The first Duke of England was Fang Huairui’s grandfather. At that time, his grandfather joined Emperor Taizu in the uprising and was awarded the title of Duke for his outstanding military achievements.

Emperor Taizu was magnanimous. Unlike those tyrants in history who would cook off their running dogs after the cunning rabbit died, he shared this great empire with these founding heroes.

There are four tiger talismans in the Dajing Dynasty, each in the hands of four dukes.

This is the biggest bargaining chip he can offer, and also his greatest sincerity.

Fang Huairui knelt on the golden brick floor, keeping his hands motionless in the gesture of making a talisman.

There was silence in the East Warm Pavilion.

Time passed very slowly at this moment.

Fang Huairui could hear his own heartbeats echoing in his ears like a drum, and could hear the ticking sound of the kettle beside him.

After a moment, he felt his hands lighten and his heart relaxed.

Chu Yi took the two-inch-long tiger talisman from Fang Huairui's hand, played with it casually, and said calmly: "Emperor Taizu once said: Trust the people you employ."

"Taizu was a man of great righteousness, and he believed that all the soldiers who followed him to conquer the world were his brothers and comrades."

Throughout his life, Taizu used this magnificent and prosperous era to prove his loyalty and righteousness.

"..." Fang Huairui raised his head in confusion, not understanding what the eldest prince meant.

Could it be that the eldest prince was very satisfied with his surrender, and he saved the tiger talisman? Chu Yi lowered his eyes and looked at Fang Huairui who was kneeling on the ground, and changed the subject again: "But he also said that you should not employ a person you doubt."

He spoke the last four words very slowly, enunciating each word.

Chu Yi stared into Fang Huairui's eyes and asked slowly, "Do you understand what I mean?"

When he said this, the smile on his face had faded. He was no longer as gentle as usual, but instead revealed a chill.

Fang Huairui's lips moved slightly, and the beard on his face trembled. He once again felt the subtle pressure from the seemingly gentle and harmless young man in front of him.

Boom boom! Fang Huairui's heartbeat kept speeding up.

The meaning of the eldest prince's words could not be clearer.

Fang Huairui swallowed, cold sweat trickling down his forehead, and his half-lowered eyes fell on the three-legged jade incense burner with nine dragons carved on it in the corner.

This is the incense burner that the emperor used in the past.

A wisp of green smoke rose from the incense burner, and Fang Huairui felt as if he was blinded by the smoke. The corners of his eyes were dry and his mood was in turmoil.

Since the current emperor ascended the throne, facing the Queen Mother and Prince Kang's mother and son's step-by-step pressure on the current emperor, most of the nobles stood by and watched, and no one was willing to take sides easily.

After all, King Kang is also the descendant of Taizu. If they were not afraid of the aristocratic families becoming too powerful and replacing them, it would make no difference to them who sits in that position.

They are loyal to the Da Jing Dynasty, but not only to the current emperor.

To put it bluntly, they are fence-sitters. The nobles, including himself, will sway at any time for their own interests.

Since they are not loyal to the current emperor, how could the current emperor and the eldest prince "trust" them?

If you doubt someone, don't employ him.

Fang Huairui chewed over Chu Yi's words over and over again, his heart sinking completely, as if immersed in a pool of ice-cold water.

Chu Yi didn't look at Fang Huairui. His eyes fell on the bronze tiger talisman between his fingers. He clenched it and completely took it into his palm.

This is military power!

It was extremely quiet in the East Warm Pavilion.

Fang Huairui knelt on the ground for a long time without moving, his knees became slightly numb and the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

After a while, Chu Yi's slow voice sounded again in front: "Yu Si and Shang Qing will be beheaded this afternoon. Fang Huairui, are you willing to be the executioner?"

Fang Huairui raised his head again in astonishment and looked at Chu Yi.

As his eyes moved from bottom to top, across the chessboard, he saw a right hand with slender fingers gently tapping the table, in which was still holding the tiger talisman that he was very familiar with.

“Knock knock.”

The knuckle-rapping sound was very slight.

But to Fang Huairui's ears, it sounded like a death warrant, or like the soul-binding chain of the Black and White Impermanence.

Supervising the execution of Yu Si...

Since the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, those aristocratic families have submitted countless memorials to the emperor regarding the affairs of the Yu family, but the emperor has always ignored them and avoided all requests for an audience.

Now that the emperor wants to bypass the aristocratic families and execute Yu Si directly, it is conceivable that the aristocratic families will inevitably cause trouble.

And behind the aristocratic family is King Kang.

The eldest prince's thoughts were obvious. This was asking him... no, forcing him to make a choice.

Just thinking about it, Fang Huairui felt a suffocating feeling pressing on his chest.

This is a big gamble!

In the past, he had surrendered to the eldest prince and had offended King Kang several times, but in the end, they had never fallen out.

Given the status of the Duke of Yingzhou's Mansion, even if Chu Yi lost the battle for imperial power, King Kang would not dare to touch the Duke of Yingzhou's Mansion, and would even have to appease him in a gentle manner.

But once he took on this task today, it would be equivalent to standing completely against King Kang in public.

This is clearly pushing him out to be both a target and a knife.

After today, the first person King Kang will deal with is probably Fang Huairui.

Chu Yi has always been patient. Even if he didn't look at Fang Huairui, he could guess the other party's struggle at the moment.

He did not rush, but leisurely picked up another white piece from the chess box and placed it casually.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Unconsciously, Fang Huairui's heartbeat was synchronized with the rhythm of the moves.

Every time the sound of a move falling was heard, Fang Huairui's brows jumped.

He clenched his fists tightly and tried hard to calm himself.

Now that the eldest prince is willing to let him be the executioner, it means that as long as he is loyal to the emperor and the eldest prince, their Duke Ying's Mansion will be saved and will no longer be held accountable for the Yu family's treason.

If the eldest prince ascends the throne in the future, the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion will be his close confidants.

There is a chance to move to the next level.

It was obvious what he should choose.

When the decision came to his mind, Fang Huairui let out a long breath.

At this moment, I suddenly realized the tragedy and heroism of my grandfather when he followed Emperor Taizu in the uprising.

In troubled times, who can really stay out of it?

The same is true now.

When two tigers are fighting, how can the tiger allow them to sit on the mountain and watch the fight!

Fang Huairui finally moved, lowered his upper body, and kowtowed heavily to Chu Yi.

"I obey your command."

These three words were spoken with strong power and authority.

He pressed his forehead against the cold ground almost reverently and knelt on the ground.

He felt both relieved that the dust had settled and solemn that a storm was about to come.

A burst of laughter like the sound of jade beads knocking on plates echoed in the air and reached Fang Huairui's ears. Fang Huairui finally felt a little relieved.

Chu Yi casually threw the chess piece he had just picked up into the chess box and said calmly, "Fifty years ago, Fang Ye took the tiger talisman from Emperor Taizu."

"Now whether this tiger talisman can return to the Duke of Ying's mansion depends on you, the Duke."

When Fang Huairui heard this, his bearded man trembled violently again, and he recalled what Chu Yi had just said, "Don't employ a person if you don't trust him." This time he understood it completely.

He immediately expressed his loyalty: "I will not let down His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's painstaking efforts."

"Step back." Chu Yi said as he took the tiger talisman in his hand and weighed it casually.

When Fang Huairui stood up, his complicated gaze couldn't help but linger on the tiger talisman in Chu Yi's hand for a moment, as if he was heartbroken, reluctant, and also self-blaming.

Then he bowed his head and quietly walked out.

After coming out of the East Warm Pavilion, Fang Huairui was already sweating profusely, with his forehead, neck and back all wet.

When the cold wind blew, he shivered all over.

He subconsciously touched his empty sleeve pocket, thinking about the tiger talisman he had just handed over, and then staring intently to review everything that had just happened.

In fact, from the moment he handed over the tiger talisman, he had already made his decision.

Having lost its military power, the Duke of England was doomed to go downhill and become an ordinary nobleman with a name but no power.

If Fang Huairui did not have a trace of blood in his veins, he could have just enjoyed the wealth left by his ancestors. But if he still wanted to preserve his ancestors' foundation and had the ambition to realize his grand plans, then he had no other choice at all.

Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk, this is an eternal truth.

Fang Huairui couldn't help but look back in the direction of the East Warm Pavilion. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and sighed, feeling impressed.

From now on, he can no longer be indecisive, let alone stand aside and watch the fire from the other side of the river.

What follows is a tough battle.

Since he accepted the task, it would not be enough to just execute him. He had to do it well, which could be regarded as his token of allegiance to the eldest prince.

After leaving the palace, Fang Huairui took a dozen Tianfu Army soldiers to the Northern Pacification Office and asked to see He Lie, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to explain that he was ordered by the eldest prince to serve as the executioner of today's execution.

He Lie had already received the message from the palace and ordered someone to transfer Yu Si and Shang Qing, who were imprisoned in the imperial prison, to Fang Huairui.

Thanks to his uncle, Fang Huairui visited the Imperial Prison, which is said to be hell on earth, for the first time in his life.

The "imperial prison" of the Jinyiwei is not for just any small person. Those who can be imprisoned here must be of high rank or have committed serious crimes.

Standing in the gloomy prison cell, Fang Huairui thought with a hint of sarcasm in his heart.

A Jinyiwei unlocked the door of one of the cells and said expressionlessly, "My Lord, Yu Si is inside."

The man in the cell was standing with his hands behind his back, but when he heard the noise, he quickly turned around.

"Brother-in-law!"

When Yu Si, the head of the Yu family, saw the Duke of Yingguo, he could not help but show his joy and shouted excitedly.

He had been locked up in the cell for seven days. His hair was still neatly combed, but his clothes had become wrinkled and gave off a strange smell like pickles.

Even so, Yu Si's back was still straight. He looked both proud and embarrassed, with an extreme contradiction all over his body.

"..." Fang Huairui was so overwhelmed that his forehead was aching.

At this point, he no longer expected to get the Yu family back, let alone be recognized as a relative by the head of the Yu family.

The Yu family is like a greedy leech, sucking the blood of the Fang family over the years.

Yu Si took two steps forward excitedly, looked at Fang Huairui with burning eyes, and asked, "Are you here to pick me up?"

(End of this chapter)