Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Chapter 100: Take them down, and tell everyone in the imperial prison.

In Renshou Palace, Empress Dowager Sun was somewhat unsettled.

After Zhu Qiyu sent out his envoy, nothing more was said, and the two sides immediately went to war. However, her son was still in Esen's camp, so she couldn't help but worry.

The key issue is that she is now out of touch with the outside world. After Zhu Qiyu's two purges in the palace, it is extremely difficult for her to know what is happening outside the palace.

In desperation, she was about to summon Zhu Qiyu to ask him a question when her personal eunuch, Li Yongchang, returned.

Empress Dowager Sun anxiously asked, "How is Yongchang?"

Li Yongchang's face showed neither joy nor sorrow as he said, "Empress Dowager, our Great Ming has won a great victory. I have heard that the Oirat Mongols have lost 20,000 soldiers and are severely weakened."

Empress Dowager Sun let out a long sigh of relief, then seemed to remember something, her brows furrowing as she hurriedly asked, "Is there any news from the Emperor?"

In Empress Dowager Sun's view, Esen had suffered a defeat, and if Zhu Qizhen were in the army, there was a high possibility that he would be accidentally injured. Alternatively, Esen might take his anger out on Zhu Qizhen because of the defeat. No matter what the outcome, Zhu Qizhen would not be happy.

Li Yongchang naturally understood who the emperor Empress Dowager was referring to. He shook his head and said, "There is no news of the retired emperor yet, but he is presumably well! If the Empress Dowager is worried, she may send another envoy."

Empress Dowager Sun sighed. Now that Zhu Qiyu had won a great victory and was poised to become emperor, her imperial decree might not be effective.

"I fear the emperor will not allow it; with martial law now in effect at the nine gates, it's impossible to leave without orders!"

"It is only natural for a mother to see her son, and given the Empress Dowager's noble status, His Majesty should not object. In my humble opinion, we should send the eldest master and his entourage instead." Li Yongchang offered this suggestion to Empress Dowager Sun. The "eldest master" he referred to was naturally Sun Jizong, Empress Dowager Sun's elder brother!

Empress Dowager Sun nodded. Sending a member of her own family might allow them to meet Zhu Qizhen, and it would also prevent them from being deceived. The last time she was sent on a mission, she used officials like Wang Zhan, who had all killed their sons' close advisors. She didn't believe a word of what they said.

"In that case, I will speak to the Emperor and ask him to have my brother volunteer for the mission. It would be best if the court officials knew about it, to create a strong impression!"

Empress Dowager Sun had made up her mind that if Zhu Qiyu refused, she would have her court officials use the greater good to coerce him, saying that as long as her brother was allowed to leave the city, everything would be fine.

"Yes!" Li Yongchang nodded, hesitated for a moment, then whispered a few words to Empress Dowager Sun, mentioning another way to see Zhu Qizhen.

Empress Dowager Sun was startled upon hearing this and asked, "Is this true?"

Li Yongchang replied confidently, "This servant has been in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration for a long time. Even if His Majesty wanted to clean up the Imperial Horse Administration, it wouldn't be able to be done in a short time. This time, it was Minister Yu who ordered Hao Yi to select people to be stationed at Zhangyi Gate, and most of my men are among them. After tomorrow, we just need to act according to the situation, and someone will surely find an opportunity to go to the Oirat camp to see the Emperor Emeritus."

"However, I think that if we could go through the pressure from the court, we wouldn't need to use these undercover agents. Now, His Majesty has almost complete control over the palace and the outside world, and my actions are hindered at every turn."

Li Yongchang had another concern that he did not tell Empress Dowager Sun, but perhaps the two already understood each other without saying a word.

Once the matter is exposed, Li Yongchang will not be able to escape unless Zhu Qizhen can return to the capital in time, in which case his life can be saved. Because everything is for the sake of welcoming back Zhu Qizhen, to occupy the moral high ground, and with the merit of welcoming back Zhu Qizhen, any crime can be offset, and even the emperor will have to promote him and reward him.

After much deliberation, Empress Dowager Sun made her decision and said, "Prepare both options and do as instructed!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll take care of it right away!"

Zhu Qiyu had just returned to the inner palace and had not yet had a chance to speak with Empress Dowager Wu and Wang Lingshu when he heard that Empress Dowager Sun of Renshou Palace had invited him.

Zhu Qiyu refused without hesitation, citing "it's getting late," and could refuse again the next day on the grounds of "needing to supervise the battle."

Zhu Qiyu knew perfectly well what Empress Dowager Sun's purpose was in sending him to Renshou Palace. It must have been related to her son, and she might be planning to bring back Zhu Qizhen again, using the concept of righteousness to blackmail him.

At this moment, Zhu Qiyu had no time to argue with Empress Dowager Sun. His immediate priority was to defeat Esen, and it would be best if he could also kill Zhu Qizhen.

If Zhu Qizhen is resilient, Esen will take him away. Once Zhu Qizhen leaves the capital region and goes to see Empress Dowager Sun, she will have no choice but to comply.

However, to Zhu Qiyu's surprise, during the court assembly the next day, while they were discussing whether to requisition supplies from the people of the capital a second time, another official stepped forward to request that Zhu Qizhen be brought back.

The reason given was that the Oirat Mongols had just suffered a defeat, and the Ming Dynasty had already dampened Esen's spirit. Esen's confidence was shaken, and he knew that the capital was not easy to capture, so he must have the idea of ​​negotiating peace.

If peace talks can be reached, Esen is willing to send back the retired emperor. Your Majesty can bestow rewards upon him and allow Esen to return to the grasslands. The Ming Dynasty can be spared from war, and both sides will be happy.

When Wang Wen saw that it was an imperial censor from his own Censorate who came to make the request, his face darkened. If Zhu Qiyu thought that he had ordered it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wang Wen immediately replied, "Your Majesty, we cannot negotiate at this time. Our Great Ming has just won a victory, and our morale is high. If we turn to negotiations now, we risk disappointing the soldiers who went there. They are ready to fight to the death. The court cannot humbly negotiate!"

"Your Majesty, we second that! We must not negotiate now!" Wang Zhi and the others echoed in agreement.

After witnessing Zhu Qiyu and others' strategic plans yesterday, Wang Zhi and the others had unprecedented confidence in Zhu Qiyu as their ruler, believing that defeating Esen was only a matter of time.

If it weren't for the greater good and the need to silence the people, none of them would want to mention Emperor Zhu Qizhen, the retired emperor. Would they wait for Zhu Qizhen to return and then label these important officials as traitors and rebels?

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Emperor Emeritus is right here in the capital. For court officials to disregard the Emperor Emeritus in this way is not in accordance with the duty between ruler and subject, nor with the principles of human ethics. I am willing to go to the enemy camp alone to persuade Esen to release the prisoners, and let fate decide their fate!" Just as many censors were preparing to back down, Sun Jizong, who had come to court today, hurriedly stepped forward to make his request, appearing righteous and awe-inspiring.

Zhu Qiyu glanced coldly at Sun Jizong. These two siblings were quite interesting. One was causing trouble inside the palace, while the other was exerting pressure outside. It had to be said that this tactic was always effective.

Seeing Sun Jizong step forward, many censors instantly gained confidence and knelt down together to remonstrate.

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Xing'an and Cheng Jing, signaling them to remember these censors. After this battle, it would be time to clean up the court.

Zhu Qiyu had already made up his mind, and it wouldn't hurt to let Sun Jizong leave.

If Sun Jizong can come back, then he has the ability. He should die the same way as Yue Qian.

Wang Wen's mind raced, and he spoke again: "Your Majesty, even if it is to negotiate peace, it can only be Esen who sends someone to sue for peace. Our Great Ming Dynasty is the Heavenly Kingdom, and we have just won a great victory over the Oirats. Just because the Emperor Emeritus is in the hands of the Oirats, should we ruin this great situation and disregard the fate of our country? Moreover, Esen has no intention of seeking peace. When Wang Hong was sent as an envoy before, Esen asked Your Majesty to accept the surrender. Such arrogant words are simply outrageous."

"Perhaps Wang Hong has misrepresented Esen's words and misinterpreted Esen's intention to negotiate. Your Majesty, I will go to the enemy camp and ask him directly!" Sun Jizong knew that the sword had already been drawn, and there was no turning back.

Zhu Qiyu sneered; Sun Jizong was already courting death!

Just as Zhu Qiyu was about to agree, an urgent report arrived!

"Your Majesty, Esen, along with the Retired Emperor, attacked Zhangyi Gate, and the Retired Emperor's dragon banner was raised in the Oirat camp!"

"What?"

The hall erupted in an uproar.

"This is what you call peace talks? I see you are colluding with yourselves, deliberately sowing discord in the army to cause the defeat of our Great Ming! Such wolfish ambitions are unforgivable!" Zhu Qiyu rose angrily and ordered, "Guards, all those who knelt and remonstrated today, throw them all into the imperial prison!"

"Your Majesty, we are wronged! We only acted out of loyalty to the emperor and his subjects, hoping to save the Ming Dynasty from war. We beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

The imperial censors were also in a panic, secretly lamenting their terrible luck in having such a retired emperor.

"Whether you're innocent or not, go to the imperial prison and say it. Stop making noise, arrest him!"

Sun Jizong felt a wave of sorrow wash over him. Why was the Emperor Emeritus so useless, coming of all times? This was his way of putting him to death. It was his fate, so he did not resist and allowed the Imperial Guards to take him away.

"The court officials shall each perform their duties. Marquis Ningyang and Vice Minister Li shall accompany me to the southern city to oversee the battle!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Wang Zhi and Hu Dan exchanged a glance and went ahead uninvited!

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