Ji Gang was born into a military family. His father was a minor flag officer who had served under the Gaozhu Emperor’s command when His Majesty still styled himself as the Prince of Han.

Ji Gang was born with striking beauty – a boy with feminine features, red lips and white teeth, deeply cherished by his parents. He was frequently ill as a child, and his parents, fearing they couldn’t raise him to adulthood, followed local superstitions by raising him as a girl. They pierced his ears for earrings, hung gold necklaces around his neck, and with his almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, he became the most beautiful “girl” on their street.

When playing house, Ji Gang always played the bride, and there were often naive little boys who would fight each other just to have him be their “bride.”

When the Great Ming was established, Ji Gang’s father died in battle, and his mother, overcome with grief, soon followed.

At only thirteen years old, Ji Gang inherited his father’s position and became a common soldier, securing an iron rice bowl that would at least keep him from starving. Having been spoiled by his parents since childhood and indulged by neighbors, he had developed a naive, innocent yet domineering personality that wasn’t particularly endearing.

But after joining the army, everything changed. The military required either powerful backing or ruthlessness to survive – it was no place for someone like Ji Gang, a naive and sheltered pretty boy.

Ji Gang’s beauty successfully attracted the attention of several officers in the military camp who favored male companionship. Just after he entered camp for training, these officers deliberately played the good guys in front of him, helping him deal with several soldiers who provoked him, looking after him in every way, then making a scene about Ji Gang treating them to drinks when military pay was distributed.

This was their usual routine. If Ji Gang voluntarily treated them to drinks, then whatever unspeakable things happened at the drinking party, Ji Gang would have to endure silently, because he had initiated the invitation. To onlookers, whatever occurred at the banquet would seem to have his tacit consent or active invitation, and people would only blame him, the victim.

Once it happened, it would become a lifelong stain and leverage. These beasts would then sweet-talk him, saying “Big brother will protect you from now on, don’t worry about promotion and wealth,” using both soft and hard tactics to trick the beautiful young man into becoming their long-term plaything.

Ji Gang was naive and couldn’t see this was a trap. He took his newly received military pay to host a banquet, entertaining these “elder brothers,” not knowing that while he saw them as big brothers, they only wanted to sleep with him.

At the drinking party, several veteran rascals found various excuses to get him drunk. Ji Gang didn’t have much money, and seeing one jar of wine finished and needing to buy another, he was reluctant to spend the money on wine, so he played a trick – he pretended to be drunk.

Collapsing on the ground, seemingly unconscious, no one would force more wine on him, and he could save some money on drinks.

When Ji Gang collapsed from “drunkenness,” the veteran rascals dropped their hypocritical masks and revealed their beastly true nature. But Ji Gang wasn’t really drunk and could still resist. Though he had been weak and sickly since childhood, his father had hired a martial arts master to teach him, to strengthen his body.

Ji Gang fought four men alone. He bit off half of someone’s ear, grabbed a wine jar and cracked open someone’s skull, and beat the remaining two until their faces looked like pig heads, so swollen that even their own mothers wouldn’t recognize them.

Fighting in the military camp – that night’s duty officer happened to be Mao Qiang. Seeing four men severely injured while the “troublemaker” was a pale, underdeveloped young man who was still energetic and lively, Mao Qiang realized that if the military police hadn’t tied him up with rope, he would have had the strength to beat those four men to death.

Mao Qiang asked them why they were fighting. The four injured men accused Ji Gang of getting drunk and attacking people randomly, claiming he struck first – they had done this kind of thing before and were confident that Ji Gang, being young and thin-skinned, would be too ashamed to speak and wouldn’t tell the truth.

Of course Mao Qiang wouldn’t believe one side of the story, so he questioned Ji Gang.

Ji Gang didn’t answer Mao Qiang’s questions but glared fiercely at the four men, speaking wildly: “I didn’t kill you bastards today – that’s your bad luck! If you die, you’d die quickly! But when I get out, if you want to die again, it won’t be so quick! I’ll make sure you taste the agony of being cut into a thousand pieces!”

Mao Qiang was truly amazed. In these chaotic times, only the clever survived. Since joining the army, he had never seen such a stupid fool who wouldn’t even try to clear himself when given the chance, only knowing how to make threats – though years later, he would understand that Ji Gang wasn’t just making empty threats at the time; this foolish boy actually fulfilled his promise of a thousand cuts.

Mao Qiang could smell the alcohol on Ji Gang from far away. He was angry – being woken up in the middle of the night to mediate for a bunch of drunkards who had no military discipline. He might as well have let them fight it out and sent people to collect the bodies the next day.

Mao Qiang wanted to get a good look at this once-in-a-century fool and said, “Lift your head.”

Ji Gang was still in his shame and anger, keeping his head down. In his current state of stress reaction, he interpreted even the phrase “lift your head” as mocking harassment, instantly flying into a rage and cursing: “You’re just like them! None of you are good! I won’t lift it – if you have the guts, chop off my head!”

Mao Qiang thought to himself: I was wrong. This isn’t a once-in-a-century fool – he’s clearly a once-in-a-millennium mega-fool.

Mao Qiang ordered his subordinates: “This person hasn’t sobered up yet. Drag him out and help him sober up before bringing him back in.”

Ji Gang was dragged out and had two buckets of cold water poured over his head. Never mind fake drunkenness – even real drunkenness could be shocked away by cold water.

The cold water washed the blood and grime from his face. He was naturally beautiful, and viewing a beauty under lamplight made the beauty even more striking – red lips, white teeth, handsome brows, starry eyes, fair skin, beautiful face, and long legs. He was more of a decorative vase than an actual vase.

Mao Qiang was instantly struck by his stunning appearance and immediately guessed what had happened to Ji Gang. There were no women in the military camp, and after a long time, even a sow would look charming, let alone a young man like Ji Gang who was at an age where gender was ambiguous.

Mao Qiang once again revised his assessment of Ji Gang: he was a once-in-a-millennium fool, but also a once-in-a-millennium beautiful young man.

Beautiful boys never have too bad luck. Ji Gang successfully touched Mao Qiang’s compassionate heart. The case was hastily closed as drunken brawling, all five were given twenty lashes each and expelled from the military. After things settled down, Ji Gang was transferred to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Ji Gang was handsome, so Mao Qiang arranged for him to carry flags and perform other ceremonial duties that required public appearances for the Gaozhu Emperor. The Embroidered Uniform Guard initially was just the emperor’s ceremonial guard with no real power. Ji Gang made his living on his looks, perfectly suited for this decorative position. With Mao Qiang’s protection, no one dared covet his beauty.

Ji Gang transformed from sparrow to phoenix, becoming an imperial attendant. Having escaped the bottom ranks of the military and gained the ability to protect himself, Mao Qiang was like a second father to him, earning his unwavering loyalty.

Later, the Embroidered Uniform Guard gradually gained real power, expanding into a secret police organization. Ji Gang also evolved from a decorative vase into Mao Qiang’s trusted aide, promoted to minor flag officer. When Hu Shanwei first entered the palace, Mao Qiang assigned the task of driving her out to his confidant Ji Gang.

The naive Ji Gang’s intelligence was lacking. He put peach blossom powder in Hu Shanwei’s wine, intending to give her diarrhea all night so she’d miss the next day’s palace regulation exam. But Hu Shanwei used the rice wine to entertain all the new female officials, and the situation escalated…

Ji Gang was discovered by Palace Supervisor Fan Gongzheng, who tortured him severely, even pulling out all ten of his fingernails, but he never betrayed Mao Qiang.

Ji Gang was Mao Qiang’s loyal dog, a human husky – limited intelligence, insufficient ability, often causing trouble, but cute in his stupidity and loyal to the end.

To maintain his loyalty to the Gaozhu Emperor, Mao Qiang never married or had children. He and Ji Gang were like father and son, companions for many years. Their relationship wasn’t merely superior and subordinate but included familial affection – and family affection was something beyond their reach, yet this faint light made them feel the world wasn’t particularly unbearable.

Ji Gang remained clueless, continuing as before in his decorative role. Mao Qiang never trained him to become smarter, always indulging him. Being able to remain foolish forever was also a kind of happiness.

Mao Qiang dedicated his life to the Gaozhu Emperor, finally being used as a sacrifice to appease public anger. Ji Gang witnessed everything from beginning to end. Mao Qiang never killed for personal gain – it was all the emperor’s orders. He bore the curses and hatred of the world for the emperor without complaint or regret.

Ji Gang understood that those memorial scrolls flying to the emperor’s desk like snowflakes, impeaching Mao Qiang, were merely accomplices in Mao Qiang’s death. Without the emperor’s hint, who would dare impeach Mao Qiang?

So the emperor was the true culprit in Mao Qiang’s death.

And now, to intimidate his ministers and suppress the Crown Prince, the Yongle Emperor was allowing those officials in the imperial prison to “die of illness.”

Without the Yongle Emperor’s hint, how would Ji Gang dare to withhold food and drink from the prisoners, refuse to call doctors for them, and let them die through neglect?

As long as the Yongle Emperor didn’t convict them for a single day, they died of disease, not by the Yongle Emperor’s hand.

In the end, who would be responsible for their deaths?

Naturally, it would be him, Ji Gang, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Especially Xie Jin’s death, which shocked both court and common people. Whether in official circles or among the populace, everyone cursed him as a murderous demon, saying he had deceived the emperor and caused these officials to die unjustly in the imperial prison.

Ji Gang understood that currently the emperor still needed his hands to pressure the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace would either choose to explode from silence and make a desperate palace coup attempt – which would certainly fail – or be unable to bear the pressure and perish in silence, with the Crown Prince using declining health and physical disability as reasons to request removal from the succession, allowing the Imperial Grandson to naturally become the first heir.

When the task was complete and public anger had accumulated to the point of explosion, it would be time to push him forward to appease popular anger. Then his fate would be exactly the same as Mao Qiang’s.

Ji Gang firmly believed this.

Ji Gang was not Mao Qiang. While Mao Qiang wanted to sacrifice his life to fulfill this lifetime of ruler-minister loyalty, Ji Gang wanted to resist. He was already accustomed to using borrowed knives to kill, and what could be more suitable for dealing with the Zhu family than other members of the Zhu family?

After Xie Jin’s death, the Prince of Han was greatly pleased. Back when Father Emperor was choosing who to make Crown Prince, it was precisely because he listened to Xie Jin, that Crown Prince faction member, that he made the eldest brother Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince was in deep crisis and his greatest supporter Xie Jin was dead, the Prince of Han wanted nothing more than to set off firecrackers in celebration.

Stay calm, must stay calm. The Prince of Han could only rejoice inwardly, secretly hosting a banquet to entertain Ji Gang, the great contributor to Xie Jin’s death, thanking him for eliminating this major threat.

Ji Gang was the Yongle Emperor’s blade, while Ji Gang treated the Prince of Han as his blade against the Zhu Ming dynasty. Pretending friendship with the Prince of Han, the two men drank and celebrated together.

Ji Gang bitterly criticized Xie Jin’s wrongs: “…It was Prince Han and His Majesty who fought their way into the capital, but with just one phrase ‘good imperial grandson,’ Xie Jin made His Majesty decide to establish the heir apparent who had never been on a battlefield as Crown Prince. Sigh, I feel so wronged for Your Highness. Just because of his one sentence, your four years of effort in the Jingnan Campaign were negated.”

Hearing this, the Prince of Han felt he had found a kindred spirit: “Sigh, unfortunately despite my countless victories in battle and heroic fighting, I couldn’t compare to a cripple.”

“Why does Your Highness say such things?” Ji Gang asked with a half-smile. “Your Highness previously indeed ranked below the Crown Prince in His Majesty’s heart, but now, Your Highness controls the capital’s defenses while the Crown Prince’s people have been almost completely wiped out – either imprisoned in the imperial prison, dead or suffering, or banished from the capital. This shows Your Highness’s position in His Majesty’s heart has surpassed the Crown Prince’s.”

The Prince of Han was delighted: “Is this really true?”

“What is our relationship? Could this humble minister deceive Prince Han? However—” Ji Gang changed the subject, “Though Your Highness has now overtaken the Crown Prince, you still remain beneath someone else. You’re still one step away from your goal, Your Highness.”

The Prince of Han’s smile froze: “Who?”

Ji Gang: “The Imperial Grandson. As long as the Imperial Grandson exists, whether the Crown Prince is deposed or voluntarily abdicates to make way for the worthy, it won’t be Your Highness’s turn. Previous generations plant the trees, later generations enjoy the shade. After Your Highness’s years of patient endurance and countless schemes, the Imperial Grandson will pluck the fruit.”

“It’s him.” The Prince of Han’s expression immediately relaxed. “I thought you were talking about—”

The Prince of Han stopped himself without finishing.

The Prince of Han thought Ji Gang was referring to his third brother, Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui. Among the three brothers, Father Emperor most admired the Prince of Han but favored the youngest most. After all, he was the youngest, and most parents favor their youngest child.

Last year, Prince Zhao divorced his original wife and married the daughter of Duke Qianguo Mu Sheng as his second wife. Princess Zhao née Mu gave birth to a son in the twelfth month. Prince Zhao, who had reached thirty, was nearly mad with joy and sent messengers to the capital to announce the happy news.

Hearing this good news, the Yongle Emperor rarely showed a smile and richly rewarded both Prince Zhao’s mansion and his in-law Duke Qianguo Mu’s residence.

Prince Zhao had always been stationed in Beijing, and since the Great Ming would eventually move its capital to Beijing, Prince Zhao had deep roots there that the Prince of Han couldn’t match.

Prince Zhao originally enjoyed imperial favor, and now he had the powerful frontier official Duke Qianguo Mu Sheng as his father-in-law. The Prince of Han couldn’t help feeling wary of his third brother.

The Prince of Han didn’t take Imperial Grandson Zhu Zhanji seriously, saying: “When the skin is gone, what can the hair attach to? Zhu Zhanji was made Imperial Grandson because he’s the Eastern Palace’s legitimate eldest son. When the Eastern Palace is gone, naturally the Imperial Grandson’s Palace will be gone too. How old is he? He hasn’t even grown all his hair yet. The Crown Prince at least supervised the state twice and has real power and authority. The Imperial Grandson’s Palace is like playing house. What ability does he have to contend with me? If he’s sensible, he’ll request removal from succession like his father. If he’s not sensible… heh heh, don’t blame me for bullying my grand-nephew and using underhanded methods.”

Just as the then-Prince Yongle didn’t understand why the Gaozhu Emperor established his grandson Zhu Yunwen as heir, the current Prince of Han couldn’t comprehend that the Yongle Emperor actually favored his grandson Zhu Zhanji.

Watching the Prince of Han’s confident expression, Ji Gang sneered inwardly: Sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight – another good show to watch.