The Ming Dynasty: I Fabricated Dreams for Zhu Di 68

Chapter 68: Zhu Gaoxu’s Two Thousand Cavalry Enter Beijing!

Zhu Gaoxu’s abilities are unquestionable. Handling this situation would be entirely within his capabilities, especially considering his status as a member of the Zhu imperial family. He is Emperor Taizong’s legitimate second son, Emperor Renzong’s younger brother, and Emperor Xuanzong’s uncle.

This matter caused Sun Ruowei, who sat beside the Dragon Throne, overseeing the government behind a curtain (a traditional practice where a regent rules in the name of a young or incapacitated emperor), to furrow her brow.

She said displeasedly, “Yu Qian, do you know that Zhu Gaoxu is wildly ambitious? If we allow him to enter the Capital City…”

“What if he plots to usurp the throne?”

Indeed, Zhu Gaoxu’s military capabilities are among the best in the Great Ming Dynasty. But his ambition is equally great.

Allowing Zhu Gaoxu into the Capital City is akin to inviting a wolf into the house. The entire court will then be beyond her control, and when the time comes to rescue her son…

Will Zhu Gaoxu return power?

Clearly impossible. If he were to willingly give up the throne, he might as well move south.

Yu Qian said, “Since the Empress Dowager fears the Han Prince’s usurpation, then let us summon Prince Zhao to the Capital City.”

Compared to Zhu Gaoxu, Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, has far less ambition. While his abilities are not as great as Zhu Gaoxu’s, they are fully sufficient to manage the current situation; at the very least, securing the Capital City shouldn’t be a problem.

Sun Ruowei still questioned, “Prince Zhao? Prince Zhao is ruthless. If we let him take power, will the Emperor and I have any chance of survival?”

Yu Qian gritted his teeth, looking at Sun Ruowei. He didn’t expect that, even at this point, Sun Ruowei was still worried about her power being diminished.

If the nation falls, the entire Central Plains Dynasty will suffer. Aren’t the lessons of the Song Dynasty profound enough? The Han people were treated as food and slaves, oppressed for a hundred years. Must this situation repeat itself?

Xu Youzhen watched this scene, a slight smile playing on his lips. He directly followed Sun Ruowei’s line of thought, saying, “Yu Qian, the Han Prince and Prince Zhao are both over sixty this year.

“Asking them to come to the Capital City would be too much trouble for these two old gentlemen. At their age, are you certain they have the ability and energy to resist the invasion of the Walahai Troops?”

To this, Yu Qian still angrily retorted, “Absurd! In the past, Emperor Taizong, at over sixty, still personally led the Northern Expedition!”

“To link age and ability is the stubbornness of a pedantic Confucian scholar!”

Many people maintain their abilities even in old age. Jiang Ziya met King Wen of Zhou at seventy-two. Baili Xi, after a life of hardship, encountered Duke Mu of Qin at seventy. Jin Wengong Chong’er returned to Jin at sixty-two. Sima Yi outlived three generations of Cao family rulers and successfully launched a coup at seventy, and so on. Ability rarely has much to do with age.

In reality, these people are simply afraid of Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui entering the Capital City.

“Yu Qian, to whom are you truly loyal? The Emperor is only captured, not dead. Why are you so eager to choose a new master?” Since Xu Youzhen couldn’t win the argument, he began to attack Yu Qian indirectly.

Yu Qian angrily pointed at Xu Youzhen and the officials behind him, rebuking, “If you were truly loyal to the Emperor, when the Emperor wanted to lead the expedition himself, you shouldn’t have agreed!

“Now that the Emperor is captured, you suddenly care about him? Why didn’t you heed my advice then? You all urged the Emperor to personally lead the expedition, only to curry favor, for the sake of your official hats! I ask you, do you even possess the heart of a loyal minister!”

When Zhu Qizhen wanted to lead the expedition in person, the entire court, to curry favor with Zhu Qizhen, agreed. They said Zhu Qizhen possessed the spirit of Emperor Taizong. Only he and the Minister of War, Kuang Kun, advised Zhu Qizhen against the expedition. But in the end, Zhu Qizhen still went, and Kuang Kun followed, helping him manage the army. The result is the current situation. Kuang Kun died in battle, and the Duke of England, Zhang Fu, and the chief cabinet minister also perished at Tumu Fort.

Listening to Yu Qian’s words, Sun Ruowei could feel that he was blaming her – blaming her for not dissuading Zhu Qizhen from leading the expedition in time.

“Yu Qian, this is the Golden Hall, not a marketplace.”

Hearing the Empress Dowager’s tone, Yu Qian felt helpless. It seemed the Empress Dowager would not yield under any circumstances. If so, he could only settle for the second best option.

“Since the Empress Dowager is unwilling to summon the Han Prince and Prince Zhao, then we implore the Empress Dowager to enthrone King Dai as Emperor to reassure the army.”

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui would be regents in the Capital City, but King Dai, Zhu Qiyu, must be enthroned as Emperor to have sufficient weight to stabilize the army.

The officials, upon hearing this, had no objections. Compared to Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, King Dai, Zhu Qiyu, was much easier to control. Furthermore, when Zhu Qizhen went on the expedition, King Dai, Zhu Qiyu, was left behind in the Capital City to prevent accidents.

After much thought, Sun Ruowei did not make a decision immediately, only saying, “Issue an edict, appointing King Dai, Zhu Qiyu, to temporarily manage state affairs.

As for enthronement… I will consider it for a few days.”

Appointing Zhu Qiyu as Regent was no problem. But enthronement… what about her son? Surely a country cannot have two Emperors.

Yu Qian pondered for a long time, then said, “Since the Empress Dowager is unwilling to summon the two princes, I further implore the Empress Dowager to immediately issue an edict, rewarding the two princes and ordering them to leave their fiefdoms and immediately proceed to Nanjing to stabilize the south.”

Xu Youzhen quickly refuted, “Two old men over sixty? Are you worried they will rebel? Can the Han Prince and Prince Zhao even lift a sword?”

Clearly, Yu Qian’s intention was to have Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui leave their fiefdoms. Le’an is too close to the Capital City. If Zhu Gaoxu harbored any ill intentions, the court would face not only the Walahai Troops, but also Zhu Gaoxu. Even just one Ye Xian was enough to cause chaos. If Zhu Gaoxu were to interfere, they would be utterly doomed.

“Alright, Yu Qian, your two uncles are old, so don’t trouble them. Dismiss court.”

…

Unbeknownst to them, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui were already leading their troops towards the Capital City. They knew that if they wanted to usurp the throne, they must be swift. They needed to enter Beijing before anyone reacted.

In the past, Zhu Di had used lightning speed to cross the river and directly seize the Capital City. History records this clearly.

For a feudal prince to become emperor through conquest is virtually impossible; there are no successful examples. Even Li Shimin relied on controlling Chang’an before successfully ascending the throne.

“Second Brother, it’s been three days, and we’re still in the dream.”

“What about our bodies in the real world? Won’t they starve to death?”

Zhu Gaoxu said, “Don’t worry, the flow of time in the real world and the dream world is different.”

Hearing this, Zhu Gaosui had no more concerns and led his army forward at full speed. Due to the urgency, they only brought two thousand cavalry. The main force was behind. The total number of troops was only slightly more than ten thousand.

Perhaps in the past, this number of soldiers would not have been enough to fill a gap in their teeth. But now, after the Battle of Tumu Fort, more than half of the five hundred thousand-strong army had been lost. The Capital City probably didn’t even have over ten thousand defenders.

(End of Chapter)

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