Chapter 057: The Heavenly Caller

After the victory of the war hawks, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, ordered the ministers to deliberate strategies for resisting the enemy.

While the court officials were presenting their proposals, a secret letter was swiftly delivered to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

On the night of the sixteenth, Empress Dowager Sun and Empress Qian gathered carts loaded with palace jewels and sent them overnight to the forces of the Oirat, hoping to ransom Emperor Zhu Qizhen.

The next day, having received the ransom from Ming, Esen and the other Oirat leaders were dazzled. Lavish dragon-embroidered silks, pearls the size of pigeon eggs, and various other jewels—these treasures were unlike anything they had ever seen. Their eyes were opened to a world of luxury.

The eunuch Lü Zhen, who delivered the ransom, saw that Esen was in good spirits and took the opportunity to request the emperor’s return to the capital.

However, Esen and his men, having accepted the ransom, made no mention of releasing Zhu Qizhen. Instead, they claimed they wanted the Ming emperor to stay a few more days, to fully enjoy their hospitality.

Lü Zhen saw through their ploy: the Oirat were still unsatisfied, hoping to extort more gold and jewels.

The emperor was the weight of the state, Lü Zhen knew well, but such extortion was a slippery slope—if their greed was fed again, it would become an endless abyss.

Therefore, Lü Zhen refused to open that door.

When Lü Zhen made it clear he would not provide more ransom, the Oirat sent someone to subtly remind him. Lü Zhen directly refused and returned to Xuande Gate.

Esen was furious when he heard this, but with the emperor as his hostage, he felt no anxiety.

After conferring with his generals, Esen devised a profitable scheme.

Once the army had finished lunch, Esen ordered the troops to break camp, escorting the legitimate emperor Zhu Qizhen to the southern gate of Xuande.

By now, Zhu Qizhen, realizing that Esen had collected the ransom with no intention of sending him home, let go of his last shred of imperial pride.

Arriving at the city gate, Esen ordered Zhu Qizhen to call out to the soldiers guarding Xuande, commanding them to open the gate, using the pretext of welcoming him home.

Xuande was a crucial border stronghold—if it fell, the defensive line painstakingly built by the court would be breached, allowing Oirat cavalry to roam freely, rendering future defenses futile.

As emperor, Zhu Qizhen understood this. If Xuande fell, the capital would be exposed, and the Oirat would surely seize the opportunity to invade southward. The lives of the soldiers and civilians in Xuande, even the people of the capital itself, would be at risk of massacre; his own mother, wife, and children might fall into Oirat hands.

Yet faced with Esen’s gleaming blade, Zhu Qizhen trembled with fear and had no choice but to step forward and shout, claiming to be Emperor Zhu Qizhen of the Ming, ordering the defenders to open the gates and apprehend the enemy, welcoming his return.

Seeing Zhu Qizhen cooperate so readily, Esen was elated. He had never expected this emperor to be such a treasure—having him call for the gates made seizing the city effortless, with no need for bloody battle.

However, things did not unfold as Esen had hoped.

Hearing Zhu Qizhen’s shameless plea, the commanding officer atop the city tower replied loudly, “Your Majesty, we soldiers know only to defend the city for you. For other matters, we know nothing. Now that night approaches, it is inconvenient to open the gates. Moreover, Chief General Yang Hong is not in the city. We dare not decide without orders. Please forgive us, Your Majesty!”

As the commander of Xuande, having just suffered a crushing defeat, Yang Hong dared not leave his post, and had been overseeing the city’s defense for days.

Hearing the emperor call out, Yang Hong dared not open the gates, yet feared offending Zhu Qizhen. He instructed his subordinates to claim he was absent.

Learning that Yang Hong refused to see him, Zhu Qizhen was both disappointed and angry.

In just two days as a captive, Yang Hong was treating him with such indifference, not respecting him as emperor at all.

Unfortunately, as a prisoner of the Oirat, he had no opportunity to punish Yang Hong, so he could only curse him in his heart.

On the city wall, many soldiers stood, and seeing the imperial entourage, their morale wavered. Some even grumbled, saying that if the emperor had surrendered to the Oirat, what was the point of holding the city?

Seeing this, Yang Hong and the other officers urgently discussed countermeasures.

Fortunately, Luo Hengxin, Imperial Censor of Datong and Xuande, appeared in time, brandishing the imperial sword at the gate. He shouted to the restless soldiers, “Any who leave the city without orders will be executed!”

With this, the army’s morale stabilized.

Afterwards, no matter how loudly Zhu Qizhen called outside, the city gave no response.

Helpless, Zhu Qizhen wrote another letter, ordering Yue Qian to send it urgently to Empress Dowager Sun, asking his mother and wife to continue gathering ransom for him.

When Empress Dowager Sun received Zhu Qizhen’s secret letter, her heart sank. She knew her son had become a mere bargaining chip, and his return would not be easy.

Now her son was suffering at the hands of the Oirat, enduring hardships; her heart ached for him. Knowing that more ransom would be futile, she still ordered the palace treasures to be collected, planning to send them once more to Xuande.

While the ransom was being gathered, both the court and the palace received a military report.

This report, sent by Yang Hong, detailed how Zhu Qizhen had been used by the Oirat to call for the city gates at Xuande.

Upon reading the report, the officials nearly tore the roof off the palace in outrage.

Their own emperor had led the enemy to trick their own stronghold—such a thing had never happened in all of history!

Were it not for their loyalty to the Zhu family, the officials would have cursed aloud. How could the Zhu family produce such a disgrace? He would have been better off dying in the chaos—would that not have been more dignified?

Yet cursing aside, the matter needed a solution.

The current problem was that Zhu Qiyu’s authority as regent came from Emperor Zhu Qizhen; facing such disgraceful conduct from his elder brother, he was powerless.

Luckily, Chief Eunuch Li Yongchang brought a timely edict from the Empress Dowager to Prince Cheng:

“Recently, the barbarians have invaded the borders, and the emperor, leading the six armies, has already commanded the court officials. Since he has not yet returned, the affairs of state must not be neglected for long. I hereby order you to temporarily take charge of the officials and manage affairs. You must be diligent day and night, leading the inner and outer court, not neglecting your duties nor the people. Be reverent!”

At the same time, the civil and military officials were instructed: “All matters, large and small, shall be reported to the prince for decision, and none shall be neglected or disobeyed!”

This edict was a timely rain, allowing Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu to manage all state affairs without constraint.

Empress Dowager Sun had no other choice.

Upon learning that the emperor had been used by the Oirat to call for the gate, she nearly fainted with rage. Fortunately, the imperial physicians revived her.

She understood that her son’s lack of boundaries was unmatched among emperors in history. If his recklessness continued, the Ming dynasty would be doomed, and millions of subjects would face disaster.

Weighing the fate of the empire against her son’s safety, Empress Dowager Sun knew where her priorities lay.

With pain and determination, she issued the edict appointing Prince Cheng to oversee the affairs of state.