"This… is impossible."
In the eyes of Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, the towering light screen before him rippled like water disturbed by wind. The voices coming from within were faint and blurred, as if separated by mist.
The doors of Huagai Hall faced south. Sunlight should have been pouring in.
Instead, snow drifted through the entrance.
And with the snow came a figure.
Tall. Lean. Clad in a black robe where golden dragons coiled across the fabric. Court insignia tightened against imperial dress. His cheeks were sharper. His gaze colder. Endless frost lingered in those eyes.
He stood with hands behind his back.
An invisible pressure spread outward.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that pressure well. After Hu Weiyong's execution, that intangible authority had thickened around him.
But this was heavier.
He looked carefully.
It was himself.
Older.
More severe.
"Chongba…"
The vision shattered.
Huagai Hall returned.
But the chill remained.
The "him" in the vision had red-rimmed eyes. That man had spoken words Zhu Yuanzhang would never say. Made promises he would never grant. Shed tears he would never allow to fall.
That man was not him.
And yet that man had forced a truth before him.
Everyone has a fate.
Zhu Yuanzhang drew in a breath. Forced his lungs to expand. Again. Harder. As if breathing could crush the thought itself.
"Chongba…"
He returned to himself.
His wife was smiling.
That bright and steady smile.
In their hardest years, when hunger and war pressed on every side, she had worn that same smile while telling stories of ancient worthies who endured calamity. That same smile when calming soldiers who had lost courage.
"My health is perfectly fine," Empress Ma said, even imitating his rough tone. "You big oaf. Why are you worrying about things with no beginning and no end?"
He did not laugh.
She lowered her other hand and patted gently below.
"Don't cry. Your mother is right here."
"How could I bear to leave you men behind?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked down.
His eldest son, Zhu Biao, and the other princes clung to her legs, crying until they hiccupped.
The words from the screen echoed in his mind.
The Crown Prince dies.
His heart tightened violently.
In that haze, he seemed to hear a sigh.
"How pitiful."
Rage surged upward.
Zhu Yuanzhang carefully withdrew his hand from his wife's. He stepped toward the towering light screen.
He was stopped by a bald monk kneeling on the ground.
"I understand Your Majesty's anger," the monk said calmly. "But if one wishes to change fate, one must first know fate."
It was Yao Guangxiao from Tianjie Temple. A monk summoned to Huagai Hall for counsel.
"Her Majesty's virtue is renowned. The Crown Prince is filial and kind. Both are blessings to Great Ming. I ask Your Majesty to think carefully."
Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes.
"Fate can be changed?"
"If one does not know it, it is fate. If one knows it clearly, it is no longer fate."
"If it is already known, then it is not fate. Why must I still know it?"
"Because life and death are involved," the monk replied. "From what I see, Her Majesty and His Highness are both strong in health. If one wishes to alter destiny, one must understand the cause."
Zhu Yuanzhang lifted his head and stared at the screen for a long while.
Then he turned back.
He returned to his seat and gently pressed his wife's palm against his cheek.
He closed his eyes and felt the warmth.
"Mèizi, rest easy. I will never let you…"
His thoughts had been chaotic just now. But after being interrupted, clarity returned.
Had history not already changed?
Liu Bei capturing Cao.
Emperor Taizong of Tang campaigning east.
Even the affairs of Song Taizong had clearly diverged from the official records.
If Han, Tang, and Song could be altered, why not Ming?
Whatever stood behind that screen, immortal or deity, Zhu Yuanzhang did not care.
He would not allow his wife to walk that path.
As for how to change it, he would first listen to the young man on the screen and learn the cause.
If that failed, he would consult Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who was said to share a similar destiny.
As for Biao…
He glanced at his eldest son clinging to his mother's knees.
His eyes grew hot.
Within Ganlu Hall of the Tang dynasty, Li Chengqian had not even sorted out his own fate before he witnessed his mother's "death by illness" on the screen.
That woman looked exactly the same.
Gentle brows. Warm voice.
When the image called out, "Chengqian… is that Chengqian?"
He broke.
Tears poured down.
Empress Zhangsun wiped her son's tears and leaned close, speaking softly.
She explained the differences between present Great Tang and the records shown on the screen. She reminded him that Sun Simiao now conducted a full medical examination every two months.
Peace of mind was important.
Nearby, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, tried to maintain composure.
He truly tried.
Then he saw the version of himself on the screen lose control.
His calm cracked.
"Divine Physician Sun…"
Before he could ask further, Sun Simiao answered steadily.
"Her Majesty's hidden ailments have been adjusted to near recovery. Internal imbalances are mostly cleared."
"She practices the Five Animals Exercise regularly. Her health is stronger than before."
"Your Majesty may be at ease."
He paused, then added.
"With dietary moderation, Your Majesty's lifespan will certainly exceed what is shown there."
Li Shimin finally relaxed.
"Great Tang may lack me," he said with a smile. "But it cannot lack the Medicine King."
Sun Simiao rolled his eyes.
If His Majesty did not ask the same detailed questions every few months, he might almost believe that praise.
Li Shimin glanced at the mother and son leaning against one another. He smiled faintly, then looked back at the screen.
Confusion appeared in his gaze.
The Crown Prince so cherished by Emperor Hongwu.
Rebelled?
That did not seem right.
Compared to the solemn air in Huagai Hall and the steady calm in Ganlu Hall, the atmosphere in Kaifeng's Guangzheng Hall was far more lively.
"Zhao Guangyi, stop running!"
"You monk, explain yourself!"
Within the spacious hall, there were few observers. That left ample room for one man to chase and another to flee.
Li Yu pursued with murderous determination.
Zhao Guangyi, head shaved and robes lifted, ran surprisingly fast.
He even had the breath to shout back.
"Benefactor Li, those are baseless rumors from later generations!"
"Why take them seriously?"
"Why cling to illusion?"
From the side, Qian Chu shook his head.
"Master Kongjiong runs well."
Zhao Kuangyin remained silent, gazing thoughtfully at the screen and considering Ming's affairs.
No one seemed to notice.
Qian Chu hesitated.
Then he quietly extended a foot.