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

"What?!"

This time, Empress Ma could no longer remain calm.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly.

Draw your sword?

Zhu Chongba, he...

He's going to kill the fifth brother with his own hands?!

"It's terrible! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

The first palace maid who rushed in finally caught her breath and let out an even more piercing scream.

"This servant...this servant just ran over from outside the Fengtian Hall and heard...heard His Majesty shouting that he...he wanted to kill Prince Ying with his own hands!"

"boom!"

Xu Miaoyun felt dizzy and her vision went black before she collapsed to the ground.

"younger sister!"

Madam Chang exclaimed in surprise and quickly helped her up.

Empress Ma stood there, motionless.

Her magnificent palace attire made her appear incredibly lonely in the dimly lit hall.

No one could see her expression.

All one could feel was a chilling, bone-chilling rage emanating from her, enough to freeze a person to death.

That anger was no longer the kind of frustrated anger that came before.

But...

The mother beast's fury, which has been touched and is about to destroy everything, is about to erupt!

She could no longer endure it.

"Granny Zhang!"

Her voice was eerily calm.

"Yes, sir! This old servant is here!"

An old nanny who had been with her for decades came running in, stumbling and crawling.

"Bring me my phoenix robe and phoenix crown!"

"Prepare the carriage! Fengtian Hall!"

Every word she uttered was squeezed out from between her teeth.

"I'd like to see!"

"Today, who dares to touch my son, Ma Xiuying!"

The gates of Kunning Palace were suddenly flung open.

An entourage unlike any other before rushed toward the former dynasty at an almost frenzied pace.

Leading the group was none other than Empress Ma, the mother of the Ming Dynasty.

She wore a vermilion phoenix robe embroidered with nine five-clawed golden dragons and twelve seven-colored phoenixes in gold thread, a robe worn only at the most important ceremonies such as sacrificial rites to heaven and investiture ceremonies.

On her head she wore the Nine Dragons and Four Phoenixes Crown, which symbolized the supreme status of the Empress. The hundreds of pearls and gems inlaid on the crown shimmered with a cold and resolute light in the sunlight.

Her face was expressionless.

That usually gentle and kind face was now like an unyielding block of ice, and her eyes burned with a raging fire that could consume everything.

She did not ride in the phoenix carriage that symbolized the empress's virtue.

She lifted her heavy skirt and walked quickly, each step exuding an earth-shaking momentum.

Behind her were Lady Chang, who had also changed into the formal attire of the Crown Princess, and Xu Miaoyun, who was still wearing a garish mourning dress.

Two women, one supporting the other, were pale-faced, but their eyes were filled with a desperate madness.

Further back were all the eunuchs and palace maids in Kunning Palace who could walk.

They were all filled with apprehension, yet they had no choice but to follow closely behind.

The entire procession was not just an empress's entourage, but also an army heading to the battlefield.

A punitive army led by a mother driven to the brink of despair!

There is a long palace road leading from the inner palace to the outer court.

Normally, this road is heavily guarded and has many rules.

But today, all the rules have been completely crushed by this angry team.

"Halt! This is a sacred ground of the former dynasty; women of the imperial harem are not permitted to enter without permission!"

A patrol of imperial guards, upon seeing this menacing group, instinctively stepped forward to stop them.

Before the leading captain could finish speaking, Zhang Mama, who had served Empress Ma for decades, stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Snapped!"

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully! Who is this?!"

"This is the Empress of the Ming Dynasty! She is the Mother of the Nation!"

"How dare you stop the Empress's carriage?!"

The captain was so badly beaten that he saw stars, covered his face, and was completely stunned.

Looking at Empress Ma's cold, emotionless face, he was terrified and knelt down with a thud.

"This humble general...this humble general did not know it was Her Majesty the Empress...this humble general deserves to die!"

Empress Ma didn't even bother to look at him, and simply uttered a single word in a cold voice.

"roll!"

The voice carried an undeniable authority.

The Imperial Guards, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to the side and dared not offer any further obstruction.

Having learned from this experience, no one dared to step forward again.

All the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards knelt far away on both sides of the road when they saw this procession, burying their heads deep in the ground, not daring to even breathe.

All they could feel was the cold, destructive aura of the phoenix sweeping past overhead.

The same thought popped into everyone's mind: Her Majesty the Empress is truly enraged.

……

The Fengtian Hall is visible in the distance.

The palace that symbolized the highest power of the Ming Dynasty now appeared to Xu Miaoyun like a giant beast ready to devour its prey, its blood-red maw wide open.

She could clearly hear faint cries and roars coming from the great hall.

Her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain so intense that she could barely breathe.

She stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"younger sister!"

Madam Chang quickly supported her, saying urgently, "Hold on! We'll be there soon!"

Xu Miaoyun gritted her teeth and nodded.

She slowly drew the golden dagger from her sleeve and gripped it tightly in her hand.

That cold touch gave her strength.

Zhu Muying.

Wait for me.

If you live, I will be with you.

If you die, I will make this Fengtian Hall be buried with you!

In her eyes, a mad, resolute determination flashed, completely at odds with her delicate appearance.

Finally, they arrived at the spacious white jade square in front of the Fengtian Hall.

The hundreds of Imperial Guards standing in front of the palace gates were all stunned when they saw Empress Ma.

But their reaction was much faster than that of the Imperial Guards.

"Whoosh!"

Dozens of Imperial Guards stepped forward simultaneously, drew their Embroidered Spring Blades, and formed a human wall, blocking the way.

The leader was a commander of a thousand households.

He steeled himself, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has decreed that no one is allowed to enter the Fengtian Hall without permission! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

His voice was cold and ruthless.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard only obeys the emperor's orders.

Even if she is the empress, it won't work.

Empress Ma finally stopped walking.

She looked at the defensive line before her, composed of blades and indifference, and at the expressionless Imperial Guards.

Her face remained unchanged.

She simply raised her hand slowly, pointing with her ornately armored fingers at the kneeling commander.

"I will say it again."

"Get out of the way."

The commander's body visibly trembled.

But he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being unable to obey! This is His Majesty's decree!"

"it is good."

Empress Ma nodded.

"What a fine decree from His Majesty!"

She turned her head and glanced at Zhang Mama behind her.

Zhang Mama understood and took out a gold medal from her bosom.

"The Emperor's Golden Token is here!"

"Seeing this gold medal is like seeing the emperor himself!"

"You all, why aren't you backing down?!"

The commander's expression changed when he saw the gold medal, but he still showed no intention of moving aside.

"Your Majesty, without His Majesty's order, even a golden token is worthless..."

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling glint flashed in Empress Ma's eyes.

"Since the gold medal is useless."

"Then what use is my life?"

She suddenly pulled a gold hairpin from her hair.

That gold hairpin was the first decent piece of jewelry that Zhu Yuanzhang gave her after he became the Prince of Wu.

She always cherished it.

At that moment, she pointed the sharp tip of the hairpin at her snow-white neck.

"I must go in today."

"If you dare to stop me."

"I will die right here in front of you."

"I'd like to see if you can bear the guilt of forcing the Empress of the Ming Dynasty to her death!"

"Can Zhu Yuanzhang bear this responsibility?"

At this moment, she was no longer the Empress of the Ming Dynasty.

She was just an ordinary mother who wanted to save her son.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

When Zhang Mama and the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs saw this scene, they were so frightened that they all knelt down and cried out in despair.

Chang Shi and Xu Miaoyun's expressions also changed drastically.

"Mother!"

They never expected that Empress Ma would be so fierce!

The group of Imperial Guards blocking the way in front of the palace were all dumbfounded.

They are ruthless henchmen who kill without blinking an eye; they are not afraid of death, nor are they afraid of offending anyone.

But they were afraid of being accused of "forcing the empress to her death"!

This crime is enough to kill them without a burial place, and may even implicate the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The leader of the thousand-household commander was instantly drenched in cold sweat, which soaked through his flying fish robe.

His legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

To stop or not to stop?

This was a decision that could determine his future, and even the course of the entire Ming Dynasty court.

Just when he was hesitating and caught in a dilemma.

"Squeak—"

The two heavy, tightly closed doors of the Fengtian Hall were slowly pushed open a crack from the inside.

A head peeked out from under the door.

He was the most trusted chief eunuch by Zhu Yuanzhang's side.

He was also taken aback by the scene outside.

When his gaze fell upon Empress Ma, who was holding a gold hairpin to her neck with a resolute expression, he was so frightened that he almost fainted on the spot.

"My Ladyship! What are you doing?!"

He scrambled out of the door, knelt before Empress Ma, and clung to her legs, refusing to let go.

"Put the hairpin down immediately! If His Majesty sees this, he'll skin this old servant alive!"

Empress Ma looked at him with icy eyes.

"Your Majesty, if you have something to say, please speak to His Majesty properly. Why... why humiliate yourself like this!"

"Speak properly?"

Empress Ma sneered, "He's about to kill my son, how am I supposed to talk to him nicely?!"

"Tell Zhu Chongba!"

"If he dares to lay a finger on my son today, I'll make him watch with his own eyes how his empress dies right in front of his Fengtian Palace!"

Her voice, though not loud, was filled with an undeniable determination!

The head eunuch trembled with fear, knowing that the Empress was truly enraged this time.

He dared not persuade him any further, and could only scramble back into the hall.

……

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the air was heavy and the chill was penetrating.

Zhu Muying stood quietly in the hall, listening to Zhu Yuanzhang list the crimes one by one, her face calm and undisturbed.

Only after Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking did he speak: "Father, if I deny it, will you believe me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared angrily, "I don't believe it!"

A hint of sadness flashed across Zhu Muying's eyes, and he calmly retorted, "Since you don't believe me, any further explanation from me will be useless."

Zhu Yuanzhang had already made up his mind. Today's pursuit of accountability was merely an excuse to persuade the court and the public and to appease the people.

Zhu Muying's composure—not arguing, not pleading, not making a scene, not complaining—left him with nowhere to vent his anger, feeling utterly humiliated and utterly defeated.

Zhu Muying offered no resistance, her gaze slowly sweeping over her kneeling, weeping elder brother and her brother, whose faces were filled with grief and indignation, before finally settling on the area outside the palace walls.

He harbored feelings of guilt and regret, but not a trace of resentment. He knew that his father, as emperor, had his own unavoidable choices and difficulties.

He also did not want his brothers to be imprisoned or held accountable by the imperial power because of him.

Seeing that his sons were still subtly obstructing him and that their intention to protect Zhu Muying was obvious, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger flared up once again.

He pressed on relentlessly, questioning Crown Prince Zhu Biao and forcing him to choose between familial affection and the fate of the nation, as well as the responsibilities of the heir apparent.

In this desperate situation, everyone is caught in a dilemma.

To plead for mercy would be to disobey one's sovereign and father, and implicate oneself.

Silence meant only watching helplessly as Zhu Muying plummeted into the abyss.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Zhu Muying, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. Her voice was soft but clear, suppressing the chaos in the hall.

He gently broke free from the Jinyiwei's grip, his figure unsteady but his back straight. He turned to look at his brothers and said in a gentle voice, "Eldest brother, second brother, all my brothers, please get up."

Turning back to look at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose face was icy cold, his eyes were calm to the point of being almost transparent: "Father, there is no need to force the brothers any further. The troops at Shanhaiguan and the banner of 'cleansing the court of corrupt officials' were all done by your son."

"The armor was also hidden by your son!"

"Your subject!"

"Die!"

"Don't make things difficult for your older brother!"

As soon as Zhu Muying finished speaking, Fengtian Hall fell into a deathly silence.

The entire court was shocked. No one expected that Zhu Muying, who had previously stood his ground, would suddenly take the blame for all the serious crimes of treason.

Zhu Biao's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, trying to stop him, but Zhu Muying ignored him indifferently.

He stared intently at Zhu Yuanzhang, a sorrowful yet relieved smile spreading across his face: "Didn't Father Emperor always want me to confess my crimes? Now, I confess."

"I will bear all the blame myself, and it has nothing to do with my brothers or the people in the court."

He slowly bent his knees, his knees striking the cold gold bricks with a dull, heartbreaking sound. "Father, you may kill or torture us as you please. I only beg you to forgive everyone and not implicate them any further."

He knew that his father needed a legitimate outcome to consolidate his imperial power, the court needed an explanation to reassure the people, and his brothers could not afford to ruin their futures or be put in danger because of him.

He was willing to take all the blame, even at the cost of his own eternal damnation, to end this court turmoil, fulfill his father's imperial power, and ensure the safety and well-being of his brothers.

Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply shaken when he saw his son kneeling and bowing his head.

He had anticipated countless scenarios, including Zhu Muying's desperate denials and tearful pleas for mercy, but he never expected that Zhu would confess his guilt to protect his family and make concessions to demonstrate his resolve.

This clarity and sincerity did not quell his anger; instead, it fueled his fury at being fooled and hurt.

He was convinced that Zhu Muying was feigning guilt and putting on an act. Suppressing the complex emotions churning within him, he bent down to pick up the golden knife from the ground and walked step by step toward Zhu Muying.

A chilling killing intent enveloped him, and everyone in the hall fell silent, no one daring to stop him.

The crime of treason is a grave offense, and confessing is the final sentence. At this moment, pleading for leniency would make one an accomplice, and no one would dare to overstep their bounds.

Zhu Biao collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, filled with despair and helplessness, and could only watch helplessly as the golden knife hung before his younger brother.

To everyone's astonishment...

Zhu Muying, who was kneeling, suddenly stood up. Without dodging or resisting, she resolutely and fiercely charged at the sharp sword.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that none of the civil and military officials in the hall could react.

A sharp blade pierced his chest, the piercing thud echoing in the deathly silent Fengtian Hall, crisp yet cruel.

Zhu Muying froze, looking down at the golden knife piercing her chest, watching the warm blood dripping from the tip of the sword. There was no fear on her face, only utter relief.

He looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was standing close by, his face filled with shock and astonishment. His breath was weak, and his words were filled with tears, yet he remained open and composed: "Father... now... you can rest assured..."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly drew his sword and pulled it out of Zhu Muying's body.

Blood gushed from the wound, splattering onto Zhu Yuanzhang's clothes and face.

The light in Zhu Muying's eyes slowly faded, and her body fell backward limply, crashing heavily onto the cold gold bricks.

Warm blood spread rapidly, blooming into a tragically beautiful blood flower on the hall.

He never considered defying his father or implicating his brothers. He did not want to put his father, who was caught in the dilemma of imperial power, in a difficult position, nor did he want his beloved brother to be punished because of him.

Amidst countless entanglements—between ruler and subject, father and son, and brotherhood—he ultimately faced death alone, openly and honestly, to prove his integrity through his death.

With my life, I will wash away all entanglements and end all conflict.

……

At that moment, a shout rang out outside the Fengtian Hall!

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

When the announcement "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived" rang out, everyone was stunned.

And when that figure, dressed in a phoenix robe and wearing a phoenix crown, walked into the main hall step by step against the light, filled with boundless rage.

The entire hall was enveloped by an invisible aura.

Everyone instinctively made way for her.

……

Do any of my friends still read books?