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

Wenhua Hall.

The eunuch Jin Ying originally intended to report to Empress Dowager Sun, but was stopped by Zhu Qiyu.

If Jin Ying, that lackey, reveals the truth and Empress Dowager Sun dares not come, then if I give the order, wouldn't I have to take the blame myself?

Zhu Qiyu then summoned a palace attendant.

"Go and inform the Empress Dowager that an urgent report concerning His Majesty has arrived from the border, and request that she come to the Wenhua Hall for a meeting!"

"This servant obeys!"

The high-ranking officials in the hall fell into a long silence, the atmosphere extremely oppressive.

Anger was already blazing in Chen Yi's eyes, and his knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white.

Wang Zhi and the others slowly closed their eyes. At this moment, they felt that they had wasted their time studying the classics. Was this really a king who had been supported by his ministers?

Since Qin Shi Huang, China has had hundreds of emperors, some of whom were licentious, some sought immortality and Buddhism, some were warlike and aggressive, and some were cruel and inhumane. They were all very different, but none of them betrayed their country!

This is the only case like this in thousands of years!

Centuries ago, the capture of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong of the Northern Song Dynasty in the north was a disgrace to the Han people. Even though they were so cowardly and had lost their humanity, they did not succumb to the intimidation of the Jin people and force the Song Dynasty to surrender, nor did they commit any acts of treason.

Did Zhu Qizhen not know the consequences of opening the city gates? How could he, as the emperor, not know?

Knowing this, yet still obeying Esen's orders only shows that Zhu Qizhen had no integrity, no shame, and, more importantly, regarded the country as his own private property.

Perhaps in Zhu Qizhen's heart, the country belonged to him, and he could sell it whenever he wanted!

But he did not consider that once Esen captured the important town of Xuanfu, the north would gradually fall, and countless people would die under the iron cavalry of the Oirat Mongols. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which Emperor Taizu had finally managed to reclaim, would probably fall again.

With the country on the verge of collapse, are the lives of tens of millions of people and officials less precious than Zhu Qizhen's? Besides, even Esen wouldn't dare to take Zhu Qizhen's life.

This only proves that Zhu Qizhen's bones were all soft.

Zhu Qiyu's face was extremely grim. This day had finally come, and it would bring serious consequences.

With the imperial authority in jeopardy and the emperor no longer holding absolute power, a rebellion is only a matter of time if the people's hearts cannot be stabilized.

Empress Dowager Sun arrived very quickly. Upon hearing that the report concerned Zhu Qizhen, she dared not delay even for half a day.

Enter from the east gate and take a seat behind the curtain.

Before the officials could even pay their respects, Empress Dowager Sun hurriedly reprimanded them, saying, "But when the Emperor was in trouble, I told you to send an envoy as soon as possible, but you didn't listen. If anything happens to the Emperor, you will all be guilty officials. How will you face the late Emperor?"

The officials were already in a bad mood, and now they had to endure a barrage of insults, which ignited their anger instantly.

Xing'an and Jin Ying both quietly retreated to avoid harming innocent people.

Wang Zhi suddenly stood up, looked behind the curtain, and said in a slightly cold voice, "Empress Dowager, to make such indiscriminate accusations without distinguishing right from wrong is not the fault of us, but rather Your Majesty should issue an edict of self-reproach."

Empress Dowager Sun's expression changed drastically, thinking that Wang Zhi was talking about the defeat.

"Minister Wang, what do you mean by that? Do you mean the defeat is solely the Emperor's fault, and none of you bear any responsibility?"

Jin Ying was so anxious that he wanted to say something but couldn't, but Empress Dowager Sun didn't even look at him.

Hu Ying couldn't bear to watch any longer, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. He, the minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, was more pained than anyone else by Zhu Qizhen's current predicament.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has just issued an order for the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu to open the city gates, and Esen's army is following closely behind. His Majesty is doing this to help Esen break through the city gates."

"What?" Empress Dowager Sun suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell straight down.

"Empress Dowager!"

Xing'an had anticipated this and quickly helped Empress Dowager Sun regain her balance before Li Yongchang and the other man could react.

She squeezed out a few tears and said, "Your Majesty, you must take care of your health. Perhaps His Majesty would not wish for this!"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Sun finally regained some of her senses and realized that Xing'an, that maid, was the most considerate.

Yes, it's all Esen's fault, the Oirat Mongols, his own son must have been coerced into this situation!

But then he thought about it and his face fell. Even if he was coerced, he could not commit treason.

"Prince Cheng, you preside over the court meeting!" Empress Dowager Sun, her mind in turmoil, could only give the order helplessly.

Zhu Qiyu nodded in agreement, looked at the assembled officials, and said, "Gentlemen, in the past, when Emperor Taizu held Nanjing, he faced Chen Youliang in front and Zhang Shicheng behind, yet he still managed to turn the tide. Now, the Ming Dynasty is far from being in such a desperate situation, and there is still hope. We must devise a strategy as soon as possible regarding the matter of attacking the pass."

Wang Zhi and the others truly admired Zhu Qiyu at this moment. No matter what situation he faced, he was able to maintain an optimistic and positive attitude. This was truly a ruler with the world in his heart.

However, considering their current situation, the ministers felt more distressed than anything else.

Yu Qian spoke up, "Your Highness, the most difficult thing right now is that Yang Hong has postponed the meeting this time because it is getting late. What reason will he give next? If he agrees, the border will fall into enemy hands. If he repeatedly refuses, it will be considered disobeying the imperial decree."

"Even if Yang Hong can defy the imperial decree, would the garrison commanders of Datong, Jizhou, Juyong Pass, and Zijing Pass dare to bear the crime of disobeying the imperial decree? If they rashly open the gates, the Oirat Mongols will advance unimpeded. The capital's troops have not yet been fully assembled, and the capital will fall in an instant."

Upon hearing Yu Qian's words, the ministers were extremely solemn. They had to admit that Yu Qian's concerns were justified. Given Zhu Qizhen's current character, he was very likely to engage in the shameless act of "if this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will," and go knock on each of their doors one by one.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Empress Dowager Sun behind the curtain. Zhu Qizhen had caused a great disaster, and now he wanted to play dead somewhere? It wasn't that easy.

Zhu Qiyu rose and requested, "Empress Dowager, I humbly request your instructions on this matter!"

Empress Dowager Sun's eyes were already brimming with tears, filled with disappointment and frustration. Faced with Zhu Qiyu's question, she had no answer.

"Prince Cheng, we will follow your orders without objection. However, the emperor must have been coerced, so we should not be too harsh on him."

This was exactly what Zhu Qiyu was waiting for.

"Gentlemen, instruct the Left Commander-in-Chief Yang Hong: We have now obtained a document from you on yellow paper. The ministers and the Empress Dowager shall examine this document and find it to be entirely fraudulent. If any other documents are brought to us, reject them all, regardless of their authenticity, lest we fall into a trap."

"A further edict is issued to all generals guarding the border: Recently, during His Majesty's personal campaign, all imperial items, including the dragon banner, imperial horses, imperial badges, and flags, were seized by the enemy. They may use these items to falsely claim His Majesty's return and coerce you into opening the gates. Do not listen to them and fall into their trap. Immediately devise a plan, act bravely, and seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and annihilate them."

Zhu Qiyu's meaning was very clear: everything was the enemy's scheme, it was all a lie, even if the emperor appeared before him, it was still a lie.

"Wait, Prince Cheng, this second order is just to remind the generals not to attack rashly." Empress Dowager Sun was clearly feigning unconsciousness; she was quite shrewd this time.

Zhu Qiyu secretly lamented that it might be a pity if someone went out to launch a sneak attack and accidentally caused Zhu Qizhen's death.

Zhu Qiyu would surely reprimand the border general for being too careless, and bestow upon him the glory of his ancestors for eighteen generations and his descendants for eighteen generations.

When Yu Qian heard that Empress Dowager Sun had once again come out to obstruct the process, he immediately became angry. There was nothing wrong with this edict. Did the border only have to be defended, and not be able to be attacked to delay the southward advance of the Oirat Mongols?

"Your Majesty, I believe this decree is not unusual. If we only defend and do not attack, and the Oirat Mongols break through the pass, are the generals on the border also going to stand by and watch, waiting for the capital to fall? If Your Majesty does not take any action to breach the pass, why worry about safety?"

Empress Dowager Sun was momentarily speechless. She looked directly at Zhu Qiyu through the curtain, her tone pleading, and said, "Prince Cheng, His Majesty is your elder brother. Are you unwilling to take care of him as well?"

A look of disgust flashed through Zhu Qiyu's mind. This was moral blackmail; if anything happened, he would be accused of "murdering his brother."

Zhu Qiyu didn't feel too much guilt about this charge, but he couldn't afford to bring it up now. If he were convicted of this crime, he would be further and further away from the throne. Once he had power, such a traitor would not have a good end.

"Your Majesty's decree shall be obeyed."

Empress Dowager Sun's expression softened slightly, but the anger in the hearts of the officials below continued to flare up.