Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 178 Zhu Houzhao: This is deceiving God!
Zhu Wusi's betrayal and the court officials' defection.

All of this was within Zhu Houzhao's expectations.

But the Empress Dowager's betrayal was what Zhu Houzhao found most difficult to accept.

"How is it ridiculous?" Zhu Wusi stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty's actions are truly ridiculous. Even worse than when Emperor Yingzong clamored at the gates of the city."

"You shouldn't be disappointed, because it's us, the ministers, and the Queen Mother who should be disappointed."

The Queen Mother closed her eyes, her eyelids trembled slightly, and her lips trembled several times, but she did not speak in the end.

Yang Yanhe also stood up and bowed, asking, "I have a question, Your Majesty, that I would like to ask."

"Rumors have been swirling in the capital that Prince Su is plotting treason, colluding with foreign nations, aiming to split the Ming Dynasty, and even to claim the throne. Why did Your Majesty's temperament change so drastically after his private trip out of the palace?"

"Do you still remember what you said to the old minister in the Qianqing Palace that day?"

"The Ming Dynasty is now at peace and the world is stable. The Jiao Fang incident was indeed our fault, but after consulting with the Divine Marquis, the cabinet dispatched an urgent envoy eight hundred miles to stop the fighting at the border. Why did you insist on sending the imperial edict after your return? Don't you know that it would be tantamount to giving Prince Su an excuse to rebel?"

"It's equivalent to handing over the territory of the Ming Dynasty to China!"

Yang Yanhe was heartbroken. As Zhu Houzhao's teacher, he naturally knew that the person in front of him was his apprentice, but he just couldn't understand why his rebellious disciple had changed so much.

So big that it was unfamiliar to him.

"If Prince Su has the intention of treason, even if he is a royal relative, he should be executed." Zhu Houzhao naturally remembered what he had said before, but he could not help but laugh at himself. It was not that his temperament had changed drastically or he was possessed by evil spirits, but that he had no choice!
Hundreds of thousands of warrior armies and dozens of land immortals.

There are hundreds of great masters of astronomical phenomena.

Even if he put all his national strength into such an army, it would be like an egg hitting a rock.

Zhu Wusi frowned and said again in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please do not continue to be confused. As long as you are willing to deny the existence of the imperial edict in the morning court tomorrow."

"We will clarify immediately that this is all just a misunderstanding."

"It was Liu Xi, the Deputy Supervisor of the East Factory, who secretly communicated with Prince Su and forged the imperial edict, intending to treason and usurp the throne. He has already been executed by us. Your Majesty will still be the Emperor at that time. Even if Your Majesty charges me with high treason, I will not object."

Zhu Wusi was so moved by these words that even he himself was a little moved.

But the people present were all shrewd people, and they would not be fooled by his seemingly loyal and courageous speech, which seemed to be devoted to the country. They only cared about one thing: whether Zhu Houzhao was willing to compromise.

As for the story of the cat replacing the prince?
Zhu Wusi had thought about it, and the Qinglong Society had also mentioned it.

Even the Prince of the Southern Palace is now in the capital. He has been secretly sent to the Hulong Villa by the Qinglong Society and has even met with the cabinet and the empress dowager.

However, Zhu Wusi would not dare to do so unless it was absolutely necessary.

Because, replacing the emperor with a cat is ultimately self-deception. It can neither fool himself nor the people of the world. When the lie is exposed, even if Zhu Wusi really ascends the throne, it will still be a fatal handle.

This is why Zhu Wusi simply brought the Empress Dowager, the Cabinet and other important officials to discuss things before coming to Zhu Houzhao.

The next step is naturally the fake emperor.

Seeing the heavy-handed pressure that even the Empress Dowager ignored, Zhu Houzhao's face darkened and he asked, "So what if I don't say no? Do you really dare to depose the emperor and kill me?"

To Zhu Houzhao's surprise, Zhu Wusi and his men not only did not back down, but instead revealed their true intentions: "If Your Majesty insists on doing so, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, we will have no choice but to overstep our bounds."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Houzhao frowned. At this moment, a voice Zhu Houzhao was extremely familiar with came from a man dressed in a red dragon robe. He pushed open the palace door and slowly walked in. With a smug look on his face, he walked up to Zhu Houzhao and said, "The Divine Marquis means that I will take over the Ming Dynasty in your place."

Zhu Houzhao didn't expect to see another "self" here.

A person who is almost identical to Zhu Houzhao in terms of height, appearance, speech and behavior.

Zhu Houzhao's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "Who are you?"

The fake Zhu Houzhao responded coldly: "How dare you! I am the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Who are you? How dare you impersonate me?"

How does it feel to be pointed at by a fake, scolded for being rude, and called a fake?
Zhu Houzhao had only one thought at this time: This is deceiving God!
His whole body was cold. He pointed at the fake man in front of him who looked exactly like him, then looked at the people beside him who had remained silent despite hearing these deceitful words. Zhu Houzhao's body was shaking with anger. "You are so outrageous! How outrageous!"

"First, Zhao Gao called a deer a horse, and now you are trying to pass off fake pearls as real ones. Well done, well done."

"Someone is coming!!"

Zhu Houzhao was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

But no matter how he shouted, the imperial guards, the Jinyiwei and the sword-bearing guards outside seemed not to hear him.

What made Zhu Houzhao most disheartened was that the Empress Dowager clearly saw all this happening but remained indifferent!

He is the Queen Mother's biological son who was conceived for ten months!!

Li Dongyang looked at Zhu Houzhao, whose hair was disheveled and eyes were red, and knew he couldn't push him too hard. He quickly said, "As long as Your Majesty acknowledges at the court tomorrow morning that you never drafted the imperial edict to quell the rebellion, you are still the emperor, and he is a traitor who is pretending to be the emperor and trying to pass himself off as the emperor, he should be beheaded, torn into pieces by five horses, or put to death by slow slicing. It all depends on your decision."

"What?" The fake Zhu Houzhao's face turned pale instantly, and he screamed in disbelief: "That's not what you said at the beginning."

"Shut up!"

Zhu Wusi glanced at him coldly. The celestial energy pressed down on him, which was something that the fake Zhu Houzhao with no martial arts skills could not withstand. He almost fainted with his eyes rolled back.

"Hehe, hehe, hahahaha!"

Zhu Houzhao was extremely disheartened. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, as if insane. "It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. Do you think it will be effective if I withdraw my promise and deny the imperial edict?"

"Zhu Jinzhen has a million soldiers. He doesn't need a legitimate title, he just needs an excuse."

"Is it also an excuse for Zhu Jinzhen to break his promise and become fat?"

"Let me guess. Since you've already discussed this beforehand, are you already spreading rumors about me? Waiting for me to refuse to bow, so you can use this opportunity to declare me a fake and push that imposter onto the throne?"

Zhu Wusi, Yang Yanhe, Li Dongyang and others were all silent.

That's indeed what they planned.

This scene intensified the scorn on Zhu Houzhao's face. He should have been furious, but instead, he strangely calmed down. In a chillingly calm tone, he said, "Guess what? If this news reaches Zhu Jinzhen, will he take advantage of it and rise up in rebellion?"

"You think you're incredibly clever and cunning, but haven't you ever considered the concept of 'overdoing something'?"

Zhu Houzhao's expression was full of mockery.

But Zhu Wusi, Yang Yanhe and others in front of him were struck by lightning and stood there in a daze.

(End of this chapter)