In the twenty-first year of the Wanli reign, the blood-soaked battle for Pyongyang raged on, the smoke of war had only just cleared from Ningxia, the Ming treasury lay empty, and famine victims filled the land.
Wei Nian'an transmigrated here and struggled to survive with his uncle, Wei Si.
"Nephew, I'm going into the palace to gamble on that Nine-Thousand-Year-Old!"
"Uncle, then I'll stay outside the palace and help you rise!"
That year, the Ming dynasty wasn't beyond saving yet, and the campaign to aid Korea against Japan was at a crucial point.
That year, overseas trade brought staggering profits, and the Age of Discovery was in full swing.
That year, the Donglin faction had yet to form, and the eunuchs had not yet seized power.
With his nephew's "guide to climbing the ranks" in hand, Wei Si rose from the very bottom, fighting powerful eunuchs, taking control of the Eastern Depot, and winning the favor of the Wanli Emperor. He carved out a fearsome reputation as the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old within the Forbidden City!
Armed with his knowledge of overseas trade from his past life, Wei Nian'an built giant ships, opened routes to Japan and Southeast Asia, and sailed to the West, becoming a Pirate King who made nations tremble!
The gentry of Jiangnan dare obstruct overseas trade? Confiscate their estates and wipe out their families!
Japanese raiders dare threaten the coast? Sweep them from their strongholds!
The upright Donglin scholars dare debate the succession? Flip their table!
First save the Ming dynasty, then destroy it.
"Uncle is already the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old. That means I should be the emperor of this whole world!"
He's another sixty or seventy-year-old kid, where can he put his pen?
Now that I see this, I think it's very good. Wasn't Wei Zhongxian called Li Jinzhong before?