Di Ming

Chapter 427 Mother and Son Reunited, Teacher and Student Reunited

In his extreme anger, Emperor Wanli suddenly fainted, startling everyone into a flurry of activity. Some tried to pinch his philtrum, while others called for the imperial physician.

The entire Qianqing Palace was in a state of chaos.

Wang Xijue, Zhang Wei, and Shi Xing stared blankly at the scene, as if petrified.

The Emperor was only thirty-five years old, in the prime of his life, so why did he suddenly fall into a coma after such a fit of anger? It's clear that his health is severely compromised.

If something were to happen to the emperor, and the thirteen-year-old crown prince were to ascend the throne, then Consort Zheng would undoubtedly seize power, and the eunuchs and relatives of the empress would become even more powerful, making the crisis in the court even more unpredictable!

"Old nanny!" Consort Zheng rushed over, her face pale. Seeing the emperor's flushed face and unconscious state, she cried out, "What's wrong with you! Don't frighten me!"

As she spoke, she patted the emperor's chest and cried out, "Husband! Wake up! Wake up!"

Strangely enough, when Consort Zheng called out, the Emperor's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened them, actually waking up.

Sure enough, Consort Zheng was also a medicine for the emperor.

"Your Majesty!" Everyone knelt down.

"Husband!" Consort Zheng's pale face broke into a smile. "Husband is awake!" she exclaimed, patting the emperor's chest.

The emperor initially remained calm, but then something occurred to him, and he immediately became furious. He reached out and grasped Consort Zheng's hand, "My lady, Prince Xin and Zhu Yin have rebelled! They've rebelled in Nanjing! Rebellious officials and traitors..."

Consort Zheng touched the Emperor's hand, gritting her teeth as she said, "I already know! All the officials in Nanjing have betrayed us! These two traitors deserve to be torn to pieces!"

Upon receiving the news, she was so angry she nearly fainted. She wished she could immediately capture Zhu Yin and Zhu Changluo and tear them to pieces, skin them alive.

Originally, he thought he had won the struggle for the succession, his son had finally become the crown prince, and Consort Wang and her son were doomed to die sooner or later. But who would have thought that Zhu Changluo, that son of a commoner, would actually become emperor in Nanjing!

She suddenly looked pitiful, tears welling up in her eyes as she almost pleaded, "My husband, please don't be angry. Anger will harm your health and greatly endanger your life. These treacherous officials can't cause any trouble; the court can easily wipe them out..."

Wanli's obese face flushed an unusual red, his eyes suddenly gleamed with a frightening intensity, and his swollen cheeks trembled as he grinned maliciously:
"Traitorous officials, what are they doing, plotting the Jingnan Rebellion and honoring me as the Retired Emperor! Heh heh! They are truly depraved and deserve to die! Zhu Yin, this traitorous official, and Zhu Changluo, this rebellious and unfilial son, should have been killed long ago!"

"I am not angry, I am not angry, my wife, do not worry, I am fine, I am perfectly alright..."

Consort Zheng quickly lit a stick of opium for the emperor and served it to him. The emperor took a couple of puffs and his breathing became easier.

Soon, the imperial physicians arrived and immediately administered medicine and acupuncture to the emperor.

After examining the emperor, the imperial physician forced himself to kneel and pleaded, "Your Majesty, you must not be angry again, otherwise... I fear..."

Consort Zheng glared at the imperial physician with murderous intent. "What? Speak!"

The imperial physician, drenched in cold sweat, reported, "Your Majesty, if she becomes even more enraged, she could suffer a stroke and become paralyzed on one side. In more serious cases…"

Consort Zheng trembled and said in a tone as sharp as a knife, "If the Emperor... you will have to atone with your lives."

The imperial physician was on the verge of tears, sweating profusely. Although he felt extremely wronged, he could only carefully write out a prescription and then retreat tremblingly.

Everyone knelt down, pleading with the emperor to calm down and not to be so angry.

Zhang Jing said, "Zhu Yin and Prince Xin's actions are utterly treasonous. Such treacherous officials should be punished by everyone. What kind of power can they possibly achieve? Even if they occupy Nanjing, they will only be besieged in an isolated city. The rebellion will be quelled in Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places without the need for the court to issue an order."

At this moment, Zhang Jing deeply regretted that he had agreed to secretly take care of Zhu Yin out of gratitude to Tian Yi.

Gao Cai also said, "Yes, Grandpa, it is estimated that Nanjing has been recovered, and Zhu Yin's head is already on its way."

Gao Huai said, "Grandpa, don't worry. Those treacherous officials can't cause any trouble. Zhu Shuaixin only dares to cause trouble in the Western Regions. How dare he enter the pass? Anyway, the Western Regions are not the Ming Dynasty. Let him be for now. Heaven will take care of him."

"As for Zhu Yin and Prince Xin causing trouble in Nanjing, that won't last long. What's the use of just occupying Nanjing? The prefectures around Nanjing, such as Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, and Huizhou, won't side with them, let alone the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi. Even if the rebels have tens of thousands of troops, how can they stop the imperial army?"

When these people said that, it was as if the current Nanjing court only had one city, Nanjing.

This is not their fault. The Jinghai Army and the Tiger Fang agents blocked the news, and the fastest report to Beijing came from Qiu Chengyun.

The initial news Qiu Chengyun received was that Zhu Yin and Prince Xin had occupied Nanjing, claiming to have established a new dynasty in accordance with the Fengtian Rebellion, and that the emperor was enthroned at Xiaoling Mausoleum, with the emperor being honored as the Supreme Emperor.

It actually happened on the very first day of the coup. He reported it to Beijing immediately upon learning of it.

As for what happened in the following days, Qiu Chengyun had already received the news and sent urgent reports. However, the second and third reports were still on their way and would arrive in a few days.

This led the Wanli Emperor and his ministers to believe that Zhu Yin and Prince Xin had merely occupied Nanjing, and they were unaware of the enthronement ceremony and the change of reign title. They were even less aware that half of Southern Zhili and five other provinces had already pledged their support to the Nanjing court.

At least in their eyes, Zhu Yin and Prince Xin were rebels, traitors, and the southern provinces would surely come to the emperor's aid to quell the rebellion. The rebels only had the isolated city of Nanjing; how long could they hold out? They were doomed to fail sooner or later!
After hearing what the eunuchs said, the emperor was indeed much more relieved, and his heart, which was about to explode, calmed down.

It's ironic, really. Emperor Wanli made this misjudgment because he didn't realize how much public support and how much infamy he had lost over the years.

Neglecting state affairs, imposing additional taxes on the suppression of rebellions, deposing the eldest son in favor of the youngest, allowing the secret police to run rampant, eunuchs to seize power, tax supervisors to cause trouble, confiscating property to amass wealth, suppressing upright officials, being selfish and self-serving... all these muddle-headed and perverse actions exhausted the goodwill he had left with the world since the Wanli New Deal, replacing it with resentment and disappointment.

He believed that after twenty-four years on the throne, his imperial position was secure and he held the legitimacy of the throne. Little did he know how many people were cursing him and how many officials and scholars were disheartened by him.

He overestimated the unconditional loyalty and filial piety of the people towards him, while underestimating the respect the people held for Zhu Yin and the support they had for Prince Xin.

We have no idea what kind of power Zhu Yin possesses in secret!
Wang Xijue and his associates, however, knew that things were far more complicated than they seemed. These civil officials had long been dissatisfied with the emperor and were well aware of the opinions of those in the south.

More than half a month has passed, and Nanjing has probably gained the support of at least Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces by now, and that's a very conservative estimate.

After all, Prince Xin should have been the Crown Prince and the future ruler of the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor's willful actions over the years have caused widespread resentment and discord between the emperor and his ministers, which has greatly alienated the people.

If Zhu Yin and Prince Xin truly only had one city, Nanjing, then it wouldn't be a problem. But if several provinces supported Nanjing, that would be a huge problem!
If that's the case, then the Ming Dynasty would have split into the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Add the one from the Western Regions, and that makes three Ming dynasties!
Is this still available?

Putting aside other factors, just consider the more than four million shi of grain transported to Beijing each year. Of these, three million shi came from Jiangnan and Jiangxi, while only a little over one million shi came from Jiangbei.

If we lose three million shi of grain, what will we do next year?!

Wang Xijue felt dizzy when he thought about this.

The emperor, having finally calmed down somewhat, said with a cold expression:

"I have long suspected that Zhu Yin harbors treacherous intentions. How can he be a harbinger of good fortune for the Ming Dynasty? He is clearly a harbinger of disaster! A harbinger of doom! I should have executed him long ago!"

“Three years ago, I deliberately did not reward him for his merits, and even demoted him to a remote place as a county magistrate, and put Qiu Chengyun and Hao Yun in charge of him. I originally thought that he was already hard to turn over, and even if he rose up many years later, he would not be a threat.”

"Who would have thought, who would have thought! I underestimated him! He was hiding his true intentions so well!"

"Jingnan... Jingnan... Who would come up with such a slogan?"

At this point, Wanli suddenly remembered something. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a secret report that said Zhu Yin's background was suspicious. He had no parents or family, and was said to be a merchant who had returned from Southeast Asia. However, his ancestral home could not be traced. He paid money to register his household in Jiangning, and he also had the surname Zhu... Could it be?"

At this point, his expression became very strange, as if he had figured something out.

He recalled a report from the Siamese envoy years ago, saying that there were still descendants of Jianwen in Southeast Asia!

Emperor Wanli was actually a very intelligent person with great talent. As long as he thought about something carefully, he would quickly figure it out.

Wang Xijue's brow twitched, as if he had also remembered something. "Your Majesty means that Zhu Yin is a descendant of Jianwen? I once saw a report from the Siamese envoy, saying that there were still descendants of Jianwen in Southeast Asia, but their surname was Wu. The Wu family almost established a kingdom in Southeast Asia, but they were defeated by the foreigners. Zhu Yin's surname is not Wu. Could it be that he did this on purpose?"

The emperor's large, fat face seemed frozen solid, as if it might crack and shatter at any moment; even his tone was chilling.
"Most likely! He probably deliberately used the surname Zhu to avoid suspicion. If he really is a descendant of Jianwen, no wonder he came up with the slogan of 'pacifying the rebellion,' it's revenge! It's an eye for an eye. Good! What a scoundrel! He's deceived me for nine years!"

Consort Zheng stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her expression filled with disbelief.

What? That traitor Zhu Yin, could he really be a descendant of the Jianwen Emperor? This…

Seeing that the emperor was about to fly into a rage again, Consort Zheng quickly put the cigarette holder into the emperor's mouth.

The emperor took a deep breath of the anesthetic, his face flushing strangely again, but his emotions calmed down once more. He gritted his teeth and sneered:
"Even if he really is a descendant of Jianwen, so what? It's been almost two hundred years, and Emperor Chengzu has long been the legitimate ruler of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he is a descendant of Jianwen, he has no right to have any delusions."

"However, this matter must be kept secret for now and cannot be leaked. Otherwise..."

Consort Zheng said, "Why can't it be revealed? Spread the word and let the world know his identity! Even if he's not a descendant of Jianwen, put that label on him! Let's see who dares to follow him in rebellion!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xijue couldn't help but shake his head. Consort Zheng truly has the limited perspective of a woman.

"No!" The emperor was surprisingly calm. "That rebellious son Zhu Changluo is nothing but a puppet. All of this was of course Zhu Yin's doing. Zhu Changluo has neither the guts nor the ability."

"If Zhu Yin is indeed a descendant of Jianwen, and his identity has been exposed, what will he do next? Hmm? Zhang Jing, what do you say?"

Zhang Jing said with a wry smile, "If Zhu Yin is indeed a descendant of Jianwen, once his identity is exposed, he might depose Prince Xin and step forward to declare himself emperor."

Consort Zheng asked in bewilderment, "Isn't that perfect? ​​The officials in Nanjing followed him in rebellion only because of Prince Xin's call. If he deposes Prince Xin and declares himself emperor, who will submit to him? He will immediately be all alone and will only be defeated even faster."

Zhang Jing cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's insight is remarkable, and what you say is absolutely right. However, this servant believes that a faster defeat is only one possibility. Another possibility is... that he is more likely to gain power!"

"Both possibilities exist, but we can't gamble! We must not reveal that Zhu Yin is a descendant of Jianwen, a false emperor or the Prince of Xin. In the end, it's still the Prince of Xin who is using his position to overthrow his father. After all, no matter how disobedient and unfilial the Prince of Xin is, he is still His Majesty's son."

"But if we label Zhu Yin as a descendant of Jianwen, and Zhu Yin deposes Prince Xin and directly declares himself emperor, raising the banner of Jianwen, then it would not be a case of a son overthrowing his father, but a restart of the struggle for the throne two hundred years ago!"

"I dare to say something that deserves death, but even though nearly two hundred years have passed since the Fengtian Rebellion, there are still many people who believe that Emperor Chengzu usurped the throne from his nephew and that the empire belongs to the Jianwen lineage. There are actually quite a few traitors who think this way! Who can guarantee that the old banner of Jianwen has really lost its appeal? What if it still does? Many people are just afraid that the world is not chaotic enough."

“Once the rebellion is defined as a continuation of the struggle for the throne two hundred years ago, then its nature changes. Those traitors who sympathize with Jianwen will support Zhu Yin. The court's suppression of the rebellion will lose some of its righteous justification. Many people will even think that this is a cycle of cause and effect.”

"If that's the case, Zhu Yin will have an easier time gaining power. After all, he occupies Nanjing. Nanjing has a different meaning for the Jianwen faction."

"Even if we concede, he could simply deny it. He could claim it's a ploy by the court to sow discord, a complete fabrication. What evidence does the court have to prove his identity?" "In that case, he can still use the name of Prince Xin. What good would it do to say he's a descendant of Jianwen? Publicizing this would certainly be risky for him, but the court would face even greater risks. It's like a double-edged sword; it could hurt him, but it would wound the court far more deeply."

Consort Zheng finally understood.

It turns out that claiming Zhu Yin was a descendant of Jianwen might hasten his downfall, but it could also make it easier for him to gain power. This could transform the rebellion into a cyclical struggle for the throne.

Both possibilities exist, but the imperial court dares not gamble. Because the consequences of losing would be far greater!

Even if it were truly detrimental to Zhu Yin, he could simply deny it. This would be a lose-lose situation, with the court suffering even greater losses, so of course, the matter couldn't be easily revealed.

To put it bluntly, the Jingnan Campaign of that year was illegitimate and morally untenable.

Emperor Wanli tried to calm his anger and said, "Zhu Yin may be a descendant of Emperor Jianwen. This matter must be kept secret for now and must not be disclosed!"

"While these traitors are only in Nanjing, immediately send troops to suppress them. I refuse to believe that Zhu Yin's small force can hold out for long! Issue the decree!"

The eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the cabinet ministers listened with their hands clasped in respect.

But the emperor said dryly, "Reinstate Qi Jiguang, restore his positions as Grand Protector and Left Commander-in-Chief, appoint him as General Who Subdues Rebels, and appoint Zheng Guowang as military supervisor. Head south to quell the rebellion! Ride to Shandong immediately and have Qi Jiguang lead the troops out to war!"

"The messenger hinted to Qi Jiguang that as long as he recaptures Nanjing and quells the rebellion, I will bestow upon him the title of Earl!"

Zhang Jing asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, from which troops will you be dispatched?"

Seventy to eighty percent of the Ming Dynasty's elite troops were stationed at the Nine Border Garrisons. Zhu Yin was no pushover; his reputation for military prowess and skill in battle was known throughout the land. To suppress him, while a renowned general like Qi Jiguang was certainly needed, elite troops and capable generals were also required.

Wanli looked at Shi Xing and said, "You know the Ministry of War best, so tell me!"

"As you command!" Shi Xing cupped his hands in greeting. "Not counting Yang Hao's 50,000 remaining troops at Jiayuguan, the nine border regions together still have more than 270,000 armored soldiers, but they are currently in Jizhou. Transferring them to fight in the south would not only be too far away, but the Mongol tribes are also unstable, so it is not advisable to transfer them lightly."

"I believe that only 10,000 soldiers from Jizhou can be drawn from the nine border regions. In addition, 10,000 soldiers from the Beijing Garrison, 5,000 soldiers from Changping, 5,000 soldiers from Tianjin, 5,000 soldiers from Baoding, 5,000 soldiers from the Shandong garrison, 10,000 soldiers from Shandong, 5,000 soldiers from Shunde, 5,000 soldiers from Zhengding, 8,000 soldiers from Fengyang, 5,000 soldiers from the grain transport army, 5,000 soldiers from Xuzhou, and 5,000 soldiers from Kaifeng should be selected, for a total of more than 80,000 people."

"These 80,000-plus men are all armored soldiers, and their combat strength is not bad. They are the majority of the elite troops that the court can draw upon, apart from the nine border regions. If a veteran general is in command, it will not be difficult to recapture Nanjing."

Wanli said, "Then let's do it this way. More than 80,000 armored soldiers, plus another 50,000 civilians from Shandong and Henan to join the army, making it a total of 200,000 troops. Strictly order Qi Jiguang to annihilate and wipe them out within three months!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Xijue and the others accepted the order.

The emperor took a deep drag of the opium, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and continued:

"Remove Zhu Changluo's title of Prince of Xin and Zhu Yin's title of Marquis of Jiangning, strip Zhu Yin of all his merits and titles, and reduce him to a commoner. Rename Zhu Changluo as Xin Ni, Zhu Yin as Yin Ni, and Zhu Shuai Xin as Qing Ni."

"Bury all the temples dedicated to child prodigies in the Yin direction!"

"Depose Consort Wang Gong to commoner status and arrest her. Shen Yiguan is dismissed from his post and arrested!"

"Issue an edict to the provinces of Huguang, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, instructing them to muster their troops and launch a full-scale attack to encircle Nanjing, and not to allow the rebels Yin and Xin to escape from Nanjing."

"Regarding the Northwest, Yang Hao and Sun Xiansuo should be brought to the capital. Li Rusong should take over the command of the Western Army and must not be allowed to enter Jiayuguan. Li Rusong should also not venture out of the country to fight recklessly; he should just hold Jiayuguan for now."

"Send an imperial edict to Zheng Guowang, ordering him to immediately contact Hai Mingyue and have Hai Mingyue's fleet contain the rebel navy."

"Issue another decree: 100,000 troops from the nine border regions shall be transferred south to be stationed in the Central Plains and Huaibei."

Shi Xing frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the defense line along the nine borders stretches for thousands of miles, and the troop strength is actually quite strained. If another 100,000 troops are sent south, what will happen when the Mongols knock on the gates? If the defenses are insufficient, the Mongol cavalry can storm into the capital region in just one day and night."

Wanli said coldly, "But if we don't mobilize the elite troops from the nine border regions, what will the court use to resist if Qi Jiguang's southern expedition fails and the rebels' morale soars and they cross the river? Are we just going to let the rebels march all the way to Beijing?"

Everyone was in a difficult position upon hearing this.

The Emperor's concerns were not unfounded. After all, Zhu Yin was a renowned general. What if Qi Jiguang made a mistake and the southern expedition failed, allowing the rebel army to cross the river? It wouldn't be safe to not send elite troops from the nine border regions south to set up defenses in advance.

Even with troops drawn from the nine border regions, the Mongol cavalry would be difficult to handle. The various Mongol tribes beyond the Great Wall, combined, still number at least 200,000 cavalry, remaining a formidable enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

Suddenly Zhang Jing said, "Grandpa, I've just thought of a good idea. We do have two armies available."

"First, there are the household guards and private soldiers of the major families in the capital region, which together number in the tens of thousands. Once they are gathered together and given some training, they will be a formidable force. For example, I have several hundred household guards outside the palace, and I am willing to send three hundred of them to serve the country."

Gao Huai said, "This servant will provide two hundred servants."

Wang Xijue strongly agreed. He had always disliked the nobles and powerful eunuchs for keeping too many servants and wished they could all be used to fight for the court.

As far as he knew, the Zheng family alone had over a thousand retainers and private soldiers, and the Marquis of Wuqing's family also had over a thousand retainers. What was the point of keeping so many private soldiers? It was illegal to begin with.

He quickly said, "This is a good idea. The servants are all carefully selected and can fight tough battles. We can form a force of 30,000 men, divided into five battalions, and deploy them in the Central Plains."

The emperor's expression softened, and he nodded, saying, "Very well. Then issue the decree. Zhang Jing, do you have another plan?"

Zhang Jing carefully said, "Didn't the Goryeo army capture more than 80,000 Japanese pirates a few years ago during the war against the Japanese? In recent years, they have been building mausoleums and palaces, cultivating land and reclaiming wasteland. They are very hardworking and honest. But back then, they were also fierce Japanese pirates. Now, they can be organized into an army of at least 70,000."

Wanli immediately understood. "Alright, then train 70,000 Japanese pirates, leave 30,000 in the Central Plains and Huaibei, and hand over 40,000 to Qi Jiguang to lead and march south to quell the rebellion! Anyway, these Japanese pirates are dead, so we can save on compensation and burial expenses, and the court will save a lot of money."

Shi Xing quickly said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Those who are not of our race are bound to be hostile. We finally managed to capture and disarm the Japanese pirates; how can we allow them to don their armor again? There are tens of thousands of Japanese pirates; what if they turn against us?"

“They wouldn’t dare,” Zhang Jing said with certainty. “The Japanese pirates are really strange. They are very fierce before they surrender, but once they are defeated and surrender, they become obedient. As long as the generals at all levels are not Japanese pirates, they will obediently follow orders.”

"With the servants and Japanese pirates, we have an additional 100,000 elite troops, which is enough to deal with any eventuality."

Shi Xing, Wang Xijue, and the others had no choice but to agree. Compared to recklessly mobilizing elite troops from the nine border regions, these two methods were far less risky.

Wang Xijue, of course, had not forgotten about money and provisions, and finally raised this unavoidable question:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury and other treasuries combined currently only have 1.8 million taels of silver left, which is a critical time of scarcity. Now, we need to quell the rebellions in the south and west, which will cost at least another 4 million taels, leaving a shortfall of more than 2 million taels..."

"I have no money," Wanli said coldly, his fat face flushing with that strange redness again. "Once we quell the Yin and Qing rebellions, we can seize a lot of silver."

Wang Xijue was in a difficult position. "Your Majesty," he said, "an army marches on its stomach. Right now, the court is short of provisions, and even the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Grand Secretariat are struggling to make ends meet. If the imperial treasury doesn't allocate funds, this task will be extremely difficult..."

The emperor suddenly flew into a rage again, “I was almost furious just now! Your cabinet is trying to provoke me again! It is you who manage the national treasury, not me! The national treasury is short of silver, yet you are eyeing my meager private funds! So, no one is showing respect to the emperor, and the emperor has to bail you out!”

"You think I really know nothing about what's going on below! You're trying to fool me with the Yellow Register from the Yongle era! Do you really think I believe the Ming Dynasty only has 60 million people? So many people claim to be citizens of the Ming Dynasty, yet they're not listed in the Yellow Register! Not only do they not pay taxes, they even eat the imperial grain!"

"I estimate that the population of the Ming Dynasty is more than two times sixty million! But with so many people, how much silver have you collected? Only a few million taels a year! Every year you say you have no silver, but you can't even count the population of the country, so how can you collect silver!"

"I have no money! You'll have to figure it out yourselves!"

Wang Xijue and his companions were extremely frustrated. They wanted to explain, but feared that the emperor's anger would cause them to suffer a stroke and become paralyzed. So they could only reluctantly take their leave and temporarily stop mentioning the money.

Immediately, imperial edicts were issued one after another, and the entire Beijing court became busy with important matters in the south and west.

Soon, news of Zhu Yin and Prince Xin establishing a separate court in Nanjing spread throughout the north.

The hearts of the people were instantly stirred up by this second Jingnan Rebellion!
Countless people harbored expectations, hoping that the Southern Dynasty would emerge victorious.

……

Early in the morning of July 17th, two ships from the north arrived at Yifeng Gate in Nanjing, one after the other.

A beautiful young woman in her early thirties disembarked from the first ship.

On the second ship was a refined-looking elderly man, around sixty years old.

Even more surprisingly, Emperor Taichang and the Regent Grand Tutor personally came to the riverbank to greet them.

When Emperor Taichang saw the young woman being helped off the boat, he was overjoyed and burst into tears.

It's Mommy! It really is Mommy!
That woman was none other than Consort Wang, who had been honored as Empress Dowager by the Southern Dynasty!

"Luo'er!" When Madam Wang saw her familiar son standing on the shore in a dragon robe, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed!

"Mother!" Zhu Changluo disregarded his imperial composure and rushed forward to greet her with a cheer. At this moment, the joy and relief in his heart were indescribable.

"Luo'er!" Madam Wang rushed forward, tears streaming down her face, and hugged her son. "I never thought that we, mother and son, would meet again in Nanjing! I really thought it was a dream."

With tears in his eyes, Zhu Changluo said, "It's not a dream! It was the doctor who saved us! Mother, from now on I will stay by your side and take care of you. No one will bully you anymore."

At the same time, Zhu Yin also watched with a smile as the refined old man disembarked with his hands behind his back.

Over there, mother and child are reunited, filled with boundless joy. Over here, teacher and student are reunited, but the atmosphere is different.

"Sir, I was frightened on this trip south," Zhu Yin said, bowing. "I apologize to you for this."

Shen Yiguan snorted coldly, his expression turning somewhat grief-stricken.

"Chikatsuki, Chikatsuki, you've done something truly remarkable!"

"You are a traitorous scoundrel!"

"What am I supposed to do now? You've ruined my reputation!"

...

P.S.: Are you disappointed that Wanli didn't collapse from anger immediately? Don't worry. Thank you, and please vote and leave a review!
(End of this chapter)