Ming Dynasty: Father, I Don't Want to Be the Celestial Master Anymore

In the first year of the Hongwu era, the realm was newly unified.

Prince Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang, ascended the throne in Yingtian Prefecture, proclaiming the founding of the Great Ming Dynasty.

One day,

The new emperor was working in the Eastern Cabinet when a man presented him with a confidential memorial. He opened it casually, and the first line boldly read: “Mount Longhu.”

Zhu Yuanzhang proceeded to read the contents, his mind deep in thought.

…

A few days earlier,

On Mount Longhu in Jiangxi,

The Zhang family, heirs of several centuries of tradition, bustled about, preparing to journey to the capital for an imperial audience.

“Be careful with that! It's the gift we're presenting to His Majesty!”

“Master, I stayed up all night sewing this robe for you—be sure to wear it!”

“We're about to depart. Where has that rascal Zhang Yi gone?”

While the Zhang household was in an uproar, a young boy lay sprawled atop the roof, watching the commotion below.

He appeared to be seven or eight years old, adorably sculpted like a porcelain doll, yet his eyes bore a maturity that belied his age.

“I wonder what scheme my elder brother is plotting. As the eldest son, he should be accompanying Father, yet he insisted I, the family’s black sheep, go to the capital in his stead. Does he wish Father a short life, hoping to anger him to death and inherit the Celestial Master’s position early?”

As Zhang Yi muttered ill of his brother, retribution was swift.

He received a sharp slap from behi