A great leader once said, “Much of the Twenty-Four Histories is false, and so-called official records are mostly false as well.” He also said, “The History of Ming made me angriest of all. Apart from the two illiterate emperors, the Ming Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) and Ming Chengzu (Zhu Di), who did fairly well, and the Ming Wuzong and Ming Yingzong, who were somewhat better, the rest were no good. All they did was commit misdeeds.”
Since most of the Twenty-Four Histories are false, and the great leader praised him so highly, we can boldly suppose that Zhu Houzhao has been severely underestimated as an emperor. Perhaps he was simply too unconventional and refused to be constrained by civil officials. To warn later rulers, they deliberately smeared our Great Zhengde Emperor in the official histories.
As a Han Chinese ruler, Zhu Houzhao was the last emperor to personally lead an expedition and win. He spoke several languages, was skilled in music, excelled at horseback riding and archery, and had great talent in both calligraphy and painting.
Zhu Houzhao was the only emperor who lived like a real person. He dared to love and hate, and dared to think and act. Was he fond of having fun? Yes, he was. But most importantly, he never neglected the duties of an emperor. He was not only an emperor: above all, he lived true to himself and like a real person.
This book also draws on many sources about Ming history and tries to recreate some aspects of the society and economy of the time, but entertainment is still the main goal. I ask readers who are serious about historical research to bear with me.
Written in the spirit that sometimes you have to overcorrect to set things right, this novel aims to clear Great Emperor Zhu Houzhao’s name. Its main goal is simple: fun.
