Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 277 Zhu Biao: My heroic spirit is still alive, that is, Zhu Ying.

Looking at Zhu Biao's ferocious appearance and his almost undisguised killing intent, one can see the rage.

This shattered even the last vestiges of hope for the Lü family.

She might have thought that after meeting Zhu Biao, things would take a turn for the better, allowing her to regain favor and change her current predicament.

But as things stand now...

Zhu Biao has completely lost trust in her.

This naturally made Lady Lü tremble all over.

"Your Highness...Does Your Highness truly not trust me?"

"Your Majesty, I truly did not do it," Lady Lü said, still clinging to a sliver of hope, her voice filled with utter grievance.

Seeing how Lu Shi was still pretending even in such a dire situation, Zhu Biao felt nothing but disgust, and his disgust only deepened.

"What kind of woman did I favor in the past?"

"Even in this situation, they are still struggling and making excuses."

"This woman is truly terrifying."

"I was completely fooled by her from beginning to end," Zhu Biao thought to himself, filled with regret.

But Zhu Biao didn't dwell on it too much.

"The Lü family."

"I have nothing left to say to you now."

"You'd better pray that the suppression of Yun Tong has nothing to do with your Lü family, otherwise, your Lü family will face more than just exile." Zhu Biao stood up from his seat and said coldly.

"Your Highness, why don't you believe me?"

Seeing Zhu Biao about to leave, Madam Lü immediately grabbed his foot and said with great grievance.

"Still pretending?"

Zhu Biao looked at him coldly: "If you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"besides."

"I will tell you later."

"Father has already made his decision regarding Yunwen and the others. Yunwen knows about the hardships Yunwen has suffered over the years, but he completely disregarded brotherly affection for his own benefit."

"I despise you to the extreme."

“Once he turns eighteen, he will be expelled from the Eastern Palace, and all future glory belonging to the royal family will have nothing to do with him.”

Upon hearing that Zhu Yunwen was to be treated in this way, Lady Lü initially only intended to feign pitifulness, but when she thought about her son losing the glory of the imperial family and not even being granted the title of prince in the future, Lady Lü completely panicked.

Royal glory is none of his concern.

This demonstrates Zhu Biao's attitude.

Even after Zhu Biao ascended the throne, many of his sons could be granted the title of prince, but Zhu Yunwen was the only one who could not.

"Your Highness."

“Even if I am wrong, Yunwen is innocent. He is His Highness’s eldest son.”

"You can't do that to him!" Madam Lü said anxiously and in fear.

Upon hearing the words "eldest son," Zhu Biao sneered, "My eldest son is not him. He is just an illegitimate child. Since you have already been banished to this cold palace and will never have a chance to leave, I will tell you something."

As he said this...

Zhu Biao slowly squatted down, with an unusual sense of pleasure, his gaze fixed on Lady Lü.

“My hero is still alive,” Zhu Biao said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Lady Lü's expression suddenly changed, her eyes widened, and disbelief appeared on her face.

prior to.

Zhu Yunwen had said this in the palace. Although it terrified Lady Lü, she still found it hard to believe. After all, how could someone who had already been buried in the imperial mausoleum still be alive? How could someone come back to life?
"besides."

"I will tell you later."

“My hero is Zhu Ying, the champion of the Great Ming Dynasty.”

"May Heaven protect my son and the fate of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Let my Xiong Ying hone his skills among the common people and in the army. Now he is even more outstanding and talented than before. Soon, I will recognize him and make him the Crown Prince." Zhu Biao stared at Lady Lü and said coldly.

After saying this.

Zhu Biao ignored Lu Shi and pushed her hand away. Ignoring her dazed state, he turned and left the hall.

With Zhu Biao gone, the once-open main hall doors were closed again, and the Imperial Guards immediately locked them.

Inside the hall.

Lady Lü sat on the ground in a daze, her eyes filled with fear and panic.

"impossible."

"How could he possibly come back to life?"

"He is dead."

"It's impossible for him to still be alive?"

"And...and how could he possibly be Zhu Ying?"

"No...this is fake, it must be fake..."

“But Zhu Biao has reached such a level that he would never lie to me, and there is no need for him to deceive me.”

"Previously, Zhu Biao recognized Zhu Ying's son as his adopted grandson, and Zhu Wenxi looked so much like that bastard when he was a child. It really... it really wasn't a coincidence. It was all because Zhu Ying was that bastard Zhu Xiong Ying?"

"No, that's impossible..."

At this moment, Lady Lü felt incredibly conflicted, as if her heart was in turmoil.

The three characters "Zhu Xiong Ying" are mentioned.

It was a nightmare for her.

Outside the palace!

Zhu Biao remained calm, thinking to himself, "If I tell her this, she will definitely take some action."

"The Lü family."

"You mustn't let me down."

Think of this.

Zhu Biao did not linger there.

He strode away from there.

But not for a while.

Inside the main hall of the East Palace.

Luo Yang, the commander of the Golden Guard, then came before Zhu Biao.

"Your Highness, you summoned me." Luo Yang bowed deeply.

"I'm entrusting you with a task. Go and do it secretly, and don't let it leak out," Zhu Biao said solemnly.

"Please give your orders, Your Highness," Luo Yang immediately said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Let the Imperial Guards relax their surveillance of Lady Lü's Cold Palace a little, preferably leaving some gaps."

"This gives them an opportunity to take advantage of you." Zhu Biao stared at Luo Yang and said seriously.

Hear this.

Luo Yang was naturally very clever and understood immediately.

"I will certainly handle it well," Luo Yang replied immediately.

"Go ahead." Zhu Biao waved his hand and said no more.

Having followed Zhu Biao for many years, Luo Yang naturally understood without needing to explain things too clearly.

"The bait has been cast; now it's up to the Lü family to take the bait."

"Knowing that death is inevitable, I don't believe you won't resort to desperate measures."

"Father's political maneuvering is truly remarkable."

At this moment.

Zhu Biao now fully understands his father's methods.

under night.

The Eastern Palace is at peace.

With the removal of Lady Lü's control, the remaining concubines in the Eastern Palace naturally got along very well, and Zhu Yunwen naturally regained the status that originally belonged to him.

After Lady Lü was gone.

The Eastern Palace, on the contrary, became much more harmonious.

"Shift change."

Outside the Cold Palace where Lady Lü was imprisoned, a loud shout came from the guard flag bearer.

The ten Golden Guards on duty quickly gathered, and after counting their numbers, they immediately headed to the other side.

But the Jinwu Guards who are changing shifts won't arrive for some time.

It's also at this time!
A palace maid cautiously approached the side of the palace, but she was very careful not to go near the side door. Instead, she went to the side window and knocked on the window three times.

Not long after the third sound.

Inside the palace.

Lady Lü had already approached the window. The cold palace was pitch black, so Lady Lü's face could not be seen, but at this moment she looked extremely ferocious, like a demon.

“Go tell my father, Zhu Yingji, Zhu Xiong Ying.”

"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have murderous intentions toward my Lü family, so we must prepare to strike first."

"Otherwise, my Lü family will surely perish," Lü said in a low voice, filled with intense hatred.

Upon hearing this, the palace maid outside the side window replied without hesitation, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will convey your words to the Minister verbatim."

Done.

The palace maid left quickly.

Meanwhile, Madam Lü sat against the wall, her face contorted with rage: "Zhu Biao, I have served you for so many years, and Yunwen is just as outstanding, yet you treat me like this because of a bastard, and you treat Yunwen like that too. You are truly unworthy of being a father."

"Since you won't give my son and me a way out, then I'll fight you to the death. At worst, we'll go our separate ways."

"Zhu Xiongying."

"Although I don't know how you survived, I was able to kill you back then, and I can do it again now."

At this moment, Lady Lü had gone mad, perhaps because she knew there was no hope left, and she could see clearly that Zhu Biao no longer had any mercy for her.

of course!

More importantly, it was the name Zhu Xiong Ying that drove her to the brink of madness.

But Lady Lü was unaware of this.

The arrival and departure of that palace maid were all witnessed by those in the shadows.

Inside the main hall of the East Palace.

"Your Highness."

“Just now, a palace maid went to the Cold Palace while my Imperial Guards were changing shifts, and even lingered at the side window of the Cold Palace for a moment.”

"I did not arrest this palace maid, but rather kept her under surveillance," Luo Yang reported respectfully to Zhu Biao as he entered the main hall.

Hear this!

Zhu Biao nodded with great satisfaction: "Well done."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness," Luo Yang said immediately.

"Keep a close watch on them. If there's any movement, inform me immediately," Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will keep a close eye on things," Luo Yang immediately replied.

The Lü residence!

"Zhu Yingji is Zhu Xiong Ying".

"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have already decided to eliminate my Lü family."

"The day Zhu Ying regains his identity will be the day my Lü family is destroyed."

When he saw the secret report in his hand, Lü Ben's old face turned ashen.

Even the high-ranking Minister was somewhat flustered at this moment.

Ever since his daughter was stripped of her imperial concubine status and banished to the cold palace, he had been living in constant fear and anxiety. However, the fact that the current emperor had not punished him and had even given him greater power to oversee the imperial examinations made Lü Ben think that things might not be so bad after all.

But this time, a message came from the Lü family.

This put Lü Ben on the edge of his seat.

"How is this possible?"

"How could Zhu Ying be Zhu Xiong Ying?"

"How could that bastard still be alive? Back then... back then he was dead."

"There's no reason for this." Lü Ben's expression was tense; he had completely panicked.

under night.

Upon receiving this news, Lü Ben couldn't sleep at all.

……

The next day!

The court deliberations, held every three days, have begun again.

Nearly two months have passed, and Zhu Ying has gotten used to it.

Wearing official robes, one only needs to attend court discussions daily.

Just listen attentively; if you don't want to speak, then don't. Just wait for the court session to end.

The recent court meetings were not at the beginning of the year, so there weren't many major events, and Zhu Ying was no longer specifically asked to question anyone, so he was happy to be free.

Zhu Yingzheng is now trying to figure out how to avoid attending court meetings.

Inside the Fengtian Hall!
"The Emperor has arrived."

"All officials knelt to welcome them."

With a loud shout from Yun Qi.

In the imperial court, ministers without titles knelt to pay homage, while those with titles bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects and wish Your Majesty a long life!"

The shouts echoed throughout the hall.

Under the watchful eyes of the assembled officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, stood in front of the dragon throne and waved his hand, saying, "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the officials said in unison.

"If you have the foundation to play, you will retreat from the court without the foundation."

As the officials returned to their respective positions, Yunqi shouted again.

"Let's start playing, Your Majesty."

"After several months, we have received reports from various garrisons that the pensions for the soldiers of our Great Ming's Northern Expedition have been fully distributed."

"After reviewing the documents, I found nothing missing."

"I have already submitted a detailed record to the Wenyuan Pavilion."

Tang Duo stepped forward and respectfully reported.

"I'm sorry to trouble Minister Tang with this matter."

"The matter of providing relief and compensation is of paramount importance to the nation."

"Absolutely no mistakes can be tolerated. We will carefully review the detailed records after they are returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion," Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and then said.

"Your subject understands." Tang Duo bowed respectfully and returned to his place in the ranks.

"Let's start playing, Your Majesty."

“In three months, it will be time for the autumn harvest and tax collection. After a year of war, although the Northern Expedition plundered the Northern Yuan Treasury to make up for some of the losses, it is still not enough. This time, we ask Your Majesty to make a clear statement on how the taxes will be used in the future. Will it be used to strengthen the Great Wall on the border, resettle the refugees, reinforce the Yellow River dikes, or prepare for natural disasters?” Zhao Mian stepped forward and respectfully reported.

"These matters are of paramount importance to the foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Thank you for your detailed list of records, Minister Zhao. We will make a careful decision," Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Zhao Mian respectfully withdrew.

Then one by one, the ministers stepped forward to present their memorials.

When Lü Ben submitted his memorial.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of a smile, "Minister Lü, did you not get enough rest last night? Why are you so tired today?"

At this moment, Lü Ben looked exhausted, and his eyes were even red and swollen.

It's clear that he probably didn't sleep at all last night.

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang mention this, Lü Ben immediately bowed and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The imperial examinations are now at a critical juncture. After the local examinations, there will be the prefectural examinations, followed by the palace examinations. This old minister dares not delay."

See this.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded calmly, then said with concern, "Minister Lü should still prioritize his health."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Lü Ben bowed respectfully and returned to his place in the ranks.

And this time!
Zhu Biao, who had not spoken until now, said: "Gentlemen, today in court, my father and I have something to announce. It is neither a big deal nor a small one."

Hearing Zhu Biao speak.

All eyes of the court officials were focused on the person in the high position.

"Xu Miaojin, daughter of the Xu family."

"Mu Ya, a daughter of the Mu family."

“She is of marriageable age, with outstanding looks and virtue,” Zhu Biao said slowly.

Hear this.

The ministers in the court immediately understood what was going on.

This might be an arrangement to marry off the two women.

"really."

“Those two girls have been coming to my residence too often lately, and Old Zhu and Young Zhu have already noticed them.”

"The daughters of two powerful families are getting along so closely with me, a newly rich man. If things really escalate to the point where they become a couple, it won't be a good thing. This arranged marriage is Old Zhu's way of dealing with the situation."

"Borrowing Xu Miaojin and Mu Ya's marriages will prevent these two families from having too much contact with me," Zhu Ying thought to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)