Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Suspicious Zhu Biao

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The moment Zhu Biao saw these characters, he grasped the profound significance of the name.

In fact, the title "Taizu Gao Huangdi" should be divided into two parts: "Taizu" is the temple name, and "Gao Huangdi" is the posthumous title. Both have held immense weight throughout history.

The temple name "Zu" (Ancestor) is generally reserved for emperors who achieved the feat of founding a dynasty, typically categorized as Taizu, Gaozu, or Shizu.

Shizu, strictly speaking, were not the founders of their dynasties, but they ushered in new eras—such as Emperor Shizu of the Han, Liu Xiu, or Emperor Shizu of the Yuan, Kublai Khan.

Although Gaozu is also a temple name for founding emperors—like Emperor Gaozu of the Sui, Yang Jian, or Emperor Gaozu of the Tang, Li Yuan—it fell into disfavor. Because it was used by Shi Jingtang, a notorious traitor in the late Tang period, subsequent founding emperors avoided it, and it was rarely used thereafter.

Taizu, therefore, is the most common temple name for true founding emperors. In Zhu Biao’s mind, there were thirty-seven emperors known as Taizu, the most famous being Liu Bang of the Han, Zhao Kuangyin of the Song, and Temujin of the Yuan.

As for the posthumous title "Gao Huangdi," the *Book of Zhou* records: "To cover all things with virtue is 'Gao'; to have grand merit and virtue is 'Gao'; to canopy the world like the heavens is 'Gao'." This is clearly a title of the highest praise.

The reason for Zhu Biao’s shock was his memory of what the shopkeeper had said earlier: the dynasty recorded in these annals was the Great Ming. In Zhu Biao’s view, there was only one person destined to be called the Taizu Gao Huangdi of the Great Ming: his father, the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang.

The problem was that his father was still alive. How could he already have a temple name and a posthumous title?

Zhu Biao cast a subtle glance at Zhang Bo, sighing inwardly. If his father were to find out about this, even if this shopkeeper had saved Xiongying, he would likely face dire consequences.

Zhu Biao remained silent for a long moment, his lips parting as if to ask Zhang Bo what this was all about. Zhang Bo, still chewing on a melon, gestured for him to keep reading. Seeing this, Zhu Biao set aside his doubts and opened the *Annals of Taizu Gao Huangdi* to study it.

Upon seeing the main text, Zhu Biao was bewildered. The layout of the book was not just different from the style used in the Great Ming; it was vastly divergent. Only after asking Zhang Bo did he truly understand how to read it correctly.

However, after flipping through just a few pages, his hand froze. He had encountered an unfamiliar era name: the sixteenth year of Yongle. Zhu Biao’s brow furrowed.

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Truth be told, the era name "Yongle" was not unfamiliar to Zhu Biao. It had been used by Zhang Chonghua, an emperor of the Former Liang during the Sixteen Kingdoms period; by the peasant uprising leader Zhang Yuxian in the late Tang; and by Fang La in the late Northern Song.

The issue was that even the longest-lasting of those dynasties, the Former Liang, only lasted for seven years of the Yongle era. Where, then, did a "sixteenth year of Yongle" come from? More importantly, those dynasties all predated the Great Ming, which clearly contradicted what the shopkeeper had said.

Furthermore, if the *Annals of Taizu* were to be written, it would certainly be under his own authority. While he hadn't yet considered what his next era name would be, it certainly wouldn't be Yongle. That was a short-lived era name; choosing it would be unfavorable for the Great Ming.

Zhu Biao pondered this briefly before turning to the next page. He was stunned to see the list of compilers. Names like Xia Yuanji, Hu Guang, Yang Rong, Hu Yan, Jin Youzi, and Yang Shiqi meant nothing to him.

Despite his suspicions, he continued to flip through the pages. Soon, he saw something that filled him with astonishment: his grandfather, Guo Zixing, followed by other familiar names—Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Tang He...

Zhu Biao’s heart began to race. Although he had not yet been born during those times, he had heard his father recount these early experiences many times over the years. The content in the book was almost identical to his father’s accounts.

With this in mind, he flipped rapidly toward the middle of the book. To verify its authenticity, he had to start with the most recent history—for instance, the fifteenth year of Hongwu.

As his eyes scanned the pages, his surprise deepened. The records for the fifteenth year of Hongwu in this book were largely consistent with what he had personally experienced. Except for one thing...

Zhu Biao’s gaze fell upon a striking entry:
[Fifteenth year of Hongwu, first day of the fifth lunar month, day of Jiyou: The Imperial Grandson and Heir Apparent, Xiongying, passed away.]

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"Shopkeeper, this book says that Xiongying will pass away on the first day of the fifth lunar month, the day of Jiyou, in the fifteenth year of Hongwu. What is the meaning of this?"

"By the way, Your Highness, I haven't asked—how is the Grandson faring?"

"Xiongying has recovered and is no longer in danger. He is just physically weak and is recuperating in the palace."

Hearing this, Zhang Bo let out a sigh of relief. The mortality rate of smallpox was actually not that high—only 1% to 30%—which was negligible compared to the 50% to 90% fatality rate of the notorious Ebola in later ages. Moreover, he had provided Zhu Biao with antibiotics, further reducing the risk of secondary bacterial infection and indirectly increasing the probability of Zhu Xiongying’s survival.

But who could ever be certain about probabilities? Until Zhu Biao confirmed the recovery, Zhang Bo had been preparing for the possibility that the boy might not make it.

"Your Highness, in truth, in history, the Grandson did not survive this bout of the pox."

"Oh?"

Although Zhu Biao’s tone was slightly surprised, he only believed about seventy or eighty percent of what Zhang Bo said. Even though the events recorded in the *Annals of Taizu Gao Huangdi* matched his memories so closely, who could guarantee that the shopkeeper hadn't gathered this information from elsewhere? Consequently, Zhu Biao remained noncommittal regarding the future events recorded in the book.

Of course, this did not stop him from asking about another issue he had encountered while reading. "Shopkeeper, I wonder who the Yongle Emperor in this book is? As far as I know, the Yongle era of the Former Liang only lasted seven years."

*Former Liang?*

Zhang Bo was baffled by this unfamiliar name; he had never heard of it. He would bet that most people of later generations were just as ignorant of this "Former Liang." But whenever "Yongle" was mentioned, one name would pop into most people’s minds: the only emperor in history to "seal the wolf-juxu mountain," the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di.

He wondered what Zhu Biao would think if he knew that Zhu Di had usurped the throne from his son, Zhu Yunwen.

"Your Highness, the Yongle Emperor is the third emperor of the Great Ming."