin Fu a noble title.

Zhu Ying returned to the imperial clan in a grand public ceremony, with his name and family entered into the imperial genealogy. Zhu Yuanzhang praised Zhu Ying’s military achievements before the gathered people and prepared to announce another decree concerning the Ming Dynasty’s future.

• Yun Qi proclaimed Lin Fu Earl of Loyalty and Righteousness for caring for Zhu Ying, and Lin Fu vowed to protect him.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao arrived outside Ying Tian City, where officials and crowds gathered for Zhu Ying’s ceremony.
• Zhu Ying, Liu Yu'er, Zhu Wenxi, Xu Miaojin, Mu Ya, and Li Qingchen performed the clan-return rites as Liu Jing recounted Zhu Ying’s life and military achievements.
• Zhu Ying worshipped the Zhu ancestors and Heaven and Earth, and the Imperial Clan Court entered him and his family into the clan registry.
• Zhu Yuanzhang told the people that Zhu Ying had survived, praised his service and victories, and explained why the ceremony was held before the people.
• Zhu Yuanzhang announced that he had another decree concerning the Ming Dynasty’s future, leaving the crowd waiting to hear it.

Zhu Yuanzhang publicly enfeoffed Zhu Ying as Imperial Grandson and granted him command over all Ming armies, establishing him as the dynasty’s heir apparent and empowering him to pursue reforms. Zhu Ying announced the creation of the Grand Ming Empire Royal Bank, which would manage currency, accept deposits with interest, and provide regulated loans.

• Liu Jing proclaimed Zhu Yuanzhang’s decree naming Zhu Ying Imperial Grandson and irrevocably fixing him as the third-generation heir apparent.
• Yun Qi proclaimed a second decree granting Zhu Ying the authority of Commander-in-Chief and power to mobilize all Ming armies.
• Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao endorsed Zhu Ying, and he accepted the people’s homage and pledged to strengthen Great Ming and serve its people.
• Zhu Ying announced the Grand Ming Empire Royal Bank, which would take over currency issuance and exchange from the Ministry of Revenue under the authority of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and himself.
• Zhu Ying explained that people could deposit money for interest and borrow at fair rates, and he promised the bank would charge no safekeeping fees.

After launching Royal Bank and Royal Industry, Zhu Ying visited Cining Palace and recovered his childhood memories as Zhu Xiongying. He woke the next morning, recognized Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao as his family, and paid respects to his late mother and grandmother.

• Zhu Ying announced the opening of Royal Bank and Royal Industry, then left Zhao Mian and Lin Fu to present them to the people.
• Lin Fu displayed Royal Industry's refined salt and other new products while Zhu Ying returned to the palace with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao.
• Zhu Ying entered Cining Palace, recovered memories of his childhood and family, and fainted as he cried for his mother and grandmother.
• Imperial physicians said Zhu Ying had fainted from mental turmoil, and Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao stayed beside him overnight.
• Zhu Ying woke the next morning, teased Zhu Yuanzhang with a childhood memory, and confirmed that he remembered everything.
• Zhu Ying lit incense, knelt before his mother and grandmother's memorial tablets, and told them he had returned.

After recovering his memories of Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Ying gave Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao Lifespan Pills and raised their hopes of one day reviving his mother and grandmother. He then heard that the new banks and Royal Industry had attracted enormous demand, and the chapter left the Ming court considering their early success.

• Zhu Ying honored his mother and grandmother’s memorial tablets, and Zhu Biao rejoiced when Zhu Ying called him Father.
• Zhu Ying gave Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao Lifespan Pills, explaining that each pill added ten years of life and that each person could take two.
• Zhu Ying said his growing strength might one day let him revive his mother and grandmother, inspiring Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao to support his plans and live longer.
• Zhu Yuanzhang took a bottle of pills and Zhu Biao accepted the other, but Zhu Ying advised them to wait until they could bathe after taking them.
• Zhao Mian reported that Ying Tian’s three banks had attracted deposits equal to a year of the city’s tax revenue in one day, and Zhu Ying ordered strict separation between bank funds and state finances.
• Lin Fu reported that Royal Industry’s goods had sold out in a day and profits had exceeded a thousand gold.

Zhu Ying laid out plans to expand Royal Industry and establish banks across Great Ming, then set new policies for officials and the imperial clan, which Zhu Yuanzhang sealed into edicts. The chapter ended when Liu Lei announced that Zhu Ying's wife was about to give birth, sending Zhu Ying rushing home as Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao summoned the imperial physicians.

• Zhu Ying instructed Lin Fu to expand Royal Industry and told Zhao Mian to establish banks with short manager terms, oversight, recordkeeping, and guarded vaults.
• Zhu Ying explained how banks could fund infrastructure and trade, then ordered officials' salaries doubled and proposed rewards for outstanding officials.
• Zhu Ying reduced imperial clan stipends and limited support for descendants to age fifteen, while allowing them to pursue work, military service, or the examinations afterward.
• Zhu Yuanzhang drafted and sealed edicts announcing the salary increases and imperial clan changes, and ordered Yun Qi to proclaim them throughout the realm.
• Liu Lei reported that Zhu Ying's wife was about to give birth, so Zhu Ying hurried home while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao called for imperial physicians.

Zhu Ying and Liu Yu'er welcomed their second son, Zhu Wenzhan, who received the [Martial] talent. The court announced higher salaries for officials and reduced support for the imperial clan, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao resolved to send the disgruntled vassal kings back to their fiefs.

• Liu Yu'er gave birth to a son, and Zhu Ying used the panel to bestow the [Martial] talent on him and named him Zhu Wenzhan.
• Zhu Ying gave Liu Yu'er a Spirit Pill and promised that Zhu Wenzhan would follow him in battle, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao celebrated their new grandson.
• Zhu Yuanzhang told the assembled officials that good news would arrive, and Liu Jing revealed that officials' salaries would double and the Imperial Seal had been recovered.
• Imperial decrees doubled officials' salaries, offered rewards for achievements, and restricted support for imperial clan members, prompting celebration among officials and anger among vassal kings.
• Zhu Biao reported the officials' and vassal kings' reactions to Zhu Yuanzhang, who decided to send the vassal kings back to their fiefs and acknowledged that many of his sons had changed.

Zhu Ying opened his accumulated treasure chests, gained a Crown Prince’s Power Seal, and prepared further reforms after Tanding Rumou produced a sevenfold increase in Yingtian Prefecture’s autumn tax revenue. The court began implementing his commercial tax plan, while Zhu Ying turned to reforming the Ministry of Works, weapons workshops, and civil service examinations.

• Zhu Ying opened his treasure chests and obtained engineering blueprints, internal energy, Lifespan Pills, Spirit Stones, and a steam warship blueprint.
• Zhu Ying merged the General’s and Imperial Grandson’s Power Seals into the Crown Prince’s Power Seal, which strengthened civil administration and military forces.
• The feudal princes returned to their fiefdoms stripped of real authority, and Yu Xin reported that Tanding Rumou had increased Yingtian Prefecture’s autumn tax revenue more than sevenfold.
• Zhu Yuanzhang ordered officials to collect tax figures from across the Ming Dynasty and directed the Ministry of Revenue to implement Zhu Ying’s commercial tax reforms.
• Zhu Ying proposed bringing the weapons and firearms workshops under his control and creating civil service examinations that would recruit skilled craftsmen and other technical talent.

Zhu Ying outlined ambitious reforms and plans for Ming expansion, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao pledged their support. After reviewing progress on new technologies, Zhu Ying received Zhu Bai, Zhu Quan, and Zhu Yunteng, who approached him with visible apprehension.

• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao he planned to reform the examinations, improve roads and education, change the military, and expand Ming territory; Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to support him and abandon the list of nations not to conquer.
• Zhu Ying supported Zhu Yunteng's wish to marry Yun Yu and decided to send him to train with his maternal granduncle and join the army.
• Zhu Ying asked Zhu Biao to summon Zhu Bai and Zhu Quan along with Zhu Yunteng, then left to return to his mansion.
• Liu Lei reported that workshops had produced cement, concrete, Composite Bows, and preliminary versions of Smokeless gunpowder, Red-Clad Cannons, and Flintlock Muskets; Zhu Ying ordered generous rewards for the craftsmen.
• Zhu Ying summoned Zhu Bai, Zhu Quan, and Zhu Yunteng, who entered his hall and respectfully bowed, visibly intimidated by his recent actions.

Zhu Ying reunited with Zhu Yunteng, Zhu Bai, and Zhu Quan, then assigned Zhu Bai to learn the Royal Bank and Zhu Quan to oversee military weapons production. He sent Zhu Yunteng to train for two years as an ordinary border soldier so he could prove himself worthy of marrying Yun Yu, then summoned several ministers to discuss an unstated matter.

• Zhu Ying reassured Zhu Yunteng that he had returned and asked Zhu Bai, Zhu Quan, and Zhu Yunteng to help him expand the Ming Dynasty.
• Zhu Ying appointed Zhu Bai as deputy manager of the Royal Bank under Zhao Mian, and Zhu Bai accepted the decree.
• Zhu Ying appointed Zhu Quan to oversee a military workshop producing weapons, and Zhu Quan accepted the responsibility.
• Zhu Yunteng asked Zhu Ying to help him marry Yun Yu, and Zhu Ying required him to serve under an assumed name in the Daning Border Army for two years.
• Zhu Ying sent Zhu Yunteng to the Wang Wei camp for five days of body-tempering training before his departure for the Northern Frontier.
• Liu Lei reported that the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works, and two officials connected to salt had arrived, and Zhu Ying invited them into the hall.

Zhu Ying ordered Fine Salt to be distributed affordably and consolidated the weapon bureaus into a new Armaments Workshop. At the Imperial Guard Camp, he demonstrated several advanced weapons, then prepared to test the Red-Clad Cannon and Explosive Shells.

• Zhu Ying set Fine Salt's price at twice that of Coarse Salt and ordered the salt-making craftsmen to help the Salt Bureau distribute it throughout the realm.
• Zhu Ying merged the Baoyuan Bureau and Ordnance Bureau into the Armaments Workshop, placing it under Prince Ning's management and direct imperial oversight.
• Zhu Ying brought Qin Da and others to the Imperial Guard Camp to inspect his new weapons, where Luo Chao's Composite Bow proved powerful yet easy to draw.
• Zhu Ying demonstrated Flintlock Muskets, which fired without match cords, and Fire Chariots, which launched volleys of giant crossbow bolts with gunpowder.
• Zhu Ying announced the final test of the Red-Clad Cannon and Explosive Shells, weapons he expected to transform artillery and siege warfare.

Zhu Ying demonstrated the new Red-Clad Cannons and Explosive Shells, stunning the generals with their range and destructive power, then placed weapons production under Zhu Quan and imposed strict security on the craftsmen. Guo Zhen reported the test to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao and brought them a Flintlock Musket and Composite Bow to inspect.

• Zhu Ying ordered two Red-Clad Cannons to fire Explosive Shells, which traveled nearly two hundred zhang and blasted enormous craters into the testing ground.
• Zhu Ying warned the craftsmen to protect the weapons’ secrets, promised them wealth and status, and forbade them and their descendants from leaving Yingtian.
• Zhu Ying assigned Zhu Quan to establish the Armaments Workshop and mass-produce weapons, while telling Qin Da he would entrust him with matters concerning the people’s livelihood.
• Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Guo Zhen, who explained the new smokeless gunpowder, the Red-Clad Cannons’ range, and the Explosive Shells’ power.
• Guo Zhen presented Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao with a Flintlock Musket and a Composite Bow, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang surprised by their appearance.

Zhu Yuanzhang approved Zhu Ying’s weapons and policies after learning about the Flintlock Musket, Composite Bow, fine salt, and government appointments, while the Imperial Guard uncovered Lu Ben’s plot to spread smallpox. At the Grandson’s Mansion, Huai West generals asked about equipping the army with new weapons, and Xu Huizu questioned whether Zhu Ying planned to reform the military.

• Guo Zhen demonstrated the Composite Bow and Flintlock Musket to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, who praised Zhu Ying’s abilities and discussed the weapons’ military potential.
• Yu Xin and Qin Da reported Zhu Ying’s plans for affordable fine salt, a new Military Workshop overseen by Prince Ning, and Prince Xiang’s appointment as Lord Zhao’s deputy; Zhu Yuanzhang approved the policies and told the ministers to follow Zhu Ying’s direction.
• Jiang Yan reported that Lu Ben’s former steward and deathsworn agents had planned to spread smallpox, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered their execution and rewarded the Imperial Guards who arrested them.
• Lan Yu, Chang Mao, Xu Huizu, Li Jinglong, and other generals visited Zhu Ying and asked when the new weapons would reach the army; Zhu Ying said Explosive Shells could be distributed before the Red-Clad Cannon was mass-produced.
• Xu Huizu asked Zhu Ying whether he intended to begin reforming the army.

Zhu Ying revealed plans to reorganize the Ming military into three great camps and travel north to establish a capital, while reforms in Ying Tian brought new goods, affordable fine salt, and concrete roads. After learning that the Northern Yuan had fallen and its successor tribes had settled, Zhu Ying prepared to build a lasting foothold in the Northern Frontier and eventually lead an army north.

• Zhu Ying presented a 500,000-strong military reorganization plan built around the Divine Machine Battalion, Cavalry Battle Camp, and Offense and Defense Camp, and the assembled generals agreed to accompany him north.
• Zhu Ying’s Royal Industry products spread through Ying Tian, and salt shops began selling affordable fine salt to ordinary people instead of Coarse Salt.
• Qin Da reported that cement and concrete had been successfully developed, and Zhu Ying ordered road construction to begin in Ying Tian Prefecture under a division of responsibilities among the Ministry of Works, treasury, and local offices.
• Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Ying that Xu Miaojin, Mu Ya, and Li Qingchen had given birth, then shared news that the Northern Yuan had been destroyed and the Tatars, Oirats, and Uriankhai had settled into power.
• Zhu Ying explained that he would build fortresses and small cities across the Northern Frontier, use the Northern Yuan Emperor to command the feudal lords, and take officials, generals, and Royal Industry teams north with him.

Zhu Ying arrived in Beiping to begin preparations for making it a secondary capital and eventually relocating the Ming court north. At the border, Zhu Yunteng heard veteran Chen Songning recount his service under Zhu Ying, strengthening his resolve to become a soldier worthy of his elder brother.

• Zhu Ying told Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao that he would move the southern government’s institutions and industries north and begin building a new capital in Beiping.
• Zhu Yunteng patrolled the Daning frontier with his unit, where Commander Chen Songning urged the recruits to defend the Ming Dynasty and told them about the danger of past raids.
• Chen Songning revealed that he had lost his left forearm fighting beside Zhu Ying, had refused retirement and promotion, and had chosen to remain in the Daning Border Army.
• Zhu Yunteng reflected on the veterans’ trust in Zhu Ying and vowed to follow his elder brother’s example as a Ming soldier.
• Zhu Ying entered Beiping, announced plans to establish it as a secondary capital, and said the city would be replanned with compensation for residents who suffered losses.
• Zhu Ying’s party, including officials, military officers, Royal Industry personnel, and Royal Bank personnel, proceeded into Beiping to begin duplicating the southern administration and building the capital’s institutions.

Zhu Ying began preparing to make Beiping the Ming Dynasty’s future capital while reorganizing its northern armies, as Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao secured the success of Tanding Rumou and announced two further tax reforms. The chapter left Zhu Yuanzhang wondering how Zhu Ying was faring in the north, where the new banks, industries, and military reforms were already advancing.

• Zhu Ying ordered the dismissal of the former Prince of Yan’s Manor servants, reassured Zhang Yu that his position was safe, and asked Guo Zi to help establish Beiping as the future capital.
• Zhu Ying told Guo Zi and Zhang Yu that he would reorganize troops from several northern regions and rebuild the army.
• Yu Xin reported that the first harvest under Tanding Rumou had produced tax revenue six or seven times higher than usual, and Zhu Yuanzhang permanently established the policy.
• Zhu Biao announced Zhu Ying’s Fire Loss to Public and Commercial Tax Reform policies, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered their implementation.
• Zhu Biao told Zhu Yuanzhang that banks and Royal Industry had spread through the north and more than a hundred thousand troops had been reorganized.
• Zhu Biao told Zhu Yuanzhang that Yun Yu was more than five months pregnant, and Zhu Yuanzhang said Yu'er had arranged for her to receive care.

On patrol at the Daning border, Zhu Yunteng spotted hidden Tartars, and Commander Chen led the soldiers in defeating them. A captive revealed that several thousand Tartars had infiltrated the frontier, leaving Commander Chen to warn Zhu Yunteng that mercy on the battlefield could be fatal.

• Commander Chen told the patrol that the Daning Border Army's pay would more than double and that martial competitions would bring additional rewards.
• Zhu Yunteng spotted movement in the northern grass, and Commander Chen led the soldiers forward in formation to investigate.
• The soldiers discovered dozens of concealed Tartars and killed them without suffering casualties; Zhu Yunteng killed three enemies in his first battle.
• Commander Chen executed two captives who refused to speak, then questioned the last one, who revealed that several thousand Tartars had infiltrated the Northern Frontier.
• Commander Chen allowed the surviving Tatar to flee, then had soldiers kill him with crossbows and warned Zhu Yunteng not to show mercy on the battlefield.

Zhu Ying learned that the Tatars and three Jianzhou Tatar tribes planned to invade the Ming Dynasty, and he ordered a Northern Expedition to defeat them and establish fortified supply lines across the grasslands. He prepared to lead the new army north, with the campaign’s success depending on swift support from Yingtian.

• Zhu Ying ordered An Tong to recruit more craftsmen and accelerate construction of Beiping’s new capital and its four military camps.
• Liu Lei brought Zhu Ying urgent news from Daning that the Tatars had allied with three Jianzhou Tatar tribes and were preparing to invade.
• Zhu Ying gathered Lan Yu, Xu Huizu, Chang Mao, Li Jinglong, and the other generals, who agreed to use the newly organized army to test its strength against the enemy.
• Zhu Ying ordered the army to target the Jianzhou Tatars first and directed Li Jinglong to build cement-and-concrete strongholds along the grasslands’ supply routes.
• Zhu Ying ordered the Cavalry Battle Camp to advance ahead of the Divine Machine Battalion and Infantry Battalion, declared that he would lead the troops, and sent an urgent request to Yingtian for grain, fodder, cannon shells, and weapons.

The Jianzhou chieftain Shijianu persuaded the Haixi and Donghai tribes to join the Tatar tribe in a campaign against the Ming, while Zhu Yuanzhang mobilized supplies and weapons after receiving news of the threat. At Daning, Zhu Ying assembled a 200,000-strong army and prepared to march into the Northern Frontier.

• Shijianu’s infiltration plan failed after Ming border patrols discovered his men, and he urged his generals to unite with the Tatar tribe against the Ming.
• Shijianu persuaded some Haixi and Donghai leaders with promises of Liaodong and other conquered lands, then pledged 100,000 Jianzhou warriors to the campaign.
• A messenger reported the Tatar threat to Zhu Yuanzhang, who ordered provisions, cement, and weapons prepared for war.
• Zhu Ying reunited with Zhang Wu, Chen Heng, and other Northern Frontier generals at Daning and reviewed their reorganized troops.
• Zhu Ying declared that his forces totaled 200,000 and ordered them to prepare to march into the Northern Frontier.