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

Snapped!

With a loud bang, Wang Zhi sat down, panting, his palms throbbing with pain.

"Absurd, utterly absurd!"

Upon hearing this, everyone naturally knew who and what Wang Zhi was referring to, and their expressions were far from pleasant.

What face does the retired emperor have to question his ministers? Countless families in the capital are still hanging white banners, and the remains of the soldiers who died in the northern expedition have not been found, let alone dared to search for them. Don't they feel sorry for the dead soldiers and civilians?

Should we agree to Esen's demands and hand over half of the country?

If Zhu Qizhen had been any more assertive and admitted to the defeat and national humiliation, or even shamefully said that he had "tarnished the ancestral temple and had no face to face his ministers," his ministers would have fought tooth and nail to preserve his dignity and tried every means to bring him back to the capital.

Now, things are different. Bringing Zhu Qizhen back would be tantamount to taking the lives of these officials. Their loyalty is limited to loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and their own interests.

To expect these people to be blindly loyal to Zhu Qizhen is nothing short of a fantasy.

Wang Zhi's expression softened slightly. He was angry, but the matter still needed to be resolved. He asked, "How should this be handled?"

Hu Ying picked up the conversation, saying, "Hasn't His Majesty already dealt with it?"

In Hu Ying's view, Zhu Qiyu's handling of the matter was not inappropriate. The retired emperor's power had disappeared, and he could no longer command his officials. This was something that the entire court had to agree on. Returning the imperial edict, as if the matter had never happened, was in accordance with the law.

Wang Zhi shook his head and said, "What I mean is that this matter cannot be covered up. If rumors start circulating in the court, it could be a disaster. We need to deal with it as soon as possible. Fortunately, Vice Minister Li reacted very quickly and implicated the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian felt it was a good thing. As the one in charge of military affairs, he had been somewhat worried about accidentally harming the retired emperor, and now that worry had finally disappeared.

Swords and spears have no eyes, and artillery fire has even fewer eyes. If they dare to come, blast them to smithereens!

After returning to the capital, Wang Wen, the Left Censor-in-Chief, had been observing the political situation. Now he understood that the new emperor was the one whom all the ministers should be loyal to.

Even if that king who was causing trouble in the north were to return, he probably wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble. It's easier to change a country than to change its nature; his character has already exceeded the bottom line of the ministers.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke up: "The retired emperor, obsessed with power and controlled by Esen, has gone back on his word, intending to spread rumors and mislead the public, causing chaos in the capital. The court officials are attacking each other, leading to the collapse of the capital. Therefore, Esen is taking advantage of the chaos to march south and plunder. This is truly the treacherous scheme of a villain!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers stared blankly at Wang Wen. His words were indeed timely, and upon careful consideration, they seemed to make more and more sense!

This act of "splashing dirty water" might just reveal most of the truth.

The fact that this incident was attributed to the retired emperor going back on his word indicates that the previous edict was genuine and that Zhu Qizhen agreed to abdicate. It was Esen who then persuaded the retired emperor, causing him to become unwilling to accept his fate and to become obsessed with power again, thus breaking his promise and leading to this edict being sent back to the capital, intended to disrupt the court.

Wang Zhi considered the feasibility of this suggestion and looked at Yu Qian, saying, "Tingyi, in your opinion, if Esen were to go south, would he take the retired emperor with him?"

Speaking of the war, Yu Qian said with absolute certainty: "Unless Esen is the most benevolent person in the world, it is inevitable that he will take the retired emperor south."

Upon hearing Yu Qian's confident words, Wang Zhi had already made his decision: as long as Zhu Qizhen and Esen went south together, then Wang Wen's explanation would be the whole truth!

"Gentlemen, how is it?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, readily acknowledging the explanation.

"If that's the case, there's no need for any fallacies to exist, whether in the court or among the scholars. If anyone dares to disrupt the court, we cannot show them any mercy!"

Wang Zhi's meaning was very straightforward: now is a time for unity against external forces, and none of those present can bear the infamy of being labeled traitors and villains.

At least for now in the capital, this group still has enough influence. As for the future, they will complete all the procedures, drive back the Oirat Mongols, and preserve the Ming Dynasty.

Even if the rumors spread, what difference would it make? They wouldn't have any effect. Emperor Taizong was criticized for so many years, but eventually, people still recognized him as the legitimate emperor.

Whoever is in power speaks the truth. History books have the function of self-correction. Ultimately, the pen that writes history books is in the hands of people.

What Wang Zhi and the others did not expect was that the news had not yet spread among the scholars in the capital.

Within a day, such rumors began to circulate among the military officers, clearly indicating that someone was deliberately passing these messages on to Xun Gui.

Currently, the only people in the court who actively support Zhu Qizhen, besides those ministers whose interests are closely related to him, are the imperial nobles who uphold the "primogeniture system".

Although a few nobles have already attached themselves to Zhu Qiyu, hoping to accumulate military merits in this battle with Esen, restore the glory of their ancestors, or seek titles for themselves and become new nobles.

However, many noble sons were unwilling to make trouble and wanted to honestly inherit their titles and live a life of comfort and ease.

Many members of the imperial clan and nobles harbored some resentment towards Zhu Qiyu, an emperor born out of wedlock.

They were even more worried that Zhu Qiyu's succession as a son of a concubine would trigger a struggle between legitimate and illegitimate children among the imperial clan and nobles, adding uncertainty to the succession of titles, which was something that neither the imperial clan nor the nobles wanted to see.

However, the imperial edict sent back by Zhu Qizhen truly opened the eyes of these nobles in the capital, igniting a fire of gossip within them.

Zhang Ni met with Zhu Yi and others.

Zhu Yi, being younger, spoke first: "This Emperor Emeritus is too delusional. He actually believes what the Oirat people say? If he really wanted to release them, he would have done so long ago. He clearly doesn't want our Great Ming to establish a new emperor. That way, the Oirats will have value in holding the Emperor Emeritus and can keep extorting him."

Zhang Ni sighed, "Everyone understands the principle, but if this happens to anyone, it's hard not to feel a bit of wishful thinking."

Zhu Ying leaned closer and whispered, "Do you think what the Emperor Emeritus said is true or false? Did His Majesty really ascend the throne without receiving an edict from the Emperor Emeritus?"

Zhang Ni glared at Zhu Ying. He had the merit of supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne and would receive a title next year. How could he allow Zhu Ying to slander Zhu Qiyu? He scolded, "Be careful what you say. This matter is not the Emperor Emeritus's concern, but the Empress Dowager's. If the Empress Dowager says it is true, then it is true. There is no need to doubt this matter. The edict of ascension to the throne was presented that day, and it cannot be faked."

"That makes sense," Wang Tong nodded, "but someone secretly sent a message to us, I'm afraid they have ill intentions."

Zhang Ni sneered, "Some people really think Xun Gui is a good-for-nothing, just hoping we'll be the ones to stick our necks out. We won't get involved in this matter; we'll observe and see how things unfold. We Xun Gui are always loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to the Emperor. Whoever is the Emperor, that's who we'll be loyal to!"

"If necessary, I would rather lend His Majesty a hand, at least to get through this year and wait until the first year of Jingtai next year. There is hope that the two dukedoms will be restored to their titles, and at that time we can at least restore our prestige. If someone is granted a title for their merits in the war against the Oirat, perhaps we can form a force again. It is better than seeing these civil officials as inferior to them, which is extremely frustrating."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed wholeheartedly. Previously, there had been constant calls for the court to kill Wu Xun, but now things had finally calmed down a bit. However, the fact that Wu Xun was weak was undeniable.

Zhu Yi, deeply agreeing with Zhang Ni's frank words, said, "That's exactly right. His Majesty intends to support Wu Xun, so why should we go to such lengths?"

Just as everyone was reminiscing, a servant hurriedly entered and handed Zhang Ni a letter.

Zhang Ni unfolded the book and began to read, his expression particularly complex. He said to the group, "Gentlemen, the palace is quite lively!"