William Thompson must figure out what era he is in, or even whether he is still on Earth. What if he has ended up in another world? Only by understanding these big-picture circumstances can he make long-term plans, since an individual's power is truly insignificant in the face of the tides of history.

“Our Great Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor is, of course, the wise and mighty Emperor Hongwu!” When Edward Clark mentioned the current emperor, he couldn’t help but stand up and cup his hands in the direction of the imperial city, his face full of respect.

Note: Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, with the reign title Hongwu, and this reign title never changed. Therefore, among the people, he is also called Emperor Hongwu, or Zhu Hongwu.

“The Ming Dynasty! The founding emperor!” Upon hearing these two key pieces of information, William Thompson also showed a shocked expression. He had actually traveled back to the early Ming Dynasty, and it was even during Zhu Yuanzhang’s reign.

But after thinking it over carefully, William Thompson also breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were still occasional wars during Zhu Yuanzhang’s reign, the nation’s strength was on the rise, and the country was generally peaceful. It wasn’t until his troublesome imperial grandson took the throne that internal conflicts erupted, leading to the later Jingnan Campaign, which resulted in Zhu Di seizing the throne.

“What year is it now?” William Thompson pressed further. If it was already the late Hongwu period, he would have to start preparing to pick sides in advance.

“It’s the twenty-second year of Hongwu. Just last year, His Majesty celebrated his sixtieth birthday. That day, the two of us even went into the palace for a cup of imperial wine. Don’t you remember any of this?” As Edward Clark recalled their visit to the palace last year, his face lit up with excitement, and he asked William Thompson again, holding onto a sliver of hope.

William Thompson silently shook his head, but he also felt relieved. It was now the twenty-second year of Hongwu, and he remembered that Zhu Yuanzhang died in the thirty-first year of Hongwu. In other words, Zhu Yuanzhang still had nine years left to live, and this year the Ming Dynasty was at the height of its power, having completed the unification of its territory. This was truly the peak of the Hongwu era.

Another point worth mentioning was that Crown Prince Zhu Biao—Zhu Di’s elder brother and Zhu Yunwen’s father—was still alive, so there was no rush to pick sides. He had at least a dozen years to prepare.

“Wait a minute! Into the palace? The two of us could enter the palace?” At this moment, William Thompson suddenly realized something. Earlier, Edward Clark had said his father’s rank wasn’t high, so how could he have taken the two of them into the palace? Unless there was some other connection!

“I’m at least a young marquis. Normally, I wouldn’t have the right to enter the palace, but on His Majesty’s birthday, bringing you along wasn’t a big deal. Besides, you have a grandfather who once served as prime minister.” Edward Clark patted his chest again, clearly proud of his family background.

“My grandfather was a prime minister!” Upon hearing this, William Thompson was overjoyed. He had thought he was just a second-generation official, but it turned out he was third-generation, and the grandson of a prime minister at that! The prime minister was second only to the emperor, above all others in the court!

“So that means I’m basically the legendary top-tier playboy, someone who can walk sideways across the entire capital?” William Thompson thought to himself with glee. Having lived two lives, could it be that Heaven knew how hard he had it in his previous life and was making it up to him in this one?

Seeing the joy on William Thompson’s face, Edward Clark at his side secretly sighed. It seemed his cousin really had lost his memory. Otherwise, at the mention of his prime minister grandfather, he would never have shown such an expression. In fact, if not for that grandfather, he wouldn’t have gone mad and lost his memory, ending up like this.

“Cousin, what’s my grandfather’s name?” After his moment of joy, William Thompson immediately pressed for more details. All he could think about was the phrase “descendant of a prime minister.” Even if his grandfather had retired, the connections and influence he left behind were far beyond what ordinary officials could match.

“Your grandfather is a great man. When His Majesty first rose up, your grandfather joined him and followed him through life and death, earning countless merits. After His Majesty ascended the throne, he was given the title ‘Founding Assistant, Sincere and Upright Minister,’ promoted to Grand Master for Special Advancement, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Left Pillar of State, Grand Preceptor, Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, ennobled as Duke of Han, with an annual stipend of four thousand shi, and his descendants inherited the title…”

As Edward Clark recounted his grandfather’s achievements, William Thompson was excited at first, but gradually felt something was wrong—especially as he heard the string of titles and positions. With each one Edward Clark listed, his face grew paler, because he was starting to guess who his grandfather was.

At this moment, Edward Clark continued, “Among all the founding ministers, your grandfather’s merits were the greatest. His Majesty even granted him an iron certificate, exempting him from two executions, and his sons from one. His name is…”

“Li Shanchang!” Before Edward Clark could finish, William Thompson blurted out the name with a bitter expression. He was very familiar with this number one founding minister of the Ming Dynasty.

“Huh? Cousin, you actually remember his name?” Edward Clark was greatly surprised.

William Thompson gave a wry smile and nodded, but didn’t explain. His mind was now filled with Li Shanchang’s life story. According to the historical records, in the twenty-third year of Hongwu, Li Shanchang was ordered to die by Zhu Yuanzhang, and more than seventy members of his family, including his wife, daughters, sisters, and nephews, were executed. And now, it was the twenty-second year of Hongwu.

Chapter Two: Is the Princess “Fashionable”?