Ming Dynasty: I, Zhu Yunwen, started by resurrecting my grandmother.

Zhu Yunwen, with his hands behind his back, slowly said, "As you know, some time ago, Zhu Di, under the pretext of mourning, led 100,000 elite troops to besiege the capital."

At that time, I was ordered to go to Zhu Di's camp to feign surrender and deceive him.

Zhu Di was indeed fooled. Later, he was driven back to Beiping and hated me to the core.

"Tell me, what if Zhu Di comes looking for me to settle scores after I go to Beiping this time?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai sneered inwardly, thinking, "It would be better if Zhu Di killed you."

"The King of Wu is exceptionally astute; he will surely devise a countermeasure when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "You old bastard, are you trying to play tricks on me? Saying this is the same as not saying anything at all."

Zhu Yunwen continued, "Now, on the surface, Zhu Di is a prince of the court, but in reality, he is irreconcilably opposed to the court."

The Emperor appointed Zhang Bing as the Provincial Treasurer of Beiping, and Xie Gui and Zhang Xin as the Military Commanders of Beiping. What if Zhu Di refuses to obey the imperial edict?

Qi Tai cleared his throat: "This is exactly what His Majesty is worried about, which is why His Majesty asked you to take charge personally."

Your Majesty, I believe the Prince of Wu will find a way to make Zhu Di submit.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, it seems that getting anything out of Qi Tai won't be so easy.

Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment: "The Northern Yuan occupies the northern desert and is still very powerful. Timur has hundreds of thousands of troops and could invade the Central Plains at any time. If the Northern Yuan launches a large-scale invasion, how should we defend ourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai thought to himself that this matter was different from others.

If Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di cannot withstand the Northern Yuan's attack, then the Ming Dynasty's empire will be in grave danger.

If they reach the capital, things will get very difficult.

Forget about my future; I'm afraid my life is in danger.

Qi Tai sighed upon thinking of this: "How about this, I'll write a letter to Zhu Di, telling him to see the situation clearly, not to oppose the court, and at the same time, to strengthen defenses to prevent any unforeseen events."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen was secretly pleased, but outwardly remained calm: "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Lord Qi."

So Zhu Yunwen brought out the writing implements and slipped fifty taels of silver to the short, fat jailer: "Punishment does not apply to high-ranking officials; Lord Yu is being too harsh."

The short, stout jailer accepted the silver and then unlocked Qi Tai's shackles: "Hurry up, don't take too long. If the boss sees us, I can't afford to be punished."

Qi Tai sighed: "No wonder Zhou Bo was so emotional back then, saying that I once commanded a million-strong army and fought across the battlefield, but only today do I realize how ruthless the prison guards are."

Back then, Zhou Bo was the Grand Commandant, and now Qi Tai is the Minister of War; the two are quite comparable.

A moment later, Qi Tai finished writing the letter and sealed it.

Zhu Yunwen put it away and tucked it into his pocket: "Lord Qi, please calm down."

"You're here to experience life."

"King Wu is joking," Qi Tai thought to himself. Who would come here to experience life for no reason?

"Even if you really killed that Xuanfa monk, it's not a big deal."

He was a bald thief; he's dead, so be it.

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai turned pale with fright: "No, no, no, King Wu, you are wrong. It is a matter of life and death. I really did not kill that monk."

I have no grudge against him, and he is a favorite of Empress Lü. Why would I kill him?

"In that case, I believe His Majesty is wise and will surely be able to distinguish right from wrong."

"Don't worry, once I have an audience with the Emperor, I will definitely plead for you before him. I believe it won't be long before he releases you."

"Then thank you in advance."

night.

Zhu Yunwen's study.

Zhu Yunwen sat reading at his desk, with Huang Zicheng, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, standing beside him.

Zhu Yunwen put down the book in his hand and frowned.

Xuanfa died, and Lady Lü was heartbroken and furious, cursing Qi Taiyi for being cruel and vicious.

Lady Lü refused to eat, forcing Zhu Yunwen to issue an imperial edict to kill Qi Tai in order to avenge Xuanfa.

Zhu Yunwen was caught in a dilemma: "Sir, do you believe that Xuanfa was killed by Qi Tai?"

Huang Zicheng quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I had no motive to kill Xuanfa."

Xuanfa was not a member of the imperial court; he was merely a monk at Jiming Temple. There was no conflict of interest between the two of them.

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly: "But what should I do if the Empress Dowager refuses to eat?"

"Back then, Dou Ying and Tian Fen were at odds, and Empress Dowager Wang once used this tactic to force Emperor Wu of Han to issue an edict to kill General Dou Ying. This was indeed a difficult situation."

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "I have just ascended the throne. If I force my mother to her death, that would be the greatest act of filial impiety. If that happens, how will the people of the world view me? Please enlighten me, sir."

Huang Zicheng pondered for a moment, then suggested, "The reason why Xuanfa is so trusted by the Empress Dowager is simply because of his outstanding appearance. Your Majesty, you can issue another decree to select an even more handsome monk to perform the ritual for your father's soul."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen thought to himself that this was indeed a good idea.

Zhu Yunwen's expression softened slightly: "I'll leave this matter to you. The sooner the better!"

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Zhu Yunwen picked up his teacup and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on top: "What are your thoughts on Beiping?"

"Your Majesty has made at least three mistakes," Huang Zicheng said bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen spat out all the tea in his mouth with a "pfft," soaking Huang Zicheng completely: "What did you say? What three things did I do wrong?"

Huang Zicheng brushed the water off his clothes: "Your Majesty, you didn't choke, did you?"

"No, tell me quickly!"

Huang Zicheng straightened his clothes: "Firstly, Your Majesty, you should not have released the three brothers Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui back to Beiping."

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, in order to show friendship and trust, various states would send their sons to the other state as hostages.

The late emperor was farsighted and foresaw that Zhu Di might rebel. Therefore, he lured the three brothers, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui, to the capital in advance to prevent Zhu Di from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.

How could Your Majesty listen to Xu Zengshou and release the three brothers?

Zhu Yunwen, somewhat annoyed, said, "This matter is irreversible, so let's not discuss it further. What about the second matter?"

"Qi Tai advocated weakening the power of the princes, which was not wrong in itself. However, it was wrong of him to directly target Zhu Di."

Why?

Huang Zicheng stroked his beard and said, "The reason is very simple. Zhu Di has been guarding Beiping for many years and fighting against the Northern Yuan. He has made great contributions. It would be unreasonable to dismiss him."

Secondly, he was powerful and far from the capital, making him difficult to reach and thus extremely difficult to deal with.

Therefore, I suggest that we start with the weakest link and begin by weakening the fiefdom of King Zhu Su of Zhou.

Firstly, the Kings of Zhou, Qi, Xiang, Dai, and Min committed many illegal acts during the reign of the previous emperor, and their removal from office was justified.

Secondly, Zhu Su was Zhu Di's younger brother; reducing Zhu Su's fiefdom was tantamount to cutting off Zhu Di's right-hand man.

"What is the third thing?"