The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

In the first year of the Xuande era, Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Han, suffered a brutal execution, burned alive in a bronze vat amidst overwhelming resentment. Believing his life had ended, his soul inexplicably crossed the boundaries of time, awakening in the twenty-first century. Rising from a remote mountain village, he poured his ambition into the modern world, ultimately earning a doctorate. Standing before the desolate ruins of his former tombstone, a sudden wave of grief and indignation caused him to blackout. When he opened his eyes once more, the modern world had vanished—he had returned to the Yongle era. Gazing upon the familiar faces of Emperor Yongle and his father, and recalling the tragic fate of his past self, a knowing smile touched his lips. Armed with the profound knowledge and strategic foresight of the modern era, he vows to defy his destiny and avoid the fatal mistakes of the past. Though the succession is seemingly set in stone, a new path unfolds before him. This time, he will abandon the treacherous struggles of the imperial court for a grander ambition: to venture beyond the borders of the Middle Kingdom, establish a powerful overseas fiefdom, and forge a sprawling global empire.