In the thirty-first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang unsheathes his blade and launches a massacre of the wealthy families south of the Yangtze.
Su Chen, who has transmigrated as the heir to the richest family in the region, pretends to be the most debauched wastrel in the world and squanders the family fortune in a mad bid to escape the Ming Dynasty. In reality, he secretly transfers all his assets overseas and quietly builds the Great Xia Empire, with three thousand ironclad warships and an invincible army of one million!
At last, the day comes when Old Zhu issues an order to confiscate the Su family’s assets and exile Su Chen overseas.
As the Su family falls, everyone joins in kicking them while they’re down. The daughter of the Xu family tears up their engagement in public, while officials across the court heap scorn on Su Chen, calling him a worthless good-for-nothing.
Wearing shackles, Su Chen is grinning from ear to ear. “Good! Confiscate everything! Now I can return to my empire and ascend the throne as the ruler of the world, fair and square!”
But just as he happily prepares to board the ship taking him into exile,
The Heavenly Dao rumbles, and a sky screen appears over the Ming Dynasty, revealing the rankings for the [Greatest Empire of All Time] and the [World Hegemon List]!
[Number One: Great Xia Empire! Head of State: Su Chen!]
[Revealed strength: Territory ten times larger than the Ming! Divine crops yielding one hundred piculs per mu! Three thousand ironclad warships! Cannons capable of crushing their foes with superior technology!]
As the sky screen broadcasts images of a steampunk metropolis rivaling the Celestial Palace, and Su Chen in imperial robes receiving envoys from every nation…
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been preparing to unleash a bloodbath, collapses in terror. “I just confiscated the home of the world’s hegemon? And sent him back to his capital?!”
The young lady who broke off the engagement is consumed by regret. “I actually looked down on an unrivaled emperor who ruled the entire globe?!”
As the cannons of a hundred-thousand-strong ironclad navy take aim at Yingtian Prefecture,
Officials across the court fall to their knees and wail, “Your Majesty, Emperor Su, don’t fire! The Ming is willing to offer tribute and a royal bride!”
Su Chen waves a hand. “Old Zhu, don’t panic. I’m just an ordinary exile.”
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