The first rays of dawn had barely touched the Hall of Heavenly Purity when Zhu Youjian finished dressing. He adjusted the HD camera glasses brought by Xu Qing and clipped a miniature microphone to his dragon robe.
"Your Majesty, what is this...?" Wang Cheng'en stared curiously at the matchbox-sized black device hanging from the emperor's belt.
"A celestial treasure," Zhu Youjian replied mysteriously. "Today, We shall unveil the truth of Our court to all under heaven."
Right on schedule, Xu Qing emerged from a portal of light, carrying a livestreaming phone and tripod. To his astonishment, the palace hall had been transformed—surveillance systems covered every corner, with 360-degree cameras mounted on the walls.
"Your Majesty, you've..." Xu Qing pointed at the obviously modern equipment.
"Following your advice—monitoring the core areas first." Zhu Youjian proudly displayed the surveillance app on his phone. "Now We even know how much salt the imperial kitchen uses."
Xu Qing facepalmed. "I meant for spying on officials, not—"
"Same principle." The emperor leaned in eagerly. "You said this 'livestream' can make future people give Us silver?"
"Not silver—digital tips. Viewers send virtual gifts if they like your content, convertible to modern supplies. But the debut stream needs explosive content..."
Zhu Youjian's eyes gleamed. "We shall execute Wen Tiren live today!"
"Too graphic!" Xu Qing waved frantically. "How about... raiding a corrupt official's mansion? Audiences love asset seizures."
"Excellent!" The emperor clapped. "We'll order Luo Yangxing to inventory Wen's estate on camera."
Xu Qing quickly set up the stream titled *"Live Raid: Ming Dynasty's Secret Police in Action."* The moment it went live, the internet exploded.
[Holy shit! The set design is insane!]
[Where'd they find these actors? Those flying fish uniforms are museum-grade!]
"These floating words..." Zhu Youjian whispered nervously.
"Viewer comments," Xu Qing explained. "See '666'? That means you're awesome."
"Fellow... disciples of the Dao," the emperor addressed the camera awkwardly. "We, Zhu Youjian, Emperor of the Great Ming, shall show you the fate of corrupt officials!"
The chat erupted:
[This emperor cosplayer's acting is next level!]
[Props team deserves awards—is that real gold embroidery?!]
[Drop a rocket and can we see a beheading?]
By the time imperial guards kicked down Wen's mansion gates, viewership had surpassed 100,000. Luo Yangxing stormed the treasury, revealing chests of silver ingots—each bearing the unmistakable *"10th Year of Wanli"* inscription.
[Wait! Those ingots' aging is flawless.]
[Just checked historical records—this mint mark is legit!]
[I'll gift a plane! Let me examine one!]
Xu Qing whispered urgently, "Someone sent a 'plane'—that flying animation means big money."
Zhu Youjian grabbed an ingot for the camera. "Behold the evidence of Wen's corruption—"
Suddenly, the chat went wild:
[OMG! Check the west wing!]
[Under the guard's foot—floorboard's loose!]
The emperor followed the hints. Beneath a displaced tile lay stacks of secret correspondence with the Later Jin dynasty.
"Treason!" Zhu Youjian roared. "Decree: Wen Tiren faces lingchi at noon tomorrow!"
The chat exploded:
[This just got REAL!]
[10 rockets for live slow slicing!]
[You're sick! ...But same.]
Xu Qing's hands trembled as donations surged. "Your Majesty, we've hit 200,000 RMB!"
"How much grain can that buy?"
"About 200 tons of rice."
The emperor nearly dropped his phone. "Hear this! All who donate over 100 yuan shall receive the 'Righteous Subject of the Ming' plaque!"
Suddenly, an alarm blared from Xu Qing's phone. A red warning flashed:
**"Temporal disturbance detected. History divergence: 7%..."**
Before Xu Qing could react, the stream froze. Viewers glimpsed a shadowy figure lunging—then heard Zhu Youjian's roar:
"Assassins! Protect your emperor!"