Chapter 289: This Wedding is More Tiring Than Fighting in the Western Mountains!

Zhu Yi's attire had changed. The Grand Wedding festive clothes were very celebratory and gorgeous, and the music from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices outside had also changed from a solemn, grave, and murderous style to a much lighter one.

After the conferment came the Empress's phoenix carriage entering the palace. A yellow phoenix carriage, the Great Ming Empress wearing wedding clothes worth 90,000 taels of silver, stepped onto the phoenix carriage. Originally, it was a shoulder carriage, carried by sixteen sedan-chair carriers, but under the public opinion of favoring the poor and suffering, the Great Ming Empress's shoulder carriage also underwent a slight change, from a sedan chair to a carriage pulled by nine horses.

The Emperor's grand carriage was nine, six, three—a total of eighteen horses pulling the carriage.

The Ministry of Rites, under the leadership of Wan Shihe, was very good at compromising. There were no sedan-chair carriers, but sixteen accompanying porters were added, carrying the most valuable items from the betrothal and dowry, parading through the streets. Wasn't that it? It didn't violate the rituals, nor did it violate the current public opinion.

Wan Shihe was very good at compromising, and the court also needed such a person to come out and compromise from time to time, so that conflicts wouldn't become intense enough to lead to factionalism.

What was relatively interesting was that the Empress's seal, which was one tael short of a thousand taels, was also carried by people, parading through the streets.

Wang Yaozhuo was already in the Kunning Palace. The necessary rituals still had to be performed. The entire welcoming team started from the Kunning Palace, exited the East Flower Gate, circled for a full hour, from noon until mid-afternoon, before stopping in front of the Qianqing Gate of the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yi was hungry from waiting, but he still had to wait.

Wang Yaozhuo stepped off the carriage. Zhang Hong brought a group of little eunuchs to salute, and then Zhang Hong took the imperial decree from the Empress's hand and replaced it with the golden book personally written by the Great Ming Emperor. The golden book was the marriage certificate of the Emperor and Empress, with two witnesses: one was the Great High Priest of the Great Ming, the Duke of England Zhang Rong, and the other was the Grand Tutor Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Hong held the golden book and opened it slowly, shouting loudly: "Decree:"

"I, by the grace of Heaven, have ascended the throne. I wish to preserve the legacy of my ancestors. The ritual of the Grand Wedding is the foundation of human morality. I hope the Wang family will be remembered for their fragrant history, and the Empress will serve as a model for the family and state. With this glorious name, she is established in her position, to serve the ancestral sacrifices, to serve the two Empress Dowagers, to spread the wind of transformation to the nine regions, and to extend the lineage for ten thousand generations."

Zhang Hong finished reading the marriage certificate and presented the golden book to the Empress Wang. From this point on, Wang Yaozhuo officially became the Empress of the Great Ming.

The date written on the marriage certificate was the twenty-ninth day of the second month, personally written by His Majesty.

The Duke of England Zhang Rong and the Grand Tutor Zhang Juzheng stood on the left and right of the Emperor, watching the Empress enter the Qianqing Palace.

Wang Yaozhuo had already covered her head with a red veil when she boarded the carriage. She held a treasure vase in her hand and walked into the Qianqing Palace, supported by two palace maids.

According to the Ministry of Rites, at this time, there should be "crossing the fire basin" and "crossing the horse saddle." Crossing the fire basin is to cross the fire to drive away evil, and the fire burns to prosper luck. Crossing the horse saddle, with two apples placed under the saddle, symbolizes peace and safety.

Zhu Yi canceled the fire basin and the horse saddle, because Wang Yaozhuo's wedding clothes were worth 90,000 taels of silver and were very cumbersome. If there were any danger in crossing the fire basin, it would be too late to regret. The wedding clothes could be re-woven, but where would the Empress Dowager and the Emperor find another person like Wang Yaozhuo, who was a childhood sweetheart?

"Play music!" Imperial Uncle Zhu Zaiyu, seeing Wang Yaozhuo appear in front of the Qianqing Palace, commanded the Court of Imperial Sacrifices' music troupe to play the "Zhonghe Shaoyue"—the Imperial Uncle's improved version.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices' music troupe had 108 people, with 105 instruments of eighteen types in eight sounds, including gold, stone, earth, wood, leather, silk, bamboo, and gourd.

Besides the grand music troupe, there were 108 music dancers, 32 civil dancers on the left and right, and 32 martial dancers on the left and right.

Zhu Yi couldn't even recognize those instruments, and he had no research on the dance of the music dancers. He just kept smiling as he watched Wang Yaozhuo walk in.

Wang Yaozhuo was clearly very nervous, because her legs were shaking. If it weren't for the two palace maids supporting her, she would have been stomping her feet in nervousness.

"Your servant Wang Yaozhuo bows to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be peaceful." Wang Yaozhuo saluted very respectfully.

"There are some snacks in the Kunning Palace. If you are hungry, you can eat something. You go first, and I will go to preside over the banquet." Zhu Yi said with a full smile.

Wang Yaozhuo bowed again, her voice trembling slightly: "Your servant obeys the decree."

Zhu Yi had already gone to the Temple of Heaven to sacrifice to Heaven and to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to sacrifice to the ancestors. The bridal chamber for the Emperor and Empress was set up in the Kunning Palace. The Kunning Palace was the Empress's sleeping palace. After completing the rituals in the Kunning Palace, they would go to the Cixi Palace the next day to pay respects to the two Empress Dowagers, which would officially complete the wedding.

This was the Great Ming Emperor's "bowing to Heaven and Earth," "bowing to the high hall," and "bowing to each other."

The banquet was the formal start of the banquet that had been waiting all day. Zhu Yi had to go to the Fengwang Hall, go through the "Nine Jue" rituals, and then return to the Kunning Palace to complete the bridal chamber rituals.

Zhu Zaiyu was very disappointed. The music he had carefully prepared became the best background for this Grand Wedding, but it still couldn't cultivate any artistic cells in the Emperor.

The Great Ming Emperor, his nephew, had all his heart and soul on the Empress. Zhu Zaiyu secretly encouraged himself: the nephew is no good, but the nephew's mother is a music master, so there will definitely be musical cells in the future.

The great inventor and great scientist Zhu Zaiyu had a strange obsession with cultivating the Emperor's art.

Zhu Yi went to the Fengwang Hall for the banquet. This banquet was very interesting: only capital officials of the fourth rank or above could sit down to eat, and the rest all had to stand. That was fine, but those foreign envoys, like Li Yashi and Sanniangzi, had to be in the corner, and they had to eat with their backs to people, absolutely not allowed to disturb the imperial presence.

Sanniangzi had come to the capital and was standing in the corner, looking at the Emperor anxiously, as if she had something to say, but couldn't get close.

Zhu Yi finished the cumbersome "Nine Jue" rituals and rushed to the Kunning Palace. The bridal chamber rituals were about to begin.

On the dragon and phoenix bed, there was a plate of dumplings. Logically, these dumplings should be prepared by the Empress's family and must be half-cooked. When eating, someone should ask "Are they raw?", and the person under the veil should answer "Raw." The meaning of raw dumplings is that the Royal House hopes for the extension of power through descendants.

Zhu Yi looked at the plate of dumplings with furrowed brows and whispered a few words to Zhang Hong. Zhang Hong quietly took away the plate of dumplings and replaced it with a bowl of half-cooked noodles.

"What's wrong?" Wang Yaozhuo, who was wearing a red veil, didn't know what had happened and asked.

Zhu Yi said with a smile: "Nothing."

After half an hour, Zhang Hong returned and whispered: "Your Majesty, they have all been tested; there is no poison."

Zhu Yi saw the plate of dumplings and knew it was prepared by the Court of Diplomatic Reception, so he immediately became vigilant and had Zhang Hong take them down to have everyone eat them. The ones he found were naturally the people who sent them and the people who made them.

Zhang Hong guaranteed with his head. He watched those dumplings enter their stomachs and waited for half an hour. Only after confirming there was no problem did he return to report, and he even sent people to watch them.

It was Zhu Yi who was overthinking.

The Son of Heaven is suspicious. Zhu Yi had to be suspicious. That Su Jing Sanren entered the capital to kill Wang Yaozhuo, and the target was very clear. Moreover, the poison he brought had been certified by the Dissection Institute to be fatal upon contact. Seeing the Court of Diplomatic Reception's plate suddenly appear, he immediately became vigilant.

The Great Ming Emperor's food had been from the "Small Kitchen" since Jiajing. Now it was the responsibility of the Qianqing Palace eunuch Zhang Hong. This was an important experience and lesson from the Daoist's struggles, and Zhu Yi had never changed this ancestral law.

Wang Yaozhuo had lived with Zhu Yi before and also ate from the Small Kitchen. The sudden appearance of the Court of Diplomatic Reception's food aroused the Emperor's suspicion, even if the luxury official had already tasted it. But for food like dumplings, which are individual items, it was still better to be cautious.

Wang Yaozhuo was intelligent and immediately understood what had happened, and a feeling of heartache rose up.

His Majesty and she were both only sixteen years old, yet he had lived so cautiously for five years. Wang Yaozhuo had always seen it. Being a man who stands tall and upright is fine, but facing these court officials, no matter when or where, he had to be cautious.

The Great Ming's court officials were not very obedient.

This was the supreme Emperor of the Great Ming, yet he had to be so careful at all times.

New policies have a price. Everyone is betting their lives.

"In that case, I was overthinking." Zhang Hong confirmed there was no poison before explaining the source of the food. Zhang Hong had always done this well. He wasn't from the Inner Library and didn't have the "Qi Ren Jing" foundation of Feng Bao, nor did he have the twists and turns of scholars. He had always done his own things well.

The Emperor never consumed water or food from the palace or outside the palace; everything was prepared by Zhang Hong.

Eunuchs and their masters share honor and disgrace. The Great Eunuch Chen Hong of the Longqing years was still in the Dissection Institute, neither living nor dead.

"In that case, I was overthinking." Zhu Yi nodded. The plate was just a ritual vessel sent by the Court of Diplomatic Reception, not a lack of obedience.

After eating the raw noodles, the next step was the "Hejin" (drinking from the same gourd) ceremony. The Hejin ceremony was one of the most important contents of the wedding, not the "drinking from crossed cups."

"Jin" is a ladle. Divide a gourd into two halves and make two ladles. The bridegroom and bride each hold one and drink the wine inside. This is "Hejin," symbolizing a happy marriage and growing old together.

With this step, the wedding ceremony was considered half-completed.

Zhu Yi had said more than once that the rituals of the Ministry of Rites were so cumbersome that even he had a headache. But no matter how busy he was, that was a matter for the next day.

After the Hejin wine was finished, the next step was the bridal chamber.

Zhu Yi lifted Wang Yaozhuo's veil, revealing that soul-stirring face. Today's Wang Yaozhuo was charming, still a bit green, but already had a bit of mature charm. Her face was flushed, full of shyness.

"Serve the food!" Zhang Hong saw this scene and immediately shouted loudly.

Some things need "qi and blood" to support. His Majesty still had work to do. They had been hungry for a day, and both the Emperor and Empress had to eat something, otherwise, if their blood sugar was too low, their qi and blood might not be enough to complete the great event of yin-yang harmony in the bridal chamber.

Eat and drink well to do the work, right?

The sun had set. Zhu Yi hadn't eaten at noon, only having a little in the morning. He was a martial artist, and his stomach had long been growling. Zhu Yi noticed that Wang Yaozhuo ate even faster than him.

"Didn't they say there were snacks to let you pad your stomach?" Zhu Yi finally finished eating. A bowl of rice porridge went down, and the feeling of fullness made Zhu Yi full of energy again.

Wang Yaozhuo put down her bowl and chopsticks before Zhu Yi. She shook her head and said: "It's inconvenient with the veil."

The husband didn't understand the woman's heart. On this day of the Grand Wedding, before the wedding ceremony was completed, what heart did she have for eating? Her heart and soul were all on that door. What was her husband doing? When would he come back? Would her husband, who had been inspecting the troops for a long time, treat her like a military horse and "inspect" her? These were all problems she had to think about.

Seeing her husband, her heart fell into her stomach, and only then did she have an appetite.

Zhang Hong saw the Emperor and Empress talking and immediately led the palace maids to clean up the bowls, chopsticks, and food. When he left, he even closed the door. The things that followed were not for them to care about.

Feng Bao had already led the internal guards to check every crack in the Kunning Palace, including the glazed tiles above, and after confirming that no one was hiding, he walked out of the Kunning Palace.

"Today is the only day His Majesty lives in the palace. We must not be careless. Tomorrow he will return to the Western Garden. The Western Garden is good; the Western Garden is safe." Feng Bao's eyes kept scanning the air. It was the third month, and there were no mosquitoes in the capital, otherwise, Feng Bao would have wished not to let even a mosquito go.

"Who says it isn't?" Zhang Hong stood under the palace wall of the Kunning Palace. Under the wall of the Kunning Palace, there was a row of scouts, and outside the wall, there was another row.

The Emperor wasn't in the Western Garden, which made Zhang Hong and Feng Bao very nervous. Too many strange things had happened in this Imperial Palace, so they had to be cautious.

"What is the Commander doing?" Feng Bao asked very suspiciously, looking at Zhao Mengyou's actions.

Zhao Mengyou opened eight floor tiles. Under the floor tiles was actually a well one zhang deep, with a jar buried at the bottom of the well.

"Used for defending the city. If someone digs a hole, you can hear the movement in the jar. The soldiers jokingly call it 'Di Ting' (Listening)." Zhao Mengyou sent eight scouts down the well.

Feng Bao nodded with great satisfaction: "When Wang Chonggu filled it back, he used three-in-one soil. Even if the 'Earth-Walking Immortal' came, he would have to scratch his head. But this is good, this is good. Even if the evildoers grew wings and flew over, they would be shot down. I'll make sure they have no return."

Feng Bao was a scholar, but he still felt that Wang Xiangu and Su Jing Sanren were a bit evil. Su Jing Sanren wanted to kill the Emperor, which made Feng Bao very worried about any slip-ups today.

The Great Ming Emperor was dismantling the gifts. He had to change into his third set of clothes, which was his sleeping attire.

"Is this thing this troublesome?" Zhu Yi found that he couldn't take off his own clothes, and he couldn't take off Wang Yaozhuo's 90,000-silver wedding clothes either. The design was too exquisite, and he was at a loss as to where the switch was.

"Let your servant do it." Wang Yaozhuo's face was flushed. In this situation, he couldn't ask for outside help and call the palace maids back.

Wang Yaozhuo knew how to take them off.

Zhu Yi widened his eyes in shock, looking at Wang Yaozhuo in disbelief, and said blankly: "This, this, this, this shouldn't be!"

Wang Yaozhuo was definitely not a "bean sprout"! From their daily interactions, this little girl had clearly hidden her strength. After the layers of chest wraps were untied, she truly had some astonishing strength.

Wang Yaozhuo's face was already flushed, but with no one around and the grand wedding completed—even having received the golden book and marriage certificate—she no longer held back. She shoved Zhu Yijun onto the dragon bed, and with a mix of shyness and irritation, she said unwillingly, "Usually, my husband calls me a bean sprout, and I haven't been able to refute it. Today, I shall let my husband see what I'm truly capable of!"

The next morning, the Emperor woke up late, which was rare. The palace maids very sensibly didn't go to urge him, even though the officials had already arrived at the Wenhua Hall, waiting for the Emperor to perform the following rituals. No one urged him at all.

This "demon fight" lasted until the second half of the night. Who knew that Wang Yaozhuo, who looked a bit timid and even submissive on weekdays, would defeat the number one master of the youth group, who had been inspecting the troops for a long time, on the bed after the curtains of the dragon bed were drawn?

It wasn't until the second quarter of the Si hour (around 9:30 AM) that Zhu Yi and Wang Yaozhuo, this newlywed couple, appeared in the main hall of the Kunning Palace.

"This shouldn't be." Zhu Yi finished his breakfast and looked at Wang Yaozhuo's radiant face with slight confusion. Besides being surprised that the "bean sprout" boomerang had hit himself, he was also surprised by Wang Yaozhuo's methods. Zhu Yi had lost the "demon fight" last night.

Zhu Yi practiced martial arts and never did things vaguely. When Qi Jiguang first entered the capital, he was even surprised by the boldness of the Commander Zhu Xixiao, who trained the Emperor to that extent—he really didn't have any obedience left.

But losing is losing; there was nothing to quibble about.

"Don't call me a bean sprout in the future." Wang Yaozhuo looked left and right and whispered. After leaving that dragon bed, Wang Yaozhuo became her usual self again, dignified and gentle, even eating one small bite at a time and speaking slowly.

It wasn't like this yesterday; she was like a man-eating tiger.

Zhu Yi led Wang Yaozhuo to start the following Grand Wedding process. On the third day of the third month, the thanksgiving ceremony at the Cixi Palace; on the fifth day of the third month, the audience ceremony at the Huangji Hall; on the sixth day, the celebration ceremony; two days later, on the eighth day, the banquet ceremony, which was to thank the guests; on the ninth day, Zhu Yi took Wang Yaozhuo to the Temple of Heaven for the prayer ceremony.

After another day, the decree-announcement ceremony, which was to announce the good news of the Emperor's Grand Wedding to the world and grant amnesty to the world.

Those who were "exempt from amnesty" were not on the list of amnesty to the world. Throughout the Great Ming Dynasty, amnesty to the world was carried out seventy-two times, all at extremely important times, and the scope was very small. Amnesty to the world would destroy judicial justice.

With this, the Emperor's Grand Wedding was officially declared over.

On the thirteenth day of the third month, Zhu Yi woke up again, feeling like a lifetime had passed. This wedding was more tiring than fighting in the Western Mountains!

"Husband, let Li Jingfei serve Your Majesty tomorrow." Empress Wang Yaozhuo leaned on Zhu Yi's shoulder. The beauties Li Jin and Liu Mengshu, who entered the palace, were also married at the same time. They were concubines, and for them, the Grand Wedding only had the decree of conferment, nothing else. The Kunning Palace was bustling with noise and excitement, but they were extremely quiet. Therefore, these concubines fought and schemed to get ahead every day, because only by becoming the Empress could they be the Emperor's wife; being a concubine meant being a concubine. The Empress was glorious, while the two secondary consorts ate leftovers, listening to the excitement outside the wall, and couldn't even see the Emperor.

It should be their turn.

"Listen to your arrangements." Zhu Yi supported his waist and got up, shaking his head fiercely to wake up a bit. For harem matters, Wang Yaozhuo could arrange them.

Wine and sex delay things. From today on, he must quit drinking.

A flash of cunning appeared in Wang Yaozhuo's eyes: "And those thirty-six beauties, they were left in the palace by the Empress Dowager. Changing one every day is still more than enough."

"This is unnecessary, unnecessary!" Zhu Yi immediately woke up. He had been completely emptied. Beauty? They were all pink skulls!

"I'm going to the court discussion!" Zhu Yi didn't even have breakfast and rushed to the Wenhua Hall at the fastest speed. Thirty-six beauties—Zhu Yi truly couldn't bear it. Only children would choose "all of them." Adults know that the kidneys simply can't hold up!

The gentle village is the hero's grave.

Wang Yaozhuo watched her husband's back as he fled in panic, and burst into laughter, but the smile turned into a face full of worry. She seemed to have won, but she hadn't completely won.

His Majesty had been so busy and hard-working these past few days, but except for the day of the Grand Wedding when he rested for one day and didn't inspect the troops or review memorials, for the rest of the time, most of his heart and soul was still on state affairs, going to the Northern Camp every day and reviewing memorials every day.

His Majesty hadn't lost, he just saved his strength and energy to deal with state affairs.

Wang Yaozhuo still failed to compete for favor. However, she was already very satisfied, because His Majesty had given the remaining energy to her.

Zhu Yi arrived at the Wenhua Hall and was slightly disappointed, because Zhang Juzheng was not among the court officials performing the rituals. After the decree-announcement ceremony, Zhang Juzheng returned to the Yicheng Earl's mansion at the Western Mountain and no longer appeared in the Grand Secretariat.

As an Emperor, if Zhang Juzheng just went with the flow and resumed his post, that would be a conflict between official power and imperial power, which was not what the Emperor wanted to see. As a person, Zhu Yi actually hoped to see Zhang Juzheng active in the court; everything was so orderly.

Zhang Juzheng, this Grand Tutor, finished presiding over the wedding and returned to the Yicheng Earl's mansion overnight, leaving Zhu Yi feeling lost.

The court officials also spent more than ten days of stable life. With Master Zhang in the court, even the Emperor was much gentler. That Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Li Lai, was only reprimanded a few times and didn't even receive the court beating. This wasn't because Master Zhang was in the court; Li Lai would have been sent to the border regions to manage affairs, and that wasn't managing affairs, it was exile.

"The Grand Wedding is complete. We congratulate Your Majesty and the Great Ming." Lu Diaoyang led the officials to congratulate His Majesty on his Grand Wedding. The Grand Wedding ceremony lasted for fourteen days, from the twenty-ninth day of the second month. During these fourteen days, no problems occurred, which made the court officials breathe a sigh of relief.

The Western Mountain Old Ancestor made a move, and it was truly extraordinary. With the Old Ancestor around, all demons and monsters avoided him. Whether the little Emperor was formidable or not still needed time to be tested, but Zhang Juzheng's formidable nature was well known to all.

"Rise." Zhu Yi signaled everyone to sit down, and the court discussion began.

"Sanniangzi came to the capital again for the sake of the two ten-thousand-man teams of Khan Anda joining Khan Tuman this spring. Junior Grand Secretary Wang, I have a question: how could Khan Anda and Khan Tuman join forces?" Zhu Yi asked Wang Chonggu, the expert on Northern Barbarian issues and the Junior Grand Secretary who had received the imperial order to secretly collude with the barbarians. Wang Chonggu had a lot of say in this regard.

Wang Chonggu smiled and shook his head: "That's just it, Your Majesty. If they joined forces, it would be worse than not joining forces."

"In the second month of this spring, Khan Tuman and Khan Anda joined forces, intending to retake Yingchang. Whether it was Khan Tuman's main force or Khan Anda's main force, they only needed to swarm up, and Yingchang would be easily taken. Our Great Ming's foundation in Yingchang is not deep, and the hydrology and geography are unknown. General Qi led 10,000 troops to garrison Yingchang. The enemy was strong and we were weak; it should have been a great victory for Khan Anda and Khan Tuman. But they chose to join forces."

"Joining forces is not that easy. Two people with full stomachs of ideas joining forces—one plus one is actually less than one."

Zhu Yi thought for a moment and said: "Mutual restraint?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Wang Chonggu gave a very smooth, unobtrusive compliment.

Tan Lun said: "Your Majesty, after joining forces, Khan Anda looked at Khan Tuman, and Khan Tuman looked at Khan Anda. Neither was willing to fight to the death, letting the other side take the fruits of victory. This is a taboo in military strategy. On the battlefield, what you fear most is this. If the goal is not determined, then you are in a position of inevitable defeat."

"Khan Anda was attacked by General Qi and retreated continuously, even fleeing directly. The Tuman Khan troops who were attacking saw this and immediately retreated, accelerating their defeat."

Zhu Yi couldn't help but think of a classic case. In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, the Song army attacked Western Xia from five routes. Each route alone was a strong army that Western Xia could hardly resist. The problem was these five routes attacking Western Xia—it was truly all kinds of strange things.

Qi Jiguang lectured the Emperor on military affairs and mentioned this case, which was a negative example. 【289-12

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of a classic case: in the fourth year of Yuanfeng, the Song army launched a five-pronged campaign against Western Xia. Individually, each prong was a formidable force that Western Xia could hardly withstand, but the disaster lay in the "five-pronged" nature of the campaign—it was truly a series of bizarre mishaps.

General Qi Jiguang had lectured the Emperor on military affairs and mentioned this case; it was a negative example.

When hearts are united, Mount Tai can be moved; when hearts are divided, all things come to naught.

"Actually, your subject believes that General Qi is still the most formidable." Minister of Revenue Zhang Xueyan expressed his opinion, arguing that it was Qi Jiguang who fought well; if you replaced him with someone else, victory would not be guaranteed.

When Zhang Xueyan was in Liaodong, he coordinated with Qi Jiguang twice: once in the attack on Daning Guard, and once in the attack on Zhangwu.

Zhang Xueyan once asked a question: how did Li Chengliang evaluate Qi Jiguang? Li Chengliang used two words: "General's talent."

Li Chengliang was not jealous of Qi Jiguang's military talent, because the number one general under Qi Jiguang's command right now was Li Chengliang's own son, Li Rusong. Moreover, Qi Jiguang taught him everything he knew, cultivating Li Rusong without reservation. Li Rusong had shed all his impetuousness and now possessed the demeanor of a commander capable of handling matters alone.

The stronger Qi Jiguang became, the higher Li Rusong's future achievements would be.

"Anda Khan is shortsighted." Lu Diaoyang said with an extremely grave expression, "Because of five years of wool, Anda Khan agreed to send troops, destroying everything achieved by the Longqing Peace Talks and the Anda enfeoffment. San Niangzi rushing into the capital alone is precisely because of this. Anda Khan's shortsightedness has caused the conflict between the Great Ming and the Northern Tatars to intensify once again."

Lu Diaoyang's words were no alarmist talk; Anda Khan's deployment of troops this time put the imperial court in a very difficult position.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Summon the Lady Zhongshun to the palace for an audience."

San Niangzi had been running about busily since she arrived in the capital in a hurry. She had come alone, and her entourage only arrived on the 13th, after the grand wedding had concluded. A woman charging into the capital single-handedly clearly came with the mindset of never returning. However, for the ten-plus days since she entered the capital, the Ming Emperor had been busy with his wedding and had not granted her an audience, making San Niangzi increasingly desperate.

A quarter of an hour later, San Niangzi had already rushed to the outside of the Wenhua Hall to wait for the summons.

After entering the hall, San Niangzi immediately performed the grand kowtow, shouting "Long live" three times.

"Rise, and be seated." Zhu Yijun signaled for Zhang Hong to bring a stool for San Niangzi. San Niangzi's state was very poor; she wasn't exactly disheveled, but she was unkempt and pale with fright. Having rushed to the audience, she hadn't even bathed or changed clothes.

If San Niangzi hadn't ridden into the capital alone, Zhu Yijun would never have been so polite. "Be seated?" He would have just let the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Diplomatic Reception see her, let alone granting an audience and a seat.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Great Emperor of the Great Ming, this sinful woman comes from the north for the sake of the survival of hundreds of thousands of Northern Tatars. I dare not accept the courtesy of rising, and even less dare I be seated." San Niangzi chose to defy the imperial decree; she dared not stand up, but instead knelt to report.

"Sit." Zhu Yijun said only one word.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your holy grace." San Niangzi immediately scrambled up and sat on the stool, perching on only the edge, her face filled with trepidation.

"Interesting." Zhu Yijun laughed directly. San Niangzi understood human speech; if she had stayed kneeling on the ground, Zhu Yijun would have lost patience and had her dragged out. She was a remarkable woman; even at this point, she retained the instinct to observe and react to the situation.

"The conflict between the Central Plains and the Northern Tatars is long-standing. From the time the Hu barbarians occupied the Central Plains to the founding of the dynasty by the Taizu Emperor, who hacked through brambles and thorns to defeat the Yuan Emperor Shun and secure the empire, three hundred years have passed. This is a blood feud, but both sides are long since tired and exhausted. The Longqing Peace Talks and the Anda enfeoffment were originally a very good breakthrough, a beginning of reconciliation. Alas, Anda Khan is shortsighted, and the scourge of war has risen again. The fault is not yours." Zhu Yijun first summarized that the deterioration of the relationship between the Great Ming and Anda Khan was not San Niangzi's fault.

This was one of the reasons Zhu Yijun gave San Niangzi preferential treatment: San Niangzi truly hoped for reconciliation. Neither side could do anything to the other, and having the Great Ming's Golden State serve as a buffer for the Great Ming was also a good outcome.

"Your Majesty, if the barbarian king Anda were killed, could that appease the anger of the Heavenly Dynasty?" San Niangzi offered a plan.

"Barbarian king"—this was not the first time Zhu Yijun had heard this term, but this time, the meaning was completely different! San Niangzi had clearly lost patience with Anda Khan's recklessness.

Zhu Yijun tapped his fingers on the table twice, revealing a cryptic smile, and said calmly, "If you could kill him, you wouldn't have ridden into the capital alone."

"If I had Your Majesty's assistance, it might not be impossible." Of course, San Niangzi couldn't deal with Anda Khan alone; Anda Khan controlled the military. But with the help of the Ming Emperor, it would become simple. Whether it was the motive, the execution, or the aftermath, she would have the confidence and backing.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "You are truly fearless. I am the Emperor; if I go back on my word and sell you out afterward, what could you do? When hearts are divided and virtues are lost, nothing can be accomplished."

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(End of chapter)