In 1424, Zhu Gaoxi, the Hongxi Emperor, upon ordering the cessation of the famed Ming Treasure Voyages, is killed in a fire sparked by a "Bright Dragon", now believed to have been ball lightning. His wife and all his sons die with him, alongside several prominent Confucian scholars. His untimely demise leads to his brother's adcension to the throne, as the Tienfu Emperor. Interpreting his brother's death as Heaven's intervention, he countermands the order to cease the voyages and maintains China's fleet, though the famed Treasure Ships are slowly disassembled over the next few decades. This prevents China's self-imposed isolation and leads to an expansion of her commercial sphere of influence over Southeast Asia.