The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 553 Kill the chicken and show it to the monkey
These people know this very well.

They were already very old and there was no way they could escape alive. Did they really think that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot in Yingtian Prefecture were just for show?

"I reckon there's more than one person watching me now, so I might as well wait here and try to give my sons a chance to live," he said with a smile as he looked at the remaining people in front of him.

"You must leave this place immediately. Although I don't know the Zhu family's plans, these people are definitely not ordinary. So, don't get involved in the conflict. Observe carefully what happens next!"

"If this is truly a scheme orchestrated by the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty, and no other family in the world can stand against the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Then there's no need for you to confront the Zhu family. Judging by their newly reformed imperial examination system, with our resources, it won't take many years!"

"If you can also develop, the family will continue, and we will still have a chance to rise again!"

Hearing this, he nodded heavily, then turned and left the place.

Soon, all the Imperial Guards and agents of the Western Depot of the Ming Dynasty were mobilized.

All the members of each family were brought back. Although one or two escaped, they were a minority, and the rebellion was quickly quelled.

Even the next day, there were still many people on the streets. There were no traces of yesterday's battle, only the sounds of fighting that these people could hear.

This confirms that the event did indeed happen.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the intelligence report in his hand and was extremely angry.

"That old coward Zhu Liangzu used to be quite capable, how come he's become such a coward these past few years, he even wants to surrender!"

"They really have no backbone at all!"

"This guy isn't even as good as Chen Yong!"

"But since they want to rebel, there's no need to keep them alive. Let's send them away!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao nodded upon hearing this. This time, he did not refute Zhu Yuanzhang. If it were any other official, he might be able to step forward and help if something happened, but this rebellion was indeed not a case of leniency.

If we treat them leniently, more people will definitely rebel. It's better to take this opportunity to make an example of them and send a warning to others.

The officials in the court were greatly shocked by what they saw. At this moment, Hu Weiyong, whose hair had turned white, sighed.

His power has been waning over the years, and he is now on the verge of leaving the cabinet.

If he were to leave the cabinet, he would have almost no rights now. Thinking about this, he felt a pang of difficulty. When he learned that these people were planning a rebellion, he still had a glimmer of hope.

If these people's rebellion were to succeed, it would simply mean a change of emperor. With their abilities and skills, they might even become the next prime minister.

I still possess these rights, but it seems impossible now.

Zhu Liangzu is truly useless; he can't even do this small thing right. Thinking of this, he sighed deeply.

The remaining nobles of Huaixi knelt on the ground, trembling. If it were someone else who had committed the crime, perhaps they would have come up to plead for mercy.

However, the crimes committed by Zhu Liangzu and Chen Yong were so serious that even they dared not imprison them in the slightest, lest they be treated as accomplices.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at these people and snorted coldly.

"Many of you know about this matter but were not involved, but that doesn't mean you are without fault!"

"This matter ends here. If I find out who is still involved in this matter, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Besides, some of you are already quite old. There's no point in you staying in Yingtian Prefecture any longer!" "You should leave as soon as possible. While you can still maintain some dignity, leave your family members in Yingtian Prefecture. You were able to follow me in conquering the world and achieve your current status when you were young!"

"As for whether you can maintain this position, that depends on whether your descendants live up to expectations!"

Several old men who had fought alongside Zhu Yuanzhang to establish the empire sighed deeply upon hearing this.

The outcome is already predetermined, and there's nothing they can do about it. Leaving now will at least allow them to retain some dignity.

"We obey the decree!"

At this moment, Marquis Zhu Liangzu of Yongjia and Marquis Chen Yong of Linjiang were brought up bound.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the two men angrily and said.

"You two have committed quite a few offenses over the years, but we've turned a blind eye to some minor ones. We don't believe we've treated you unfairly!"

Why rebel?

Upon hearing this, Marquis Chen Yong of Linjiang burst into laughter.

“You’re just a beggar. If a monk can sit in this position, why can’t we?”

"Who in the world wouldn't want to be emperor?"

"Ask these people in the court now, who wouldn't want to be the emperor?"

"But I failed!"

"Losing is losing, what's the big deal?"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned, their expressions turning somewhat grim. It must be said that Marquis Linjiang had indeed spoken their minds.

But wanting to and daring to are not the same thing.

Zhu Yuanzhang held immense power, and the Ming Dynasty was currently very strong. At this time, attempting to rebel would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Seeing that some things had happened in the south, Marquis Chen Yong of Linjiang assumed that there must be forces opposing the Zhu family in Yingtian Prefecture as well.

So, this person wants to take advantage of this opportunity to coordinate relationships between all parties and get himself into this position. Obviously, this person is thinking too much.

If he were to successfully rebel, how would he deal with the vast army of the Ming Dynasty outside? And how could those powerful families possibly allow a mere military man to become emperor? Unless he willingly becomes a puppet of these powerful families.

Everyone sighed and shook their heads after hearing this. At this moment, Zhu Liangzu, the Marquis of Yongjia, knelt down on the ground and spoke.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I followed Your Majesty in battle back then, and even if I didn't achieve great things, I certainly endured hardship. Today, I was blinded by greed!"

"I was misled by them. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life for the sake of my past merits!"

Then he turned his gaze to the other ministers.

"My dear brothers, we're all family here. I've given you a lot of money before, and now that you've saved my life, I promise I'll give you even more!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of those people changed drastically. It was truly despicable that Yongjia and Zhu Liangzu, even on their deathbeds, wanted to drag them all down with them.

(End of this chapter)