Chapter 130: Hu Weiyong Commits Suicide

Seeing that there wasn't a single rebel soldier left standing on the field, Zhu Gaoxi led his men toward Hu Weiyong.

Hu Weiyong, watching Zhu Gaoxi draw ever closer, suddenly realized the truth.

Zhu Gaoxi had actually entered the city long ago; it was he who had sabotaged the gunpowder, and Lao Zhu must have known his intentions all along.

Everyone had been playing along with his act, and he was nothing more than a clown on a stage.

Thinking of this, Hu Weiyong suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed aloud.

Seeing Hu Weiyong suddenly burst into laughter, Zhu Gaoxi paused his steps; just as he was about to continue forward, Hu Weiyong pulled a dagger from his robes.

Before anyone could react, Hu Weiyong plunged the dagger into his own heart.

Then, with his mouth full of blood, Hu Weiyong smiled at Zhu Gaoxi before collapsing to the ground, his life completely extinguished.

Hu Weiyong had his pride; he guessed that Zhu Gaoxi was approaching him likely to mock him.

He had already been defeated, and knowing he was going to die, he did not want to give Zhu Gaoxi the chance to mock him.

Furthermore, by committing suicide, he might perhaps leave a glimmer of hope for his family.

Just like that, the once immensely powerful Hu Weiyong had taken his own life.

Seeing the suicidal Hu Weiyong collapse to the ground, Zhu Gaoxi stopped his steps entirely.

Hu Weiyong was dead, and he no longer had any significance in the past.

As for why Hu Weiyong committed suicide, Zhu Gaoxi did not know, nor did he care to know.

The matter had finally come to an end, and with his greatest enemy dead, Zhu Gaoxi felt his heart suddenly lighten quite a bit.

But immediately after, it tightened again.

Zhu Gaoxi could not explain this feeling.

Clearly the greatest enemy was dead, and looking across the entire imperial court, there was no one left who could stand against him, yet Zhu Gaoxi felt relieved for less than a second.

This was perhaps the so-called "if a man has no far-reaching worries, he will have near-term troubles."

Ignoring Hu Weiyong, Zhu Gaoxi turned and walked toward Zhu Yuanzhang.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the Dragon Chariot, looking aged and frail, yet appearing calm and unruffled by the crisis.

It was to be expected; for Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been accustomed to great storms since childhood, this matter likely did not even catch his eye.

The ground was already stained red with blood, and wails could be heard from time to time; clearly, these were the household soldiers who hadn't been killed by the Daming Gun earlier.

Regarding this, people had naturally already begun to clean up the aftermath.

The common folk were very self-aware; once they saw something was wrong, they hid away early. Even now, aside from a few bold individuals, no other figures could be seen.

Walking to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, before Zhu Gaoxi could speak, Lao Zhu spoke first.

"This matter ends here. Do not participate any further. For these next few days, stay honestly in your Military Camp outside the city and train the troops well for Us. We are tired; wait until We summon you to the palace before you return."

After speaking, without waiting for Zhu Gaoxi to respond, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and began to close his eyes and rest on the Dragon Chariot.

Eunuch Li, standing to the side, understood immediately and hurriedly ordered the carriage to depart.

Just as the Dragon Chariot was turning around, Lao Zhu suddenly thought of something, reopened his eyes, and said to Zhu Gaoxi: "The Nanyang Commandery Prince has rendered meritorious service in saving the Emperor, and his soldiers are equally deserving of credit. Order his unit to be expanded to two thousand five hundred men!"

Having said this, Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes once more.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi felt a surge of joy in his heart, and he did not forget to lead the soldiers behind him to express their gratitude.

To this, Zhu Yuanzhang merely waved his hand while sitting on the Dragon Chariot.

Watching Lao Zhu move further and further away, Zhu Gaoxi did not leave the city immediately.

Now that Hu Weiyong was dead, one could guess with their toes that the imperial court was about to face a massive upheaval.

A bloody storm was surely inevitable.

The most critical thing was that he probably wouldn't be able to join in on this excitement.

In fact, Zhu Gaoxi could understand Lao Zhu's intentions.

This was also a disguised form of protection for him; after all, the imperial court was bound to take major action, and if Zhu Gaoxi continued to participate, he would inevitably offend many people, which was not something Lao Zhu wanted to see.

While Zhu Gaoxi understood, he decided he still needed to give his father a heads-up.

If nothing else, at least giving his father a reminder and offering some guidance would be acceptable.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxi directly had Mao Xiang take the soldiers back to the Military Camp first, while he took a few Embroidered Uniform Guards back to the Prince of Yan's Wangfu.

By now, Zhu Gaoxi had grown accustomed to having the Embroidered Uniform Guards by his side at all times.

No need for many, four or five would suffice.

At the very least, many things didn't require him to do them personally; a single look and someone would handle it. Most importantly, the Embroidered Uniform Guards had a special status, and bringing them along for many things often had unexpected effects.

Of course, the downside was that nothing could be hidden from Lao Zhu.

But this point could also be utilized; if there were things Zhu Gaoxi wanted Lao Zhu to know but found it difficult to say personally, that was when the Embroidered Uniform Guards came in handy.

Looking at the few Embroidered Uniform Guards behind him, Zhu Gaoxi felt they were not quite as convenient.

Although Ada and the others weren't seriously injured, they still needed to rest for a few days, so Zhu Gaoxi had to make do for now.

But fortunately, Zhu Gaoxi would be living in the Military Camp for a long time to come, so it didn't really make a difference whether he brought the Embroidered Uniform Guards or not.

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxi finally returned to the Prince of Yan's Wangfu.