Daming: Grandpa Emperor, please get up and sit on my throne!

It was almost noon that day.

Caishikou, which is not far from the Qinhuai River, is almost packed with people. The bustling crowd surrounds the execution ground.

On the execution ground, the muscular executioner stood upright with a fierce look in his eyes, holding a large knife.

Before that, there was the reign of Emperor Hongwu.

They were brutal and unrequited, with tens of thousands of heads being killed at any time. Anyone who coveted even sixty taels of silver would be sentenced to death, so the execution ground was naturally very busy.

Later, there was the current Emperor Kaiqian. Although he was not as capricious and violent as the Hongwu Emperor, he was equally ruthless. In the three months since he ascended the throne, he had already dealt with several cases of entire families being executed.

Therefore, the air here is almost always filled with an unpleasant smell of blood, and black, mottled blood stains can be seen on the execution platform. No matter how lively this place is, no matter how many people gather here, even if it is a sunny day today, it still gives people a gloomy and cold feeling.

Standing in front of this execution ground, even though there was no wind, it felt like a cold wind was blowing past.

However, for the people of Yingtian Prefecture, it was a common occurrence for people to be executed on the execution ground from time to time.

But today is special. The person to be executed is a prince of noble status. For those well-fed people in Yingtian Prefecture, this is a very new thing. But for those people outside the city who come to the city to make a living, the person to be beheaded today... is their "savior".

Therefore, the Caishikou was plunged into an unprecedented "bustle".

……

"I never thought the young emperor would actually sentence the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin to death. Tong Yun, you're so right! Now I'm even more convinced that there's a mysterious person manipulating the young emperor. People like Liu Sanwu, Zhan Hui, and Fu Youwen... how could they dare to disobey the Imperial Ming Ancestor's Instructions?"

In a restaurant near the execution ground, which was next to a window and had an excellent view, Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin sat opposite each other, looking down at the hustle and bustle below and the gloomy execution ground.

"You win again." Xu Miaojin sighed with some regret.

Zhu Yunxun slowly sipped his tea, a faint smile on his face as he jokingly asked, "How many bets do you owe me?"

Xu Miaojin pursed her pink lips, frowned, and said reluctantly, "That's three, that's three, okay."

The two met many times, talking about everything from everything to history and politics, so naturally there might be some disagreements. However, neither of them was short of money and material things, so this bet became a way to satisfy the other's request.

After a few attempts, Xu Miaojin achieved a good score of 0-3. She pouted unconvincedly and said, "Your mouth is like it's filled with poison."

Zhu Yunhuan raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly, "What does it have to do with me? I can't do anything if you don't learn your lesson, right? Three bets... are enough for me to crush you into a pulp."

Although Zhu Yunhuan said so, Xu Miaojin didn't feel panic or anything at all. The reason was...

It was a trust that she herself was not even aware of.

In the eyes of this young man, whom she often longed to see, yet could only see once every ten days, she saw only maturity, steadiness, and wisdom... a kind of insight and detachment, as if he were looking down from above. He was completely unlike the young men and nobles she usually met, who were either childish and frivolous, or had lustful eyes.

To Xu Miaojin, the young man in front of her was like a teacher and a friend. Although they were of similar age, sometimes he seemed like a patient elder.

In short, he is a wonderful person.

He is the most lowly business opportunity in the eyes of the world, but people feel that he is more noble than the princes of this prince and that prince's family, and the precious legitimate sons of this duke and that marquis.

"Come to think of it...if you were not a merchant, you would be able to take the imperial examination and enter the court to work as a politician. You would definitely have a bright future. But God gave you the identity of a merchant. It's really unfair." Although he lost the bet, Xu Miaojin was not angry. Instead, he looked at the bustling crowd outside and said with some emotion.