At dawn.
Hall of Heaven.
It was the court meeting.
Today, all the officials seemed to have reached a tacit understanding. All the civil and military officials were in the hall, and none of them asked for leave.
But what was rare was that the throne was empty.
Since the founding of the country, this was the first time Zhu Di was late for morning court.
For a moment, the officials who were free could not help but whisper to each other.
"Hey, do you know why the emperor didn't come?”
"Did you hear that there were rebel soldiers outside last night?”
"General Fan Zhong led the army out of the city overnight, and General Zhu Neng guarded the city gate. The West Camp is in chaos.”
"I suspect that His Majesty's absence from court is related to this matter.”
"Really? Treasure Friend, don't talk nonsense."
"Why would I lie to you? Last night, when I went to Happy Red Spring in the west of the city, the official road was blocked and surrounded.”
"I heard that too. Last night, someone saw Taisun go to the west of the city, but I don't know what he went to do.”
"Someone also saw Yang Shiqi, a subordinate of the Crown Prince's Residence, get on the dragon carriage and go straight to the Imperial Palace.”
"It's said that the Imperial Army has surrounded the Han King's Mansion."
Everyone spoke one after another. All kinds of messy information quickly spread throughout the court.
Only Yang Pu, Yang Rong, and Yang Shiqi, the three old cabinet ministers, did not move at all, looking at their own feet.
No matter what kind of noise came from the outside world, he turned a deaf ear to it.
"Cough! Yes!"
Not long after, a deliberate cough sounded.
Zhu Di, dressed in a plain dragon robe, walked out from the side door.
When the officials saw this, they immediately shut their mouths. Only Zhu Di's footsteps could be heard in the hall.
"Tell me, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Didn't you say it was pretty good just now?”
Zhu Di walked up the steps step by step and came to the side of the dragon throne.
He didn't sit down. He just pressed a hand on the back of the chair and looked down at the ministers of His Highness.
Wherever his majestic gaze landed, the officials all lowered their heads and no one dared to look him in the eye.
Zhu Di's fierce eyes moved to the right and aimed at an official in the middle. He said in a deep voice,"Xie Jin!"
"Your Majesty!"
In the court, Xie Jin carefully walked out, his face full of happiness.
With so many people discussing, he was the only unlucky one to be chosen. Anyone would be depressed.
Zhu Di stared at Xie Jin for a while and asked,""Xie Jin, I didn't hear what they said just now.”
"When I came in just now, I heard your voice the loudest.”
"Tell me, what did they say just now?”
Looking at the smiling Zhu Di, Xie Jin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Emperor, this official didn't hear anything."
Zhu Di suddenly laughed." You didn't hear me? Xie Jin, aren't you known as the number one scholar in the world?”
"Didn't you boast that your talent is unparalleled and that no one in the court can compare to you?”
"Zhen heard it from the side door and heard it even before coming in.”
"You are the dignified number one scholar of Great Ming, did your ears get kicked by a donkey? Speak!"
At the end of his sentence, Zhu Di's tone suddenly became heavier.
His loud voice pierced through the hall and reverberated for a long time.
Xie Jin's entire body trembled, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back. He could only brace himself and say,""Your Majesty, I heard that there were traitors outside the city last night."
After Xie Jin finished speaking, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, as if he was waiting for death.
However, at this moment, Zhu Di suddenly became amiable and nodded."Very good."
"Just say it openly!”
"It's better than secretly discussing it behind my back. Don't you think so, Xie Jin?”
"Yes," Xie Jin whispered.
Those with discerning eyes could see that Zhu Di seemed to be reprimanding Xie Jin, but in reality, he was beating up the officials.
It was fine to write a letter to the imperial family, but it was absolutely impossible to discuss it in private.
At that moment, the ministers also restrained their postures and stood properly.
Zhu Di glanced at His Highness again before sitting down. His expression returned to its usual calm state.
"Alright, since we've already talked about it, let's talk about it.”
"Last night, there were indeed rebel soldiers outside the city. There were 100,000 of them.”
"You don't have to worry. They're all dead now.”
The officials were in an uproar.
Although he had already guessed it, he was still shocked to hear Zhu Di say it himself.
As an emperor whose achievements were not inferior to the founding emperor, Zhu Di's control over Ming Dynasty was quite stable.
Usually, even a little restlessness would be instantly wiped out, let alone a rebellion.
This was the first time such a large-scale rebellion had occurred since the founding of the country.
Therefore, it was even more touching!
Xie Jin rolled his eyes and knew that his chance to make up for his mistakes had come. He said loudly,""Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"One hundred thousand rebel soldiers were wiped out in one night. General Fan has obtained a remarkable achievement!”
Zhu Di's expression had already returned to normal.
After hearing this, his expression instantly stiffened again.
Not only him, Yang Pu, Yang Rong, and Yang Shiqi also had solemn expressions on their faces.
Seeing Zhu Di's reaction, the ministers were puzzled.
Looking at the emperor's appearance, it was obvious that he had a lot on his mind.
However, the hundred thousand rebel soldiers that threatened the Imperial City had already been dealt with, and the world had once again returned to peace. Why would His Majesty be worried?
As if sensing that the atmosphere in the hall was a little off, Yang Shiqi explained,""The rebel army outside the city was not destroyed by General Fan.”
"Such a magnificent feat was done by another mysterious force!”
"Such a force is unpredictable. It only took two hours to eliminate the rebel army, and we still haven't found any traces of them.”
"I only found a flag with the word 'shadow' written on the top and 'flame' written on the bottom."
Boom!
As soon as Yang Shiqi finished speaking, the ministers in the hall were shocked.
They widened their eyes and looked at each other.
The feat of annihilating 100,000 rebel soldiers was actually not done by Fan Zhong, but by someone else!？
Moreover, they were annihilated within two hours…
One had to know that there were 100,000 rebel soldiers!
Even if 300,000 Ming soldiers were to use their sabers, they would still need an entire night!
But now, Yang Shiqi said that it only took them two hours to destroy the rebel army. What a terrifying force!!
This power was enough to contend with the entire Great Ming!
Moreover, they had yet to find any trace of this force.
This also meant that this force that was enough to destroy Great Ming could still be active around Yingtian Prefecture!
At the thought of this, all the ministers fell silent.
He could even hear his own heartbeat clearly.
Shock, fear, uneasiness, and other emotions quickly spread in the hall.
This scene made the officials recall the scene when the net appeared last time.
However, compared to the net, the fear that this "Shadow" and "Flame" brought to everyone was clearly deeper!
This was because the Network only had outstanding personal abilities. There were definitely not many assassins of that level.
Although Da Ming was wary, it was still far from the extent of fear.
However, it was different this time.
This time, the other party was a force that could topple Da Ming.
The army!
No one would forget how tragic Jingnan was back then.
The so-called huge empire would be reduced to ashes in minutes under the iron hooves of war!
They were afraid that Jingnan would repeat itself.
For a moment, the ministers felt as if there was a sharp sword quietly hanging above their heads, and it could fall at any moment!
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