Chapter 001: The Red Pill Case

He slowly turned his head and glanced at the eunuch in front of him, a peculiar expression involuntarily appearing on his face

These memories of his as an emperor do not exist. If the matters concerning the Wei Dynasty and Wei Zhongxian are true, then it proves that the history of the Ming Dynasty in Zhu Taichang's memory is indeed true

They are truly afraid, afraid that the Emperor might suddenly pass away while administering the medicine; if that were to happen, they would be doomed

He subconsciously raised his hand and knocked over the medicine bowl

Many people in the palace are aware of this matter, but everyone understands that it is best not to let the Emperor know, as they are engaging in debauchery within the harem

What happened

It is time to take the medicine

Even if he can survive, does he have the ability to turn the tide and preserve the precarious Ming Dynasty?

I am an intern doctor at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. I just pressed a madman down on the bed, how did I suddenly end up lying on the bed myself

Question, having already swallowed two red pills, can he still survive

Hearing this, Taichang couldn't help but take a deep breath, slowly closing his eyes

Your Majesty

Many people in this palace are aware of it, and it is not surprising that the Emperor knows as well. Wei Chao quickly responded respectfully with cupped hands, saying: "Yes, Your Majesty."

The leading palace maid looked at him with a face full of terror, but ultimately mustered her courage, picked up the medicine bowl, leaned down, and tremulously whispered, "Your Majesty, it is time to take your medicine"

The Ming Dynasty has lasted for over 200 years, and none of the previous more than ten emperors have been killed in such a brutal manner

I would never be like Wu Dalang

He was stunned for quite a while before finally realizing that he must be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, as he was currently in the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty, lying on the dragon bed

I seem to have traveled through time!

Who am I

After he ascended the throne, the eunuchs in charge of the Ciqing Palace were mostly promoted to around the fifth rank, and Wang An, following the usual practice, became the head of the Si Li Jian with a fourth rank title. Meanwhile, Wei Chao is still merely a sixth rank attendant, and he is tasked with the most exhausting duty of night watch.

Being in conflict with a wet nurse does not necessarily lead to death, but deceiving the sovereign is certainly fatal. Wei Chao is relatively honest; he would not dare to deceive the sovereign

Historically, he never considered this aspect at all, and thus, he was killed in such a muddled manner

Is it true or not

However, at this moment, he understood why Wei Chao had fallen out of favor, as Wei Chao's loss of favor was related to a very important figure in later history, Wei Zhongxian

Because, if it is true, today marks the anniversary of his death, and he shouldn't even think about being alive to see the morning sun!

The saying goes, "Those in power are often confused, while bystanders see clearly." If it were not for a sudden flash of memory, Taichang would never have imagined that someone would dare to use such a method to kill him

Are you joking? Give him some laxatives to make him suffer, and then send him on his way with two so-called magical red pills

Now, he has realized that something is amiss

At this moment, Taichang is already in a state of mental confusion, his spirit wandering beyond the realm of reality, and his mind is somewhat impaired

Wei Chao could not help but show a look of regret on his face. He sighed inwardly and said dejectedly: "Your Majesty, yes, the Ke family is now together with Li Jinzong."

Pan, Pan, Pan Jinlian

In other words, these two not only killed this emperor without facing any consequences, but were also rewarded and given greater responsibilities

At this moment, the dying Emperor Taichang was lying slanted on the dragon bed, appearing as if he could breathe his last at any moment. His pale face looked so haunting in the dim light that the several palace maids in front of the bed were frightened to the point of losing their color, not daring to step forward to administer the medicine.

Ah

What is the reason for this

The Apocalypse of Chongzhen, powerless to turn the tide

The attending eunuch beside them, seeing their appearance, could not help but darken his expression and let out a slight cold snort

Tai Chang groggily opened his eyes, and a beautiful woman in ancient attire suddenly appeared before him

He is the protagonist of one of the three great mysteries of the late Ming Dynasty, the Hongwan case, the unfortunate emperor who was sent to the afterlife just one month after ascending the throne

This scene feels a bit familiar, doesn't it

Originally, he was completely unaware of the reasons behind Wei Chao's loss of favor with Wang An. After all, after ascending the throne, he was preoccupied with state affairs and had little time to pay attention to a mere eunuch in charge of affairs.

On the first day of the ninth month in the first year of the Taichang era, around the hour of Yin

I am the emperor

Tai Chang then pressed further, asking: "You have dined with the Ke family, haven't you?"

Tai Chang stared blankly at the palace maid on the ground, his mind still a muddle.

Tai Chang truly cannot discern whether he merely experienced an absurd and unruly dream, or if, as later legends suggest, he has traversed through time to the Ming Dynasty with his memories intact

Taichang feels as if he is akin to a patient with schizophrenia, at one moment believing himself to be the Ming Emperor Zhu Changluo, and at another moment thinking he is Zhu Taichang, an intern doctor at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital

At this moment, the attending eunuch beside him had already bent down and approached, urgently calling out: "Your Majesty, what is the matter with you?"

Immediately thereafter, the Ming Dynasty perished

This eunuch is named Wei Chao. He was originally the most favored steward eunuch under Wang An, but for some unknown reason, Wang An suddenly no longer favored Wei Chao.

That's not right

The Ke family might be acceptable, as she is merely a wet nurse, and it is unlikely that the Emperor would favor her. However, if she were a beautiful palace maid, that would be a different matter altogether

The case of the red pill is quite simple, devoid of any miraculous elements. It is referred to as one of the three great mysteries of the late Ming Dynasty, and the peculiarity lies in the fact that after Cui Wensheng, who administered laxatives for twenty days, and Li Kezhuo, who presented the red pill, faced no consequences.

Thinking of this, he slightly raised his hand to signal the palace maids who were serving medicine to withdraw, and then said with difficulty: "Wei Chao, Li Jinzong used to call Wei Wanwu, right? He was recommended by you to enter the palace, wasn't he?"

On the day of his death, Li Kezhuo was even awarded for his contributions in presenting the red pills. Later, when the Donglin faction came to power, Li Kezhuo was merely exiled to the frontier, while Cui Wensheng was only demoted to Nanjing. When Wei Zhongxian rose to power, Li Kezhuo's exile was lifted, and Cui Wensheng was further promoted and entrusted with the supervision of grain transportation and management of waterways.

However, there was not a trace of relief on his face; on the contrary, at this moment, a hint of terror appeared in his eyes. This was because, in Zhu Taichang's memory, the Ming Dynasty had already become history, and the records of their father and son in the history of the Ming Dynasty were roughly as follows:

He is indeed the emperor; who would have such audacity

The reason the Hong Wan case is referred to as one of the three great bizarre cases of the late Ming Dynasty is not due to the complexity of the case; in fact, the case is quite simple. Approximately ten days after his ascension, he caught a cold, and the eunuch Cui Wensheng, who was in charge of the imperial pharmacy, provided him with a laxative instead of the appropriate medicine. As a result, he suffered from severe diarrhea for twenty days, nearly to the point of death. Shortly thereafter, Li Kezhuo, the left minister of the Honglu Temple, presented him with the elixir known as the Hong Wan. After consuming two pills, he ascended directly to the Western Paradise

So, how can we determine whether the history of the Ming Dynasty in his mind is true or not

His mind is truly chaotic, so much so that he is somewhat unsure of who he is.

To my surprise, Taichang not only did not get angry, but instead curiously asked: "I heard that the Ke family is now following Li Jinchong, is that true?"

Two red pills, Tai Chang ascends to heaven

The night has not yet dissipated, dawn has not yet arrived, and the entire Forbidden City remains shrouded in the dimness of night, with the Palace of Heavenly Purity enveloped in a sense of sorrow and gloom.

The extraordinarily beautiful palace maid was instantly terrified, trembling all over as if having an epileptic seizure, and fell to the ground, repeatedly knocking her head and pleading, "Your Majesty, spare my life, Your Majesty, spare my life!"

How can there be such a strange occurrence in this world

Such matters are terrifying to contemplate. If the Emperor were to act impulsively and favor a certain palace maid, only to later discover that this maid had previously shared a meal with a eunuch, would that not utterly disgust the Emperor

Where am I

It is astonishing that all of this is indeed true

Get lost

Upon hearing this, Wei Chao could not help but tremble all over in fear

Many people in this palace are aware that Wei Wanwu is none other than Li Jinzong, who is ungrateful. Not only did he seize his counterpart, Lady Ke, but he also slandered him in front of his benefactor, Wang An, causing him to fall out of favor. If he had not recommended Wei Wanwu to enter the palace back then, how would it have come to this day!

Of course, this is not the main point; the main point is whether the history of the Ming Dynasty in his mind is true or not

The Wei Dynasty lost the favor of Wang An precisely because of the exclusion by Wei Zhongxian

Wei Chao hesitated for a moment, then prostrated on the ground and fervently knocked his head, saying: "This servant deserves to die, this servant does not dare to deceive Your Majesty, this matter is indeed true"