Chapter 16: Decision!

  "Suggesting people who fled south should be killed!"

  Yu Qian thus rebuked Xu Zhen.

  He continued:

  "The capital is the foundation of the world. If we move it now, things will inevitably become irreversible! Have you all forgotten what happened when the Song Dynasty moved south?" (Or: "Don't you recall the matter of the Song's southern crossing?")

  His angry roar awakened those who were hesitant, and Wang Zhi, the first person in the court, stood up to openly support Yu Qian. Another person who had passed three yuan in Ming Dynasty history, Shang Yang's later minister Shang Bin also stood on his side. Under their influence, the war party finally moved Zhu Qizhen and firmly decided to resist to the end.

  Yu Qian had already been acting as Minister of War and was also a representative figure of the pro-war faction, so Zhu Qiyu entrusted Yu Qian with the heavy responsibility of defending Beijing.

  This is the highest honor in the world, and also the heaviest burden in the world.

  After dispersing the court, Yu Qian walked out of the grand hall and looked up at the sky filled with thick dark clouds. He couldn't help but feel a shock as he thought back to this not-so-peaceful morning.

  But at this time Yu Qian had no more time to think about it, because his frail body had already borne the burden of national prosperity and decline.

  On the morning of August 18th, he made the most important choice in his life and completed the most important transformation in his life.

  His immortal legend also started from this day on.

  August 19th.

  Yu Qian convened his first military meeting, it must be explained that although this Minister of War had dealings with the military, he had never commanded troops before and was considered a scholar on the battlefield.

  Although it is said that scholars are not good at fighting, Yu Yunwen of the Southern Song Dynasty organized a war as a civil official and finally defeated the Jin Wanyan Liang's army of hundreds of thousands in Caishi.

  Yu Qian is a civil official, but he also studied military tactics and has his own way of deploying troops, which I believe was laid down by reading extracurricular books when he was young.

  So, extracurricular reading materials are really indispensable.

  But when Yu Qian truly understood the current situation in Beijing, he realized that what was in front of him was a complete mess.

  Leaving aside those who fled and surrendered, the military pressure was really unbearable. The defeat at Tumu almost lost all the old capital, and in the imperial city, not even a few good horses could be found. The number of soldiers was less than 100,000, and they were all weak and disabled veterans and retired personnel.

  That's not the point, the key is that morale is low, a first-rate unit was drawn out to fight, but ended up with a defeat, and those who escaped back to cover up their incompetence would naturally describe the enemy as extremely formidable.

  The second-rate troops in the city heard the discussions of these predecessors and were naturally afraid. In their eyes, he and his Mongolian cavalry were simply alien monsters, with one person growing several heads that couldn't be killed no matter how hard they tried.

  But the most serious problem is that the highest ruler of the Ming Empire, the Emperor (agent), also has no confidence. Zhu Qizhen is not a timid person, but in the face of such a powerful enemy, he also has no idea what to do. Although he currently agrees to resist, if another defeat occurs, Zhu Qizhen may also change his mind.

  So currently the most important task is to stabilize the military's morale.

  Yu Qian fell silent after listening to the report from his subordinate, and carefully studied the military deployment map before issuing his first military order in a low but powerful voice:

  "From today on, by order, the following troops are summoned to Beijing for garrison duty:"

  1. The reserve troops of the capital and Henan province.

  2. The Japanese preparatory army, including the Nanjing preparatory army and the Shandong preparatory army;

  3. Grain Transport Army: including all grain transport armies north of the Yangtze River;

  4. Ningyang Marquis Chen Mao's troops (Zhejiang army with relatively strong combat effectiveness).

  Each army received the order and set off immediately, arriving in the capital on schedule to take up their defensive positions. Anyone who disobeys will be executed according to military law!

  The above troops have a total of over 100,000 people. It can be seen that these troops are not the main force, and most of them are reserve or logistics units.

  Where did the main force troops go?

  All buried in the earthworks.

  This is also a helpless measure, the most elite three major camps in Beijing and the main force troops near Beijing have all been annihilated, leaving only a few, even those who escaped back, had already been frightened to death, morale was completely gone, wanting to defend Beijing can only rely on these reserve and logistics troops.

  Apart from soldiers, another crucial thing is needed to defend the capital - food.

  The capital city has a large population, and in order to solve the problem of feeding these people, it is necessary to stockpile and transport large quantities of grain.

  Although there is still enough food in the capital, if it is besieged for a long time, this calculation will not work. In fact, in Tongzhou, not far from the capital, a large amount of grain was stored, to what extent? "Hundreds of millions of grains". So much grain is enough for the people of the capital to eat for a year, and it was the largest granary at that time.

  But the ministers seemed unwilling to use these grains and even advocated burning down the Tongzhou granary.

  This is another strange thing, why burn good grain instead of using it?

  To know that the ministers are not out of their minds, it's just because these grains can be seen and cannot be used.

  At that time, Tongzhou was not part of Beijing City. In fact, it was still a considerable distance from the capital city. Although there were many grains in the granary of Tongzhou, it was very difficult to transport them into the capital city, because if manual labor was arranged for transportation, it would consume a large amount of manpower and be very dangerous.

  At that time, Esen's cavalry had already been showing off their military prowess near the outskirts of the capital, but transportation would take a long time. Who knows, during the transportation process, the enemy cavalry might have already attacked and broken through Zijing Gate, and Tongzhou would fall in no time. Those grains would naturally become Esen's military rations, so transporting grains required dispatching troops to escort them.

  Now in this situation, the military strength defending the capital is insufficient, how can there be extra people to guard the grain?

  This is a difficult problem, it seems that apart from burning it with fire, there is no better solution.

  Yu Qian solved this problem with a very clever method.

  This is his second command:

  "When all the summoned troops set out, they should enter Beijing from Tongzhou, and each soldier will take their own rations and transport them to the capital."

  The problem was thus solved, and Tongzhou's grain would be transported into the capital by over a million soldiers.

  See what I mean? This is the level.

  What is called having a level is being able to do what others can't and thinking of methods that others can't think of.

  Everyone has the courage of an ordinary man, but the problem is in front of us. Whether we can handle it well depends on our ability.

  Yu Qian is a brave man, but he is also a capable person. In handling this matter, he wisely linked the two issues of troop deployment and grain transportation together to solve them, thus avoiding delays in the march while saving labor costs and ensuring the safety of the grain transport team, achieving three goals at once.

  Those who can stem the tide of chaos are no ordinary men, but national heroes.

  With wisdom and bravery combined, one can be a great national hero.

  Settle accounts after autumn

  Yu Qian issued an order that from August 19th, all the troops in the Ming Empire that could be mobilized gathered together.

  These troops came from different provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Nanjing and Zhejiang. They marched day and night with only one goal in mind - to arrive at the capital city as soon as possible.

  It's a race against time, they don't know when the blow will come, but they do know that it will come sooner or later. As long as they can make it to the capital before then, victory is within their grasp.

  The Great Ming Empire began its first general mobilization since its founding in response to the powerful enemy that was about to arrive.

  Under Yu Qian's efforts and arrangements, by early September, all the troops had arrived, and the military strength in the capital city reached 220,000, with sufficient food supplies and gradually stabilizing morale.

  Military preparations have begun and are proceeding in an orderly manner, while at the same time a political storm is also approaching.

  "Cut Wang Zhen into a thousand pieces!"

  This is the voice of many ministers, and the reason is very simple. Wang Zhen is a thoroughgoing petty man. Since he came to power, he has been fond of framing and persecuting people. Whoever dares not to obey him will be arrested and thrown into prison. Many ministers have been imprisoned because of a single disagreement with him. Moreover, he actively solicits bribes, and whoever dares not to give them will have no good end. Such behavior is simply treating civil and military officials as nothing.

  Moreover, he colluded with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and turned this special agency into his personal tool for intimidating people, and countless officials had suffered at his hands.

  What's more, it was Wang Zhen's incompetence and stupidity that ultimately led to the failure of Tumu Fortress. The elite of the court and the accumulation of many years were destroyed at the hands of a small person. Just over 20 years ago, the Ming Empire had swept across the land, unstoppable. After the Renxuan era, the world was at peace. Such a powerful empire was buried in the hands of a dead eunuch. Who can swallow this breath!

  Of course, in the hearts of scholars, there is another reason to resent Wang Zhen, but this reason is not easy to say.

  Since the scholars and officials are unwilling to say it, I'll say it for them. The hidden reason in their hearts is actually their birth origin.

  Scholars studied hard, spent ten years in cold windows, went through dozens of exams, three major exams (some only had two), eliminated countless talented people, and finally got the black gauze on their heads and the power seal in their hands. However, passing the exam didn't mean you'd have a bright future. If you were lucky, you might become a Hanlin scholar; if not, you couldn't even be an imperial censor, and could only be sent to a lower position as a 7th or 8th rank official. After decades of working hard, finally getting a third-rank retirement was already something to thank heaven for.

  It's really not easy.

  But Wang Zhen, this dead eunuch, had limited knowledge (not a qualified scholar), was incompetent (the Tumu Crisis is proof of that), physically disabled (career limitations), and morally corrupt (corrupt and bribable), yet he was able to suddenly grasp all power and command the whole country!

  Dead eunuch, what makes you think you can!

  Objectively speaking, the anger of the scholars is justified. They work day and night, handling government affairs, with profound knowledge and rich experience, yet they have to follow the orders of this eunuch, watching him do whatever he wants, which is indeed unbearable.

  And this stupid eunuch not only harmed the imperial court, but also caused the country to be in a state of unrest, with tens of thousands of soldiers and officials dying because of him, things have reached an unbearable point.

  The time has come for settling accounts after autumn!

  But at this time, Yu Qian seemed to have no time for these things, because he had too many things to do. On August 21st, Yu Qian officially took over the position of Kuang Ye, becoming the Minister of War and formally taking control of the Ministry of War's power.

  Yu Qian, the Minister of War, did not have the joy of being promoted because if Esen suddenly attacked, it was still a question how long this official position could be held. Currently, the most important thing is to solve the many problems at hand and safeguard the security of the capital and the country. At this time, Yu Qian had actually become the de facto controller of the imperial court.

  However, Yu Qian, who was handling a myriad of matters every day, had yet to realize that he was sitting on the mouth of a volcano, which was still an active one.

  August 23rd, the volcano erupted.

  On this clear morning, the ministers were preparing for their usual court meeting, but no one could have anticipated that the most severe fight in the history of the Ming Dynasty's 276 years was about to begin.

  This was also the most chaotic day in the entire Ming dynasty court.

  The court meeting was presided over by Zhu Qiyu, who began to ask his ministers if they had any matters to report.

  Before the words had fallen, a man stepped forward with big strides and said loudly: "I have a memorial to present!"

  The fuse was ignited at this point.

  The name of the person who made this memorial is Chen Yi.

  Chen Yi, a native of Suzhou, was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Office of Scrutiny. He was an honest and upright official who deeply resented Wang Zhen. This recent defeat had pained him so much that he made up his mind to eliminate Wang Zhen's faction once and for all.

  He said in a stern voice: "Wang Zhen brought disaster to the country and harmed the people, committed numerous evils, and caused the emperor to be trapped in the enemy's camp. Such evil deeds are not enough to calm people's minds without exterminating his clan, the common people are indignant!"

  The tone was so severe that Zhu Qiyu, who was sitting on top of it, was also startled.

  But Chen Yu became more and more indignant as he spoke, more agitated, thinking of his innocent colleagues and the suffering people, he burst into tears.

  One stone stirred up a thousand layers of waves, and Chen Yu's cry stirred up the anger of the ministers. They began to disregard etiquette and competed with each other to impeach Wang Zhen to Zhu Qizhen.

  In an instant, the imperial court was thrown into chaos. The sounds of memorials being presented, people shouting and wailing filled the air, with the scene resembling a bustling marketplace.

  Zhu Qiyu had just ascended to the throne, but he was not yet an emperor, merely acting in a caretaker capacity. Seeing this scene, he was frightened out of his wits. The officials below were speaking like a barrage of gunfire, with cries and curses mixed in, so that poor Zhu Qiyu couldn't make out what they were saying at all.

  Suddenly, the commotion in the imperial court subsided, and all the officials below looked at him with a very frightening gaze. The impeacher had finished speaking, waiting for his verdict. The basic opinion was just one:

  "Kill his accomplices, exterminate his entire clan!"

  "This is a big deal, how can we take charge? Zhu Qiyan was frightened and considered it again and again, but still didn't dare to make a decision, so he issued an order:"

  "All officials temporarily leave the palace and wait for orders, this matter will be discussed again later."

  It turned out later that this was not only an ordinance but also a package of explosives, a booster explosive package to increase the power of the explosion.

  Discuss again? When to discuss again? How about discussing again? Discuss again after discussing again?

  Who do you think you're fooling?!

  These seasoned ministers would not be dismissed by this remark. They knew that if they missed today's opportunity, the matter would sink to the bottom of the sea. Although Wang Zhen was dead, his accomplices would continue to manipulate state affairs. The person who spoke out today would certainly suffer, and the country would be finished.

  For country and for self, we can only fight on! Even if I die, I will die today, in this place!

  The imperial edict has been conveyed many times, but the ministers just won't leave.

  The ministers seemed to have reached a tacit understanding, with no one moving, but only incessantly scolding, wailing and staring fixedly at Zhu Qizhen sitting above.

  Zhu Qiyu's face turned white with fear, and the eunuch Jin Ying, who was transmitting the imperial edict beside him, couldn't stop wiping his sweat. This kind of formation he had never seen before, it was really too frightening.

  Zhu Qiyan began to realize that if he didn't say something today, he wouldn't be able to go back.

  The ruler's silence thoroughly enraged the ministers, and Wang Zhen's tyranny and bullying reappeared in their minds. In the Tumu Crisis, many of these ministers also had relatives and fellow students who died, with old and new hatreds. Such a heinous person actually did not receive punishment, where is justice?

  Just as the ministers' emotions were about to reach a climax, an uninvited guest appeared.

  Jin Yiwei commander Ma Shun has always been Wang Zhen's loyal follower, helping him do many bad things. The lecturer Liu Qiu was killed by his men, this matter is known to all, but because of his great power, no one has ever dared to touch him.

  At this time, Ma Shun came out and relied on the emperor's edict to scold the officials, asking them to leave immediately.

  Ma Shun's behavior can be described in two words:

  "Looking for death."

  Thus, with Chen Yu igniting the fuse, Zhu Qiyan adding gunpowder, and Ma Shun finally detonating it, the three parties worked together in unity to create one of the most brilliant and explosive scenes in Ming history.

  The ministers were already furious to the extreme, and the cries of anger grew louder. Wang Zhen's accomplice Ma Shun jumped out at this time, showing off his might. Logically speaking, they should have been even more angry. However, these angry people fell into a brief silence at this moment.

  Terrifying silence.

  This silence is the pinnacle of anger.

  Don't perish in silence, explode in silence!

  So much humiliation, so much sorrow, unreasonable oppression and insult, the death and capture of loved ones, now it has come to this point, still acting arbitrarily.

  That's enough, it's sufficient.

  No more suppressing your anger, no more enduring shameless bullying!

  Let's get started!

  Brawl

  Ma Shun was still smugly scolding his ministers, which he often did in the past. In his opinion, today was no different.

  Suddenly, one person ran out of the minister's row and rushed towards himself! Before he could react, his hair was grabbed violently and his face was slapped several times.

  It has finally started.

  The first to take action was Wang Gong of the Ministry of Households.

  Wang Tong was a censor, whose usual work was to supervise and impeach. He had a quick temper and an upright character, and he had long been displeased with Wang Zhen's party. The country had fallen to this point, and he was also deeply grieved. He hated Wang Zhen even more. Seeing that Wang Zhen was already dead, Ma Shun still dared to be so arrogant, and he couldn't help but get angry.

  Let's cut the crap and get down to business!

  Ma Shun, watch me beat you to death!

  He rushed forward, grabbed Ma Shun's hair, and first used the imperial fan in his hand to hit Ma Shun on the head and face. His anger had confused his mind, and later he didn't even want a weapon, so he went up with bare fists, showing off his signature move, Wang Ba Quan. A set of fist techniques was used like flowing clouds and running water, without any gaps, and the fists fell on Ma Shun's body like a storm, while scolding him at the same time.

  "You still dare to be arrogant at this time!"

  He became angrier and more enraged with each blow, his emotions reaching a boiling point, and he ended up doing something that shocked everyone.

  Wang Qiu felt that this was still not enough to vent his anger, so he gave up using his fists and feet, grabbed Ma Shun, and actually bit off a piece of flesh from his face!

  He's gone mad, completely mad.

  Here, we analyze Wang Jian's series of fighting moves from a technical perspective. After he came up, he first grabbed Ma Shun's hair, grabbing hair is a very common move in a fight, using this move to start, it shows that he indeed has some fighting experience.

  But considering that he is a civil official and his main work is to submit memorials, it is unlikely that he is a martial arts expert. The possibility of him using the "Wang Ba Quan" (a type of fist) is very high, and from the fact that he bit someone, it can be seen that he was extremely angry. In male fighting, using this move would often lead to being looked down upon, so unless absolutely necessary, this move would not be used.

  He was furious to the extreme.

  At this time, Ma Shun, who was knocked to the ground, was in extreme pain and also extremely frightened. He never thought that someone would dare to make a move on the imperial court, in front of the emperor, and that the usually obedient and respectful officials would turn into fierce wolves.

  Ma Shun was already in great pain, but what made him even more painful was yet to come.

  Wang Zhen's move also stunned the ministers standing beside him, but in an instant, they had reacted and realized that things had reached this point, Wang Chen and his gang dared to bully themselves, it was really unbearable!

  When there's a grudge, repay it; when there's hatred, retaliate! When it's time to take action, take action!

  Then, after Wang Yun took action, the ministers immediately swarmed up, and several of them rushed forward to beat Ma Shun with their fists and feet. In an instant, Ma Shun was surrounded by countless fists and feet, and he was soon covered in bruises all over his body.

  Those who ran fast could still throw a few punches, but those who ran slow had no luck. The crowd surrounded several layers, and the adults who came later could only lift up their official robes, raise their big feet and trample the horse that was lying on the ground, struggling to breathe.

  Thus, these usually gentle and refined bookworms changed their usual elegant demeanor, regardless of whether they had fought before or not, whether they were Hanlin or Tang officials, and regardless of age, size, or official rank, all went into battle with bare arms.

  It should be known that the official attire of the Ming Dynasty was not a special garment for fighting, but to show the status of officials, their outer robes were relatively wide and large, and sometimes they had to lift up the hem when walking, lest they trip.

  And these adults still wear mourning hats when they go to court, how can they fight with such attire?

  At this moment, the adults could no longer hold back their anger, throwing away their hats and rolling up their official robes, they rushed forward to beat Ma Shun violently. Some people were so excited that they even rolled up their sleeves and charged into the fray with bare arms.

  Ma Shun, who was once arrogant, now only had the share of begging for mercy, but no one paid attention to him, because everyone remembered that this person was Wang Zhen's accomplice, he had forced Liu Qiu to death and forced many ministers imprisoned in the imperial prison to death.

  He got what was coming to him.

  Before long, the ministers stopped fighting because Ma Shun had been beaten to death.

  But things couldn't end like this, those bloodthirsty people turned their gaze on Zhu Qiyu who was sitting above.

  Zhu Qiyan was dumbfounded.

  He watched as Wang Qiong rushed out, watching as Wang Qiong grabbed Ma Shun's hair, watching as Wang Qiong bit Ma Shun's mouth, then he saw the group of officials also rush out, swarming up and surrounding Ma Shun, punching and kicking.

  Finally, he saw Ma Shun being beaten to death right in front of him.

  All of these actions have gone beyond his understanding, those elegant and refined ministers suddenly turned into beasts, in the imperial court, the emperor is supreme, the ministers only nodded and did not utter a word. This is what he imagined the imperial court to be like.

  But now, the ground is littered with discarded official hats, robes and belts, a group of people are engaged in a frenzied brawl, the eunuchs have long since retreated to one side trembling with fear, wails, curses, and the dull thuds of fists pounding flesh filled the air.

  What's even more unimaginable is that not only did those young officials go all out, using their fists and feet, but also some 50 or 60-year-old old ministers came over with their belts held high, shaking and swaying as they walked, to give Ma Shun a kick, and among them were no lack of high-ranking officials such as the Minister and the Imperial Censor.

  Is this an illusion?

  This can't be real, this is the imperial court, where the emperor and his ministers discuss state affairs, the center of the Great Ming Empire, but now it has turned into a fighting arena, a boxing ring, a hell.

  If it's a nightmare, wake up soon!

  But the reality reminded him that this was not a dream, because those ministers who had just killed Ma Shun had already locked their target on him, they stared at him with red eyes, including Wang Jun whose mouth still had human blood.

  What happened next was beyond Zhu Qizhen's expectations. The ministers forgot their proper places and pointed at themselves, demanding that he hand over the remnants of Wang Zhen's faction!

  It's going to be a rebellion! The minister actually dares to coerce the emperor (regent)!

  But at this shocking moment, Zhu Qiyu was unable to think of these courtesies. He was so frightened that his whole body trembled and he could not utter a single word in response to the inquiries of the officials.

  At this time, the eunuch Jin Ying beside him saw that the situation was dangerous. If things went on like this, Zhu Qizhen himself might be in danger. He immediately sent someone to find Mao Gui and Wang Changrong.

  Mao Gui and Wang Chang sui were accomplices of Wang Zhen. Jin Ying went to find them at this time, which was not a good intention.

  When the two were dragged before Jin Ying, Zhang Er Jin was still confused, and Jin Ying didn't waste any words on them, kicking them into the great hall with one foot.

  At this time, the ministers were still intimidating Zhu Qizhen, when they suddenly saw these two people appear in front of them, just like a tiger that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a fat sheep, and ferociously pounced on them.

  Maogui and Wang Chang were suddenly kicked into the imperial court, still confused about what was happening. Before they could react, a group of disheveled and menacing people rushed towards them, and they were overwhelmed by a flurry of punches and kicks.

  Soon, both of them were also beaten to death.

  At this time, three corpses were laid out in the great hall, with bloodstains all over the place. The ministers had already lost their minds and completely lost control, running wildly around the imperial court, while more people continued to beg Zhu Qizhen for mercy.

  Some officials felt that this was not enough, so they hung the three corpses outside the East Peace Gate to show to the public. The ordinary people and soldiers in the city had also suffered enough at the hands of Wang Zhen, and they flocked forward to beat the corpses severely.

  The scene in the imperial court was even more lively. Since Zhu Qizhen did not order the arrest of Wang Zhen's family and accomplices, he took matters into his own hands!

  The ministers took the initiative to catch Wang Zhen's nephew, Wang Shan. This brother who came to his uncle for glory and wealth finally understood a truth:

  There is no gain without loss.

  He gained seven years of wealth and glory, but paid with his life.

  The ministers were still in a state of confusion, having beaten to death Ma Shun, Mao Gui and Wang Changgui. What should be done next? Should they beat to death one by one the accomplices of Wang Zhen?

  The ministers were still furious and scolded Wang Zhen loudly.

  Some people didn't know what lay ahead and whether killing these three people would lead to retaliation, they just sat on the ground in a daze.

  More people rushed to Zhu Qiyu's side, asking him for a man and ordering him to issue an order.

  The ministers' actions were indeed relieving, but they did not realize that danger was approaching themselves.

  Because they ignored an important issue - Ma Shun's identity.

  Mao Gui and Wang Chang were just eunuchs, but Ma Shun was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As we said before, the Embroidered Uniform Guard not only served as a secret service agency but also acted as the emperor's bodyguards.

  The ministers did not realize a strange phenomenon. They killed their superiors in front of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but why didn't these Embroidered Uniform Guards take any action?

  This was because there was another person present - Zhu Qiyu.

  Zhu Qiyu is the current regent, and without his order, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not dare to act rashly. However, if he doesn't say a word and retreats from court, the safety of the ministers' lives cannot be guaranteed due to the chaotic situation. There are many of Wang Zhen's accomplices in the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Wang Shan is one of them), and the ministers beating Ma Shun to death was a spontaneous act. It's hard to ensure that there won't be several Embroidered Uniform Guards like Wang Tong standing up, under the command of Wang Zhen's accomplices, and beating several ministers to death, which can also be understood as a spontaneous act.

  At this time, Zhu Qiyu was planning to do such a thing. He had recovered from the initial shock and understood what had happened in front of him. Looking at these nearly crazy officials and the bloody scene, he became afraid.

  Zhu Qiyu chose to escape and he wanted to flee into the palace.

  This is a crucial moment, if Zhu Qiyu really leaves, then the accomplices of Jin Yiwei and Wang Zhen are likely to take action. Ma Shun's martial arts skills may not be great, but his Jin Yiwei can easily clean up these civil officials.

  But at this time, the officials seemed to be unaware of the problem and continued to cry and scold, asking Zhu Qizhen to punish Wang Zhen.

  Only one person kept a cool head and realized the impending danger.

  This is Yu Qian.

  Yu Qian is a clear-headed person, he did not participate in the fight, although he also hated Ma Shun and others, but he would not take such measures, throughout the process, he was just an onlooker and thinker.

  He was well aware that the man had been beaten to death, and in order to truly resolve the issue, Zhu Qizhen must give the order. However, this regent had already been frightened out of his wits and was now preparing to flee. If Wang Zhen's remaining followers were allowed to seize the opportunity and pin a murder charge on the ministers who participated in the beating (Ma Shun was actually innocent), things would become complicated.

  Just as Zhu Qiyan was about to make a move, Yu Qian became extremely anxious. This was indeed a critical moment, but the people around him were not clear-headed at all, and they were making a racket everywhere.

  No time for so much nonsense!

  Yu Qian immediately ran towards Zhu Qiyan, he wanted to stop this person.

  But the officials in front had already crowded together, Yu Qian had no choice but to use force to part the crowd and push his way forward.

  It was a rather painful process, in the midst of the congestion, Yu Qian's sleeve was also torn, but he finally managed to intercept Zhu Qizhen before he escaped.

  Yu Qian said in a loud voice: "Your Highness (at that time not yet emperor), Ma Shun is a remnant of Wang Zhen's party, his crime deserves death, please order the officials to take action."

  "Not guilty!"

  The loud noise finally woke up Zhu Qiyu, he understood that if he didn't give these people an explanation now, the situation would not be stabilized, so he followed Yu Qian's words and issued a command.

  The ministers also woke up and since Ma Shun and others had been convicted, there was nothing more to it.

  Zhu Qiyu, who had stabilized his emotions, finally returned to normal and ordered Wang Zhen's nephew, Wang Shan, to be bound to the execution ground and executed by lingchi!

  The officials applauded with joy, and the storm on August 23 was thus calmed.

  Three people were beaten to death in the imperial court, and the ministers suddenly turned from bookworms into fighting experts. Old and young alike took to the field, fully venting their anger, turning the imperial court into a slaughterhouse, causing chaos, blood splattering everywhere, and even Zhu Qizhen, who was acting as emperor, was threatened and left in a sorry state.

  The minister was beaten to death, the acting emperor was coerced, and it still happened during the court's deliberations. Such chaos is unprecedented in Ming dynasty history.

  So when all the officials returned to normal, tidied up their clothes, checked their injuries (most of which were accidental), and walked out of the great hall, they all had a feeling as if they had been transported to another world.

  It was completely crazy.

  However, one thing the ministers were very clear about was that after Ma Shun's death, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had sharpened their knives and were waiting to strike. If Yu Qian hadn't stepped forward at that moment to defend Zhu Qizhen, it would have been uncertain whether they could have walked out of the palace alive.

  Thanks to Yu Qian.

  When Yu Qian walked out of the left wing gate, everyone looked at him with admiring eyes. If they had any doubts about this angry man five days ago, now they have a new consensus:

  This person must be able to hold his own in a desperate situation and turn the tide of chaos.

  The Minister of the Board of War, Wang Zhi, was also deeply moved. He grasped Yu Qian's hand excitedly and said to him: "The country is relying on you now, today even if there were a hundred Wang Zhis, they would be unable to cope with this situation!"

  Wang Zhen's crimes were thoroughly settled, his property was confiscated, and his family members were killed. Among them, Mr. Wang Shan was the most miserable, he was cut thousands of times before dying. This was because the ministers proposed that although Wang Zhen had already died, someone still needed to be found to replace him to receive punishment, in order to have a sense of closure (how ruthless).

  Then, Wang Shan, who had fled to Wang Zhen from a thousand miles away, took the punishment for his good relative and exchanged seven years of wealth and honor for a lingering death, which was truly a losing deal.

  To be honest, from a legal perspective, Wang Shan and Ma Shun did not have obvious crimes, being beaten to death seems unreasonable. If we look at it procedurally, the ministers' behavior should be classified as intentional injury resulting in death, which absolutely cannot be considered justifiable self-defense.

  But everyone present knew that these people were the most heinous villains, and it was because of them that the imperial court was so decadent, the country was so chaotic, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers lost their lives. So in my opinion, when they killed Wang Zhen's accomplices out of righteous indignation, they had already achieved justice.

  True justice exists in people's hearts.

  The Last Trouble

  The army arrived, food was abundant, and the remnants of Wang Zhen's party were thoroughly eliminated. Under Yu Qian's efforts, many thorny problems were solved.

  But he still had one last trouble, and it was also the biggest one:

  The emperor is still in someone else's hands.

  It's obvious that Zhu Qizhen also treated him as a credit card and the Ming Empire as an ATM, as long as he was in his hands, he would keep swiping this unlimited gold card until the bank went bankrupt.

  Can't go on like this, must think of a solution.

  Yu Qian clearly recognized that Zhu Qizhen became the trump card in Esen's hands, not because he was Zhu Qizhen, but because he was the emperor.

  Zhu Qizhen was worth very little even if sold by the catty, but this title of emperor was as heavy as Mount Tai.

  The solution is actually very simple - just set up another emperor.

  The emperor is not yours, Zhu Qizhen's, but that of the Great Ming Empire. This title can be given to you, or it can be given to someone else.

  In other words, whether Zhu Qizhen is an emperor or not, it's not up to Zhu Qizhen himself to decide, nor is it up to you. It's up to us. If I say the emperor in your hands is fake, then he must be fake.

  Even if it's not counterfeit, it's an expired product.

  The world's only imperial authority certification agency is here with me. Want a regular salary? You can forget about it!

  The policy has been decided, so who will be established?

  The first consideration was Zhu Qizhen's son, Zhu Jianshen, but this brother was only three years old at the time. To say nothing of handling state affairs, he couldn't even speak properly or recognize characters, so making him emperor would be a blind act.

  The only possible candidate is Zhu Qiyu.

  The ministers then petitioned to establish Zhu Qiyu as emperor.

  The Empress Dowager did not have any objections, after all Zhu Qizhen was also her son (not born to her), and immediately agreed.

  But unexpectedly, Zhu Qiyu declined, saying he didn't want to do this job.

  We've seen this act many times before, but what's different this time is that we can be certain Mr. Zhu Qiyu is not being insincere; he really doesn't want to be emperor.

  Too dangerous.

  When the emperor is about to lead his troops on an expedition, the journey is arduous and the luck is bad, he may even be captured by others as a prisoner of war and cannot return home for several years.

  Not to mention what happened on August 23rd, it made him have lingering fears. The people under his command didn't listen to orders and seemed to be interested in fighting. If this were to happen again someday, he might end up being the one getting beaten.

  Moreover, the enemy army may attack at any time, and if the capital is not preserved, this emperor will not last long. The responsibility for destroying the country will be borne on one's own head.

  Safety first, safety first, this emperor, no need to do it if not necessary.

  But things were no longer under his control.

  It can't be helped!

  Yu Qian couldn't help but say that he wouldn't be emperor anymore, the country had reached this point and must establish an emperor, you Zhu Qiyu willing or not, must do!

  Your Majesty's ministers are truly worried about the country, and not for personal gain.

  It was later proved that what he said was true.

  Thus, under Yu Qian and other ministers' insistence, Zhu Qiyu finally "volunteered".