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

Zhu Biao's words were heart-wrenching and piercing.

Instead of pleading for mercy, he raised the issue to the level of the entire Zhu family and the inheritance of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang's body jolted violently.

Yes.

He was so focused on getting rid of Zhu Muying, this "threat," that he forgot the consequences of doing so.

After he killed Zhu Muying, can Zhu Biao, the crown prince, really rest easy?

No.

He will be branded with the infamous reputation of "forcing his brother to his death".

Of the remaining sons, Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Di, which one was easy to deal with?

The fact that they knelt here today for Zhu Muying shows how much they value loyalty and friendship.

Conversely, seeing Zhu Muying's fate, wouldn't they feel a sense of shared sorrow, and wouldn't they harbor resentment and wariness towards their elder brother and their father?

In order to protect themselves, they will only manage their territories to be as impregnable as an iron barrel.

Wouldn't the centralized power that Zhu Yuanzhang had gone through so much trouble to establish just follow the old path of regional separatism at the end of the Tang Dynasty?

Is he paving the way for Zhu Biao?

No, he is personally planting countless powder kegs for Zhu Biao that could explode at any moment!

He is destroying the Zhu family and the Ming Dynasty!

This thought, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through the chaos in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

Looking at his sons kneeling on the ground, their young faces both familiar and unfamiliar, he began to reflect on himself for the first time.

Am I really wrong?

"Father!"

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was struggling internally, Prince Yan, Zhu Di, suddenly spoke up.

His voice was neither as sorrowful as Zhu Biao's nor as irritable as Zhu Shuang's; instead, it possessed a calmness and sharpness beyond his years.

"Father, you are the emperor. No one can stop you from killing whomever you want. Let alone killing one son, even if you kill all of us brothers, along with all the civil and military officials, it's just a matter of your word."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

That Prince of Yan is incredibly audacious!

How dare you speak to the emperor like that!

Even Zhu Biao and Zhu Shuang turned their heads and looked at their fourth brother in astonishment.

Zhu Di ignored everyone else and stared intently at Zhu Yuanzhang, continuing, "But what happens after we kill him?"

"If you kill your fifth brother, what will the world say? They will say that the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty was a tyrant who could even kill his own son. The reputation you cherished all your life will be completely ruined."

"If you kill several of my brothers, what will the world say? They will say that the Zhu family is heartless and the imperial family is ruthless. This world belongs to the Zhu family, but we Zhu family members are fighting each other to the death. How can we expect anyone to sincerely serve the Ming Dynasty?"

"Father, you killed meritorious officials, and you could say they were too powerful and threatened your authority, so you had to eliminate them. But you killed your son, what can you say to the world? That they were also too powerful and threatened your authority?"

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The hearts of the people are the most solid foundation of this empire. If you were to destroy the hearts of the Zhu family today because of a mere 'suspicion,' then the day when this Ming Dynasty would capsize would not be far off!"

Zhu Di's words were calm, sharp, and even harsh.

He didn't cry or beg. Instead, like a calm bystander, he laid bare before Zhu Yuanzhang all the cruel consequences he would face if he persisted in his course of action.

This terrified Zhu Yuanzhang more than any crying or pleading.

He looked at Zhu Di, the son he had always thought most resembled himself, and realized for the first time that he couldn't see through him at all.

What is this son really thinking?

Was he really just pleading for Zhu Muying?

still is……

Does he have a deeper scheme?

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind was in complete turmoil.

Zhu Di's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhu Yuanzhang's already burning rationality.

tyrant……

Ruined reputation...

The people's hearts have been lost...

The country was overthrown...

Each of these words was like a poisoned needle, piercing deeply into the most sensitive and vulnerable part of Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

What is the thing he cares about most in his life?

Besides the empire he built with his own hands, there is also the reputation he left behind!

He wanted to be a sage ruler, a great emperor who would be praised by future generations, a ruler who was unprecedented and unparalleled.

That's why he hated corrupt officials so much, that's why he cherished his officials so much, and that's why he enacted so many strict laws to restrain officials and members of the imperial family.

But now, his son is telling him in front of the whole world that he is turning himself into a tyrant who will be infamous for all time.

This is worse than killing him!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned from red to white, and then from white to green.

His hand, which was gripping the dragon throne, was trembling violently.

He wanted to refute and denounce Zhu Di's nonsense.

But when he opened his mouth, he found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Because everything Zhu Di said was true.

He can silence his ministers, but he cannot silence the voices of the people.

He could kill all his own sons, but he couldn't kill the cold words written by the historians.

"Father!"

Just then, Zhu Muying, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

He slowly stood up from the ground, the shackles on his body rattling loudly.

He did not look at Zhu Yuanzhang, but turned around and bowed deeply to Zhu Biao, Zhu Shuang, Zhu Di and others who were protecting him.

"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, little brother..."

"I, Zhu Muying, appreciate your kindness."

His voice was calm, yet heartbreakingly hoarse.

"But, there's no need."

"What?"

Zhu Biao and the others were all taken aback.

Zhu Muying slowly straightened up, and a faint smile appeared on her face. In that smile, there was relief and emotion, but more than anything, there was a sense of desolation as if she had seen through everything.

"You are princes, the lords of the Ming Dynasty, the future pillars of the nation. Your lives are more precious than mine."

"This matter today is my own business, and I cannot involve you all."

"I, Zhu Muying, was born a member of the Zhu family, and I will die a member of the Zhu family. I will never stand by and watch our Zhu family fall apart because of me, with brothers turning against each other and fathers and sons becoming enemies."

After saying that, he turned around and faced Zhu Yuanzhang on the high platform again.

He didn't kneel down; he just stood there, his back straight, like a javelin that would never bend.

"Father."

He called out calmly.

"Your subject is guilty."

The moment those two words were uttered, everyone was stunned.

Zhu Biao and the others' expressions changed drastically.

"Fifth brother! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Fifth brother! You are innocent!"

Zhu Muying ignored them, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty, my crime is not in possessing armor, nor in plotting a rebellion."

"Your Majesty, my fault lies in my great achievements, my high prestige, and... in blocking my elder brother's path. Moreover, it has made you feel uneasy, Father."

He spoke these words casually, yet they were a resounding slap across Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

Is he confessing?

No, he was saying the most hurtful things in the calmest tone!

He was telling everyone that he had not rebelled at all; his only crime was that he was too outstanding, so outstanding that even the emperor was afraid of him!

"Therefore, Father, you don't need to be in a difficult position."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Zhu Muying's lips.

"You are the emperor; if the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. If the father commands the son to die, the son has no choice but to die."

"You gave me my life. Now, if you want to take it back, I will have no complaints."

"Your subject has only one request."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and other generals kneeling on the ground, over the hundreds of thousands of officials in the square who were crying for him, and finally, it landed on Zhu Biao and a few other brothers.

"Father, please, for the sake of my own blood that I have shed for the Ming Dynasty, and for the sake of the swords I have taken for you several times, do not take your anger out on my elder brother and my brothers."

"Do not take your anger out on these loyal generals who pleaded for your son."

"They are the pillars of our Great Ming Dynasty. The land of the Great Ming still needs them to protect it."

"As for your son..."

Zhu Muying took a deep breath, turned around abruptly, and snatched the heavy ghost-head knife from the terrified executioner's hand!

"I will take control of my own life!"

He held the ghost-head knife across his neck; the blade was icy cold and pressed tightly against his skin.

"Father! Eldest brother! Fellow brothers!"

"In my next life, if I am reborn into the Zhu family, I, Zhu Muying, would still like to be brothers with you all again!"