Chapter Nineteen: The Living Minister of State

June 17, in the fourth year of the Jianwen reign, was a day destined to be recorded in history.

Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, had once been forced to feign madness under the oppression of the Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Yunwen, surviving only by eating pig swill and living in pigsties. After four long years of the Jingnan Campaign, he had finally sent the rival he once had to look up to to heaven. Now, it was time for him to harvest the fruits of his victory.

Twenty miles east of the city of Jinling sat Mount Zhong, one of the four famous mountains of Jiangnan. Because the summit was often shrouded in purple clouds, it was also commonly known as Purple Gold Mountain. At the southern foot of Mount Zhong lay the Xiaoling Mausoleum, the final resting place of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor and founder of the Great Ming Dynasty.

At the break of dawn, the Sifang City complex, where the mausoleum was located, was already a scene of bustling activity. Countless laborers and craftsmen, under the watchful eyes of heavily armed Ming imperial guards, were working diligently to construct a magnificent altar. When the morning sun rose that day, Zhu Di would offer sacrifices to the Hongwu Emperor upon this very altar.

Meanwhile, at the gates of the palace, which had already been largely repaired, Fang Xiaoru was dragging a yawning Chen Kan toward the Fengtian Hall, looking at him with a mix of frustration and disappointment. Because Zhu Di was to depart from the Fengtian Hall with all his civil and military officials to pay his respects at the imperial mausoleum, Chen Kan—who held no official rank—would normally have had nothing to do with this affair. However, whether Zhu Di had been kicked in the head by a donkey or not, he had specifically ordered that Chen Kan accompany the procession. Consequently, Chen Kan had been dragged out of bed at four in the morning to bathe and dress. By now, he felt as if the world were a chaotic blur, his mind a foggy mess.

Seeing Chen Kan looking so disheveled and lethargic, Fang Xiaoru’s temper flared. He couldn't help but whisper a threat: "You scoundrel, today is a grand ceremonial occasion. Don't you dare shame me, or don't blame me for cleaning house and expelling you from my tutelage."

Chen Kan replied listlessly, "I know, I know. You've already said that a dozen times."

Fang Xiaoru was not the first to arrive at the palace. In fact, a dense crowd had already gathered in the plaza outside the Fengtian Hall before they even appeared. It was clear that the civil officials and military generals were divided into three distinct circles. The largest group consisted of the Jianwen-era civil officials who had surrendered after Zhu Di breached Yingtian, led by Minister of Revenue Wang Dun, Minister of Personnel Zhang Jin, and Minister of Works Zheng Ci. The second largest group comprised the military officers who had followed Zhu Di from Beiping to Jinling, among whom Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng were the most prominent. As for the smallest group, it was made up of the Jianwen-era military officers who had surrendered to Zhu Di, such as Sheng Yong and Ping An, who huddled to one side like quails.

As Chen Kan arrived in front of the Fengtian Hall, he immediately spotted a young man with a slick, powdered face standing behind Sheng Yong. He stood out simply because his state was identical to Chen Kan’s: eyes half-closed, yawning incessantly, looking as though he hadn't slept a wink. Every now and then, his lips would twitch.

Judging by the movement of his lips, Chen Kan deduced that he was definitely using some colorful language to greet someone.

"Pfft." Seeing the young man's expression, Chen Kan almost burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth and followed Fang Xiaoru to stand behind the Minister of Revenue, Wang Dun. However, there were so many surrendered former officials that as people jostled, Chen Kan found himself pushed further and further away from Fang Xiaoru. The officials didn't dare crowd Fang Xiaoru, but they had no such qualms about shoving Chen Kan, a mere beardless youth.

"Pardon me, move aside. I have business with Minister Fang." A plump, greasy hand rested on Chen Kan's shoulder. Chen Kan turned, glaring in annoyance: "Who are you?"

The man was a chubby, fair-skinned middle-aged man who smiled like the Maitreya Buddha. Facing Chen Kan’s glare, he chuckled, "I am the Minister of War, Ru Chang."

"Oh!" Chen Kan nodded, preparing to step aside, when he suddenly felt something was off. He asked with a suspicious look, "If you are the Minister of War, then who was the one who died yesterday, Qi Tai?"

Ru Chang replied, "Haha, Qi Tai? He was also the Minister of War."

Chen Kan: "???"

"I am the living Minister; he was the dead one."

Chen Kan: "..."

"Pfft, ha ha, ha ha ha!" A burst of laughter erupted. Chen Kan and Ru Chang turned their heads to glare in unison.

"Who is that?"

"Ha ha ha ha, living Minister, dead Minister, that’s too funny, I’m dying!"

Chen Kan looked back and saw the young man who had been standing behind Sheng Yong. He had been pushed next to Chen Kan at some point and had heard every word of the conversation between Chen Kan and Ru Chang. Chen Kan searched the memories of his predecessor but found no information about this person. He couldn't help but ask, "And who are you?"

*Gasp!*

The man's laughter stopped abruptly. He suddenly put on an expression of utter disbelief, as if shocked beyond measure, and exclaimed loudly, "You don't recognize who I am?"

"Do I have to recognize you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Kan froze. That sentence sounded so familiar. Had he said that before?

"You actually don't recognize me?"

Chen Kan frowned and cupped his hands, "I do not. May I ask who you are?"

The man said proudly, "Listen well! I am Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao!"

"Oh, so you're the Duke of Ca—" Chen Kan’s eyes widened. "Holy crap, you're Li Jinglong? The Duke of Cao, Li Jinglong, the Great Ming God of War?"

Chen Kan wore a look of pure horror. This guy was actually Li Jinglong. This, this... he was truly cursed!

Li Jinglong was very satisfied with Chen Kan’s reaction. He tilted his head back, looking down his nose at Chen Kan, and replied, "Exactly, I am the Duke of Cao, Li Jinglong." He then asked, somewhat puzzled, "But, when did I receive the title of the Great Ming God of War?"

"Uh..." Chen Kan was choked up, thinking to himself: *You deserve that title, don't you? The half a million troops you led to their deaths are proof enough.*

To Chen Kan's surprise, before he could answer, Li Jinglong laughed and said, "However, with my masterful command of troops, I suppose I am worthy of the name 'God of War'."

*Hiss!*

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Chen Kan, but even the "living Minister" Ru Chang was so stunned by his shamelessness that he gasped in shock.

Chen Kan took a deep breath, gave a thumbs-up, and, suppressing his nausea, said, "Yes, Your Grace is brilliant, wise, and peerless! You are certainly worthy of the name 'God of War'."

"Ugh..." Ru Chang retched.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Li Jinglong laughed again, patting Chen Kan on the shoulder. "Not bad, not bad! You have a way with words, lad. I appreciate you. What is your name, and what office do you hold?"

"This commoner is Chen Kan, and I currently hold no official rank!"

"No rank?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's no big deal. After my fourth cousin finishes paying respects to my great-uncle, I'll go ask him to grant you some position."

"Then I thank you in advance, Your Grace."

"Don't be so formal. Anyone I, Li Jinglong, admire is my good brother. We're all mates..."