Chapter 147: Why is Your Majesty here?

"Do you truly have a way?" Esen asked, feigning surprise.

Xining said with a trace of smugness, "Grand Tutor, defeating the Ming army is actually quite easy. Although the Great Ming has a new emperor now, Zhu Qiyu is an indecisive man, so I am afraid he leaves all major and minor state affairs to the officials to decide.

From what this humble servant has heard, state civil affairs in the Great Ming are now controlled by Wang Zhi, Hu Ying, and Chen Xun, while military affairs are in the hands of Yu Qian, Shi Heng, and Yang Hong. If we can eliminate them, the capital of the Great Ming can be taken overnight!"

Esen exchanged glances with the other chieftains and said with displeasure, "Those Ming officials are all hiding in the city like turtles. Eliminating them is a pipe dream!"

Seeing his displeasure, Xining dared not keep him in suspense and hastily explained:

"Grand Tutor, although they are inside the city, we can find a way to lure them out. Once they come out, we can detain them. When that time comes, how to dispose of them will be entirely up to a single word from you, Grand Tutor."

"Then you have a plan?" Esen asked thoughtfully.

Xining chuckled and said, "Grand Tutor, you have forgotten that we hold a captive emperor in our hands. Although the Great Ming has a new emperor, the old one might still be useful. Tomorrow, we can escort him to the city walls of the capital and, under the pretext of returning the Supreme Emperor's imperial carriage, demand that Yu Qian and other ministers come out to greet him. With such righteousness on our side, we might just trick a few high-ranking officials of the Ming court!"

Esen pondered this for a moment and felt it was indeed feasible. In any case, it was merely sending someone to deliver a message to the Ming court, requiring no great effort. If it succeeded, it succeeded; if not, they could make other plans.

"Not bad. If you can trick Yu Qian and the others out this time, you shall be credited with the greatest merit!" Having figured it out, Esen patted Xining's shoulder and encouraged him.

"Being able to share your worries, Grand Tutor, is this humble servant's honor. I dare not claim any credit."

Xining felt immensely proud inside, yet he put on a humble facade, acting precisely like a fawning lapdog.

Having finalized the strategy, Esen and the chieftains returned to the banquet tent.

Because of Esen's earlier anger, Zhu Qizen and his attendants did not dare to move about freely, so they had remained in the tent waiting for news.

When Esen and the others entered, Zhu Qizhen hurriedly stood up from his chair, opened his mouth as if to speak, but had no idea how to begin.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Ming, please take the seat of honor!"

At this moment, Esen bowed slightly and made a gesture of invitation.

Zhu Qizhen glanced at the seat Esen had occupied earlier, and his legs instantly turned to jelly. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he stammered, "Gr-Grand Tutor, what is the meaning of this?"

Ever since he became a prisoner, whenever there was a banquet, Zhu Qizhen was always assigned a guest seat, while the seat of honor naturally belonged to Esen. For Esen to offer him the seat of honor now was clearly an unsolicited favor—either treacherous or deceitful!

Esen laughed heartily, stepped forward to take Zhu Qizhen by the arm, and placated him, saying:

"Your Majesty the Emperor, Oirat and the Great Ming have always been on good terms. It was only because of some misunderstandings earlier that both sides resorted to force.

Later, the Khan and I both intended to send Your Majesty back to the capital to ascend the throne. Who would have thought that the Ming court would instead support a false emperor's ascension? Naturally, we of Oirat could not accept that, which is why we traveled thousands of li to escort Your Majesty back to the capital to reclaim your throne.

Now that Your Majesty has reached the capital, our mission is complete. Furthermore, the weather is growing increasingly cold, so once the Ming court welcomes Your Majesty back, my soldiers and I will prepare to return to the grasslands."

Pushed down into the seat by Esen, Zhu Qizhen asked in utter astonishment, "Is the Grand Tutor not going to attack... Is the Grand Tutor truly returning?"

"Naturally. I already told Your Majesty this back at Black Pine Forest. Could it be that Your Majesty thought I was lying?" Esen glared at him.

"Th-This... I had no such intention. Since the Grand Tutor is to escort me back to the capital, I wonder what demands you might have?" Zhu Qizhen asked cautiously.

Esen assumed a thoughtful posture, stroked his beard, and said, "Demands, of course, there are. We have traveled thousands of li to the capital, consuming countless funds and provisions along the way. We hope that after Your Majesty returns to the capital, you will allocate some military provisions and grain for our return march, and bestow some gold, silver, and silks upon the soldiers so as to prevent any discontent among the ranks."

"An allocation, naturally there shall be an allocation!"

Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen felt vastly relieved. Just moments ago, Esen's uncharacteristic behavior in pulling him to the seat of honor had made him fear that Esen meant him harm. From Esen's current words, however, it seemed he truly intended to send him back to the capital.

"However..."

Just as a look of joy appeared on Zhu Qizhen's face, Esen spoke again.

Zhu Qizhen's heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, "Does the Grand Tutor have other demands?"

Esen paced around the tent twice, flicked his sleeve, and said, "To escort Your Majesty back to the capital, we mobilized an army of over one hundred thousand—our respect could not be more evident. Since Your Majesty is returning to the capital to ascend the throne, it must be done with grandeur. The Ming court must put on a full display of pomp, only then will it do justice to the great mobilization of Oirat."

"Then what is the Grand Tutor's will?"

Zhu Qizhen breathed a slight sigh of relief, still intending to find out precisely how grand a spectacle was expected.

Esen pondered for a moment and decisively stated, "When Your Majesty returns, you must have the imperial procession, and the civil and military ministers must personally come out to welcome you. Only then can we rest assured!"

Zhu Qizhen's expression stiffened. He exchanged a glance with Yuan Bin, both feeling a sense of disappointment in their hearts.

With the Oirat army standing right beside them, if all the ministers of the capital left the city and were captured in one fell swoop, it would be no different from handing the capital over on a silver platter. It would take a miracle for the court ministers to agree to such a thing.

Seeing him hesitate, Esen frowned and asked, "Does Your Majesty find this inappropriate?"

"Grand Tutor, even if I were to agree, I fear the imperial court from top to bottom would not consent, because..."

Zhu Qizhen's expression was one of deep distress, not knowing how to continue.

"Could it be that Your Majesty fears I have alternative motives?"

Esen feigned sudden realization and laughed heartily:

"Your Majesty is truly worrying too much. Since you are uneasy, there is no need for all the ministers to come. Just let the Ming court dispatch a few high-ranking officials to welcome you. That will still allow Your Majesty to return to the capital with dignity. How about that?"

"That would be best of all. The Grand Tutor's painstaking efforts are truly beyond my ability to repay!"

Zhu Qizhen said, somewhat moved.

"Hehe, since Your Majesty consents, I shall draft a state letter and send envoys to formally deliver it to the Ming court. Your Majesty might as well issue an imperial edict ordering the court to dispatch men to welcome you," Esen suggested, seeking his opinion.

Zhu Qizhen said eagerly, "Then I must borrow the Grand Tutor's writing brush."

Shortly thereafter, under Esen's guidance, Zhu Qizhen quickly issued an imperial edict in the name of the Supreme Emperor to the civil and military ministers, leaving it to Esen to forward to the Ming court.

Upon returning to his own residential tent, Zhu Qizhen felt utterly exhausted and collapsed onto the straw hassock used as a chair.

Yuan Bin hurriedly brought a bowl of warm water for Zhu Qizhen to drink.

At that moment, Xining lifted the tent flap and walked in.

Seeing him, Yuan Bin immediately prepared to scold this disrespectful scoundrel.

Before he could utter a word, however, Xining trotted forward, dropped heavily to his knees before Zhu Qizhen, and fawned with a full face of ingratiation: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Tremendous congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Inside the tent, Zhu Qizhen and Yuan Bin looked at each other in bewilderment, neither knowing what medicine Xining had in his gourd.

Zhu Qizhen steadied himself and asked curiously, "What joy is there to speak of?"

Xining replied with a fawning expression:

"Your Majesty, this humble servant has already found out. Today, Esen dispatched three thousand elite cavalry to harass our capital, only to be completely annihilated by the defenders of the Great Ming.

The reason Esen was so furious earlier was precisely because he received this news and flew into a rage. No doubt, intimidated by the heavenly might of our army, he has abandoned the thought of attacking the capital and instead conceived the intention of sending Your Majesty back to the city. After tomorrow, I fear this entire empire shall once again be within Your Majesty's grasp!"

"Is this truly the case?"

Zhu Qizhen abruptly stood up, his face brimming with joyful surprise.

"It is indeed so. If Your Majesty doubts it, you may go and ask for yourself—the news of the defeat has already spread throughout the army!" Xining patted his chest in assurance.

Such matters were not difficult to inquire about, and Xining had no reason to tell a lie of this magnitude. Zhu Qizhen and Yuan Bin instantly believed it.

Earlier, Zhu Qizhen had been perplexed as to why Esen's attitude had suddenly changed so drastically, always sensing that the other party's motives were impure, which left him deeply uneasy.

Hearing Xining's explanation now, Zhu Qizhen experienced a sudden flash of insight. It turned out that Esen had suffered a defeat at the capital, realized the Ming army was unconquerable, and thus conceived the desire to send him back to the capital while demanding a massive bounty in return.

Zhu Qizhen thought to himself: Our Great Ming possesses boundless territory and unimaginable wealth. To be able to secure my return to the capital in exchange for just a tiny fraction of our grain and funds is an exceedingly profitable bargain!

Overjoyed, Zhu Qizhen magnanimously said, "Hehe, get up quickly! Once I return to the capital, I shall certainly not treat you poorly!"

After expressing his gratitude to Zhu Qizhen, Xining stepped out of the tent, glanced left and right, and then hurried swiftly to Esen's grand tent.

Esen was drinking wine inside when he saw him enter and hurriedly asked, "Did the Zhu Emperor believe it?"

"The Zhu Emperor" was Esen's malicious moniker for Zhu Qizhen, as he felt Zhu Qizhen was well suited for the title.

Xining nodded hastily. "Replying to the Grand Tutor, that Zhu Emperor swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, and has even promised to make this humble servant the Grand Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

Esen had no interest in what kind of official title a Directorate of Ceremonial Director was, and said blithely, "As long as he believed it, that is enough. In case Yu Qian and the others do not come, we will just have to make him continue applying pressure to the Ming court."

After all the commotion, night quickly fell. Both the Great Ming side and the Oirat side ceased all hostilities, resting and gathering their strength in preparation for the battle of the morrow.

The night passed without incident.

...

The crowing of the rooster announced the dawn of day.

Under his father's repeated urgings, Xue Rui finally stepped out the door, yawning.

Yesterday, after the great victory at Xuanwu Gate, Yu Qian went off to handle the aftermath and had no time to attend to Xue Rui.

Having dashed back and forth atop the city walls for the better part of the day, Xue Rui had eaten only two griddle cakes without even a bowl of hot soup, leaving him both starved and exhausted to the point of collapse.

Fortunately, once Yu Qian finished handling the aftermath and saw his fatigued expression, he lent him a horse and urged him to go home and rest.

When Xue and his wife learned that their son had been up on the city walls during the battle, they were terrified, but upon hearing that the fighting had taken place outside the city several li away from the ramparts, they finally set their minds at ease.

Xue Rui wolfed down a massive meal without even bothering to wash up, and the moment his head hit the pillow, a faint snore escaped his lips, leaving Susu exhausted to the bone as she wiped his face and washed his feet for him.

Early this morning, long after daylight had broken, Xue Rui finally struggled out of bed.

Yesterday's battle was merely the appetizer; today was the crucial moment.

Although his entire body felt as though it had fallen apart, Xue Rui forced himself to pull it together and headed to the Ministry of War to report for duty.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of War, Yu Qian was not in his office. Xue Rui inquired and learned that Yu Qian had eaten and slept right on the city walls yesterday and had not returned to the offices even once.

Seeing that the time was getting late, Xue Rui hurriedly mounted his horse and headed for Desheng Gate.

Huffing and puffing as he climbed the city walls, he saw Yu Qian holding a bowl in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, squatting down unpretentiously with the soldiers to eat breakfast.

Seeing him approach, Yu Qian beckoned him over. "You've come just in time. There are still steamed buns in the basket, though the thin porridge in the bucket is running low. Eat a few bites to line your stomach so you won't lack strength later."

Xue Rui had woken up too late to catch breakfast and was indeed feeling utterly hollow inside, so he picked up a steamed bun and took a large bite.

The bun was not made of pure white flour; some unknown coarse grain had been mixed into it, giving it a slightly grayish appearance. It was also somewhat rough and hard to swallow, requiring a long time of chewing before it could go down.

Fortunately, the porridge at the bottom of the bucket was quite watery and could be drunk like plain water, allowing him to barely manage two steamed buns.

"How is it? Military rations cannot compare to home cooking, can they?"

After Xue Rui finished eating, Yu Qian, who had already resumed studying the defense maps, looked up and asked with a smile.

"It can barely be swallowed. What makes me extremely admiring is that even though Lord Yu is a pillar of the state, you still share thick and thin with the common soldiers!" Xue Rui flattered.

"Hehe, when I was the Grand Coordinator of Shanxi during the Xuande era, the region suffered a three-month drought with corpses floating everywhere, and I even had to eat tree bark. Now, having these coarse-grain steamed buns can already be considered delicacies—how can one speak of hardship?" Yu Qian said dismissively.

"This... your student is ashamed."

Xue Rui's expression faltered, feeling somewhat abashed.

Looking at the city defense map in his hands without raising his head, Yu Qian said:

"The reason I wanted you to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations is because I believe you possess considerable cleverness and an innate kindness, and perhaps you can accomplish some practical deeds for the common people, allowing more souls to eat this kind of coarse-grain bun. Do you understand?"

"Your student understands. If I have the ability in the future, I shall certainly not fail Lord Yu's teachings," Xue Rui answered solemnly.

"Very well. Come and see with me—where do you think Esen will choose to attack today?"

Yu Qian tapped the defense map lightly, bidding Xue Rui to analyze.

"I think Esen will not..."

Just as Xue Rui was about to voice his opinion, a shrill voice rang out: "His Majesty has arrived!"

"His Majesty?"

Yu Qian and the others were momentarily stunned before realizing that Zhu Qiyu had arrived. They hurried toward the staircase of the watchtower to welcome him.

Just as they reached the stairs, they saw Zhu Qiyu riding a tall, snow-white steed, leaping up the ramp leading to the city walls and almost charging directly into the group of welcoming officials.

"Whoa—"

Fortunately, Zhu Qiyu's horsemanship was fairly adept; seeing that his mount was about to trample Yu Qian at the head of the group, he jerked the reins, and the white horse slowed its pace.

"Your Imperial Majesty, slow down, slow down, Your Majesty..."

At that moment, a group of men came flying up from beneath the city. At their head was Cheng Jing, whom Xue Rui had met on a few occasions. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he led a contingent of Brocade-Guard officers clad in fish-scale uniforms to charge forward and provide protection.

Behind them came Xing An, leading a gaggle of young eunuchs, running up while gasping heavily for breath.

Zhu Qiyu reined in his horse, let out a breath, and a look of relief crossed his eyes.

Steadied, Yu Qian led the others forward and bowed, proclaiming, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

"Rise, Lord Yu. You may all rise as well," Zhu Qiyu said.

Jumping down from his horse, Zhu Qiyu personally stepped forward to help Yu Qian up, then gestured for the others to rise.

After everyone stood up, Xue Rui stood behind several military officers, secretly sizing up Zhu Qiyu.

On the day Peng Deqing and his son were arrested, he had been summoned by Zhu Qiyu for questioning, so they could be considered to have met once before.

At that time, Zhu Qiyu had appeared gloomy, with an unresolved sorrow etched across his face, looking less like a prince holding immense power and more like an aged farmer crushed by the weight of life.

Now, however, things were somewhat different. Zhu Qiyu was clad in a suit of golden armor that looked exceptionally imposing. With every gesture and movement, he radiated the majesty of one in supreme authority, and the sorrow on his face had completely vanished, replaced entirely by calm self-assurance.

It seemed that over the past two months since his ascension, Zhu Qiyu had undergone a profound metamorphosis, transforming from a melancholic youth into a true sovereign.

After Zhu Qiyu instructed Yu Qian to brief him on the military deployment, Xue Rui stepped forward quickly, squeezed up beside Xing An at the very back, and whispered, "Eunuch Xing, why has His Majesty suddenly decided to inspect the city defenses?"

Xing An turned his head to glare at him and snapped crossly, "It's all because of you!"