Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 157 Survivors of the Avalanche

Zhao Qi, an agent of the Eastern Depot, had been squatting in the alley behind the eunuch's residence for five days.

He was wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat, and next to him was a chipped, broken bowl.

Few people usually use the back door, but Zhao Qi knew that the truly shady people and things all went through the back door.

On the first day, only a few eunuchs came and went, carrying baskets and hurrying back and forth.

The next day, a middle-aged man dressed in a silk robe went in through the back door and came out half an hour later with a bundle in his hand.

Zhao Qi glanced at it from afar but couldn't make out anything.

On the third day, nothing happened.

On the fourth day, there was still no movement.

Today is the fifth day.

At three-quarters of an hour, a sound of a door opening came from inside the back door.

Zhao Qi's pupils contracted slightly as someone entered the back courtyard.

This is a person dressed in a coarse cotton robe; it's impossible to tell their identity.

The man walked to the courtyard and sat down.

The courtyard wasn't large, and from Zhao Qi's angle, he could just see the person's profile through the crack in the door.

The man had fair skin and no beard; he was clearly a eunuch.

He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, his face turned toward the ray of sunlight in the sky, seemingly enjoying this moment of warmth.

Zhao Qi's gaze fell on that face, and suddenly he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He recognized that face!

Two days before the Battle of Tumu Fortress in the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign.

At that time, Zhao Qi was a night scout in the expeditionary force, specifically responsible for reconnaissance.

On that occasion, he discovered the tracks of the Oirat cavalry behind the main army.

The Oirat cavalry did not rush to attack Zhuqi Town inside Tumu Fortress.

Instead, they headed straight for the long river outside Tumu Fort.

He rushed back and reported the matter to his superiors.

His superiors took him to report to Zhu Qizhen.

As a result, they were stopped in front of Zhu Qizhen's tent.

The people who stopped them told them that "His Majesty has been traveling for days and is tired and needs to rest," and that they should report back the next day.

And that person is the one lying in the yard sunbathing right now: happy Ning!

Subsequently, until the defeat at Tumu Fortress, Zhao Qi and his superiors did not see Zhu Qizhen.

Some say Xining surrendered to the Oirat Mongols, while others say he was killed by Esen. This matter has been widely discussed.

Zhao Qi secretly rejoiced at the time: This kind of castrated dog deserved to die.

Zhao Qi slowly lowered his head, burying his face in the collar of his tattered cotton-padded jacket, only using his peripheral vision to continue staring at the crack in the door.

A beggar should not be interested in the people in the yard; a beggar should only focus on the few coins in his bowl.

happy Ning basked in the sun for fifteen minutes, then got up and went back inside.

Zhao Qi squatted by the woodpile for another two hours.

He didn't get up until it was completely dark, and limped away from the alley.

After turning three corners, Zhao Qi entered an alley.

At the end of the alley was a dilapidated earth god temple, its incense long since burned out, with only a few beggars occasionally spending the night there.

When Zhao Qi went in, there were already people inside.

A voice came from the darkness: "You're back?"

Zhao Qi walked over to the man and squatted down, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I want to see Zhang Qi."

The man's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Half an hour later, Zhao Qi appeared in an inconspicuous general store by the Qinhuai River.

After listening to Zhao Qi's words from the pile of firewood, Zhang Wang, a junior officer from the Eastern Depot in Nanjing, asked, "Did you see clearly?"

Zhao Qi nodded: "Zhang Qi, I guarantee this with my own head."

I have seen happy Ning with my own eyes and heard him speak with my own ears.

The person sunbathing in the yard today is him.

Even if you were reduced to ashes, I would still recognize you!

Zhang Wang remained silent for a long time.

It's not that he doesn't trust Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qi was his most trusted lieutenant, having served as a constable in Datong for five years; he had a very sharp eye.

He said it was happy Ning, so it's probably happy Ning.

But this is a huge deal.

Who is happy Ning?

He was one of the most favored eunuchs during the Zhengtong era.

All the officials in the court thought he was dead or had been captured by the Oirat Mongols.

But now he has appeared in Nanjing, in the residence of the garrison eunuch Cao Jixiang.

What does this mean?

Zhang Wang dared not think any further.

Zhang Wang stood up and said, "Keep an eye on things, but don't alert them. I need to report this."

Zhao Qi nodded: "Understood."

Zhang Wang wrote a secret letter overnight and sealed it with a special seal made by the Eastern Depot.

The next morning, the secret message was sent out of Nanjing and sped north along the post road.

Five days later, Xing'an was looking at commemorative folding tablets in the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

A young eunuch hurried in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Xing'an's expression changed slightly. He put down the vermilion brush in his hand, got up, and walked out.

Fifteen minutes later, Xing'an rushed to the East Warm Pavilion.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Xing'an, who had rushed over in a panic, and asked, "What happened?"

Xing'an knelt down: "Your Majesty, the Eastern Depot has sent a report from Nanjing that there is something urgent."

Zhu Qiyu frowned slightly.

He knelt down to report that something extremely urgent had happened.

He waved his hand, and the eunuchs and palace maids around him quietly withdrew.

"explain."

Xing'an took out the secret letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Zhu Qiyu took the line and read it line by line.

His gaze lingered on the name "happy Ning": "The matter of that ledger hasn't been investigated yet, and now this happy Ning has appeared."

The Eastern Depot did a good job this time; that Zhao Qi—reward him.

Xing'an bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I thank you on behalf of Zhao Qi."

Zhu Qiyu fell into deep thought.

Zhu Qizhen died in an avalanche, and everyone said it was a natural disaster.

Yue Qian said this when he returned, Li Yan said this, and the guards also said this.

The messenger sent by Esen said the same thing.

The three judicial authorities questioned and investigated, and the final conclusion was that it was a natural disaster.

But Zhu Qiyu knew that things would not be that simple.

However, both he and Yue Qian were fully aware of this.

He didn't ask, and Yue Qian didn't say anything either.

But now happy Ning is alive.

According to Yue Qian's previous report, happy Ning was captured along with Zhu Qizhen.

Moreover, Xining surrendered to Esen immediately.

The breach in Zijing Pass was what happy Ning told Esen.

When Yue Qian welcomed Zhu Qizhen back, he first tried to curry favor with him.

He handed over happy Ning and the two former traitors from Gansu to Yue Qian.

Considering Cao Jixiang's actions, Zhu Qiyu was certain that Xi Ning most likely knew the truth about the avalanche.

Thinking about it this way, there must be one or more people behind Cao Jixiang.

Their goal was to overthrow Zhu Qiyu's imperial power!

Xing'an knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

He knew how serious this matter was.

happy Ning's survival means that Zhu Qizhen's death has another possibility.

What if Xi Ning says something she shouldn't, what if someone uses this to make a fuss?

Xing'an couldn't help but ask, "What about Empress Dowager Sun—"

Zhu Qiyu raised his hand to stop him: "Empress Dowager Sun will not know."

Only you and I know that happy Ning is alive.

Aside from those few people from the Eastern Depot in Nanjing, I don't want anyone else in the capital to know this.

Xing'an kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I understand."

Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhu Qiyu said, "Speak your mind."

Xing'an asked, "Your Majesty, why didn't you just order the execution of Cao Jixiang and happy Ning?"

Zhu Qiyu sneered, "It would be easy for me to kill them."

But do you really think that these two people would dare to create counterfeit documents and cause chaos in the court?

There are others behind them, and this time I want to wipe them all out.

All the foreign troops from Gansu, Datong, and Xuanfu were withdrawn.

Furthermore, all the imperial guards currently undergoing training in the capital were also dispatched to these locations.

Xing'an shuddered when he heard Zhu Qiyu mention several place names.

Xiangyang (Huguang), Anlu (Huguang), Huaiqing (Henan), Kaifeng (Henan), Raozhou (Jiangxi) —

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