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

"Your Majesty, please grant my request!"

Xu Miaoyun's forehead slammed heavily against the cold, hard gold brick, producing a series of dull, heart-pounding sounds.

She felt no pain; she simply repeated the action mechanically, over and over again.

He wanted to shatter his entire life and all his hopes in this palace that symbolized supreme power.

Chang was standing to the side, already sobbing uncontrollably.

She wanted to pull her up, but she didn't dare.

She could only look helplessly at the high and mighty Empress Ma with her tearful eyes.

"Mother..."

She cried out mournfully.

However, Empress Ma did not hear it.

She stood there quietly, head bowed, looking at the girl kneeling at her feet, her head bleeding from the kowtow.

Her face was expressionless.

There was no trace of emotion in those deep eyes.

She was like an emotionless ice sculpture.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment.

Every minute, every second was torture.

Just when the Chang family was almost in despair.

Empress Ma finally moved.

She slowly squatted down.

He pulled out a faded, ordinary coarse cloth handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the bloodstains from Xu Miaoyun's forehead.

Her movements were very light and gentle.

Just like an ordinary mother who loves her daughter dearly.

"Silly child."

Empress Ma finally spoke, her voice hoarse and weary, a quality she herself was unaware of.

"Does it hurt?"

Xu Miaoyun's body suddenly stiffened.

She looked up, staring blankly at the Empress who had suddenly become gentle, and for a moment, she didn't know how to answer.

The wound on my forehead was burning painful.

But what is this little bit of pain compared to the pain in her heart?

Empress Ma looked into her bewildered and helpless eyes and sighed.

"I know you're suffering."

"I know that you are a good child, a kind and righteous child."

"It's a blessing for Fifth Brother to have a fiancée like you."

Upon hearing the words "Fifth Brother," Xu Miaoyun's tears welled up again, uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty..."

"Don't call me Your Majesty."

Empress Ma interrupted her. Her voice remained calm, but beneath that calm lay an undeniable power. "If you still acknowledge him as your husband, from now on, you shall call me 'Mother' just like Biao's daughter-in-law."

"boom!"

Something exploded in Xu Miaoyun's mind.

mother……

Empress Dowager?

she……

What is she doing...?

Has he admitted himself?

Does she acknowledge herself as the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family?

Overwhelmed by a mixture of immense joy and fear, she was instantly overwhelmed.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. She could only look at Empress Ma with teary, bewildered eyes.

Chang, who was standing to the side, was also stunned.

She never expected that her mother would say such things under these circumstances.

This is tantamount to completely binding Xu Miaoyun to the Zhu family's boat.

It's also a way of declaring her stance to everyone!

"What's wrong?"

Looking at Xu Miaoyun's foolish expression, Empress Ma, unusually, revealed a very faint smile. "Unwilling?"

"No! No! I..."

Xu Miaoyun spoke incoherently, and a sickly blush rose on her cheeks.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement, and once again, solemnly kowtowed to Empress Ma.

"Daughter-in-law, Xu Miaomiaoyun, pays her respects...pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."

She called out "Mother" with a dry and unfamiliar tone.

But the emotions it contains are enough to move even the most hard-hearted person.

"Good child, get up."

Empress Ma personally helped her up from the ground.

She held Xu Miaoyun's hand, a hand that was as cold as a stone because of tension and sadness, and warmed her with her own body heat.

"The ground is cold, don't kneel on it and hurt yourself."

Empress Ma pulled her to a soft couch and sat down.

Then, she turned her head and glanced at Madam Chang, who was still standing to the side, crying her eyes out.

"And you,"

She frowned. "The Crown Princess, crying and sobbing like this, what kind of behavior is this! Come here and sit down!"

"Yes, Mother."

Lady Chang quickly wiped away her tears, obediently walked to the other side of Empress Ma, and sat down.

Empress Ma held Chang's hand with her left hand.

With his right hand, he held Xu Miaoyun's hand.

Looking at the two daughters-in-law before her, both equally outstanding and equally deeply in love with her son, she was filled with mixed emotions.

She sighed and said slowly, "I understand your thoughts."

"I know that you are all doing this for the sake of the Fifth Prince and Biao'er."

"You are all good children."

"but,"

Her tone shifted abruptly, her voice suddenly becoming stern, "I must tell you, seeking death is the most cowardly and foolish act in this world!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun stiffened and lowered her head again.

"Especially you!"

Empress Ma's gaze fell on Xu Miaoyun, carrying a hint of disappointment and frustration.

"You think that if you die, you can be with him?"

"Do you think he'll be happy if you chase him all the way to the underworld?"

"Foolish!"

Empress Ma shouted sternly.

"What you're doing isn't love for him, it's hurting him!"

"You'll ensure he finds no peace even in the afterlife!"

"You've given him the infamous reputation of driving his fiancée to her death!"

"How can he possibly face his ancestors?!"

Every word Empress Ma uttered struck Xu Miaoyun's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

She was so shocked by the blow that her face turned deathly pale, and she felt utterly ashamed.

Yes.

She only thought that she couldn't live without him.

But he never considered what her death would bring him.

"Mother, I...I was wrong..."

Xu Miaoyun's voice was choked with sobs.

"It's good that you know you were wrong."

Empress Ma's tone softened somewhat.

She gently patted Xu Miaoyun's hand, her eyes filled with a reassuring strength.

"Don't worry, child."

"If your husband dies, I will make sure Zhu Yuanzhang has no peace either."

"He is capable of killing meritorious officials and even his own brothers for the sake of his empire."

"But I will never allow him to kill my son for that broken chair!"

Empress Ma's voice suddenly rose, like a phoenix singing in the heavens, filled with an unquestionable domineering and majestic aura!

She walked up to Xu Miaoyun, reached out her hand, and gently straightened her mourning clothes.

"Don't worry."

Her voice softened once again.

But within that gentleness lay a determination harder than steel.

"With me here, your husband won't die."

"If that Zhu Chongba dares to lay a finger on a hair on my son's head today..."

Empress Ma paused slightly.

She turned her head and looked at Chang Shi and Xu Miaoyun. In those eyes, which had weathered countless storms but were still bright, a terrifying, crazed light flashed.

"I dare say, I'll make sure his reign as emperor comes to an end!"

"If he dares to kill his son..."

"You dare to kill your father?! Do you believe me?!"

……

Inside the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's words, "You rebellious son Zhu Muying! Strip him of his princely title and demote him to a commoner! Immediately set out and exile him to the northern frontier! He shall never again enter the capital!"

The verdict still echoed among the beams and pillars of the main hall.

Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart hard.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and other military generals could not hide their grief, indignation, and resentment.

They knew this was the best outcome for them, but it was too unfair to the young man who had shed his blood for the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, and others were heartbroken.

They saved their fifth brother's life, but caused him immense injustice, and from then on, they were separated by vast distances and could never see each other again.

Zhu Yuanzhang, standing atop the high steps, looked down at the various expressions on the faces of the people below, feeling a sense of exhilaration at being in control of everything.

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

He won.

He won again.

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

Just then.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A series of hurried, alarming footsteps came frantically from outside the hall, approaching more and more rapidly!

The sound was completely devoid of the composure and decorum expected within the palace; it was more like a frightened wild beast running for its life!

Everyone was stunned and instinctively looked towards the entrance of the main hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's brows furrowed instantly, and an inexplicable anger rose within him.

Which ignorant lackey dares to be so presumptuous outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony?!

"Come……"

He was about to order the guards to take the man away when the figure tumbled and crawled into the Fengtian Hall!

With a "thud," the man didn't even have time to stand up before he fell headfirst onto the cold, hard gold brick, breaking his head and bleeding profusely.

Everyone stared intently, and gasped in shock.

That was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Or rather, he was once a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

His flying fish robe was tattered like rags, covered in dried blood and black mud, forming a hard shell.

On his face, there was a deep, bone-revealing wound that ran from his forehead to his chin, with the flesh turned outwards, making him look extremely ferocious.

One of his arms was twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken.

The whole person looked like a demon crawled out of hell, so miserable that it was unbearable to look at!

"presumptuous!"

An imperial censor in charge of the palace guards instinctively stepped forward and sternly rebuked, "How dare you behave like this before the Hall of Supreme Harmony..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Imperial Guard used his only intact hand to support himself on the ground and, with all his might, raised his head.

His lips were chapped, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of death.

Yet, from his hoarse voice, he still uttered a desperate cry that transcended time and space!

"Urgent! 800 li away!!!"

boom!!!

These four words were like a thunderbolt falling from the heavens, striking the roof of the Fengtian Hall with tremendous force!

The entire hall was filled with a blank moment when everyone heard those four words; their minds went completely blank!

Urgent dispatch! (800 li express)

The highest-level and most urgent 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 the city!

What happened?!

Didn't the North just win a great victory and almost wipe out the Northern Yuan people?

Where did this "800-li urgent delivery" come from?!

The smugness and pleasure on Zhu Yuanzhang's face vanished instantly, replaced by utter, chilling horror!

His body suddenly sprang up from the dragon throne, the movement so violent that it even knocked over the imperial desk next to him.

"What did you say?!"

He roared, his voice trembling without him even realizing it, "Where did this '800-li urgent dispatch' come from?!"

The Imperial Guard named Zhang Shisan had used up his last bit of strength.

His head slumped heavily, yet from his mouth he still roared in a muffled but chilling voice, reporting news that was enough to overthrow the entire dynasty.

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

"Shanhaiguan... is... broken..."