From the Start, I Show Zhu Yuanzhang the Ming Dynasty’s Final Days

In the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu (1392), the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, suffered a devastating blow. His crown prince, Zhu Biao, fell ill and died at the age of just 38 after returning from an inspection tour of Shaanxi. Zhu Biao’s death was a tremendous loss for Zhu Yuanzhang. He had lost not only a son, but also the heir he had carefully groomed. One day, while standing in Zhu Biao’s mourning hall, Zhu Yuanzhang unexpectedly heard a prophecy: “In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (1644), Li Zicheng will reach the gates of Beijing. The Ming Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, will hang himself on Coal Hill, marking the end of the Ming dynasty’s 276-year rule.” For Zhu Yuanzhang, these words were like a bolt from the blue. The Ming dynasty had only just been founded, and now he was being told it was gone. Zhu Yuanzhang stood in the mourning hall, having come to express his profound grief and reluctance to part with his late crown prince. But the sudden news left him speechless. His heart was filled with confusion and unease. “What? Our Ming dynasty is gone?”