Time Travel: After Seizing the Throne, I Lead the Ming Dynasty to Take Off

"The potential disaster of a leaked secret has now been easily mitigated. The trump card I thought I couldn't possibly play... is now stirring. A seemingly tense situation has been easily averted?"

Monk Daoyan rolled his eyes and sorted out the information in Zhu Di's words.

But at the same time, his brows knitted in hesitation: "The Hongwu Emperor is definitely not a simple figure..."

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes and said, "That's why I was so anxious to confirm with you just now. Did Zhu Yunhuan or the person behind him... do anything that would cross my father's bottom line?"

Monk Daoyan showed a look of sudden realization on his face, and said, "Your Highness thinks that it is the situation in Yingtian Prefecture that has changed His Majesty's mind... um..." Having said that, he paused and stopped talking, but pondered for a moment.

After a moment, he raised his head, his face full of joy: "Your Highness, now that you mention it, I can really think of a lot..."

"I originally thought that these matters would not have a direct impact on His Highness's great cause, and they were also commonplace in Yingtian Prefecture, so I did not think of coming to Prince Yan's Mansion specifically to discuss these matters with Your Highness. But now it seems that is not entirely true."

Zhu Di's eyes lit up. "Oh? Master Daoyan, tell me more about it?"

Both he and Monk Daoyan hoped this was true. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang could play this powerful trump card, the chances of success would increase dramatically!

Monk Daoyan immediately responded, "First, it's the Alchemy Department that the young emperor values ​​most. It not only consumes manpower, materials, and property..."

"And they've started filling it with human lives!"

"According to the intelligence I've obtained... the young emperor actually started sending death row prisoners there last year, but the number wasn't as high as this year, so it didn't attract too much attention. Most people wouldn't pay attention to the whereabouts of the prisoners, and the same goes for my spies and informants."

"However, this year, the number of condemned prisoners being sent to the Alchemy Department has grown larger and larger, so naturally, it's become difficult to conceal. This is when the news spread like wildfire. Within Yingtian Prefecture, it's no longer a secret."

I heard the news from Monk Daoyan.

Even Zhu Di, who had been fighting on the border for years and had licked blood on the edge of a knife, stared wide-eyed: "Using living lives to fill the alchemy furnace to make elixirs!??"

Death row inmates, human lives, and alchemy—putting them together seems to have only one possible outcome, so Monk Daoyan and Zhu Di came to this conclusion.

And after saying this.

Zhu Di couldn't help but gasp.

Suddenly, some hellish images appeared in my mind, such as those death row prisoners being thrown into an extremely hot furnace and being engulfed by flames, screaming and terrified... At the same time, I shuddered.

It's not that he hadn't heard of this so-called method of refining elixirs on living people, but it mostly appeared in rumors and anecdotes.

When it comes to reality, it seems particularly horrifying - too horrific.

Even if you lose your life on the battlefield, it is a worthy death for defending your country, an arrow to the heart, a knife to the neck... it is a quick death.

And was thrown into alchemy...

Gee!

Just thinking about this kind of thing makes me feel... indescribable.

Monk Daoyan naturally agreed with Zhu Di's inference and conclusion. He nodded, his eyes stern, and said, "The little emperor's obsession with alchemy is far crazier than we thought!"

"The exact extent of this incident, and how many death row inmates have been sent there, is difficult for outsiders to ascertain, but the fact that even we know about it shows that it's gone too far!"

"It's gone so far that even the Imperial Guards can't cover it up! This gives us a good idea of ​​the situation. Judging from the past six months, this little emperor isn't completely oblivious. He's even coordinating with those behind him, putting on a show in front of the world. It's clear he's definitely not stupid."