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

The thing that the ministers and Zhu Qiyu feared most still happened. Zhu Qizhen once again shocked the ministers!

They should be extremely grateful at this moment, as General Liu An of Datong was already close to arriving in the capital.

Fortunately, Liu An was removed; otherwise, if Liu An and Guo Jing had taken command of the Datong army, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Given Liu An's audacity, and with Guo Jing's encouragement, he might actually open the gates to Zhu Qizhen. If that happened, Datong would fall, and the situation would deteriorate rapidly.

With Datong fallen, Xuanfu is unlikely to hold out for long either. The two towns will change hands, and even if the capital is defended, the Ming Dynasty will have to launch a northern expedition afterward.

Otherwise, none of the officials in the capital would be able to sleep. After all, their own doors are guarded by others, and if they could sleep at home, they would be heartless.

Yu Qian was also filled with lingering fear, and at this moment, a deep respect for Zhu Qiyu arose within him. He said, "Don't you think His Highness had foresight?"

The ministers were stunned. In retrospect, the decision to replace Liu An back then seemed like a stroke of genius.

Wang Zhi nodded and said, "In my opinion, that's not surprising. Prince Cheng grew up with His Majesty since childhood, so his understanding of His Majesty's temperament naturally far surpasses that of us. It's just that I never expected His Majesty to be like this... Alas!"

Chen Yi didn't care about any of that; all he could think about was for the Prince of Cheng to ascend the throne as soon as possible, otherwise the one in the north would drive the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty to the brink of collapse.

"Time is of the essence, we cannot wait any longer. We must deal with the Wang Zhen case immediately. If the news of His Majesty's renewed visit spreads, it will cause chaos once again. Right now, it is the priority to stabilize people's hearts."

Wang Zhi looked at Hu Ying and said, "Minister Hu, it's time to prepare for the new emperor. Imperial Censor Chen's words are reasonable. We must respectfully invite the Prince of Cheng to ascend the throne. Other important towns don't have Yang Hong or Guo Deng!"

Hu Ying no longer refused. If they continued to knock on the gates like this, the border might eventually fall. At this moment, the Ming Dynasty was not prepared to fight. Only a small number of loyalist troops had arrived in the capital, and they were powerless to stop Esen.

He sighed and said, "Then we will proceed as planned. Once Wang Zhen's henchmen are beheaded, I will immediately request an audience with Your Highness."

"That's excellent!"

In the Cining Palace, when Empress Dowager Sun heard Li Yongchang's report, her face turned completely pale. Was this really her son?

One instance could be described as coercion, but now there's no excuse left.

Once and again, it became clear that Zhu Qizhen did so willingly.

Just as Empress Dowager Sun was racking her brains for a solution, a palace servant came to report that Prince Cheng was requesting an audience.

"Please invite Prince Cheng into the palace!" Empress Dowager Sun could no longer stop Zhu Qiyu. If her son hadn't done such a rebellious thing, she wouldn't be in such a passive position.

Zhu Qizhen's actions were tantamount to cutting himself off from the world.

Zhu Qiyu gazed at Cining Palace in a daze, as if he hadn't set foot here for a long time. He figured this place would soon change hands, and Renshou Palace would be where Empress Dowager Sun would go.

"Your Highness Prince Cheng, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."

Zhu Qiyu nodded and then went inside. He greeted Empress Dowager Sun respectfully.

Empress Dowager Sun gestured for Zhu Qiyu to dispense with the formalities, and hurriedly asked, "Brother Yu, has the Wang Zhen case been handled properly?"

"Your Majesty, the matter has been properly handled. I rejected the idea of ​​the Three Judicial Offices to punish Wang Zhen severely. His crime did not warrant the execution of his entire clan. Instead, his clan will be executed. The other officials will be dealt with leniently." Zhu Qiyu paused. "After all, they are all Your Majesty's subjects. If the punishment is too severe, I am worried that it will implicate Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please be wise."

Empress Dowager Sun's gaze softened considerably when she looked at Zhu Qiyu. Zhu Qiyu's actions were indeed in line with her wishes. If her entire family were to be executed, it would mean that her son's character had reached the point of incurring the wrath of both heaven and man; treacherous officials and incompetent rulers were essentially twins.

Behind every heinous villain lies a tyrannical and incompetent ruler.

However, Empress Dowager Sun did not expect that Zhu Qiyu had left a contingency plan for Zhu Qizhen.

"I am very pleased that you still act with impartiality and consideration for your elder brother."

Zhu Qiyu felt a little ashamed, and she was still grateful to the orphan.

Zhu Qiyu then pondered another matter and said, "Your Majesty, I have another request."

"Just speak your mind!"

"Your Majesty, could you issue an edict to send someone to the border, ordering Your Majesty to cease his attempts to breach the gates? The garrison commander of Datong has already committed the crime of 'disobeying imperial orders.' If opening the gates leads to Datong falling into the hands of the Oirats, the Datong generals will also bear the responsibility for this loss of territory. Either way, it is a capital offense. I fear that these garrison commanders will not be able to withstand the pressure and will take a risky action, rashly leaving the city to fight the Oirats. Your Majesty, being in the midst of battle, may be accidentally injured."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Sun's expression changed drastically.

It must be said that Zhu Qiyu's concerns were indeed real. From the perspective of the defending general, the safest approach was to drive away Zhu Qizhen, this "plague god".

As long as they don't come to knock on the gate, there's no question of disobeying the imperial decree or losing an important town. If Zhu Qizhen refuses to leave, the best course of action is to fight the Oirat Mongols to show our stance. It's likely that Esen will then take Zhu Qizhen to other places to try his luck.

Esen was somewhat wary of Yang Hong, given Yang Hong's reputation. Seeing that Yang Hong remained unmoved, Esen could only lead Zhu Qizhen to other places. However, Esen had never paid attention to Guo Deng and was naturally unwilling to leave easily.

If he had refused to leave, and Zhu Qizhen had continued to press the gates of Datong, he might have pushed Guo Deng to the brink and launched a direct attack.

However, Empress Dowager Sun was also unable to make a decision at this time. If Esen were to go mad, her decree would become the fuse for Zhu Qizhen's execution.

The thought of her son dying because of her decree was like a knife to her heart. No matter how many faults Zhu Qizhen had, he was still her precious son, and how could she bear to part with him?

"Brother Yu, think of another way. This move is too risky. I'm worried that you might lose your mind."

"Holy Mother, otherwise, if Esen had intended to harm my brother, he wouldn't have hesitated to act. Esen still has some fear of our Great Ming. As long as our Great Ming is strong enough, my brother will be even safer."

Empress Dowager Sun was well aware of the reasons behind this. This matter concerned her son's life, so how could it be handled according to common sense? Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of danger, she was unwilling to take the gamble.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Sun was willing to compromise on anything, her only request being that Zhu Qizhen return safely. Only if he was still alive could there be any hope; otherwise, everything was just an illusion.

"I disagree with this matter, and I will not issue an imperial decree." Empress Dowager Sun looked at Zhu Qiyu, her feelings particularly complicated at this moment. After pondering for a long time, as if she had made up her mind, she said, "Yu'er, you should ascend the throne and honor your elder brother as the Retired Emperor. This way, the court will be at ease, and your elder brother will also be safe and sound."

Zhu Qiyu had finally waited for this moment. He was surprised that Empress Dowager Sun had such courage to speak so frankly. He was quite impressed.

No wonder they were able to launch the coup d'état in history; their ability to be patient and assess the situation is unparalleled.

However, at this moment, Zhu Qiyu's face was filled with fear. He immediately prostrated himself and refused to accept the throne, saying, "Holy Mother, Jian Shen is the Crown Prince. If he were to succeed to the throne, it should be Jian Shen who succeeds. This move is illegitimate and cannot be allowed."

Empress Dowager Sun was helpless. If Zhu Jianshen could succeed to the throne and the ministers could agree, would it be your turn?

Empress Dowager Sun took a deep breath and said, "Yu'er, in this time of national crisis, you need not refuse. Jian Shen is too young; how can he shoulder this heavy responsibility for the country?"

"Your Majesty, I absolutely cannot accept this," Zhu Qiyu kowtowed again, "Why not consult my brother first? Your Majesty could hear my brother's decree before proceeding. I shall take my leave now!"

After saying this, Zhu Qiyu bowed and left decisively!

Empress Dowager Sun stared blankly at the palace gate for a long time before slowly saying, "Yongchang, what is the Prince of Cheng thinking?"

"Perhaps what Your Highness desires is His Majesty's edict!"

"Um?"

A cold glint flashed in Empress Dowager Sun's eyes; these words were almost certainly true.

Li Yongchang was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground and slapped himself several times.

"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!"

Get up!