King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

The biting chill spread along the cold stone slabs, all the way up, reaching deep into Kujo Masataka's bones.

He shuddered, his eyelids struggling heavily, and finally he saw a glimpse of light from the darkness.

"woke up?"

A cold voice sounded in my ears, without a trace of emotion.

Kujo Masataka opened his eyes with great effort, and his blurry vision gradually became clear, but he found himself tied to a wooden pillar with thick hemp ropes in a dark and damp cabin.

The air was filled with a musty smell mixed with the salty smell of sea water, which was nauseating.

"Who are you? How dare you kidnap me!"

Kujo Masataka roared in a timid manner and tried to struggle, but found it was in vain.

"Kidnapping?"

The voice sounded like it had heard a joke, with a hint of sarcasm in its tone:
"Kujo, have you forgotten your current identity? Aren't the words 'imperial criminal' written clearly enough on the wanted poster?"

Kujo Masataka's pupils suddenly contracted, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

"You... who are you? What do you want to do?!"

He asked in horror, a tremor in his voice.

In the darkness, a figure walked out slowly. With the dim candlelight, Kujo Masataka could see the person clearly.

He was a young man dressed in black, with a stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle.

His whole body exudes an aura of murderousness that comes from being on the battlefield for a long time, which makes people shudder.

People like this are obviously soldiers of the Ming Dynasty!

Between the lightning and flint.

Kujo Masataka seemed to have remembered something.

He said tremblingly:

"You are...Zhu Tan's man?!"

He never thought that he would fall into Zhu Tan's hands.

That was his eternal nightmare!
The young man sneered, walked up to Kujo Masataka, looked down at him, and said slowly:

"It seems that Master Jiujo is not that stupid. He can still recognize my identity at this time."

Kujo Masataka's heart suddenly turned cold. He knew that he was really in trouble this time.

"What do you want?" He forced himself to calm down and asked.

"It's very simple. I want you to write down all the evidence of your collusion with Li Shanchang. Write it down clearly, no matter how big or small."

The young man said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

He is one of Zhu Tan's personal guards.

Zhu Tan had been arranging to monitor Li Shanchang all along.

Now, he finally seized the opportunity to accomplish such a great feat!
"Impossible!" Kujo Masataka refused without even thinking about it.

Li Shanchang, what good can he have?

But if he doesn't sell it, maybe Li Shanchang can find someone to rescue him!
When the young man heard this, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed Kujo Masataka's neck, and lifted him up.

"It seems that Master Kujo hasn't figured out the situation yet."

The young man spoke in a cold tone, and the strength of his hands gradually increased. "You are not qualified to negotiate with my highness now!"

Kujo Masataka felt difficulty breathing, his vision went dark, and he scratched the young man's arm weakly with his hands, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree, it was useless.

"Ahem... I... I write..." The instinct for survival ultimately overcame the so-called loyalty.

The young man then let go of his hand, threw Kujo Masataka to the ground, and said coldly: "You are smart."

Kujo Masataka was breathing heavily, his face was as pale as paper. He had never thought that death would be so close to him.

"I have prepared the pen, ink, paper and inkstone for you." The young man pointed to the table beside him and said in a cold tone, "I hope Master Jiujo will not let me down."

Kujo Masataka struggled to get up, walked to the table, picked up the brush with trembling hands, but was afraid to put it down.

"What? Master Jiujo, are you going to regret this?"

Seeing this, the young man said with a hint of joking in his tone.

"No...no..." Kujo Masataka quickly shook his head. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to write on the paper.

……

Time passed minute by minute, and the cabin was silent except for the rustling sound of the brush rubbing against paper and the heavy breathing of Kujo Masataka.

Finally, Kujo Masataka finished writing everything. He put down his brush, slumped down in the chair, his face full of despair.

The young man walked forward, picked up the paper on the table, read it carefully, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Very good, it seems that Master Jiujo is still very cooperative." He put the paper away, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "In this case, I will keep my promise and let you go."

Upon hearing this, Kujo Masataka suddenly raised his head and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

"You...are you telling the truth?"

"I never lie."

The young man said calmly, "Come here, take him away."

"Yes!"

Two men in black came in, lifted up Kujo Masataka, and walked out of the cabin.

Kujo Masataka looked back at the young man and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

In the end, nothing was said.

……

At the same time, in the Duke's Mansion, Li Shanchang knew nothing about this matter.

He was sitting in his study, sipping tea leisurely, thinking about how to get rid of Zhu Tan and take complete control of the government.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, breaking the silence in the study.

"Come in." Li Shanchang frowned slightly and said in a deep voice.

A man dressed as a servant ran in in a panic, knelt on the ground, and said in a terrified tone:
"Master, it's bad! Master Kujo... Master Kujo..."

"What's wrong with him?" Li Shanchang suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart and asked hurriedly.

"Kujo-sama, he...he's gone!"

"what?!"

The teacup in Li Shanchang's hand fell to the ground with a thud. The fine white porcelain teacup was smashed to pieces, and the tea splashed all over him without him noticing.

"You said Kujo Masataka is missing? When did it happen?"

"Sir, I don't know either. This morning, when I went to deliver food to Master Jiujo, I found that he was gone. There was no one in the room."

The servant was trembling with fear. The master was always moody.

This Lord Jiujo was brought back from Japan secretly by him. If something really happened to him, the entire Duke's Mansion would probably be doomed!
Li Shanchang suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the study, his face looking terribly gloomy.

"Useless! All useless! Go check for the Duke! Dig deep into the ground and find the person!"

"Yes Yes!"

The servant retreated tumbling and crawling, fearing that he would lose his head if he was a step late.

The entire Duke's Mansion fell into chaos because of Li Shanchang's anger.

The servants were trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound, for fear of bringing bad luck upon themselves.

Li Shanchang was sitting in the study room, feeling uneasy. His mind kept flashing back to the flattering face of Kujo Masataka and the various schemes they had secretly colluded with. If these things were exposed, it would be a grave crime that would implicate the entire clan!

The more Li Shanchang thought about it, the more frightened he became, and cold sweat kept streaming down his forehead.

He kept drinking, trying to numb himself with alcohol, but he became more and more sober, and the fear in his heart became more and more intense.

Time passed minute by minute, night fell, and the entire Duke's Mansion was shrouded in a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere.

Li Shanchang finally received the news, but it was like a bolt from the blue, completely shattering his last bit of hope.

"Master... I found out..."

The servant who came to report had a trembling voice, and was obviously frightened.

"Say!"

Li Shanchang raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of bloodshot, like a beast ready to devour its prey.

"Reply...Reply to the master. I have heard that Master Jiu Tiao...Master Jiu Tiao was taken away by a group of people. That group of people...that group of people seem to be...seem to be the people of King Lu..."

"boom!"

Li Shanchang slapped the table with his palm, and the mahogany table immediately broke into pieces, which shows how great his force was.

"Zhu Tan! Zhu Tan! It's this Zhu Tan again! He wants to kill us all!"

Li Shanchang's hatred for Zhu Tan at this moment was like an endless stream of water.

This illiterate and crude warrior, relying on his royal blood, has been targeting these founding fathers over the years, and now he is attacking him directly!
Li Shanchang was furious in the study and smashed everything he could, but he was unable to vent the anger and fear in his heart.

Kujo Masataka is a time bomb. Once it explodes, he will be blown to pieces!

What should he do? What should he do?
rebel?

No! He dare not!
Although Li Shanchang held a high position and great power, he was, after all, just a civil servant, powerless and powerless. How could he contend with the Zhu family, which held a large number of troops?

What's more, Zhu Tan, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao are deeply loved by the people. If he really dares to rebel, he will probably be drowned in the people's spit within three days!
Could it be that he could only sit there and wait for death, watching himself and his family fall into an abyss of no return?
No! He absolutely won't give up!

Li Shanchang forced himself to calm down. His brain was working rapidly, thinking of all possible ways to escape.

There seem to be only two ways.

The best strategy is the simplest...

"Somebody come!"

"Master, what do you want?"

A man in black appeared silently at the door of the study, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a respectful tone.

A fierce light flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes. He lowered his voice and said word by word:

"I want you to...kill Kujo Masataka...without anyone knowing!"

The man in black took the order and left, disappearing into the night in an instant, as if he had never appeared.

Li Shanchang sat alone in the study. The candlelight stretched his shadow very long, swaying on the wall like a ghost.

He stared at the flickering candle flame, his eyes flashing with madness and despair.

This is his last hope and also his most helpless choice.

He will not be able to sleep or eat well as long as Kujo Masataka is not dead!
……

Zhu Tan placed Kujo Masataka in an extremely secluded courtyard. There was a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps. The security was so strict that even a fly could not fly in.

He leaned back in the armchair, playing with a pair of warm jade beads in his hands, with a playful sneer on his lips.

"Li Shanchang, Li Shanchang, do you think I will give you a chance to turn the tables? You really underestimate me!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The counselor at the side bowed and laughed, "That old man has shot himself in the foot this time and is courting his own destruction!"

"Humph, does he think that killing Kujo Masataka can silence the gossips? That's just wishful thinking!"

Zhu Tan snorted coldly, "I will let him know that if he goes against me, he will only die!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of fierce fighting outside the door, accompanied by the clanging of weapons and the screams of soldiers, breaking the silence of the night.

Zhu Tan's eyes flashed coldly, he stood up suddenly and shouted in a deep voice:

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, it's Li Shanchang's man!"

A soldier covered in blood stumbled in, knelt on one knee, and said in a hurried tone:

"They... they want to kill people and silence them!"

"You don't know your own limitations!" Zhu Tan sneered, "Remember, leave him alive!"

"Yes, sir!" The counselor's eyes flashed, and he turned around and strode out.

……

In the yard, there were shouts and cries of killing, swords flashing, and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The assassins sent by Li Shanchang were all top-notch masters. They were all agile and ruthless, like evil spirits from hell, reaping the lives of the surrounding soldiers.

However, Zhu Tan was well prepared, and the masters he arranged here were no pushovers.

The two sides were evenly matched and the fight was fierce. For a moment, neither could do anything to the other.

However, as time went on, Li Shanchang's people gradually lost the upper hand.

Although they were highly skilled in martial arts, they were outnumbered after all. They gradually ran out of energy and revealed their weaknesses.

On the other hand, Zhu Tan's men became more and more courageous as the battle went on. They came up like a tide, wave after wave, and surrounded them.

"kill!"

One of Zhu Tan's generals took the lead, holding a long sword in his hand, as if he was in an empty space. Wherever the sword flashed, blood gushed out and screams were heard.

The assassins sent by Li Shanchang fell in a pool of blood one by one, and soon only the last man was left struggling to hold on.

"Tell me, who sent you here?"

The general stepped on his chest, put the long knife against his throat, and spoke in a cold tone.

"Ahem...if you want to kill me...if you want to kill me, then kill me...don't even think about it...don't even think about getting any information out of me..."

Although the assassin was seriously injured, his tone was still tough. After he finished speaking, he bit off his tongue and blood gushed out.

"Hmph, you're still pretty stubborn!" The general snorted coldly and killed him with a single blow.

……

The sky gradually turned white, and the bloody massacre finally came to an end.

The yard was littered with corpses, and the smell of blood filled the air, making people sick.

The general held up a bloody long sword, walked up to Zhu Tan, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, all the thieves have been killed, but..."

"Just what?" Zhu Tan frowned slightly.

"It's just... they are all determined warriors who would rather die than surrender. I was unable to get any useful information out of them."

"Useless!" Zhu Tan slapped the table and shouted angrily, "A bunch of useless people!"

He originally wanted to get more evidence about Li Shanchang's crimes from these people.

I didn't expect these people to be so stubborn and would rather die than reveal a word.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have captured several people alive. I believe we can pry their mouths open soon."

"Yes." Zhu Tan took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart, "Take me to have a look." (End of this chapter)