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

Empress Ma ignored everyone.

Her cold eyes pierced through the kneeling civil and military officials, and through the six generals who stood silently behind her.

Her gaze passed over her husband, who stood on the steps of the palace, his face deathly pale.

Finally, the image landed on the blood-covered figure being held tightly in Zhu Biao's arms.

She paused for a moment.

There was only a brief pause.

incredible!

Then she continued walking forward.

She couldn't believe it.

But the way she held up her skirt betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

Nearly.

closer.

She could smell the nauseatingly strong stench of blood in the air.

She could see Zhu Biao's face, streaked with tears and filled with despair.

She could hear Zhu Di and the others sobbing in pain.

Her heart sank little by little.

He was tied to a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds and was plummeting madly into the bottomless abyss.

Finally, she walked up to them.

She stopped in her tracks.

She looked down at the child being held in Zhu Biao's arms.

That face was so familiar.

Although I have become more resilient and mature than I was a few years ago, tempered by the winds and sands of northern Xinjiang.

But those eyebrows, those features, were clearly still the child she remembered, the one who would follow her around, begging for candy.

But now, that face no longer has the heroic spirit and radiance it once possessed.

Only a desolate, ashen white remained.

His eyes were still open.

Just like that, blankly staring upwards.

It is a questioning of imperial power.

He was watching a world that had nothing to do with him.

Empress Ma's body swayed slightly.

Chang Shi and Xu Miaoyun, who were following behind her, quickly stepped forward and supported her on either side.

"Mother..."

Chang's voice was choked with sobs.

Empress Ma remained silent.

Her gaze slowly moved from Zhu Muying's face to his chest.

There was a bloody hole the size of a bowl there.

The blood was no longer gushing out as it had before, but it was still slowly seeping out.

That royal robe, which once symbolized supreme glory, was now completely soaked in blood.

Empress Ma's pupils shrank dramatically, shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

Her breath caught in her throat at that moment.

Time, too, stopped flowing at this moment.

The whole world lost its sound and its color.

In her eyes and in her heart, all that remained was that hideous, bloody wound.

That is……

Her son!

It was the son she carried for ten months and gave birth to with great difficulty!

She cherished her precious child, afraid of dropping him or melting him in her mouth!

When he was little, she would feel heartbroken and cry if he scraped his skin even slightly.

But now...

But now...

On him, there was something unexpected...

There's such a huge hole!

"Thump!"

Empress Ma could no longer hold on.

Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to her knees on the cold gold bricks.

The heavy nine-dragon, four-phoenix crown slipped off her head and crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Those precious pearls and jades were scattered everywhere.

But she seemed completely oblivious.

She stretched out her hands, which were delicate from years of care, but were now trembling uncontrollably.

Trembling, he slowly approached Zhu Muying's body.

She wanted to touch him.

I want to feel his warmth again.

But her hand, which was only an inch away from him, suddenly stopped.

She didn't dare.

She is afraid.

She was afraid that if she touched the child, the child would shatter like a bubble.

"My mother... my mother's child..."

A sob, as if from the depths of hell, filled with endless sorrow and despair, was squeezed out of her throat.

Her tears finally broke free.

Large, scalding tears fell onto the cold floor tiles, splashing up tiny water droplets that quickly mingled with the bloodstains.

She slowly bent down.

He carefully took Zhu Muying's body from Zhu Biao's arms.

She gently placed his head on her lap.

She reached out and gently stroked his cold face.

"Mu Ying... my son..."

Her voice was hoarse, as if she were crying and laughing at the same time.

"Look, Mother... Mother is here..."

"Don't you love Mom's osmanthus cake the most?... Mom brought you some... Get up, have a bite, okay...?"

"Didn't you say that when you came back from the battle, you would bring your mother the biggest and most beautiful fox fur from the north... Your mother is waiting... How come... How come you fell asleep first..."

She kept talking and talking.

I'm trying to soothe a sleepy child.

But that child would never answer her again.

She reached out and gently touched the wound on his chest.

The blood there had begun, slowly, to grow cold.

"Does it hurt... my son..."

Her voice was so soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing someone's dream.

"Tell Mother... does it still hurt here...?"

As she spoke, she lowered her head and pressed her face against the bloody, mangled wound.

In this way, we can share some of his pain.

Everyone in the entire Fengtian Hall watched this scene.

Looking at this, she has abandoned all identity and all dignity; she is simply a pitiful mother who has lost her child.

Everyone's heart is broken.

Even the civil officials who usually paid the most attention to their demeanor and followed the rules couldn't help but turn their heads away and secretly wipe away their tears.

It's too awful.

That's really too tragic.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, mournful cries echoed.

Empress Ma held her son's body and wept bitterly.

Those cries of "Does it hurt?" were like dull knives, cutting back and forth in everyone's hearts.

Standing on the steps of the imperial palace, Zhu Yuanzhang watched this scene, and his body swayed even more violently.

He wanted to go down.

He wanted to see his son.

He wanted to hug his wife, who was crying sadly.

However, his feet felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't move an inch.

He dare not.

He was afraid to see his son's unseeing eyes in death.

He was even more afraid to see his wife's eyes, which were filled with resentment and despair.

He was the fearless Hongwu Emperor.

This man, who crawled out of a pile of corpses and single-handedly created the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, he actually became a coward who didn't even have the courage to face his wife and children.

And just then...

The six "mountains" standing behind Empress Ma moved.

Xu Da was the first to take that step.

His face, once streaked with tears, now held no trace of sorrow.

Instead, there was a suppressed, icy anger.

He slowly walked to Empress Ma's side.

Then, he stood firmly behind Empress Ma.

He didn't speak.

He simply stared intently at the man on the steps of the palace with those bloodshot, menacing eyes, eyes that seemed to devour him. He was the brother for whom he had once been willing to give his life.

Next was Chang Yuchun.

This hot-tempered general wiped the tears from his face and strode over to Xu Da's side.

Similarly, he stood behind Empress Ma.

If you ever called her "sister-in-law".

At the elder sister-in-law's command.

He drew his sword, charged forward, and fought desperately with the man.

Li Wenzhong, Tang He, Deng Yu, Lan Yu...

One after another.

They had it all planned out.

Silently, I stepped forward.

Behind Empress Ma, a row of people knelt.

Six people, six of the most distinguished and powerful dukes and marquises in the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, they were like six of the most loyal guards.

With their own bodies, they built an indestructible wall in front of the Empress and His Highness the Prince.

This city wall separates more than just spaces.

Furthermore, it applies to the relationship between ruler and subject.

Yes, it's about affection and loyalty.

Yes, former brothers, and today's enemies.

The impact of this scene was unparalleled.

If the arrival of the Empress just now only shocked and frightened the civil and military officials.

Now, the actions of these six generals made them feel a chill that came from the depths of their souls.

day!

Things are about to change!

The world of the Ming Dynasty is truly about to change!

These military generals, they...

What are they trying to do?!

Don't they realize what their actions mean?!

This is a coup attempt!

This is them using their military power and the hundreds of thousands of troops behind them to demonstrate their power to the emperor!

How is this any different from treason?!

The civil officials kneeling on the ground lowered their heads even further.

They wished they could dig a hole in the ground and bury themselves in it.

Such a scene of gods fighting would be utterly devastating for ordinary mortals; if they were even slightly involved, they would be reduced to dust!

Zhu Yuanzhang, standing on the steps of the imperial palace, looked at the six figures kneeling below.

The Six Great Generals of the Ming Dynasty!

Six old buddies who fought their way out of Fengyang.

At this moment, they all stood behind Empress Ma!

At this moment, Empress Ma mobilized troops!

No military tally is needed!

……

Empress Ma staggered as she picked up Zhu Muying's body.

Kneel in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

My son!

He's really dead!

She raised her head and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, her eyes now devoid of any light.