In the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, the sky in Wudang Mountain cracked. An ancient seal script was found on the stone wall: "The Zhu family is in charge of the world, and one dragon determines the world. Two phoenixes compete for the dragon's veins, and the destiny can be extended for five hundred years."
A Taoist priest named Zhang Wugu was ordered to go down the mountain and enter the East Palace. He revived the dying prince Zhu Biao and started a secret war in the court that lasted for forty years. Zhu Yuanzhang was trying to clear the way for the prince, the Blue Jade case, the Hu Weiyong case, the Kongyin case - behind every major case there was an invisible hand adjusting the chessboard; Zhu Di was sharpening his sword in Peking for three years, and Yao Guangxiao was weaving a web in the dark; He Sheng turned from the master of the East Palace to a forgotten old man; the three kings jointly signed a letter "please decentralize power to the prince" and were placed under house arrest by Zhu Yuanzhang; Concubine Zhang in the harem wanted to have another son, and was banned from Fengyang overnight.
And that Taoist priest, was he sincere in saving Zhu Biao or was he just pretending? The word "forgiveness" engraved on the inside of the sapphire button at his waist - Chen Youliang's "forgiveness" - is a birthmark that he can never wash away.
Zhu Biao lived twenty-six more years. Zhu Di waited for twenty-six more years. The Ming Dynasty has a whole secret history that has been lightly mentioned in history books, but is enough to shake future generations.
Half of Emperor Yongle's empire was left to him by Zhu Biao. And the Taoist priest put down his sword in the turbulent court.
