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

Zhu Muying's pupils contracted instantly.

Chen Wu, on the other hand, was struck dumb!

he knows!

He knew that the prince in front of him was an imposter!

"Does Your Highness have any instructions?"

Zhu Muying quickly regained her composure, and her voice became low and deep.

"That's right."

The man in the bronze mask nodded.

He pulled a token from his pocket and threw it over.

The token was made of pure gold, and only one character was engraved on it.

"Britain".

This is Zhu Muying's personal token. Seeing this token is like seeing him in person!

Upon seeing the token, Chen Wu finally felt a sense of relief.

It seems they're one of our own.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Zhu Muying asked in a deep voice.

"His Highness asked me to pass on a message to you."

The voice of the bronze-masked man remained as cold and emotionless as ever.

"The fish is in the net, you can reel it in now."

After he finished speaking, he paused and added a sentence.

"Furthermore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting an intensive investigation into His Highness, and the Emperor is becoming increasingly wary of His Highness the Prince of Ying."

"He told me to tell you that your time is running out."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bronze-masked man vanished from the spot like a ghost.

It was as if he had never appeared.

Silence fell once again in the study.

"What do we do now?"

"Of course, we'll keep acting."

"Didn't he complain that the fire wasn't burning bright enough?"

"Then I'll add another handful of firewood for him!"

He strode out of the study and roared at the terrified servants in the courtyard, "What are you all standing there for! Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Hang this scoundrel's corpse on the flagpole for me!"

"Spread my word again! Tell them that I, Zhu Muying, have returned! Anyone who dares to send anyone to spy on my residence, I will kill them all! If two come, I will kill two!"

"I'd like to see who in this city of Jinling dares to mess with me!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire Royal Palace.

It was filled with an arrogant and overbearing attitude.

Jinling City, Imperial Palace, Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne that symbolized supreme power.

His face was expressionless, but his deep eyes flashed with a cold light.

Below the main hall, civil and military officials stood in two rows, each one silent as a cicada in winter, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Just now, a bloody message spread throughout the entire imperial court.

On his first day back in the capital, Prince Zhu Muying killed a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his own residence!

Moreover, the body was hung high on the flagpole of the Prince's mansion!

How arrogant!

How utterly lawless!

This is no longer just a provocation; it's practically pointing a finger at the emperor and cursing him!

Everyone knew that the emperor was furious.

They could all feel the palpable killing intent emanating from the dragon throne.

"Hu Weiyong".

Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Your subject is here."

Right Chancellor Hu Weiyong hurriedly stepped out of the ranks, knelt down on the ground, and trembled like a leaf.

"Tell me, how should this matter be handled?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked calmly.

Hu Weiyong was inwardly groaning.

How can he explain that?

Does His Majesty the King do the right thing?

Isn't that just courting death?

They say His Highness the King should be killed?

But who doesn't know that the King of England is His Majesty's most beloved adopted son, with numerous military achievements?

Moreover, behind him stood the arrogant and fierce generals of Duke Xu Da of Wei.

If he said that, wouldn't he offend the entire military group?

He lay on the ground, his mind racing, large beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Back...back to Your Majesty..."

He stammered, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, having spent so long on the battlefield, is decisive and ruthless, and his temperament... his temperament is inevitably somewhat impetuous. Perhaps... perhaps he acted on impulse and did not intend to offend Your Majesty's divine authority..."

"impulse?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, his voice full of mockery.

"In front of all the servants in the manor, he killed my Imperial Guard, hung the body on a flagpole, and even declared that anyone who dared to spy on him again would be killed."

"Tell me, is this also an impulsive act?"

Hu Weiyong lowered his head even further, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is dull-witted..."

"snort!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted heavily and ignored him.

His gaze then shifted to the other side of the military officers' ranks.

"Xu Da".

"Your subject is here."

Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, stepped out from the ranks and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang.

His face was expressionless, but his tiger-like eyes held a solemn expression.

"You tell us."

Zhu Yuanzhang's tone softened somewhat, but remained icy. "Mu Ying is your prospective son-in-law; you should know his temper best. What exactly does he mean by doing this?"

Xu Da remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Your Majesty, I believe that although His Highness the Prince of England's actions were rash, they were... understandable."

As soon as he said this, a collective gasp filled the entire hall.

excusable?

Is it somewhat understandable that they killed the emperor's personal guards?

Has the Duke of Wei gone mad?

How dare they speak up for the King of England at a time like this?

Even Hu Weiyong looked up at Xu Da in disbelief.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh? Tell me, what makes it excusable?"

Xu Da raised his head, meeting Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness is of noble birth, a prince of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard is His Majesty's personal army, for a mere captain to dare infiltrate a prince's residence and spy on his privacy is a grave offense!"

"His Highness fought for the country in the north for three years, risking his life countless times, to bring peace to the northern frontier. He should have been enjoying unparalleled glory upon returning to the capital. But instead, he was met with unfounded suspicion and surveillance."

"Your Majesty, in your position, what would you do?"

Xu Da's voice, resounding and powerful, echoed throughout the hall.

After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by his words.

In the entire world, perhaps only Xu Da would dare to speak to His Majesty in such a manner.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared intently at Xu Da, his deep eyes swirling with turbulent emotions.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"You mean, I was wrong?"

"Your subject dares not."

Xu Da bowed and said, "I am merely stating the facts."

"What a fine example of sticking to the facts!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he laughed. He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and stood up.

"Xu Da! Don't think I don't know what you're all plotting!"

"You all think Zhu Muying has done great work and that I have mistreated him, don't you?"

"Do you all think that he's gotten too big for his britches and doesn't even respect me, the emperor, anymore?"

"I'm telling you! This Ming Dynasty belongs to our Zhu family! It doesn't belong to Zhu Muying, nor to you meritorious officials!"

"Anyone who dares to harbor disloyal thoughts, I will ensure they die a horrible death!"

The emperor's roar, like thunder, exploded in the sky above the Fengtian Hall.

All the officials were so frightened that they knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

Only Xu Da remained standing there, his posture upright, like an unshakeable mountain.

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger flared even more.

But he knew that he couldn't touch Xu Da yet.

If Xu Da is touched, the entire military will be thrown into turmoil.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to sit back on the dragon throne.

"Issue my decree."

His voice was cold and cruel.

"Prince Zhu Muying of Ying is arrogant and domineering, showing no respect for the emperor. He is hereby... confined to the Prince of Ying's residence to reflect on his mistakes. Without my decree, he is not to leave even a step!"

"Furthermore, conduct a thorough investigation of everyone in the Prince's Palace. Anyone implicated should be arrested and handed over to the three judicial authorities for joint trial!"

"As for that Imperial Guard who was hung up..."

He paused, a cruel glint in his eyes.

"Let him stay hanging there."

"I want to see just how tough Zhu Muying really is!"

The imperial edict caused a stir throughout the court.

Imprison the prince!

This is the first time in history!

Although he was only confined to his own residence, this was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous sign.

This shows that the emperor had completely lost patience with the King of England.

The next step, I'm afraid, will be...

He was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, or even sentenced to death!

A shadow fell over everyone's hearts.

They knew that a huge storm that would affect the entire court was about to break out.

Meanwhile, outside Jinling City, in an unnamed valley.

The real Zhu Muying was sitting on a rock, holding a piece of intelligence that had just arrived.

The intelligence report contained a detailed record of everything that happened in Nanjing today.

From his entry into the city, to his visit to the Crown Prince at the Eastern Palace, to his return to his residence to commit murder, and finally, to his being placed under house arrest by the Emperor.

Every detail is written down clearly.

"hehe……"

Zhu Muying looked at the intelligence report and let out a soft laugh.

"Well done."

Beside him, the seventeen white-horse guards stood like statues, silent.

"Your Highness, everything is going according to your plan."

A scout, also wearing a bronze mask, knelt on one knee before him, his voice filled with fanatical worship.

"plan?"

Zhu Muying shook her head and threw the intelligence in her hand into the campfire in front of her.

There is never a perfect plan in this world.

"I simply gave him the script he most wanted to see."

He raised his head and looked in the direction of Jinling City, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"He thought that by putting me in a cage and pulling out my claws, I was just a sick cat that he could slaughter at will."

"He thought that by imprisoning me, he could test Uncle Xu and the others' reactions and see who was loyal and who was treacherous."

"He thought he had control of the entire chessboard."

A mocking smile curled at the corners of Zhu Muying's lips.

"But he forgot that there are other people in this world."

"They are both pawns and... players."

"When he focused all his attention on the chessboard, the world outside the chessboard had already turned upside down."

The scout was completely confused, but still felt a sense of awe and wonder.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Zhu Muying stood up and dusted herself off.

"wait."

"wait?"

The scout was stunned.

"Yes, wait."

Zhu Muying nodded. "Wait until he reveals all his cards."

"Waiting for the Tiger Guard, waiting for the Eagle Guard, waiting for the Heilongjiang Navy..."

With each name he uttered, the scout's heart sank a little lower.

These are all the most elite troops of the Ming Dynasty!

His Highness...

What exactly does he want to do?

Zhu Muying did not offer any further explanation.

His gaze pierced through layers of mountains, reaching the majestic imperial city and his father, who sat on the dragon throne, believing he controlled everything.

"Zhu Chongba, oh Zhu Chongba."

"You used a scheme to 'kill your son' to lure out all the discontented people and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"And I will use the life of a 'substitute' to put you in a difficult position."

"I'd like to see what happens when you discover that your carefully laid-out game was a joke from the very beginning."

"When you discover that half of your proud army of 500,000 men already belong to me."

"And what kind of expression will you have this time?"

His voice echoed softly in the valley.