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

Inside the Chengyun Hall, the officials of the Prince's Palace gathered.

Because Zhu Qiyu was stationed in the capital, the officials of the Prince's Palace arrived relatively in a complete manner.

Left Chief Secretary Yi Ming, Right Chief Secretary Yang Zhu, Judge Yu Gang, Ji Shanzhangwen, Reader Yu Shan, Professor Yang Yu, and several other "oddballs"—in Zhu Qiyu's view, only those whose names he could name were worth employing; the rest were just a bunch of good-for-nothings stuffed into the Prince's residence by Empress Dowager Sun.

After Zhu Qiyu took his seat, all the officials paid their respects.

Left Chief Secretary Yi Ming spoke first, asking, "Your Highness, what has happened?"

"Our Great Ming army has been defeated. The elite troops of the three major camps have been completely wiped out, and almost all the civil and military officials who accompanied the expedition have been killed or wounded. Your Majesty has fallen into the hands of Esen, the Grand Tutor of the Oirat Mongols." Zhu Qiyu did not hide this from his officials. Even if he did not say it, the whole capital would probably know by tomorrow.

"What?"

"How could this be?"

"Our Great Ming army is invincible and unconquerable!"

The hall erupted into chaos as everyone talked at once, clearly unable to believe this astonishing news.

How could the Ming Dynasty have lost?

This is the elite of a prosperous era, not the old, weak, sick, and disabled who are now in a state of decline. They should be invincible in the world. Even any one of you sitting in the commander-in-chief position would be confident of winning this battle. How could they possibly be completely wiped out?

Even more terrifying was the fact that the emperor had been captured?

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Cheng Jing, who instantly understood.

"quiet!"

The hall fell silent instantly, as if chilled to the bone.

Right Chief Secretary Yang Zhu, however, calmed down first and asked, "Your Highness, does the court have any countermeasures?"

"The Empress Dowager intends to appoint the eldest son, Jian Shen, as Crown Prince, and have Linghu (the young prince) oversee the state affairs!"

The ministers were startled. The meaning behind these words was intriguing. Although they were not the most brilliant minds, they could still understand such straightforward words. The court was preparing for the emperor's possible return.

The ministers in the hall exchanged glances. Now was the time when their prince needed their support. If they took a gamble, perhaps he would have a bright future!

Yi Ming said, "Your Highness, we are at your service."

Zhu Qiyu was waiting for this very sentence: he was not afraid of his ministers being mediocre, but he was afraid of those who lacked even the most basic ambition.

He glanced at the assembled officials and said, "Once the imperial edict for overseeing the state is issued, most official positions in the court will be vacant. I will recommend you all, and the Minister of Personnel will select the most capable for your positions."

Zhu Qiyu made up his mind that although these officials were of average quality, they were not entirely without the ability to govern. At least he would occupy the vacant positions in the court so that he would not be isolated and helpless in the future.

Although I know some historical records and have a general idea of ​​which famous officials are capable, I cannot believe everything I read. Historical records are sometimes like a little girl dressed up, and they can be distorted.

People in the Prince's mansion are actually more trustworthy. Once it really comes to that, the officials in the Prince's mansion will have no way out. The change of imperial power is always accompanied by bloodshed. This is different from the ministers in the court, at least they still have choices.

If anyone in the Prince's mansion makes a mistake, they are not only gambling with their lives, but also with the lives of their entire family!

"Here you go!"

The ministers agreed, their excitement tinged with an unprecedented solemnity.

Elsewhere, martial law was declared in the capital, and the imperial son-in-law, Jiao Jingxu, had to inspect the four gates of the imperial city and hurriedly leave the palace to make arrangements.

Wang Zhi, Yu Qian, and others did not leave the palace directly, but went to the cabinet to discuss matters.

Upon entering the cabinet, they took their seats in order.

Chen Xun, the only son of the cabinet, dared not be presumptuous and, taking the expedient measure, directly relinquished the main seat to Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel.

Emperor Taizu of Ming abolished the position of prime minister. Although the Grand Secretariat was established and its ministers became close advisors to the emperor, its power was not yet great. The highest-ranking official in the court was still the Minister of the Court.

Before Wang Zhi could speak, Chen Yi, who had been holding back his anger in the Wenhua Hall, could no longer contain himself and slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage and indignation.

"We spent fourteen years nurturing such a ruler, and the accumulated strength of the Ming Dynasty over generations, with two hundred thousand elite troops, has been lost in this way!"

"hateful!"

"hateful!"

"hateful!"

Chen Yi gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and slammed them on the table with each sentence, making a loud thud.

Wang Zhi glanced at Chen Xun, who understood and hurriedly went to inspect the area, clearing out any palace servants or other unauthorized personnel who might be present.

A short while later, Chen Xun returned and nodded.

Wang Zhi then looked at Chen Yi, whose face was filled with grief and indignation, and said, "Imperial Censor Chen, watch your words!"

Still seething with anger, Chen Yi stood up abruptly and said, "What nonsense about being careful with your words! Even if you behead me, I will still say the same thing. Being defeated and captured is already a great disgrace, yet you allow people to spread the news of your capture along the way and even agree to extortion. Does this emperor have any backbone at all? If the Oirats were to march south now, the Ming Dynasty would be in danger of collapse. We would be ashamed before our ancestors!"

"Minister Wang, I don't understand why you stopped me from speaking just now. In my opinion, we should immediately discuss allowing the Prince of Cheng to succeed to the throne. Adding a crown prince would be completely unnecessary."

Upon hearing Chen Yi's questioning, Wang Zhi was furious. He glared at him and said coldly, "Imperial Censor Chen, if you continue to speak so recklessly, then please do as you please!"

Chen Yi looked at Wang Zhi with a resentful expression, clearly unwilling to accept it, but intimidated by Wang Zhi's prestige, he did not say anything to contradict him.

Minister of Rites Hu Ying could no longer play dead and hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Imperial Censor Chen, you are foolish! His Majesty has a son. If you rashly depose and install a new one, do you think the imperial clan are pushovers? Aren't you afraid that the old story of Emperor Taizong will repeat itself and another purge of the court of corrupt officials will take place? I'm afraid everyone here will lose their heads."

"His Highness Prince Cheng is not a fool. By appointing a Crown Prince to stabilize the harem and the royal family, oversee the country and manage all affairs, and act according to the king's orders, we can at least ensure that when Esen marches south, the court's orders will not be obstructed. This power has nothing to do with the Crown Prince or the Empress Dowager."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi instantly snapped out of his daze and broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that the unassuming Prince Cheng actually possessed such insight?

Chen Yi now understood that Hu Ying's assertion was not an exaggeration. After all, there was still the Prince of Xiang. If he really launched the campaign to purge the court of corrupt officials and colluded with Empress Dowager Sun from within, using ancestral precepts as a guarantee, it would be perfectly legitimate. In that case, everyone present would become traitors plotting to usurp the throne.

"Minister Wang, I was rash," Chen Yi apologized to Wang Zhi. After taking his seat, he asked, "But the Crown Prince, His Majesty, and Prince Cheng—there will be a three-way struggle in the future. The court may be plunged into endless infighting. We must be wary of this!"

Wang Zhi's expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand, saying, "This is not something we should be considering right now. All I know is that if we cannot defeat the Oirat, we should be prepared to go and meet Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong with our heads on our hands."

"That's exactly right!"

This statement was met with unanimous agreement from the other ministers, with Yu Qian responding particularly loudly.

Chen Yi knew that what Wang Zhi said was true, after all, things have different priorities, but he still had another worry in his heart.

"I am worried that the Oirat extortion will never end, and the border will be hesitant to act rashly. If an emperor is established early to put an end to the Oirat's ambitions, and as long as Your Majesty is no longer a bargaining chip, perhaps Your Majesty can return safely."

Hu Ying said calmly, "One should not speak recklessly! Without a proper name, one's words will lack legitimacy!"

The ministers present were all shrewd and capable; how could they not have seen this point? However, they could not speak casually on this matter.

How could the ministers not know that establishing an emperor was the best option? But to establish an emperor now would be tantamount to abandoning Zhu Qizhen instantly, which is not the way of a subject.

At the very least, you have to try to rescue them, even if it's just for show, otherwise you won't be able to silence public opinion.

The key question now is, if an emperor is to be established, from whom will the throne be inherited?

If Empress Dowager Sun and Zhu Qizhen had not agreed, and the ministers had forcibly deposed and installed the emperor, then even without Esen's attack, the country would have instantly descended into chaos.

Chen Yi calmed down and was speechless for a moment. He had finally lost his temper today.

"Now that things have come to this, the most important task is to stop the Oirat invasion from the south," Wang Zhi said reassuringly, then turned to Yu Qian and asked, "Minister Yu, do you have a plan for this?"

Yu Qian straightened his expression and analyzed the situation point by point: "There are three urgent matters that need to be addressed immediately. First, we must immediately draft the edicts for the establishment of the Crown Prince and the edicts for the Prince of Cheng to oversee the state. At the very least, we must ensure that the imperial decrees can be issued; otherwise, they will be nothing but empty words. Do you think we can issue orders at will?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers were instantly jolted awake and nodded repeatedly. This was the most crucial point; they needed someone to stamp the document.

"Secondly, according to Liang Gui's words, the people north of the capital are probably already in a state of panic, and the border defenses are weak. It is estimated that the capital will be in turmoil early tomorrow morning, so we need to make preparations as soon as possible. Prince Cheng is right about one thing: the border defenses need to be strengthened. Once the imperial edict is issued, we should immediately order the border defenses to be on high alert and order the mobilization of troops from all over the country to come to the aid of the emperor."

"Thirdly, it is necessary to stabilize the people's hearts. Whether to move south or fight to the death with Esen, a court meeting should be held to unite the army and the people."

Chen Yi was a man of principle. Upon hearing Yu Qian's suggestion to move the capital south, he dismissed it, saying, "Minister Yu, given the current situation, let's abandon the idea of ​​moving south, and there's no need to convene a court meeting. Do you all intend to flee?"

Yu Qian stopped Chen Yi from speaking, a sharp glint in his eyes, and said, "Of course, everyone here advocates fighting to the end, but can you guarantee that the other officials will be wholeheartedly committed to the war? Perhaps they can still retain their high positions and generous salaries even if they move south. These opportunists must be eliminated immediately, otherwise we will not be able to defeat Esen. External enemies are certainly formidable, but if internal enemies are not eliminated, we have no chance of victory whatsoever."

"Gentlemen, I have only one question for you: to fight or to flee. We will write it down on our palms, and that will be the final decision. Once we leave this room, anyone who goes back on their word will be punished by heaven and utterly destroyed!"

Several people nodded, and after a moment, without exception.

"war!"