The Ming Dynasty: A Modern Return, Building an Overseas Empire

The capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Today, the capital city is unusually lively. Whether it is high-ranking officials or ordinary people, everyone has shifted their discussion from the great victory of Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Han of the Ming Dynasty, in Japan to the major operations of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The common people were overjoyed, but the officials and nobles were gloomy and full of worry.

The people are truly happy, even more so than during the Lunar New Year.

Previously, Zhu Gaochi had won a great victory over the Japanese army in Japan, which became a popular topic of conversation among the people.

After all, the Japanese pirates had harassed the Ming Dynasty's coastline far too many times. From the Hongwu era until now, the Japanese pirates have never stopped.

Some people who came from the coastal areas were particularly excited and thrilled, and the wealthy even threw money around to celebrate the great victory.

Today, the large-scale operation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, arresting numerous officials as they passed through the streets, immediately caused an uproar among the people.

The common people at the bottom of society have become utterly disillusioned with many officials and dare not express their anger or speak out on ordinary days.

Today, with Zhu Di making such a large-scale arrest, there was not a single word of criticism; on the contrary, everyone praised the emperor's wisdom.

However, the joy of the common people stood in stark contrast to that of the powerful and wealthy.

The officials in the capital were all in a panic, and most of them were running around trying to escape the disaster by using the networks of relationships they had built up.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrests did not stop at all, and more and more people were thrown into the imperial prison. Even high-ranking officials of the court could no longer sit idly by.

Outside the East Palace, Yang Shiqi, Huang Huai, Jin Youzi, and others looked at the tightly closed gates of the East Palace with furrowed brows.

"It seems the Crown Prince is not going to get involved in this matter. What exactly is going on? Why are those local officials so united in submitting this memorial at this time? Don't they know this is a coup d'état?!"

"Stupid! Utterly foolish!"

Huang Huai, Jin Youzi, and others disregarded their image and berated these people, even though they themselves had participated and submitted petitions, they were shifting all the blame onto the local officials in Jiangnan.

Yang Shiqi remained silent, staring at the tightly closed gates of the East Palace, his heart heavy.

He had worked in the Eastern Palace and was both a teacher and friend to Zhu Gaochi, so he knew Zhu Gaochi's character well.

Yang Shiqi knew very well that this matter alone was not enough to make Zhu Gaochi close the Eastern Palace.

Moreover, Zhu Gaochi would not only not close the Eastern Palace, but would also take the initiative to find them to discuss how to quell the incident and how to advise Zhu Di.

The fact that this situation has arisen can only mean that Zhu Gaochi himself has also run into trouble.

This was what weighed heavily on Yang Shiqi's mind.

He is now Zhu Di's favorite, but Yang Shiqi knows very well that if Zhu Gaochi were not in front of him, he would be nothing.

Have you not seen the fate of Xie Jin, the previous favorite of the emperor, who was more capable and more learned than him?

This also shows Yang Shiqi's self-awareness.

As long as Zhu Di was still alive, no matter how much he was favored, he always maintained his own words and deeds, never acting recklessly or being high-profile.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Yang Shiqi had no choice but to speak.

"wait."

A single word evoked different thoughts in several people.

Some people started to leave, while others stayed with Yang Shiqi and waited.

However, Zhu Gaochi did not receive the news he was waiting for. Instead, he received the news that all the officials of the Eastern Palace had been imprisoned and that Yang Pu would be executed in three days.

At this moment, everyone was shocked.

Even the usually composed Yang Shiqi couldn't help but tremble, his fingers shaking uncontrollably, his heart filled with fear.

It wasn't until this point that everyone, including Yang Shiqi, realized just how serious the situation was.

This time, Zhu Di is really preparing to unleash a massacre!

That's Yang Pu, whose talent is no less than theirs. Everyone knows that he is the only person Zhu Gaochi trusts and values. As long as Zhu Gaochi takes the throne, he will definitely have a place in the cabinet or the six ministries.

Yang Shiqi, who was close to Yang Pu, was particularly gripped by fear.

After a long while, Yang Shiqi came to his senses, his eyes filled with fear, and he looked at the group with lingering horror.

"Go back immediately, submit a memorial to apologize, agree to the Emperor's northern expedition, coordinate with the various ministries to raise funds and supplies, and provide a concrete plan! Quickly!"

Without the slightest hesitation, and without caring whether the others could understand him or not, Yang Shiqi hurriedly left.

Yang Shiqi suddenly realized that this time they had touched Zhu Di's sore spot; to put it bluntly, they were forcing him to abdicate.

At this moment, Yang Shiqi hated the local officials in Jiangnan to the core, and also had grievances against Yang Pu.

This treats Zhu Di as an ordinary emperor. If it were Zhu Gaochi or Zhu Zhanji instead of the founding emperor, they would have succeeded this time.

With pressure from both the imperial court and local authorities, it's difficult for anyone to continue holding on.

But now Zhu Di is the emperor, an emperor who fought his way to the top on horseback.

The ruthlessness he displayed during the Jingnan Campaign was no less than that of Zhu Yuanzhang.

The more united they are, the more likely they are to invite disaster upon themselves.

Yang Shiqi was truly annoyed, even though they had no connection with the local authorities whatsoever.

But there's no way to explain it now. Only by adjusting our attitude can we avoid this disaster.

The strong winds were still raging in the capital. Those who had not been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard felt no relief, only an increasingly heavy heart.

Not only Yang Pu, but now even the vice ministers have been arrested. The vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites have all been imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

A vice minister—this is no longer some nobody; this is a figure who can exert a tremendous influence in the capital with a stomp of his foot.

At that moment, all the powerful and influential officials and gentry in the capital felt a sense of suffocation.

The Censorate, usually the most boisterous and resolute members, all chose to remain silent at this time.

No one dared to say that Zhu Di was cruel and immoral, and no one stood up to plead for the officials who had been imprisoned.

Some people have even proactively changed their stance and begun to fully support Zhu Di's northern expedition.

He voluntarily handed over his family wealth, donated it to the imperial court, and began to write letters to denounce the Oirats and Tatars, requesting the court to send troops to the north.

Some prominent scholars from the Imperial Academy and the Hanlin Academy published articles vehemently condemning the Oirats and Tatars for their repeated incursions into the border regions of the Ming Dynasty and their plunder of the people. They repeatedly mentioned the hardships endured by the border troops and the difficulties faced by the Ming army.

Suddenly, the wind began to shift, and everyone's attention turned to the Oirats and Tatars.

It was as if the Ming Dynasty would be condemned by the world if it did not send troops to conquer the Oirats and Tatars in the north.

When news spread that a large number of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) had flooded into the Jiangnan region, many officials had been imprisoned and to be executed on a later date.

Surprisingly, everyone's gaze was unanimous; not a single person spoke of Zhu Di's cruelty, and all those to be imprisoned were labeled as pro-Northern Yuan.

These people, who intended to prevent the imperial court from launching a northern expedition, secretly contacted treacherous officials who were on good terms with the Northern Yuan.

Previously, the officials and gentry in Jiangnan who had strongly resisted began to voluntarily hand over their money and grain. Many officials and gentry also donated money and grain and petitioned the court to send troops to the north to conquer the remnants of the Yuan dynasty.

Two days passed quickly, and Zhu Di looked at the mountain of memorials piled up on his desk, a cold smile appearing on his face.

This time, the mountain of documents on his desk no longer advised him to rest and recuperate, nor did they advise him against waging war and wasting resources on the people; instead, they all urged him to launch a northern expedition.

Even the reasons for his northern expedition were devised by those great Confucian scholars and court officials.

The imperial court did not actively collect the money, food and supplies needed for the northern expedition. The supplies that various places voluntarily handed over were enough for him to enjoy himself for half a year.

No one mentioned Zhu Gaochi's voyage or the migration of people again.

Yang Shiqi and others, along with the Ministry of War, have already formulated three troop deployment plans and two logistical transportation routes.

Everyone was so afraid that he wouldn't go on the northern expedition that they begged him to go.

Zhu Di did not look at the memorials; he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky outside with a faint smile on his face.

"So, you can play it like this?"