Standing before you is the Ming dynasty's all-around zero-to-hero God of War, the emperor who called for the gates to be opened, the Oirat exchange student, the social menace, the man who held two reign titles, and the God of War Ming Baozong, who served as the sixth and eighth emperors of the Great Ming.
As everyone knows, the Ming dynasty's wise emperors were distributed around Baozong.
A master of slacking off, Baozong had a varied career covering all sorts of positions, from emperor to prisoner of war to captive, and back to emperor.
He could even make Zhu Yuanzhang rise from his coffin in a fit of rage.
Zhu Qizhen woke up to find himself transformed into the Ming emperor with the same name, surname, and appearance.
The good news was that it was the ninth year of the Zhengtong era, five years before he would lose the Tumu Crisis and be captured.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a voice sounded by his ear:
"Your Majesty, Tumu Fortress is just ahead."
The bad news was that the Tumu Crisis was happening ahead of schedule.
Zhu Qizhen's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.
Who could have guessed that the young emperor would go on a wild trip outside the palace as soon as he took power?
The consequence of moving everything up by five years was that no one would be left to clean up the mess.
The good news was that he had a golden finger: the dormant System he'd carried since birth had finally activated.
The bad news:
Ding! Host meets the requirements. Tyrant System activated.
Just as the name said, it was a Tyrant System.
Zhenzhen: This can't be right. At most, I'm a pretty face and a good-for-nothing. I'm nowhere near tyrant material.
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Baozong was the true genius, the sort who could lie around and still pass with flying colors. Zhenzhen was wronged, but Zhenzhen knew his own limits.
Facing a deadly situation from the start, Zhenzhen: Is it too late to lie down in a coffin now?
I shouldn't be here. I should be underground.
It's hopeless. I'll wait for death. Goodbye.
Ding! Slacker points achieved.
The tyrant's passive skill [Thunderstruck] activates.
The enemy troops have been severely wounded.
Our soldiers stared wide-eyed and gazed at their emperor, the God of War of the Great Ming, Zhu Qizhen, with admiration.
No food or water. The soldiers were parched and starving, and both men and horses were exhausted.
Skill [Pool of Wine and Forest of Meat] activates.
Zhenzhen: Boohoo, there's no food or water, only wine and meat. Let's make do with this.
Before: Zhenzhen: My Ming dynasty is doomed.
After: Zhenzhen: My Ming dynasty... might still be salvageable.
The treasury was empty, the people were impoverished, and the imperial coffers were bare.
Skill [Excessive Taxation] activates. Gold and silver deposits hidden in the mountains automatically turn into Zhengtong-era gold and silver coins, pouring into the imperial coffers.
The Emperor: Even rocks can be squeezed for money. Yep, that's a tyrant for you.
Low productivity, scarce supplies, bitter cold and snow. The people were freezing and starving, and the border troops lacked medicine and supplies.
Skill [Extravagance and Debauchery] activates. The shop opens, with dazzling goods of every kind.
The Emperor watched a movie while taking inventory of the supplies, spent half the night peeling off the labels, and missed court the next morning.
Passive skill [Wishful Thinking] activates.
The Emperor: That enemy is truly hateful. They raid the border and plunder the people, acting so arrogant. With an appetite that big, why doesn't he choke to death?
The next day, word arrived that the enemy leader had choked to death at a victory banquet.
The entire court looked at the Emperor differently.
The entire court: His Majesty's words are the will of Heaven! Whatever he says comes true!
Passive skill [Baozong Distribution] activates.
Natural disasters and earthquakes kept happening, but not one of them touched the Great Ming. It was the ultimate master of disasters that just barely missed the borders.
Neighboring regions and tribes moved to the Great Ming, family by family and tribe by tribe, seeking the protection of the Heavenly Khan.
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Achievement [Flattery] unlocked.
A master of naval warfare, a trendsetter, and a controller of public opinion: how could a tyrant go without people singing his praises and extolling his virtues?!
Breaking news: The people have set up a longevity tablet in honor of their wise and mighty Emperor, praying that the Sagely Ruler live to a hundred.
Achievement [Beauty Ruins the Nation] unlocked.
The beautiful Emperor bewitched the ministers with his face, severely reducing their work efficiency. The ministers' minds wandered, and their lovesickness levels went up by one, then one more...
Daily quest [From Now On, the Emperor Never Rises Early for Court] in progress.
The Great Ming Daily: "Shocking! His Majesty Travels in Disguise and Nearly Gets Kidnapped for His Beauty in Broad Daylight"
Who did that? What excellent taste.
"Letter from a Reader: I Finally Believe Palace Intrigue Is About Love"
An anonymous reader was unmasked as a court official, triggering factional infighting.
The ministers: Your Majesty, the laws of our ancestors must not be changed!
The Emperor: I'm a tyrant, you know.
The ministers: Your Majesty, the words of the sages must not be discarded!
The Emperor: After all, I'm a tyrant, you know.
The ministers: Your Majesty...
The Emperor: Enough. How many times have I told you? I'm a tyrant, you know.
I'm reforming the civil service examinations, expanding basic education, uprooting Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and digging up the grave of male superiority.
Come on, keep the music playing and keep dancing.
Later:
The entire court: Your Majesty, we understand. You have your reasons.
The Emperor: What the hell do you understand? I'm a tyrant!
The entire court, with tears in their eyes: Your Majesty has achieved so much, yet remains so humble. We are deeply ashamed.
The tyrant Emperor is more beautiful than a flower, no, may he live as long as Heaven itself, wise and mighty.
The Emperor: I'm going to be the number-one tyrant. Don't stop me. I want to be a tyrant!
In later generations, the textbooks would print:
The greatest emperor of all time, a prosperous and sagacious ruler, the chosen son of Heaven of the Great Ming, the dynasty's guardian deity, master of all lands under Heaven, eternal teacher of the people, pioneer of the scientific revolution, an undying beacon of human civilization, the supreme sage of commerce, and the eternal white moonlight and cinnabar mole in the hearts of people around the world.
[Reader's Guide]
1. Transmigrate into a book; fictional setting, not an attempt to erase or distort history.
2. The tyrant Emperor is a universal favorite and keeps to himself. Everyone's feelings for him are one-sided, and the beautiful tyrant sometimes responds when he feels like it.
3. The main story's style is like the blurb: the tyrant Emperor is silly and adorable.
[Blurb archived May 3, 2022]
Theme: Offer up some silliness to a beautiful world
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[Western Crossover] Reluctant Casanova
[Western Crossover] CEO Bruce