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

This scene completely shocked everyone.

This is no longer just a protest by a few people.

This was a collective and open struggle against imperial power by the entire military group and the entire military nobility of the Ming Dynasty!

They did not rebel; they even threw away their weapons and knelt on the ground in the most humble manner.

But the power they displayed was more terrifying than a thousand troops!

Because they represent the morale of the army!

It was the cornerstone upon which a dynasty depended for its survival!

The officials in the square were deeply moved and filled with patriotic fervor as they watched these high-ranking dukes and marquises, who were now kneeling before the emperor, risking their futures and lives, to protest for the sake of the King of England.

"With generals and commanders united as one! The Ming Dynasty is truly fortunate!"

"Your Majesty! Please listen to what the generals have to say!"

"The King is innocent! The King is innocent!"

The voices of the officials grew louder and louder.

On the high platform, Zhu Yuanzhang's body swayed, and he almost fell off the dragon throne.

He gripped the armrest of the dragon throne, looking down at the dark mass of generals kneeling below, and at the abandoned swords before them. For the first time, panic appeared in his eyes.

He was afraid.

I'm really scared.

He could kill one son, but he dared not offend the entire military group at the same time.

He could disregard the life and death of a son, but he could not disregard the stability of the Ming Dynasty!

If he really kills Zhu Muying by force today, the consequences will be unimaginable!

If morale collapses, chaos will surely ensue on the frontier!

At that time, he, the emperor, will become a truly isolated figure and a ruler who has lost his country!

Meridian Gate Square was deathly silent.

The crisp metallic thuds still echoed in everyone's ears.

Those dozens of swords, representing the highest authority of the Ming military, were simply thrown to the ground by their owners like a pile of scrap metal.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu, Li Wenzhong...

These pillars of the nation who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the entire country were all kneeling there at this moment.

They didn't say another word, but their straight backs and silent resolve were more powerful than any desperate shout.

This was a silent military remonstrance!

Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the high platform, feeling only coldness in his hands and feet.

He was afraid.

He spent his life on the battlefield; what kind of situation hadn't he seen?

He was never afraid when Chen Youliang's 600,000-strong army besieged Hongdu.

Zhang Shicheng held firm in Pingjiang, putting up a stubborn resistance; he was never afraid.

Even with a million-strong cavalry of the Northern Yuan stationed beyond the Great Wall, he was never afraid!

But today, looking at his old comrades kneeling below the stage, and at the swords in front of them that had been discarded like worn-out shoes, he was afraid.

This is not the enemy's sword, but the heart of our own people.

Swords can be used to deflect attacks, but once people's hearts are scattered, they can never be reunited!

He could kill Zhu Muying, and he could even kill all the old brothers who pleaded for Zhu Muying in a fit of rage!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard under his command, the Imperial Guard in his palace, were more than capable of doing this.

But then?

Then Zhu Yuanzhang became a completely isolated person.

An emperor who killed even his own son and his brothers who had risked their lives for him.

When the Mongols from the north attack, who will stop them?

The barbarians in the south are causing trouble; who will quell it?

Who will protect this vast land of the Ming Dynasty?

Are we going to rely on those civil officials who only know classical Chinese and whose legs go weak at the sight of blood?

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind was in complete chaos.

He felt as if he were trapped in an invisible net, a net woven by his son and his brothers with kinship and loyalty. The more he struggled, the tighter the net became.

No!

No refunds!

He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain clearing his muddled mind somewhat.

He, Zhu Yuanzhang, was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

The Emperor!

The emperor cannot make mistakes!

He should never apologize to his ministers and son in front of the whole world!

If he were to abdicate today, where would the authority of his imperial power be?

How will he be able to command the world in the future?

His fear was quickly replaced by a stronger, more offensive, and challenging imperial wrath.

Aren't you forcing me?

Aren't you trying to blackmail me by using the morale of the troops?

it is good!

Then let us show you what the emperor's wrath truly means!

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze turned icy cold as he stared intently at Xu Da, who was kneeling at the front, his voice hoarse as if it came from hell.

"Xu Da".

He did not call him Duke of Wei, nor did he call him Tiande; instead, he addressed him by his given name.

Xu Da's body trembled, and he slowly raised his head.

"We're asking you, did you throw away this sword to start a rebellion?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge.

Xu Da's lips moved, but in the end, he only shook his head sadly and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I am only... heartbroken."

"Heartbroken?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, enraged, laughed coldly, "What a chilling feeling! You've all chilled my heart! Let me tell you, today, I'm even more chilled than you are!"

He suddenly pointed at Zhu Biao and Zhu Muying, who were standing side by side, and his voice rose sharply, like a thunderclap!

"Our crown prince, for the sake of a rebellious younger brother, even gave up his position as heir apparent!"

"Our sons, one by one, have all learned to collude with foreign ministers to pressure their fathers!"

"Our founding heroes, our brothers whom we regard as our own flesh and blood, are willing to retire from the army and abandon us for a mere child!"

"Tell me, shouldn't we be heartbroken?!"

"I, Zhu Chongba, rose from a beggar to where I am today not because of your charity, but because of myself! What I can give you, I can take back!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He was completely enraged, and the ferocity of a tyrant who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood erupted without reservation at this moment!

He no longer wanted to reason with anyone or consider the consequences.

He only wanted to use the most direct and bloody methods to maintain his crumbling imperial power!

"Someone come here!"

He mustered all his strength and let out a roar that shook the entire arena!

Several Imperial Guard captains who had been waiting below the stage were so frightened by the roar that they scrambled up to the stage.

"His Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was fixed intently on Zhu Biao.

This son, whom he loved and valued most, was now seen by him as the root of this "rebellion."

If it weren't for him taking the lead, things would never have escalated to this point!

"Drag the Crown Prince away! Put him under guard! Without our decree, he is not to step out of the Eastern Palace!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Zhu Biao and shouted sternly.

"Father!"

Zhu Biao's expression changed; he hadn't expected his father to actually target him.

"Drag him away!"

He turned abruptly and pointed at the instigator who had remained silent throughout but had stirred up the entire storm.

His fifth son, Zhu Muying.

"And you, you unfilial son!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was so hoarse that it was barely audible; every word was squeezed out from between his teeth, and it tasted of blood.

"Today, in front of the whole world, we will clean house!"

He gave a thunderous command to the executioners who were already waiting by, each holding a dagger.

"Kill him!"

"Execute them on the spot! Immediately! Right now!"

This command, like a black lightning bolt, struck everyone present.

Everyone was stunned.

They had expected the emperor to be angry and to punish them, but they never imagined that after the crown prince smashed his crown, the officials wept and remonstrated, and the generals and soldiers protested, the emperor would still issue an order to execute him!

And it must be done immediately!

This is no longer a trial.

This is a massacre!

A massacre orchestrated by the emperor himself, in front of hundreds of thousands of his subjects, of his own son!

"Kill him!"

"Execute them on the spot! Immediately! Right now!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's hoarse and frantic roar echoed like a death knell over the Meridian Gate for a long time.

Time stood still at that moment.

The grief and shouts on the faces of hundreds of thousands of officials in the square froze instantly, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.

What did they hear?

emperor……

are you crazy?

The civil and military officials kneeling on the ground were terrified.

They were all ashen-faced, their minds blank.

It's over, it's over.

They risked everything, even their lives, but in the end, they still couldn't stop the emperor, who had gone mad with bloodlust.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and other generals were furious.

They stared intently at Zhu Yuanzhang on the high platform, their eyes filled with despair.

They wanted to rush forward and stop the tragedy, but their feet felt like they were made of lead, and they couldn't move an inch.

Because it was the emperor who gave the order.

They were loyal to the monarch they served their entire lives.

If the king wants the minister to die, the minister has to die.

If a father wants his son to die, the son has no choice but to die.

This is the ethical code ingrained in their bones, an insurmountable barrier.

The executioners wielding the daggers trembled the moment they heard the order.

They were experts at killing; their blades had claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

But today, they are going to kill a prince, a royal prince, and the war god of the Ming Dynasty!

Their hands were trembling.

The ghost-headed sword, which weighed dozens of kilograms, now felt as light as a feather; they could barely hold it.

"What are you all standing there for!"

Seeing that they didn't move, Zhu Yuanzhang became even more enraged. "Do you also want to defy the imperial edict?! I'll say it one more time: behead them! Anyone who dares to hesitate again will have their entire family executed!"

The phrase "execution of the entire family" finally shattered the executioners' last psychological defenses.

They exchanged a glance and both saw fear and helplessness in each other's eyes.

One of the older executioners gritted his teeth, took a swig of wine, and spat it violently onto the executioner's blade.

"Your Highness, please forgive me!"

He let out a low growl and raised the gleaming ghost-headed sword.

"don't want!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Finally, a deafening cry erupted in the square.

Hundreds of officials knelt down and kowtowed desperately towards the high platform.

The civil and military officials were all in tears, their cries of "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" were heart-wrenching.

However, none of this could stop the butcher's knife that had already been raised high.

Zhu Muying stood quietly, without even blinking.

He looked at the descending demon-headed blade, his face showing not a trace of fear.

He simply turned his head slowly and glanced in the direction of Kunning Palace.

Your Majesty, I am an unfilial son. I will repay your kindness in the next life.

He glanced again at Zhu Biao, who was being forcibly dragged away.

Brother, I'm sorry, this is all I can do to help you.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the man on the high platform, who appeared to have gone mad.

Father, you have won.

You proved your imperial power to be supreme in the most cruel way.

But from now on, will you really be able to sleep soundly in the middle of the night?

Zhu Muying slowly closed her eyes.

At this critical moment!

"stop!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, came from the outer edge of the square!

Immediately afterwards, the crowd was parted by an invisible force, and several young figures dressed in princely robes, surrounded by a group of royal guards, were desperately squeezing towards the high platform.

"It's His Highness, the King of Qin!"

"And His Highness Prince Jin! His Highness Prince Yan!"

"Good heavens! All the princes have arrived!"

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

The people who came were Zhu Yuanzhang's other sons in the capital, besides the crown prince and the Prince of Ying!

King Zhu Shuang of Qin!

Prince Zhu Gang of Jin!

Prince Zhu Di of Yan!

King Zhu Su of Zhou!

They had clearly heard the news; their faces were ashen, their expressions anxious, and they rushed over without regard for anything else.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"