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

Empress Dowager Sun then carefully examined the group of officials. Their eyes were bloodshot, which was quite frightening, and she felt a sudden sense of panic.

Zhu Qiyu was right when he said that all his ministers were working to protect the Ming Dynasty.

Is her husband's empire more important, or her son?

Empress Dowager Sun was also confused at this moment.

After a short while, she came to her senses and made up her mind that she must save her son no matter what!

"I retract my previous statement." Empress Dowager Sun chose to be tolerant. Seeing that the expressions of the ministers had eased slightly, she continued, "The reason I summoned you all here today is to send another capable envoy to the Oirat to persuade Esen, following the example of Su Qin and Zhang Yi. Perhaps it will be successful."

Wang Zhi, worried that Chen Yi would cause more trouble, preemptively asked, "Wouldn't this be a bit too frequent? The envoy may not have even arrived at the Oirat camp yet."

They set off according to their pace, carrying their valuables, and were still on their way.

This time, there's no way to expedite the trip to the Oirat camp.

Chen Xun then chimed in, "Your Majesty, such frequent demands might incur the contempt of the Oirats. What if they make excessive demands?"

The ministers wholeheartedly agreed with this statement: the more anxious you are, the less likely the other side will release you; on the contrary, your bargaining power will increase day by day.

Empress Dowager Sun was well aware of this principle, but in her haste, she worried that the court officials would obstruct her, so she directly sent a group of rough men to deliver money to the Oirat Mongols.

That day, it was only after being reminded by Jin Ying and others that I realized I had done something foolish.

"The previous selection of envoys was ineffective, so this time we need to send an important minister. It's not to deliver money to the Oirat, but because the north is bitterly cold, and we need to provide the emperor with some clothing."

The ministers sneered inwardly but did not respond. Sending clothes was a good excuse, but what had he been doing before? He had acted on his own without consulting the court officials.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of her ministers, Empress Dowager Sun felt extremely embarrassed, as she could not possibly admit her mistake in person.

We have already admitted our mistake once. If we admit it again, where will the Empress Dowager's dignity be? Where will the royal family's face be?

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Xing'an and thought to himself that this man could be put to good use at this moment.

He had no objection to Empress Dowager Sun's decision to send another envoy.

Even if you send a god, Esen will not release the people if you cannot defeat him.

In Esen's eyes, the Ming emperor was worth at least half of the country. Esen tried his best to create panic in the Ming Dynasty, simply to make the Ming Dynasty abandon the north and move south directly.

In this way, he could "reclaim" Dadu and restore the former glory of the Yuan Dynasty without losing a single soldier.

Esen's objective has not yet been achieved. To expect him to release the prisoners with just a few words is simply wishful thinking on Esen's part.

Esen would only release people if the emperor was of no value or even a burden.

To appease the troublesome Empress Dowager Sun, Zhu Qiyu readily agreed, saying, "Empress Dowager, I believe this is a feasible plan. May I ask who you wish to send?"

When the ministers heard that Zhu Qiyu had agreed, they were shocked. Going to the Oirat Mongols was not a good job.

Empress Dowager Sun looked at Zhu Qiyu and finally found him somewhat pleasing to the eye. She said, "Yang Shan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Ji Duo, the Commander-in-Chief, will serve as the chief and deputy envoys, respectively, and go to the Oirat camp to meet the Emperor."

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Empress Dowager Sun in surprise; her eye for talent was truly exceptional.

Historically, Yang Shan played a crucial role in welcoming back Zhu Qizhen. However, by then Zhu Qizhen was no longer of much value, and Esen also wanted to get rid of this big trouble, so they quickly reached an agreement.

Ji Duo once served in the Court of State Ceremonial. He was a linguistic genius, had extensive diplomatic experience, and was also knowledgeable in military affairs. He could be described as a man of both literary and military talents.

It seems that Empress Dowager Sun really put in a lot of effort in this regard and has quite a bit of skill.

However, Zhu Qizhen was still a valuable asset in the hands of the Oirat Mongols, so it was inevitable that Yang Shan would run into obstacles.

When Yang Shan heard that Empress Dowager Sun had named him, he almost cursed. Wasn't this sending him to his death?

Zhu Qiyu responded, "Your subject has no objection!"

Empress Dowager Sun said, "Then let the Grand Secretariat draft the decree. Minister Yang will have to do this trouble!"

"Your subject obeys!" Yang Shan's face was almost liver-colored, perhaps due to staying up late recently.

Yang Shan left the Wenhua Hall, somewhat distraught, now he had to go back and settle his affairs.

If we were to transport several cartloads of gold and silver, that would be better; for now, we'll just send some clothes over.

If he were to anger Esen, he might chop him in half with a single blow, which would be an undeserved disaster. At present, this possibility is extremely high.

Yang Shan recalled his ten years of hard study and many years in officialdom before he finally climbed to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the next step would have been to reach the pinnacle of officialdom.

The thought of his uncertain fate on this journey brought tears to his eyes. Seemingly not wanting his colleagues to see his disheveled state, he covered his face with his sleeve and hurried away.

As the ministers watched Yang Shan's retreating figure, they sighed inexplicably, their spirits noticeably dampened as they recalled what had just happened.

One can't help but wonder, is such a royal family truly worth the sacrifice of so many people to serve?

Now, Empress Dowager Sun is blaming the court officials for ignoring the emperor.

Before the great war, the emperor and the empress dowager ignored the earnest advice of their court officials and insisted on hastily starting the war.

This is a case of summoning someone at will and dismissing them at will. They show absolutely no respect for court officials; it's utterly shameless.

Zhu Qiyu stayed in the Wenhua Hall for a while without leaving, as if waiting for Empress Dowager Sun's instructions.

Fortunately, this time Empress Dowager Sun was much more astute and dared not reprimand Zhu Qiyu alone again.

He simply said, "Your imperial brother is the most important person to you," and then left with Li Yongchang and a few palace servants.

Zhu Qiyu left the Wenhua Hall and saw the officials whispering among themselves as they left, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Gentlemen, wait! Wait!"

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's voice, Wang Zhi and the others hurriedly turned around and bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness!"

Zhu Qiyu stepped forward, supporting Wang Zhi with one hand and Hu Ying with the other, and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, I have heard that when Minister Yu was young, he wrote 'Ode to Limestone' to express his aspirations: 'It is carved from the deep mountains by a thousand hammers and chisels, and burned by fierce fire as if it were nothing. It fears not being ground to powder, but only to leave its purity in the world.' I often read it and am deeply moved by it."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian's eyes reddened again. Looking at Zhu Qiyu, a strange emotion welled up in his heart, the joy of encountering a wise ruler filling his entire body.

Knowing that Zhu Qiyu was about to deliver another message, the ministers' gazes became more focused, all turning to Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qiyu paused, then raised his voice several notches and said, "Gentlemen, I also have two lines of poetry to offer you: 'If it benefits the country, I will risk my life; how can I avoid it because of personal gain or loss?' I will always remember your achievements, and history will record them. You are loyal ministers of our Great Ming Dynasty, and virtuous ministers of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"This is not the time for despair. Our Great Ming will ultimately triumph. Gentlemen, let us join hands to assist the Emperor and restore a golden age to our people. What do you say?"

The ministers were truly moved at this moment!

Even a seasoned veteran, accustomed to the deceit and treachery of officialdom, felt his heart burning with emotion at Zhu Qiyu's sincere words.

If it had been the Prince of Cheng in that position a little over a month ago, perhaps the Ming Dynasty would not have suffered this calamity.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

The officials immediately straightened their clothes and solemnly bowed.

Shang Lu and Peng Shi, both from the cabinet, were young and very agile. They were the first to bow down and show great ambition.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Qiyu took two steps back and solemnly bowed to the assembled officials in return.

"Gentlemen, the affairs of the nation are in dire straits; I entrust everything to you!"

"Your subject obeys the order."

"The situation remains chaotic. Gentlemen, please return to your offices and perform your duties. A court assembly must be held early tomorrow morning to pool our wisdom and efforts to safeguard our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Here you go!"

After the ministers responded, he turned and left, his steps seemingly lighter than usual.