Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 7: Take the initiative and confess your sins!

The capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Civil and military officials lined up at the city gate to welcome the emperor returning from defeat.

Standing at the front of the team was Prince of Qin Zhu Qiyu, and on his left and right were the Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi and Cabinet Minister Shang Lu.

Behind them were ministers from various ministries, such as the gloomy-faced Vice Minister of War Yu Qian.

What about asking the Prime Minister of the Cabinet?
The Prime Minister Cao Nai died in the battle of Tumu Fort. Not only him, but also a large number of civil servants including the cabinet member Zhang Yi, the Minister of War Kuang Ye, the Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, etc. died in Tumu Fort.

Dozens of civil and military officials died in Tumu Fort, which was a huge loss for the Ming Dynasty.

The annihilation of 200,000 elite troops was a fatal blow to the Ming Dynasty.

But just twenty years ago, the Ming Dynasty, led by Emperor Yongle, swept across the world, and then there was the prosperous era of Renzong and Xuanzong.

The accumulation of three generations was destroyed by one war.

"Wang Zhen should be cut into pieces!" Shang Lu gritted his teeth.

This sentence reflects the inner voice of many ministers. It was precisely because of the stupidity and incompetence of the dead eunuch Wang Zhen that the Battle of Tumu was defeated.

The ministers did not dare to scold the emperor, and their anger was directed at Wang Zhen, even though Wang Zhen was already dead.

Of course, this is also the accumulation of anger over the years.

Since Wang Zhen, the dead eunuch, came to power, he framed loyal officials and threw many ministers into jail? He treated civil and military officials as nothing, how arrogant and domineering.

Then who indulged Wang Zhen?
The ministers didn't dare to say anything, but they all knew in their hearts that the man was the emperor.

Who caused the crisis in Ming Dynasty today?
It's the emperor!
The emperor personally led the army to fight, but acted rashly, resulting in the loss of all the elite troops in the three camps. He also favored corrupt officials and failed to follow the right path.

In the minds of most ministers, the emperor should be deposed.

"Your Majesty, you are finally back." Prince Zhu Qiyu of Qin sighed as he looked at the slowly approaching carriage.

Recently, many court officials have hinted that he should step forward.

But due to the power of the Empress Dowager, he did not dare to do so, even though almost all the ministers believed that Zhu Qizhen was no longer qualified to be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

……

The emperor's carriage finally arrived at the city gate.

All the ministers looked at the carriage, wanting to see if the person stepping out of it was the emperor.

Because of countless rumors, the emperor had been captured by Oirat Yesen.

"Your Majesty, we welcome you back to the capital!" All the ministers knelt down.

After a while, a slightly tired voice came from the carriage: "I am a defeated king, my dear ministers, there is no need to welcome me with such fanfare."

It's the emperor's voice!

The kneeling ministers looked at each other, guessing that the person in the carriage should be His Majesty.

But why doesn't Your Majesty come out?
"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, and all the other ministers have been worried about you day and night, and we are finally looking forward to your return." Zhu Qiyu's eyes flashed coldly, and he bowed again, "Your Majesty, how are you? I, your humble servant, and the ministers all want to see you."

This was exactly what the ministers wanted.

I just want to see whether the person sitting in the carriage is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty must be very tired after the long journey." Zhang Fu rode out, "I will take your Majesty to the court tomorrow morning to rest up and then meet you all in the court."

"How can we feel at ease without seeing Your Majesty?" Shang Lu bowed.

Zhang Fu's eyes were gloomy.

He was naturally worried. If someone found out that the emperor was a fake, then everything would be over.

But this day must be faced eventually.

"That's fine. I have something to say to you." The emperor's voice came out again from the carriage. All the ministers raised their heads and held their breath.

……

The curtain was drawn open and Zhu Qizhen got out of the carriage.

The ministers exclaimed in surprise, some were happy, some were disappointed and some were angry, with different expressions on their faces.

Zhu Qizhen was panicking in his heart, but on the surface he had a complex expression of regret and pain. He sighed and said:
"This great defeat has put the Ming Dynasty in danger. It is all my fault."

"I am a man of great virtue and have inherited the throne. I wanted to renew the world and restore the old ways of our ancestors. But I did not expect to rely on the wrong people, which led to the rise of the barbarians."

"Our dynasty was at the peak of its power, with many civil and military men, but we were unable to gain people through deception and fraud, and few ships were able to gain real merit. The enemy invaded us three times. The master and his disciples were exposed, and the people were devastated."

"I have been thinking about this at night, and I am already overwhelmed with shame and anger."

"Tomorrow, I will issue an edict of self-criticism, retreat to Wuying Palace, reduce meals and music, and except for ceremonials, I will wear blue clothes to show that I share the same hardships as the civil and military soldiers in my army, until the day when the enemy is pacified."

"Civil and military officials should also reflect on their past and strive for the future. They should work together to improve themselves and restore the will of heaven. Governor-general and prime minister, please inform everyone in the government to understand my intention and save the lives of the people. Make secret agreements and liaise with each other, encircle and attack the enemy directly and wipe out the enemy!"

His attitude of admitting his mistake was very sincere, and his words were heartfelt.

There is no way to deal with the kneeling ministers.

Your Majesty, is that you?

You weren't like this before. You always admitted your mistakes proactively?
"Long live your majesty!" Yu Qian suddenly bowed, "No one is perfect except saints and sages. Your majesty has recognized his mistakes and awakened to them. This is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

"It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty." Chen Yi, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, bowed and said, "When the emperor makes mistakes, the ministers should advise him! How many civil and military officials in the court are wise enough to protect themselves? Your Majesty has made mistakes, but don't the ministers have any? Let me ask you, when Wang Zhen deceived the emperor and his superiors, how many people dared to stand up?"

The words of these two people shocked the whole audience.

Zhu Qizhen was stunned for a moment. He never expected that there would be a minister who would speak for him.

Originally, he thought that most of the ministers would definitely wish for him, the emperor, to abdicate.

"If I am guilty, I will blame everyone else; if everyone else is guilty, I am guilty." Zhu Qizhen glanced at them and said in a painful voice, "I will issue a self-blame edict tomorrow. My dear ministers, please stop trying to persuade me."

Who the hell advised you?

Why don't you just abdicate?
This is what most ministers really think, but the emperor has admitted his mistakes himself, so what else can we do?

"We are facing a powerful enemy!" Zhu Qizhen said solemnly, "I will definitely be with you all and help you through this difficult time. Please, everyone!"

After saying that, he sat back in the car.

Zhang Fu waved his hand fiercely: "Get going!"

The emperor's carriage entered the city and headed towards the palace.

The ministers then stood up, and they did not look very happy about the emperor's return.

The emperor is back, and Yesen's army is following him and will also arrive soon.

Now that the Ming Dynasty’s 200,000 elite soldiers are gone, can the capital still be defended?
……

The emperor's carriage arrived at the palace.

Zhu Qizhen in the car became even more nervous.

He was confident that he could deceive those ministers, but next, he would have to face the empress dowager, the mother of the legitimate emperor.

No one knows a child better than his mother.

How could one deceive a mother who had been a regent for more than a decade?

The carriage finally stopped slowly in front of the Qianqing Palace. Zhu Qizhen walked out of the carriage and saw a woman standing in front of the palace gate.

It’s the Empress Dowager of the Ming Dynasty!
She was wearing a long palace dress, looking dignified and noble. She folded her hands over her belly in an elegant posture, revealing a mature and cold charm that only a queen mother could have.

(End of this chapter)