Wandering the Heavens

Zhu Qizhen didn't care about the words of the Empress Dowager, and thought that Yu Xian was taking advantage of his past merits to act recklessly. All the nobles in the Ming Dynasty were awarded titles for their great contributions, but Yu Xian was special.

But he only fought one battle, and his other military-related activities were burning and killing Mongolian tribes on the grassland for several years. He had no face to talk about such things that were against the harmony of nature. How could he deserve the honor of Xuanwu Earl? In the final analysis, this man got the title by flattering and gaining the favor of Emperor Taizong.

Thinking of this, he even blamed Taizong for not being able to judge people well.

Watching Zhu Qizhen's expression change back and forth in a few breaths, the Empress Dowager knew that the grandfather and grandson were going to be on opposite sides.

"How was Wang Zhen beaten? Do you think I, an old woman, am confused due to my age? He demanded bribes from all the civil and military officials in the court, and formed factions to interfere in government affairs. If it were during the time of Taizu and Taizong, Wang Zhen would not have enough heads to chop off no matter how many heads he had! I think the Earl of Xuanwu was not ruthless enough. He should have killed this eunuch who was causing chaos in the court with a single blow! Otherwise, you, the dignified Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, would have to worry about him!" The Empress Dowager saw that her grandson was unyielding and immediately fell out with her.

You are the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Zhen is a household slave. How could he deserve such attention from you, and yet you tolerate his wrongdoings?

"My grandson knows his mistake!"

If a tiger doesn't show its power, it will think a person is a sick cat. Zhu Qizhen then realized that he was still far from being able to do his job. He put aside the idea of seeking justice for Wang Zhen and quickly put down the emperor's baggage and knelt on the ground.

To be honest, Zhu Qizhen was a person who didn't know what was good for him and didn't know what was right for him. He didn't know what he did, and most of the people he associated with were either villains or enemies of the Ming Dynasty. After he seized the throne, his temperament changed drastically. He killed ministers indiscriminately to vent his anger. He killed Yu Qian for the sake of political correctness and to avenge himself for being abandoned by court officials when he was in the enemy camp.

Yu Xian thought about it and felt that if Linghu Chong became emperor, he would probably have the same character.

The Empress Dowager knew that he was just unwilling to accept his mistake and did not really admit his mistake, so she did not bother to pay attention to him and asked the female official to help her go in to rest.

In fact, Yu Xian dared to do such a thing without worrying about the revenge of Wang Zhen or even the emperor. I have Zhu Di's will in my hand, and you, Zhu Qizhen, are just a deliveryman. After giving birth to Zhu Jianshen, you can do whatever you want, even if you die on the grassland.

Zhu Qizhen never expected that before he could trouble Yu Xian, his husband would get into trouble first, because the incident of soliciting bribes from officials returning to Beijing was too big, and Wang Zhen did not know how to restrain himself, even daring to give a hard time to the princes and Zhu Qizhen's brothers and sisters. Under Yu Xian's instigation, Yu Qian took the lead in making a memorial, and then the victims who usually kept silent suddenly got the courage to rush forward to impeach this dead eunuch.

The matter was reported to the Empress Dowager. Upon learning that her grandchildren were being bullied by such a vicious eunuch, the Empress Dowager convened a grand court meeting regardless of her health and beat Wang Zhen in front of Zhu Qizhen until he was unable to take care of himself.

Zhu Qizhen was completely subdued by the wrath of the Empress Dowager. Only then did he understand why he could not do anything to Yu Xian, the Earl of Xuanwu. This man, whom he hated to the core, could easily overthrow his authority as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. No wonder his father had left him aside and did not dare to use him.

The turmoil ended with Wang Zhen being caned and returning all the bribes he had demanded, and nearly half of Wang Zhen's followers were dismissed. However, this struggle also exhausted the Empress Dowager's last vitality, and she passed away the following year after presiding over Zhu Qizhen's wedding.

Yu Xian still had a good impression of the Empress Dowager. In fact, her physical and mental health had been deteriorating since the fifth year of Zhengtong. For this reason, Yu Xian sent her elixirs every now and then to recuperate so that she could live a more relaxed and comfortable life. However, she still died in the seventh year of Zhengtong.

The moment the Empress Dowager was sent to the mausoleum, Zhu Qizhen felt that the shadow over his head had finally disappeared. For eight whole years, the Empress Dowager had suppressed him, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in the name of filial piety, forcing him to make many compromises and suffer many grievances.

There was another person who was even more emotional than Zhu Qizhen. Wang Zhen was also freed. The last shackles that bound him finally disappeared, and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was truly in the hands of a eunuch like him.

Who in this world can stop Wang Zhen's path?

Of course there are, I'm just too lazy to do it.

After the Empress Dowager was buried, Zhu Qizhen couldn't wait to take action against Yu Xian, but was stopped by Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen was really scared. He knew well that Yu Xian would not do anything to the emperor, but it would be easy for him to take his life.

As for this nobleman who came from a cruel family, his martial arts and political tactics were so superior to his own, and he didn't even know what bargaining chips he had in his hand.

Moreover, he also realized how bad his character was. After being beaten by Yu Xian last time, all the officials in the court who were originally respectful to him rushed to impeach him. The memorial was enough to drown him. If he didn't die hundreds of times after reading the quotations from classics in the memorial, he would not be justified by the charges in it.

Now that the Empress Dowager is gone, there's no guarantee these people will become even crazier. If they lose control, I might even lose my life.

Zhu Qizhen did not understand Wang Zhen's fear. In his opinion, it was more than enough for him, an emperor, to deal with an earl. When the Empress Dowager was alive, he could not do anything to Xuanwu Bo. After the Empress Dowager passed away, some people said that Xuanwu Bo could not be touched. Didn't the Empress Dowager die in vain?

In other words, no one can really explain why Zhu Qizhen, who was born with everyone's expectations, was made the crown prince in the same year, and grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, became like this.

However, before he could do anything, trouble came. First, it was his own mother. After being a daughter-in-law for many years, she became a mother-in-law and started to act like a troublemaker. She even poisoned and killed her own sister. Then, with the help of Jin Ying, she began to interfere in state affairs, and was unreasonable.

As soon as Yu Xian received the secret report from the palace, he immediately ordered to clean up Sun Ruowei's mess and not let anyone see that this crazy woman was really capable of doing such a thing...

Then, the court officials who lost the suppression of the Grand Empress Dowager began to revolt. Zhu Qizhen then realized the importance of the old lady in the harem. Feeling regretful, he had to personally fight against the civil and military officials in the court.

During this period, the imperial court was in turmoil, and Zhu Qizhen was also very anxious. He had long forgotten the idea of dealing with Yu Xian. However, Yu Xian's bookstore made a lot of money by relying on this group of people to fight. The quarrels between Wang Zhen and the court officials became excellent material for storytelling, and this section occupied a considerable part of the market in storytelling.

After several years of management, Wang Zhen finally became powerful again, and the whole court was filled with his lackeys. Under such circumstances, Zhu Qizhen gained the upper hand in the struggle with the ministers and finally began to taste the taste of imperial power, although the experience period was not long.

In the twelfth year of Zhengtong, the eldest son Zhu Jianshen was born, and Sun Ruowei could not wait to adopt him, wanting to emulate the story of Empress Dowager Zhang. If it weren't for Yu Xian, she would have succeeded.

In the 14th year of Zhengtong, Zhu Qizhen's fate was the starting point of the decline of Ming Dynasty. The humiliation of Ming Dynasty finally began under Wang Zhen's ambition. As early as the 6th year of Zhengtong, when the Empress Dowager gradually let go, the trade friction between Ming Dynasty and Mongolia began. In the market, Mongolia exchanged inferior cattle and sheep for high-quality salt, iron and tea of Ming Dynasty. Every time it paid tribute, thousands of people came to exchange for more rewards.

To be honest, many people could not have imagined that the Mongols, who only knew how to herd sheep, would engage in an economic war with the Ming Dynasty.

For this reason, some ministers had long suggested that the behavior of the Mongols who cheated and even prostituted for free should be controlled. However, Wang Zhen, who accepted bribes from the Mongols, ignored it. Later, when the Mongols failed to give money to Wang Zhen, the dead eunuch, who felt embarrassed, ordered the seizure of the Mongols' goods.

Yesen had wanted to avenge his grandfather and father for a long time, and Wang Zhen's move this time gave him an excellent excuse to send troops.

In July of the 14th year of the Zhengtong reign, the Oirat army divided into four groups to attack Liaodong, Gansu, Xuanfu and Datong of the Ming Dynasty. The years of open and secret struggles between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia since the Hongxi period turned into a war of attrition at this moment.