Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Empress Qian and others were concerned about the Ming envoy Wang Fu and his party who braved the snow to go to the Oirat. Fortunately, the snowfall was not heavy this year, and they arrived at Esen's camp after the New Year, despite their hurried journey.

Esen did not return to his hometown of the Oirat Mongols on the Mongolian Plateau. Instead, he stationed his troops north of the Hetao region. This move was tantamount to openly telling the Ming Dynasty that Esen was still plotting against the border and could invade at any time.

Wang Fu had never seen such an arrogant person before!

Although the New Year had passed, there was still a pleasant atmosphere in the Oirat camp, perhaps because Zhu Qizhen was there. As everyone knows, Zhu Qizhen was particular about pomp and circumstance, after all, he had just become the Khan.

When Esen heard that the Ming Dynasty had sent an envoy, he was overjoyed. After waiting for many days, he finally received a response. He still held some hope that the betrothal gifts might also be brought over.

Hearing that the leaders were two high-ranking officials from the Ming Dynasty, Esen was extremely pleased. The previous military officials looked like rough men. Their titles of commander and chief commander sounded intimidating, but they didn't actually have much power.

Esen summoned the Oirat leaders and Zhu Qizhen to meet with the Ming envoys.

Zhu Qizhen was somewhat uneasy. He could vaguely guess that the Ming envoy's trip was not to deliver money to Esen, but most likely to deliver an imperial edict.

Having learned from his previous experience, Wang Fu has found an ultimate trick for envoys: courting death but not being afraid to die.

Upon entering the Oirat camp, Wang Fu acted as if it were his own home, wandering around and looking around, which angered the Oirat soldiers who came to escort him, who drew their swords to threaten Wang Fu and his companions.

Wang Fu was not afraid at all; he even grabbed the back of the knife and brought it closer to himself, his meaning was crystal clear.

If you're a brother, come and chop me up! When Yi Ming saw Wang Fu's arrogant attitude, he broke out in a cold sweat. How could this guy be so brave?

He even regretted coming with Wang Fu. He still wanted to stay alive and go back, get a raise, a promotion, and reach the pinnacle of his life.

Upon seeing this, the unfortunate Oirat soldier hurriedly sheathed his sword, fearing that he might accidentally injure the man and then he himself would be the one to die. Several soldiers said they had never seen such a shameless person.

The leading officer had no choice but to summon the other soldiers to form a human wall, preventing Wang Fu from moving around freely, and hurriedly sent someone to report to him.

When Esen heard the report, he was furious. This Ming envoy was becoming increasingly lawless.

The first envoys to arrive were those who sent money but didn't dare utter a word. It's unbelievable that after the Ming Dynasty changed emperors, these fearless guys have emerged.

"Bayan Temur, go and bring them here."

Bayan Temur reluctantly got up and went to leave.

When Bayan Temur saw that the Oirat soldiers seemed to be about to clash with the Ming envoys, he angrily shouted. When he saw who the leader of the Ming envoys was, he almost blurted out a curse, almost cursing the Eternal Heaven.

Bayan Temur's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He gestured for him to follow, saying, "Great Ming envoy, the Grand Tutor is waiting in the main tent. Please come with me!"

Wang Fu recognized the newcomer and, after a moment's thought, remembered him. Unlike last time, he hadn't been reckless when he came; he had done his homework and, based on the introductions from the officials of both sides last time, he did remember the person before him.

"Zhiyuan, lead the way!" Yiming saw that the person who came looked like a high-ranking official of the Oirat Mongols, but he didn't understand why this official had such an expression when he saw Wang Fu. Could it be that the rumor that Wang Hong and Wang Fu insulted Esen and got away unscathed was true?

As the group entered the main tent, Esen stared at Wang Fu with wide eyes. This was one of the two envoys from the capital, which made Esen instinctively draw his sword.

"Why is it you?"

Wang Fu greeted him as if he were an old acquaintance, saying, "Grand Tutor, how have you been? It's been many days. I wonder if you have repented and heeded the teachings of Censor Wang?"

Repentance? A lesson? I'll teach your mother a lesson!

Esen felt his chest swell slightly, and after a moment he forced himself to calm down, asking coldly, "Envoy of the Great Ming, please watch your attitude. This is my territory, how dare you be so insolent? Did the Emperor of the Great Ming send you here to deliver those gifts?"

Wang Fu smiled slightly. He had asked Guo Deng to prepare three cartloads of clothes for his arrival in Datong, which was quite a generous gift. However, he needed to take care of important business first.

"Grand Tutor, this matter is not urgent. I have come here with several important tasks, and there are priorities. Once I have completed them, the Grand Tutor will naturally receive his share."

"Act immediately!"

Esen was overjoyed and immediately believed Wang Fu's nonsense, after all, Wang Fu had brought three cartloads of "gifts" with him.

Wang Fu turned to look at Zhu Qizhen, whose expression was complex. Their eyes met, marking the second time the emperor and his subject had faced each other in such an unusual way.

Zhu Qizhen never expected it to be Wang Fu who came, especially since this deputy envoy, Yi Ming, was the chief secretary of the Prince of Cheng's residence. This clearly showed a lack of sincerity in coming to negotiate, but Exian, unaware of the underlying motives, failed to see through it. "Prince Hui, His Majesty has issued an edict!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen remained unmoved and asked him to bow and receive the imperial decree, which was simply absurd.

Wang Fu roared, "How dare you, Prince Hui! How dare you be so disrespectful! Are you still a descendant of the Zhu family?"

Zhu Qizhen, however, hardened his stance and said, "How dare I kneel before a usurper?"

Seeing that Zhu Qizhen had no intention of kneeling to welcome him, Wang Fu knew that Zhu Qizhen would not yield, so he simply took two steps forward and looked up at Zhu Qizhen who was sitting.

"The Emperor issued an edict to Prince Hui, Qizhen: 'All those who govern the world and whose lives are at stake... have committed six heinous crimes. Respect this edict.'" Prince Fu read aloud Zhu Qizhen's charges with dramatic intonation.

Zhu Qizhen trembled with rage, picked up a wine cup and threw it at Wang Fu, hitting him squarely on the forehead, causing blood to gush out immediately. Wang Fu remained unmoved, his voice growing even louder as he finished reading the decree, blood already trickling past his eyebrows and dripping down his cheeks.

Everyone was stunned by this scene. Yi Ming looked at Wang Fu and saw that he didn't even frown. He finally understood why His Majesty valued this man. He was simply a fierce general of the Ming Dynasty!

When Esen saw this, he was both angry and somewhat admiring. With such a minister and such integrity, it would be extremely difficult to destroy the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness Prince Hui, assaulting His Majesty's envoy is a grave offense. Now that the decree has been read, Prince Hui, hand over your imperial seal!" A fierce glint flashed in Wang Fu's eyes, which, combined with his blood-stained cheeks, made him appear even more ferocious.

Zhu Qizhen shrank back, swallowed hard, and shouted, "Traitorous scoundrel! How dare you touch my imperial seal! You are so audacious and arrogant! Guards, seize him!"

The people inside the tent remained unmoved. The guards looked at Esen, but only Bayan Temur made a move to rise, ultimately returning to his seat. This man wasn't even afraid of death; capturing him would be pointless.

Zhu Qizhen's initial enthusiasm immediately deflated. It seemed that he, the legitimate Khan, had no power whatsoever in the Oirat camp, and had only become a prisoner with slightly better treatment.

"Your Highness, I must remind you, for a vassal king to possess the imperial seal is an unforgivable crime. Are you plotting a rebellion?" Wang Fu asked, turning his back on Tian Gang.

Zhu Qizhen felt a surge of anger rush to his head, slammed his fist on the table, and said, "That was originally mine!"

Wang Fu sneered, "Prince Hui, the empire was established by Emperor Taizu, and the imperial seal was also passed down from him. When did it ever belong to you? You have acted against the tide of history and almost lost Emperor Taizu's empire. You still haven't come to your senses. Do you know that rebellion is a capital offense? Hundreds of thousands of Ming troops are ready for battle every day. Are you sure you want to resist stubbornly?"

"Prince Hui, hand over the imperial seal, or I will report to His Majesty that you intend to rebel. The next time we meet, I will have you arrested and brought back to court for trial. You should think carefully! Do not make another mistake. Even if His Majesty spares you, Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong will not forgive you, and neither will Heaven!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Fu stepped forward, stretched his hand directly in front of Zhu Qizhen, and shouted angrily, "Hand it over!!!"

Upon hearing Wang Fu demand the imperial seal, which belonged to the emperor and had to be returned, Yi Ming was filled with courage and stepped forward, shouting angrily, "Prince Hui, hand it over!"

A few accompanying officials also shouted angrily, "Hand it over!"

Seeing this imposing manner, Zhu Qizhen took a slight step back and said anxiously, "They've rebelled! They've rebelled!"

Esen and his men were stunned. Whose camp was this? This was the Oirat, not the Ming Dynasty.

"Men, seize him!"

Wang Fu turned to look at Esen, whose face was covered in blood and looked quite frightening.

"Wait! Let me finish dealing with the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty before discussing other matters with the Grand Tutor."

Esen was also enraged and said, "How dare you! We do not recognize your so-called King Hui. Your Ming emperor is the legitimate Khan supported by the Oirats. His affairs are my affairs."

Upon hearing this, Wang Fu's expression changed drastically.

"Prince Hui, on behalf of His Majesty, I ask you: do you not acknowledge the lineage of the Zhu family?"

A flicker of panic crossed Zhu Qizhen's eyes as he said, "This is not something you can interfere with!"

Wang Fu sneered and said, "Prince Hui, you've recognized a thief as your father. I will report this truthfully to Your Majesty. The world of Ming will judge this matter. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Zhu Qizhen exclaimed urgently!

A sinister glint flashed in Esen's eyes as he roared, "Take him down!"

A group of people rushed forward and captured Wang Fu and his entourage. Yi Ming was shocked. He couldn't believe that Wang Fu would die on his first mission. He was too reckless.

Wang Fu was completely unafraid and struggled a few times before saying, "Grand Tutor, if you really want to take action, Annam killed our Ming envoy, and Annam became Jiaozhi of our Great Ming. Tatar Khan Bunyashiri and Grand Tutor Arughtai killed our Ming envoy Guo Ji, and the Tatars were almost destroyed. Your Oirat was able to rise to power thanks to our Great Ming. Your father, Toghon, took the opportunity to destroy Arughtai to gain power. Has the Grand Tutor forgotten?" "We are here representing His Majesty the Emperor of our Great Ming, not ordinary envoys or border generals. Think carefully before you act."

When Bayan Temur heard this, he tried to stop him, but Esen stopped him.

Esen's face was quite grim. He could no longer bear being repeatedly threatened by the Ming envoys. He said, "What harm is there in killing you? My Oirat and your Great Ming have only recently gone to war. We will have to fight again sooner or later. If I kill you, then our Great Ming Emperor will come. What is there to fear?"

Wang Fu revealed a triumphant expression and laughed, "So, the Grand Tutor is going to join forces with my Prince Hui of the Great Ming Dynasty to rebel. If you want to kill him, then do it."

"Grand Tutor, no! This man came here seeking death last time, and he is doing it again this time. If we really kill these people, no more envoys will come from the Ming Dynasty, and there will be no more possibility of peace talks. If we go south again, it will be a fight to the death. We cannot let Toghtog Bukha benefit from this. Moreover, if we kill the envoys, the Ming Dynasty will definitely be on high alert. Our plan to launch a surprise attack will be difficult to execute. We must think carefully," the Prince of Datong warned in a low voice.

The tragic fate of the Tatars is still fresh in our minds. The Oirats wanted to go to war with the Ming Dynasty, but now their aim is more to extort money. The possibility of actually seizing the Ming Dynasty's territory is almost non-existent.

Once the Oirats kill the Ming envoy, no more envoys will come. If the war goes badly, are we supposed to support this legitimate Khan for the rest of our lives?

Esen was well aware that Wang Fu's purpose was to die in the Oirat camp, thus cutting off any possibility of peace talks between the Ming Dynasty and the Oirat, and forcing the entire Ming Dynasty to fight to the death.

This person was just too arrogant; I felt like I couldn't breathe properly without killing him.

Esen coldly stared at Wang Fu, then waved his hand, and the Oirat soldiers released Wang Fu and the others.

"Did your Great Ming Emperor allow you to bring gifts?"

Wang Fu said bluntly, "I brought three cartloads of clothes, some other miscellaneous gifts, and eighteen taels of silver!" "I'll kill you!" Even the most composed Esen couldn't hold back any longer and drew his sword, throwing it at Wang Fu. Fortunately, Wang Fu was a boxing champion and was quite skilled, so he dodged it.

This infuriated Esen so much that he immediately wanted to personally smash Wang Fu's fist!

"Grand Tutor, think carefully, think carefully!"

Esen immediately ordered, "Lock them up!"

Wang Fu smiled and said, "His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty instructed that since we cannot return to the Great Ming during the Lantern Festival, there will only be one word between the Great Ming and the Oirat: war! I wonder how long the Grand Tutor plans to keep us imprisoned. If we are unable to think straight and commit suicide in the Grand Tutor's camp, then the Grand Tutor will surely poison us."

Here we go again!

Esen glared angrily, and Bayan Temur could only get up and try to appease him.

"The Han people have a habit of holding grudges. Grand Tutor, you must not fall for their schemes. The Han envoys were deliberately killed so that they could have a legitimate reason to conquer several neighboring countries. Emperor Yongle followed the same pattern and conquered the north and south. Most importantly, you must not sever ties with the Ming Dynasty."

"We can fight, but we must not stop sending envoys. Otherwise, we will only be able to plunder southwards every year. The Ming Dynasty will not remain weak forever, nor will we remain strong forever. Without the Ming Dynasty's resources, we simply cannot survive. The weather is getting colder every year. If we encounter a year of disaster, we will face the calamity of extermination."

"In my opinion, we should expel them. Even if the two sides go to war, we should not kill the envoys. That envoy is not afraid of death at all. If we force him to stay, he may really die in the camp."

Bayan Temur was quite familiar with Han culture, and he had been passionate about Ming culture all his life. This advice eased Esen's mood.

Esen glared fiercely at Wang Fu and said, "You may all leave!" Wang Fu tentatively asked, "Grand Tutor, may I be entrusted with the care of my Great Ming Prince Hui?"

"Give me the money, the same amount as last time. If you pay, I'll release them!"

"I cannot make that decision," Wang Fu paused, inwardly thinking to himself that he was dreaming, as Prince Hui was now worth less than a hundred taels of silver. "However, I have a question for the Grand Tutor. Our Great Ming still has an envoy named Ji Duo in your hands. Shouldn't he be returned as well?"

"One thousand taels, pay up and take it!"

"Twenty taels!"

"Eight hundred taels!"

"Thirty taels!"

……

"Two hundred taels!"

Wang Fu was delighted and said, "Deal! I'm sure the Grand Tutor wouldn't do anything to break his promise or go back on his word. Otherwise, if he loses faith with the Ming Dynasty, there will be no room for negotiation next time."

Seeing that Esen's expression was normal, Wang Fu gestured for Esen to let his attendants outside carry their bundles inside.

"Grand Tutor, here are five hundred taels. The excess is a gift to you!" Esen saw that Wang Fu was such a difficult fellow, yet he actually gave money. So it seems that the Ming Dynasty is not short of money. They gave money this time. Could it be that the negotiation method was wrong?

Esen did not go back on his word. Wang Fu's actions gave him hope, and he signaled to bring the man over. Keeping Ji Duo locked up was a waste of food, as the man was very tight-lipped and not easy to kill.

Since Wang Fu had asked for it, he originally wanted Wang Fu to take it with him, but he didn't expect to earn five hundred taels of silver.

Damn it, an envoy is worth more than Zhu Qizhen.

Wang Fu and his companions, along with Ji Duo, arrived and departed hastily from the Oirat camp.

Ji Duo did not know Wang Fu, but he did know Yi Ming.

"Minister Yi, return to Datong immediately! I am certain that the Oirats will soon march south!"

"What?" Yi Ming exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Fu was not surprised. He also noticed something unusual about Esen's camp, as they were even transporting supplies in the heavy snow, which was not a normal occurrence.

Nomadic peoples typically prepare enough supplies to get through the winter, so they don't need to transport anything extra; this action must have a purpose.

One of Wang Fu's purposes in this trip was to bring back Ji Duo, who knew more or less about the inner workings of the Oirat Mongols and was worth five hundred taels of silver.

"No rush, take your time, get out of the Oirat surveillance area, then hurry to Datong." "Yes, sir!"