Zhu Youjian, First Sergeant

Secondly, why did the officials at the end of the Ming Dynasty appear to be so incompetent? To explain this issue clearly, we must first talk about the foundation of officialdom: the imperial examination system. The imperial examination originally served two purposes: first, to consolidate governance by gathering the most intelligent people in the country into the imperial court; and second, to…

The author gives me the impression of being prone to overly sentimental or pretentious writing, both from the title and the last sentence of the chapter on historical perspectives 😏.

Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian) of the Ming Dynasty died and was reborn in the next life, then died in the next life and traveled back in time—a triple time travel! Even after three lifetimes, he's still so naive. The protagonist's first step upon returning is to restore the imperial guards to their state during the Hongwu era, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

The Ming Dynasty was essentially a collapsed system. Behind the Grand Secretaries were a bunch of people, none of whom could change their allegiance. The common people and military officers were completely abandoned. The emperor had no power to change things unless the emperor himself rebelled, starting with local landlords. Otherwise, there was no way to change things.

Starting with a hammer here and striking a stick there, digging holes everywhere, speaking incoherently, and making wild assumptions.

The primary purpose of the imperial examination system was to confine ambitious individuals, trapping all the nation's brightest minds within the rigid framework of the eight-legged essay, forcing them to immerse themselves in classical texts and dedicate their lives to scholarly pursuits. This would prevent them from indulging in unrealistic fantasies or being misled by deviant methods.

The bureaucratic system of the late Ming Dynasty was utterly corrupt. The vast majority of society's wealth was controlled by a small number of people who opposed even the slightest change. Zhang Juzheng and the Tianqi Emperor did not die a natural death, and the Wanli Emperor was seen as one of their kind.

The first two chapters were good, so I read on with high hopes, but after reading a little more, I found it getting worse and worse. Setting aside the established premise, a large portion of each chapter is just filler, crammed with personal opinions, and attempts to whitewash Yuan Chonghuan. Brainless! The protagonist has transmigrated so many times, where's his shrewdness? Two lifetimes, and he's still like a brat. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

After reading 14 episodes, the biggest problem is the inconsistent writing style. Sometimes it's literary, sometimes it's plain. Sometimes it's like an online novel, where you slap someone at the drop of a hat; other times it's like a novel like Dream of the Red Chamber, where you describe someone from head to toe. Then, it becomes somewhat boring if personal opinions are written too explicitly.

With more training, they might not be inferior to the Manchu soldiers. Once the Manchus conquered the Central Plains and lost their power and status... They can be united to resist by using the interests of their families and the restoration of their kingdoms.