ILSITM Chapter 19

According to historical records, on August 22nd, the seventh year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (September 30, 1627), Zhu Youxiao died in the Palace of Heavenly Purity at the age of 23. His will decreed that his fifth younger brother, Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, should succeed him as emperor.

After discussing with Old Lin, Old Zhang, and Wen Rourou, I decided to travel to the Ming Dynasty tonight.

At eleven o’clock in the evening, we arrived at the entrance of Pedestrian Street in Jiudong City, put on our equipment, and went down into the manhole one by one.

Old Lin opened the passage door, bent down and crawled into the passage, and we followed, bending down and crawling in.

The PPR pipes for transporting liquor were still in the passage, but there was no liquor in them.

When we reached the edge of the first underground cave, the wooden bridge that had been built before had been removed, but the rock nails I had hammered into the cave wall were still there.

After reattaching the rope, I took the lead in climbing over.

When we climbed past the eighth underground cave and were walking in the passage leading to the ninth underground cave, I found the mechanism connecting to a secret passage above us.

Opening this mechanism and entering the secret passage above would allow us to walk all the way to Tiger Cave, and from Tiger Cave, we could walk out to the Palace of Heavenly Purity where Emperor Zhu Youxiao lived.

But at this moment, despite our best efforts, we were unable to open the mechanism.

“It’s possible that Zhu Youxiao sent someone to lock this mechanism,” Old Lin analyzed.

“That should be it, then we can only travel to the Ming Dynasty from the ninth underground cave in front,” I said as I walked forward.

Traveling to the Ming Dynasty from the ninth underground cave does not allow direct travel to the Capital, but only to Du Guangfu.

After we traveled to Du Guangfu, it was just dawn, and the Black Water River was shrouded in mist.

Today is August 21st, the seventh year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, September 29, 1627.

We found the Governor of Du Guangfu and borrowed four fast horses, and the four of us galloped towards the Royal Palace.

At noon, we arrived at the Capital.

Outside the Royal Palace, I took out a half-inch-long wooden figure and handed it to a guard of the Imperial Guard. This was made by Zhu Youxiao in my likeness, and I asked him to give this token to Wei Zhongxian.

After a short while, the Imperial Guard returned the wooden figure to me and opened the Royal Palace gate, allowing us to enter.

Wei Zhongxian happened to be coming over. After not seeing him for many days, he seemed to have aged a lot.

Nine days ago, Zhu Youxiao sensed that his days were numbered, so he summoned his fifth younger brother, Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, to his bedroom and said, “Come, my brother should be Yao and Shun.”

This meant that he was telling his brother: when I die, you will succeed me.

A new dynasty, a new court.

With Zhu Youxiao’s death imminent, Wei Zhongxian’s days were also numbered.

After Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, ascends the throne, Wei Zhongxian will lose everything, including his life.

A bird about to die sings mournfully; a man about to die speaks kindly.

At this time, Wei Zhongxian would no longer regard me as a “thorn in his side.”

After he understood our intentions, he burst into tears and said that he was willing to help us.

The four of us entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity and saw Zhu Youxiao lying on the dragon bed in the bedroom.

His face was swollen and his eyes were tightly closed.

“Your Majesty, the four of us are back again. I am Ma Tiandong, the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation you appointed,” I said, looking at Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao was still conscious, squinting his eyes and muttering to himself, “Duke Who Pacifies the Nation—Duke Who Pacifies the Nation—Duke Who Pacifies the Nation…”

Zhu Youxiao seemed to be recalling the past, and after a moment, two lines of clear tears streamed from his squinted eyes.

“Why are you back? I’m sorry for you, sorry for you all,” Zhu Youxiao said, choking with sobs.

“Your Majesty, tomorrow is your day of reckoning. I promised you that I would take you to our Jiudong City, and we will take you away now,” I said, my eyes also filled with tears.

Zhu Youxiao was in tears and kept saying “thank you.”

The Tiger Cave under the Palace of Heavenly Purity had been sealed and could not be used, so we had to take a carriage to Du Guangfu.

When I carried Zhu Youxiao out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Wei Zhongxian had already prepared a carriage, parked at the foot of the steps.

The eunuchs and Wei Zhongxian knelt in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, wailing and crying, watching our carriage leave.

“On the evening of August 21st, the seventh year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1627), five people who had rushed from the Capital in a hurry jumped into a bottomless underground cave dug by foreigners, their fate unknown. The next day, Emperor Zhu Youxiao of the Tianqi era died in the Palace of Heavenly Purity in Beijing.” This bizarre event is recorded in the *Gazetteer of Jiudong Prefecture*, compiled during the Qianlong era.

The five people who had rushed from the Capital in a hurry were Old Lin, Old Zhang, Wen Rourou, myself, and the dying Zhu Youxiao.

After traveling back to Jiudong City, I carried the dying Zhu Youxiao straight to the First People’s Hospital of Jiudong City.

On May 18th, the fifth year of the Tianqi era (1625), Zhu Youxiao was playing on a pleasure boat in the West Garden when a gust of wind capsized the boat, and he fell into the water, almost drowning. Although he was rescued, he fell ill as a result of this fright, and despite various treatments, his health deteriorated. Later, the Minister Huo Weihua presented a “fairy medicine” called “Linglu Drink.” Because of its sweet taste, Zhu Youxiao drank it every day, which led to swelling and gradually edema all over his body, eventually causing him to be bedridden.

After we did blood routine, urine routine, kidney function, blood biochemistry, X-ray urinary tract plain film and contrast, radioisotope renography, kidney scan, kidney biopsy, and so on for Zhu Youxiao, the final result was only three words: kidney failure.

Swelling was only the appearance, the root cause was in the kidneys.

The disease that Zhu Youxiao suffered from, not to mention in ancient times, even in modern times with such advanced medical technology, it would be difficult to pull such a critically ill patient back from the brink of death.

But we and Zhu Youxiao witnessed the miracle of modern medicine.

After the medical staff’s best efforts to rescue him, Zhu Youxiao finally survived the critical period.

After that, the hospital adopted “kidney dialysis + traditional Chinese medicine conditioning” to treat Zhu Youxiao, and the effect was surprisingly good.

A month later, Zhu Youxiao was discharged from the hospital.

After being discharged from the hospital, the four of us accompanied Zhu Youxiao to stroll around Jiudong City for three days.

Zhu Youxiao simply couldn’t believe his eyes—this bustling city with towering buildings was the “Du Guangfu” four hundred years later.

We took him to see the only Ming Dynasty historical site left in Jiudong City—a public toilet. Zhu Youxiao laughed and said, “This is going to stink for ten thousand years!”

“I think this is going to be remembered for generations,” I said with a smile.

The four of us sold Ming Dynasty liquor together for a few months and made quick money, and now we are all worth over a hundred million.

After discussing it, we decided to each take out 20 million to help Zhu Youxiao buy a villa in the suburbs of Jiudong City, furnish it with furniture, appliances, clothes, and so on, and then buy him a luxury car.

The remaining money was deposited in the bank and used to buy insurance for him.

The storefront we rented at the entrance of Pedestrian Street to sell liquor had not yet expired, and after seeking Zhu Youxiao’s opinion, we let him open a store there.

What kind of store should we open? We racked our brains to help Zhu Youxiao think.

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