The head of the guards, not expecting Zhu Yunwen to have such decisiveness, gritted his teeth, nodded, and gave the order:
"beat!"
However, the hands of the two guards carrying out the execution began to tremble.
Ultimately, they were just ordinary guards; they had no background or power.
The grandson of the emperor ordered them to kill Zhou Ji, a second-generation meritorious official. If they actually did it, and the matter became a big deal, even if Zhu Yunwen was punished, it wouldn't be too serious.
These guards, however, might face severe punishment, and could even very likely face retaliation from Zhou Ji's father.
So they were afraid, they dared not.
Seeing the fear on the faces of the guards, Zhu Yunwen's expression turned extremely grim.
He said, “I know what you are afraid of, but since you are serving in the palace, you should shoulder your responsibilities.”
Now that His Highness has given the order, you must simply carry it out. No matter what happens, wait for my call; His Highness will never let you take the blame or be the scapegoat.
However, despite Zhu Yunwen's words, the guards still dared not actually kill him.
They simply lowered their heads, their faces filled with deep conflict.
One of the guards slowly knelt on the ground, his voice trembling slightly as he said:
“Your Highness, you are high above and fearless, but if we were to beat him to death without absolute orders, the punishment and retaliation we might face would be unimaginable. I have elderly parents and young children to support; I dare not take such a risk…”
While this statement may be somewhat blunt, it is indeed true, since Zhu Yunwen's orders were not the most authoritative.
Today, these guards are fearless in the face of any order given by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Because they will never bear any consequences.
But Zhu Yunwen was only a grandson of the emperor. If he gave the order, these guards would really kill Zhou Ji. If this matter caused a stir and Zhu Yunwen couldn't withstand the pressure, wouldn't these guards be finished?
In the distance, Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the second floor, squinting, a meaningful smile on his face, quietly watching everything.
He wanted to see just how decisive Zhu Yunwen was.
In fact, Zhu Yunwen's willingness to order the execution of Zhou Ji already demonstrated his decisiveness to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Whether or not Zhu Yunwen can kill Zhou Ji now depends on his methods.
Faced with this situation, Zhu Yunwen did not blame the guards, because the guards' worries and fears were normal.
This also reflects a truth: in this society, ordinary people fear merit, are wary of the powerful and wealthy, and are afraid of those in positions of authority.
Although these people act recklessly and disregard the law, they are by no means people that ordinary enforcers can afford to offend.
Zhu Yunwen stepped forward, took the stick from the guard's hand, and said:
“I understand you. You don’t need to do this.”
Zhou Ji, who was on the ground, burst into laughter and said:
“Zhu Yuntong, even the guards see things more clearly and thoroughly than you. They know that someone like me is not someone who can be killed casually. But you can’t see it. I’ll say it again: you need the support of our military officer group, so you can’t kill me.”
Zhu Yunwen glanced at the stick in his hand, a strange smile appearing on his face, and said:
"I, Zhu Yunwen, have never thought of relying on any power, nor have I ever thought of using such a undignified behavior to win over any power."
Even if I need military officers, I will use absolutely forceful methods to subdue and win them over, not tolerate an arrogant and domineering second-generation official like you trying to curry favor with them.
Zhou Ji sensed the awkward atmosphere and looked up at Zhu Yunwen, saying:
What do you mean by that?
Zhu Yunwen smiled, gripped the stick tightly with both hands, took two steps back, and then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, slowly raised the long stick in his hands.
The stick is very heavy; if a normal adult were to strike a person with it, the force would be enormous.
A single blow can even injure a person.
If the force were greater, ten or so blows would probably be enough to kill someone.
Facing Zhou Ji's puzzled and slightly fearful gaze on the ground, Zhu Yunwen slowly spoke:
"They dare not kill you, but I do. Since I can order your death, I can also kill you myself. In the end, you are not qualified to represent the military officer group..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuntong's eyes suddenly hardened, and he gripped the stick tightly in his hand, bringing it down hard.
With a loud bang, the thick, sturdy stick struck Zhou Ji's unprotected back forcefully.
The intense pain made Zhou Ji feel suffocated, and after a while, he let out a wail.
However, Zhu Yunwen struck down hard with another stick.
The surrounding guards were all shocked by what they saw.
They were all shocked and impressed by Zhu Yunwen's tough attitude and domineering methods.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang, standing on the upper floor in the distance, was also stunned by Zhu Yunwen's domineering presence.
After a long silence, he said excitedly:
"This is our good grandson."
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