Bringing the Railway to Daming

Zhu Yuanzhang downloaded a video in "nostalgia mode" and then continued downloading a second video that caught his eye.

As soon as he opened the video, he found it very choppy—the video would freeze from time to time, and there were even areas that were blurry.

Just as he was about to ask Liu Kuan to check what was going on, he discovered that the computer screen had gone completely black!
Even with Zhu Yuanzhang's shrewdness, he was startled upon seeing this and hurriedly exclaimed, "Liu Kuan, why is the laptop screen black?"

Liu Kuan was downloading data on his phone when he heard this and came over to take a look, immediately frowning.

He pressed the start button again, but found that the computer did not respond at all—he remembered that he had fully charged the laptop with a solar power bank last night, so it shouldn't have run out of power so quickly.

If it's not due to insufficient power, then there's only one explanation left.

My laptop is broken!
Just as Liu Kuan was about to tell Zhu Yuanzhang, he heard the guards around him shout, "The strange fog has disappeared!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Kuan looked around and indeed found that the strange fog had disappeared—checking the time on his phone, he realized that the fog had only been there for less than five minutes.

He was stunned when he saw the news of his father's death. He adjusted the computer for Old Zhu and then hurriedly downloaded some documents on his phone. He didn't even have time to look at the news from the future.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned when he saw that the monster had indeed disappeared.

He then asked, "Liu Kuan, is this computer broken?"

Liu Kuan smiled wryly, “It might really be broken—after all, it’s been with the Ming Dynasty for twenty years. Although I have always been careful in using it, some computer components will still deteriorate over time even if they are not used.”

After saying that, he looked at his phone again, worried that his phone and tablet would also break down soon.

Speaking of which, after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he used tablets the most, so logically the tablets should have broken first, but unexpectedly it was the laptop that broke down—probably because he bought the laptop earlier.

"Can it be repaired?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Liu Kuan said, "I will try it when I get home, but I don't think it will be very likely to be fixed."

Liu Kuan wasn't very good at repairing computers, and besides, when a computer breaks down, it usually requires replacing certain parts. Where would he get new parts in the Ming Dynasty?
After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "People will eventually die, and computers will eventually break down."

After saying that, he got up and walked towards the south side of the bridge.

Liu Kuan sighed, packed his things, and prepared to leave...

After leaving the bridge, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the palace and went straight to the Fengxian Hall without being informed.

Upon entering the Fengxian Hall, he smelled a medicinal aroma. Looking up, he saw a medicine bowl on the imperial desk.

He frowned and looked at Zhu Biao, asking, "Biao'er, when did you fall ill?"

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "It's just a minor health issue. I have some medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, and I'll be fine after a period of recuperation."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked doubtfully, "Is it really nothing serious?"

Zhu Biao smiled bitterly, "Why should your son deceive Father?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You are almost fifty and have become a grandfather, so you should take care of your health. In terms of state affairs, you might as well delegate more to the cabinet and Xiong Ying."

"My son knows."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he gestured to the eunuchs in the hall to bring a chair. After sitting down, he said, "Today, Liu Kuan and I encountered strange fog on the bridge again. Unfortunately, before the fog could dissipate, the laptop broke down."

Zhu Biao hadn't expected this turn of events and hurriedly asked, "Is there any chance the laptop can be repaired?"

"Liu Kuan said it's most likely that it can't be repaired."

Zhu Biao remained silent for a moment.

···
···
Several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month of the sixth year of the Wenlong era, Tang He, the Duke of Xin, passed away in his residence at the age of 76.

He lived six years longer than in the original history. Zhu Yuanzhang, along with Xu Da and other founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, went to the mansion to mourn him. Zhu Biao issued an edict posthumously conferring upon Tang He the title of King of Dongou and the posthumous name "Xiangwu".

After Tang He's death, his eldest son Tang Ding inherited the title and became the second Duke of Xin.

That same winter, three more founding generals of the Ming Dynasty passed away due to illness. By this time, 33 years had passed since Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty. Although the medical level of the Ming Dynasty had improved significantly compared to the past, the veteran generals who had fought alongside Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country could not withstand the erosion of time and began to pass away one after another.

However, at the same time, some young generals were also maturing in the various battles fought by the Ming Dynasty against foreign invaders...
···
Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye, bringing us to the ninth year of Wenlong.

On the 27th day of the 11th lunar month, heavy snow fell in the capital region, and it continued for three days.

Fortunately, most houses in the capital area are now brick and stone buildings, and adobe houses are rare. In addition, there is coal for heating, so the people have not been affected by the heavy snow. However, the roads are temporarily blocked by snow and it is estimated that they will be passable again in a while.

Of course, the snow in the streets and alleys of the capital city was cleared in time, and it did not have a serious impact on the city's traffic.

Late at night, Liu Kuan was sound asleep in his mansion when suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside his bedroom. A maid then called out, "Master, someone from the palace has arrived and says there is an urgent matter."

"Ok?"

Liu Kuan woke up groggily, and Zhu Huilan, who was sleeping next to him, was also woken up.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Someone from the palace has come, saying it's urgent."

As Liu Kuan spoke, he got out of bed. The young maid who was sleeping in the outer room had already turned on the light and came up to help Liu Kuan change his clothes.

Zhu Huilan sat up abruptly, saying worriedly, "Could it be my imperial brother..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Liu Kuan understood what she meant.

Since the winter before last, Zhu Biao's health had deteriorated significantly, and he frequently summoned imperial physicians for treatment, requiring a constant supply of medicine throughout the year.

This continued for two years, and by this winter, Zhu Biao's health had deteriorated significantly. He had been bedridden since before the snowfall, and state affairs were largely handled by Zhu Xiong Ying.

Out of concern, Zhu Yuanzhang came to the capital from Fengyang as soon as winter began. A few years earlier, Zhu Biao had a small palace built for Zhu Yuanzhang next to Xuanwu Lake for him and several imperial concubines to stay in when they came to the capital.

Therefore, even if Zhu Yuanzhang resided in the capital, he was not afraid of causing any negative impact.

With the help of his maid, Liu Kuan quickly got dressed and said, "Don't worry too much—a few days ago when we went to the palace, didn't the imperial physician say that His Majesty could at least make it through this winter?"

"I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Despite saying this, Zhu Huilan still got out of bed and had her maid help her get dressed.

Liu Kuan had already gone outside to meet the people from the palace.

The person who arrived was a rather important eunuch from the palace. Upon seeing Liu Kuan, he whispered, "My lord, the Emperor is probably in bad shape and has urgently summoned you to the palace to see him."

"What?" Liu Kuan frowned upon hearing this. "Didn't the imperial physician say that His Majesty's health was still fine?"

The eunuch sighed, "The night before last, His Majesty couldn't sleep and insisted on going for a walk. We servants couldn't dissuade him, so he went out for a stroll and caught a cold when he came back..."

The eunuch didn't continue, but Liu Kuan already understood.

Most people don't die easily from catching a cold. But Zhu Biao was already ill, bedridden for a long time, and physically weak. So catching a cold naturally caused complications.

Thinking of this, Liu Kuan didn't even have time to go back to his room to tell Zhu Huilan before he hurriedly followed the eunuch to the palace.

Upon arriving at the palace, Liu Kuan was led directly to the outside of the Qianqing Palace, where he saw several princes, including Zhu Yunxuan, Zhu Yunxuan, and Zhu Yunxi, all wearing fur cloaks and waiting outside the hall, their faces full of worry.

A young eunuch spotted Liu Kuan and immediately approached him, whispering, "My lord, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Emperor Emeritus are inside. They said you should come in as soon as you arrive."

Liu Kuan nodded and followed the eunuch into the main hall of the Qianqing Palace. (End of Chapter)