Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

"Isn't Wenying at the Grand Commander's Mansion?"

"He accompanied you on your expedition in the sixteenth year of the Zhizheng era (1356), and began to lead independently in the twenty-second year of the Zhizheng era (1362)."

"If you hadn't assigned him to the imperial clan, Wenying would have been granted the title of Earl in the third year of the Hongwu reign."

Empress Ma mentioned Mu Ying, the adopted son she and Zhu Yuanzhang had raised when he was eight years old.

"Wenying."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up.

At 28, Mu Ying was in the prime of his life, and when it came to leading troops into battle, he was no less capable than the nobles of Huaixi.

"Don't you understand what Fourth Brother means?"

"He's handing all the opportunities to you, his father."

"If you still can't seize this opportunity, then you'll be wasting the golden chance that Lao Si risked his life for."

Empress Ma's tone became much stronger as she gave Zhu Yuanzhang some pointers.

"We're his father, how could we not know?"

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered something under his breath.

"I know you're his father, but I'm still the fourth son's mother."

"You're quite the father, scheming against your own son to the core."

"They forcibly tied the literati of eastern Zhejiang to the fourth brother, placing him on the opposite side of Huaixi."

"Are you so sure the scholars of eastern Zhejiang will support the fourth son?"

"Don't forget, Master Liu has always supported Biao'er. How could the literati of Zhejiang choose to support the Prince of Yan instead of the Crown Prince?"

"By then, the fourth prince will be all alone in the court. Do you want to force him to his death?"

Empress Ma glared at Zhu Yuanzhang. She was not a clueless woman in the inner palace; she could naturally see through Zhu Yuanzhang's scheme.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a chill run down his spine and said weakly, "I have no choice but to let my fourth son take the lead."

"The second and third sons are still studying in the main hall. By the time they rise to prominence, the Ming Dynasty will probably have been hollowed out by the enemy."

"Fu Youde is a sensible man. Once his five thousand elite cavalry reach Karakorum, the fourth brother will at least be able to escape."

"Send Wenying and Tang He to Karakorum and follow the fourth brother's instructions."

Empress Ma stared intently at Zhu Yuanzhang and offered a suggestion.

"Tang He!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flickered, and he hesitated before saying, "Tiande sent a military report saying he was defeated at Duantou Mountain."

"Zhongba, you're so foolish."

Empress Ma launched into a tirade: "Who is Tang He? When you first joined the army, he was already a commander of a thousand men."

"In terms of merit, he is no less than Tiande, and should have been granted the title of Duke in the third year of Hongwu."

"But you just had to grant him the title of Marquis of Zhongshan. Even the head of all the feudal lords is only a marquis."

"Besides Wenying and Bao'er, does our fourth son have any other capable or trustworthy people?"

"Tang He is Zhu Chongba's childhood friend, a close acquaintance since they were young. Would he really harm the fourth prince?"

"The northern desert needs someone to keep things under control. The fourth brother is too young and not mature enough."

"call!"

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a long sigh, his eyes clear, and said, "Wife, I was out of my mind. I'm sorry, old brother."

"We will issue an order immediately, commanding Wenying and Tang He to lead troops to the northern desert."

Empress Ma watched his departing figure, remaining silent for a long time.

................

On the other side, Crown Princess Chang escorted Wang Yuemin, Xu Miaoyun, and Xie Jin out of the palace in turn.

"Why did the Queen want the princess to see them?"

On the carriage in the Qin Prince's mansion, Ulan Tuya asked in confusion.

"The Empress Dowager meant well."

"I really should thank my mother. If it weren't for her, I don't know when I would have been able to meet this female student."

"The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, is truly not to be underestimated."

A chilling glint flashed in Wang Yuemin's beautiful eyes.

Only now did she realize that when Prince Yan, Zhu Di, came to the Prince Qin's residence to see her, all those random things he said were schemes. The innocent and carefree young boy, the prince who had never left the palace—it was all a facade.

"What the princess means is..."

Ulan Tuya's eyes narrowed, her expression one of shock and uncertainty.

"I'm afraid I've harmed my brother."

"The fall of Karakorum was all the work of the Prince of Yan."

Wang Yuemin's face was full of guilt. If she hadn't sent someone to deliver the message to the northern desert, Wang Baobao wouldn't have concentrated his forces to restrain Xu Da, thus giving Zhu Di an opportunity to launch a raid on the northern desert over a thousand miles and capture Karakorum in one fell swoop.

"Princess."

"Should we send a messenger to the Prince?"

Ulan Tuya suggested.

"It's too late."

Wang Yuemin shook his head and said bitterly, "Hara and Karakorum have been lost, and our Great Yuan Dynasty is powerless to save it."

"The Prince of Kaiyuan in Liaodong and the Prince of Qi in Hexi could not continue to respond to their brother and fight against the Ming army."

"Now we can only hope that Xu Da is weak and that my brother can break free from the Ming army in the middle. Otherwise, everything is over."

"Princess."

Ulan Tuya looked at Wang Yuemin's dejected face and felt somewhat at a loss.

"Ulan Tuya".

"Inform Cha Zi that the scout must deliver the message to my brother as soon as possible."

"With Emperor Zhu's great talent and strategic vision, he will surely send troops to surround my brother."

"My brother is the last hope of the Great Yuan Dynasty; we cannot afford to lose him."

Wang Yuemin composed herself and said with a resolute look in her eyes.

"Yes."

Ulan Tuya immediately accepted the order.

Wang Yuemin felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Too much information filled her mind, making it impossible for her to understand why Zhu Di had approached her in the first place, and why he had delivered the message to Wang Baobao's army so conveniently. Did Zhu Di know about the existence of the Scouts?

For a moment, the Northern Yuan princess was in a state of confusion, her mind wandering with wild thoughts.

...............

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.

As soon as Xu Miaoyun returned home, Xu Zengshou and Xu Miaojin came to greet her.

"Big sister."

The two little ones stared intently at Xu Miaoyun.

"Go to the study."

Xu Miaoyun didn't ask Xu Yungong why he wasn't there, and went straight into the study.

After Xu Zengshou and Xu Miaojin entered, the study door was immediately closed, and guards from the Duke of Wei's mansion stood watch outside.

"Big sister."

"Has His Highness the Prince of Yan truly conquered Karakorum and captured the Northern Yuan Emperor?"

Xu Zengshou asked, his eyes gleaming.

"It's true."

Xu Miaoyun nodded slightly, a hint of worry appearing on her beautiful face.

"Big sister."

"Her Majesty the Empress summoned you to the palace today. Has something happened?"

Xu Miaojin, being quick-witted, noticed that Xu Miaoyun's mood was off and asked with concern.

"Besides me, the Princess Consort of Qin and the Princess Consort of Jin also entered the palace today."

"The Crown Princess is also in Kunning Palace."

"brush!"

The two children couldn't help but glance sideways. Empress Ma had summoned so many people at the same time; this was indeed no simple matter.

"The Crown Princess and the Princess of Qin have a grudge against each other. The Crown Princess is indifferent to me as well, but she is quite close to the Princess of Jin. On the contrary, the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü, frequently shows me goodwill."

"None of these women are simple!"

Xu Miaoyun's palms were still sweating as she recalled the incident.

The intrigues and power struggles within the imperial harem are no less intense than the backstabbing and treachery of the imperial court; one never knows where the pitfalls lie.

"So that's how it is!"

Even with their clever little minds, Xu Zengshou and Xu Miaojin managed to sort out these relationships, which shows how complex they are.