I was to be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Empress Ma smashed Zhu Yuanzhang's jade seal.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Fu Youde...

These top generals of the Ming Dynasty were all moved to tears.

They spent their lives on the battlefield, witnessing countless deaths and hardening their hearts like iron.

But today, they couldn't hold back any longer.

Every wound on Zhu Muying's body was like a knife, slowly torturing their hearts.

They felt ashamed that they had once harbored a vague sense of unease because of the King's great achievements.

They felt extremely ashamed that they had not stood up immediately to fight to the death to protect the King when he was unjustly imprisoned!

Even the usually prudent civil officials were deeply moved at this moment, and many of them were secretly wiping away tears.

They may not understand the cruelty of war, but they can see what those scars on their bodies represent.

That represents loyalty, sacrifice, and a prince's deepest love for his country.

To use the word "treason" to tarnish such a weighty loyalty is utterly immoral!

On the high platform, Zhu Yuanzhang stood there blankly.

His body was trembling slightly, not from anger, but from an emotion he had never experienced before—regret.

Every word Zhu Biao said was like a heavy hammer blow, striking his heart hard.

Fish in the sea...

Kunlun Mountain...

Northern Desert...

These cold place names, which he had only seen in reports of victory, now became incredibly vivid and cruel because of the hideous scars on his son's body.

He saw the boy, barely a teenager, shielding the military flag with his body amidst a hail of arrows.

He saw that young man, fighting desperately in the snow-capped mountains, narrowly escaping death.

He saw his son, who had grown into a commander, being struck in the back by the Wolf God's Hammer in the cold winds of the northern desert, his blood staining the yellow sand...

Those are all his sons!

He was Zhu Yuanzhang's biological son!

The blood he shed was the blood of the Zhu family!

He risked his life for the Zhu family's empire!

But what about yourself?

What am I, as a father, doing?

Just because of that damned suspicion, just because of that vague "threat," he was going to kill the son who had given everything for him with his own hands?

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang, did you really lose the hearts of the people when you became emperor?

At this moment, the high wall in his heart, built by suspicion and imperial power, began to shake violently and collapse under the impact of kinship and guilt...

He looked down at his son, his prison clothes torn open, his body covered in honors, naked; the crown prince kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly for his brother; the civil and military officials in the court, some grief-stricken, some weeping; and the hundreds of thousands of eyes in the square, filled with sorrow and anger…

For the first time, he realized that his imperial power was not omnipotent.

He can kill a person, but he can't kill a person's heart.

He can convict a person, but he cannot erase that person's ingrained achievements.

Zhu Muying stood quietly, letting the afternoon sun shine on her hideous scars.

He didn't speak, but his scars were the most eloquent testimony!

He looked at his father, watching the ever-changing expressions on his face, from anger to shock, then to wavering, and finally, deep guilt and pain.

Zhu Muying felt completely calm.

He knew he had made the right bet.

Zhu Biao's tearful and impassioned speech, this earth-shattering outburst, completely ignited everyone's emotions and utterly shattered Zhu Yuanzhang's psychological defenses.

Now, it's almost done.

It's time to move on to the next step.

Just as the entire square was immersed in immense sorrow and anger.

A crisp metallic clang broke the oppressive silence.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Among the ranks of officials, Xu Da, the Duke of Wei of the Ming Dynasty and the top military leader, slowly unfastened the sword from his waist and threw it on the ground.

The sword that had accompanied Xu Da for half his life, witnessing him slay generals and capture flags, symbolizing unparalleled military achievements and glory, now lay quietly on the cold stone slab, letting out a mournful cry of unwillingness.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Da's sudden action.

What are we supposed to do?

Xu Da slowly walked out of the ranks, came to the center of the square, and knelt down heavily in front of Zhu Yuanzhang on the high platform.

But he did not plead for mercy, nor did he cry out.

He spoke in a voice filled with profound sorrow yet unwavering resolve, enunciating each word clearly: "Your Majesty!"

"Your subject, Xu Da, has followed Your Majesty since the age of twenty-three, for more than twenty years. In hundreds of battles, large and small, I have never retreated or uttered a word of complaint."

"In my opinion, it is only right and proper to shed blood for the Ming Dynasty and to be loyal to Your Majesty."

"But today, I saw His Highness the King of England."

Xu Da's voice choked with emotion. He turned around and glanced at the young prince, who was shirtless and covered in scars, his eyes filled with admiration and heartache.

"I am ashamed of my inferiority!"

"The wounds on my body are less than one-tenth of Your Highness's! The merits I have rendered are less than one-hundredth of Your Highness's!"

"Such a loyal and brave prince, such a war god who served the country and its people, if they are both to be accused of 'treason' and beheaded outside the Meridian Gate..."

Xu Da took a deep breath, suddenly looked up, and stared intently at Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Then this subject does not know what is loyalty and what is treachery!"

"Your Majesty, I do not know how to continue this battle!"

"Your Majesty, I know not how to face the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under my command who, too, have shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty!"

After saying this, he kowtowed three times heavily before the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty! I, Xu Da, dare to be so bold as to request that Your Majesty rescind your order, thoroughly investigate the case of the Prince of Ying, and restore justice to His Highness and to all the soldiers of the realm!"

"If Your Majesty does not grant my request, I... am willing to lay down my arms and retire to my hometown, never again concerning myself with military affairs!"

"boom!"

Retire from military service and return to rural life!

These four words are even more shocking than "execution by beheading"!

Who is Xu Da?

The pillar of the Ming Dynasty's military!

Zhu Yuanzhang's most trusted right-hand man!

He actually tried to force the emperor to retire from the military and return to his hometown!

This is no longer a simple plea for leniency; this is the most resolute protest!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He could disregard Zhan Hui, and he could disregard a group of censors, but he could not disregard Xu Da!

Without Xu Da, who would guard the northern frontier for him?

Who will lead this million-strong army for him?

However, before he could even react to the shock Xu Da had brought him...

Clang!

Another crisp sound.

Duke of E, Chang Yuchun, also threw away his sword!

He strode over to Xu Da's side, knelt down beside him, and spoke in a booming voice!

"Your Majesty! Your subject, Chang Yuchun, begs Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

"If His Highness the King is plotting rebellion, then I, Chang Yuchun, am an accomplice! Because I was involved in almost every battle he fought! If he is a traitor, then I am a traitor too! I beg Your Majesty to execute me as well!"

That's practically a blatant threat!

But that's just Chang Yuchun's temperament—straightforward and inflexible!

He doesn't care about rulers and subjects, fathers and sons; he only recognizes the word "righteousness"!

Zhu Muying was his junior and also his most admired commander. The two had a life-or-death bond on the battlefield!

Anyone who dares to touch Zhu Muying is touching Chang Yuchun!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

……

A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out continuously in the square.

Blue Jade!

Fu Youde!

Feng Sheng!

Li Wenzhong! ...

At this moment, the top generals, dukes, and marquises of the Ming Dynasty, whose mere presence could shake the entire military, made a pact.

They stepped out of the ranks, threw away their swords, and knelt down in a dark mass behind Xu Da and Chang Yuchun!

"Your Majesty, I, Lan Yu, beg you to rescind your decree!"

"Your Majesty, I, Fu Youde, implore you to reconsider!"

"We, your humble servants, beg Your Majesty to grant His Highness the Prince of England justice!"

"If the King of England is guilty, I am willing to share the same guilt!"