roccoschili Chapter 14: The Tumu Crisis, later commentary: Zhu Qizhen was so angry he fainted!
Chapter 14: The Tumu Crisis, later commentary: Zhu Qizhen was so angry he fainted!
Prince Zhu Gaochi's voice was loud and clear, making it easily audible to everyone present.
Zhu Zhanji, standing to the side, forced a smile; he no longer felt the pain of those two slaps.
Zhu Di turned around and walked up to Zhu Gaochi, pulling him up in front of everyone.
Without saying a word, he pulled Zhu Gaochi and forced him into his chair.
"sit down!"
In an instant, Zhu Gaochi felt a chill run down his spine, and his whole being felt unwell.
"Father... I dare not..."
"Sit still!"
Zhu Di pressed Zhu Gaochi down and made him sit down.
Zhu Gaoxu, watching the scene unfold from below the stage, was consumed by jealousy.
Zhu Di's gaze swept over the Prince of Han, Zhu Gaoxu, and the Prince of Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, below the stage. He put one hand on his hip, straightened his chest, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"The position of Crown Prince has been decided! The realm can be at peace!"
"Kneel down! Pay your respects to the Crown Prince!"
Zhu Di's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like thunder to everyone.
Zhu Gaoxu took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, flicked his clothes, and knelt down.
Upon seeing this, King Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, immediately knelt down as well.
The sound of rushing water was like rain.
"Your Highness! May you be blessed with boundless happiness and good health!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Gaoxu kowtowed deeply!
Zhu Di said coldly.
"Your Highness, can't you hear me! Didn't you eat today!?"
Zhu Gaoxu clenched his fists and shouted again.
"Your Highness! May you enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
Seeing Zhu Gaoxu's unwilling expression, Zhu Di said coldly.
"If anyone dares to cause trouble in the future, don't blame this old man for disregarding our father-son relationship!"
As soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
Zhu Gaoxu knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the cold gold bricks. His throat had been hoarse from shouting "May the Crown Prince be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace," but he dared not be negligent in the slightest.
His eyes were downcast, his jaw clenched, and jealousy in his chest gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
Why? Why can the eldest brother sit comfortably in that chair?
Why should Zhu Gaochi be destined to be a stewed chicken in a clay pot, as predicted by the heavens?
Inside the canopy, looking at the resentful expression on Xu Miaoyun's face, Liu Yan smiled helplessly.
"It all happened hundreds of years ago, why dwell on it so much?"
"Gold is never pure, and no man is perfect."
"Although Zhu Zhanji had the stain of killing his uncle, it cannot cover up the civil and military achievements of this Ming Xuanzong Emperor."
"The period during which he and his father, Emperor Renzong of Ming (Zhu Gaochi), reigned was known to later generations as the 'Rule of Renxuan,' comparable to the 'Rule of Wen and Jing' of the Western Han Dynasty, and was the golden age of the entire Ming Dynasty."
"Domestically, Zhu Zhanji not only quelled the rebellion of Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han, completely resolving the problem of the power of the princes in the Ming Dynasty and preventing the country from splitting apart, but also improved the cabinet system, reduced taxes and levies, and allowed the people to rest and recuperate."
"In foreign affairs, we followed the example of Emperor Yongle, who personally led 3000 cavalry to defeat tens of thousands of Mongol Uliangha troops, thus winning decades of peace for the border."
The voice came from the sky, and Zhu Zhanji of the Xuande era couldn't help but smile.
However, the smile lasted less than three seconds before Liu Yan poured cold water on it again.
"However, merits and demerits cannot be offset. Although Zhu Zhanji was a wise ruler, he also sowed the seeds of the Ming Dynasty's downfall."
"First of all, it broke Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral rule that 'eunuchs should not be literate' and established the Inner Academy to teach eunuchs to read."
"Furthermore, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was given the power to approve imperial edicts, thus creating a dual political system of 'the Cabinet drafting proposals and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs approving them.'"
"Dualistic politics?"
Xu Miaoyun cupped her face in her hands, somewhat puzzled; these terms were still too profound for her.
Liu Yan pinched Xu Miaoyun's cheek and said with a smile.
"Simply put, it means that the emperor handed over some decision-making power to the eunuchs, which marked the beginning of the era of eunuch interference in politics in the Ming Dynasty."
"Eunuchs interfering in politics?"
Xu Miaoyun frowned.
"This is a major taboo in all dynasties."
Liu Yan sighed and said, "Who can argue with that?"
"In addition, Zhu Zhanji also strategically abandoned key strategic locations beyond the Great Wall, such as Kaipingwei and Jiaozhi."
"As a result, the Ming army shifted from offense to defense, its military preparedness became lax, and its combat effectiveness declined."
Liu Yan paused, then her voice turned somber.
"These two hidden dangers combined directly led to the Tumu Crisis, a major disaster fourteen years later."
As Liu Yan's voice faded, it was 1462 AD, the sixth year of the Ming Dynasty's Tianshun era.
At this moment, Zhu Qizhen sat in front of the Fengtian Hall, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
This emperor, who had ascended the throne twice, had by this time completely shed his naivety.
Last year, Cao Jixiang and Cao Qin plotted a rebellion, which was quelled by Zhu Qizhen. Cao Qin committed suicide, and Cao Jixiang was executed by slow slicing.
Thus, the three meritorious officials who participated in the coup five years ago and supported his return to the throne were all wiped out.
As the emperor, no one dared to mention the past anymore, as if those things had never happened.
However, at this moment, when Liu Yan on the sky mentioned the words "Tumu Crisis" again, this emperor, who had experienced many storms, couldn't help but feel his heart jump into his throat.
This is a stain he can never wash away in his lifetime, and it is also the truth he tries his best to cover up.
However, Liu Yan was in the future at this moment, and even though Zhu Qizhen was the emperor, he could not stop him from talking. He could only watch helplessly as Liu Yan reopened his wounds.
"In the tenth year of the Xuande reign, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, Zhu Zhanji, passed away, and his son, Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, succeeded to the throne."
"The life of Emperor Yingzong of Ming can be described as magnificent. In addition to being called the 'Gatekeeper Emperor,' he also had many other nicknames, such as the Great Ming War God, the Oirat student, and the Ming Fortress Emperor."
"He single-handedly broke the backbone of the Ming Dynasty, and, believing the sweet talk of the eunuch Wang Zhen, led a personal expedition that resulted in the loss of 500,000 Ming soldiers."
"Dozens of important civil and military officials, including Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo, died in battle, the three major camps were destroyed, and the military strength accumulated by the Ming Dynasty over a century was destroyed in an instant."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Miaoyun's face turned pale.
But Liu Yan's voice had not yet stopped.
"Emperor Yingzong of Ming himself was captured by the Oirat Mongols in this battle."
Both inside and outside the sky, there was utter silence.
Xu Miaoyun's voice trembled slightly.
"The emperor has been captured?"
Liu Yan nodded, and then continued.
"Not only that, Esen, the Taishi of the Oirat Mongols, took Zhu Qizhen hostage and took him all the way to important border towns such as Datong and Xuanfu. He stripped Zhu Qizhen naked and paraded him on a pig in front of the Ming soldiers. He was also forced to knock on the door."
"Knock on the door?"
Xu Miaoyun was stunned.
"What do you mean by 'door'?"
Liu Yan coughed lightly, then ruffled her hair, raised her head, and spoke.
"I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. Open the city gates and surrender!"
Xu Miaoyun's eyes widened suddenly, her mouth opened, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Strip naked! Parade on a pig! Knock on the door, Emperor!
Liu Yan's voice exploded like thunder in the ears of countless kings, nobles, generals, and ministers throughout the myriad dynasties of China.
Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, sat on the dragon throne, his face as pale as paper.
Liu Yan's comical imitation was like a sharp blade piercing his heart.
His hands were trembling, not from fear, but from a deep-seated shame.
On the sky, a young man named Liu Yan was casually recounting the most unbearable memories of his life to the world.
The palace was filled with kneeling eunuchs and palace maids, none of whom dared to raise their heads.
"The doorman, the Oirat student, the Ming Dynasty's war god..."
Zhu Qizhen murmured the words on the sky, and the next moment he felt the blood rushing back to his head, and he fainted.
In an instant, the entire Tianshun Dynasty was thrown into chaos.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, Zhu Qizhen heard a panicked shout in his ear.
"It's terrible! His Majesty has fainted from anger caused by the Heavenly Curtain! Quickly, summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"