Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

Zhou Ling'er said to Zhu Youjian, "Wu Mengming is waiting outside the door."

"Oh, quickly call him in, let me see him!" Zhu Youjian said as he returned to his desk and sat down, straightening his posture and back.

Li Ruolian stood behind him.

A short while later, Wu Mengming walked in from outside and knelt on the ground: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian looked down at him, then lightly raised his right hand: "No need for formalities, rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After Wu Mengming stood up, he bowed to Zhou Ling'er again, his attitude extremely respectful.

Zhu Youjian glanced at him and saw that Wu Mengming was tall and broad-shouldered, with a yellowish, slightly curly beard.

Although not exactly handsome, he was still quite imposing.

"Tian Ergeng committed a serious crime and has been beheaded."

"I intend to appoint you to succeed him as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Are you willing?"

"This humble general is willing to serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty!" Wu Mengming's voice was loud and clear.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is very important to our court. It was established not long after the founding of our Ming Dynasty."

Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has also produced many talented individuals, such as Mao Xiang, Ji Gang, and Song Zhong, who were all remarkable.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard shouldered a special mission and made special contributions to the imperial court.

After you and Gao Wencai joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you became the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Gao Wencai became a commander of a thousand households.

You two must keep the Embroidered Uniform Guard firmly under your control.

There were also some bad apples within the Embroidered Uniform Guard; they were all purged.

However, Tian Ergeng had always served Wei Zhongxian.

"It might be a bit difficult for you to take over the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty!"

"This humble general is irreconcilably opposed to Wei Zhongxian."

"Even if it's difficult, I'm not afraid!" Wu Mengming said confidently.

Zhou Ling'er said from the side, "His Majesty has high expectations for you. He hopes that after you join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you will achieve great things and not disappoint him!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this humble general will be loyal to the court and Your Majesty, and will not disappoint you."

"General Wu, you are mistaken. I am not the Empress," Zhou Ling'er corrected.

Wu Mengming then realized that he had spoken out of turn.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian thought to himself that it wasn't that he didn't want to make Zhou Ling'er empress, but rather that she was unwilling to be empress. He decided to discuss this matter further.

night.

At Wei Zhongxian's residence.

Wei Zhongxian summoned Cui Chengxiu, Wei Guangwei, Xu Xianchun and others to discuss countermeasures.

Xu Xianchun was one of the "Five Tigers" and a close associate of Wei Zhongxian. Due to his outstanding martial arts skills, he was promoted to Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

Although Xu Xianchun had read some books

However, he was cruel by nature, repeatedly instigated major prisons, was adept at using torture, and even forged prison statements.

Xu Xianchun commented on those cruel officials in history, such as Zhi Du, Ning Cheng, Yi Zong, and Wang Wenshu in the Han Dynasty.

Lai Junchen and others in the Tang Dynasty highly praised it.

He felt that to be an official like them was to be a true hero.

Following Wei Zhongxian's instructions, he overturned the convictions of six gentlemen: Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, Gu Dazhang, Zhou Chaorui, and Yuan Huazhong.

He falsely accused the Six Gentlemen of embezzling a large sum of money, but the person who bribed them was Xiong Tingbi, who was already dead. It was truly a case of the dead having no way to prove it.

Zhou Shunchang, Huang Zunsu, Wang Zhicai, Xia Zhiling and others all died at his hands.

Wei Zhongxian was so angry that he cursed Liang Tianqi: "That old Liang is really ungrateful. Our family sent him so much gold and silver jewelry, as well as four beautiful women."

If he simply accepts everything, everyone will be happy and peaceful, wouldn't that be better?

However, he was ungrateful and wouldn't listen to reason.

They actually kicked us out of his house! We're furious!

Cui Chengxiu, standing nearby, advised, "Your Majesty, don't be angry anymore. Getting angry will harm your health!"

Everyone in the imperial court knows that Liang Tianqi is a stubborn old man.

He was like that stinky, hard stone in the outhouse, just that one person.

Wei Guangwei suggested, "Uncle, since Liang Tianqi is so ungrateful and doesn't know what's good for him, we can't just let him get away with this. Let's send someone to assassinate him!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu quickly stopped him: "Absolutely not!"

The Dali Temple was already heavily guarded, and the constables under Liang Tianqi's command were all strong and capable men.

Assassinating Liang Tianqi would be very difficult, especially since the Shenji Battalion had already dispatched two hundred soldiers to protect him.

Where do we have a chance to make a move?

Wei Zhongxian nodded: "You're right. When I went to deliver the gift to him a couple of nights ago, I found that Liang Tianqi's residence was indeed heavily guarded, with patrol teams coming and going. It was indeed difficult to make a move."

Just then, a man in black, covered in blood, burst in from outside and knelt on the ground.

Everyone was startled.

Wei Zhongxian looked closely and saw that the person who came was none other than Sun Yunhe.

Wei Zhongxian quickly ordered Wei Guangwei to help Sun Yunhe up and make him sit down.

Wei Zhongxian asked, "How did you get so badly injured?"

"Your Excellency, I was shot by Sun Chuanting, which almost crippled me. My shoulder blade was broken." Sun Yunhe held his shoulder, his expression showing great pain.

Wei Guangwei pulled open the shirt over his shoulder and took a look.

Sun Yunhe's shoulder was a bloody mess, and the wound was still turned outwards.

Sun Yunhe cried and said, "Your Majesty, Tian Ergeng is finished. Sun Er and Song Ba have been killed, and their heads have been cut off."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian felt his vision go black and almost fainted.

Cui Chengxiu quickly helped him up: "Your Excellency, don't be too sad."

You have to hang in there!

"Tian Ergeng is our family's trusted and beloved general."

He died a terrible death. It's all our fault; we didn't protect him properly.

As Wei Zhongxian spoke, his eyes reddened, and he almost shed tears.

Everyone who saw it was quite moved.

Xu Xianchun suddenly stood up: "This grudge must be avenged."

We'll mobilize our troops right now, raze the Dali Temple to the ground, and cut off Liang Tianqi's head to avenge Tian Ergeng.

I simply don't believe that, no matter how powerful Liang Tianqi is, he's more powerful than the Six Gentlemen who fought against Yang Lian and Zuo Guang.

Hsu Hsien-chun also has a fiery temper.

He had always harbored resentment because his daughter hadn't been selected as a concubine.

Cui Chengxiu quickly advised, "Everyone, please don't act impulsively. Sit down and let's discuss this properly."

After all, Cui Chengxiu was the leader of the Five Tigers, so his words carried considerable weight.

Everyone patiently sat down again.

Cui Chengxiu analyzed: "First of all, Sun Yunhe was seriously injured."

If he loses too much blood, his life will be in danger.

Wei Guangwei poured Wei Zhongxian another bowl of tea, which Wei Zhongxian drank, making him feel a little better.

Wei Zhongxian calmed down and realized that Cui Chengxiu's words made sense.

Now that Tian Ergeng is dead, Sun Yunhe cannot afford to make any more mistakes.

Wei Guangwei said, "Among the imperial physicians, Fu Maoguang is the most skilled. Should we invite him to treat Sun Yunhe?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu grinned, thinking to himself that this person didn't even think before speaking.

Fu Maoguang is loyal to Zhu Youjian. If we invite him here, wouldn't that expose Sun Yunhe?

Cui Chengxiu quickly stopped him: "No, although Fu Maoguang's medical skills are superb, he is loyal to the court. How can we use him?"

Looking at Sun Yunhe's pained expression, Wei Zhongxian asked, "Did your identity get exposed when you went to storm the execution ground?"

"No, we were masked," Sun Yunhe said.

"So, has anyone been taken prisoner?"

"It seems there are two."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian shrugged, thinking to himself, "Isn't this just the same as being exposed?"

The Dali Temple has endless ways of tormenting people; who could stand it there?

Can those prisoners hold out?

Cui Chengxiu began to complain: "Your Majesty, I'm not wise after the event. Your Majesty, I was against the idea of ​​storming the execution ground from the very beginning."

However, Sun Yunhe insisted on doing it this way, making a desperate gamble.

Sun Yunhe explained, "We could have succeeded, but..."

Firstly, I never expected that Zhu Youjian would send Li Ruolian to protect Liang Tianqi, otherwise Liang Tianqi would have been shot dead by me with an arrow.

Secondly, no one expected that Sun Chuanting would personally lead 1000 soldiers of the Shenji Battalion to guard the execution ground.

"If it weren't for those two, we would definitely have been a huge success."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian thought to himself that this matter might be very troublesome.

Cui Chengxiu stroked his beard: "Your Excellency, the situation is unfavorable for us."

Now that Tian Ergeng is dead, Liang Tianqi, being so shrewd, will probably soon realize that the person who went to storm the execution ground was Sun Yunhe.

It's best for Sun Yunhe to stay out of the public eye these days.

"Because he has an injury on his shoulder, what should he say if people ask about it?"

Wei Zhongxian agreed with Cui Chengxiu, and he instructed Wei Guangwei to help Sun Yunhe down to find a physician for treatment.

Cui Chengxiu sighed: "Ke Shi, Wang Shaohui, and Wei Liangqing and his wife have all been imprisoned."

If Wang Shaohui were alive, Tian Ergeng probably wouldn't have died.

Sun Yunhe wouldn't be injured.

But now it's a complete mess.

Xu Xianchun reminded Cui Chengxiu, "Don't just think about others and not about yourself."

Last time that fake Daishan came to your house, you were too careless and actually handed him the agreement you signed with Daishan and the others.

It's clear that the current emperor is no ordinary person; he either doesn't make a move at all, or when he does, it's a deadly strike.

Lord Cui, you'd better be careful.

Upon hearing this, Cui Chengxiu turned pale with fright.

Lately, he can't bear to think about this; whenever he does, he can't sleep.

He was wondering who the fake Daishan was and whether the agreement had fallen into Zhu Youjian's hands.

If it has already fallen into Zhu Youjian's hands, why hasn't he mentioned it at all?

This seems a little abnormal.

Xu Xianchun suggested, "Lord Cui, you are now the Minister of War and concurrently the Left Censor-in-Chief, wielding great power..."

While you are in power now, quickly mobilize your troops.

First, control Beijing.

Secondly, we can simply hand over Shanhaiguan Pass.

"When the time comes, we'll all surrender to the Later Jin, and I'm sure Huang Taiji won't treat us badly."

Cui Chengxiu pondered for a moment and said, "Although I am the Minister of War, I still need the Emperor's approval to mobilize the army. It's not up to me alone. How can the army be mobilized without the Emperor's approval?"

"There is one solution we could consider."

"What method?"

"Your Excellency, you can write a letter and then send it to Shengjing to meet with Huang Taiji and Daishan, explaining the situation here to them and persuading them to lead their troops to attack Shanhaiguan."

We can transfer Gao Di from Shanhaiguan, or transfer the troops from Shanhaiguan, as long as Shanhaiguan remains in Daishan's hands.

Then they could march straight in and besiege Beijing.

With the Later Jin army as our backing, we can force Zhu Youjian to abdicate. If that doesn't work, we can just overthrow the Ming Dynasty and hand it over to the Later Jin.

"This—," Wei Zhongxian hesitated for a moment, then said, "At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to a conflict between General-in-Chief He Jin and the Ten Attendants, He Jin summoned Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou to lead troops to help him."

Unexpectedly, once Dong Zhuo arrived, he refused to leave.

Dong Zhuo became even more ruthless and arrogant.

So, we can't help but ask, could Dai Shan be the next Dong Zhuo?

Will he leave once he arrives in the capital? And how will he treat us?

Cui Chengxiu, standing nearby, advised, "Your Excellency, if you are timid and hesitant, you will not be able to accomplish anything."

At this point, we shouldn't overthink it. Luring the Later Jin army into the pass is our best way out.

Once the Later Jin army reaches the gates of Beijing, I believe Zhu Youjian will panic and have to agree to whatever demands we make.

After all, he is only 17 years old.

Despite his two narrow victories, we still hold the initiative overall.

The real power is still in your hands, sir.

Why should we be afraid of him?

Xu Xianchun also thought Cui Chengxiu's idea was good.

He said, "To solve internal problems, we must transfer internal conflicts to external sources."

Wei Zhongxian lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "We still need to find out what Daishan and Huang Taiji are up to, and see what their attitude towards us is."

If they take us seriously, we can then bring the Later Jin army into the pass and besiege Beijing.

If they don't take us seriously, then we can't do this.

Everyone agreed that Wei Zhongxian's words made sense.

"Then, who should we send to Shengjing?"

Wei Zhongxian said, "Lord Cui, this idea came from you, and you have a good relationship with Daishan, so please make a trip to Shengjing."

Cui Chengxiu readily agreed, thinking to himself, "Once I get to Shengjing, I won't come back. I'll fly far away. If I come back, I'll be waiting to be killed."

Wei Zhongxian appointed Cui Chengxiu as the chief envoy and Wei Guangwei as the deputy envoy, and together they went to Shengjing.

Wei Zhongxian was more cautious here, after all, Wei Guangwei was his nephew, and he trusted him to handle things.

Wei Zhongxian looked at Xu Xianchun and said, "Tian Ergeng is dead. I'm sure Zhu Youjian will send someone to replace him."

Xu Xianchun sneered and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, leave this to me. I'll take on one of them as they come."

Bring two, I'll beat them both up.

"Keep beating them until they're terrified, and I guarantee none of them will dare come to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian revealed a strange smile.

Because he knew Xu Xianchun well, he believed everything Xu Xianchun said.