Xie Ming

Qiu Weizhen was tactful in all matters, softened his stance and proposed peace, and mobilized troops to divide the country into three routes.

Towards the end, he further flattered the emperor, appealing to his reason and empathy, attempting to persuade the Hongguang Emperor with his silver tongue, using a strategy of feigned retreat.

"Your Majesty, the Southern Song Dynasty's proposed methods, while requiring long-term consideration, are not impossible to implement in the short term."

"However, we cannot simply copy it blindly."

"Whether to fight or make peace, the court must be purposeful in order to remain invincible."

"Your Majesty, being a young and talented man, should be able to handle the timing and intensity of the process with ease."

"This old minister is old and frail, but I have been fortunate enough to receive His Majesty's grace and be appointed as the chief minister of the court."

"I am filled with trepidation and fear."

"Your Majesty, in order to resolve this crisis and preserve half of the Ming Dynasty's territory..."

"Please, accept my advice."

"This old minister is clinging to his aging body, unwilling to die, hoping to do as much as possible to preserve the ancestral legacy for ten thousand years, Your Majesty."

Qiu Weizhen's words were a display of his mature and insightful understanding of the country's future, and were indeed apt.

Hearing this saying about finding harmony in all directions, and the method of finding balance in the middle.

At this critical juncture, it finally had an effect in the Wuying Hall.

For a time, whether it was the emperor on the throne or the Northern and Southern factions, everyone fell silent.

The situation reached a stalemate again, awaiting Zhu Cilang's decision.

Therefore, the Hongguang Emperor, weak and exhausted, barely managed to raise his eyes to glance at the Second Assistant Minister Ni Yuanlu.

The subtle hints revealed that Vice Minister Ni was only now able to begin his discourse.

With a stern expression, he finally stepped to the side, stood properly, and knelt down with his hands clasped in prayer.

"His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has something to say." After a long silence, Ni Yuanlu's voice became hoarse and strained.

"emperor!"

"The alliance with the Jurchens in the north and the drive of the Tartar troops westward were originally matters that I, along with Shi Kefa, advocated and strongly supported."

"Looking back now, we have truly raised a tiger that will cause us harm, and we have made a grave mistake."

"Even if I were to die ten thousand times, I could not forgive my mistakes."

“These days, especially after Xianzhi (Shi Kefa, courtesy name Xianzhi) died in Yangzhou, I have been deeply grieved and reflecting on my mistakes.”

"emperor!"

"In my opinion, Grand Secretary Qiu's plan is feasible."

"This humble servant dares to request permission once again to go and meet that little Dorgon."

"I do not aspire to atone for my sins through meritorious service, but only hope to risk my old life to fight for the court and the Ming Dynasty, and to be loyal to His Majesty!"

"emperor."

"This sinful subject is willing to give his life to facilitate this journey!"

"emperor."

After speaking, Ni Yuanlu kowtowed and remained standing for a long time.

Seeing his predicament, Zhu Cilang was all alone, preoccupied with worries and anxieties, and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

When pushed to the limit, a tickling sensation appeared in my throat, followed by another bout of coughing.

Only after things calmed down could he finally speak, feeling dejected and resigned.

"Ah, cough, well, whatever."

"Since both Grand Secretary Qiu and Grand Secretary Ni agree, then let's do it this way."

"Whether it's making peace, or... or surrendering, it's all good."

"call--"

Unable to calm his mind and undecided, he lay alone on his bed, sighing deeply, lamenting how pitiful he was.

"Throughout history, in its glorious records of merits and demerits, I have proven myself utterly incompetent and wicked."

"Half of the ancestral land has been lost."

"Nowadays, even half of the country is hard to protect."

"To survive... cough, cough cough cough cough."

Before he could finish speaking, his heart was heavy with pent-up emotions, and he coughed again.

The attendant Wang Zhixin took the handkerchief to block the attack, but unexpectedly, Zhu Cilang tasted something sweet on his tongue and coughed up a mouthful of thick blood.

Suddenly, all the officials and ministers below looked on with anticipation.

The people in the hall were shocked and in complete chaos.

Coughing causes pearls to splatter and jade to crack, and every inch of scarlet blood fades with each passing moment.

If not for the lungs and liver truly transformed into iron, how could one possibly vomit up the autumn tides?

Meanwhile, inside the palace, chaos reigned.

Outside the palace, a situation has also arisen.

The young eunuch at the palace gate suddenly noticed a commotion coming from fifty paces below the jade steps.

When the others turned around and came to the side corridor of the front hall, they could see clearly that it was none other than the young prince Zhu Cijiong.

In this chaotic situation, Prince Zhu San's attempt to enter the palace without imperial decree and storm the hall was already a taboo.

Looking at the scene, the young man was furious and, ignoring any attempts to stop him, was still pressing towards the Wuying Hall. Seeing this, the eunuchs on either side of the gate outside the hall exchanged glances. Having no other choice, Ye had to bite the bullet and go forward to meet him.

Explain the rules, and if you can persuade them to stop, that's fine.

If we can't dissuade them, and someone barges in at this critical juncture, we might end up getting caught up in the mess later.

"Oh, oh my, Your Highness, the Third Prince."

"Please consider this as a sign of your kindness to us, but please don't act impulsively."

"Right now, His Majesty is in the Wuying Hall discussing matters with the cabinet ministers."

"It was specifically instructed that no one should be allowed to get close."

"You, you..."

During this time, Zhu Cijiong was to the left, and a palace guard on duty that day tried to dissuade him repeatedly.

Yes, yes.

"Your Highness, what is the matter? There's no rush."

"Please don't make things difficult for us old servants."

"What, what kind of talk is this? Oh dear."

On the right, there is also an old eunuch who is now advising on the matter.

"fart!"

"Not in a hurry? If I weren't in a hurry, why would I have barged in here?"

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

"The Tartar troops in the north have already deployed their forces on the north bank of the Yangtze River. What good will all this talk do?"

"You're just hiding in the palace, there's no rush."

“The court officials outside, and the wealthy and common people in the streets, have already begun to abandon the city and flee south.”

"The court meeting was in chaos, with people either surrendering or moving the capital to Hangzhou, and talking about temporarily avoiding the enemy's sharp edge."

"Our Ming Dynasty lasted for more than two hundred years, with sixteen emperors in succession."

"It has always been the monarch who dies for the country, and the emperor who guards the nation's gates."

"Surrender? Relocate the capital?!"

“I’d like to ask my brother why he listened to such treacherous words.”

"Today I stormed the palace with my sword, I'm here to demand an explanation."

"No soldiers, but the city is full of brave men and heroes."

"Without a general, I, Zhu Cijiong, will lead the troops to resist the enemy."

"I refuse to believe it. We all share the same shoulders and heads, so what is there to fear from the Jurchens?"

"Only by mounting a horse and fighting the enemy can a man's true colors be revealed."

"No one in the Zhu family has ever been a spineless coward."

"Get out of the way! If you don't move out of the way, don't blame me for drawing my sword!"

Prince Zhu San is fourteen years old now, full of youthful vigor.

Having experienced the fall of his country and the destruction of his family at a young age, he followed the prince south and then stayed in Kowloon Town for more than a year, developing a bandit-like air about him.

Within them, their minds are still immature.

Despite his fierce courage, he was determined to fight on the battlefield, defend his country, and become a general.

Now, with the Qing army advancing south again, and facing a life-or-death situation, we absolutely cannot tolerate the option of surrendering and seeking peace.

He was arrogant and self-important, lacking in talent but full of ambition, at an age when he was unaware of his own limitations.

Then it encountered fire and ignited immediately.

Dissatisfied with the morning court meeting, and eager to fight again, he couldn't wait any longer. On a whim, he grabbed his weapons and rode his white horse into the palace, storming into the hall.

"Hey, ouch."

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Before they could finish speaking, two eunuchs from the palace, unaware of the situation, arrived and blocked their way with their arms outstretched.

Seeing this, Zhu Cijiong became even angrier. Without saying a word, he stepped forward and slapped the eunuch across the face with both hands.

Immediately, they were beaten senseless.

The third prince was determined not to hesitate and strode towards the front of the palace.

Click, click, click

Suddenly, the palace door was pushed open from the outside by Zhu Cijiong with a single palm strike.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"Your Majesty."

Unexpectedly, the Third Prince barged into the palace and saw that Emperor Hongguang was currently surrounded by a group of people in front of his bed, with blood on the corner of his mouth and looking extremely weak.

"elder brother!"

"Brother, what's wrong, brother?!"

Zhu Cijiong was worried and anxious. Seeing the situation, he hurriedly ran to his elder brother's side.
(End of this chapter)