The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

The imperial prison was filled with the smell of mildew mixed with the stench of blood.

Lin Yue's face still bore the bruises from the beating he received at the Fengtian Hall, yet he continued pounding on the prison cell: "Warden! Bring me paper and pen! I want to submit a memorial to the throne in remonstrance!"

The jailer poked his head in and sneered, "A prisoner like you dare to talk about petitioning? You must be tired of dying already!"

There are quite a few ministers in the Imperial Prison, yet a mere censor dares to make all sorts of demands.

"You won't give it to me, huh? If I don't, believe me, I'll just run myself over here and die!"

Without saying a word, Lin Yue turned around and crashed into the corner stone pillar, but the angle was a bit off, and his forehead wasn't even scratched.

"No, no, no, I'll go get some paper and pen right away."

Lin Yue's fierce and forceful manner terrified the jailer, who immediately ran to fetch paper and pen.

The official had specifically instructed him to keep an eye on the man before he came in, and not to let him die casually. Moreover, the jailers were aware of Lin Yue's heroic deeds.

This madman dared to curse even Zhu Di to his face. If he really died in prison, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to compensate for it.

After threatening the jailer and successfully obtaining paper and pen, Lin Yue sat cross-legged on the ground and began to write rapidly. His handwriting was messy but powerful.

The idea of ​​going back to be a citizen of the motherland is still quite attractive, and Lin Yue does not intend to give up easily. He will continue to persuade him and intensify his attacks.

Soon, the lengthy "Memorial to the Throne" was freshly produced.

Lin Yue, the subject of this article, is an advisor.

Having received the salary of the Ming Dynasty and upheld the loyal teachings of my ancestors, I would rather die than remain silent in the face of Your Majesty's disastrous actions!

I have often heard that a family with a son who speaks frankly will not be ruined, and a country with a minister who speaks frankly will not perish!

I now risk my life to confess these three crimes. If even a single word of them is false, I am willing to suffer the punishment of slow slicing (x), beheading, and death without a burial place!

Your Majesty's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, as everyone knows, but to tamper with history is to ruin your own reputation!

Your Majesty rose up as a prince to quell the rebellion, captured Nanjing, and ascended the throne. The whereabouts of the Jianwen Emperor are unknown. The people of the world have their own opinions on this matter!

However, instead of trying to clear his name with achievements, His Majesty has resorted to the shameful act of self-deception.

He abolished the reign title of Emperor Jianwen, changing the fourth year of the Zhengtong era to the thirty-fifth year of the Hongwu era. He burned all the books of the Jianwen reign, including official memorials and archives concerning people's livelihoods. Furthermore, he revised the "Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu" three times, deleting the facts of the Jingnan Rebellion and whitewashing the plot to seize the throne, attempting to make future generations only know that His Majesty "acted in accordance with Heaven and the people," and not Jianwen...

In the spring of the first year of the Yongle reign, your subject Lin Yue wrote his final work.

After finishing his memorial, Lin Yue still felt it wasn't enough. He thought that Emperor Yongle was a complete bastard. He could tolerate being scolded to his face, so how could such a little bit of aggression possibly anger Zhu Di?

If it weren't for the requirement of meeting the standard of speaking frankly to the death, Lin Yue would have been thinking of using some of the powerful rhetoric used in later generations to defend one's mother. Unfortunately, he couldn't say it.

Staring at the ink stains on the paper, Lin Yue suddenly had an inspiration: "I know what's missing! I need to write it in blood to show my determination!"

Lin Yue looked at his finger, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to bite it; bleeding his finger would probably hurt a lot.

So he rushed to the prison gate and shouted to the jailer, "Get me some blood! I need to write a letter in blood for His Majesty!"

The jailer's expression changed. He had been watching Lin Yue's actions closely and knew he was about to write a letter in blood: "Sir, I'm afraid of pain too!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lin Yue glared. "Either bleed yourself out, or go get some chicken blood, or I'll just smash my head against this wall and die."

Helpless, the jailer brought over a small bowl of warm chicken blood after a while.

Lin Yue took the bowl, spread out a piece of coarse paper, dipped his finger in chicken blood, and wrote "Ode to Limestone" stroke by stroke.

The blood was deep red, and the handwriting was strong and powerful; it was clearly written by a loyal minister.

Lin Yue was very satisfied.

......

After the court session, Zhu Di was in a very bad mood.

Lin Yue's arrogant words at the Fengtian Hall just now made me angrier the more I thought about it. Why didn't I act decisively and just kill him? Why did I have to pretend to be magnanimous?

Zhu Di slammed his fist on the table, shattering the teacup and splashing tea onto the memorial.

"Hou Xian!" Zhu Di roared.

The eunuch Hou Xian entered in response, bowing deeply and saying, "Your Majesty."

"Go to the imperial prison! Let's see what that madman is up to!" Zhu Di gritted his teeth.

"If he still doesn't repent, then... never mind. Go and check on him, and make sure he's safe."

Zhu Di swallowed his words, for he ultimately cared about his reputation. The killing of several ministers and high-ranking officials had already drawn criticism from the world.

If another family is killed, only one person will survive. This "descendant of a loyal and virtuous person" poses no political threat. The title of tyrant will probably never be washed away.

Hou Xian accepted the order and left, but soon returned, holding a stack of papers in his hands, looking terrified.

"Your Majesty, this is the memorial Lin Yue wrote in prison, along with a letter written in blood."

Zhu Di was furious; he had already tolerated this much, yet they still wanted to pursue him.

Do they really think the Yongle Emperor is some kind of coward? It seems we really need to beat a few ungrateful intellectuals to death at Zuoshun Gate.

Zhu Di reached out and picked up the blood-stained letter. On the rough paper, stained with blood, were four lines of poetry:

"It is carved out of the deep mountains by a thousand hammers and chisels, and burned by fierce fire as if it were nothing."

I fear not being ground to dust, as long as my integrity remains in the world!

"A letter written in blood?" Zhu Di examined the dried bloodstains on the paper, his eyes flickering slightly.

Although Zhu Di ruthlessly killed the loyalists of Emperor Jianwen, he had spent half his life fighting and naturally still favored loyal and brave men the most.

The fact that Lin Yue and his family had been loyal to the emperor for three generations, and that he was so stubborn in proving his loyalty with blood, deeply moved the Yongle Emperor.

And look at this Shi Huiyin, so loyal! He is exactly the kind of virtuous and righteous person that the Ming Dynasty needs most.

A person who would rather die than speak out against injustice and who would write a letter in blood to express his conviction, even if arrogant, must still have the heart of a child and is by no means a cunning villain.

Zhu Di was moved to cherish talent.

The initial positive impression softened Zhu Di's expression somewhat. He put down the blood-written letter, picked up the "Memorial to the Throne," and patiently began to read it.

Then he exploded instantly.

"You succeeded to the throne illegitimately, altered historical records, deceived yourself, and ruined your own reputation," Zhu Di roared in anger, his face turning red.

Further down, there's something even more exciting: "His Majesty revised the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu' three times, deleting the facts of the Jingnan Campaign and embellishing the plot to seize the throne."

Zhu Di slammed the memorial to the ground, roaring, "This arrogant brat! I am revising the Veritable Records to rectify our names and to establish the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty! What does he know?!"

Hou Xian was so frightened that he immediately knelt down on the ground and dared not utter a sound.

Zhu Di calmed himself down, picked up the memorial and continued reading, before erupting in fury once more.

What does it mean to learn from Emperor Taizong of Tang to kill people, but not to learn from the reign of Emperor Zhenguan? It means to have none of Emperor Taizong's achievements, but to have all of his faults.

He only attacked his nephew, not his brother or father. Besides, even his eldest nephew, Emperor Jianwen, couldn't be found, okay?

What does it mean to sow discord among princes, to condone their infighting and killing, and to act unjustly towards one's sovereign and father?

He just hasn't designated an heir yet, he didn't say he wouldn't!

Enraged, Zhu Di kicked over the table, scattering teacups and inkstones all over the floor: "Am I some kind of wicked person who killed his brother and forced his father to abdicate?"

My achievements are... ahhh!

Zhu Di grew angrier the more he thought about it. In the first year of the Yongle reign, he really hadn't accomplished anything significant, at least not as much as Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

Consumed by rage, Zhu Di's veins bulged, and murderous intent surged in his eyes.

"I thought he had some backbone, but he turned out to be a madman who only knows how to spread rumors!"

"Issue my decree..."

Zhu Di suddenly remembered the poem "Ode to Limestone," the resolute words "I fear not being ground to powder, but only wish to leave my integrity in the world," and the value of three generations of loyal and virtuous officials.

Lin Yue, you must not kill him.

Killing him would solidify his reputation for "falsifying history" and "blocking free speech," making him a thoroughly infamous usurper.

We need to find a way to turn this bad thing into a good thing, and it would be best to win Lin Yue back.

Zhu Di paced back and forth, looking thoughtful.