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

At midnight, the palace gates were adorned with embroidered robes.

Empress Dowager Sun had already sent people to wait at the palace gate for a long time. Under the guidance of the palace servants, Liang Gui ran desperately to the Wenhua Hall.

Rumors spread throughout the palace that a eunuch had knelt down and announced the return of an envoy.

This news immediately put the officials in the hall on edge, and even Zhu Qiyu had no mood to appreciate the art of these eunuchs sliding on their knees.

"Summon them inside immediately!"

Before long, Liang Gui stumbled inside, as if afraid others wouldn't know how arduous his journey had been.

Empress Dowager Sun was quite nervous at this moment, and almost got up to lift the curtain and ask, "Is the Emperor still alive?"

"Your Majesty, the guilty subject Liang Gui, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, reports to the Empress Dowager that Your Majesty has unfortunately fallen into the hands of Esen, the Grand Tutor of the Oirat Mongols, and has ordered me to return to the capital to report this news."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Sun's anxiety was somewhat relieved. She was worried that the worst outcome would be that her son would die in battle. As long as he lived, it would be thanks to the blessings of her ancestors.

Zhu Qiyu feigned a long sigh of relief, a hint of joy flashing across his face, seemingly happy that Zhu Qizhen was still alive, while inwardly cursing his bad luck!

Zhu Qiyu glanced at the assembled officials, whose expressions were quite complex.

Apart from the prince consort Jiao Jing, the others flashed a hint of anger, but quickly returned to normal.

Zhu Qiyu became highly vigilant, and after a moment of thought, he suddenly realized the truth.

For Empress Dowager Sun and Jiao Jing, the fact that Zhu Qizhen was still alive was naturally great news, but for the officials, the capture of Zhu Qizhen was the worst possible outcome.

The ideal outcome would be defeat, with Zhu Qizhen escaping back.

Although the Ming Dynasty was defeated, the people's hearts remained stable. However, the country needed to be rebuilt. Moreover, the defeated emperor's prestige had greatly diminished, which was actually a good thing for the officials. A great opportunity to restrain the emperor's power was presented to them.

The next one was Zhu Qizhen, who died for his country. The Ming Dynasty could quickly establish a new emperor. The Ming imperial family had been passed down for generations, and it was easy to find an emperor with two legs. There was one right in front of us.

As long as there is a new emperor, under the banner of avenging the late emperor, even if Esen is bold, he will not dare to go south. Never underestimate the determination of the Han dynasty to take revenge. Emperor Taizong once used the "Siege of Baima" of Emperor Gaozu of Han as a pretext to launch a northern expedition. It can be seen that even after thousands of years, the Han people still hold grudges.

However, this resulted in a sharp decline in the power of the Ming Dynasty. If it could not reach the Oirat Mongols, the Ming Dynasty might have been confined to a corner of the country and never recovered.

However, the current situation is the worst possible outcome. The emperor is in the enemy's hands, and the Ming Dynasty is hesitant to act rashly. Moreover, the country is leaderless, and the people are in turmoil, unsure whether to fight or surrender.

If Esen were to seize the opportunity to march south, the Ming Dynasty would be in danger of collapse. The ministers were even more worried about another event, but they still believed that their emperor had integrity, after all, the emperor had the blood of the Taizu and Taizong emperors flowing through his veins.

Just as the ministers fell silent, Zhu Qiyu glanced left and right, deciding to add fuel to the fire.

"Liang Gui, are the generals at the border aware of His Majesty's capture in the north? If they are unaware and rashly attack, harming His Majesty would be a great disaster!"

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's question, everyone's eyes immediately focused on Liang Gui, for this question was extremely crucial.

Even Empress Dowager Sun was no exception; the meaning behind this question is quite extraordinary.

Empress Dowager Sun believed that Zhu Qiyu was showing concern for Zhu Qizhen. However, the officials believed that this was a case of misinterpreting the truth, as it could be used to infer whether the border general knew about the emperor's capture and thus how the northern defenses were faring.

Yu Qian glanced at Zhu Qiyu with surprise, unsure whether the question was intentional or unintentional, but it was certainly a skillful one.

Upon hearing this, Liang Gui was so frightened that he almost prostrated himself on the ground. He replied tremblingly, "Empress Dowager, Your Highness, please forgive me. I deserve to die. When I returned to the capital, I was ordered by His Majesty to spread the news of His Majesty's northern hunt along the way. Now, everyone north of the capital probably knows about it."

Empress Dowager Sun's face turned deathly pale. It wasn't because the border authorities knew the emperor had been captured, but because it was actually her own son who had issued the decree. How could he be so foolish? How could she have given birth to such a spineless child?

The ministers wore an unprecedentedly solemn expression, for this move meant that the Ming Dynasty's borders were unstable and that the Oirat Mongols could enter the pass at any time and threaten the capital.

Time is running out for the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Qiyu reacted swiftly, stepping forward and kicking Liang Gui, angrily shouting, "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you slander His Majesty and undermine the people's morale! Guards, beat this man to death!"

"Your Highness, I am innocent!" Liang Gui felt that his life was about to end, so he hurriedly crawled two steps toward the direction of Empress Dowager Sun and cried, "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, I have not lied. I still have His Majesty's handwritten letter."

Zhu Qiyu's words just now had left the ministers with a glimmer of hope, but these hopes were instantly extinguished by his next words.

Wang Zhi and the others gritted their teeth, wondering in their hearts: Was this emperor truly the result of the assistance of so many ministers?

At this moment, the ministers present were almost speechless and looked up at the sky. Even the imperial son-in-law Jiao Jing looked ashamed, feeling that he had failed the ancestral temples of past generations.

"If you have a handwritten letter, why didn't you present it sooner? Bring it up immediately!" Empress Dowager Sun suppressed her anger, wishing she could end Liang Gui's life with a single blow.

Liang Guiru grasped at straws and hurriedly offered it up.

Empress Dowager Sun unfolded the letter and read it carefully. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. The words that she used to find particularly warm now seemed to be bleeding, piercing her heart.

Empress Qian, concerned for her husband, hurriedly stepped forward to look at the list. However, she did not react like Empress Dowager Sun when she saw the contents. The naive Empress Qian felt that the price offered was not high. If she could get her husband back after paying the money, then it would all be worth it.

At this moment, Empress Qian felt a glimmer of hope and hurriedly whispered, "Mother, quickly have your ministers raise funds to ransom His Majesty."

"sit down!"

Empress Qian cried out in alarm, on the verge of tears: "Mother!"

Empress Dowager Sun couldn't help but sternly say, "Sit down!"

Hearing what seemed to be a dispute behind the curtain, Wang Zhi exchanged glances with Yu Qian and the others before asking, "Empress Dowager, does His Majesty have any other decrees?"

Seeing that the matter could not be concealed, Empress Dowager Sun summoned Li Yongchang, handed him the list, and said, "Let all of you take a look."

"Nine dragons and a python robe, six sets of pearls, two hundred taels of gold and four hundred taels of silver!" (Note 1)

When the letter reached Zhu Qiyu, he exclaimed, "Good heavens!" He didn't ask for much gold or silver, which was a bit like kidnapping a beggar. He was probably worried that if he made an exorbitant demand, it would frighten the Ming Dynasty and lead to a fight to the death, which wouldn't be worth it.

Aside from gold and silver, the Nine Dragons and Pythons were items reserved for the emperor's personal use; this act was clearly an insult to the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, this offer is far too insignificant!

They had no intention of returning Zhu Qizhen; they clearly just wanted to make money. If they were to empty the Ming Dynasty's treasury, then it would be somewhat believable.

Who would have thought that one day, a robber asking for too little money would also be a form of humiliation?

"Your Majesty, although this letter appears to be His Majesty's handwriting, it may not be genuine. This treacherous villain may have forged the letter. Among the items listed in the letter are prohibited items, and His Majesty will certainly not agree to this matter. Alternatively, this villain may have surrendered to the Oirat and colluded with Esen to commit defamatory acts."

The more Zhu Qiyu tried to exonerate Zhu Qizhen, the more Empress Dowager Sun felt her face burning with shame. The officials all felt like they wanted to die. It was truly a great disgrace!

These ministers could clearly recognize the emperor's handwriting, and Liang Gui had no reason to lie about this matter, as the slightest mistake could cost him his life.

When Liang Gui saw that the spearhead was being pointed at him again, he immediately felt that he and the Prince of Cheng were incompatible, and his neck felt cold for a moment.

He hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, it was Naessen who ordered the execution... He also threatened His Majesty. His Majesty only agreed to this as a temporary measure, and had no choice but to comply. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

Zhu Qiyu felt that the people around Zhu Qizhen were all missing a screw in their heads. Liang Gui, who had revealed this matter, was already a dead man. The only reason he was still alive was because he was still valuable to be questioned.

"Guards! Even facing death, you dare to implicate His Majesty! Execute you on the spot!"

Zhu Qiyu roared loudly, but that was all he did; basically no one dared to make a move, and no one obeyed his orders.

Zhu Qiyu was greatly disappointed. In the end, he was just a prince with no real power. It seemed that he still had a long way to go.

He glanced at Empress Dowager Sun and made up his mind. The most urgent task was to seize the power of regent, otherwise he would not be able to command a single eunuch.

If you want to take it, you must give it!