Ming Dynasty: I, Zhu Yunwen, started by resurrecting my grandmother.

morning.

Kunning Palace.

Empress Ma was lost in thought.

In any case, the fact that Old Zhu came back to life made Empress Ma happy.

However, so many things have happened in the court recently. Zhu Su has been deposed, and Zhu Di has launched a new attack. The uncle and nephew are also vying for the throne.

These two men, one her son and the other her grandson, caused Empress Ma great distress.

Whenever she thinks about this, she feels that Lao Zhu didn't think things through properly back then, and in the end, Lao Zhu is the culprit.

A maidservant announced to her, "His Majesty has arrived."

Empress Ma thought to herself, "I just had something to discuss with you, but you've come of your own accord." She replied, "Then let him in."

"promise!"

The maidservant agreed and turned to leave. A short while later, Zhu Yunwen entered and knelt on the ground: "Grandson greets Grandmother!"

Empress Ma looked down at him: "Get up!"

"promise!"

Zhu Yunwen stood up and stood aside.

Empress Ma looked at him and nodded. In any case, this grandson did a good job of putting on a show. He would come to pay his respects to her every day, asking about her well-being and showing concern for her.

"Grandmother, it's almost June, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Are you getting used to living here?" Zhu Yunwen asked with concern.

"It's alright! This palace is a bit too extravagantly built, so tall and luxurious, but it's warm in winter and cool in summer, so it's quite comfortable to live in."

"If you feel uncomfortable living here, your grandson can have a summer resort built for you, just for you to escape the summer heat!" Zhu Yunwen's words were quite sincere.

Empress Ma waved her hand: "No need. Our Ming Dynasty has not been established for long. Everything is in need of rebuilding. We need to spend money everywhere, so let's save it."

"Yunwen, your grandmother has something to ask you."

"Grandmother, please speak. Your grandson is all ears."

"I heard you released Zhu Yunwen from prison, is that true?"

"Yes."

Empress Ma further inquired, "I also heard that you sent him to fight the pirates with Chang Yuchun. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "My grandmother is in the Kunning Palace, yet she knows everything about the affairs of the court."

"Yes, that's true," Zhu Yunwen replied truthfully.

Empress Ma looked sharply at Zhu Yunwen and asked, "Then, your grandmother wants to ask you, how many troops did you give Yunwen?"

"This—," Zhu Yunwen's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He wondered what his grandmother meant by asking this question. Did she have a problem with his troop deployment?

Zhu Yunwen had no choice but to tell the truth: "I gave him 1000 soldiers, plus 500 men from Chang Yuchun."

"Oh, I see. So, how many pirates did Chen Zuyi and his son Chen Shiliang have?"

This is a rather pointed question.

"There are tens of thousands of troops!"

"You even know that the pirates have tens of thousands of men, yet you sent Zhu Yunwen with only 1000 men to deal with tens of thousands of pirates. Do you think that's appropriate?" Empress Ma said, her face ashen.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "It seems that my grandmother is indeed biased towards me."

He forced himself to say, "Grandmother, it's not that I don't want to give him troops, it's just that I really can't spare any more men."

"Troops must be deployed to defend every part of the capital, inside and out."

Empress Ma's face darkened upon hearing this: "That's not right. As far as I know, when your grandfather passed away, he left 40 troops for his son-in-law, Mei Yin. How can you say there were no troops?"

"This—." Zhu Yunwen choked, his expression stiffening.

He thought to himself that his grandmother was not confused at all and could not be fooled.

"Grandmother, indeed, Grandfather left me an army of 40, but after I ascended the throne, I have already redeployed them and broken them up into smaller units."

Now there are only tens of thousands of troops left in and around the capital.

Now that you're back, we have to ensure your safety.

"Aren't there the Imperial Guards? With them protecting the palace, isn't that enough?" Empress Ma said dismissively.

"Alright, Grandma doesn't mean to blame you for this. You may have your own plans and ideas, but Grandma still wants to remind you that you brothers should get along well."

If Yun Tong and Chang Yuchun can really bring Chen Zuyi and his son Chen Shiliang to justice, wouldn't that be a good thing?

Doesn't this save you trouble?

On the other hand, if you really kill Yunhuo, who will fight the pirates for you?

Zhu Yunwen lowered his head and remained silent.

"Grandmother, I also heard that Zhu Gaochi ordered Zhu Gaosui to lead troops from the Yanjin Ferry on the Yellow River to support Zhu Yunwen in attacking the pirates. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"So, has Zhang Xin already betrayed the court?" Empress Ma asked pointedly.

Empress Ma's words were like a sharp knife, piercing Zhu Yunwen's heart!

Zhu Yunwen's heart skipped a beat: "Grandmother, you knew about all this?"

Empress Ma sighed deeply: "Regarding Zhang Xin, it seems Huang Zicheng already told you about it back then."

He once said that you made three mistakes, one of which was Zhang Xin's appointment as the commander of the Beiping Military Command.

Throughout history, recognizing and employing the right people has always been of paramount importance. If you employ the right people, you can rest easy.

For example, loyal ministers like Yi Yin and Huo Guang, or people like Zhuge Liang.

However, if the wrong people are employed, there is a danger of overthrowing the court.

Weren't Wang Mang and Dong Zhuo like that in history?

Zhang Xin was a morally questionable person; he embezzled money.

When Zhu Di learned of this, he wanted to sentence him to death, but he was saved by the Princess of Yan. How could such a greedy person be loyal?

I heard that he was not only greedy for money, but also lecherous. Someone gave him Hongyu, a girl from Heming Tower, and he was so moved that he was indifferent to the situation.

He then devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving Zhu Di.

Don't you think this move you made was too risky?

Zhu Yunwen remained silent.

"Furthermore, you stripped Zhu Su of his fiefdom. Zhu Su has committed many wrongdoings, so there's nothing wrong with stripping him of his fiefdom."

But did you handle the relationship between him and Zhu Di properly?

Have you ever considered the shock this event will cause to the imperial court?

Your reduction of Zhu Su's fiefdom not only represents his personal interests, but will also have a significant impact on other vassal kings.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen finally believed that people said Empress Ma was a person of political wisdom; it seemed that this was indeed true.

Although she was in Kunning Palace, she had a clear understanding of the situation both inside and outside the court.

It seems that my grandmother has some reservations about my adopting the Zhou king's system of vassal states.

Empress Ma then asked, "How do you plan to deal with Zhu Gaochi's army?"

"Your grandson has already sent the veteran generals Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying to meet the enemy." Zhu Yunwen did not hide the truth.

"So, you're saying you and your fourth uncle are going to war? Are you confident you can defeat him?"

Zhu Yunwen wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "Grandmother, I don't want to fight with my fourth uncle either, but since he has already led his army to attack, I can't escape even if I want to."

"Can you two please stop fighting? Do you know how your grandmother feels when you start a war with your fourth uncle?" Empress Ma said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

"Grandson knows you don't want me and Fourth Uncle to fight, but things have come to this, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Moreover, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying have already led their troops out.

Ma Xiuying sneered: "Don't you take your grandmother's words to heart at all?"

Zhu Yunwen could already sense that Empress Ma was getting a little angry.

He quickly explained, "Grandmother, it's not that I'm not listening to you, but this matter cannot be changed."

The actions of Zhu Di and his son Zhu Gaochi suggest they were plotting a rebellion. According to the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," the court could not tolerate any rebellion, regardless of who it was.

"What you say makes sense." At this moment, Empress Ma took out the imperial edict written by Emperor Zhu and handed it to Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen took the document and examined it, then turned pale with shock.

Because he recognized Old Zhu's handwriting, and besides, it had the official seal on it.

The letter essentially said, "Yunwen, you cannot go to war with your fourth uncle. You cannot defeat him. You must find a way to resolve your conflict peacefully. Remember this!"

Zhu Yunwen's heart leaped into his throat.

He asked in alarm, "Grandmother, does this mean Grandfather hasn't passed away?"

What he was worried about was that if his grandfather came back to life, wouldn't he have to abdicate?

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's flustered expression, Empress Ma asked gently, "Did you see what was written on it?"

"Grandson, look carefully."

"So, how do you plan to handle this?"

"I will certainly obey my grandfather's decree."

Empress Ma paced back and forth in the hall with her hands placed in front of her abdomen. Looking outside, she slowly said, "Since ancient times, when brothers are not on good terms, outsiders will bully them."

Your relationship with Zhu Di is similar to that between Xiang Yu and Xiang Liang back then. Xiang Liang was the son of Xiang Yan, a general of the Chu state.

After Xiang Yu's father died, Xiang Yu followed Xiang Liang, who treated him like his own son and carefully nurtured him.

Xiang Liang supported Xiong Xin as King Huai of Chu, intending to cultivate Xiang Yu's prestige and power within the army.

Later, Xiang Liang was killed in the battle of Dingtao and Zhang Han because he was too arrogant.

From then on, the 8000 soldiers came under Xiang Yu's command.

Xiang Yu lived up to expectations and became the most powerful general under King Huai of Chu.

King Huai of Chu sent Song Yi and Xiang Yu together north to rescue Zhao.

Due to the heavy rain, Song Yi, fearing the might of the Qin army, hesitated to advance.

Enraged, Xiang Yu killed Song Yi and declared himself Supreme General.

He fought a decisive battle, which established his prestige among the feudal lords.

After years of fighting, Xiang Yu finally became the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

Think about it, if Xiang Yu hadn't had Xiang Liang's support, could he have become the Hegemon-King of Western Chu?

This can be considered a model of harmonious relations between uncle and nephew.

You and Zhu Di are also uncle and nephew. Shouldn't you learn from Xiang Yu?

Hearing what Empress Ma said, Zhu Yunwen was filled with mixed feelings. He thought to himself, even if I treat Zhu Di as my uncle, Zhu Di might not treat me as his nephew.

Grandmother hoped that her relationship with Zhu Di could be like that of Xiang Yu and Xiang Liang, but that was probably impossible in this lifetime.

Zhu Yunwen held his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, in both immense respect and fear, after all, it was Zhu Yuanzhang who had bestowed upon him the throne.

If Old Zhu were to come back to life, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to destroy it.

Zhu Yunwen had no idea how he got back to his study. He reached out and found that all his clothes were gone.

He found the whole thing too strange, because he was certain that the imperial edict was written by Zhu Yuanzhang.

But how can this be when the Emperor has already passed away?

If my grandfather were to come back to life, then the Ming Dynasty would seem to have nothing to do with me anymore.

He quickly ordered someone to bring Qi Tai over to discuss countermeasures.

Before long, Qi Tai arrived in a hurry.

After paying his respects, Qi Tai asked, "Your Majesty, what has happened that you summoned me in such a hurry?"

Zhu Yunwen slumped in his wheelchair and handed him the imperial decree from his father, Zhu.

Qi Tai opened it and was greatly surprised: "Your Majesty, this is the late Emperor's handwriting!"

"yes!"

"But how is that possible? The late emperor has already passed away, and all the civil and military officials know about it." Qi Tai also looked bewildered.

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "I don't know what's going on either. Too many strange things have happened recently."

First, my grandmother came back to life, then Chang Yuchun, then Lady Chang, and now it seems that my grandfather has also come back to life.

What's the point of me sitting on this throne?

"Perhaps I should abdicate this throne."

Qi Tai stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. Even if the late emperor comes back to life, he will not take your throne."

How old is he?

Sooner or later, he will hand over the throne to you. Now that it has been handed over to you, how could he possibly take it back so easily?

You don't need to think about that much.

Zhu Yunwen felt much relieved after hearing what he said.

Zhu Yunwen straightened his posture and asked, "Are you saying that Grandfather won't compete with me for the throne?"

"Your Majesty, you can rest assured, he won't do that."

He will not only not usurp your throne, but he will also uphold your authority.

Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment and said, "My grandfather and grandmother naturally do not want me to fight with Zhu Di. I completely understand their feelings."

However, I have already dispatched Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying; can I possibly change my mind so easily?

Qi Tai shook his head: "Although His Majesty has sent them out, his instructions to them were to take appropriate measures according to the situation, not to start a war with Zhu Gaochi and his men as soon as they arrived."

In my humble opinion,

Now that Zhu Yunwen has returned, why not let him handle this matter?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's eyes lit up: "You mean to send Zhu Yunwen to the Yanjin Ferry on the Yellow River?"

"yes."

"But how can they spare the time while they are fighting pirates in Suzhou?" Zhu Yunwen felt a bit troubled.

"Isn't Chang Yuchun there?"

If Zhu Yunwen can handle this matter smoothly, then sending him to Suzhou will not be too late!