There was endless debate in the court about whether the most urgent task was for Annan Marquis Gu Wei to return to Lingnan as soon as possible to take charge of the overall situation.

Emperor Zheng of the Ming Dynasty, however, used the ridiculous excuse that Gu Wei had been stationed in Lingnan, separated from his wife and children for more than ten years, and also suffered from an old illness. In the end, he decided to first transfer Guo Rang, the garrison commander of Zhangzhou, as the commander, and then send Xia Lin'an, the assistant of the Right Army Governor's Office, to Lingnan.

Emperor Mingzheng's intention was too obvious for anyone to see. He would rather disregard the lives of the people in Lingnan than allow Annan Marquis Gu Wei to regain control of the military power in Lingnan.

When foreign enemies invaded, those in power did not want to resist the invaders, but instead focused on military power. They were suspicious of capable generals and abandoned them.

This made many officials feel worried that the emperor was becoming more and more incompetent.

When the court was dismissed, Shen Jinchun stopped Yu Qizhe and said, "Zhanxing, I'm going to the home of Elder Liu. If you have nothing to do, come with me."

Yu Qizhe nodded and was about to respond when a young eunuch walked in from outside the door. He greeted Shen Jinchun with a smile and said to Yu Qizhe, "Editor Yu, the emperor wants to see you."

Yu Qizhe bowed to Shen Jinchun, "Sir Shen, I will not go to the teacher's house today."

"It's all right."

Shen Jinchun watched Yu Qizhe leave with the young eunuch, with worry in his eyes, and sighed softly.

He had originally been very optimistic about Yu Qizhe, as he was young, talented, and a flexible person. However, the officialdom was fascinating, and he couldn't understand what Yu Qizhe was thinking.

The top scholar who wins the top three places in the imperial examination will surely have a smooth career in the future as long as he makes steady and cautious progress.

But now he spends the whole day discussing immortals and Taoism with the emperor. If he tries to win the emperor's favor in this way, I'm afraid it won't be long before he is cursed.

Ambergris was burning in the Fengtian Hall, and the air was filled with smoke. When Yu Qizhe went in, he heard a sharp bird cry. Taoist Taixu was not in the hall. Only Emperor Mingzheng was meditating with his eyes closed.

There was a bird cage hanging on the corner beam of the hall. There was a kite in the cage. It was usually very quiet, but at this moment it was pecking at its own feathers madly and flapping its wings against the iron cage again and again. There were messy feathers on the ground, with scattered blood on them.

After Yu Qizhe paid his respects, Emperor Mingzheng opened his eyes but did not call him to stand up. "Zhanxing, have you heard about the military report from Lingnan?"

Yu Qizhe said respectfully, "I have heard something."

"Their noise is giving me a headache." Emperor Mingzheng stood up and walked towards the bird cage beside the beam. He looked down at the kite, revealing the back of his hand that was pecked and bleeding. "It's a brave and warlike wolf. If I don't cut off its sharp claws and pull out its sharp teeth, I will be unable to sleep or eat."

"I have raised this kite for many years and spoiled it so much that it has no idea of ​​rank. Today, I just plucked one of its tail feathers, and it pecked me until I drew blood. It is such a heartless beast!" Emperor Mingzheng reached his hand into the cage. The mad kite pecked at his finger fiercely. Emperor Mingzheng sneered and retracted his finger. "It is just a small beast. Because of my favor, everyone in the palace has taken good care of it. It has really lost its mind! It forgot that I was the one who fed it and kept it alive! Some people are just like this little beast that can never be tamed!"

Yu Qizhe stood up, walked to the bird cage, stretched out his bony hands, grasped the kite's neck, and broke it hard.

The kite in the cage suddenly died. Yu Qizhe loosened his hand, and its broken head was bent at a strange angle to its body.

Emperor Mingzheng turned and stared at Yu Qizhe. Yu Qizhe's expression did not change, and he said calmly, "Your Majesty is the supreme ruler. If someone hurts you like this kite, he should be eliminated!"