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

The news that Prince Zhu Muying had killed a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his residence.

Like a wildfire, it spread throughout the entire capital city in an instant.

The people, both in and out of the government, were in great turmoil.

The already turbulent court was now thrust into the spotlight.

Those officials who had previously fawned over and flattered the Prince of England's palace all fell silent, severing ties for fear of getting burned.

The Duke of Wei's mansion, the Prince of Zhongshan's mansion, and other noble families kept their gates tightly shut and refused visitors, plunging the entire city into an extremely oppressive and deathly silence.

Everyone knows perfectly well that the thin veil of monarchical authority between His Majesty and the founding heroes, princes, and nobles has been completely torn away.

A sweeping purge is brewing.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the dragon's might was in a furious rage.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes cold and sharp as knives, and the pressure around him was so low that it was suffocating.

On the emperor's desk lay a blood-stained report handed over by the Imperial Guards, each word glaringly obvious, detailing the massacre of the guards on duty at the Prince of Ying's residence.

"The bold traitor!"

A furious shout reverberated throughout the hall, causing the beams and pillars to tremble slightly.

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the imperial desk, causing the inkstone to roll away and ink to spill all over the floor. "I sent my personal guards to watch over him, out of consideration for his meritorious service in battle and to save face for him! How dare he privately kill a member of the Imperial Guard, showing contempt for imperial authority and arbitrarily slaughtering a guard! He is simply audacious and has no respect for his sovereign!"

All the civil and military officials in the hall bowed their heads, and no one dared to utter a single word.

All the officials in the court knew that killing a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard without authorization was tantamount to challenging the emperor's authority, and was a serious crime on the verge of death.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is my personal bodyguard, tasked with patrolling the realm and guarding the princely residences on my behalf!"

A murderous glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and his voice was icy cold: "Zhu Muying's actions are tantamount to killing my personal guards and slapping me in the face! This trend must not be allowed to continue!"

No one argued with them, and no one dared to offer advice.

After a moment of deathly silence, Zhu Yuanzhang coldly raised his hand and tossed down an iron edict, each word ringing with conviction and brooking no argument: "Issue my decree! Prince Ying, Zhu Muying, has become arrogant and domineering due to his merits, arbitrarily killed imperial guards, and shown contempt for imperial authority. His crimes are blatant! Immediately remove the confinement from his residence, strip him of his right to a life of leisure as a prince, and imprison him in the imperial jail under strict discipline! Without my imperial decree, no one is allowed to visit him, plead for leniency, or reduce his sentence! He shall be under strict guard day and night, awaiting trial and judgment!"

Upon receiving the decree, the commander of the Imperial Guards in front of the palace accepted the order and immediately led his troops to the Prince of Ying's residence.

The court and the public were shaken; no one was unmoved.

Previously, the prince's confinement was merely a gesture of leniency from the emperor, who was mindful of his brother's military achievements. Now, however, his imprisonment in the imperial jail signifies a complete severing of ties, a serious move, and a clear intention to thoroughly settle scores.

At this moment, the Royal Palace was completely calm.

Outsiders all thought that Zhu Muying, who had committed such a terrible crime, must be filled with fear and anxiety and be waiting for punishment behind closed doors.

But now, living in the Prince's mansion and bearing the identity of the Prince of England, he still acts like a playboy and idle young master.

During the day, he practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard, and in the afternoon, he lay in a rocking chair basking in the warm sun. He was completely oblivious to the storms and criticisms that were raging outside the city, and he ignored the heavily guarded Imperial Guards stationed outside his residence. He was completely in a state of utter despair, waiting for his fate to be decided.

Only Chen Wu, the bodyguard, knew that all of this was a deliberate disguise.

Every night, after everyone had retired for the night, the King of England would sit alone in his study, reading by lamplight, perusing the military books and strategies he had brought back from the north, as well as the secret documents from the border. He would read every word carefully and ponder every sentence with more focus and diligence than ever before.

He appeared to be imprisoned and passively awaiting punishment, but in reality, he always maintained firm control over the situation.

On this day, as dawn broke, the study door was gently pushed open.

Chen Wu bowed and entered, his expression solemn. He reported in a low voice, "Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived. A eunuch from the Eastern Palace has come in person to convey His Highness the Crown Prince's oral decree, requesting that you enter the palace immediately for an audience."

……

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the situation changes once again.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat high on the dragon throne, his anger still simmering. All the civil and military officials held their breath, their factions clearly divided, creating a tense atmosphere.

The Minister of Revenue stepped forward shakily, knelt down and kowtowed, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty. There is no money left to pay for the compensation of the soldiers who died in the northern frontier and for the repair of the border defenses. We are truly unable to raise funds."

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger surged again, his eyes turning icy cold: "Useless incompetent fools! The court employs you officials just to leave you helpless?"

"Make up the difference in silver within three days! We will confiscate your property, increase taxes, and exhaust all means. If the money is not paid, you will be brought back with your head!"

The Minister of Revenue was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize, not daring to say another word.

Just as the atmosphere in the court reached its most tense point, a eunuch stumbled into the hall, knelt down, and urgently reported in a shrill voice: "Your Majesty! His Highness the Crown Prince is standing outside the Imperial Prison gates, kneeling and refusing to rise!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince says that His Highness the Prince of Ying has been wronged and is willing to relinquish his position as Crown Prince to vouch for the Prince of Ying. He humbly begs Your Majesty's wisdom to pardon the Prince of Ying's crimes!"

"What?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang abruptly stood up, his imperial face contorted with rage, his killing intent surging: "You rebellious son! How dare he force the emperor on behalf of a disgraced prince?!"

The entire court was in uproar.

Before anyone could react, Xu Da stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and declared in a booming voice, "Your Majesty, I vouch for the King of Ying! The King of Ying is loyal to the country and has achieved numerous military exploits; he has absolutely no intention of rebelling! I implore Your Majesty to investigate!"

"We, your humble servants, are willing to protect His Highness the Prince of Ying!"

Chang Mao, Lan Yu, Feng Sheng, and other founding nobles and border generals all knelt down in unison, their imposing presence a testament to their collective strength in protecting Zhu Muying.

The scene of officials kneeling and petitioning in half of the Fengtian Hall was extremely moving.

Zhu Yuanzhang, enraged, laughed coldly, his eyes flashing with chilling murderous intent: "Good! Very good!"

"You officials and nobles, have joined forces to coerce me?!"

Xu Da raised his head and said in a deep voice, "We dare not force the emperor to abdicate; we only beg Your Majesty not to wrong loyal ministers or fail those who have rendered meritorious service!"

"A loyal minister?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered repeatedly, his killing intent surging. "Since you all insist on believing him to be a loyal minister, then I will put him to trial in public!"

"Issue my imperial decree! Bring the convicted criminal Zhu Muying from the imperial prison to the Fengtian Hall immediately! I will personally interrogate him in front of the entire court! I want to see whether this veteran of a hundred battles is loyal or rebellious!"

The imperial decree was issued, and the imperial guards obeyed and sped away.

Deep within the dark, damp, and blood-soaked prison, the real Zhu Muying had already endured all sorts of torture.

Whipping, branding with hot irons, finger removal, soaking in water dungeons, and being gnawed by leeches—all the cruel punishments of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were inflicted upon him.

He was covered in wounds and blood, his clothes were tattered, his face was ashen, and he was swaying precariously, already on the verge of death.

He endured days of torture, the pain piercing to the bone, yet he remained clenched in his teeth, uttering not a single word.

He held on with his broken body, clinging to his last shred of will.

Because his play has not yet ended.

His scheme is not yet over.

Only when the Imperial Guards entered the prison and delivered the imperial decree for interrogation did a faint, eerie smile slowly appear on his scarred face.

The audience was all present.

This power struggle between the emperor and his ministers, this deadlock over imperial power, finally unfolded in the imperial court as a grand drama of the emperor's inevitable death and the loyalty of his ministers and generals!

……

At this moment.

Zhu Muying looked towards the top of Jinling City, the past events vanishing like smoke.

The time to wrap things up has finally come!

Jinling City, Chengtian Gate.

The wind and snow swept across the majestic city walls and the endless black armored troops below.

A somber atmosphere pervaded the world.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood atop the city wall, his bright yellow dragon robe fluttering in the wind and snow, like a thoroughly enraged azure dragon.

His fingers trembled slightly in the wind and snow as he pointed at the figure being tightly embraced by Empress Ma, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was shock, there was doubt, but more than anything, there was overwhelming anger at being fooled and having one's authority challenged!

He's not dead!

That unfilial son, he's still alive!

"You think you've got everything planned? You think you've got this in the bag?"

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a cold laugh, and he opened his arms as if to embrace the whole world.

"Open your eyes and look!"

"Look outside the city! To the east, there's our Tiger Guard! To the west, our Eagle Guard! To the south, our Dragon River Navy! And to the north, those Northern Frontier troops you once led, now obey our orders!"

"An army of 500,000! They've completely surrounded Nanjing!"

"Look around the city again. Xu Da's tens of thousands of Beijing garrison troops are completely surrounded by our men and can't move!"

"Now, tell me, what do you have to fight us with?"

"You, and those eighteen cavalrymen behind you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was filled with absolute confidence; he held the Xuanyuan in his hands and was invincible!

"Zhu Muying, what other cards do you have up your sleeve? Show them all, and we'll play this game to the very end!"

Faced with this thunderous might and the overwhelming killing intent of the 500,000-strong army, Zhu Muying showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he burst into laughter.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

His laughter was clear and hearty, piercing through the wind and snow and overpowering the solemn atmosphere of the military formation.

As the laughter subsided, he slowly raised the gleaming silver spear in his hand, its tip pointing towards the arrogant emperor atop the city wall.

The Jade Lion beneath him sensed its master's fighting spirit, pawing restlessly at its front hooves and exhaling white steam.

"Father,"

Zhu Muying's voice rang out again, tinged with mockery, "Three months ago, you secretly mobilized troops to enter Jinling. Your son wants to ask you a question..."

He paused, then asked, word by word, "Can you mobilize these troops?"

Can you mobilize these troops?

This question was like an invisible slap in the face to Zhu Yuanzhang.

A deathly silence fell over the city tower.

Zhu Yuanzhang's facial muscles twitched violently; he almost thought he had misheard.

"What...what did you say?"

Can he mobilize these troops?

What kind of talk is that!

Of these 500,000 troops, Zhou Dexing of the Tiger Guard, Geng Bingwen of the Eagle Guard, Liao Yongzhong of the Longjiang Navy, and Li Wenzhong of the Northern Frontier Army, which one was not a trusted and beloved general personally promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang?

Which army's provisions and pay weren't allocated from his Ministry of Revenue?

How could an emperor like him not be able to mobilize his own troops?

This is the funniest joke in the world!

"The traitor!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was reignited. Pointing at Zhu Muying below the city, he roared, "Are you trying to fool us with words? You think you can shake our morale with a few words? Wishful thinking!"

Zhu Muying simply looked at him calmly without saying anything more.

But the calmer he appeared, the more uncertain Zhu Yuanzhang felt.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

He knew this son all too well.

He was never a good-for-nothing who only talked big.

He must have something to rely on to say such a thing in front of an army of 500,000.

What does he rely on?

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze swept across the city, over the resolute faces of Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Lan Yu, and over the Beijing garrison soldiers whose hopes had been rekindled by Zhu Muying's appearance.

Could it be these people?

No, it's impossible.

Xu Da and his troops numbered only tens of thousands, and were surrounded by the main force of his Beijing garrison. They were barely able to protect themselves, so how could they possibly become Zhu Muying's trump card?