The Eastern Palace of the Great Ming

There has never been a better time than the present.

The emperor is benevolent, the court is stable, and the foundations of the state are secure!

The age of Taizu and Taizong has passed, the humiliations of the Ying era have been forgotten, and the anxiety of the Chenghua years has faded. The gentle breeze of the Hongzhi reign caresses people’s faces, while dreams of a revival take root in their hearts. The future seems to be following its expected course.

But a dream is only a dream. The sun’s brilliance always fades in the night.

“March north to fulfill our ancestors’ long-held wish; pacify the south and sweep away all who refuse to submit;

advance west to expand the realm; strike east to proclaim the might of the Great Ming.”

When the Eastern Palace openly declared this at court, the officials understood, as they looked at the ailing emperor on the dragon throne, that a new era had begun.