The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 752 Who is he worthy of his trust?

One day, Zhu Xiong Ying disguised himself as a merchant and came to the outside of Zhang Zi Shan's mansion. He deliberately shouted his wares loudly, attracting the attention of the guards inside the mansion.

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you make a scene in front of the Grand Secretary's residence!" A guard strode out menacingly.

Zhu Xiong Ying pretended to be frightened and begged for mercy repeatedly: "Sir, spare my life, I just want to beg for a meal."

"Get out!" The guard kicked Zhu Xiong Ying, knocking him to the ground.

Zhu Xiong Ying collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach and groaning in pain.

"Ouch, ouch, my stomach..."

Seeing this, the guard left, grumbling and cursing.

Taking the opportunity, Zhu Xiong Ying observed the situation inside the mansion and found it heavily guarded with numerous guards. It seemed that Zhang Zi Shan was not entirely unprepared.

As night fell, Zhu Xiong Ying changed into a night suit and sneaked into Zhang Zi Shan's mansion. He was agile and moved freely within the mansion like a ghost.

He arrived at Zhang Zishan's study and found it brightly lit. Through the window, he saw Zhang Zishan having a private conversation with a man in black.

"How's it going?" Zhang Zishan asked.

“Everything is going smoothly,” the man in black replied. “His Majesty has signed the new trade treaty.”

"Great!" Zhang Zishan slammed his hand on the table excitedly. "As long as we control the coastal trading ports, we can continuously transport the wealth of the Ming Dynasty back to Japan!"

The man in black smiled sinisterly: "When the time comes, the Ming Dynasty will be ours for the taking!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying could no longer contain his anger. He abruptly pushed open the door and went inside.

Zhang Zishan and the man in black were terrified when they saw Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly appear.

"Who...who are you?" Zhang Zishan asked, trembling.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, removed her mask, and revealed her true face.

"I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

When Zhang Zishan and the man in black saw Zhu Xiong Ying's true face, they were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.

"Guards! Seize these two traitors!" Zhu Xiong Ying gave the order, and the guards who had been lying in ambush outside the mansion rushed in and tied Zhang Zishan and the man in black up.

Chapter 707

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the two captured men, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment. He never imagined that his trusted ministers would betray him and sell out the country.

"Zhang Zishan, what else do you have to say?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked coldly.

Zhang Zishan was trembling all over and couldn't say a word.

"Guards, take Zhang Zishan and this Japanese spy to the dungeon and await their fate!"

After Zhu Xiong Ying finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Zhang Zi Shan and the man in black trembling there.

Back at the palace, Zhu Xiong Ying spent a sleepless night. He repeatedly pondered the pros and cons of reform and opening up, and how to prevent similar incidents from happening again. He realized that while reform and opening up could bring economic prosperity, it also carried enormous risks. If these risks were not effectively controlled and managed, they could have disastrous consequences for the country.

He decided to strengthen oversight of officials and severely punish corruption. At the same time, he also needed to strengthen the management of foreign merchants to prevent them from harming the interests of the Ming Dynasty.

He also wants to continue to promote reform and opening up, so that the Ming Dynasty can become more prosperous and powerful, and the people can live a happier life.

However, just as Zhu Xiong was ambitiously planning the future of the Ming Dynasty, an even more thorny problem confronted him. He discovered that a huge conspiracy seemed to be lurking within the palace... Palace maids whispered among themselves, eunuchs hurried about, and even his most favored concubine seemed somewhat amiss... This made him uneasy, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart...

Zhu Xiong Ying's unease was not unfounded.

He noticed that Consort Li had been behaving strangely lately, often avoiding him, her eyes darting around, as if she were hiding something from him. In the past, Consort Li would always cling to him like a lazy Persian cat, but now she was like a frightened rabbit, constantly shrinking into a corner.

That evening, Zhu Xiong Ying made a special trip to Consort Li's palace. Consort Li was dressing in front of the mirror when she saw him enter. She visibly flinched, and the ivory comb in her hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Your Majesty..." Consort Li hurriedly rose to her feet and bowed, her face pale and her lips trembling slightly.

Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand, indicating that she could dispense with the formalities, and walked straight to her side. He picked up the ivory comb that had fallen to the ground and examined it closely. The comb was exquisitely carved and inlaid with several sparkling gemstones, clearly worth a fortune.

"My dear consort seems to have something on your mind lately," Zhu Xiong Ying said casually, toying with a comb. "If there's anything wrong, feel free to tell me, and I'll help you ease your worries."

Consort Li lowered her head, stammering and unable to speak, but her eyes gradually reddened.

Looking at her like this, Zhu Xiong Ying became even more puzzled, and his tone turned colder: "What? Can't even I tell you?"

Consort Li suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down her face: "Your Majesty... I... I am guilty!"

"Oh? What crime have you committed?" Zhu Xiong Ying raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Consort Li wept bitterly, her face streaked with tears, and haltingly recounted the whole story. It turned out that she had been having an affair with a palace guard and was now three months pregnant. She knew the enormity of her sins, but fearing the loss of her unborn child, she had dared not tell Zhu Xiong Ying.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying's face turned terribly grim, and he crushed the ivory comb in his hand to pieces. He never imagined that his beloved concubine would betray him and give him such a blatant cuckold's horns!

He suppressed his anger and asked coldly, "Who is that guard?"

Consort Li was so frightened that she trembled all over and dared not hide the truth, so she told the guard his name.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, "Good, very good!" He kicked over the dressing table, scattering rouge and powder all over the floor, just like Consort Li's broken heart at this moment.

"Guards!" Zhu Xiong Ying roared.

The guards rushed over at the sound, and seeing the mess inside the room and Consort Li kneeling on the ground trembling, they were too frightened to make a sound.

"Throw Consort Li into the Cold Palace to await her fate! Execute that guard on the spot!" Zhu Xiong Ying's voice was icy and merciless, like a judgment from hell.

The guards dared not delay and immediately dragged Consort Li away. Consort Li cried and begged for mercy, but she could not change her fate in any way.

Zhu Xiong Ying watched as Consort Li was dragged away, feeling no pity whatsoever. He was ruthless and never showed mercy to traitors.

After dealing with Consort Li's matter, Zhu Xiong Ying did not feel relieved; instead, he became even more agitated. He felt like a puppet on strings, being manipulated by those around him, while he was powerless to do anything about it.

He began to suspect that everything in the palace was a carefully planned conspiracy. His most trusted minister had betrayed him, and his most beloved concubine had also betrayed him. So, who was there left for him to trust?
(End of this chapter)