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

Empress Dowager Sun had recovered from her shock, but she was also more wary.

In the past, Prince Cheng was always submissive and obedient. Why is he now displaying such regal aura? Even her beloved son pales in comparison. She can't figure out whether Prince Cheng is truly interested in the throne or not.

According to Xing'an's report, Zhu Qiyu was in a panic last night and held a meeting with the officials of the Prince's Palace. Could it be that a meeting changed Zhu Qiyu's temperament so much? Could it be that there are still talented people in the Prince's Palace?

However, he had personally inspected all these officials and found their abilities to be quite ordinary, perhaps due to the influence of the royal bloodline.

Just as Empress Dowager Sun was racking her brains trying to figure it out, Zhu Qiyu's next move almost made her lose her temper.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Yang Shan and asked, "Vice Minister Yang, how many officials are unable to attend court today?"

As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently in charge of the Court of State Ceremonies, Yang Shan was naturally responsible for the roll call duties, and thus had the duty to report them to the emperor.

Yang Shan's expression changed slightly, but he forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, I will know after I have reviewed the register."

Zhu Qiyu nodded.

Empress Dowager Sun's face was ashen behind the curtain. Was she publicly condemning her son's crimes?

However, she couldn't stop it. Since today's event had evolved into a temporary court meeting, checking attendance was a normal procedure and there was nothing wrong with it.

Yang Shan held the register, swallowed hard, and announced loudly: "Those who are absent are: Duke of Yingguo Zhang Fu, Duke of Chengguo Zhu Yong, Marquis of Taining Chen Ying, Minister of War Kuang Ye, Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, and Grand Secretary Cao Nai..."

The hall was silent. Each name struck the hearts of the court officials like a heavy hammer. Some officials shed tears quietly, while others were filled with indignation and their expressions were full of resentment.

What a shame!

Empress Dowager Sun, behind the curtain, was so angry that her chest heaved. To her, this was a blatant humiliation, all caused by her beloved son.

Empress Dowager Sun naturally wouldn't blame Zhu Qizhen, but instead looked at Zhu Qiyu through the curtain.

This Prince Cheng is truly despicable!

She was about to summon her trusted eunuch, Li Yongchang, to stop her.

Seeing that his ministers were on the verge of exploding, Zhu Qiyu, seated at the head of the table, knew the time was ripe. He slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet, feigning anger, and shouted, "I asked you to inform me of the number of absentees. How long will you keep nagging like this? What are your intentions?"

The officials relaxed slightly, but Yang Shan was startled. In the past, the reporting of numbers meant reporting names one by one so that punishments could be imposed. This was the rule, and he had not done anything wrong.

Yang Shan had no choice but to report back, "Your Highness, eighty-one people were absent. Of these, sixty-six were absent without cause, two were absent with cause, and thirteen requested leave."

Hearing these shocking figures, Zhu Qiyu's face turned extremely ugly, the faces of the court officials turned even uglier, and Empress Dowager Sun felt dizzy and almost fainted.

All sixty-six people were important ministers and pillars of the state.

According to the existing reports, these people were most likely sent to see Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong by Zhu Qizhen. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they were probably staying in the enemy camp and would not be able to return for a while. Meanwhile, the instigator still shamelessly lived on.

The two who failed to appear were, of course, officials who had escaped by sheer luck, but are now in prison awaiting trial.

Of the remaining thirteen people, apart from a few who were genuinely on sick leave, the rest are probably not any good either, and are probably busy moving.

Zhu Qiyu calmed down and decided to strike while the iron was hot, taking advantage of the high level of dislike among the officials for Empress Dowager Sun and her son Zhu Qizhen.

He then raised a crucial point, saying, "The vacancies in the cabinet and the heads of the six ministries should not be left unfilled for long."

Wang Zhi nodded upon hearing this, agreeing that this was the correct reasoning.

Nearly a third of the key officials were missing in this battle, and the operation of various departments was already in trouble. Personnel arrangements were not in place, so how to defend the capital and how to reach the Oirat forces heading south were uncertain.

He was about to ask Zhu Qiyu whether he wanted to conduct a court recommendation for the official in charge when Zhu Qiyu then said, "Yu Qian, the Vice Minister of War, will be reassigned as the Minister of War."

Wang Zhi was taken aback. High-ranking officials in the court were generally recommended by the court, but there were also special appointments. At this time, Zhu Qiyu exercised the power of special appointment.

The air seemed to freeze upon hearing this.

Zhu Qiyu was also gambling at this moment. He had just vowed to obey his orders, and now his chance had come.

Whether it's genuine obedience or feigned obedience, we'll find out soon enough.

If everyone can accept the royal decree, then all will be well, and everyone can work together to protect the capital, and no one will be able to betray anyone else.

If he didn't accept the offer and went back on his word, Zhu Qiyu was determined to quit and leave, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

The ministers stared blankly at the expressionless Prince Cheng, secretly amazed. It was truly a brilliant tactic.

The fact that Zhu Qiyu made such a special appointment immediately after assuming the regency was truly unexpected by all the officials and Empress Dowager Sun. Zhu Qiyu did not even ask for permission.

Yu Qian was sweating profusely. This was like putting him on a hot plate. If he agreed, he would be throwing Empress Dowager Sun aside.

Although it is a consensus among the officials that the Empress Dowager should not interfere in politics, such a public act could easily backfire if not handled carefully.

Yu Qian glanced at Zhu Qiyu, recalling Zhu Qiyu's heroic demeanor just now, and made a decision in his heart.

When the nation is in peril, who else but me? Why should I care about praise or blame? As long as I can save the Ming Dynasty, why should I care about my posthumous reputation?

Yu Qian stepped forward and gladly accepted the order, saying, "Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Qiyu felt relieved. This man was good at planning for the country, but not for planning for himself. He had indeed not misjudged him.

Upon hearing Yu Qian's agreement, the suffocating atmosphere among the officials eased considerably. However, some loyal ministers of Zhu Qizhen looked rather grim.

Zhu Qiyu pressed on, saying, "Chen Xun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, will be reassigned as the Minister of Revenue, while still serving as a Hanlin Academy Academician, and will be in charge of cabinet affairs."

Chen Xun was secretly delighted. Becoming a minister and the Grand Secretary would greatly increase his power, so how could he refuse?

With Yu Qian taking the lead, Chen Xun accepted the task with almost no pressure.

"Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at Gao Gu, the Minister of Works, who was rushing back to the capital, and said, "Minister Gao will also serve as a Hanlin Academy Academician and assist in the affairs of the Cabinet."

Gao Gu, his expression neither sad nor happy, replied, "Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at Wang Zhi and said, "Summon Jin Lian, Minister of Justice; Wang Wen, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate; and Zhou Chen, Vice Minister of Works, back to the capital immediately."

Wang Zhi glanced at Zhu Qiyu meaningfully, and at this moment he couldn't help but think more highly of Zhu Qiyu, at least in terms of personnel arrangements, he was quite skillful.

Both of these men were high-ranking officials with both literary and military talents, and were well-versed in military affairs. The purpose of summoning them back to the capital was self-evident: they could not only take on departmental duties, but also provide valuable advice on defending the capital, thus stabilizing public sentiment.

"Shang Lu and Peng Shi, both compilers of the Hanlin Academy, are also promoted to the cabinet (Note 1) to participate in state affairs!"

"We obey your command!"

Shang Lu and Peng Shi were startled; this was a golden opportunity.

Shang Lu, the top scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three categories, has finally reached the pinnacle of his career and taken another step forward. However, Peng Shi, who was the top scholar last year, is able to join the aircraft maintenance team so quickly, which is truly enviable.

"The remaining key positions will be filled by the Ministry of Personnel, who will determine the vacancies. The heads of the various ministers and the Censor-in-Chief will then recommend candidates, who will be submitted to Minister Wang for selection. The list will be presented afterward. This matter should be handled promptly!"

"Your subject obeys the order!" Wang Zhi accepted the command.

I will naturally arrange some vice ministers among the six ministries, since my two chief clerks are qualified in terms of official rank.

However, this matter cannot be mentioned at this moment, otherwise the favoritism would be too obvious and invite criticism. At least for now, Zhu Qiyu's actions are for the sake of the overall situation.

This move was absolutely impeccable, and Empress Dowager Sun behind the curtain was furious.

Despite Li Yongchang's repeated requests for instructions, he still did not speak out to stop it, because Zhu Qiyu had not overstepped his authority. If he spoke out to stop it, it would be tantamount to going against the court officials, and the edict would no longer be valid.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Sun could only swallow her anger. As long as her son could return, everything Zhu Qiyu had done would be in vain.

Zhu Qiyu hadn't expected this to be accomplished so smoothly. He knew he was no match for fighting, but he was confident he could oversee the country.

Personnel matters are politics; if you manage personnel matters well, things become much simpler.