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

This court recommendation was just a formality; the officials' minds were not on the matter at all.

At this moment, everyone was recalling the scene in the court. Zhu Qiyu had dealt with Chen Yi and Chen Xun with almost effortless skill, leaving the officials still in a daze as to how it all happened.

Hu Ying finally found an opportunity to defend himself, whispering to the others, "It wasn't me!"

Wang Zhi and the others felt even worse now. It would be better if Hu Ying admitted that he was the one who reported to His Majesty, so that it wouldn't be so frightening.

"Don't still think of His Majesty as the idle prince he once was. He is now the Emperor, and the situation is completely different."

Hu Ying had some things he dared not say. That day, because of the issue of legitimacy, he realized that this new emperor was no ordinary person, and at least he would not be controlled by others. The last emperor of this kind was Emperor Taizong.

As Yu Qian listened, he sensed something was amiss and asked in a cold voice, "Do you have other plans?"

Wang Zhi shook his head, glanced at Chen Xun, and said, "Scholar Chen said something he shouldn't have; I wonder how His Majesty found out!"

Chen Xun's face was extremely ugly. Wang Zhi didn't even call him "Minister Chen" anymore. He was in a really bad situation. This was the consequence of his foul mouth!

Yu Qian was secretly alarmed and said, "Gentlemen, I have something to say: do not act rashly. Prioritize the overall situation and get along well with the new emperor first!"

"That's all we can do," Wang Zhi nodded. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. Even His Majesty's temperament is not fully understood, so we act with trepidation, which is quite frightening.

Wang Zhi paused, then asked, "Tingyi, is there a problem with your recommendation memorial?"

Yu Qian was very confident about this, saying, "Naturally, I will act with impartiality."

The ministers immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"So we've passed the test today. Let's hear what His Majesty has to say later. The most urgent thing right now is not for the emperor and his ministers to doubt each other."

Inside the Wenhua Hall, all the officials gathered.

Xing'an went to the side hall to invite Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qiyu arrived very quickly, but the atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat somber, even a little heavy.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

"Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities." Zhu Qiyu waved his hand, then took his seat and asked directly, "Gentlemen, what is the outcome of the court's recommendation?"

On behalf of the ministers, Wang Zhi reported back: "Your Majesty, the chosen people are all the popular choice, so the process will naturally proceed smoothly without any obstacles."

"Very good. All of you should work diligently for the country and not slacken your efforts."

"Your Majesty, we obey."

Zhu Qiyu then took out the memorial submitted by Yu Qian and set the tone for it, saying, "I think the memorial recommended by Minister Yu is appropriate. All of you may also take a look. If you have any objections, you may raise them in court."

Yu Qian presented the list of generals, and based on the resumes and related information submitted by Yi Ming last night, it must be admitted that Yu Qian was indeed not hiding any personal bias; all the most capable generals in the capital were on the list.

The recommended lists for those three passes had a hidden story. Xie Ze and Sun Xiang were the kind of people who were not afraid of death, but these two were not the main focus; they were more like a decoy.

Yang Xinmin, Cao Tai, and Luo Tong were the three people Yu Qian wanted to recommend.

Last night, Zhu Qiyu carefully reviewed the resumes of these three men and discovered that they all shared a common characteristic: they had been released from the Ministry of Justice prison.

After the Tumu Crisis, Zhu Qiyu ordered Wang Zhi to replenish the officials in the capital. If they were to be transferred from Nanjing, it would be too late. So he simply found some officials who had not committed capital crimes, released them to serve as laborers, and filled the vacancies in the capital, allowing these people to atone for their crimes through meritorious service.

Of the three, Yang Xinmin was a capable official who had made meritorious contributions in suppressing bandits in Guangdong. Because of his literary and martial skills and outstanding abilities, he was resented by many colleagues and was impeached. Instead of waiting to be impeached, Yang Xinmin simply impeached them back.

Zhu Qizhen's handling of the situation was astonishing. Seeing the group attacking each other, he simply ignored the reasons and imprisoned Yang Xinmin on the grounds that it damaged the face of the court.

Cao Tai was beaten to death by the barbarian and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Zhu Qizhen immediately ordered him to be executed. However, after the Dali Temple Minister Yu Shiyue investigated, he discovered that there was something fishy going on. Cao Tai had indeed beaten the barbarian, but he had not killed him. Later, someone switched the body with a dead barbarian and framed Cao Tai for killing someone.

Yu Shiyue reported this situation to Zhu Qizhen. Zhu Qizhen, perhaps because he felt he had lost face, completely ignored Yu Shiyue's explanation and was determined to execute Cao Tai. However, he could not bypass the Ming Dynasty's judicial system, so he kept Cao Tai imprisoned, intending to let him die in prison.

Luo Tong was a man of both literary and military talent, but he lacked virtue. In his early years, he was punished for his greed and lust and was demoted to a minor official position in Lingnan. However, Luo Tong's talent was so outstanding that many officials recommended him. Zhu Qizhen directly stated that he "cannot be reused."

This practically sealed Luo Tong's fate, condemning him to a life of mere minor official positions. For someone as talented in both literature and military affairs as Luo Tong, this was worse than death.

This time, he was imprisoned again for committing a crime, and the initial trial proposed that he be dismissed from his post and reduced to commoner status. If it weren't for the Tumu Crisis, Luo Tong probably would never have had the chance to serve in an official position again in his life.

After reading these reports, a strange thought arose in Zhu Qiyu's mind.

Yu Qian might not have dared to be so treasonous as to kill Zhu Qizhen, but it's certain that he didn't want Zhu Qizhen to return, and it's also certain that he wanted to defend the Ming Dynasty's strategic passes.

These three people had a grudge against Zhu Qizhen.

If Zhu Qizhen returns, both men's careers will be ruined, and Cao Tai's life will be in danger. Sending these three out to guard the pass, even if Zhu Qizhen were placed at the city gate first, would likely not sway them.

The key is that these men are not mediocre; they are all capable of leading troops and fighting battles, and can effectively block the Oirat Mongols from advancing south. If other people were sent, they would not be able to withstand Zhu Qizhen's attack on the pass and would hand over the fortress, which would be troublesome.

If these men were to die in battle, they would have committed crimes, and Yu Qian would not feel any psychological pressure. He could even petition for their merits afterward and provide some benefits to their descendants as compensation, which would be considered to be doing his utmost.

In this way, it can be completely ensured that the generals guarding these passes will not be coerced by Zhu Qizhen and will fight to the death. It must be said that this idea opened Zhu Qiyu's eyes. Yu Qian, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is also ruthless enough to some extent, which is the true nature of a mature politician.

At least for now, he is on the same side as Zhu Qiyu, and Yu Qian has done what Zhu Qiyu most wanted to do.

Whether Yu Qian was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the knife in his hand, or whether Yu Qian also hated Zhu Qizhen, or was simply thinking of the bigger picture, Zhu Qiyu could not truly understand at this moment.

Wang Zhi stared at the list with a solemn expression. There was nothing wrong with the gatekeepers, but the men sent out to guard the pass made Wang Zhi feel uneasy.

Hu Ying and Wang Zhi exchanged a glance. The two old foxes immediately saw through the key point, but dared not rashly stop it. At this moment, they did not know whether Yu Qian was acting on his own initiative or whether the emperor and his ministers were tacitly in sync.

Wang Zhi finally decided to probe, "Your Majesty, although the men sent out to guard the passes are knowledgeable in military affairs, they have not led troops in battle for many years, which may cause problems."

Zhu Qiyu had already considered this and said, "It's alright. These five people have all been appointed to positions in the Ministry of War to assist in military affairs. Commander Wang Yong will be stationed at Baiyang Pass, and Han Qing, the deputy commander, will be stationed at Zijing Pass. As for Juyong Pass, Yang Jun has been guarding this place for many years, so there will be no problem."

This move stunned not only Wang Zhi, but also Yu Qian.

All the people he recommended were used, but the civil officials in charge of military affairs were immediately blocked. Advisory on military affairs was a temporary assignment, a duty that the Ministry of War itself already had.

Then send Wu Chen there. It doesn’t matter who commands the war. In name, Wang Yong, Han Qing, and Yang Jun will be the commanders.

Zhu Qiyu stared blankly at the assembled officials, then slowly asked, "Is there anything wrong with this arrangement?"

A bitter look flashed across their faces. From the perspective of the subjects, this was extremely inappropriate; from the emperor's perspective, it was perfectly appropriate.

Yu Qian was the first to react, replying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Unable to find a reason to refute, Wang Zhi and the others could only echo, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said, "Since you all have no objections, let's discuss some other things. I'd like to have a heart-to-heart talk with you all!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers wore strange expressions.