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

Zhu Qiyu was just hearing Lu Zhong's report when he had to admit that these nobles were quite sensible and did not cause any trouble.

If they continue to be so sensible, next year we can be more generous and reward them accordingly, exonerating those who deserve it.

As for the discussions among the civil officials, Chen Xun had already secretly reported them to the emperor. His good mentor had truly become an "undercover agent," and from now on, he would have an extra pair of eyes and ears in the court.

Zhu Qiyu need not worry about dealing with civil officials, at least in the short term. These people care more about their reputation than anyone else, because a civil official's reputation is often linked to his official position. Sima Guang of the Northern Song Dynasty cultivated his reputation for more than ten years. Once he gained power, he became the highest-ranking official. If his reputation is ruined, then he can no longer expect to advance in his career.

"Has it been determined who tipped off Xun Gui?"

Lu Zhong cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I still need to investigate. It may be related to Yang Shan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The person who tipped them off came from Laifeng Tower in the capital. Yang Shan's steward had previously disguised himself and entered the tower."

"I understand!" A cold glint flashed in Zhu Qiyu's eyes as he said, "Continue to keep a close watch on the capital, and report any disturbances immediately."

"Here you go!"

As soon as Lu Zhong left, Xing An rushed over.

"Your Majesty, a great wrath has been unleashed at Renshou Palace, demanding that Your Majesty be summoned there!"

Zhu Qiyu seemed to have expected this, remaining perfectly calm, and then asked, "Has the matter in the palace been handled properly?"

Xing'an's eyes flashed with excitement as he said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this servant will not make any mistakes. Some palace servants have already been transferred to the Eastern Depot for imprisonment."

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly, now he could finally get a peaceful night's sleep in the palace.

Next, it's time to deal with external affairs. Foreign affairs cannot all be left to Yu Qian to handle. Although I don't understand military affairs, I am nominally the commander-in-chief of the national military. How can the commander-in-chief not show his face?

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Xing'an and said, "You don't need to come along; I will go myself."

"This servant obeys the decree!" Xing'an was overjoyed, for this was a sign of Zhu Qiyu's affection.

If he were to go along, and if Empress Dowager Sun were to vent her anger on him, even with His Majesty's protection, he might still be in serious trouble. Xing'an was deeply moved by Zhu Qiyu's arrangement.

In Renshou Palace, a group of palace servants knelt in the hall, silent and trembling. One servant had been beaten to the point of near death, his flesh mangled and motionless, with only his eyes occasionally rolling to prove that he was still alive.

Zhu Qiyu arrived very quickly. Seeing the large group of palace servants kneeling on the ground, he gestured for them not to continue their greetings and then entered the hall to pay his respects. He looked at Empress Dowager Sun, who sat on the throne with a gloomy expression.

Zhu Qiyu feigned ignorance, bowed, and took his seat before cautiously asking, "Holy Mother, what has caused your anger?"

Empress Dowager Sun said coldly, "Emperor, I heard that you ordered Xing'an to purge the palace staff again. Such a large-scale operation will cause panic among the people and may destabilize the palace. You should stop now."

Empress Dowager Sun's words implied that Zhu Qiyu was using this as an excuse to overstep his bounds. Zhu Qiyu was secretly pleased; without clearing things up, the palace would be unstable, and he himself wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully. As expected, Zhu Qiyu feigned ignorance of Empress Dowager Sun's accusations.

"Your Majesty, there was a reason for this, and it was not my intention to cause a great disturbance."

Upon hearing that there was a reason behind the matter, and having clearly already heard the rumors, Empress Dowager Sun's expression darkened further. She snorted coldly and said, "So you're talking about the son of my Yin Palace servant? Quite the method!"

Empress Dowager Sun was furious because the claim that "Zhu Qizhen was the son of a concubine and not her biological son" was not a new one.

These rumors began circulating long before Zhu Zhanji's Empress Hu was deposed without cause and Empress Dowager Sun seized the opportunity to rise to power.

The most recent instance was in the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign, when Empress Hu passed away. The court discussed whether to restore Empress Hu's status and bury her with the rites due to an empress. This matter was also consulted with Yang Shiqi, who was nearly eighty years old at the time. When Empress Hu was deposed, Yang Shiqi tried his best to stop it, but ultimately failed.

After Empress Hu passed away, I felt pity for her. I respected the dead and Empress Hu had not made any mistakes during her lifetime.

Yang Shiqi's suggestion to the palace and the court was that "she should be buried with the rites due to an empress in the Jingling Mausoleum." This suggestion immediately enraged Empress Dowager Sun. Wouldn't this mean that Empress Hu would be buried with her husband as emperor and empress first? This was clearly an implication that Empress Dowager Sun only had a "mistress".

Ultimately, Yang Shiqi's suggestion was not approved, and Empress Hu hastily decided on her posthumous name for burial. Yang Shiqi predicted at the time that Empress Dowager Sun's actions would bring her infamy in later generations.

After Empress Hu's death, such rumors resurfaced and became extremely convincing.

When Empress Dowager Sun was pregnant with Zhu Qizhen, she was cautious and basically stayed at home after her pregnancy became public to avoid any unforeseen events. It was this period of staying at home that became evidence that "Empress Dowager Sun dared not easily show herself to others and secretly plotted against the child of a palace maid."

The worst thing for a person is to fall into the trap of self-justification, and it is clear that Empress Dowager Sun could not silence the public opinion.

Empress Dowager Sun may not have known at the time that later generations would record this event as an official historical record in the History of Ming (Note 1), but in Zhu Qiyu's view, it was completely nonsense.

However, this did not prevent Zhu Qiyu from using this method. The Jiajing Emperor of later generations also replicated this tactic, demonstrating that Emperor Wuzong was also the son of a palace woman, thereby weakening Emperor Wuzong's legitimacy.

Upon hearing Empress Dowager Sun's blunt words, Zhu Qiyu feigned a drastic change in expression and earnestly advised her, "Your Majesty, you must not heed such rumors. I do not believe a single word of them. Your Majesty, please do not fall for the enemy chieftain's treacherous scheme!"

Empress Dowager Sun was taken aback and was immediately bewildered by Zhu Qiyu's reaction.

She suspected that this was Zhu Qiyu's idea, or that someone had advised Zhu Qiyu to do so, such as the former Consort Wu, and now Empress Dowager Wu.

Zhu Qiyu's reaction clearly showed that he didn't believe a single word of it, and even tried to persuade himself not to believe it either.

Empress Dowager Sun found it difficult to discern who was loyal and who was treacherous.

"A treacherous scheme? What makes you say that?"

"Holy Mother, don't you think this news came too suddenly? When I received this news, I went to verify its source. A maid in the palace hanged herself. I feel that this matter is unusual. My brother's imperial edict just returned to the court. The edict is invalid and has not caused any turmoil in the court or the palace."

"But then the news spread that the Emperor's identity was questionable. I suspect that there have been spies in the palace who have been plotting a series of schemes to incite internal strife and cause discord within the palace. This will also make the officials suspicious of each other. As a result, the defense of the capital will not be perfect. With people in a state of panic, if Esen were to march south, the capital would collapse without a fight."

"Holy Mother, do not fall for their treacherous scheme. The reason I dealt with some palace servants so swiftly was because I suspected that there were still remnants of Wang Zhen's faction causing trouble. If it weren't for these treacherous servants making mistakes during the Tumu Crisis, my brother would not have been trapped in the enemy's court. The lessons of the past should serve as a guide for the future. I believe we must be on guard. It is better to kill the wrong person than to let one go."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Sun fell silent for a moment, because Zhu Qiyu's words were not without reason; the Tumu Crisis had indeed been a very sudden defeat.

In Empress Dowager Sun's view, the primary suspect in this matter was Zhu Qiyu. Based on the basic principle of "suspecting whoever benefits," Zhu Qiyu was the ultimate beneficiary of this matter.

Secondly, these court officials colluded with each other, because the claim that he was "the son of a palace maid" had been circulating outside the palace since the beginning. This time, his own son sent back an imperial edict reprimanding the court officials, which caused panic among them and created chaos by questioning Zhu Qizhen's identity. Even if something happens in the future, Zhu Qizhen's legitimacy will be questioned, and they will have to consider the consequences if they launch an attack.

However, Empress Dowager Sun did not expect that Zhu Qiyu could provide a third suspect: a spy who happened to be connected with Wang Zhen.

Speaking of Wang Zhen, Empress Dowager Sun seemed deflated. This was the area where she was inferior to Empress Zhang of Emperor Renzong in her entire life. When Empress Zhang was alive, Wang Zhen didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Empress Zhang passed away, and the harem fell into her hands. Yet she failed to suppress this treacherous official, leading to such a terrible disaster. Now she knew that Zhu Qiyu harbored selfish motives and was using this as an excuse to eliminate her spies, but she was helpless.

Empress Dowager Sun composed herself and slowly asked, "What should the Emperor do next?"

Zhu Qiyu straightened his expression, adopting a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, and said, "I have already ordered Xing'an to detain the suspects in the Eastern Depot. The palace must be silenced from discussing this matter any further. Anyone who discusses this matter again will be executed. How can we allow others to slander the reputation of the Holy Mother and my Imperial Brother!"

Empress Dowager Sun gazed at Zhu Qiyu with a complex expression, remaining silent for a long time. She couldn't fathom what thoughts were hidden beneath Zhu Qiyu's respectful exterior.

It felt like someone stabbed you in the back and you had to thank them for taking you to the hospital.