Emperor Chenghua: From Crushing the Northern Tribes to an Empire Where the Sun Never Sets

In the first month of the eighth year of Tianshun, Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, passed away. The eighteen-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne and adopted the reign title Chenghua. At the same time, a soul from the twenty-first century, Chen Ke, a doctoral student in history, transmigrated into the body of the young emperor after dying in an accident.

Chen Ke had studied the history of the Ming Dynasty extensively and knew how the Chenghua era would unfold: the Jurchen would rise in Liaodong and take control of the Central Plains a century later; the West had already entered the Age of Discovery, while the Ming had permanently shut its doors to the ocean after Liu Daxia burned the archives. He also knew that the original owner of this body would die twenty-three years later, leaving behind an empire that seemed peaceful on the surface but was riddled with crises.

But this time, history would be entirely different.

Chen Ke discovered that he had a golden finger with him: the “Civilization Atlas,” a knowledge base spanning the ages that could unlock everything from agricultural techniques to industrial blueprints, and from military equipment to plans for social governance by accumulating “National Fortune Points.” These points came from strengthening the nation, advancing technology, expanding its territory, and winning the people’s hearts.