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

Mao Xiang and Jiang Huan knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling slightly.

Deploying troops?

Transfer the three major battalions?

Your Majesty, have you gone mad?

More than half of the generals of the three major battalions came from the old brothers in Huaixi.

If Xu Da and Chang Yuchun raised their arms and called for action, who would listen to you, the emperor?

And the Embroidered Uniform Guard...

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was indeed the emperor's personal guard, but they were also human beings; they had families and comrades.

They had seen everything that had just happened outside the hall clearly.

On one side is an emperor who has been betrayed by all and forced his own son and loyal ministers to their deaths.

On one side are the six great dukes who hold military power and have the support of the crown prince and empress.

Do I even need to think about how to answer this multiple-choice question?

The two looked at each other, and both saw deep fear and... in each other's eyes.

hesitate.

"What? You two want to defy the imperial decree too?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a man of great stature; he saw through their hesitation at a glance, and his anger burned even brighter.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dares not!"

The two were so frightened that they kowtowed heavily.

"But...but Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei and his men have already taken control of the capital garrison..."

Jiang Huan forced a smile and said in a trembling voice.

"What?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was struck dumb.

So fast?

Before he could even give the order, the other side had already transferred his troops away.

At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to lose military power and to be all alone.

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was terrified and at a loss, an old voice rang out in the hall.

"Your Majesty, things have come to this point; we implore you to reconsider!"

Left Chancellor Li Shanchang walked out of the civil officials' ranks, trembling, and knelt in the center of the hall.

Behind him, Hu Weiyong and other civil officials also knelt down.

"Think twice? Again, think twice!"

Zhu Yuanzhang now felt a headache coming on just hearing those two words. He pointed at Li Shanchang and roared, "You bunch of bookworms, what can you do besides say those two words?!"

"Now Ma Xiuying is leading troops to kill us! How can we think twice?!"

Li Shanchang was so startled by his shout that he almost fell to the ground, but he still managed to stand up straight, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your Majesty! The Empress and the Dukes are all Your Majesty's brothers in adversity, the founding heroes! They are utterly loyal to Your Majesty and have never harbored any disloyalty! Today's events were only due to the death of the Prince of Ying, and in a moment of anger, they acted in this way!"

"If His Majesty were willing to take a step back, issue an edict of self-reproach to appease the Empress and the dukes, and give Prince Ying a grand funeral and posthumously recognize his achievements, there might be room for maneuver in this matter!"

"An edict of self-reproach?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, but his laughter was more like a grimace.

"So you want us to issue a self-reproach edict?"

He pointed to his nose and asked, word by word.

"Li Shanchang, tell us, where did we go wrong?!"

"Where did we go wrong?!"

"We did nothing wrong!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's questioning echoed like thunder in the empty Fengtian Hall.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, who were kneeling on the ground, with a look that seemed to want to devour them alive.

"We are the emperor! We are the Son of Heaven! We conquered this world!"

"How much hardship and suffering have we endured for this country and its people? Did it not come easy for us to rise from a beggar to where we are today?!"

"We've worked diligently to restore production and severely punish corrupt officials, all so that ordinary people can live a better life! Have we been wrong?!"

"That Zhu Muying! He's our son! We gave him the title of Prince, and he gave him supreme military power! We put him in charge of guarding the northern frontier, expanding the territory of our Great Ming! Haven't we been good enough to him?!"

"But what about him? He's been hoarding armor, befriending generals, and secretly developing his own power! Those 100,000 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, that so-called Overlord Xiang Yu, the God of War Han Xin! He's been keeping it all hidden, even we, his father, don't know! What is he planning?!"

"His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's position! He's plotting a rebellion! He wants to seize our throne!"

"To consolidate our rule and ensure the eternal prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, we took preventative measures by punishing a son with treasonous intentions. Were we wrong?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang became more and more agitated as he spoke, and the more he felt he was right.

He positioned himself as a tragic figure who served his country and its people, yet was betrayed by his son and brothers.

He disguised all his suspicion, ruthlessness, and heartlessness as a helpless act "for the sake of the country and the people".

Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong knelt on the ground, listening to the emperor's self-justification that distorted the truth, and felt a chill in their hearts.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

The emperor has gone mad.

He was completely deaf to anyone's advice and was utterly immersed in his own world.

Li Shanchang wanted to persuade him again, but before he could speak, Hu Weiyong grabbed his sleeve.

Hu Weiyong gave him a wink and shook his head slightly.

Saying anything at this point will only add fuel to the fire.

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang's face, which was distorted by anger and paranoia, Li Shanchang finally sighed and shut his mouth.

The king will no longer listen to honest advice.

Seeing that they remained silent, Zhu Yuanzhang assumed they had been persuaded by him, and his expression of madness intensified.

"What? You're speechless?"

"You all agree with what we said, don't you?!"

"We're not wrong! They're the ones who are wrong! It's Ma Xiuying! It's Xu Da! It's Chang Yuchun! It's that unfilial son Zhu Muying!"

"They all betrayed us! They all want to harm us!"

"An edict of self-reproach? Hahahaha! What a ridiculous joke! They're the ones who should be issuing such an edict!"

He laughed wildly, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

He didn't understand.

Why did things turn out this way?

He simply wanted to be a good emperor and ensure that his empire would last for generations.

Why did it end up with him separated from his wife and children, and abandoned by everyone?

Was he really wrong?

Do not!

He did nothing wrong!

The world is wrong!

It's those old brothers from Huaixi who can never be properly fed!

It was that ambitious son!

It's that wife who doesn't understand me!

A thought, like a venomous snake, began to frantically grow in his mind.

Since you've all betrayed us, then we'll destroy everything!

What we can't have, you can't have either!

"Someone come here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned cold and crazed again.

"Prepare our horses! We want to go to the city walls ourselves!"

"We want to see for ourselves whether Ma Xiuying, Xu Da, and Chang Yuchun really dare to lead their troops to attack our palace!"

"We must show the world how these treacherous officials forced the emperor to abdicate and rebel!"

He wants to occupy the moral high ground.

He wanted to portray himself as a pitiful emperor forced to abdicate, and to nail Empress Ma and Xu Da to the pillar of historical shame!

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong were shocked and rushed forward to grab his legs tightly.

"Your Majesty! You are of inestimable strength; how can you personally risk your life!"

"The world outside is in chaos and war; swords and spears have no eyes!"

"Get out of here!"

Zhu Yuanzhang kicked them away.

"Back when we were fighting our way through thousands of troops, you guys were probably nowhere to be found! They think those few can even scratch us?"

Jinling City, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang established his capital here, this ancient capital of six dynasties has once again been revitalized.

During the day, painted boats shuttle back and forth on the Qinhuai River, and crowds throng in front of the Confucius Temple, creating a bustling scene of singing and dancing.

However, today, this bustling city is shrouded in an invisible atmosphere of desolation.

Ordinary people had not yet noticed anything, but those who mingled in the city and were well-informed, as well as wealthy merchants, keenly sensed that something was amiss.

The city gates closed an hour earlier than usual.

On the streets, the number of soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison patrolling had increased several times over. They were all clad in armor and armed with weapons, their faces solemn as they checked the passersby.

Some of the Beijing garrison troops that were usually stationed outside the city began to be mobilized frequently. Squads of heavily armored soldiers marched in orderly steps from various city gates into the city and took over key locations throughout the city.

The entire city of Jinling was like a giant machine about to enter a state of war, with all its gears turning quietly in a tense but orderly manner.

All of this originated from several orders issued by top noble residences such as the Duke of Wei's Mansion, the Prince of Kaiping's Mansion, and the Duke of Liang's Mansion.

Xu Da returned to his residence and, without even having time to change out of his armor, went straight to his study.

"Someone come here!"

"My lord!"

A commander of personal guards strode in.

"Take my command token and go to the Divine Machine Camp immediately!"

Xu Da took out an iron plaque engraved with a tiger totem from his pocket and threw it to him.

"Tell Tong Huan to immediately take command of the nine gates of Jinling! No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order! Even if His Majesty himself arrives, stop him!"

"yes!"

Without any hesitation, the commander of the personal guards took the order and turned to leave.

"etc!"

Xu Da called him back again.

"Send another team to 'invite' Minister of War Zhan Tong to my residence. Be polite and don't offend him. Just say I'm inviting him for tea."

"clear!"

……

Chang Yuchun's residence.

When this god of war returned home, the first thing he did was take his beloved tiger-headed gold-plated spear down from the weapon rack.

He carefully wiped the gun barrel with a soft silk cloth, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at his lover.

"You didn't use Wang Baobao's dog head as a chamber pot, but you got stained with the blood of your own people first."

He stared at the spear, muttering to himself.

"My children!"

He suddenly raised his head and shouted into the courtyard.

"exist!"

In the courtyard, his sons, who were all tall and strong, rushed out in unison.

"All of you, put on your armor! Grab your weapons!"

Chang Yuchun slammed his spear into the ground, causing the entire ground to shake.

"Today, I'm going to pull off a big heist with your father!"

"Dad! Who are you messing with?!"

His eldest son, Chang Mao, asked excitedly.

"Please step down, elder brother! Please ascend the throne, elder sister-in-law, and rule the world!!"

Chang Mao was completely stunned!

Chang Yuchun grinned, revealing a set of white teeth; that smile sent chills down one's spine.

"Come with me! To the Imperial Guard camp! Bring those bastards out for me!"

"Today, anyone who dares not follow me will be taught a lesson by this spear!"