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

Looking at the swirling snow and the rows of kneeling men in black armor, Empress Ma's pale face finally showed a hint of emotion.

"Mu Ying, my son."

Did you see that?

"On this day, I weep for you."

"This land is mourning for you."

"These soldiers you once led, they haven't forgotten you, they've all come to see you off."

Two lines of clear tears slid slowly down her already dried eyes, instantly freezing into frost in the cold air.

"Zhu Chongba, did you see that?!"

"This is the human heart!"

"This is something you'll never have!"

She took a deep breath of the air, which was mixed with snowflakes and cold air; the icy air stung her lungs.

She pushed open the carriage door, ignoring the help of the palace maids, and stepped down from the phoenix carriage step by step.

She walked to the huge coffin made of golden nanmu wood and stretched out her gentle hands, which had mended countless clothes for Zhu Yuanzhang and cooked countless meals for his children.

Then, she did something that drove everyone present crazy.

She placed her hand on the cold coffin.

Using all his strength, he began to push the coffin, which weighed over a thousand pounds, step by step, on the snow-covered street with great difficulty!

"Crunch—crunch—"

The heavy coffin wheels rolled over the snow and frozen ground with a sickening sound.

That sound, like a dull knife cutting flesh, scraped at everyone's heart, again and again.

And then, one resounding slap after another landed on the face of the lonely emperor standing atop the city wall.

"Your Majesty!"

"Mother!"

Zhu Biao and the palace servants gasped in surprise and rushed forward to help him up.

"Don't come any closer!"

Empress Ma's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve.

She didn't turn around, but instead, with her body hunched over, she used all her strength to push the coffin that carried all her grief and despair.

One step, another step.

Her steps were unsteady, her body swaying precariously in the wind and snow, as if she might collapse at any moment.

But her spine remained perfectly straight.

That frail figure, at that moment, possessed a power that could shake heaven and earth.

"Your Majesty the Empress..."

"Oh my god, Her Majesty the Empress..."

The people peeking through doors and windows along the streets could no longer contain themselves.

They pushed open the door and rushed into the street. Seeing the empress pushing her coffin through the wind and snow, seeing her tear-streaked yet incredibly resolute face, everyone's eyes reddened.

An elderly woman with white hair could no longer control her emotions. She knelt down in the snow with a "plop" and burst into tears.

"My God! What kind of mess is this?!"

"The Empress, a woman of noble birth, is forced to personally push the coffin of His Highness Prince Ying at his funeral! What a terrible injustice this is!"

Her cry, like a spark, instantly ignited the entire street.

"His Highness the King died unjustly!"

"Your Majesty! How could you be so heartless!"

"Severely punish the murderer! Give His Highness the King justice!"

The pent-up grief and indignation finally erupted at this moment.

Tens of thousands of people spontaneously knelt on both sides of the street, their cries shaking the heavens.

They dared not disrupt the funeral procession, much less criticize the emperor; they could only express their grief and anger in this most humble and sorrowful way.

The tens of thousands of kneeling soldiers of the Beijing garrison, upon witnessing this scene, all had bloodshot eyes and gripped their sword hilts tightly.

They are soldiers, and soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders.

But they are human beings too; they have hearts!

The Empress, the mother of the Ming Dynasty, was the woman who would personally sew military shoes for them before they went to war, and like a mother, she would urge them to return safely.

Now, however, he is forced to push his son's coffin in the wind and snow.

And their emperor, the one they had sworn to serve for life, stood atop the high city wall, coldly watching all of this.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, perhaps...perhaps you should issue an edict of self-reproach to appease the Empress and the dukes..."

A slightly bolder civil official standing nearby, seeing this scene, was truly frightened and stammered a word of advice.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the will of the people cannot be defied!"

"If this continues, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will incite a popular uprising!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned his head and looked at them with an extremely calm gaze.

"Do you also think we were wrong?"

His voice was soft and calm, without a trace of anger, yet it instantly chilled the officials who had spoken, making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their blood freezing in their veins.

They saw something more terrifying than rage in the depths of those calm eyes.

That is……

Absolute, unquestionable, and chilling killing intent.

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

The group of people were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and dared not utter another word.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored them.

His gaze returned to the slowly flowing river below the city, composed of white and black stones.

"Push! Push hard!"

"Put our country and your own lives on this coffin."

"We'll just watch from here and see how you handle this!"

And the black coffin, pushed by the Empress herself, carried the grief and indignation of the entire city amidst the elegiac chants, slowly making its way towards its final resting place.

The snow is falling heavier and heavier!

The deafening cries became indistinct amidst the wind and snow.

A deathly silence fell upon the city tower of Chengtian Gate.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained standing there, like a petrified statue, motionless.

The civil and military officials behind him were all silent and trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly.

What they just witnessed had a tremendous impact on them.

They now had only one thought in their minds: the emperor had lost the hearts of the people and his fate was sealed.

Now, the entire city of Jinling is under the control of the Empress and the six great dukes, and the northern army outside the city has come to avenge the Prince of Ying.

Zhu Yuanzhang was already trapped, unable to escape.

Many people have already begun to plan how to show their loyalty to the Empress and the Crown Prince, so that they can gain merit for themselves after the new dynasty is established.

"Your Majesty, the snow is getting heavy. Your health is of utmost importance. You should return to the palace."

Li Shanchang appeared behind Zhu Yuanzhang at some point, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned around.

Just when everyone thought they would see a face filled with grief, despair, or regret, they were all stunned.

The emperor's face remained expressionless.

There was no trace of the emptiness and vulnerability in those deep eyes.

Instead, there is a chilling calm, a cold indifference that seems to know everything.

His body, which had become stiff from standing for so long, straightened up again at that moment.

An invisible yet incredibly powerful imperial aura emanated from him.

"Have you seen enough?"

He spoke, his voice not loud, but like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart.

"Was the play good?"

The civil officials were all dumbfounded.

This……

What's going on?

The Emperor is...

crazy?

Or was he driven mad by the shock?

"His Majesty……"

Hu Weiyong braced himself and tried to say something.

"Hu Weiyong,"

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze fell on him. "Were you just thinking that once Ma Xiuying and her group succeed, you, as the Right Chancellor, might have a chance to rise a step further and take Li Shanchang's place?"

Hu Weiyong's face turned pale instantly, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I dare not! My loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon!"

He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and turned his gaze back to the Imperial Censor Wang, who had been terrified earlier.

"And you, Imperial Censor Wang. Were you just thinking that once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, your 'righteous words' today will surely propel you to great heights, making you a pillar of the new dynasty?"

Imperial Censor Wang's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to even beg for mercy.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze, like a sharp sword, swept across the faces of those civil officials one by one.

Everyone he glanced at felt as if they were stripped naked and thrown into the freezing cold, sending chills down their spines.

They felt that the emperor could see right through their darkest and most sordid thoughts.

"Li Shanchang".

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze fell upon the Left Chancellor who had remained silent all along.

Do you think we were wrong?

He asked the same question again.

But this time, it was no longer a desperate question, but a cold scrutiny tinged with mockery and ridicule.

Li Shanchang raised his head and met Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze. A complex and unfathomable light flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Your Majesty is right."

"Oh?"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

"We are the ones who are wrong."

Li Shanchang continued, "The Empress is at fault, and the Duke of Wei and his ilk are at fault."

"We all underestimated His Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

He reached out and caught a snowflake, watching it melt in his palm.

"Three months."

He spoke softly, as if talking to himself, yet also as if announcing to everyone.

"From the day we ordered Zhu Muying to be confined in the palace, we've been waiting for this day."

"Wait until you all jump out one by one."

"When you lay bare all the resentment, discontent, and ambition you've been harboring in your hearts before us."

"The harem, the nobles, the civil officials... very good, they are all here today."

His voice was soft, but every word was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's minds.

What does that mean?

Was the confinement of the King of England, which began three months ago, all part of a setup?

All that's happening today—the coup, the mutiny, the public resentment—is evident.

……

Was it all part of the emperor's plan?

This……

How is this possible?!

Everyone looked at Zhu Yuanzhang as if he were a madman.

They couldn't understand it, nor could they believe it.

How could there be such a terrifying emperor in this world?

He actually used his son's death, his wife's grief, and the hearts of the entire city to set up a scheme!

What exactly is he trying to do?!

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored their horrified expressions.

He walked to the city wall and looked down at the city that he had firmly grasped in his hands.

His gaze no longer that of a lonely emperor, but that of a chess player examining his own chessboard.

Every street, every mansion, and every city gate in the city is a square on his chessboard.

Everyone in the city, from his queen to his brothers to a beggar on the street, was a pawn in his game.

Now, all the pieces have moved to their designated positions.

It's time to wrap things up.

He raised his hand and made an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible downward chopping gesture towards the empty sky.

A seemingly casual gesture, yet carrying immense force, plucked the strings of destiny that had been laid out long ago.

Fireworks soared into the sky above Jinling City!

Xu Da noticed the flickering light, frowned slightly, and a hint of confusion flashed through his mind.

What signal is this?

He immediately turned around and looked at the generals around him with questioning eyes, but all he received were blank shakes of their heads.

No one knows what these fireworks represent.

Perhaps it really was just an accident?

Xu Da felt a sudden unease rising in his heart.

After making that gesture, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was on the city wall, put his hands back behind his back.

He remained expressionless, coldly surveying the people below the city.

It was as if the signal from just now had nothing to do with him.

He is waiting.

Wait for him to reveal his first card.

"Rumble..."

The earth began to tremble slightly.

At first, the sound was very soft and muffled, as if it came from deep underground and was covered by thick snow.

Many people are not even aware of it.

But soon, the sound grew louder and clearer.

"Boom! Boom!"

The earth is roaring and howling!

Dust began to fall from the bricks and stones on the city wall.

The windows of the houses lining the street were humming under the strain.

That wasn't thunder.

That's... the sound of horses' hooves!

It is only when tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of iron cavalry gallop at the same time that such a terrifying sound, like the collapse of the sky and the splitting of the earth, can be produced!

"What's going on?!"

"Has the earth dragon turned over?!"

On both sides of the street, the people who had been kneeling on the ground were startled by the sudden tremor and stood up in panic, looking around.

Even the well-trained Black Armored Imperial Guards were stirred up.

The horses pawed restlessly and snorted.

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their faces filled with vigilance and doubt.

Xu Da's expression instantly became extremely solemn.

He suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

That's outside the city!

It is all around Jinling City!

What... what exactly is going on?

Outside of Nanjing, where else besides the Beijing Garrison could you find such a large number of cavalry?

Could it be... that the rebel army from the northern frontier has already reached the city walls?!

impossible!

From the northern border to Nanjing, it's thousands of miles away. Even if they traveled day and night, it would be impossible to get there so quickly!

Moreover, with all nine gates of Nanjing tightly closed and the city's defenses impregnable, how did they manage to approach so silently?

Countless questions swirled in Xu Da's mind.

That feeling of unease grew stronger and stronger.

He had a premonition that today's events were probably going to get out of everyone's control.

On the city tower, Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, and other civil officials were so frightened that they turned pale and collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.

They were just scholars; they had never seen anything like this before.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... This... This is..." Hu Weiyong stammered, pointing outside the city, unable to finish his sentence.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him.

His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, landing on the distant horizon.

There, a black line was rapidly thickening and lengthening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

No, that's not a line.

That's a person! It's a horse!

An endless army!

"They're here."

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips finally curled into a cold and cruel smile.

The guests he had been waiting for for three months finally arrived.

With a cold laugh from the emperor, the black tide finally surged to the foot of Jinling City.

Only then did the people on the city wall see clearly.

That wasn't an army at all!

That's a total of four!

From the east, west, south, and north, four black torrents of steel, like four unsheathed swords, plunged straight into the city of Nanjing!

They stopped outside the moat, facing the Black Armored Imperial Guards inside the city.

banner!

Countless flags fluttered in the wind and snow!

Xu Da recognized those flags!

To the east, there is the banner of the Tiger Guard, painted with a picture of a fierce tiger descending the mountain! That is one of the most elite field troops directly under the Grand General's Office, stationed year-round in Huguang, responsible for clearing out the mountain barbarians in the south, and known for their fierceness and skill in battle!

To the west, there was the Eagle Guard banner embroidered with an eagle hunting a rabbit! Those were veteran soldiers selected from under the command of the Marquis of Xiping, who had just come down from the battlefield of pacifying Sichuan, and each of them carried a sharp killing intent!

To the south, the banner of the Longjiang Navy, painted with a giant whale leaping across the sea, flies high! That is the most powerful navy of the Ming Dynasty, guarding the entire Yangtze River!

An ancient behemoth awoke and began to let out a deep roar.

Squads of heavily armored soldiers, wielding sharp blades, emerged from their disguises, as if they had sprung up from the depths of Nanjing, revealing themselves after months of lurking.

Their armor still bore the marks of the northern winds and frost.

Zhu Yuanzhang, like a fierce dragon or tiger, bent down and looked at Ma Xiuying and the others.

Do you really think we, the emperor, are fools?

"We rose from humble beginnings, conquering the world through countless battles!"

"Three months ago, we mobilized 500,000 troops and concealed our strength in Nanjing."

"However, we didn't expect Zhu Muying to be so foolish. If we were treated like this, we would have rebelled long ago!"

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang had the upper hand!

Generals such as Xu Da, Lan Yu, and Chang Yuchun had already seen Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous intent on the city wall!

"Hey girl, you always tell us to be nicer to our old buddies!"

"But look at us, our old comrades Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Lan Yu have turned against us!"

"Tell me, should we exterminate their entire clan?"

Hahahaha!

Amidst the heavy snow, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily, displaying the unmistakable demeanor of a mighty ruler!

Right at this moment.

A crisp sound rang out.

"Father, do you think you've won?"

That sound!

The world was shocked!

Zhu Yuanzhang heard the sound!

His expression changed drastically!