I Am No Foolish Emperor

Use bronze as a mirror to straighten your clothes and hat; use history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of dynasties; use people as a mirror to recognize your gains and losses.

The imperial ancestral residence and the inner palace: he has gone decades without holding court, yet the sun and moon still shine.

His father was diligent in governing. He took office and immediately launched sweeping reforms, but after little more than a month, he was laid up.

His younger brother, who has yet to take the throne, gets up earlier than a chicken and sleeps later than a dog. He has ruled diligently for over a decade, and the Ming Dynasty is still doomed.

Kneeling before the coffin, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, soon to be the newly enthroned Ming Emperor, says: "I am not lazy, nor am I afraid of drowning. I am doing this for the Ming Dynasty. I'll bear the name of a foolish ruler."

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.