Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 44: Turbulence in the Capital
Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.
Wan Zhen'er, the personal maid of Empress Dowager Sun, brought a bowl of rice porridge and a few dishes of side dishes, and said in an almost pleading tone: "Empress Dowager, please have a bite!"
Ever since she learned that the Emperor had marched his army deep into the grassland alone, Empress Dowager Sun had lost her appetite and just sat there, sighing.
In just a few days, he has lost a lot of weight. If this continues, he will probably fall ill.
"Put it down first!" Queen Mother Sun waved her hand and suddenly asked, "Zhen'er, how long have you been in the palace?"
Wan Zhen'er didn't know why, so she answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, I entered the palace when I was four years old, and it has been fifteen years!"
"Fifteen years is not a short time. You are very familiar with the situation in the palace. Now that the emperor has not returned from the Northern Expedition, many voices have emerged in the court. What do you think about this?"
Wan Zhen'er knelt down and said cautiously, "I dare not speak nonsense!"
Queen Mother Sun forced a smile on her gloomy face and said, "There are no outsiders here. Just tell me what you think. I won't blame you."
"Your servant, your servant..."
"I need someone to talk to. If you have any ideas, just say it!"
Wan Zhen'er knew that Empress Dowager Sun's current situation was not optimistic. Over the years, she had been observing the words and expressions of the Empress Dowager in the harem and knew Empress Dowager Sun's thoughts best.
Sometimes, there are some things that the master cannot say and needs to rely on others to say them.
"I think that if we want to stabilize the situation, we must make a prompt decision and issue an edict to make the current prince the crown prince, so as to establish the position of heir to the throne!"
Upon hearing this, a light flashed in Empress Dowager Sun's eyes, but immediately became dim again.
"But the imperial edict sent back by the emperor clearly stated that it was Prince Qing who would succeed to the throne."
"The emperor only said that Prince Qing would succeed to the throne, but he didn't say who the crown prince would be!" Wan Zhen'er calmed down and continued, "What's more, the emperor's edict said if...if..."
Even though she had a close relationship with Empress Dowager Sun, she didn't dare to say the second half of the sentence.
Empress Dowager Sun was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "Announce the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Yu Qian, to enter the palace!"
The six ministries were located on both sides of the Qianbu Corridor outside the Daming Gate. Outside the east wall were civil offices such as the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Clan Affairs, and the Imperial Observatory. Outside the west wall were military offices such as the Five Military Commissioners' Office, Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple.
Yu Qian was on duty at the Ministry of War at the time. When he received the summons, he immediately hurried into the palace.
"Your Highness Yu Qian pays respects to the Empress Dowager and wishes her a long and healthy life!"
"Long live the Lord?" Empress Dowager Sun said with a wry smile, "Yu Qian, when did you learn to say such flattering words?"
Yu Qian looked up and saw that although Empress Dowager Sun looked calm, she could not hide the haggardness on her face.
Ever since Emperor Zhengtong led the army to fight, Empress Dowager Sun lived in fear and anxiety in the harem every day.
Upon learning that the emperor was trapped in Tumu Fortress, she cried every day and even secretly packed up all the gold and silver jewelry in the harem in case of emergency.
Finally, good news came from the front line. The emperor personally led the army to break through the siege and fight all the way back to Badaling.
Just when everyone was rejoicing, news came again from the front line that the emperor led 3,000 cavalrymen into the desert and has not been heard from since.
It is hard to imagine what kind of life Empress Dowager Sun has been living these days. She is not only an empress dowager, but also a mother. The life or death of her son is uncertain, and some people have begun to covet the empty dragon throne.
If the emperor met with an accident and Prince Qin succeeded to the throne according to the edict sent back from the front, then everything about the legitimate emperor would be erased and submerged in the long river of history.
The mother of Prince Qin Zhu Qiyu was Concubine Wu. When she entered the harem, the empress dowager would be in name only.
Thinking of this, Yu Qian sighed secretly in his heart and said, "It's not that I'm flattering you, but given the current situation... I hope the Empress Dowager will take care of herself!"
Empress Dowager Sun said sternly, "Yu Qian, the late emperor treated you well, but now the emperor has marched alone deep into the desert, and his life or death is uncertain. You are in charge of the Ministry of War, why don't you send troops to support him?"
"I am terrified!" Yu Qian said truthfully, "The emperor personally went to fight against the Oirat and took away all the main forces of the Beijing camp. If we want to send more troops, we can only mobilize troops from Shandong, Nanjing and other places. It will take a long time to mobilize a large army. Moreover, such a large-scale mobilization requires the cabinet and the ministers to discuss and decide together. I dare not make a rash decision!"
"You don't dare?" Empress Dowager Sun sneered, "When the emperor decided to lead the army in person, you accused him in front of all the civil and military officials. How could you dare to do that? Is there anything in this world that you, Yu Qian, dare not do?"
Yu Qian immediately knelt down and said, "I will die for the country!"
"Get up!" Queen Mother Sun waved her hand and said, "I summoned you here, not to let you die. Now the emperor has gone deep into the desert alone, and his life or death is unknown. What are your plans?"
Yu Qian stood up and said, "I have no plans!"
"Then I'll ask you another question!" Queen Mother Sun looked at him and said coldly, "Someone in the court proposed to establish a new emperor. Is it you?"
Plop!
Yu Qian knelt down again and bowed his head, saying , "Please understand, Your Majesty, I have no second thoughts about Your Majesty!"
"Really?"
"Absolutely not!"
"The Emperor's decree clearly states that if he dies on the battlefield, the King of Qing will be the successor. Don't you plan to make some preparations in advance? This is a merit of following the Dragon!"
"If the Queen Mother does not trust me, I am willing to die to prove my innocence!"
The Queen Mother Sun's tone softened a little, and she said, "I have said that I did not summon you here to kill you. Don't you want to prove your innocence? Well, now that the throne is vacant, I want to make the prince the crown prince to make the position of crown prince. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Yu Qian suddenly realized, after all this time, is it just for this?
If you wanted to appoint a crown prince, you should have said so earlier. Is it necessary to do this?
"I think that establishing a crown prince at this time will help stabilize the military's morale. It is indeed a wise move!"
"oh?"
Empress Dowager Sun was a little surprised. When Emperor Zhengtong led the army to fight in person, Yu Qian was the loudest voice of opposition. Now that the emperor has not returned and rumors are circulating in the court, she thought that this guy was secretly making trouble. Unexpectedly, he agreed so readily.
Then I thought again, is he fooling myself?
On the surface, they agreed to establish a crown prince, but secretly supported the King of Qing. When the new king ascended the throne one day, the title of crown prince could be abolished at will!
"You have no objection?"
Unexpectedly, this sentence stunned Yu Qianwen.
"Why do you object?"
Queen Mother Sun continued, "I want to ask you, who in the court spread the rumors? Do you know?"
"The Queen Mother is talking about..." Yu Qian thought for a moment and said, "about His Royal Highness Prince Qing?"
Empress Dowager Sun nodded with a stern face and said nothing.
Yu Qian calmed down and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. These rumors will disappear in a few days."
