Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

These words were flawless, which not only raised Chu Ze's dignity, but also cleverly avoided the cunning temptation in his eyes. But the more flawless she was, the more uneasy others felt, and no one in the court dared to move. Even Pei Zhan, who was kneeling, felt a chill at this moment, as if hanging over his head was not only the Holy Judgment, but also a sharp sword that could fall at any time.

Chu Ze heard this and sneered, "You have really improved. However, Changle..." He spoke very softly, "This world never keeps idle people. Since you dare to enter the court and interfere in this matter, I will include you in it. Tell me, how should we deal with it now?"

Princess Changle raised her head to meet Chu Ze's gaze. At that moment, she was completely different from her warm and moving image in the past. As if the flower buds in early spring were suddenly attacked by wind and frost, her eyes revealed some hidden edges. She did not answer the question, but bowed again and smiled, "My niece is too bold, it is better to let the uncle decide. The princess is just a woman, and she dare not talk about the important affairs of the court. It's just that my niece is a little tired after looking at the account books just now. I think the uncle is also very tired. Those Jinyiwei have not reported the details yet. Aren't you mobilizing the troops too early?"

The ministers were shocked! This statement seemed considerate, but in fact it was ironic. How dare they challenge the emperor's judgment with such obscure words?

The next moment, Chu Ze laughed. His laugh was very light, but there was a chill in his laughter that made people's hair stand on end. He waved his hand lightly, and a sharp line of dragon robe was raised in the air. "Changle, are you questioning me?"

Changle's nerves suddenly tensed up, and she almost couldn't keep the smile on her face, but after a moment, she calmed down as before and smoothed the hair by her ears, "How dare my niece question my uncle? It's just that the emperor is burdened with a heavy heart, and my niece can't bear it."

After hearing these words, the backs of some veteran officials were already soaked with sweat. Based on their years of court experience, they could tell that at this moment, the storm was imminent.

Chu Ze looked at her indifferently, then waved his hand and said leisurely: "What a 'heart can't bear'. In this case, I would like to see for myself what your heart looks like. Come here!"

The guards outside the palace door responded and entered, kneeling down to listen to the order. Chu Ze raised his finger slightly, pointing at Pei Zhan, "Capture the 300 members of the Pei family, give them a night of starlight, and explain this truth that is shared by heaven and man." He then looked at the leader of the Jinyiwei, "As for the secret passage of Zhenbei Hou in the northern border, if there is no explanation after one day of investigation, each of his retainers will have one arm chopped off. I want to know who they are loyal to!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall fell into silence. It was not until this moment that the ministers realized that Chu Ze did not hesitate to kill a pillar of the country - behind this, how many people were willing to take risks?
Just as Chu Ze turned around and was about to leave, Princess Changle behind him suddenly spoke. Her voice was gentle, but there was a kind of coldness that struck people's hearts, "Uncle Emperor... Aren't you afraid that you will gain a short-lived minister, but lose the long-lived mountains and rivers?"

Chu Ze paused when he heard that, and his hand on the dragon-patterned sword tightened slightly.

After a while, he slowly turned around, his eyes no longer filled with pure coldness, but a sly smile, "Changle, who can tell you who has exchanged their longevity for this world?"

The wind rustled, and Changle's fingertips trembled slightly. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to answer, but Chu Ze raised his hand to stop her. He drank up the loneliness in the cold hall, and his tone was cold and resounding, "It's not that longevity can protect the country, but I... use the thousand years as my halberd and my thousands of bones as my soul!"

The clanging sound of the sword being drawn was like thunderbolt, and a flash of cold light suddenly passed by, shaking the air to condense. Princess Changle wanted to say something but stopped herself, and Pei Zhan's pale face made it very clear that this sword would never be sheathed easily. If he struggled again, he would probably lose his life under this imperial power. However, just as Chu Ze stepped out of the palace door and stepped into the gate where shadows and light were intertwined, a strange low hum floated into the palace, like some kind of ancient music coming from the endless wind and snow. Pei Zhan looked up as if he had grasped the last ray of hope, but saw a strange shadow gradually appearing outside the door - it did not seem to be a human, but it was kneeling straight towards the direction where the sky and the earth meet...

The kneeling figure in the shadow slowly raised his head. It was a face full of cracks, and the face was strange, like a human, but also like some indescribable alien creature. The ministers watching in the hall subconsciously held their breath, their eyes full of fear and doubt. Chu Ze glanced at the shadow lightly, and he didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he seemed to be at ease.

"Oh, it's another trick of these clowns." Chu Ze spoke slowly, his tone showing undisguised contempt, "I'm really curious, which ignorant loser sent you to practice this art of demons and monsters?"

The strange shadow knelt on the ground, but it seemed to carry a deep pressure; its voice was hoarse and broken, like countless ice knives scraping on iron: "Emperor of the Great Ming... use blood as a contract to call on ghosts and gods, do you know what the price is?"

Chu Ze heard this and smiled even more, even his eyebrows were teasing. He brushed off the dust on his dragon robe and replied calmly, "Price? How can a mere ghost or god negotiate with me? I swear by my imperial power that life and death can be controlled in a matter of seconds. Tell me, who gave you the courage to bargain?"

This sentence came out lightly, but it was like a landslide and tsunami, instantly shaking everyone in the hall as if they were on the edge of an abyss. Pei Zhan's face was as pale as paper, and Princess Changle's eyebrows were deeply furrowed. Her eyelashes were originally trembling like butterflies, but now she looked deeply at Chu Ze, with a complicated meaning in her eyes.

The shadow seemed to be slightly startled, then smiled self-deprecatingly, raised his head slightly, and raised a strange arc with the corners of his mouth: "The Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty is decisive in killing. I'm afraid he is really as the rumors say... heartless, ruthless, and fearless."

Chu Ze heard this and drew out his dragon-patterned sword. Its edge was as cold as frost, and it faintly exuded a murderous intent. He slowly walked towards the shadow, and every step sounded like thunder in the silent hall.

“Heartless, ruthless, and fearless, is only half true, because—” Chu Ze gently placed the tip of the sword on the shadow’s forehead and looked down at him, “I am determined to end your life, and I am cold-hearted enough to calculate everything in the world, but I won’t allow you to teach me what fear is!”

The shadow did not seem to be afraid of the approaching sword. Instead, he said more solemnly: "The feast of mountains and rivers will eventually end, and the blood dripping on the blue sky cannot be reversed. Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in this life, you are destined to... have no descendants."

When these words came out, everyone who heard them was shocked. The ministers held their breath and looked at each other, and even the brave ones dared not speak.

Chu Ze smiled, with a hint of indifference, "What do you mean by no descendants? I have the mountains and rivers as my bones, the sun and the moon as my children, and the mere human beings are to me... just the continuation of my bloodline." (End of this chapter)