Great Novels Set in the Ming Dynasty, Including the Late Ming 大明、明朝、明末好书推荐

1. 651 明 Late Ming: Building a Free Trade Port in Hainan 明末：我在海南建设自贸港 Old General of Guanzhong关西老将Historical1.1M WordsCompleted In the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, aboard a merchant ship bound for Luzon, Yang Yuhan is reborn as a lowly ship’s slave. After enduring endless abuse, he fights back, puts down a mutiny, and is chosen as the ship’s captain. He leads the crew to Hainan Island, buys land in Sanya Village, Yazhou, builds factories, opens up sea routes, and creates a free trade port. He goes on to take control of the entire island, turning it into a haven amid the chaos and drawing people from the mainlan 858Reads6.0Score107Shelves

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   I've read this book; it's quite a good piece of writing.

2. 652 明 Late Ming: I Transmigrated as Chongzhen, Raising an Army to Conquer the Heavens 明末：穿越崇祯，朕暴兵征服诸天 Dreamcatcher in Broad Daylight白日捉梦Historical683k WordsCompleted Reborn as the Chongzhen Emperor, he wields a System that lets him exchange ten taels of silver for one battle-hardened soldier. He will pacify the chaos, open the transmigration gate, and sweep across the myriad worlds. Wherever the sun and moon shine, all shall belong to the Great Ming! 67Reads5.5Score—Shelves

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   Late Ming Dynasty, Time Travel, System, Mass Production of Soldiers: I recommend a time-travel novel set in the late Ming Dynasty, where you travel to the Chongzhen Emperor's era and exchange 10 taels of silver for a battle-hardened soldier. Watch as I conquer the world...

3. 653 大 Great Ming: No More Pretending, Your Grandpa Is Zhu Yuanzhang 大明：不装了，你爷爷我是朱元璋 All Under Heaven Are One天下大同Historical2.1M WordsOngoing Zhu Shou woke up one morning to find that he had transmigrated to the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty. His family was fairly well-off, but to his shock, he discovered that he was a wastrel with a brain disorder. After calculating the date of Crown Prince Zhu Biao’s impending early death, Zhu Shou hurried to discuss an important matter with his grandfather, who had always looked after him. “Old man, Crown Prince Zhu Biao is about to die. We’d better run!” That one sentence left his grandfather stu 1.9kReads9.1Score294Shelves

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   Zhu Shou transmigrates into the body of a spendthrift son of the Ming Dynasty. He foresees the early death of the crown prince and tries to flee, only to discover that his grandfather is actually Zhu Yuanzhang! Witness how this time-traveling adventure unfolds amidst the turmoil of the imperial court!

4. 654 朱 Zhu Cilang: My Southern Ming Will Not Retreat into a Corner 朱慈烺，朕的南明不偏安 Zhu Huifei朱惠斐Historical275k WordsOngoing [Not a wish-fulfillment story, slow burn, proceed with caution!] + [Purely intellectual] + [Political scheming] + [A contest for supremacy] + [Highly intelligent antagonists] In the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign, the calamity of 1644 struck. The capital fell, and the emperor died on Coal Hill. Zhu Cilang wakes up to find he has transmigrated into the last crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. He opens his eyes to a desperate situation: his country has fallen and his family is dead. The pal 2.2kReads—Score197Shelves

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   This book is good. It's a bit slow at the beginning, but it gets better after the first ten chapters. If you don't like it, come back and scold me. [Thinking]

5. 655 我 I'm a Military Engineer, and You Want Me to Save the Ming? 我一搞军工的，你让我拯救大明？ Stainless Steel Poet不锈钢诗人Historical555k WordsOngoing [Traditional history] [Historical farming and development] [Survival in a chaotic age] [No System] [Military-industrial system] [Late Ming power struggle] Qin Feng, a technician at an arms manufacturing group and a major military history forum influencer, opens his eyes to find himself a low-ranking border officer in the second year of the Chongzhen reign, with only ten men under his command. Three days later, Hong Taiji’s fifty thousand Eight Banners troops breach the frontier. Historically, no 3.8kReads6.8Score235Shelves

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   Good books on the history of the Ming Dynasty

6. 656 中 Reviving the Great Ming: A Lone Minister Founds Constitutional Rule 中兴大明，我以孤臣开宪政 Starry Words星星语话Historical731k WordsOngoing The protagonist, Su Ran, transmigrates into another world when the Tianqi Great Explosion occurs. Through a stroke of fortune, he takes over the original owner’s body and enters the chaotic final years of the Ming Dynasty. See: A modern transmigrator versus the chosen one of the age. Heaven itself seems determined to help the Qing, the chosen ones of this world, sending one disaster after another: droughts, locust plagues, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis... A whole new game of political intrigue, 49Reads—Score—Shelves

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   See how the protagonist, a time traveler, fights against the son of the Qing Dynasty! Because this is about changing your fate against the will of heaven

7. 657 最 The Most Dangerous Job: Transmigrate to the Late Ming as Chancellor 最危险的工作：穿越到明末当宰相 Actually, I'm Quite Mischievous其实我很淘气Historical131k WordsOngoing #Historically Researched #No System, Just a Comeback #Industry Saves the Nation Help! A cultural relic restorer has barely transmigrated when the Chongzhen Emperor hands him a delicate young princess: “Li Zicheng will be at the city gates in three days. Hurry and get her out of here!” Me: ??? I restore artifacts. I can't restore a script about a fallen dynasty! Luckily, while restoring artifacts, I saw the secret behind the Tianqi explosion, which led me to a formula for silver gunpowder! I 5Reads—Score—Shelves

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   Unsystematic, rigorous historical writing by an old-fashioned writer.

8. 658 明 Late Ming: My KPIs Will Save the Great Ming 明末：我的KPI拯救大明 Lonely but Strong寂寞坚强Historical329k WordsCompleted A top modern management consultant transmigrates to the turbulent final years of the Ming dynasty, becoming a disgraced county magistrate awaiting his death. He sees the crumbling Great Ming as a corporation on the brink of bankruptcy, and saving it as the ultimate KPI he must achieve. From then on, a barrage of modern management strategies, from audit crackdowns and KPI assessments to currency wars and state-owned enterprise reform, slams into the corrupt old world. He must not only keep the Gr 7Reads—Score—Shelves

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   Having transmigrated to the Ming Dynasty, I, a top bankruptcy restructuring expert in my previous life, find the Ming Dynasty before me to be nothing more than a dilapidated company with chaotic accounts and insolvency. Emperor Chongzhen on the dragon throne is a CEO on the verge of collapse; the entire court is full of shareholders who have siphoned off the company's assets. Since that's the case, don't blame me for using extraordinary measures! I'll use KPIs to evaluate officials, "optimizing" out all the incompetent! I'll govern the country with financial statements, turning the national treasury's cash flow positive in three years! The Donglin Party wants to play power games with me? I'll use equity incentives to make them fight amongst themselves, begging me to go public! My goal isn't to become emperor, but to become the sole chief bankruptcy officer of this Ming Dynasty conglomerate!

9. 659 明 The Reversal That Began at Prince Fu's Mansion in the Late Ming 明末从福王府开始的逆袭 Little Flying Elephant小飛象Historical887k WordsCompleted After transmigrating to the fourth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Cihua became the most unfortunate eldest grandson of the Prince of Fu in history. His grandfather was a notorious miser, his father did nothing but listen to music, and his two uncles were waiting eagerly for him to fall out of favor. Worse still, he remembered history: ten years later, Li Zicheng would capture Luoyang, and the whole family would become part of a “Fu-Lu Feast.” Rather than wait to die... So eleven-year-old Zhu Cihua start 1.3kReads6.0Score100Shelves

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   Transmigrating to the turbulent late Ming Dynasty, dealing with the Donglin Party and powerful Shanxi merchant families—it's tough! You'll have to adapt to whatever comes your way. This book is good; you should read it.

10. 660 穿 I Transmigrated to the Ming Dynasty as the Emperor’s Brother-in-Law and Saved Zhu Xiongying from the Start 穿越大明成国舅，开局救了朱雄英 Er Bai二白Historical690k WordsOngoing In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Xiongying, the Emperor’s eldest grandson, dies, and his body disappears. Not long afterward, a young doctor arrives in the capital with a small apprentice. Thanks to his exceptional medical skills, he quickly becomes the talk of the town. His apprentice, in particular, looks almost exactly like the Emperor’s eldest grandson. “My father died young, leaving me only a compass and a white lotus jade pendant. Before my mother passed away, she said I had an older s 2kReads5.4Score196Shelves

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    In the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, it's worth a try.

11. 661 大 Great Ming: You Punch a Warhorse to Death, and You Say You Want to Be a Civil Official? 大明一拳打死战马你说要当文官？ I Eat Beef with Cilantro我吃牛肉加香菜Historical550k WordsOngoing Chen Dong transmigrates to the Yongle era. During Zhu Di’s first northern campaign, he starts out tending horses in the rear with Yu Qian and awakens the Immortal Civil Official System. Since he is on the battlefield, why is the System’s first reward the strength of a hegemon? What? The System is only active for three days? If he doesn’t become one of Zhu Di’s civil officials within three days, the System will shut down automatically, take back his rewards, and start a death countdown. Just then 2.8kReads—Score134Shelves

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    Absolutely!

12. 662 我 I Was Reborn as the Bowl from Zhu Yuanzhang’s Great Ming Origin Story 我穿成了大明朱元璋开局那一个碗 I Eat Beef with Cilantro我吃牛肉加香菜Historical322k WordsCompleted Everyone knows the history of the Ming Dynasty began with a bowl and ended with a rope. The good news is that I, Chen Xihai, transmigrated to the Ming Dynasty with a System. The bad news is that I’m the very bowl the dynasty began with. To activate the System, Zhu Yuanzhang has to touch me with his own hands. Tell me, when will a broken bowl enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple ever get the chance to activate a System? Then one day, Zhu Yuanzhang came to the temple with Empress Ma, Zhu Bia 1.2kReads—Score—Shelves
13. 663 白 White Owl Stirs the Seas 白枭乱海 Li Yu618黎渔618Historical609k WordsCompleted This is not a wish-fulfillment story. It's a slow-burning, hard-hitting tale of artisans' tragic struggle to survive and hold on to their humanity as technology twists their craft. Tang Jian was an artisan who had spent half his life preserving traditional skills. Sugar was his material, his craft his blade, and his fingertips once shaped the warmth of everyday life and the beauty of handmade objects. As chaos engulfed the world, survival became his only obsession. He turned his extraordinary s 5Reads—Score—Shelves

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    The Jiajing Emperor's Sea Ban and the Rise of Sugar Power: *The White Owl's Chaotic Sea* During the Jiajing reign, the sea ban was strictly enforced, yet the sugar industry in the southeast became the most secretive power game on the coast. Sugar, known as "white gold," attracted a frenzy of competition. Tang Jian, a master sugar craftsman, intended to preserve his craft until old age, but his exceptional skills drew him into the struggle for sugar power among officials, merchants, and bandits. From a gentle artisan to a ruthless hawk in a chaotic world, his craft became a weapon, and sugar crystals a deadly weapon, writing a tragic epic of sugar power under the iron curtain of the sea ban. A slow-burn, hardcore story; those who enjoy historical intrigue and artisan themes should skip it!

14. 664 来 Since I'm Already Here, I'll Save the Great Ming 来都来了，我要救大明 Daoyang's Victorious Fighting Buddha道阳的斗战胜佛Historical2.0M WordsOngoing My new work is out! Please check it out on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 92Reads—Score142Shelves

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    Although it hasn't been rated yet, this is definitely a worthwhile old-school time-travel novel. There's no system or cheat code, the villains aren't unintelligent, and there are no foolproof weapons or tactics. Watch how the protagonist uses his wits to fight against all sorts of monsters and demons. It includes all the elements: cunning political maneuvering, bloody warfare, and assassination/espionage.

15. 665 崇 Chongzhen Has Three Days Left Before He Hangs Himself, and All I Can Do Is Read People 崇祯还有三天上吊，而我只会看人 Cephalosporin in Beer头孢泡啤酒Historical282k WordsOngoing He spent eight years tightening screws on an assembly line, then dropped dead at his station. When he opened his eyes again, a gazette lay spread across the table, dated the sixteenth day of the third month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen. Three days later, Li Zicheng would breach Beijing. Seven days later, the Chongzhen Emperor would hang himself on Coal Hill. And his new identity was Zheng Sen, Zheng Zhilong’s son, a Fujianese provincial graduate in the capital to sit the metropolitan exa 11Reads—Score—Shelves

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    The protagonist transmigrates into Zheng Chenggong's body, making up for the five hundred years he missed, saving Emperor Chongzhen and leading the Northern Expedition against the Manchus. Brothers looking for something to read might want to check this out.

16. 666 大 The Great Ming Embroidered Guard: A Mirror of Three Generations 大明锦衣卫：三世山河鉴 Leaning into Late Autumn倚深秋Historical301k WordsCompleted A chronicle of three generations of the Shen clan's imperial guards. It begins in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu and ends in the ninth year of Jiajing, spanning 138 years and twelve reigns, from Hongwu to Jiajing. The founder, Shen Lie, rose from the ranks of the guards. His family motto was, “With a blade in hand, know whom to strike, and know when to sheath it.” He weathered the flames of the Jingnan Campaign and laid the foundations for the family's hereditary office. His son, Shen Chen, was 5Reads—Score—Shelves

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    This almost spanned the entire Ming Dynasty

17. 667 永 The Yongle Mystery: Zheng He's Voyages in Search of the Jianwen Emperor 永乐迷踪：郑和下西洋寻建文 The Kind Big Bad Wolf善良的大大灰狼Historical166k WordsCompleted In the first year of the Yongle era, the Nanjing palace burns to the ground in a single night, and the Jianwen Emperor vanishes without a trace. Zhu Di seals off the entire city and tortures former officials and eunuchs, but all he finds in the ashes is a charred corpse whose identity cannot be confirmed. Years later, on Zheng He's second voyage to the Western Seas, he falls ill and lies unconscious for three days. When he wakes, he realizes that his dream of the night Nanjing burned was no nigh 3Reads—Score—Shelves

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    I'm just recommending my own book here 😳😳😳

18. 668 大 The Iron-Boned Ming, Zhu Qizhen the Fortress Emperor 大明硬骨头，堡宗朱祁镇 Book Silkworm书蚕虫Historical204k WordsOngoing [No System, no golden finger, no overpowered protagonist, no crushing everyone with brute force] On the eve of the Tumu Crisis, he transmigrates as Zhu Qizhen and is emperor for just one day. Why did Zhu Qizhen clear Wang Zhen's name? Was the Zhu Qizhen who returned to power in history really the same man? Did the Ming dynasty truly begin its decline with him? Of the sixteen Ming emperors, how many met a clear-cut end? He must survive first. Only then can he think about anything else. With three 1.1kReads—Score117Shelves

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    The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were all tough and resolute, so why did Zhu Qizhen emerge as an anomaly? Let me tell you the story...

19. 669 人 Humanity Worships No Gods 人间不奉神 Wind and Snow Illuminate Dragon City风雪照龙城Eastern Fantasy414k WordsOngoing The universe has two layers: reality is a void where life is harvested, and black holes are abysses of power. The old Heavenly Dao cultivates souls through immortal cultivation and offers them up as sacrifices when they ascend. Countless living beings are nothing more than food for evil gods. Ten thousand years ago, humanity’s ancient sages sacrificed their souls to forge Ye Fan, the soul of civilization. Ten thousand years later, a modern military engineer transmigrates to the Ming Dynasty. Wit 3Reads—Score—Shelves

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    A modern military tycoon transmigrates to the Jiajing era, starting by blowing up a cultivation furnace and using science to directly confront immortal techniques. He forges steel in blast furnaces, manufactures guns and cannons, Gatling guns sweep away cultivators, and Force cannons shatter immortal energy; even mortal iron can slay immortals and demons!

20. 670 我 I Have a Wormhole to the End of the Ming Dynasty 我有虫洞去明末 The World's One and Only Wang天下无二汪Historical1.9M WordsCompleted A magical wormhole that only one person can travel through at a time. On the other side lies the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, with Chongzhen soon to take the throne. Trade century-old ginseng from the Ming dynasty for pocket change in the modern world, force the late Ming to advance its technology, and take revenge to your heart’s content! Recover Liaodong in five years? Pah! Even two years is too slow! The Ming dynasty, which began with a bowl and ended with a noose, is about to be brought 4.6kReads8.7Score348Shelves

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    Erwang's late Ming Dynasty trilogy is excellent; the author is superb.

21. 671 祖 With Our Ancestors' Blessing, the Great Ming Rises 祖宗保佑之风起大明 Old Man in a Straw Raincoat烟雨蓑翁Historical425k WordsCompleted [No System + Massive Infrastructure Projects + Advanced Technology + Ming Empire] In the final years of the Ming dynasty, society is in turmoil, with natural disasters and human calamities leaving nine out of ten households empty. After Xu Da forcefully drags Xu Xian along, he arrives in the Ming dynasty. With his own strength alone, he will save Chongzhen, restore the people's livelihoods, reclaim Taiwan, and conquer North America. With the help of a host of ancient Chinese scientists, he will 4Reads—Score—Shelves

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    Let's take a look at a world of [No System] + [Major Infrastructure] + [High-Tech] + [The Ming Dynasty Empire]. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, society was in turmoil, plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities, leaving nine out of ten houses empty. Xu Xian, tricked by Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and others, arrived in the Ming Dynasty. He will single-handedly save Emperor Chongzhen, restore the people's livelihood, reclaim Taiwan, and conquer East Asia. With the help of a group of ancient Chinese scientists, he will build warships, venture into the deep blue sea, and conquer the world. He will create a Ming Empire where all nations pay tribute, and even more importantly, a peaceful world where swords are turned into plowshares. "I will make every place where the sun shines the land of the Ming! I will make every place where the moonlight falls the citizens of the Ming!"

22. 672 大 Ming Dynasty 1617 大明1617 Pale Ink, Blue Robe淡墨青衫Historical5.6M WordsCompleted What can a modern businessman do after transmigrating to Shanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty? Will he become the leader of the Shanxi merchants? Will he grow richer than the state itself? Will he win over people, establish a council, and ultimately turn the Ming Dynasty into a vast joint-stock corporation? Will he form a merchant army, using profit to spur soldiers on and eventually gaining supreme power? It all unfolds in Ming Dynasty 1617, a story that approaches the Ming Dynasty from a merc 28Reads8.5Score—Shelves

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    Come and read some good books from the Ming Dynasty

23. 673 龙 The Dragon Roars Over the Great Ming 龙啸大明 Mu Lin Sen444木林森444Historical4.4M WordsCompleted The late Ming Dynasty: a humiliating history, a heartbreaking era. Some fought on, ready to die resisting to the last, while others grovelled and wavered between sides. The last Han Chinese dynasty collapsed with a crash, the greatest tragedy in Chinese history. But Shang Yi, a special forces soldier from the twenty-first century, returns to the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign (1642), where he is given a chance to correct the mistake made three hundred years earlier. 2.9kReads8.3Score261Shelves
24. 674 重 Reborn as a Duke of the Ming Dynasty 重生之大明国公 Terracotta Warrior兵俑Historical6.3M WordsCompleted An accident transmigrates Zhang Fan, a top economics student, to the Ming dynasty. A different identity, a different environment, a different life. How will he make his way through it? The path already laid out for him draws him into the heart of the Ming regime, step by step toward the pinnacle of the dynasty! 1.6kReads7.3Score101Shelves
25. 675 雄 Dominating the Great Ming: I Am Cao Cao 雄峙大明：我乃曹贼 One Lazy Cat懒一只猫Historical1.7M WordsCompleted While everyone else transmigrates into the role of a young lord, Cao Meng ends up as nothing more than a low-ranking border garrison soldier... The imperial troops are brutal, the bandits run rampant, and the Tartars are savage! What a start... This is way too damn harsh... Everyone else wants to avoid becoming a rebel, but Cao Meng has no choice. Cao the Thief! Here I come~ 2.1kReads8.2Score144Shelves

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    Only these were found

26. 676 大 The Ming Dynasty’s Greatest Warrior 大明第一武夫 Chasing the Deer at the End of the Ming Dynasty明末逐鹿Historical1.2M WordsCompleted Zhu Yunfei, once the greatest mercenary of his generation, is unexpectedly reborn in the late Ming Dynasty. He becomes a soldier on the Liaodong front, fighting at the Battle of Songjin. Watch as he turns the tide, sweeps away the Jurchen invaders, crushes the rebel bands, and claims an empire and its beauties. 2.9kReads8.5Score257Shelves

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    A book that concluded in the late Ming Dynasty! (Hooray!)

27. 677 大 Great Ming: My Grandfather Is the Yongle Emperor 大明，我祖父是永乐大帝 Eight Precepts Taoist八戒道人Historical343k WordsCompleted After transmigrating to the Ming dynasty, Zhu Zhanqi discovers that his grandfather is Zhu Di and his own father is planning a rebellion! How can that be? Dad, let's not rebel. I'll help you develop Ming technology instead! Before he knows it, Zhu Zhanqi looks back and discovers that the whole world is already at his feet. 38Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This book is very good, but it's a bit short.

28. 678 大 Great Ming: I'm the Emperor, So Why Are You Hailing the Crown Prince? 大明：咱是皇帝，你喊太子万岁？ Ah, the Other Side of the Water水一方啊Historical2.5M WordsCompleted [Not mindless! Fast-paced plot! A Hongwu-era take on Home with Kids!] After his soul transmigrates into Zhu Biao, he awakens the Long Live System. Every time he oversteps his bounds and acts like the emperor, he gains more years of life! And so Zhu Biao begins his journey as a rebellious son! Zhu Biao: Stripping the vassal princes of their military power isn’t enough. We should cut their stipends, too! Old Zhu: You’re not leaving your brothers any way to survive! Zhu Biao: Having only two consor 6.5kReads7.0Score426Shelves

    Reader note

    🌸🌸🌸The first book begins with the protagonist in prison, his fellow inmate Zhu Yuanzhang. He gradually tricks Zhu Yuanzhang into becoming emperor, starting with their sworn brotherhood, then proceeding to eliminate the Yuan army and establish the Ming Dynasty.🌸🌸🌸The second book sees him as the fifth prince of the Ming Dynasty, corrupting its morals, betraying Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, and relying entirely on Zhu Biao for protection. [Laughs][kissing emoji]

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