In the early years of the Yongle reign, Hu Ying was ordered to search for an “immortal.” Four years later, he came upon a lead that Jianwen would visit Suzhou. Hoping to return to court as soon as possible, he decided to use this lead to complete his search for the “immortal” within two years and give the emperor an answer. But Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, opposed the plan.
Not long afterward, Zhu Zhen, Prince of Chu and head of the Imperial Clan Court, received an invitation from the emperor to come to the capital and enjoy some family time together. During the visit, Zhu Di asked him to have his son, Zhu Mengzhao, Prince of Jingling, secretly make money for him for three years, and insisted that he go to Suzhou.
How could such an insignificant member of the imperial clan have caught the emperor’s attention? Along with his alarm, Zhu Zhen found Zhu Di’s excuse even more flimsy. Was this really about disbanding the three guards of the Prince of Chu’s household?
While everyone in the Prince of Chu’s household fretted anxiously, carefree Zhu Mengzhao concealed his identity, took the alias Jiang Zhengzhao, and left Wuchang. His guiding principle was to make a ruckus and have some fun, as long as he didn’t lose his title. He set about making money with great gusto.
At last, during those three years, he met his true love, endured the pain of parting in life and death, learned the real purpose behind everything, and became determined to protect what mattered to him in this life…
(The male and female leads really existed in history, but this story is entirely fictional. I’d like to apologize in advance to all the historical figures who appear in the novel.)
