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

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking about deposing the empress, he realized the situation was serious.

He paced back and forth in the Fengtian Hall.

"Girl, where do you think you're putting our dignity?"

Ma Xiuying raised her head.

"You ask me where you put your dignity? Let me tell you, compared to my son's life, your dignity as emperor is worthless!"

Every word is piercing to the heart!

Every word is heartbreaking!

Forced by her, Zhu Yuanzhang retreated repeatedly, his back slamming heavily against the cold dragon throne with a dull thud.

He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He felt as if he had not crashed into the dragon throne, but into a high wall built from past favors and guilt.

He lost.

He lost completely, both logically and emotionally.

But he was the emperor!

How could the emperor lose?

When reason and sentiment could no longer serve as weapons, he was left with only one thing.

That is power.

Supreme power, capable of crushing everything—imperial power!

"Good...good...good indeed, Ma Xiuying!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned purplish-red from extreme anger and humiliation.

His eyes were completely replaced by madness.

He pointed at Empress Ma, his finger trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

"You think that just because these six old guys are backing you up, we can't do anything to you?"

"You think that just because you helped us conquer this world, we can't touch you?"

"Today, I'll show you whether I, the emperor, can actually touch you!"

He abruptly turned to the side and unleashed a hysterical roar at the group of civil officials who were already pale with fright.

"The Minister of Rites!"

In the queue, an elderly official, over fifty years old and dressed in a scarlet official robe, trembled and almost collapsed as he crawled out of the crowd.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is here..."

Liu Sanwu, the Minister of Rites, felt dizzy and disoriented. He had lived to be so old and had been in officialdom for decades, but he had never seen such a scene before.

This is tantamount to the destruction of a nation!

"I order you to draft an imperial edict immediately!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Empress Ma and roared through gritted teeth, each word distinct.

"Empress Ma has lost her virtue and disrespected the emperor, interfering in state affairs and shaking the foundations of the nation! Her virtue is unworthy of her position, and she is unfit to be the mother of the nation!"

"Therefore, strip her of her title as Empress and banish her to the Cold Palace! She shall never be released again!"

"Draft the decree! Now! Immediately! Right now!"

boom!

"Depose the Empress!"

"Discard them to the cold palace!"

These eight characters, like eight thunderbolts, resounded simultaneously in the Fengtian Hall.

Everyone was stunned.

crazy!

The emperor has gone completely mad!

Throughout history, the abolition of an empress has always been a momentous event that shakes the very foundation of the nation!

It is absolutely impossible to carry out such a deposing and empress-changing act unless one has committed heinous crimes such as treason or debauchery in the harem!

What's more, the one who was deposed was none other than Empress Ma, who had shared hardships with His Majesty, was revered as a goddess by all the people under heaven, and was regarded as a close sister by all the civil and military officials!

This is no longer just a slap in the face to Empress Ma.

This is a slap in the face to Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and the other six founding fathers!

This is a slap in the face to all the old brothers who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the country!

This is pushing the Ming Dynasty, which he has worked so hard to build, into a fire pit!

Liu Sanwu, the Minister of Rites, knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf.

Drafting an imperial edict?

How dare he draft such an edict?

If he were to actually write this edict to depose the empress today, he wouldn't even need to wait until tomorrow. He was certain that Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and those six killing gods would tear him to pieces on the spot!

Even if he survives by sheer luck, once His Majesty calms down and comes to his senses, the first person he will kill is this treacherous minister who "follows the emperor's evil intentions"!

This imperial edict is a death warrant!

Whoever writes this will die!

But if I don't write it...

Liu Sanwu secretly raised his eyes and glanced at the emperor on the dragon throne, who was already acting like a madman, and shivered again.

If you don't write, you'll die right now!

After writing it, a few days later Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying reconciled. Zhu Yuanzhang then questioned her, saying, "Who told you to write this?" She was sentenced to death.

He felt like a poor rabbit caught between two tigers; whichever way he ran, he was doomed.

"Are you deaf?!"

Seeing that he didn't move for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang roared and kicked him.

Liu Sanwu was kicked so hard he rolled twice on the ground and crashed into a pillar, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"We asked you to draft the imperial edict! Did you hear me?!"

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

At this moment, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong could not care about anything else and crawled out to kneel down.

He knew that if he didn't speak up, the Fengtian Hall would be awash in blood today.

"Your Majesty! Deposing the Empress is absolutely unacceptable! This would shake the very foundation of the nation! Please reconsider!"

"Think twice? What do we need to think twice about?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang kicked Hu Weiyong aside, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over all the kneeling civil officials below.

"Look at you all, you're all thinking of rebellion! Aren't you?!"

"So, my word doesn't work anymore?!"

"Someone come here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Liu Sanwu and roared, "Drag him away! Since he can't write it, find someone else who can!"

"Who! Who would be willing to draft this imperial edict for us?! Let's make him the Minister of Rites!"

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

But today, faced with the bait of "Minister of Rites" thrown out by Zhu Yuanzhang, the entire court, with hundreds of heads, lowered their heads even further.

Not a single person dared to raise their head.

Not a single person dared to utter a sound.

Everyone knows that the position of Minister of Rites is not a coveted post, but rather a death sentence.

"Fine! Fine! You're all mute now, aren't you?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he trembled all over. He looked at the silent civil officials in the hall and then at the six military generals with their eyes wide open in anger.

He felt isolated.

The entire court and the entire world stood against him.

"Ma Xiuying! Did you see that?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and stared intently at Empress Ma, his eyes seeming as if he wanted to devour her alive.

"This is what you've done! You incited the military generals and held the civil officials hostage! You just want to leave us all alone!"

"You think we'll be afraid of you just because of this?!"

"Telling you won't work!"

A sickly, maniacal smile appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

"Didn't you think we couldn't do without you?"

"Don't you think that no one but you is indispensable in this harem?"

"Today, we'll show you! Even without you, Ma Xiuying, there are plenty of other women who can take the title of Empress of the Ming Dynasty!"

He turned abruptly and issued an even more frantic order to a eunuch outside the hall.

"Go! Go to the inner palace and deliver the imperial decree!"

"Summon Consort Hu, Consort Guo, Consort Guo, Consort Sun, Consort Li... all the concubines with ranks in the palace to this Fengtian Hall!"

"We're going to cripple you, you wicked woman, in front of all of them!"

"We'll show them who the true mistress of this harem is!"

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he scrambled out of the Fengtian Hall.

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Everyone was completely stunned by Zhu Yuanzhang's crazy actions.

Summon all the concubines from the harem to the Fengtian Hall, where state affairs are handled.

In front of them, depose the empress?

This……

This is an absurd act that has never been heard of or seen before!

This is no longer about handling state affairs; it's purely about venting his personal anger!

He wanted to lay bare his family affairs to everyone.

He wanted to use this most extreme and humiliating method to destroy Empress Ma's dignity.

……

Thank you all afterwards.

If this chapter gets over 500 requests for more updates, I'll add an extra chapter immediately.