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

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's almost insane accusations, Zhu Muying's face remained calm and composed.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

He simply addressed the kneeling bronze-masked man and asked calmly, "What did you find?"

"As per your orders, I searched the Jinyiwei Zhenfusi office and found this in Mao Xiang's secret room."

Upon seeing this, Xu Da, who was standing behind Zhu Muying, immediately stepped forward, took the oilcloth bag, and then turned around and handed it to Zhu Muying.

Zhu Muying did not answer.

He glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was kneeling on the ground and somewhat delirious, and then turned his gaze to Li Shanchang, the Left Chancellor, who was not far away, pale-faced and leaning against the wall, having resigned himself to his fate.

"Prime Minister Li."

Zhu Muying spoke up.

Li Shanchang was startled and suddenly raised his head, looking at Zhu Muying in disbelief.

He never expected that Zhu Muying would call his name at this time.

"Your...Your Highness..." Li Shanchang's voice was extremely hoarse.

"I would like to trouble Prime Minister Li to open this package on my behalf and on behalf of everyone present, and read aloud what is written inside."

Zhu Muying's voice remained calm.

But Li Shanchang understood the unquestionable command.

He knew he had no other choice.

He struggled to his feet, dragging his leaden legs, and walked step by step to Xu Da.

With trembling hands, he accepted the heavy oilcloth bag.

All eyes were on him.

Li Shanchang took a deep breath and used all his strength to untangle the layers of oilcloth wrapping him, one by one.

Inside the oilcloth was a locked, exquisite rosewood box.

"Locked up." Li Shanchang looked up at Zhu Muying and said in a hoarse voice.

Zhu Muying remained silent.

The bronze-masked man behind him moved.

With a flick of his wrist, a short blade as thin as a cicada's wing appeared in his hand.

He stepped forward, inserted the short blade into the keyhole, and simply twisted it gently.

"Click".

A soft sound.

The seemingly sturdy brass lock opened with a click.

Li Shanchang's pupils contracted sharply again.

He looked at the man in the blue-gold mask, and a storm raged in his heart.

Such a person, such incredible lock-picking skills... This is no ordinary scout; he is clearly a top-tier assassin and secret agent!

He dared not think any further.

He opened the box.

Inside the box, there were no gold or silver jewelry, no rare or exotic items.

There was only one roll, neatly stacked, made of yellowed Xuan paper.

Li Shanchang, trembling, picked up the top one.

He slowly unfolded it.

With just one glance, his old eyes, which had long seen through the ways of the world, were instantly filled with a stormy sea!

His body swayed violently, and he almost lost his balance.

"Prime Minister Li?" Upon seeing this, Xu Da quickly stepped forward and helped him up.

"read."

Zhu Muying's voice rang out again.

This time, it carried an irresistible, cold majesty.

Li Shanchang gave a bitter smile.

He knew that today, even if he didn't want to, he had to recite it.

He raised his head and looked around at the crowd on the city wall.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who was kneeling on the ground with bloodshot eyes.

Then, in a hoarse voice, almost like a pronouncement, he read aloud the contents of the paper, word by word.

"The 17th day of the ninth month in the third year of Hongwu."

"By imperial decree, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jiang Huan, and his deputy, Mao Xiang, are ordered to secretly investigate the case of Prince Zhu Muying of Ying, who is alleged to have made connections with military officers and harbors treacherous intentions."

"Evidence may be fabricated by the Zhenfu Division at its discretion."

Li Shanchang's voice, though hoarse, was exceptionally clear.

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the Chengtianmen city tower and the hearts of everyone present.

Fabrication!

What a clever fabrication!

These two words, like a black lightning bolt, instantly tore open the veil of hypocrisy called "imperial power" that shrouded everyone's heads, revealing the ugliest, dirtiest, and most chilling truth beneath!

It turns out that the so-called rebellion of the King of England and the so-called possession of five hundred suits of armor were, from the very beginning, a complete frame-up ordered by the Emperor himself and carried out by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

"boom!"

The city gate tower erupted in chaos.

The civil officials who had just been trembling with fear now stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Heavens...Heavens! It was...it was His Majesty himself who ordered the frame-up?"

"This...how is this possible? His Highness the Prince is His Majesty's own son! Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could His Majesty...how could he..."

"No wonder! No wonder His Highness the King of England was willing to bear the charge of treason to raise an army! It turns out he was driven to a dead end!"

"It's all over...it's all over...just now, we were even siding with His Majesty, accusing His Highness the Prince of England of being a traitor..."

The murmurs were deafening.

Every face was etched with shock, fear, and belated anger at being deceived and manipulated.

"Father."

A cold, dejected voice, filled with endless disappointment, rang out.

It was Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Dressed in military attire, with his hand on the hilt of the Chengji sword, he walked step by step to Zhu Yuanzhang.

He looked at his father, who had once been a god-like figure in his heart, but was now a wretched and seemingly insane man, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was sadness, there was pain, but more than anything, there was the resolute determination that followed the collapse of faith.

"Father, you are wrong."

Zhu Biao's voice was not loud, but it was unusually firm.

"Your mistake was that from the very beginning, you didn't trust anyone. You didn't trust the heroes who fought for you, you didn't trust the soldiers who guarded the country's borders, and you didn't even trust your own son."

"You always thought that everyone wanted to seize your throne, that everyone wanted to harm you. You used suspicion and slaughter to maintain your rule. You thought that in this way, your empire would last forever."

"But look," Zhu Biao pointed to the vast, dark army of 500,000 men below the city walls, "look at them."

"They are the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. But their hearts are no longer with you."

"What kind of emperor can claim a reign that lasts for thousands of generations if he has lost the hearts of the people?"

Zhu Biao's words were like the last straw, completely breaking Zhu Yuanzhang's already overburdened nerves.

"You...you..."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Zhu Biao, trembling with rage, "You unfilial son! Even you... even you are helping this traitor to criticize me?!"

"I'm not helping anyone." Zhu Biao shook his head, his face full of exhaustion and sorrow. "I'm just stating a fact that you're unwilling to admit."

After saying that, he didn't look at Zhu Yuanzhang again.

He turned around, walked to Zhu Muying's side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

With this gesture, he made his stance clear to everyone.

Zhu Yuanzhang carrying a golden sword!

Seeing his most trusted and beloved eldest son standing beside his greatest enemy, his heart felt as if it had been ripped out.

His golden knife could no longer strike!