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

Qi Tai remained silent, for he simply did not want to send troops in the first place.

Zhao Ling'er continued, "When pirates attacked the capital, local officials along the southeastern coast were helpless."

At this moment, you thought of Zhu Yunwen in prison.

You released him from prison, gave him 1000 soldiers, and sent him to fight off the pirates. Are you kidding me?

You know it's like throwing an egg against a rock, yet you don't send reinforcements.

What's even more infuriating is that last time, when Zhu Yunwen sent people back to demand supplies and medicine, you refused to provide them. What does that mean?

Do you want to starve them to death?

Don't those wounded soldiers need medical treatment?

Wouldn't the court's actions discourage the soldiers?

What were those brave soldiers sacrificing their lives for?

If they are injured and cannot receive medical treatment, who will be willing to risk their lives for the imperial court in the future?

Zhao Ling'er's words made Zhu Yunwen's face turn red and white in turns.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen adopted a defensive stance, remaining silent no matter what anyone said.

At this moment, Zhao Sili escorted two thousand pirates to the military training ground.

Zhao Sili knelt on the ground and said, "Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yunwen stood up, came to him, and helped him up with both hands: "General Zhao, there's no need for such formalities, please rise!"

Zhao Sili was surprised by Zhu Yunwen's enthusiasm and felt a warm glow in his heart.

He was also quite surprised to see Zhao Ling'er there.

However, in front of Zhu Yunwen and Qi Tai, the father and daughter could not say anything.

"Your Majesty, what should be done with these pirates?"

Zhu Yunwen watched as the pirates were all tied up in strings.

He was scheming in his mind that these islands along the southeastern coast would seize cities, commit murder and arson, and do all sorts of evil deeds, posing a great threat.

However, the imperial court needs soldiers now. If they can be incorporated into the army, they should be able to have strong combat capabilities with a little training.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was hesitant.

At this moment, Qi Tai spoke up: "Your Majesty, what else is there to say about these pirates? Execute them all as a warning."

Otherwise, some unruly people might disregard the laws of the court and join the pirates on their own, and the pirates' power would gradually expand, further endangering the court.

Your Majesty should take this opportunity to clarify your position and let the people of the world know your attitude.

Those who join pirates never end well.

Zhu Yunwen was initially hesitant, but after Qi Tai's fervent persuasion, he finally agreed.

So Qi Tai ordered that the 2000 pirates be arranged into 10 rows, with 200 men in each row.

Then, 200 executioners were brought in, so that 200 pirates could be killed at once.

The airfield was filled with cries and screams; it was a truly heartbreaking sight.

An hour later, all 2000 pirates had been killed.

The military training ground was stained red.

Zhao Ling'er had never seen such a bloody scene before, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Qi Tai also had his own ideas; he also wanted to use this opportunity to establish his authority.

Look at those soldiers, who will dare to disobey him in the future?

Qi Tai's face was contorted with rage, and he let out a cold laugh.

He then deployed 1000 soldiers to clean up the scene and burn all the pirates' corpses.

After dealing with this matter, Qi Tai asked Zhao Sili, "General Zhao, why are you at the front line? I don't recall sending you to fight the pirates."

The imperial court had regulations that generals were not allowed to mobilize troops without authorization.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sili's tongue trembled slightly. Zhao Sili was an honest man and not good at lying.

At this moment, Zhao Ling'er explained, "Lord Qi, you don't need to think too much. My father heard that the soldiers at the front are running out of food and medicine, so he took some servants to deliver some food and medicine over. Is there any problem with that?"

"General Zhao really didn't send troops to help?" Qi Tai was a little skeptical.

"Where does he have an army? Isn't military power all in your hands?"

How could he possibly mobilize a single soldier without your permission?

After hearing what Zhao Ling'er said, Qi Tai decided not to pursue the matter further.

As a general, it is a capital offense to mobilize the imperial army without authorization. Generals can only mobilize troops with the permission of the imperial court. Otherwise, no one, not even a prince or crown prince, can mobilize the imperial army without authorization.

At this moment, Zhao Ling'er looked at Zhu Yunwen and asked, "Your Majesty, Zhu Yunwen, Chang Yuchun, and my father have made such great contributions this time. How do you plan to reward them?"

"What kind of award?" Zhu Yunwen was taken aback.

"Yes, without them, how could the imperial court have killed so many pirates?"

In addition, Zhu Yunwen's capture of pirates was only one of his achievements.

If Zhu Yunwen hadn't been in Zhu Gaochi's camp, how could Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying have possibly succeeded in their sneak attack?

Furthermore, when Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi led their troops to launch a rapid attack on Jinan, which was in imminent danger, it was only the timely arrival of Zhu Yunwen and Chang Yuchun that scared off Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Yunwen has made such a great contribution, shouldn't he be rewarded?

Therefore, I request Your Majesty to reinstate him to his original position and restore his title.

"This—," Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "How can I answer this question when Zhao Ling'er's explanation is so reasonable and well-founded?"

He turned his gaze to Qi Tai.

Qi Tai coughed lightly twice: "Miss Zhao, General Zhao, I think you may have made a mistake."

Zhu Yunwen certainly had merits, but he also had major faults.

Merits and demerits cannot offset each other.

"Oh, then tell me what mistakes Zhu Yunwen has made?" Zhao Ling'er looked at Qi Tai with resentment in her eyes.

"First of all, he privately recruited soldiers in Suzhou. No one is allowed to recruit soldiers without the permission of the imperial court. Don't say that you are a deposed prince. Even if you are a prince or the crown prince, it is not allowed."

Secondly, he mobilized troops in Jinan to fight the pirates. Without the imperial decree, no one is allowed to mobilize local troops without authorization.

By doing this, Zhu Yunwen was showing contempt for the imperial court and acting on his own initiative.

After Zhu Yunwen arrived at the Yanjin Ferry on the Yellow River, it is unknown what agreement he reached with Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Gaochi, but he was able to escape smoothly after arriving in Beiping.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's faults outweighed his merits, and instead of being rewarded, he was to be punished.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling'er was so angry that her eyebrows stood on end and her almond eyes rolled back. She pointed at Qi Tai and said, "You, surnamed Qi, what exactly do you mean?"

Oh, the pirates number in the tens of thousands, and you gave Zhu Yunwen only 1000 men to attack them. Aren't you harboring malicious intentions?

Do you think no one can see through your little tricks?

You're really good at this, so next time you can go fight the pirates!

Furthermore, if Zhu Yunwen hadn't reached the Yanjin Ferry on the Yellow River, Zhu Gaochi's army would probably have already reached the capital by now.

The capital might already have fallen to others, and you'd all be prisoners.

But you suspect that Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Gaochi are secretly colluding.

Aren't your thoughts filthy?

If Zhu Yunwen really colluded with Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi, could Jinan still be defended?

They acted swiftly and easily captured Jinan.

"You're making baseless accusations."

Zhao Ling'er's words made Qi Tai so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Qi Tai thought to himself that he had long heard that Zhao Ling'er was powerful, but he did not expect her to be this powerful.

Finally, seeing that Qi Tai was in a very awkward situation, Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "You don't need to argue anymore. How about this, Zhu Yunwen's merits and demerits cancel each other out, so let him return as soon as possible without reward or punishment."

Zhao Ling'er was so angry that her heart pounded.

She didn't go home; she went straight to Kunning Palace to find Empress Ma.

Kunning Palace.

Recently, Empress Ma has also been in a state of great turmoil.

First, Zhu Yunwen led over 1000 troops to attack the pirates, which greatly worried her.

Because she knew that Chen Zuyi and his son Chen Shiliang were a powerful and difficult force to deal with.

Therefore, she was worried about Zhu Yunwen.

Secondly, his youngest son Zhu Su's title of prince was also revoked. Regardless of the circumstances, he deeply loved Zhu Su.

However, Zhu Su made many mistakes, and Zhu Yunwen seized upon those mistakes and relentlessly punished him, which can be considered a well-known reason for his dismissal.

Empress Ma felt aggrieved, but she couldn't reason with Zhu Yunwen.

Once again, Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen still ended up fighting. Although Zhu Yunwen had persuaded them to retreat when he reached the Yanjin Ferry on the Yellow River, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying, eager to make a name for themselves, led their troops to attack Zhu Gaosui's army.

Zhu Gaosui suffered a great loss.

Zhu Di was her son, and Zhu Yunwen was her grandson. Seeing her son and grandson fighting, yet unable to stop them, how could Empress Ma not feel sad?

When Zhao Ning'er saw Empress Ma, she burst into tears and then recounted the whole story to her.

Empress Ma sighed, "In that case, Zhu Yunwen's achievement this time is quite remarkable. He killed 2000 pirates. I have never heard of the court achieving such a great victory in a war against pirates before."

"Indeed, Zhu Yunwen won a victory against overwhelming odds, yet Qi Tai threatened to punish him. Isn't that disheartening?"

Empress Ma was also very angry and cursed, "That bastard Qi Tai, I didn't beat him enough last time, and he actually thought of killing my grandson. I think he's had enough of living."

And then there's Zhu Yunwen, a complete tyrant, a tyrant with no morals whatsoever.

The rewards and punishments are unclear. Yunhu has made such great contributions, so why is he so stingy? Why not reinstate Yunhu to his original position and restore his title?

When faced with danger or difficulties, they thought of Zhu Yunwen, and once they had used him, that was the end of it.

So what about next time? If the pirates attack again, who will fight them off?

Does this mean Zhu Yunwen will personally take on the role?

"Is he cut out for it?"

"You're right, the court's rewards and punishments are unclear," Zhao Ning'er said.

Empress Ma scolded again: "Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying are both old, yet they are still eager for merit and trying to show off in front of Zhu Yunwen."

If it weren't for the two of them, how could this war have broken out again?

Zhu Yunwen should have sent Xu Huizu instead of those two old men.

Geng Bingwen has become senile. This time, you attacked Zhu Gaosui's army.

How could Zhu Di not be furious?

He will definitely hold the imperial court accountable for this. If the two sides start fighting, when will it ever end?

Zhao Ning'er fully understood Empress Ma's feelings.

She wiped away her tears: "Tell me, the Emperor wants Zhu Yunwen to come back, but will he be able to?"

Empress Ma placed her hands on her abdomen and paced back and forth in the hall, her expression becoming worried: "If it were merely a matter between Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong, the brothers might be a little better off..."

However, they couldn't stop Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, and others from stirring up trouble inside.

If Zhu Yunwen were to return, Qi Tai might again suggest that Zhu Yunwen imprison him in the Dali Temple jail.

Furthermore, Zhu Yunwen killed the vicious monk Xuanfa, and Lady Lü harbored resentment over this matter.

If Zhu Yunwen returns, Lady Lü might make things difficult for him.

"You're right. There's a saying: 'When officials force the people to rebel, the people have no choice but to rebel.'"

Although Zhu Yunwen stripped Zhu Yuntong of his title, Zhu Yuntong did not hold a grudge. He remained loyal to the court and stepped forward to help the court on many occasions when it was in danger.

However, every time he returned after achieving merit, Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng's gang of villains would always frame him for some crime, and the emperor was easily swayed.

If it weren't for the pirates attacking, Zhu Yunwen might have been executed.

In this situation, is it possible for Zhu Yunwen to return?

Does this mean he'll have to go to jail again when he gets back?

Empress Ma also felt that Zhao Ling'er's words made sense.

She said to Zhao Ling'er, "Then let Yun Tong stay put for the time being and remain stationed where he is. Tell him that pirates are about to attack again and he can't spare the time."

Zhao Ling'er understood that Empress Ma loved Zhu Yunwen very much.

As a grandmother, Empress Ma also faced a difficult situation, because both sides were equally loved.

She has a hard time finding a balance.

Just then, someone coughed, and a person came out from the inner room.

Zhao Ling'er glanced around and saw Old Zhu come out from inside.

Zhao Ling'er was also stunned.

She wondered, "Wasn't Old Zhu already dead? How did he come back to life? Is it some kind of ghost?"

She then calmed down, because this wasn't surprising.

Since Chang Yuchun, Empress Ma, and Lady Chang were able to come back to life, it is not surprising that Zhu Yuanzhang could also come back to life.

Zhao Ling'er quickly prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Old Zhu waved his hand, his face kind: "Ling'er, get up quickly."

Don't call me Your Majesty, just call me Grandfather!

"Yes, Grandfather!" Zhao Ling'er stood up, her heart still pounding.

Old Zhu sat down in the chair and said, "I heard everything you just said."

It should be said that Zhu Yunwen performed quite well; he deeply understood the intentions of me and your grandmother.

This war between Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen could have been avoided.

However, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying were eager to make a contribution, and they bear some responsibility.

I understand that they want to emulate Han Xin.

Back then, Liu Bang gave Han Xin a mission, providing him with a small force to launch a northern expedition.

Of course, Han Xin was very good at fighting. He destroyed Zhao and forced Yan to surrender. He fought every battle very well.

Later, Liu Bang considered that Qi was a powerful state and wondered how to conquer it.

Therefore, he sent his advisor Li Shiqi to meet with the King of Qi and persuade him to surrender.

Unexpectedly, Li Shiqi was very good at persuasion. After arriving in the State of Qi, he actually convinced the King of Qi to surrender to Liu Bang.

At this point, Han Xin should not have attacked the State of Qi.

Han Xin had an advisor named Kuai Che.

He said to Han Xin, "The King of Han gave you troops to attack the State of Qi, but he didn't rescind that order."

Are you saying that having a large army under your command is not as valuable as having a single strategist?

Han Xin thought his words made sense, so he suddenly launched an attack on the State of Qi.

Since the King of Qi had already reached an agreement with Li Shiqi beforehand, he withdrew the defenses.

As a result, the State of Qi suffered a great loss, and Han Xin's army moved freely and conquered the land of Qi in one fell swoop.

King Qi was furious and threw Li Shiqi into a large pot to boil.

Now, Geng Bingwen is in the same boat.

In his eagerness to gain merit, he disregarded Zhu Yunwen's safety.

Zhao Ling'er was furious when she heard this. She thought to herself, "No wonder Geng Bingwen attacked Zhu Gaosui's camp. So that's what they were thinking."