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

After several days of cleansing, the palace finally returned to some semblance of peace.

Empress Dowager Sun was hesitant to act rashly, and the court officials sat back and watched the two sides fight, not interfering in the inner court at all.

Those ministers who were loyal to Zhu Qizhen dared not get involved in this mess. At this moment, they could only direct their hatred at Li Xian. Who would have thought that Li Xian could attribute the failure of the northern expedition to the "excessive yin energy" in the palace? This was far more clever than the "charlatan" Xu Cheng.

This is a problem that cannot be proven by oneself and is almost unsolvable. Unless Zhu Qizhen can take responsibility for the crimes of Wang Zhen and others and directly issue an "Edict of Self-Reproach" to admit to the world that he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, then Li Xian's claim will not stand.

Besides the purges within the palace, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot also made significant moves. Zhu Qiyu was not as foolish as he was in history, listening to the advice of his court officials and harboring suspicion towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, never daring to fully utilize them. Such a self-inflicted wound would have been utterly stupid.

Only by making good use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Imperial Horse Administration, and then firmly grasping military power, can one ensure that the entire capital city is under one's control.

In a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, several screens stand upright, with densely packed names written on them.

Zhu Qiyu stared at the screens for a long time, marking all the names that came to mind with a cinnabar brush, while Cheng Jing followed suit with a brush beside him.

Every time Zhu Qiyu circled a name, Cheng Jing would quickly write it down in another register. These registers would then be retrieved and posted in the personnel files for Zhu Qiyu to review.

Zhu Qiyu knew he didn't have the same boundless energy as Zhu Yuanzhang. To govern such a large country, the most important thing was always personnel. Only by using the right people could things proceed smoothly.

Having a good understanding of these officials, it would be no easy task for courtiers to deceive themselves.

After an unknown amount of time, Xing'an hurriedly arrived.

"Your Majesty, Yue Qian and Ji Duo have returned!"

"Oh?" Zhu Qiyu put down his vermilion pen, gestured for Cheng Jing to tidy up, and looked at Xing'an, saying, "Go and summon the important officials of the court to the Wenhua Hall, and also go to the Renshou Palace to invite the Empress Dowager."

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Zhu Qiyu has also been having a headache these past few days. He has only just ascended the throne, and there has been a constant clamor to welcome back Zhu Qizhen.

In the eyes of the court officials, now that the Ming Dynasty has a new emperor, Zhu Qizhen, who has become the retired emperor, is no longer a rare commodity. His value has been greatly reduced in Esen's hands. If they could give Esen some more money and send him some capable ministers, they might be able to bring back the retired emperor.

Zhu Qiyu meant to wait for the envoys to bring back confirmed news before making any decisions. Although the court officials knew that Zhu Qiyu was trying to shirk responsibility, there was nothing wrong with his reasoning. They couldn't send another group of envoys before the previous group had even returned, as that would be impossible to address the root cause of the problem.

Outside the Wenhua Hall, Yue Qian and Ji Duo were invited to wait outside the hall, but their expressions were not very pleasant. Other officials did not dare to ask in advance, lest they be involved in some unpleasant matters, such as privately inquiring about the Emperor Emeritus's information.

When Empress Dowager Sun heard news of Zhu Qizhen, she assumed it was due to her elder brother's influence. After several urgings, she arrived in her palanquin at breakneck speed, even faster than some of her ministers.

After all the important officials in the court had gathered, Zhu Qiyu entered the Wenhua Hall after receiving a report from Xing'an.

After the officials paid their respects, Zhu Qiyu glanced at Empress Dowager Sun behind the curtain, and without further hesitation, summoned Yue Qian and Ji Duo inside.

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

Zhu Qiyu gestured that there was no need for further formalities and asked, "Have you seen the Emperor Emeritus?"

"We have already paid our respects!"

"How is the Emperor Emeritus?"

Yue Qian dared not say more, and replied, "I am in good health!"

"Would Esen be willing to release the Emperor?"

Ji Duo took over the conversation cautiously, saying, "Judging from the Emperor Emeritus's tone, it seems he is willing, but I haven't heard Esen personally confirm it. The Emperor Emeritus is unwilling to elaborate on the specific procedures, only instructing us to take back the imperial edict!"

"Bring it here!"

Xing'an hurriedly went down and respectfully accepted the document, presenting it to Zhu Qiyu. The other officials were also eagerly awaiting its arrival.

Zhu Qiyu carefully examined the sealing wax and found no damage, proving that the item had not been opened.

Zhu Qiyu assumed that this was Zhu Qizhen's edict of succession to the throne, and naturally wanted to open it together with Empress Dowager Sun so that they could witness it. With that thought, he turned around and respectfully invited her inside.

Empress Dowager Sun, who had been eagerly awaiting the reading of her son's letter, called out, "Emperor, come in!"

After Zhu Qiyu entered the room, he handed the imperial edict to Empress Dowager Sun, indicating that it was intact and instructing her to open it.

Empress Dowager Sun nodded and, without hesitation, opened the seal. Upon seeing the contents, her expression changed drastically; it was not an edict of succession, but an edict of accusation.

"If the court can fulfill Esen's demands and Esen sincerely sends me back, why do you not consider welcoming me back but rashly enthrone a new ruler, thus disrupting the ancestral laws? What are your intentions?" (Note 1)

Zhu Qiyu remained calm, but inwardly he was pleased rather than angry. His right to succeed to the throne was already weak, and Zhu Qizhen's words directly denied the matter of succession.

So here's the problem: wouldn't Empress Dowager Sun and the court officials become accomplices in plotting to usurp the throne? Now the court officials have no choice but to side with her.

The next time an envoy is sent, Zhu Qizhen will probably know what reality is and what it means to submit.

If Esen's request is fulfilled, will he be sincerely sent back?

Such nonsense could only fool a dimwit like Zhu Qizhen. The other party wanted half of the Ming Dynasty's territory first; could Zhu Qizhen afford to give it up? Perhaps in his view, it really didn't matter, as long as he could come back.

Sensing something amiss behind the curtain, the officials, represented by Wang Zhi, asked, "Your Majesty, I respectfully inquire whether the Retired Emperor has issued any edict?"

"Your Majesty, just pretend this edict never existed!" Empress Dowager Sun, hearing the urging of the officials, made a decisive move. A resolute look flashed across her face as she gripped the edict tightly.

"Such a move would likely arouse suspicion in the court, and the turmoil in the country would be no exaggeration!" Zhu Qiyu was unwilling to agree to this.

It would be a waste not to use such a good imperial edict, given the assistance Zhu Qizhen provided.

A ruthless glint flashed in Empress Dowager Sun's eyes as she considered destroying the imperial edict.

Zhu Qiyu was already completely focused on the task at hand, so he couldn't give Empress Dowager Sun any chance. With lightning speed, he snatched the imperial edict, stepped out of the curtain, and returned to his throne.

Empress Dowager Sun was so angry she almost fainted. Before she could stop him, Zhu Qiyu had already signaled Wang Zhi and Hu Ying to step forward and take the imperial edict.

Damn it!

The officials watched this strange scene. It seemed that Empress Dowager Sun and the Emperor were arguing behind the curtain. Could it be that Yue Qian and his companion had brought back something extraordinary?

When Wang Zhi and Hu Ying unfolded the document and took a look, they were nearly scared to death. It would have been better if they hadn't looked; now that they had, they too had been branded as treacherous officials plotting to usurp the throne.

Wang Zhi and Hu Ying hurriedly closed the imperial edict, beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads. They quickly looked at Zhu Qiyu, a bold idea forming in their minds, the same one that Empress Dowager Sun had: to destroy it on the spot and send another envoy to retrieve the edict.

Xing'an, following Zhu Qiyu's signal, swiftly retrieved the imperial edict from Wang Zhi's hands.

"Close the door," Zhu Qiyu said coldly. "Xing'an, hold the imperial edict up above your head for all of you to read!"

Xing'an received the order, but he didn't know what the imperial edict contained. It was safest not to read anything that could cause the two ministers' expressions to change so drastically. The more you know about certain things, the faster you die.

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's oral decree, Xing'an didn't even glance at the edict. Instead, he held it above his head and walked slowly among the officials.

The officials stared angrily at the contents of the imperial edict, and the hall fell into a deathly silence, where one could almost hear each other's rapid breathing.

The country is in such a crisis, yet the retired emperor still has the nerve to blame his ministers. If it weren't for him, Zhu Qizhen, personally knocking on the gate as the emperor, would his ministers have needed to act in this way?

Does it satisfy Esen's requirements?

This would mean handing over the Ming Dynasty to the emperor, and then having all the officials in the court worship Esen as their master, leaving behind a legacy of infamy for ten thousand years!