Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 222 Serving as a dog for the Ming Dynasty is already the greatest fortune.
"Proceed according to the original plan, head to the palace immediately, and take it over!"

Those who originally went to kill Cui Ying continued their search for her!

After a brief silence, Mu Ying watched as Li Chenggui issued his order and made the corresponding decision.

They rejected Yi Seong-gye's suggestion to search for and kill Choi Young.

There's no turning back now. Things have come to this point; Cui Ying has moved into the shadows, while they remain in the open.

It's not certain that we can find Cui Ying in a short time.

Instead of wasting time searching for Cui Ying, we should proceed according to the original plan and continue to take over the palace.

With the imperial palace in hand, one also possesses corresponding trump cards.

Even if Choi Young does manage to amass a large army, they can still issue an order in the name of the legitimate Goryeo dynasty, declaring Lee In-im and Choi Young as traitors.

Then there's still a chance of winning, and we won't fall into a too passive situation.

This clearly shows the huge gap between Yi Seong-gye and Mok Young.

"Very well, we will listen to what the envoy says!"

After listening to Mu Ying's words, Yi Seong-gye quickly considered the matter and realized the benefits of Mu Ying's decision.

He immediately gave the order and led his men to follow Mu Ying towards the palace.

At this point, Yi Seong-gye was completely on edge.

The joy of successfully capturing and killing Li Renren was gone.

At this point, there was no turning back for him.

One wrong move and he would be killed and his clan wiped out, so he had no choice but to fight desperately.

……

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door now!"

Someone arrived in front of the Goryeo royal palace and shouted loudly, demanding that the gate be opened immediately.

"who?!"

On the city wall, a guard shouted rebukes, his voice filled with dissatisfaction.

How could they possibly come here in the middle of the night and shout for the palace gates to be opened?

"By order of Lord Li, there is urgent military information that must be immediately reported to the King."
"Those envoys from the Northern Yuan have caused trouble! Open the gates immediately! Delaying this extremely urgent matter will result in the execution of your entire clan—you can't bear the consequences!"

The messenger's expression changed drastically, and he shouted at the messenger.

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper was startled and dared not be negligent.

They quickly found a basket and hung it down.

The person who knocked on the door put Li Renren's talisman and his personal sword inside.

In the darkness, Mu Ying and Li Chenggui hid with their men, their expressions tense, hoping their moves would be effective.

Those guarding the city gates can open them upon seeing this talisman.

If they can't trick the city gates open using such methods, they'll have to fight tooth and nail to open them again.

In that case, the cost would be enormous, and the time required would be unpredictable.

Cui Ying's whereabouts are unknown at this moment, and she could arrive with a large army at any time.

If we cannot capture and seize the capital before Cui Ying arrives, then this entire undertaking will be a complete failure.
They had no way to survive.

The talisman and sword presented were genuine, proving Li Renren's identity.

This was taken from Li Renren after he was killed; how could it not be genuine?
"Open the door right now! If you delay this important matter, you'll all die!"

The person knocking on the door shouted loudly, his voice sharp and his expression stern, filled with extreme anxiety.

The person who had been examining the talisman for a while had confirmed that it was genuine and that the sword also belonged to Li Renren.

Opening the city gates at night, especially the gates of the imperial city, is indeed a major taboo.

While he was hesitating, upon hearing this rebuke, and considering the immense power of Li Renren, he gritted his teeth and ordered the city gates to be opened.

After he gave the order, the city gates slowly opened.

Hidden in the darkness not far away, Mu Ying breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene.

Thankfully, the tactic worked, and the city gates were finally opened.

Otherwise, things will get complicated!
Without further hesitation, he rushed toward the imperial city gate.

Yi Seong-gye reacted just as quickly, rushing over immediately.

The person who opened the city gate sensed something was wrong and immediately ordered the gate to be closed.

But it was too late.

Mu Ying and Li Chenggui rushed over and ended their lives with a swift stroke of their knives.

And they rushed inside quickly.

The troops behind followed suit.

In an instant, they had already seized the palace gates.

Without much hesitation, they went straight to the palace of the young emperor of Goryeo.

Yi Seong-gye's confidants quickly took control of the palace's defenses and announced that Yi In-im's rebellion had been overthrown.

The Ming Dynasty envoy personally led a group to kill the traitors, and no one was allowed to resist.

Those who resist are guilty of the same crime as traitors, while those who do not resist and help stabilize the situation are all meritorious.

There will be a reward coming!
The main generals of these defenders were killed, and the remaining men were filled with fear and insignificant.

More people weren't thinking about resisting, but rather about whether they would die.

On the one hand, the incident happened suddenly, and the main generals were already dead, leaving them without a leader.

On the other hand, after Li Renren came to power, he did indeed go too far in many things, which made him unpopular.

Not to mention that this incident was carried out by angels from the Ming Dynasty, so it has a righteous cause.

Under these circumstances, it's impossible to expect them to put up a fierce resistance.

……

"What are you doing? What are you doing?!"

The young emperor of Goryeo was so frightened that he burst into tears, cowering and trying to crawl under the bed.

Beside him, a close eunuch mustered the courage to speak up and question him, which barely saved him some dignity.

"Li Renren rebelled and colluded with the Mongol Tartars, murdered the monarch, installed Xin Dun's son as king, and his plot to kill the angel of the superior country has been exposed!"
"By order of the envoy of the Celestial Empire, we are here to restore order and restore peace and prosperity to Goryeo!"

Yi Seong-gye shouted loudly and killed the eunuch who was still trying to say something with a single blow.

They grabbed the already terrified young Goryeo king and pulled him outside.

It's like leading a pig or a sheep.

At this moment, the so-called king has no dignity whatsoever.

While Yi Seong-gye was doing these things, some soldiers also came to the Queen Dowager's residence and took control of it.

"Did Li Renren take my life?"

Compared to the ten-year-old King of Goryeo, the Queen Dowager of Goryeo was also quite frightened by this sudden situation, appearing panicked and her expression changed drastically.

But he managed to maintain a semblance of composure.

From her question about whether Li Renren wanted her dead, it's clear that she harbored a deep fear of such a powerful minister as Li Renren.

"It is true that Li Renren rebelled, but he was executed by Li Chenggui on the orders of the envoy of the Great Ming Dynasty."

Entering the palace now is to set things right and restore order to Goryeo.

Compared to his rudeness towards the King of Goryeo, he was much more respectful towards the Queen Dowager of Goryeo. He did not barge in or drag her out like a pig or a sheep.

This is because, going forward, supporting a new emperor and stabilizing the situation will require the Empress Dowager to step in.

At least her name is needed.

The Queen Dowager of Goryeo initially disagreed with the idea of ​​ten-year-old Wang Yu becoming emperor.

It was Li Renren who insisted on his own way, overruled the objections of others, and suppressed the opinions of the people to secure the throne.

In this situation, the Empress Dowager becomes very important.

With her around, things will become much easier and more legitimate.

Upon hearing this news, the Queen Dowager of Goryeo was visibly stunned, taken aback by this unexpected revelation.

But that's about it.

"Where is General Li? Where is the envoy from the Celestial Empire? I want to see them."

"We are working to stabilize the situation and quell the chaos."

Upon hearing this answer, the Queen Dowager of Goryeo felt somewhat relieved.

Seeing that these people were still quite respectful to him, he felt even more at ease.

She summoned palace servants to dress her in the ceremonial robes that belonged to the Empress Dowager and were only worn on extremely important occasions.

Not long after these preparations were completed, Li Chenggui and Mu Ying arrived one after the other.

“Li Renren rebelled and murdered the king. He is a treacherous minister and a traitor. Everyone has the right to kill him.”

"I executed the traitor too late, causing turmoil in Goryeo and frightening the Queen. I deserve death!"

Yi Seong-gye knelt on the ground, begged for forgiveness from the Queen of Goryeo, and presented Yi In-im's head.

The Queen Dowager of Goryeo suppressed her fear and carefully examined the head. Confirming it was indeed Lee In-im's head and not a fake, she forced a smile.

"General Li is a loyal and righteous man. He has rid Goryeo of this national traitor. It is truly a blessing for Goryeo!"

Having a loyal and righteous man like General Li is truly the greatest blessing for Goryeo.

General Li, please rise.

After saying this, he took two steps forward, knelt down before Mu Ying who was holding a scepter, and said, "Greetings, angel of the Kingdom."

The bow was performed with great respect.

The greeting was performed with great respect, and Mu Ying accepted it with complete composure.

After all, at this moment, he was not representing himself, but the Ming Dynasty.

Let alone an empress dowager, even if the king of Goryeo were alive, holding a staff, he could still receive such a ceremony!
"Li Renren rebelled and murdered the emperor. His crimes are unforgivable, and he has already been executed."

He was utterly depraved, murdering our Ming Dynasty envoy and conspiring with the Mongols. The king he supported to ascend the throne should, in my opinion, be called Xin Wu.

He is the son of Xin Dun, a powerful minister in the past. This man should be deposed; he must not be allowed to disrupt the legitimate line of succession.

“What the envoy said is very true. I am willing to follow the envoy’s name.”

"The King of Goryeo has no son, so a member of the royal family should be chosen to inherit the throne."

I think Wang Yao is quite good; we should make him king. What do you think?

Mu Ying asked again.

"The emperor's considerations are thorough, and the subjects of this humble state have no objections."

The Queen Dowager of Goryeo respectfully stated that she had no objection to this matter.

What opinions could she possibly have? And what opinions would she dare to have?
However, it would indeed be better to make Wang Yao the king than Wang Wu, the son of Xin Duan.

It is more advantageous for her.

Because Wang Yao and she were quite close in private.

"If that's the case, then issue an imperial decree to settle this matter."

The Queen Dowager of Goryeo verbally agreed.

After settling the matter, he stood up from the ground at Mu Ying's prompting and stopped kneeling.

"My wise ruler of the Great Ming Dynasty had heard of the Empress Dowager before he arrived in the Ming Dynasty. She said that there was a wise and righteous queen in Goryeo. Now that we have met, it is indeed true."

"Having a Dowager like you is a blessing for Goryeo."

Upon hearing Mu Ying's words, the Queen Dowager of Goryeo immediately knelt down again to express her gratitude.

After looking at the Queen Dowager of Goryeo, he stamped her seal on the pre-written edict establishing Wang Yao as the new King of Goryeo.

Mu Ying also took out an imperial edict from his bosom and filled in the words "Wang Yao" on it.

The edict was already written and sealed, with only the name left blank.

Simply fill in the name, and you have a formal edict bestowing the title of King of Goryeo.

It seems that Zhu Yuanzhang was inspired by the blank seal case and also produced a blank edict for Mu Ying to use.

This also shows how much Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Mu Ying.

Yi Seong-gye could hardly contain his joy.

As a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, the succession of a king required the recognition and investiture of the Ming Dynasty.

Only in this way can one be considered a truly legitimate and justified king.

Wang Yu, whom Li Renren installed, has not yet been recognized by the Ming Dynasty.

But now, the Wang Yao they had supported has been easily obtained.

With the Empress Dowager's decree and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty's edict, the Wang Yao they are now supporting is the true king.

It's the kind of law that no one can find fault with.

If anyone feels this is inappropriate, then let's discuss it properly with Daming.

With an envoy from the Ming Dynasty personally accompanying us, things are done smoothly and we can reduce a lot of worries.

Over time, Yi Seong-gye was impressed by the talents displayed by Mu Ying, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty.

In terms of ability, intelligence, and skill, this Ming Dynasty envoy is an excellent choice and impeccable.

He has always believed that he is very capable in terms of methods and talents.

But this time, after traveling with Mu Ying, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, and witnessing the envoy's demeanor, I suddenly realized just how vast the gap was between myself and the deceased Ming Dynasty!

It's a world of difference.

This is not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is that this Ming envoy named Mu Ying had previously been unknown in the Ming Dynasty and did not even have the title of marquis.

Even someone without a marquis title possesses such charisma.

What kind of demeanor must the Duke Xu Da and others of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the many marquises besides those few dukes, have been!

This is simply unimaginable!
It was after realizing this that his mind was greatly shaken.

This made him deeply aware of the terror of the Ming Dynasty.

The might of the Ming Dynasty is unfathomable!
It was far beyond what they could imagine, and certainly not something that their mere Goryeo could handle.

At this moment, Yi Seong-gye completely abandoned any thought of opposing the Ming Dynasty.

To oppose such a powerful Ming Dynasty would be to invite self-destruction.

The Ming Dynasty is invincible.

Being able to grovel down and serve as a dog for the Ming Dynasty is already the greatest fortune.

As he was thinking this, soldiers carrying torches rapidly approached the palace in the darkness.

Upon receiving this news, Yi Seong-gye's face immediately darkened, and he felt very heavy-hearted.

As expected, that bastard Cui Ying succeeded, and the troops she gathered came to the palace to fight!
What follows is an inevitable bloody battle to determine who is superior and who will live or die!
(End of this chapter)