Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 34 Welcoming back Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Di's unease

To seal the wolf's lair and drink from the vast sea.

Starting with Huo Qubing, this has been the lifelong dream of all military generals.

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoshuo with great satisfaction.

The fourth brother did manage to do it after all.

The integrity of the new emperor Zhu Qiyu, coupled with the spirit of Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo.

The golden age of the Ming Dynasty is about to begin!
At the same time, Zhu Zhanji was very satisfied with Zhu Qiyu.

He felt that Zhu Qiyu's appearance would definitely change the old man's mind.

He knew his grandfather, Zhu Di, all too well.

Although Zhu Qizhen was unreliable, the appearance of Zhu Qiyu would make his grandfather reconsider passing the throne to their family.

"Prince Qi's battle strategy was blitzkrieg. Although he only brought 30,000 troops, he annihilated 100,000 Oirat cavalry. The morale of the Ming Dynasty soared. Whether in the court or among the common people, everyone felt that Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, would definitely wipe out the grasslands and fulfill the long-cherished wish that Emperor Taizong, Zhu Di, had failed to achieve!"

Zhu Di smiled with satisfaction.

His decision to put the fourth prince in charge of the Divine Machine Battalion was indeed the right one.

Otherwise, how would the fourth brother have discovered the terrifying power of firearms?

He was filled with anticipation.

If the fourth prince could truly pacify the grasslands, it would not only benefit the Yongle reign, but also make the entire history of the Ming Dynasty more glorious.

The Ming Dynasty was comparable to the Han and Tang Dynasties!
Moreover, he didn't know who else on the grasslands could stop the fourth brother.

["Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, had driven the Oirat Mongols to the brink of retreat. Ultimately, they threatened the retired Emperor Zhu Qizhen, and to protect Zhu Qizhen's life, Zhu Gaoshuo chose to withdraw his troops!"]

"why?"

Zhu Di didn't understand why his fourth son wanted to withdraw his troops.

They were just one step away from completely conquering the grasslands, something many emperors had failed to achieve.

But why did the fourth prince withdraw his troops because of Zhu Qizhen, that incompetent ruler?
Zhu Di couldn't understand it, so he simply looked directly at Zhu Gaoshuo and shouted, "Fourth Prince, are you confused?!"

The courtiers nodded slightly.

This clearly indicates that they agree with this view.

Let alone Zhu Di, if Zhu Qizhen were here, they would want to slap him to death!
Zhu Gaoshuo was slightly taken aback, then casually made up an excuse, saying, "Father, didn't you say that blood ties are more important than anything else?"

Zhu Gaoshuo ignored the gazes of the crowd and simply looked intently at Zhu Di.

Zhu Di gave him a reassuring look with a smile: "Fourth brother, it depends on the situation. Zhu Qizhen is obviously a good-for-nothing, there's no need to save him. You're just too kind!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Even Zhu Gaochi thought so.

Zhu Di grew angrier the more he thought about it; the Ming Dynasty would be dragged down by this Zhu Qizhen sooner or later.

The anger in my heart has no outlet.

Looking at Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Di couldn't help but kick this good grandson.

"Grandpa, what does this have to do with me? It was Fourth Uncle who let him go!" Zhu Zhanji felt very wronged.

Zhu Di knew, of course, that the fourth prince would not risk everything to kill Zhu Qizhen. After all, Zhu Qizhen was the emperor who had ascended the throne in order of succession. If the Oirats were allowed to kill him regardless of the consequences, the Confucian scholars of the Ming Dynasty would certainly not let the fourth prince off the hook.

He knew all too well just how terrifying the pens of these intellectuals could be!
Zhu Zhanji glanced at Zhu Gaoshuo with displeasure and immediately said, "Fourth Uncle is about to rebel, isn't he? Otherwise, how can he become emperor!"

Zhu Di nodded.

Zhu Zhanji's words are indeed correct.

The fourth prince of the Ming Dynasty is now within easy reach.

After all, Zhu Qiyu was appointed to the throne in a time of crisis, and it was the decree of the ministers that made him emperor, not the real emperor.

In terms of bloodline alone, the fourth son could completely replace Zhu Qiyu.

What will the fourth brother do?
If the fourth prince really wanted to become emperor, what would the regional princes think? What would the civil and military officials think? It might lead to continued internal strife in the Ming Dynasty.

"After Zhu Gaoshuo withdrew his troops, the entire Mongolian grasslands once again realized that the Ming Dynasty was still unshakeable."

"Esen once said that the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was dead, and the current emperor was just a greenhorn. But now Esen understands that although Zhu Di is dead, his son is still alive!"

"Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, completely defeated the grassland people. For the next hundred years, they dared not disturb the borders of the Ming Dynasty. They knew very well that as long as Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, was alive, the Ming Dynasty would always be strong!"

"Having defended the capital, repelled the Mongols, and enhanced the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, Prince Qi should have returned to the capital to receive the respect of the people. In fact, there are already calls for 'Long live Prince Qi' among the common people."

"But Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, made a surprising move. Instead of returning to the capital, he led his troops south and returned to Xunzhou."

"This abdication signifies that Prince Qi has relinquished the throne to Emperor Jingtai. He seems to believe that Zhu Qiyu has the ability to bring the Ming Dynasty back to its golden age!"

Although he had already thought of it, Zhu Di was still very pleased.

"He is truly my good son!" Zhu Di smiled with satisfaction, and at the same time decided in his heart to send his fourth son to his fiefdom as soon as possible.

The fourth prince had no interest in the throne.

The matter of taking up a fief can be settled.

Since Zhu Gaoshuo is capable, Zhu Di intends to give him an important position now.

"Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne. His mother came from a humble background; she was merely a convicted criminal in the Prince of Han's mansion. Therefore, she never imagined that she could become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, if it weren't for the Empress Dowager Zhang's strong opposition, he would have died long ago."

"After the Battle of Tumu and the defense of the capital, the foundation of the Ming Dynasty was shaken, but Zhu Qiyu was still confident that he could be a good emperor."

"But just when he was full of confidence, the court officials proposed to bring Zhu Qizhen back. Zhu Qiyu knew very well that this was the Empress Dowager's wish, after all, Zhu Qizhen was her own son."

"Of course Zhu Qiyu was unwilling, but welcoming back Zhu Qizhen, the retired emperor, would only benefit the court officials, and it would also please the Empress Dowager. At that time, the court was basically under the control of Empress Dowager Sun, and no one dared to refuse!"

"Zhu Qiyu was disheartened. He didn't want to be emperor in the first place, but these ministers forced him to. Now, was he going to go back on his word?"

"In the end, it was Yu Qian who stepped forward. Yu Qian said that the throne would not be changed again, and that welcoming back the retired emperor was for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's reputation."

"In the end, Zhu Qizhen studied in the northern desert for a year and then returned to the familiar capital, only now he had become the retired emperor!"

"Of course, Zhu Qiyu was worried about his brother's return. He ordered Zhu Qizhen to be placed under house arrest and placed under the supervision of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to prevent Zhu Qizhen from having any contact with his former subordinates in the court!"

"Such an emperor emeritus is truly unprecedented; the Ming Dynasty has set a new precedent in history!"

Why did Yu Qian also agree to bring Zhu Qizhen back?
Zhu Di could see that Yu Qian was extraordinary.

How could the court possibly be at peace if Zhu Qizhen, the retired emperor, was brought back at this time?

Zhu Di understood perfectly well that Zhu Qizhen's birth mother was clearly not a kind person; how could she possibly watch her son be imprisoned!
Zhu Di felt uneasy, sensing that more trouble was bound to happen!

(End of this chapter)