Chapter 184: Chapter 119: Gu Gaoxu’s Multiplication Factor: 9, Reward: Medical Heart

There was nothing for it. Truly, nothing at all.

If you can’t change the original course of history, what about what comes after?

For instance, just skip the whole Jianwen era.

Let Emperor Yongle directly succeed the throne.

After all, when you really got down to it, Emperor Yongle was definitely a top-five emperor in all of history.

You could even say top three.

Of course, a lot of people would certainly disagree with that statement.

After all, five thousand years of magnificent Chinese history have produced countless great emperors.

It seems like you could casually name a few who would rank ahead of Emperor Yongle.

But in reality, there are very few who can truly be ranked above him.

You can’t judge an emperor based on a single achievement.

After all, an emperor is inevitably multi-faceted.

An emperor’s influence, after all, extends to the entire Empire.

An emperor must be proficient in both civil and Martial affairs.

You can’t look only at their literary accomplishments or only at their martial prowess.

Take Emperor Wu of Han, for example.

Was Emperor Wu of Han great?

Of course he was.

He forged a people, the Han ethnicity, through his conquests.

And considering our modern history, which one could say is filled with humiliation, we are full of admiration for such a martial emperor.

To say something that may be controversial,

Because of all this, Emperor Wu has even been elevated to a status he doesn’t quite deserve.

In his early years, Emperor Wu was absolutely brilliant and mighty.

A top-tier, first-class emperor, no doubt about it.

But what about later in his reign?

Terms like "militaristic and aggressive" and "nine homes out of ten emptied" might as well have been coined just for him.

If he hadn’t had a good son to clean up his mess, the Western Han Dynasty would have basically been finished.

When you look at a person, at an emperor, you can’t just look at their highlight reel; you have to look at the whole picture.

In the last twenty years of his life, you could say Emperor Wu of Han was even more foolish than a foolish ruler.

Right before his death, he managed to redeem himself somewhat with an edict of self-reproach.

You could say that if Emperor Wu of Han didn’t have those last twenty years, and you only looked at his first thirty, then the First Emperor would be number one, and he’d be number two.

But the problem is, he died too late.

In fact, this kind of situation has occurred many times throughout history.

For example, Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, and also Qianlong—these are all classic examples of emperors who died too late.

Of course, there were also those who died at just the right time, like Li Shimin.

Li Shimin also started to decline in his later years, but he died at the perfect moment, just as he was on the verge of becoming a muddled ruler.

Of course, this has been a huge tangent.

Coming back to Emperor Yongle, you’ll find that he was practically the gold standard for emperors.

In terms of martial ability, was this emperor capable?

He is the only emperor to have performed the sacrifice at Wolf Residence Mountain!

And notably, he personally led his troops into battle!

Emperor Wu of Han was also a martial emperor, but did he personally lead his troops to the northern deserts?

Emperor Yongle personally led five expeditions to the northern deserts!

Was there any emperor who was a better general than him?

The only one who could compare was Li Shimin.

What about governing the country?

Not only could he fight wars, but the most impressive thing was that he didn’t bankrupt the country doing it.

This is the most crucial point.

Unlike the later years of Emperor Wu, who basically gambled the nation’s foundation and destiny on his aggressive military campaigns.

But Emperor Yongle?

His reign was the golden age of Yongle. He was constantly at war, yet the country remained in a golden age.

Ten thousand nations came to pay tribute.

This was just like Li Shimin.

But there was one thing he had that Li Shimin didn’t.

The most incredible thing about Emperor Yongle was that it wasn’t just a golden age while he was alive.

After he died, the next reign was still a golden age!

The Rule of Ren and Xuan!

Based on these achievements alone, how many emperors throughout history could compare?

And in terms of culture, let’s not even talk about Zheng He’s voyages to the Western oceans.

Just look at the Yongle Encyclopedia.

It was the first encyclopedia in human history in the truest sense of the word.

Of course, you could argue he did it for other reasons, ulterior motives.

But there’s a saying: judge people by their actions, not their intentions.

Later on, Qianlong also compiled books.

Can you even call that compiling books?

How many treasures of Chinese civilization did he destroy in the process?

That book compilation project could almost be said to have created a chasm in Chinese civilization.

The chief editor of the project, Ji Xiaolan, became silent and withdrawn in his later years.

Why?

It was because as a scholar, he had overseen the destruction of far too many treasures.

So, if the next emperor were Emperor Yongle,

Lu Yuan genuinely felt there would be no problem with that at all.

Even if Zhu Biao had taken the throne, the outcome would have been much the same.

If you absolutely had to point out a flaw in Emperor Yongle, there certainly was one.

His foundation was flawed.

Perhaps it was truly a heavenly curse because he had seized the throne through rebellion.

His descendants were all short-lived.

And the most, most, most crucial thing was his great-grandson.

He was truly the most shameless "Gate-Calling Emperor" in all of history.

Other than that, Emperor Yongle could really be called the template for an ideal emperor.

However, making Emperor Yongle the successor in line...

Could Lu Yuan, a transmigrator, make that happen?

He couldn’t.

Why?

The truth was, Old Zhu simply loved his son, Zhu Biao, too much.

The throne could only be given to Zhu Biao’s line.

It had nothing to do with anyone else’s capabilities.

Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, wasn’t even the son of the principal wife—he was born of a concubine!

Born of a concubine!

In the Confucian civilization of the Central Plains, being born of a concubine was considered worse than being a dog.

But even so, Old Zhu still gave him the throne.

There was no other reason than the fact that he was Zhu Biao’s son.

So, it was impossible for Lu Yuan to think he could make King Yan, or his son and grandson, more outstanding, and thereby convince Old Zhu to choose King Yan’s line over Zhu Yunwen.

Even if Lu Yuan helped King Yan usher the entire Northern region into a modern society,

Old Zhu still wouldn’t choose King Yan’s side in the end.

There was no reason for it. It was simply because King Yan was King Yan, and Zhu Biao was Zhu Biao.

’So, I can just forget about changing the course of history.’

’Well then, that settles it.’

’I’ll just go back and lie flat, live a peaceful and stable life.’

’I’ll have some kids with my three wives when I’ve got nothing else to do.’

’In my spare time, I can go fishing, fool around, and have fun.’

’Who says you have to work your butt off just because you transmigrated?’

’What’s wrong with lying flat?’

...

While Lu Yuan was lost in these thoughts,

a major event was unfolding back in Yandu.

Gu Gaoxu rode out of the city on horseback, leading a group of men.

He looked at the refugees outside the city, who were scattered about, so hungry they were seeing stars. The corner of his mouth curled up as he said,

"Go on, make the announcement!"

Immediately, a crowd of Attendants from the Prince’s Mansion behind Gu Gaoxu began beating gongs and drums and shouting all over the place.

What were they shouting about?

Recruiting people, of course! And providing food!

Gu Gaoxu himself didn’t linger long at the city gate.

After watching these Attendants head out, he led his men and continued south.

Where were they going?

They had already chosen the site last night.

Today, they were going to inspect the land.

Moreover, large cauldrons were already being set up over there.

If you wanted these refugees to work, you had to feed them.

Otherwise, how could this bunch, so hungry they were seeing stars and couldn’t even lift a log, possibly get any work done?

...

Around nine or ten in the morning,

Gu Gaoxu was leading his men, surveying the area.

Not far away, a dense crowd of refugees had gathered.

A dozen or so people were crowded around a large cauldron that was emitting thick white steam.

Everyone held a battered bowl in one hand and two wooden twigs they’d snapped off from somewhere in the other.

They were currently ladling food out of the large cauldron to eat.

"Build the road from here, and connect it to the main official road."

Gu Gaoxu looked at the blueprints, giving commands like a seasoned professional.

The Gu Gaoxu of today was truly full of vigor.

After he had explained the matter yesterday, his old man had agreed.

He had been given the authority to handle it himself.

To be honest, this was the first time in his life that Gu Gaoxu had been trusted by his father.

It was also the first time he had been entrusted with such a great responsibility.

Previously, matters like this had nothing to do with him.

They were all his older brother’s responsibility—the Crown Prince of Yan.

Of course, he couldn’t blame anyone else for that. After all, who could deny that the old Gu Gaoxu was a real piece of work?

Always causing trouble senselessly, how could anyone trust him?

In fact, King Yan had originally not wanted Gu Gaoxu to handle this matter.

He had intended for the Crown Prince of Yan to take charge.

However, Gu Gaoxu had started throwing a tantrum right on the spot.

And most importantly, he added that Lu Yuan of Taiping City would only deal with him, Gu Gaoxu.

If it were anyone else, Lu Yuan of Taiping City wouldn’t come to Yandu to build the factory.

Of course, King Yan didn’t believe him.

However, he probably thought that this deal had indeed been secured by this son of his.

To turn around and give the job to someone else would be rather unseemly.

Besides, his son was no longer a child, and he seemed much more reliable this time around.

So, in the end, the responsibility was given to Gu Gaoxu.

This was the first time Gu Gaoxu had been in charge of something so significant, and you can’t imagine how proud he was.

Of course, Gu Gaoxu also knew.

This was all thanks to Lu Yuan, and he didn’t know how he could ever thank Lu Yuan enough.

「Meanwhile.」

In the carriage back to Taiping City, Lu Yuan was holding Song Meiqin and kissing her tenderly.

But at that very moment,

a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host. Gu Gaoxu Multiplication Factor: 9. Reward: "Medical Heart". It has been sent to your System Space.]