Chapter 55 New News
"Your Majesty, put it on quickly."
In the temporary camp of the Wala, the soldiers were resting, and from time to time they glanced at the three aliens who were huddled together not far away, obviously afraid that they would run away.
The clothing of these three people is completely different from that of the Oirat people, but is dressed like the Ming people.
Zhu Qizhen shivered, took the clothes handed to him by Yuan Bin and put them on. Only then did he feel his cold body beginning to warm up.
Since being captured by the Oirat Mongols, Zhu Qizhen had all his armor and other clothes stripped off, leaving only his inner garment. It was only later that Zhu Qizhen had to come forward and ask the generals to open the garments, and the Oirat Mongols returned the clothes to him.
But now it is September, and the weather in the north is getting colder. How can the clothes prepared before the expedition withstand the howling north wind?
In the past, the palace servants would have already started lighting the heating for Zhu Qizhen and changed him into padded clothes. How could the emperor worry about the cold?
Zhu Qizhen looked at Yuan Bin, who was lightly dressed, and said, "Aren't you cold?"
Yuan Bin gritted his teeth and squeezed out a voice: "It's not cold."
On the other side, Ha Ming waved to Yuan Bin, indicating that he should wrap himself up together to keep warm.
The three of them could only gather around the branches picked up by Yuan Bin and Ha Ming to make a fire to keep warm. Although Bayan Temur did not allow the soldiers to play with the shield that could be used to intimidate and threaten the Ming army, the three of them would not have an easy life. Not only did they have to do everything by themselves, but they also had to endure the constant surveillance of the Wala soldiers.
Zhu Qizhen looked at Yuan Bin and Ha Ming, who were shivering with cold, and asked, "Where are your two homes?" Seeing the confusion on their faces, he said, "You two have performed meritorious deeds in protecting the emperor. When you return to the court, I will not be stingy with my rewards."
The two looked at each other, but answered truthfully.
Yuan Bin's father was a school officer of the Imperial Guard and had moved to the capital with them when the capital was relocated. In the fourth year of the Zhengtong reign, he was given the opportunity to resign due to illness and handed over his position to Yuan Bin. Ha Ming, on the other hand, was a Tartar official, and like He Ying and He Yong, he defected to the Ming and became an officer.
"These defenders are acting on their own initiative by refusing to open the gates. When the princess returns from Yunnan, she will undoubtedly reorganize the government and launch a counterattack. She won't allow us to remain stranded. The number of people patrolling the border this time was small, and some have escaped back into the interior. They are definitely not completely wiped out. As long as the princess continues to recruit soldiers from the north, or even the south, defeating the Oirat will not be difficult." Zhu Qizhen paused here, as if to give himself confidence and assurance, and then continued, "If the emperor falls into the hands of foreigners, it will not be a good thing for the country. Given the princess's personality, she will never allow anyone to harm the country and its people."
Besides, the eldest prince was still young and incapable of managing affairs, and the Prince of Qing did not have the courage and ability to serve as regent. Given Zhu Yuhuan's character of being able to sacrifice himself for the greater good, he would certainly not allow the emperor to continue wandering outside.
Yuan Bin and Ha Ming fell silent after hearing what he said.
Although the emperor was captured by the Oirat, he was still the emperor after all. As the emperor's personal guards, they had no reason to abandon the emperor.
But the current situation is obviously not that simple. Although Zhu Qizhen is the emperor, if he cannot use his status as emperor to exchange for gold, silver, jewelry, food or cloth, and cannot order the guards to open the gate, how will the Oirat treat them next... I'm afraid there will be no good results.
Not to mention that it would be fine if only one garrison commander had such an attitude, but along the way from Xuanfu to Datong, not a single garrison commander came out to confirm the emperor's authenticity. They either claimed to be sick or were busy with official duties, which obviously confirmed their ominous premonition.
It is very likely that the situation in Beijing has changed drastically.
The silence between the two seemed to give Zhu Qizhen enough confidence. He said, "Now that such a serious matter has occurred in the country, the eldest princess must have rushed back from Yunnan at full speed. No one would dare to stop her. The eldest princess will definitely not sit idly by. I have always been filial to the Empress Dowager Cihui, and the Empress Dowager Cihui also regards me as her own child. Even if the eldest princess has doubts, the Empress Dowager Cihui will definitely not turn a blind eye."
The two of them could also see that Zhu Qizhen was relying on this belief to keep himself alive. If they forcibly exposed this point, it would only lead to the emperor's collapse.
In this case, it would be better to let the emperor rely on this belief to persevere, so that they don’t have to take care of the emperor who has a mental breakdown.
But things obviously didn't develop as they expected.
While the three of them were in silence, they faintly heard cursing coming from Yesen's tent. Although they didn't understand a word, they could still clearly hear the tone of the speaker.
After a while, a Wala soldier came forward and pulled Zhu Qizhen up, obviously intending to drag him to the center of the tent.
Zhu Qizhen pretended to be calm, but there was still a hint of fear in his tone: "Don't touch me, I will leave on my own!"
Yuan Bin immediately stood up and shouted, "What are you going to do to His Majesty!" He stepped forward to stop them, but was driven away by other Wala soldiers and pushed to the ground. Only four or five people were left to guard Yuan Bin and Ha Ming to prevent them from jumping around.
Ha Ming understood what the Oirat people said. He reached out and pulled up the fallen Yuan Bin, whispering, "They seem to have heard the news... The new emperor has ascended the throne, and..."
Seeing that he didn't dare to say anything more, Yuan Bin hurriedly asked, "And what?"
Ha Ming's voice lowered a little, "And... claiming that His Majesty is dead, it was the Wala who used captured soldiers to impersonate the emperor..."
Yuan Bin couldn't help but stand there in a daze. He had thought of the worst outcome. In order to stabilize the situation, the capital would definitely choose a new heir. However, he didn't expect that the new emperor would directly recognize Zhu Qizhen as a dead man.
Thinking about it this way, I'm afraid the emperor in the capital has hated Zhu Qizhen for a long time.
But who was the next emperor?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
