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

Yingtian Prefecture, Chaoyang Gate.

As one of the main city gates of Jinling, this is the time when the flow of people is at its most concentrated.

Caravans entering the city and ordinary people leaving the city created a bustling and prosperous scene, a picture of a peaceful and prosperous era.

The soldiers guarding the city gate leaned lazily against the city wall, checking the passersby.

Since the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Nanjing, the country has been at peace, and they have not experienced any war for a long time.

For them, guarding the city was a much more leisurely job.

"Hey, did you hear? It was really lively around the Meridian Gate today."

A young soldier winked at the veteran soldier next to him and said something.

"What? Which clueless official has gotten their pants pulled down and been spanked again?"

The veteran yawned, clearly not interested.

"That's way more exciting!"

The young soldier lowered his voice, "It's the King of England! His Highness the King of England is about to be executed!"

"What?!"

The veteran's eyes widened instantly. "Don't talk nonsense, kid! His Highness the King is... he's a war god! He just recently utterly defeated the Mongols, how could he possibly be sentenced to death?"

"It's absolutely true! My cousin's second uncle's third aunt's husband works in the palace, and he said it himself! I heard the charge is... treason!"

"rebellion?!"

The veteran gasped, "This... in this world, who could possibly rebel? His Highness the King of England would never rebel!"

"Who says otherwise! I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince even smashed his crown to protect him! Dukes like Xu Da and Chang Yuchun also knelt at the Meridian Gate, threw away their swords, and forced His Majesty to retract his decree!"

"My goodness! This...this is going to turn the world upside down!"

The veteran was stunned, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information; his brain simply couldn't process it all.

As they whispered among themselves, discussing this earth-shattering secret...

Suddenly, a rapid, unsettling sound of horses' hooves came from the distant official road.

"What is that?"

"Is it... a messenger from the post station?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a small black dot on the horizon that was rapidly growing larger at a speed visible to the naked eye!

That speed was incredible!

They were so fast they weren't even riding horses on the official road; they were fleeing for their lives!

The centurion guarding the city also noticed the abnormality. He frowned and shouted, "Everyone, pay attention! Those in front, stop! Submit for inspection!"

However, the fast horse showed no sign of slowing down.

The person on horseback had become one with the horse, lying flat on its back, with only a tattered flying fish robe visible, fluttering in the wind.

"Halt! If you charge any further, we'll fire!"

The centurion sensed something was wrong and issued a stern warning.

The archers on the city wall also drew their bows and aimed at the charging figure.

Just then, a hoarse, piercing cry, uttered with the last of its strength, carried on the wind.

"Urgent dispatch!!"

boom!

These four words were like a bolt from the blue, exploding in everyone's ears!

The soldiers guarding the city instantly lost all their laziness and gossip, replaced by utter shock and seriousness!

Urgent dispatch! (800 li express)

The highest-level military intelligence transmission in the Ming Dynasty!

Unless the borders have fallen or the capital is in grave danger, these measures must not be used!

The last time this sound was heard was when Chen Youliang's 600,000-strong army besieged Hongdu!

"Quick! Get out of the way!!"

The centurion's face turned deathly pale instantly. He practically scrambled to the city gate and used all his strength to push aside the civilians and merchants who were still standing there in shock.

"Everyone make way! Clear a path for the messenger! Quickly!"

"Open the city gates! Open the middle gate wide!!"

At the city gate, chaos erupted instantly.

The soldiers roughly shoved the crowd, and the civilians scattered in panic.

The swift horse had already charged right in front of them.

Only then did people see clearly.

The magnificent warhorse was foaming at the mouth and had bloodshot eyes; it had clearly reached its limit.

The Imperial Guard on horseback was in an even more miserable state.

He was covered in blood, his clothes were tattered, and one arm hung limply, clearly broken.

The only thing keeping him from falling off the horse was the reins he was holding tightly to the saddle with his other hand.

His face was no longer recognizable as human, covered only with dried blood and dirt.

But with his last ounce of strength, he still managed to utter a muffled roar that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"North...Northern Frontier...Urgent report..."

"Move...out..."

Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the swift horse, like an arrow released from a bow, rushed through the chaotic city gate and plunged headlong into the palace along the wide Zhuque Avenue of Jinling City!

Behind it, only deathly silence remained.

And the terrified and uneasy eyes of all the people of Jinling City.

They didn't know what had happened.

But they know.

The world is about to change.

……

Fengtian Temple.

Zhu Yuanzhang had just issued his "wise and mighty" imperial edict.

He looked at the prince's son, who had been deposed and reduced to a commoner, with the air of a victor on his face.

He felt that he was in control once again.

He eliminated this major threat, upheld the dignity of imperial power, and also served as a warning to those arrogant and unruly generals.

Everything is under control.

He was preparing to storm off and end this farce that had left him exhausted.

Just then.

Outside the hall, a series of hurried, frantic footsteps could be heard.

Immediately afterward, a eunuch scrambled in, looking terrified, forgetting all manners, and collapsed at the entrance of the main hall.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!!"

The voice he uttered was sharp, piercing, and filled with unprecedented fear.

"Something terrible has happened!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, a nameless anger rising in his heart.

"What a panic! What kind of behavior is this! Drag him out!"

"Your Majesty! Spare me, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch, ignoring his pleas for mercy, shouted with all his might, "An urgent dispatch over 800 li!!"

"A messenger from the northern frontier, traveling 800 li at breakneck speed, has entered...entered the palace!!"

……

Yingtian Prefecture, the residence of the Duke of Wei.

In a quiet little building in the backyard, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the sea before a storm.

Xu Miaoyun had been alone in the room for a full hour.

From the moment news from the Meridian Gate Square began to trickle back to her residence, she locked herself in there, forbidding anyone from entering.

The maids were pacing anxiously outside the door, but dared not disobey the young lady's orders.

They could only go to the front yard again and again to find out the latest news, and then report back to the inside through the door with trepidation.

"Miss, I heard... I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince broke his crown and will be punished the same as His Highness the Prince of Ying..."

"Miss, something terrible has happened! Master and several dukes have all... have thrown down their swords and knelt down..."

"Miss! A message has come from the palace that His Majesty... His Majesty has ordered that they be executed on the spot..."

When the final news arrived, everyone outside the door burst into tears.

The room was deathly silent.

After a long time, so long that the maids outside the door thought their young mistress might have fainted, the door creaked open from the inside.

All the crying stopped abruptly.

The maids stared in disbelief at the person before them.

Xu Miaoyun was standing at the door.

She changed out of her splendid clothes and put on a simple, plain white coarse cloth dress.

The white was dazzling, like the first snow falling on a new grave in winter.

Her long black hair was not tied with any gold or silver hairpins, but loosely tied behind her head with a white cloth ribbon.

Her face was bloodless, as pale as transparent jade.

Those phoenix eyes, which were always as bright as stars, were now so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and in their depths was a chilling emptiness and deathly stillness.

She stood there, like a beautiful but soulless statue, so beautiful it was heartbreaking, and so cold it was chilling.

"Miss... what's wrong...?"

Yunxiang, Xu Miaoyun's personal maid, was so frightened by her appearance that she could barely speak.

This……

This is clearly a set of mourning clothes!

His Highness the King has not yet...

How could you wear this!

This is so unlucky!

Xu Miaoyun did not answer her, but only glanced at her indifferently. Her eyes were so empty that Yunxiang's heart trembled.

"Prepare the car."

Her voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, and devoid of any emotion.

"Miss, where are you going?"

Yunxiang asked tearfully, "Master told you before he left that you absolutely mustn't go out..."

"Prepare the car."

Xu Miaoyun spoke again, her voice carrying an undeniable authority, "Go to the East Palace."

She ignored the weeping maids and walked straight toward the gate of the mansion.

Her steps were steady, each one exceptionally firm.

She knew what she was going to do.

From the moment she heard that Zhu Muying had been imprisoned, her heart died.

She didn't believe he would rebel.

That man, the one who, in the cold winds of the northern desert, took off his cloak and draped it over her, while muttering curses, "Women are such a hassle."

The man who, on a snowy night in the Kunlun Mountains, placed the last piece of roasted mutton into her hand while he silently ate his dry, hard military rations.

The man who, after each victory, would run to her like a child, piling up the most beautiful gems and the most luxurious furs he had captured from the enemy before her, as if presenting a treasure.

He said that after this final battle was fought and the world was completely at peace, he would ask his father, the emperor, for permission to marry her into the Prince of England's mansion with the grandest ceremony and in a sedan chair carried by eight men.

He said that in his life, he had seen countless battles and deaths, and his heart had long been barren, leaving only a desolate desert.

And she, Xu Miaoyun, was the only flower that bloomed on that Gobi Desert.

He said he would protect her for the rest of his life.

She believed it.

She had been waiting.

But what she received was not a grand sedan chair carried by eight men, but a charge of treason.

It wasn't the wedding night, but rather the cold, menacing blade outside the Meridian Gate.

She hates.

She hated that emperor, who was high above her, for being so heartless and suspicious.

She hated herself even more!

She hated herself for being just a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken!

They could only watch helplessly as he walked toward his inevitable death, and there was nothing they could do!

No.

There's one more thing she can do.

Xu Miaoyun's steps did not falter in the slightest.

She walked through the long covered walkway and through her favorite garden. To her, the blooming peonies were no different from withered branches and fallen leaves.

There was only one thought in her mind, clear and resolute.

You, Zhu Muying, are the God of War of the Ming Dynasty, a hero who stands tall and upright.

You cannot walk the road to the underworld alone.

I, Xu Miaoyun, am not yet your legal wife, even though we are not officially married yet.

But it's okay.

I am unable to marry you, nor can I be your beautiful companion.

If I die, I will go to the Yellow Springs with you, and wait for you on the Bridge of Helplessness.

Didn't you say that I was the only flower in your life?

Flowers bloom, but they always fade.

To wither and turn to dust together with you, this great tree, is a fitting end.