Chapter 21: The Captive Zhu Qizhen

  Promise

  The guards at the pass were about to leave the city to welcome Zhu Qizhen's return. These frontier generals still had great respect for Zhu Qizhen, but strangely, they didn't seem to be in a hurry to send this former emperor back either, as if they were waiting for something.

  They were waiting for the welcoming team from Beijing.

  Our country has always been a nation of etiquette, even when it comes to killing and arson, we must maintain a dignified appearance, let alone the glorious and important event of the great emperor returning from hunting. It is only natural that we should make a big fanfare to show off our national prestige and bring glory to our descendants.

  But this time was extremely unusual. The people of the capital city did not arrive, causing those waiting to be filled with doubts and fears that something had happened in the capital.

  Something has indeed happened in Beijing.

  Zhu Qiwen never thought that he had set up so many obstacles, yet that unremarkable old man still managed to bring Zhu Qizhen back. How could this be?

  Zhu Qiyu was very unhappy, but Hu Mian, the Minister of Rites, was delighted and took the opportunity to propose a whole set of welcoming ceremonies.

  The ceremony was very complicated, specifically, it started with sending the Imperial Guards and officials from the Ministry of Rites to welcome at the Zhengyang Gate, then in the outer city of the capital, civil and military officials would pay their respects, finally entering the inner city where the current Emperor Zhu Qizhen would personally receive him, and then escorting the Taishang Huang to his residence, mission accomplished.

  Zhu Qiyan listened carefully to this suggestion and then put forward his plan:

  "A sedan chair and two horses will be sent to bring him back!"

  Frugal and simple, treating his elder brother with equal respect, Mr. Zhu Qiyan has set a good example for future generations.

  Liu Fu, who was present at the scene, could no longer bear it and submitted a memorial stating that this ritual was too thin. Zhu Qizhen reacted quickly and immediately replied: "I have already revered you as the Supreme Emperor, what other rituals do you want! What is Liu Fu's intention in saying that the ritual is too thin?"

  This remark was too severe, and Hu Miao had no choice but to come forward and explain that the ministers had no other intention than to hope that the Emperor would be close to the Taishang Huangdi and go to welcome him.

  This reason is indeed grand and unassailable, but Zhu Qizhen was not flustered because Zhu Qizhen had entrusted someone to express his hope for a simple ceremony on his way back. With this excuse, Zhu Qizhen said complacently to the officials: "You all saw it, this is the intention of the Taishang Huangdi, how dare I disobey!"

  I thought Zhu Qi Zhen was just being polite to Zhu Qi Yun, but Zhu Qi Yun wasn't polite at all.

  Thus, Zhu Qizhen returned to the capital in a sedan chair, with two horses leading the way, "majestically" and "proudly". However, there were no civilians lining up along the road to welcome him, nor did any officials or military officers kneel down to pay their respects. The former emperor was met with silence and a hint of sadness.

  Zhu Qiyu still came out to greet his brother, and outside the Dong'an Gate, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the retired emperor before sending him off to the Nan Palace, which had long been prepared for the retired emperor. There, he arranged for his brother to do some prisoner's work.

  Then he returned to where his brother had lived a year ago and continued being an emperor.

  The two brothers parted ways from then on.

  Zhu Qizhen was not a fool, from the welcoming ceremony and his brother's attitude, he had already understood that he was not a welcome person, and the so-called Nangong Palace was just a very desolate broken house outside Donghua Gate.

  But he doesn't care, the wind and sand of the desert, the butcher's knife of Xi'an, the cunning plan of Xin Ning, he has all gone through it. For someone who has experienced nine deaths and one life, being able to come back is already a blessing from heaven. After all, many people who went on the expedition with him have forever stayed at Tumu Fortress, in comparison, he is already very satisfied.

  He walked with hasty steps towards the desolate South Palace, although everything had changed and it was no longer what it used to be, he believed that there was still one person waiting for him there, waiting for his return.

  He was not disappointed when he opened the door and saw this person.

  The sound of the door startled the person sitting inside, she seemed to realize something and stood up, feeling her way towards the direction of the sound. She couldn't see who it was because after waiting for so long, she had cried herself blind.

  I promised you, I'll wait for your return.

  When all the glamour has dissipated, I will still be here waiting for you.

  Zhu Qizhen was relieved, his trusted ministers had abandoned him, his brother had imprisoned him, he had lost all power and glory, from an emperor who ruled the world to a prisoner in captivity.

  But at this moment, he smiled, because he knew that he was the happiest person in the world.

  He finally believed that in this world, there were things that could not be bought with money and power. Even if he was not an emperor, even if he lost everything, this person would still stand by his side, guarding him forever.

  This feeling can be passed down through generations, and will never fade away for thousands of years.

  Yes, actually we don't need to deliberately go looking for something, because the most precious things are often just around us.

  From then on, the desolate South Palace welcomed its new masters - the Retired Emperor Zhu Qizhen and his wife Empress Qian. However, it would be more accurate to say that they were actually prisoners of the current emperor, Zhu Qiyu.

  Zhu Qiyu had great vigilance and hostility towards this unexpectedly returned brother, although Zhu Qizhen had been abandoned by all and lost everything, only wanting to spend a few comfortable days, Zhu Qiyu was not even willing to satisfy the most basic requirement of being his own brother.

  In the twelfth month of the first year of the Jing Tai era (1450), Hu Mu presented a memorial requesting to lead all officials in paying respects to the Retired Emperor Zhu Qizhen at Yan'an Gate on New Year's Day of the following year, hoping to obtain Zhu Qiyu's approval.

  Zhu Qiyu's response was unacceptable.

  Then he added another one: "From now on, all festivals and celebrations will be exempt from worship!" (From now on, all Zhonghe Festival celebrations are exempt)

  In order to serve this emperor well and ensure his safety, he specially selected some eunuchs who were dissatisfied with Zhu Qizhen to serve him. He dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to surround the Southern Palace inside and out. At the same time, Zhu Qiyu also thoroughly considered the issue of environmental noise pollution. In order to allow his brother to live without disturbance, he ordered that no one was allowed to enter to visit Zhu Qizhen, and all his daily necessities were delivered from outside at regular intervals.

  Wang Zhi and Hu Meng once came to visit Zhu Qi Town, but were blocked by these loyal guards.

  They then realized that this so-called retired emperor was actually just a prisoner.

  Zhu Qiyu has gone too far with this matter.

  Although he was under pressure and did not kill his own brother, he did almost everything that should not be done and sentenced his brother to life imprisonment.

  That originally gentle and kind good brother has disappeared, replaced by a ruthless and heartless stranger. This is tragic, but it's also the inevitable rule of imperial power struggles.

  Zhu Qi Town, who lived inside, was very calm. For him, being alive was already very satisfying. He honestly lived the prisoner's life arranged by his younger brother, never making trouble. The only problem was that Zhu Qi cut off his contact with the outside world, and even his daily necessities could not be guaranteed.

  Zhu Qizhen did not go to Zhu Qiyu to make a request, because he knew that even if he did, it would be useless. However, he had no other source of income, so Queen Qian could only do handicrafts like an ordinary woman and have someone take them out to exchange for food and clothing. (Queen Qian supported herself by selling her needlework.)

  As long as it's not a black prison, even if you're a prisoner, eating shouldn't be a problem. During holidays and festivals, they'll add an extra meal, and when there's nothing going on, you can still go out for some fresh air. But Zhu Qizhen didn't even have this basic treatment. The only thing he could do every day was to lift his head and look at the sky, and talk to his wife.

  The so-called Taishang Huang has fallen to this point, which is also a legendary story.

  It's just this kind of life, his good younger brother also doesn't want him to go on living.

  Nan Gong had no place to escape the heat, so every summer, Zhu Qi Zhen could only lean against the shade of a tree to cool off, which was also his only pitiful luxury.

  One day, he was preparing to lean under the tree as usual to avoid the heat, but surprisingly found that the big trees around him had disappeared. He asked left and right, only to find out that it was his good brother who did it.

  He smiled wryly and let out a deep sigh, saying nothing, then returned to his sweltering dwelling.

  He has lost everything and can't even keep a patch of shade for himself.

  The tree is like this, how can people bear it!

  Zhu Qiyu wanted to cut down those trees because Minister Gao Ping told him that there were too many trees in the South Palace, which was conducive to hiding thieves. This statement happened to be in line with Zhu Qiyu's intentions, and he immediately ordered the cutting down of all the trees in the South Palace for surveillance purposes. As for Mr. Zhu Qizhen's tree shade, it was naturally not within his consideration.

  Zhu Qizhen finally understood that his good brother was a more terrifying enemy than Ye Zong, who although uncultured and rough in behavior, was still a relatively righteous person who kept his word. His own good brother, however, was determined to solidify his imperial position and was bent on driving him, a man who had already lost everything, to death.

  Zhu Qiyan, you're going too far!

  But he had no other choice, could only continue like this, after all being able to live one more day is one more day.

  So he silently endured it, still treating the people around him with his sincere and genuine attitude. Slowly, those who were arranged to monitor him were also moved by his sincerity and composure, becoming his friends.

  There is a person named Ruan Lang among them.

  Ruan Lang was a relatively honest eunuch. He entered the palace during the Yongle era and didn't know how to flatter or speculate, but simply lived his life honestly. After 40 years in the palace, he was only a small Shaojian, and no one looked up to him. This time, he was assigned to serve Zhu Qizhen, also because no one else wanted to do this job.

  Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed, and since he had nothing to do on a daily basis, it was just as well that he could chat with this old eunuch whom he had known since childhood. One day, while chatting happily, he gave Ruan Lang a golden embroidered pouch and a gold-plated knife (note: it's gold-plated) that he carried with him.

  At this time, Zhu Qizhen had nothing of value on him. These so-called gifts were among the few valuable things he had left. This shows that Zhu Qizhen was indeed a sincere person. But he never imagined that it was precisely this golden embroidered pouch and that worthless knife that would seal Ruan Lang's fate.

  Ruan Lang is a rather casual person, and he didn't think that this would involve extremely great risks. He accepted the two items, thinking they were useless, and then gave them to his friend Wang Yao.

  This Wang Yao was just like Ruan Lang, a minor official. He took it without much thought and if the matter had ended there, it wouldn't have been a problem. But this Wang Yao also had a friend named Lu Zhong, to whom he would often show these two things.

  Lu Zhong is a friend of Wang Yao's, but Wang Yao is not a friend of Lu Zhong's.

  Lu Zhong was a Brocade Guard when he saw these two things, his special agent instincts immediately told him that this was an opportunity to be exploited.

  He colluded with his colleague Jin Yiwei Li Shan to inform Zhu Qizhen, the crime was plotting to restore the throne. The basis is the embroidered bag and the golden knife, because in their view, these two things are the iron evidence that Zhu Qizhen bought off Ruan Lang and Wang Yao.

  Zhu Qiyu finally found an excuse and immediately took action.

  After that, things were simple. Wang Yao and Ruan Lang were arrested and thrown into prison, where they were subjected to severe torture and cruel punishment, all in an effort to get them to utter a single sentence: "Zhu Qizhen has intentions of restoring the throne."

  Lü Zhong personally participated in the torture and interrogation, and threatened that if they confessed to the so-called conspiracy, he would let them go, because Lü Zhong believed that even if there was no such thing, the two Yuans would confess something for self-protection.

  Ruan Lang and Wang Yao, although not high-ranking officials, had a strong sense of integrity. Despite being subjected to extreme torture, they did not utter a single word of slander against Zhu Qizhen until the very end when they were led to the execution ground.

  Zhu Qiyu's plan fell through, and Lu Zhong's dream of promotion was shattered. Ruan Lang and Wang Yao, although insignificant in words, their actions were upright and aboveboard.

  Zhu Qi Zhen was pulled back from the cliff edge once again.

  But when he learned that the kind old eunuch had been killed by his own brother and could no longer talk to him, he realized that in this game of power, there was no such thing as giving up, only winners had the qualification to survive!

  Zhu Qiyan's Ingenious Plan

  Zhu Qiyu became increasingly uneasy, ever since his good brother's unexpected return, he had been in a state of nervous apprehension, he was already accustomed to being called the Emperor, and was used to the civil and military officials paying homage to him, he feared that everything he had obtained would be lost again, so he imprisoned his brother and sought every opportunity to bring about his death.

  The Jin Dao case further deepened this fear of his, and from then on, his behavior became more and more extreme, more and more excessive.

  To cut the grass and eliminate future troubles, Zhu Qizhen had made up his mind to either kill or depose Zhu Qizhen's son, the current Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, and replace him with his own son, Zhu Jianji.

  Yes, only in this way can I sit on this dragon chair with peace of mind.

  But this matter was not ordinary, because long before Zhu Qizhen was temporarily promoted to emperor, the old and cunning Empress Dowager Sun had already established Zhu Jianshen as the crown prince and made it clear that he would definitely inherit the throne in the future. At that time, Zhu Qizhen himself also agreed, although Zhu Qizhen could turn his face and deny his account, but he still had a difficult pass to overcome, which was to get the support of the ministers.

  But since ancient times, the abolition of the crown prince has not been popular with people. It's not easy to get the support of the ministers! He thought hard about the method, but couldn't find a clue. At this time, his trusted eunuch Xing An came up with a wonderful "good idea" for him.

  One day soon after, Zhu Qizhen convened a meeting of the cabinet members. At that time, there were six cabinet members: Chen Xun, the first assistant; Gao Gu, the second assistant; Shang Tang, Jiang Yuan, Wang Yining and Xiao Kai, who were the leaders of the civil official group at that time.

  They entered the palace to pay respects to Zhu Qizhen, and after finishing their greetings, they waited to hear what orders the Emperor had. However, after waiting for half a day, the gentleman sitting above still did not utter a single word.

  After a while, His Majesty the Emperor finally spoke in a stammering manner, but what he said was just some words of praise like "You have done a good job" and "You have worked hard".

  These six ministers were all seasoned figures in the officialdom, each and every one of them was cunning and treacherous. As soon as they heard Zhu Qizhen's tone, they knew that this emperor had something very important to say. They wore a smile on their faces, saying "dare not dare not" with their mouths, but in their minds, they were anxiously calculating and making preparations for their response.

  Ke Zhu Qi Yun finished speaking, and unexpectedly announced the dispersal of the meeting, leaving them all bewildered. Could it be that this emperor had contracted a cold, was mentally unclear, spoke nonsense, and intentionally made a fool of himself?

  But soon after, they knew the answer. After dispersing, Xing An found them separately and gave each of them money. The specific amount was: Chief Assistant Chen Xun and Deputy Assistant Gao Kun each received 100 taels of silver, while the other four cabinet members each received 50 taels of silver.

  With basic sociological knowledge, you should have already guessed that the eunuch Xing An's "good idea" to His Majesty was bribery.

  The emperor bribed his ministers, which can be said to be unprecedented and never to be repeated. The amount of the bribe was also laughable, only one hundred taels!

  This is the best plan that Mr. Xing An could think of, and it still makes people wonder for a long time. It seems that reading books well in childhood is really important, so that even if you become a eunuch in the future, you can be a cultured and knowledgeable eunuch.

  These six gentlemen took this little silver, and it was really laughable. Although the Ming dynasty's salary is low, these high-ranking officials naturally have various plans for external income. How can they put this little money in their eyes? But they understand that other money can be collected, but this money cannot be taken. This is not the time to talk about integrity, and not collecting it means not giving the emperor face.

  After receiving the money, they learned of the emperor's intention: to replace the crown prince.

  No matter whose money it is, once the money is received, one must help others get things done. This principle has always been applicable, let alone the emperor's money. The six ministers, even if they were to eat black (i.e., take bribes), did not dare to cheat the Emperor. Therefore, they all expressed their agreement and suggested that a new crown prince be appointed immediately.

  Xing An settled the six adults and continued to be active among the officials, specifically giving money, of course, the amount was similar to before. Unexpectedly, things went very smoothly, and the officials accepted the money and agreed to the proposal to change the crown prince. This was not because they received that little money, but because everyone knew Zhu Qizhen's purpose and did not dare to offend him.

  Not everyone was pretending to be ignorant, however. Wang Zhi, the Minister of the Board of War, lived up to his reputation as a tough and stubborn man. He never expected that the Emperor would resort to such a lowly tactic, openly bribing his officials, so when someone handed him his share of the money, he slammed his fist on the table, pounded his chest, and exclaimed: "How can there be such a thing? How will we officials be able to show our faces in public from now on?"

  It doesn't matter if one loses face in front of others, as long as things are ultimately accomplished. In the third year of the Jingtai era (1452)

  In May, Zhu Qizhen's last hope - Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen was abolished, and Zhu Qiyu's son Zhu Jianji succeeded as the crown prince. In Zhu Qiyu's view, it would be settled for thousands of years.

  But what he didn't expect was that at the height of his glory, an undercurrent was secretly stirring, and at the core of this undercurrent was a man filled with hatred and resentment.

  August 18th, Another Person's Fate

  Let's go back to the orthodox fourteen years (1449) August 18th, on that day, Yu Qian stepped forward, took over the heavy responsibility of saving the empire, was admired by all, and began the most brilliant journey of his life.

  But on that day, another person's fate was also completely changed.

  "Now that his life is gone, only fleeing south can avoid disaster."

  That was Xu Wen's speech on that day, and the response he got afterwards we all already know:

  "Suggesting people who fled south should be killed!"

  These two sentences decided the fate of Yu Qian and Xu Xing, with Yu Qian becoming the defender of Beijing under the unanimous praise and recommendation of everyone, with unparalleled glory.

  Xu Xian got a rebuke from eunuch Jin Ying: "Get out!" (expelled)

  Then, he stumbled out of the grand hall amidst the scorn and ridicule of the crowd. He couldn't understand why he was being ridiculed by his ministers for being a coward who feared death.

  He fully understood that his political career was over.

  Actually many people want to escape, I just said what's in their hearts, why blame only me?

  Xu Xian, who had been rebuked by Yu Qian and was being given the cold shoulder by everyone else, left the palace in a daze and headed home. For only there could he find a moment's peace.

  But what he didn't expect was that another blow was about to hit him before he even got home.

  Because when he walked to the left alley gate, he met a person named Jiang Yuan.

  Jiang Yuan was a friend of Xu E, and also his colleague, who was then a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy. The two had a good relationship in daily life, and when Jiang Yuan saw Xu E so disheveled, he asked him with concern what had happened.

  Xu Xuan was deeply moved and said with a sad face: "I suggested moving south, but it didn't meet your expectations, which led to this situation." (As my proposal to move south did not meet with approval)

  Jiang Yuan comforted Xu Ying and told him to go home and rest well, that everything would turn out for the best, and he would also speak up for him.

  Then, Jiang Yun walked into the grand hall under Xu Zhen's grateful gaze. After paying his respects to Zhu Qizhen, he said in a loud and clear voice, "The southern migration is absolutely not feasible, there is only one way to defend!"

  A few months later, Jiang Wan was appointed as the Vice Minister of Justice and a scholar in the Wenyuan Pavilion, becoming one of Zhu Qizhen's most trusted officials.

  What a wonderful scene.

  Xu Yin was desperate, not just about his own career, but also about the hearts of men. At that time, countless people were talking about escaping, and his theory was well-supported, but when he was reprimanded, no one spoke up for him. Those who were originally afraid of death suddenly became pro-war advocates, turning around to scold him for being timid and cowardly, shaking the morale of the army.

  This unexpected dramatic change gave Xu Wei a vivid lesson and made him realize the true meaning of the world's coldness.

  After that, every day when attending the court, many people would secretly point at him and mockingly say: "Isn't this the coward who suggested moving south?" Some hot-tempered officials even embarrassed him in front of his face.

  These insults are more unbearable than death for a scholar who has read extensively and values reputation above all else.

  But Xu Xian went to work on time every day in the face of such cold treatment and humiliation, because he had to survive, life had to go on, not going to work meant no salary, and he couldn't support his wife and children.

  Living a cowardly life is better than dying heroically, this is Xu Xing's philosophy of life.

  The hardest thing in life is not endurance, but waiting.

  Xu Xian persisted because he believed that his abilities and work achievements would eventually be accepted by others, and that he would have a chance to turn things around. However, reality once again disappointed him. His work performance was excellent, but he never got promoted, so in desperation, he had no choice but to go ask for help from his enemy Yu Qian.

  Yu Qian was indeed a straightforward person, he did not ignore Xu Hu because of his suggestion to move south, but instead actively recommended him to Zhu Qizhen. However, as soon as Zhu Qizhen heard Xu Hu's name, he said a heavy sentence: "Isn't the one you're talking about Xu Hu who advocates for moving south? This person's character is too poor, don't bother with him."

  Yu Qian had no choice but to give up, while Xun Can was unaware of all this and mistakenly thought that Yu Qian was sabotaging him. From then on, a seed of revenge had been sown in his heart.

  Being insulted and ridiculed, hard work did not get any return, just because at that time said a wrong word, for Xu Xin, this is indeed unfair.

  He wanted to change his predicament but couldn't get any help from anyone. After much deliberation, he came up with a brilliant idea - to change his name.

  It seems incomprehensible to us today, can't you recognize someone just because they change their coat?

  At that time, the situation was indeed so. After all, His Majesty the Emperor had to deal with countless matters every day, and Xu Yu didn't need to notify him even if he changed his name, let alone announce it nationwide or register it at the local police station. As long as he explained it to the Ministry of Officials, that would be enough. When submitting for promotion, His Majesty the Emperor only took a rough look at the list, and absolutely wouldn't investigate whether anyone had changed their name. Xu Yu seized this opportunity and changed his name to Xu Youzhen.

  After deceiving the heaven and crossing the sea, Xu Youzhen waited for the opportunity to come. He was sent to Shandong as an official. Xu Youzhen is a very capable person with strong political skills. After being sent out for several years, he did a good job and was promoted to Left Vice Censor-in-Chief based on his merits.

  I had a question about this, because the left vice censor-in-chief is the third-ranking official in the Censorate, has the power to attend court sessions, and is also someone the emperor often meets with. So why did Zhu Qizhen not recognize that so-called Xu Youzhen was actually Xu Zhen?

  I'm not quite sure of the specific reason, but I think it's because His Majesty the Emperor is too busy and has long forgotten what Xu Xian looks like.

  However, Xu Youzhen's life finally had a turning point, but in his heart, he never forgot the humiliation and sarcasm he suffered, and he was quietly waiting.

  Waiting for the arrival of an opportunity for revenge.

  Crazy Zhu Qiyuan

  Zhu Qiyu finally got what he wanted, and his son was established as the heir to the throne. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. In this struggle for the throne, he emerged victorious.

  But this victory did not last long, in the second year (Jingtai 4th year, AD 1453)

  In November, Zhu Qiyu suffered a heavy blow when his son and the future heir to the empire, Zhu Jianji, died.

  This is a problem, the son died and that's it. The problem is that Zhu Qizhen only has this one son, where can he find another heir to the throne?

  But what's even more troublesome is yet to come, many officials were originally dissatisfied with Zhu Jianshen being deposed and took this opportunity to demand his restoration, which was a matter of course.

  Anyway, you don't have a son anymore, why not set up another one?

  But Zhu Qiyu didn't think so, he had already fallen out with Zhu Qizhen, if he reinstated his son as the crown prince, in the future there would be a counter-attack and revenge, where would that put himself?!

  The problem is that the crown prince must be established, but unfortunately he himself is not promising and cannot produce a son. This son is not something that can be produced at will, even if you are an emperor, this kind of thing cannot be done as one pleases.

  One after another, Zhu Qiyu was anxious, and due to the hard work of national affairs, his body was no longer as good as before. Thinking about the uncertain future, his temper became more and more violent, and his suspicions grew heavier.

  But the thatched house happened to meet the continuous rain at night, fearing what would come, and soon after, the two ministers' open book finally triggered a severe political storm.

  These two ministers were Gong Tong, the Imperial Censor, and Zhang Lun, the Gentleman of the Interior. Although their positions were not high, they had big guts. Each of them wrote a memorial to request the restoration of Zhu Jianshen. This idea was not new and had been proposed before, even Zhu Qizhen had read similar memorials. Even if it wasn't approved, there shouldn't be any major issues. But trouble arose from these two memorials written by Gong Tong and Zhang Lun.

  What's wrong with these two gentlemen's memorials? Here are some excerpts:

  "First, let's look at Zhongtong's: 'When the father has the world, he should naturally pass it on to his son. When the crown prince dies, then one knows that heaven's mandate is elsewhere.'"

  This sentence can be interpreted in modern language as: Laozi's world should be passed on to his son, but now your son is dead, this is the will of heaven, heaven has opened its eyes.

  Mr. Zhang Lun was even more severe, not only demanding restoration, but also requiring Zhu Qizhen to pay respects to Zhu Qiyu on New Year's and festivals, with a shocking sentence in between: "The Supreme Emperor has ruled the world for 14 years, he is the father of the world; Your Majesty personally received the imperial seal, you are the minister of the Supreme Emperor."

  The meaning of this sentence doesn't need to be explained, everyone on Earth knows it.

  It's better to speak properly, but these two memorials are outrageous. One implies that the emperor's son died because he deserved it, and the other reminds the emperor of his own identity. They really treat the emperor as if he were nobody.

  The consequences were also unexpected. After Zhu Qiyu read it, he was furious and jumped up like thunder. At that time, the sky was already dark, and the court had already closed for the day. According to the rules, anything should be discussed again the next day, but Zhu Qiyu was so angry that he wrote an arrest warrant overnight and handed it out through the palace gate (this delivery method was only used in emergency situations), ordering the Brocade Guards to capture the two men overnight.

  After being captured, they were subjected to severe torture. The Embroidered Uniform Guard wanted them to reveal their relationship with Nan Gong and who had instructed them, hoping to use this incident to get rid of Zhu Qizhen at the same time. However, these two men showed great backbone and refused to utter a single word, as if daring others to beat them to death.

  The arrest of these two people not only failed to eliminate the voices calling for restoration, but instead triggered an even greater wave of public opinion, known as the "Restoration Debate". For a time, officials flocked to submit memorials, demanding restoration, and both inside and outside the court, there was a cacophony of voices, with some local officials from other regions also submitting memorials to join in the chorus.

  Zhu Qiyu never thought that things would get bigger and bigger, he had already lost his son, now even his own throne was threatened, under the increasing pressure, his emotions were almost crazy.

  In order to suppress this trend, he used the family heirloom left by his ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang - the court cane.

  He used the principle of the rod also very simple, as long as someone mentions the word "repeat storage", no one is spared, and everyone gets beaten!

  In an instant, the imperial city was in a state of turmoil, with heads rolling and blood flying everywhere, mournful cries echoing one after another, and the officials were all in a state of panic, before this storm finally subsided.

  At that time, most of the officials who were flogged were almost all beaten, and among them, the most unfortunate one was an official named Liao Zhuang, whose experience was absolutely unique.

  Liao Zhuang was not a Beijing official, his position was the Nanjing Dalisi Temple, in the fifth year of Jingtai (1454), he also joined the lively scene, petitioning to restore storage, for some reason, later when investigating the number of people who were spanked, he was unexpectedly missed, since he was not in Beijing either, there was no further investigation.

  A year later, his mother died. According to the rules, he had to go to Beijing and enter the palace for an audience, then take a leave of absence to return home and observe mourning rites. This benevolent brother originally planned to enter the palace, kowtow, report his name, and then immediately leave. Unexpectedly, Zhu Qizhen called out to him:

  "Are you Liao Zhuang?"

  Liao Zhuang felt honored and replied hastily: "I am Liao Zhuang."

  Zhu Qiyu didn't waste any words with him either and directly ordered the Brocade Guard:

  "Drag him away and give him eighty lashes!"

  Liao Zhuang was stunned, and it wasn't until then that he remembered the lively scene from a year ago.

  Zhu Qiyu not only beat him, but also saved him the cost of returning home, and directly assigned him a new task, appointing him as the postmaster of the remote Dingqiang relay station (similar to the head of an official reception house, which is a hard job).

  After defeating Liao Zhuang, Zhu Qiyan suddenly remembered the two culprits of this matter, Zhong Tong and Zhang Lun. He inquired about their whereabouts from his subordinates and learned that they were still imprisoned. Not doing things halfway, Zhu Qiyan decided to celebrate an anniversary by beating these two men together as well.

  To show off their status as the main culprits, Zhu Qizhen was very particular. He thought that the execution rods of the Brocade Guards were too small and not majestic enough, so he actively racked his brains and designed two larger ones himself. He specially sent someone to deliver them to the prison and instructed: "These two are specifically for beating them, don't get it wrong!"

  To be honest, I don't know how big those two specially designed giant clubs were, but what I do know is that after this round of beating, Mr. Zhong went to see King Yan, and Zhang Lun was estimated to have a better body and managed to hold on, but was also disabled.

  Zhu Qiyu's nearly frantic actions shocked both the imperial court and the outside world, and from then on no one dared to mention restoring the crown prince again.

  Zhu Qiyu was not originally a tyrant, just a few years ago, he was still a gentle and elegant young man, with his brother being respectful and affectionate, but the temptation of imperial power pushed him step by step towards darkness, he became selfish, cold-blooded, suspicious and cruel. He imprisoned his own brother, deposed his own nephew, beat to death the ministers who opposed him, whoever dared to block his way, he would take their lives.

  But his actions did not consolidate his power, and there were constant opposition to his behavior. His only son also died, but no one sympathized with him. The ministers were only concerned about who the next master would be, and his body was getting worse and worse, unable to hold on for long. He knew very well that once he died, Zhu Qizhen might inherit the throne, and Zhu Qitown would come out again to settle accounts with him. For power, he had no regard for kinship, did many wrong things, but now it was too late to turn back, unable to stop, facing hidden dangers and undercurrents, he could only suppress them with even more ruthless and violent means.

  Power finally drove him mad.

  Xie Shi's Zhu Qiuyu finally used his stick to fight for a peaceful life, but this peaceful life only lasted two years.

  In the first month of 1457, according to convention, Zhu Qizhen should have gone to preside over the suburban sacrifices, but he was already seriously ill and unable to complete this task. What made him even more disheartened was that as he lay ill, his ministers not only did not come to inquire after his health, but instead took advantage of the opportunity to petition him to establish a crown prince early.

  The man had not yet died, and was already preparing his coffin and dividing up his belongings. Zhu Qiyu's anger had reached its peak, he was furious and his illness worsened, really having no way out, so he found someone to replace him in presiding over the sacrificial rites.

  This was a wrong decision, because the person he called over was Shi Heng himself.

  At this time, Shi Heng had become an enemy of Yu Qian and Zhu Qizhen. After making great contributions to the defense of Beijing, he received the highest reward and was enfeoffed as a marquis, while Yu Qian, who had made the greatest contribution, only got the empty title of Junior Guardian. Shi Heng felt uneasy in his heart, so he took the initiative to recommend Yu Qian's son Yu Mian for office, which was a courtesy.

  But he did not expect that Yu Qian was not impressed, and instead said to Zhu Qizhen: "Shi Heng, as a general, recommended a private person, should be punished!"

  What's the point of recommending your son, not only did he not show gratitude, but he even went to report you!

  Shi Heng couldn't understand Yu Qian's straightforward behavior, nor did he want to. All he knew was that Yu Qian was someone who didn't "play by the rules", someone who didn't follow the official norms.

  And such people can never become his friends.

  However, Yu Qian was not easy to deal with, his background was Zhu Qiyu, Shi Heng understood that in order to solve this opponent, he must first solve Zhu Qiyu.

  When Zhu Qiyu summoned him on his deathbed and asked him to take over the sacrifices, he realized that the opportunity had arrived.

  This day was January 11th, and the conspiracy began from here.