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

"you!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so speechless by his words that he almost choked on his own breath.

He stared intently at Dong Lun, his eyes filled with a desire to devour him alive.

He couldn't understand how this young man could be so bold.

Doesn't he know that he holds the power of life and death in his hands?

Isn't he afraid of dying?

"What a fine example of recording the facts truthfully!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, enraged, laughed instead, "What a fine saying, 'You can't lie!'"

He released Dong Lun's hand, took two steps back, pointed at his nose, and said, word by word, "Today, I'll show you whether your pen is harder or my knife is sharper!"

"Someone come here!"

He whirled around and roared at the guards outside the hall, "Drag this arrogant, disrespectful, and rebellious traitor out and execute him!"

"Kill him!"

These two words, like two thunderclaps, resounded throughout the Fengtian Hall.

Everyone was stunned.

The emperor wants to kill the historian!

Because historians are there to record the truth!

This……

This is absolutely ridiculous!

Throughout history, emperors have been able to kill loyal ministers who offered advice, generals who suffered defeats, and even brothers whose achievements overshadowed their own.

But no emperor has ever raised his sword against a historian simply because the historian recorded historical facts!

Because the historical record represents the way of Heaven and justice!

Killing the historian and silencing him won't silence public opinion.

This isn't just being muddleheaded, this is madness!

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

Hu Weiyong was the first to react, scrambling to Zhu Yuanzhang's feet and clinging tightly to his leg. "Your Majesty, please calm down! Historian Dong was merely fulfilling his duty; his crime does not warrant death!"

"The crime doesn't warrant death?"

Zhu Yuanzhang kicked him away, his eyes bloodshot. "He dared to contradict and slander us in front of the entire court! This is a capital offense!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The other civil officials also realized what was happening and knelt down in a dense mass, their cries and pleas echoing throughout the hall.

They were afraid.

They were afraid the emperor had really gone mad.

If Dong Lun is killed today, will they kill all those who witnessed the truth tomorrow to silence them?

However, their pleas for mercy did not appease Zhu Yuanzhang's anger; instead, they made him even more irritable.

"Think twice? Again, think twice!"

He pointed at the kneeling civil officials below and cursed, "What can any of you do besides say those two words?!"

"You guys are all in cahoots with this Dong Lun! You just want to see us make a fool of ourselves! You want us to be infamous for eternity!"

"Anyone who dares to plead for leniency will be punished as an accomplice!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's threat immediately silenced the cries.

The civil officials, their faces ashen, knelt on the ground, trembling.

They knew that the emperor was truly determined to kill them.

Two guards had already walked up to Dong Lun and grabbed his arms, one on each side.

Dong Lun did not resist.

He simply put down his pen calmly and then straightened his clothes.

Throughout the entire ordeal, there was not a trace of fear on his face.

The one who was dragged out and beheaded was not himself, but someone else.

He turned his head, glanced at the two corpses on the ground, and then at the empress who stood quietly, holding a long sword.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the lofty Zhu Yuanzhang.

He smiled.

That smile contained compassion, disdain, and the composure of a martyr.

"His Majesty."

He spoke, his voice still calm.

"You can kill me. But you can't kill the pens of all the historians in the world."

"Someone come here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored Empress Ma and instead issued a direct order to the two terrified guards, "Are you two deaf or blind?! I'm telling you to drag him out and execute him! Do you hear me?!"

"Who dares to move!"

No sooner had Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking than a thunderous voice resounded in the Fengtian Hall.

Chang Yuchun!

Suddenly, he stepped out of the queue, his tall and burly body blocking Dong Lun's path like a wall.

His large, copper-bell-shaped eyes stared intently at the two guards, his murderous aura so palpable that it forced them to retreat repeatedly, almost losing their footing.

"General Chang... General Chang..."

The guards' voices were trembling.

They were just insignificant people following orders; how could they dare offend this god of death?

"roll!"

Chang Yuchun squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.

The two guards, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to the side and dared not approach again.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned green instantly.

It's one thing for Ma Xiuying to oppose him.

Now, even a reckless man like Chang Yuchun dares to openly defy the imperial decree in front of him?!

"Chang Yuchun!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at him and shouted sternly, "How dare you! Do you want to rebel?!"

at this time.

Xu Da walked step by step to the center of the main hall.

He did not visit Zhu Yuanzhang, nor did he visit Chang Yuchun and the others.

His gaze fell on Dong Lun, the young historian who was still supported by the remains of a guard, yet whose spine remained straight.

Then, he slowly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Dong Lun.

He performed a military salute, a gesture of respect between military officers.

This silent action speaks volumes.

He, Xu Da, also sided with the historian.

boom!

Xu Da's fist salute was like an invisible mountain crashing down, completely shattering the last glimmer of hope in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

Chang Yuchun and his ilk were making a fool of themselves, and Zhu Yuanzhang could scold them as reckless brutes, uncouth men, and ignorant of the proper relationship between ruler and subject.

But Xu Da was different.

Xu Da was the Duke of Wei and the pillar of the Ming military. He was calm, thoughtful, and never acted impulsively.

His attitude, to some extent, represented the ultimate will of the entire Ming Dynasty military group.

Even he expressed his support for that historian in this way.

What does this mean?

This means that Zhu Yuanzhang has completely lost the support of the military.

His position as emperor became a mere figurehead.

"Xu Da!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was hoarse and broken, "Even you... even you want to oppose us?"

Xu Da slowly turned around and looked at the distraught man on the dragon throne.

His face, usually as calm and composed as a mountain, showed no emotion, but his eyes held a deep weariness and disappointment.

"His Majesty."

Xu Da's voice was as steady as ever, yet it carried an undeniable power: "Your Majesty, I dare not oppose you."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

"but,"

Xu Da then changed the subject, "Your Majesty, I dare not stand idly by and watch Your Majesty drag our Great Ming Dynasty into an abyss of no return."

"What did you say?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up. "Are we dragging the Ming Dynasty into the abyss? Xu Da, explain yourself!"

"Your Majesty, how else do you want me to explain this clearly?"

Xu Da's tone remained calm, but every word struck Zhu Yuanzhang's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Your Highness, you served the country's borders with great merit and hard work, yet you were unjustly murdered before the throne. Is this not the truth?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

"Liu Sanwu, the Minister of Rites, was a man of unwavering loyalty and integrity throughout his life. He upheld the principles of propriety and the principles of a subject, and even died by striking his head against a pillar in remonstrance. Is this not true?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face paled even more.

"Histor Dong, undaunted by power and fearless of death, dedicated himself solely to recording the truth with his pen. Is this not the truth?"

Xu Da took a step forward with each question he asked.

That invisible pressure forced Zhu Yuanzhang to retreat repeatedly.

"In a single day, a son was unjustly killed, and a high-ranking official's blood was spilled on the imperial palace! Your Majesty, since ancient times, which founding emperor of any dynasty would have committed such an absurd act?!"

"You drove your own son to his death, and you even forced the loyal minister who spoke out for him to his death. Now, you won't even spare the historians who record the truth!"

"Do you want the whole world to see what kind of emperor you, Zhu Yuanzhang, are?!"

"Do you want future generations to read in history books that the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty was a tyrant who indiscriminately killed innocent people, suppressed dissent, and even forced his own son to commit suicide?!"

Xu Da's voice grew louder and more stern.

In the end, it almost turned into a stern interrogation!

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Cornered, Zhu Yuanzhang covered his ears and frantically shook his head, crying, "No! I didn't! Everything I did was for the sake of the country!"

"For the sake of the country and its people?"

Xu Da retorted, "For the sake of the country, is it acceptable to unjustly kill a prince? For the sake of the country, is it acceptable to force a minister to commit suicide? For the sake of the country, is it acceptable to falsify history?"

"Your Majesty! The generals and soldiers under the King of England are still unaware that the King of England is dead."

"If those fierce soldiers knew that the King of England was dead, who in the world could restrain them!"