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

Inside the palace, the breathtaking confrontation, the storm that overturned the entire Ming Dynasty court, finally came to an end with Empress Ma's final words, "Granted."

however.

Empress Ma walked out of Fengtian Hall, and in her grief, her heart pulse broke!

Yang Tian fell to the ground in the white jade square outside the Fengtian Hall!

Outside the Fengtian Hall, fine snowflakes began to fall.

Everyone stared blankly at the high threshold, at the Ming Dynasty Empress who was being held tightly in the arms of her two sons, yet remained silent.

No one dared to speak.

No one dared to move.

Only Zhu Biao's suppressed, tearful cries echoed repeatedly in the empty hall.

"Mother... wake up... look at your son... don't frighten him..."

Zhu Yuanzhang, slumped not far away, was like a clay sculpture that had been drained of all its energy and spirit, and had lost all reaction to everything in the outside world.

But when the words "Imperial Physician" and Zhu Biao's mournful cries reached his ears...

His empty, lifeless eyes finally showed a slight tremor.

He slowly, with great difficulty, turned his stiff neck.

His gaze passed over the layers of people and landed on the entrance of the palace.

He saw it.

He saw his two sons, who were frantically clinging to a woman.

That woman was wearing the most magnificent phoenix robe that he had personally ordered to be woven.

That woman is the only person who has never changed from him, from being a penniless beggar to where he is today, his bedmate.

His sister.

Ma Xiuying.

What's wrong with her?

Wasn't she just moments ago acting like a fierce lioness protecting her cubs, publicly berating herself in front of the entire court for the sake of her son?

Didn't she just now issue one imperial edict after another in a clear and logical manner, turning him, the emperor, into a joke?

How could she...?

Fall down?

An absurd idea, one that even Zhu Yuanzhang himself didn't believe, emerged from the depths of his already numb heart.

she……

Could it be an act?

To gain sympathy from those two brats?

To further ruin his reputation?

This thought is so malicious, so despicable.

But at that moment, Zhu Yuanzhang grasped at it like a lifeline, holding on tightly.

Correct.

It must be like this.

That woman is very cunning.

She must be acting.

Zhu Yuanzhang even seemed to be trying to force a mocking smile.

But he failed.

His facial muscles seemed to no longer belong to him; they were completely out of his control.

Just then.

"The imperial physician is here! The imperial physician is here!"

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Several elderly imperial physicians, carrying medicine chests on their backs, rushed into the Fengtian Hall, panting, led by eunuchs.

When they saw the scene inside the palace, especially when they saw the Empress, who was being held in the arms of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Ying, her face pale with fright, they all turned pale.

"Quick! Quickly, let Her Majesty see!"

Zhu Biao saw his savior and shouted hoarsely.

The elderly imperial physician with white hair at the head of the group dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately knelt down, disregarding the etiquette between emperor and subject, and placed three fingers on Empress Ma's wrist with trembling hands.

Time, at this moment, seemed to stretch out infinitely.

All eyes were fixed on the old doctor's face.

They saw that the old doctor's brows first furrowed tightly.

Then, his eyes suddenly widened.

Then, the color drained from his face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His lips began to tremble.

The three fingers he had placed on Empress Ma's wrist recoiled as if burned by fire.

With a "plop".

The old doctor collapsed to the ground, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Zhu Biao's heart sank suddenly.

"How is it?!"

He demanded sharply, "What...what happened to Mother?!"

The old imperial physician raised his head and looked at the prince's face, which was contorted with fear. His lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

His eyes were filled with a fear a hundred times greater than that of the Crown Prince.

"explain!"

Zhu Biao's eyes reddened. He grabbed the old imperial physician by the collar, practically lifting him off the ground, and roared with all his might, "How is the Empress Dowager?! You damn well better say something to me!"

The old doctor was so frightened by his appearance that he almost fainted. Two lines of tears of fear welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

His mouth was open, and a "hoarse" sound came from his throat as an invisible hand gripped his throat.

He wanted to speak, but he didn't dare.

Because the diagnosis was too shocking and too horrifying.

He didn't know what fate awaited him and his entire family if he spoke out.

"Speak!"

Zhu Biao appeared to be insane.

Xu Da, Lan Yu, and the others standing nearby were also anxious. Although they didn't know what had happened, they knew from the physician's distraught appearance that things were definitely not good.

"Doctor Zhang! What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

Lan Yu was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.

Throughout the entire Fengtian Hall, everyone's heart was in their throat.

In the midst of this suffocating silence, the old physician finally mustered all his courage and squeezed out two words from between his teeth—words that were light and airy, yet as heavy as Mount Tai.

"Your Majesty...she..."

"He...passed away..."

"boom!"

These two words were like black divine lightning descending from the heavens, striking the heads of everyone in the Fengtian Hall!

Time stood still at that moment.

Zhu Biao's hand, which was gripping the imperial physician's collar, froze.

The anxious expressions on Xu Da, Lan Yu, and the others froze.

All the civil and military officials in the court were frozen in place, remaining motionless in various astonished postures.

He died?

Your Majesty the Empress...

He died?

This……

How is this possible?!

Just now, everything was fine.

Just now, she was standing there, pointing out the flaws in the world, her words carrying the weight of law, deciding the fate of an emperor!

How could it be, in such a short instant...

It's gone?

Everyone's mind was blank.

They could neither understand nor accept this utterly absurd fact.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been slumped on the ground, showed a blank look in his empty eyes when he heard those two words.

He died?

Who died?

girl?

He was a little slow to process what was happening.

He looked at the old doctor, who was being held by Zhu Biao and was terrified and wet himself, and even found it somewhat laughable.

Is this old man out of his mind from fright?

He's just spouting nonsense.

Our girl is made of steel.

Back then, they followed us, eating chaff and wild vegetables, dodging pursuit and killing, and even mending clothes for others while heavily pregnant amidst the chaos of battle. They were on the verge of death so many times, but they still survived, didn't they?

Now that she's the empress and enjoying the greatest blessings in the world, how could she possibly die?

Even at a time like this?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

A near-neurotic, cold smile even appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

He felt that this must be another act they had conspired to put on for him.

A vicious scene was staged to make him suffer even more and feel even more desperate.

"hehe……"

A dry, unpleasant laugh escaped from Zhu Yuanzhang's throat.

He struggled to get up from the ground, wanting to point his finger at the group and expose their poor acting.

What the imperial physician said was...

A terrifying thought that terrified Zhu Yuanzhang surged uncontrollably from the deepest part of his heart!

Do not!

"You're talking nonsense!"

A loud shout interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts.

It is Zhu Biao.

The crown prince, who had just been immersed in great grief, was now completely enraged.

He slammed the old doctor to the ground.

"You quack! How dare you spread heresy and curse the Empress!"

Zhu Biao's eyes were bloodshot. He pointed at the old imperial physician and said, word by word, "Guards! Drag this old bastard who's spouting nonsense out and behead him!"

Upon hearing this, the old imperial physician was terrified, repeatedly kowtowing and crying out, "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I...I dared not speak falsely! Her Majesty the Empress...she truly...she truly has no pulse!"

"How dare you say that!"

Zhu Biao was furious.

He couldn't accept it!

His mother was so strong and so great, how could she have died so silently?

This must be a quack doctor; he made a wrong diagnosis!

Must be!

Just as Zhu Biao was about to give the order for the palace guards to drag the "nonsense" imperial physician out and behead him.

A cold, hoarse voice, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, rang out.

"You're saying... our sister... is dead?"

Everyone shuddered and turned to look at the source of the sound.

Zhu Yuanzhang.

The emperor who had just been paralyzed on the ground, stripped of all power.

At that moment, he actually stood up.

In his hand, he held the golden knife that he had just thrown to the ground, a symbol of his supreme imperial power.

His hair was disheveled.

His dragon robe was covered in dust.

His face still wore that neurotic, eerie expression.

He walked step by step toward the old doctor who was paralyzed on the ground.

His steps were slow and heavy, each step landing on everyone's hearts.

"Say it again."

Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to the old imperial physician, looked down at him, and said in a voice so soft it was almost like he was talking in his sleep, "What's wrong with our sister?"

The old imperial physician looked up and saw Zhu Yuanzhang's unfocused eyes, filled only with madness. He was so frightened that he couldn't speak, and could only tremble instinctively.

"You're not going to tell me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

That smile was even uglier than a cry.

"Okay, okay..."

He nodded, then suddenly turned his head and looked at the several imperial physicians who were also pale with fright not far away.

"You! You tell us!"

Those imperial physicians dared not speak, each of them keeping their heads low, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into on the spot.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?"

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face grew wider and wider, and also more and more ferocious.

"Fine! If you won't talk, we'll... we'll take it as you all admitting it!"

Before the words were even finished!

"Whoosh!"

A golden light flashed by!

"Pfft!"

A muffled thud.

The old doctor kneeling on the ground couldn't even let out a scream.

His head just shot skyward.

It drew a blood-red parabola in the air.

Then, with a "thud," it rolled onto the cold gold brick.

Those eyes were wide open, filled with extreme fear and bewilderment.

"ah--!"

Inside the hall, finally, a timid civil official could not bear the bloody and terrifying scene and screamed.

The entire Fengtian Hall instantly descended into chaos.

Zhu Yuanzhang, however, seemed not to hear it at all.

He slowly turned around, carrying the still-dripping golden knife.

His gaze swept over the panicked civil and military officials, and over his pale-faced sons and meritorious officials.

Finally, his gaze fell on the woman who was being held tightly in the arms of Zhu Biao and Zhu Muying.

The madness and ferocity on his face vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a soft, almost gentle murmur.

"You're the one who's dead!"

"Our girl... won't die!"

With a clang.

The blood-stained golden knife slipped from Zhu Yuanzhang's hand and fell to the ground with a sharp, piercing sound.

He threw away a piece of useless junk.

He didn't even glance at the knife, nor did he pay any attention to the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood.

He simply started walking, staggering, towards the palace entrance.

"Father!"

When Zhu Biao saw him like this, he instinctively wanted to stop him.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang, like a mad bull, shoved Zhu Biao, who was blocking his way, aside.

Zhu Biao stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

When he looked up again, Zhu Yuanzhang had already rushed in front of him.

He didn't look at Zhu Biao again, nor at Zhu Muying.

In his eyes, there was only that woman, lying motionless in their arms.

"Get out of the way."

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse, like a piece of worn-out sandpaper.

Zhu Muying looked at him without moving.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes instantly turned red.

"We told you to move aside!"

He reached out, intending to push Zhu Muying.

But his hand stopped just as it was about to touch Zhu Muying's shoulder.

He looked at his expressionless, unfamiliar son.

He looked again at his wife in his arms, whose face was as pale as paper.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, which had just been filled with violence and madness, suddenly softened.

He sounded like a child who had done something wrong, his voice almost pleading.

"Let...let us see her..."

Zhu Muying remained silent for a moment.

In the end, together with Zhu Biao, they slowly let go of each other's hands.

The moment they loosened their grip, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately pounced.

He clumsily, yet with utmost care, took Empress Ma's body and held it tightly in his arms.

Holding a rare treasure that had been lost and found again.

"Girl..."

He buried his face deeply in the crook of Empress Ma's neck, like a lost child who had found his way home.

He greedily inhaled her familiar, comforting scent.

However, that familiar scent, a faint blend of soapberry and sunshine, is gradually fading away.

Instead, he felt a chilling coldness that terrified him.

"Hey girl...hey girl! Don't scare us..."

Zhu Yuanzhang knelt on the ground, blood seeping from his dragon robe at his knees.

He knelt and embraced Empress Ma.

Tears streamed down my face!

"Hey girl, don't scare us, please don't scare us!"

"We want you to live!"