The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

April 2nd.

In the capital, inside the Grand Secretariat, Liang Chu, the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Diligent Governance who was temporarily serving as the Chief Grand Secretary, and Jin Gui, the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Profundity who was serving as the Second Grand Secretary, were completely bewildered when they received the emperor's sudden edict ordering him to personally lead an expedition. They had no idea how to deal with it.

"Grand Secretary Liang, do you think His Majesty is intentionally targeting the two of us?"

Jin Gui's assessment was quite clear: the emperor had taken advantage of Yang Tinghe's absence due to mourning for his mother, and thought that they couldn't control him, so he was going to do something big.

Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe left the capital on March 15th due to his mother's death.

Zhu Houzhao even tried to persuade him to stay... Historically, in November of the eleventh year of Zhengde's reign, Yang Tinghe was allowed to end his mourning period and return to the capital to take up his post before the mourning period was over. However, Yang Tinghe did not return to the court until November of the twelfth year of Zhengde's reign. Thus, Yang Tinghe became the first Grand Secretary in the history of the Ming Dynasty to observe a full twenty-seven-month mourning period for his parents.

In other words, when Zhu Houzhao fought the Battle of Yingzhou, Yang Tinghe was not even in the capital, which is why Yang Tinghe was unable to prevent the emperor from going to the northwest.

Of course, even if he were there, he might not be able to stop it.

Liang Chu said with a gloomy face, "Previously, because of Prince Ning's memorial, the matter of Tang Yin's prophecy has caused a great uproar in the city. Now that His Majesty has not attended court for a long time, there has been much criticism from both the court and the public. We must not let His Majesty act arbitrarily. We should discuss with the various departments of the court to prevent His Majesty from personally leading the expedition."

Liang Chu knew that he had only temporarily taken over as Grand Secretary for less than a month and was completely incapable of persuading the Emperor on his own, so he had to involve the court officials as well.

The ministers who currently wield the most influence over the emperor are, of course, Yang Yiqing, the Minister of Personnel and the greatest contributor to the elimination of Liu Jin's clique, and Lu Wan, the Minister of War.

"You go to the Ministry of Revenue, and I'll go to the Ministry of War. We must do things systematically. We'll submit a joint petition to His Majesty to grant us an audience," Liang Chu instructed. "Once we have the joint petition, I'll go to the Ministry of Personnel."

Although Liang Chu was far less capable than Yang Tinghe in assisting in governing the country.

But he was very adept at navigating social situations.

Because Yang Yiqing cooperated with the emperor on many matters, and he was very afraid that the emperor's personal expedition was supported by Yang Yiqing, Liang Chu believed that if he wanted to unite with the important officials in the court to change the emperor's mind, he could not expect to talk to Yang Yiqing right away.

If they were to meet Yang Yiqing first, Yang Yiqing would likely not only dampen their spirits but also inform the emperor of the plan before they could even make a decision, thus ruining all their previous efforts.

The imperial edict has already been issued. To reject it now, we must first bring in Wang Qiong, the Minister of Revenue, and Lu Wanyi, the Minister of War, to explain that it is not appropriate for the emperor to personally lead the expedition. After obtaining their joint signature, we should then go to Yang Yiqing and explain the current situation in the court. Finally, we should unite to persuade the emperor.

……

……

Zhu Houzhao was in high spirits. He was determined to take advantage of Tang Yin's prophecy and launch a preemptive strike. He would lead his troops to Zhangjiakou, north of Xuanfu, to wait in ambush and catch the Tatars off guard.

Inside the Leopard Room.

That night, Zhu Houzhao was still making preparations for the expedition, even choosing saddles and other items. His entourage even brought many of his usual belongings.

"Your Majesty! Do you think these are enough?" Jiang Bin showed some items to Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao said, "The Northwest is lacking these things? It feels like we're moving house. We're not taking anything we don't need to. I'm not that fussy. When we're on the battlefield, shouldn't everything be kept simple?"

Jiang Bin smiled and said, "I'm just afraid His Majesty won't adapt well to the Northwest."

"Hmph, if I wanted a peaceful life, I could have stayed in the capital. Why go to the Northwest? If I go, I'll be prepared for a tough battle." Zhu Houzhao said confidently. "I'm fully prepared. It's just a matter of fighting the Tartars, right? I don't believe it! Those Tartars really have three heads and six arms! As long as I make proper arrangements, I can still win a great victory!"

Jiang Bin quickly went over to help Zhu Houzhao tighten his armor.

At this moment, Qian Ning entered through the palace gate with a dark expression and bowed to Zhu Houzhao.

"No need for formalities," Zhu Houzhao said. "Tell me, how are the preparations going? How many men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard can accompany me?"

Qian Ning certainly didn't want the emperor to go to the northwest; for him, maintaining the status quo was in his best interest.

Qian Ning said, "Your Majesty should not be too happy. According to my investigation, some senior officials in the court have joined forces and are preparing to submit a memorial to dissuade Your Majesty. If Your Majesty insists on going to the Northwest, they may kneel down at the palace gate to remonstrate and prevent you from setting off."

"What?" Zhu Houzhao's face instantly turned angry.

Donning his armor, he drew his sword and, as if to swagger, declared, "I'd like to see who dares to defy me!"

Qian Ning, with a long face, acted as if the matter had nothing to do with him, and said, "Isn't it just those two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet? And Minister Liu of the Ministry of Rites and the others..."

Qian Ning didn't mention anyone else first, but instead brought up Liu Chun, the Minister of Rites.

In his view, among the six ministers, only Liu Chun was an easy target. He would have to think twice before offending the others. By placing these people on the opposite side right from the start, it was easy to end up pleasing neither the emperor nor the ministers.

Zhu Houzhao said, "What does my personal command of the expedition have to do with the Ministry of Rites?"

Qian Ning said, "Your Majesty, think about it. Aren't all the things you've done related to etiquette and propriety? Besides, the people in the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy are very close. They're all stubborn mules, sticking to their principles. They all believe that your personal command of the expedition might lead you down the same path as the late Emperor Yingzong!"

"Damn it! How dare they compare themselves like this?" Zhu Houzhao seemed completely unaware that Qian Ning was trying to sow discord, and appeared very angry.

Jiang Bin quickly advised from the side, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter should be investigated further."

Qian Ning glared at him and said, "What do you mean by that? Do you think the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation was inaccurate?"

"That's not what I meant." Jiang Bin quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake when he saw Qian Ning's fierce appearance.

After calming down slightly, Zhu Houzhao said, "If I were to discuss this with them, or even hold a court meeting, would anyone in the court agree to my personally leading the expedition?"

Qian Ning and Jiang Bin both fell silent.

"Zhang Yong, you speak!" Zhu Houzhao glared at Zhang Yong, who had just entered the room.

Zhu Houzhao was also a man who knew how to recognize and utilize talent. He knew that when he was going to war, he would not only have to rely on his several capable and skilled adopted sons, but also bring Zhang Yong, who had helped him quell the rebellion of the Prince of Anhua and the uprising of Liu Liu and Liu Qi, along with him. After all, these people were all practical fighters, not just showy figures.

Zhang Yong stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for you to discuss this further. Even if some people in the court support it, they wouldn't dare to openly support it. In the end, it would only make things worse."

"What should we do then?" Zhu Houzhao looked around at the group.

Zhang Yong added, "The only option is... to leave first and then tell them. We must proceed discreetly, otherwise we might be stopped before we even reach the inner three passes. The guards, perhaps wanting to be loyal ministers, would rather die than open the gates for Your Majesty."