The Ming Dynasty's National Fate Strategist

Lu Linchuan woke up to find himself in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the thirteenth year of Hongwu.

The aftermath of the Empty Seal Case had yet to settle, the Hu Weiyong case had just erupted, and Zhu Yuanzhang was at the height of his bloodlust. Every official in court was living in fear. All Lu Linchuan had was a mysterious sand table capable of simulating the fate of the Ming dynasty.

He knew Zhu Biao would die young, Zhu Xiongying would perish in childhood, and Empress Ma’s death would make the Hongwu Emperor even more ruthless. He also knew that after Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, his campaign to curb the princes would spiral out of control, and Prince Yan, Zhu Di, would eventually raise an army, as the flames of the Jingnan Campaign engulfed the Ming realm.

To survive and find his way home, Lu Linchuan had no choice but to speak up beneath Zhu Yuanzhang’s blade.

Save the crown prince first, then the imperial grandson. Protect the empress first, then stabilize the court. Keep Prince Yan in check first, then give him a path to defend the Ming borders.

Abolish the power of the chancellery, clean up officialdom, regulate the imperial clan, rein in the scholars, control the princes, and change the fate of the empire.

He was neither an immortal nor a strategist.

He was simply someone who had seen how it ended.

And this time, he would drag the Ming dynasty back from a blood-soaked path it was doomed to follow.