Zhu Yougui had died once.
In his previous life, he murdered his father and seized the throne. He sat on the dragon throne for eight months before ending up disgraced and dying by the sword. In a chaotic era, imperial power was a poisoned blade. He fought with everything he had to claim it, only to stab himself in the end.
Reborn in the spring of 904, he awoke on a bone-chilling snowy night in the Luoyang palace. Zhu Wen kicked down the door, a bloodstained saber in hand. The agonizing slap that knocked out his teeth felt all too real, and he came fully to his senses: in this chaotic age, honest men were doomed. Only madmen could survive and seize control.
Everyone said the second son of the Zhu family was insane and absurd. He had no interest in competing for the succession or power. He spent his days flipping coins, shaving bark, and gnawing on dry flatbread, behaving like a complete idler.
But no one knew his madness was the best shield he could have.
He hid his mute handwriting and penned three secret letters, throwing the foreign enemy, his siblings, and the ruler into disarray. He used the chaos of the times as cover to hide his guards, lay long-term plans, and recruit death warriors, advancing step by step through a palace rife with suspicion. He kept a broken tooth as a reminder of the blood debts from his previous life, and hid a pair of scissors as a token of the warmth between mother and son, moving clear-eyed through a world of flashing blades.
Zhu Wen was suspicious and bloodthirsty, so he used his wits to break through dilemmas and turn circumstances to his advantage. Zhu Youzhen was hypocritical and scheming, so he tore off the mask and disrupted stability with chaos. Li Cunxu watched like a tiger ready to pounce, so he maneuvered across the board and played the world like a game of chess.
Everyone sought the dragon throne and fought for power. Zhu Yougui alone wanted just one thing: to stay alive.
He didn't seek a title in this chaotic age or the hollow fame of an emperor. He only wanted to escape his fate and protect those around him, so the countless innocent people who died unjustly wouldn't have to become pawns in the struggle for imperial power.
The Tang dynasty was collapsing, Liang and Tang were trading places, the land was in turmoil, and the board was set for a new game.
From the night he awoke amid snow and wind in 904, he would wield madness as a blade and stillness as a strategy, carving out a unique path to survival in this turbulent age.
