The Commoner Chief Councilor: The Blood and Sweat That Sustained the Ming Dynasty

I lament the rise and fall, mourn the decline: a thousand years of the realm lie half in ruins.

I would hold up the pillars and shore up the crisis, though thorns bar every step ahead.

I care little for honor or disgrace, but hold the realm dear; by a lonely lamp on a cold night, I struggle to plan for the nation.

Who would not wish the Ming’s fortunes to endure? Yet who could foresee the storm-dark skies unleashing a raging tide?