Who Said the Great Ming Was Finished? Set That Throne Straight for Me!

"Reporting—! Eight Hundred Li Urgent Dispatch! Mobei has collapsed! His Majesty... His Majesty has gone missing on Great Snow Mountain!"

In the winter of the twenty-first year of Yongle, the north wind cut at people's faces like a knife.

That cry tore through the oppressive silence of the Eastern Palace Crown Prince's Residence in Beijing City.

"Pfft!"

Regent Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi spat a mouthful of blood across the memorial.

His body went limp, and he toppled heavily backward.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"Imperial Physician! Send for the Imperial Physician at once!"

The entire Crown Prince's Mansion erupted into chaos.

Crown Princess Zhang's face was deathly pale. She pinched Zhu Gaochi's philtrum hard, tears welling in her eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall.

Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji, Minister of War Fang Bin, and several other senior officials looked ashen.

Fang Bin's hands trembled uncontrollably, and his voice broke with sobs. "It's over... It's all over. Three hundred thousand troops are trapped, His Majesty's fate is unknown, and Arutai's cavalry is less than three hundred li from Xuanfu! If... if anything happens to His Majesty, the sky over Great Ming will come crashing down!"

"Stop wailing!"

Crown Princess Zhang whipped around, her phoenix eyes flashing with authority. "The Crown Prince is still here. The sky won't fall! Lord Fang, tell me: what should we do now?"

Fang Bin fell to his knees, trembling, and gritted his teeth. "Your Ladyship, forgive my bluntness! The Northern Frontier's elite troops have been wiped out, and the capital's defenses are weak. To preserve Great Ming's realm, I beg the Crown Prince to... move south at once! Retreat to Nanjing, hold the river as our border, and plan our next move!"

"Bullshit!"

A furious roar exploded from the doorway, making everyone's eardrums ring.

The crowd turned in astonishment. A young man in casual green robes strode in, a purple-gold Cricket Cage hanging at his waist.

He had swordlike brows and bright, starry eyes. Though dressed casually, the Killing Aura radiating from his very bones forced Fang Bin to lower his head.

The newcomer was the Crown Prince's second son, Prince Zheng Zhu Zhanjun, whom the court's civil and military officials all considered "good for nothing."

"Se... Second Son?"

Zhu Gaochi slowly came to. Seeing the son who usually gave him the biggest headache, he gasped weakly, "You... What are you doing here? Hurry, go back to your room. This is no place for you to fool around."

Zhu Zhanjun ignored his father and crossed the hall in a few strides, kicking over the table in front of Fang Bin.

"Crash!"

Teacups and memorials shattered across the floor.

"Fang Bin, what did you just say? Move south? Hold the river as our border?"

Zhu Zhanjun gave a cold laugh, his gaze sharp. "Imperial Grandfather is still fighting for his life in Mobei, and you're already ready to sell Beijing City? What kind of Minister of War are you? Say the word 'flee' one more time, and see if I don't behead you right now to make an offering of your head!"

Fang Bin's face flushed red, and he stiffened his neck. "His Highness Prince Zheng! This is no time for rash bravado! Three hundred thousand troops are trapped—that's the last of Great Ming's strength! What are we supposed to fight with? Your Cricket Cage?"

"Who said we had no troops?"

Zhu Zhanjun swept his gaze around the hall, then fixed it on Zhu Gaochi, lying on his sickbed.

The moment he had stepped into the Crown Prince's Mansion, the mechanical voice that had lain dormant in his mind for three years finally rang out.

[Ding! A crisis threatening the fate of the nation has been detected. The "Imperial Army Summoning System" is now activated!]

[Novice gift pack issued: Great Snow Dragon Riders x 3,000 (fully equipped with heavy armor, Mo Dao, Shenbi Crossbows, and Horse and Rider Armor)!]

[Mission issued: Rescue Zhu Di and break the siege in Mobei. Reward: Beiwei Army x 10,000!]

Three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders!

Zhu Zhanjun drew a deep breath. The carefree look vanished from his eyes, replaced by a commanding air of absolute control.

He went to Zhu Gaochi's bedside and clasped the cold, plump hand.

"Father, just put your mind at ease."

Zhu Zhanjun's lips curled into a faint smile, a confident one Zhu Gaochi couldn't understand. "I'll go rescue Grandfather. I'll cut off Arutai's head. And as for Beijing City... as long as I, Zhu Zhanjun, am still standing, it won't fall!"

Zhu Gaochi froze.

He stared at the son who was usually so frivolous and suddenly felt he was looking at a stranger.

"You... What are you going to rescue him with? Your elder brother is trapped on the Frontline with your grandfather, and you don't even have a single personal guard..."

Zhu Gaochi was so anxious he nearly spat up blood again.

Zhu Zhanjun stood and pulled a token from his robes, one he had prepared long ago.

"Father, there's something I've been hiding from you all along."

He turned to face the assembled officials. His voice was not loud, yet it shook the hall. "Who told you I could only raise crickets? It's time to let the three thousand 'household guards' I've been raising come out and stretch their legs."