Hongwu of the Great Ming: A Commoner Who Conquered the Realm

The Twenty-Second Year of Hongwu, 1389 AD

The Ming dynasty had been established for twenty-two years. The Yuan court had retreated beyond the northern deserts, and the realm was only just settling into peace. Years of warfare had left farmland barren, the population diminished, and every industry in decline. Zhu Yuanzhang ruled with an iron fist: the laws were harsh, corruption was punished severely, and the household registration and baojia systems were strictly enforced, with tight controls on refugees. The Huai-Xi military nobility wielded immense influence, while undercurrents swirled through the imperial court. The northern borders faced constant threats, the southwestern native chieftains had not fully submitted, and the maritime ban had just taken effect. At this time, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was still alive, and the court's political landscape remained relatively stable. Yet Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicions of civil and military officials, and his campaign to purge them, had already begun. A storm was brewing.

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