Chapter 55: The Gate-Calling Emperor, the Zhu Family is Numb with Rage!

A thunderous roar shook the entire imperial court into dead silence!

A man clad in blue official robes swept his sharp gaze across the ministers in the grand hall.

Then, he declared, "Once we relocate the capital south, the people of the Jiangbei region will be reduced to slaves! Tens of millions of common folk—Grand Empress Dowager, can you bear to abandon them?"

At this moment in the court, nearly everyone favored the southward relocation, and even Empress Dowager Sun was hesitating.

Just as Yu Qian stood in isolated helplessness, King Jing, Zhu Qiyu, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward to support him.

"This son believes that Lord Yu's words hold merit. The capital is the foundation of the state; with the capital here, forces from Shandong and Jiangsu can quickly come to our rescue!"

"If we all migrate south, the region north of the Yangtze River will collapse utterly, and by then, it won't just be the capital that is lost."

...

Beneath the heavenly canopy, Old Zhu and Zhu Di finally let out a sigh of relief upon seeing someone step forward.

"Good, good, our Great Ming still has hope!" Zhu Di then muttered inwardly, "Old Heavens, if you can hear me, strike down that shameless piece of trash with a divine bolt of lightning!"

Just when Zhu Di and Old Zhu thought the crisis had passed, that wretch Xu Youzhen jumped out again.

Instantly, their hearts leapt back into their throats. They were genuinely terrified that this descendant from the future would pull a southward relocation stunt on them!

Up on the heavenly screen, Xu Youzhen argued: "This is utterly wrong! If Beijing truly falls, not a single imperial bloodline will survive, and *that* would be the true loss of the state's foundation."

"If we do not relocate south now, Great Ming will cease to exist."

"This is war. The sages' words sound pretty, but if you actually believe them, they will get people killed! Grand Empress Dowager, Yu Qian is a reckless minister whom His Majesty hates the most. I propose he be executed."

...

"Such audacity! Have they lost their minds?!" Seeing this, Zhu Di felt completely numb.

After someone finally had the courage to step forward, this motherfucker dared to demand his execution?!

On the celestial projection, Yu Qian reached the limit of his forbearance. He grabbed Xu Youzhen by the collar and interrogated him fiercely, "Why is your beard gone?"

Followed immediately by a vicious punch! "Didn't you observe the celestial phenomena? How come you didn't foresee that your adoptive father was going to die, Lord Xu?!"

Zhu Di watched with immense satisfaction, finally able to breathe easily.

"Hit him! Beat him to a pulp, hit him below the belt! To think he actually took a eunuch as his adoptive father?"

...

Meanwhile, the scene on the heavenly screen shifted once again.

Esen led the Oirat forces and halted outside the city walls. A soldier roughly shoved the person in front of him.

Despite disheveled clothing and an emaciated face, the bright yellow dragon robe was still blindingly conspicuous. It was none other than the captured Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen.

Seeing this, Old Zhu and Zhu Di under the heavenly canopy began breathing heavily, their eyes bloodshot and heart rates instantly spiking to 180.

"What is this wretch trying to do?" A deeply ominous premonition rose in Zhu Di's heart.

"This bastard... could it be... could it possibly..." At this thought, Zhu Di's eyes completely suffused with blood.

"How dare you... you little bastard... you wouldn't dare!"

Old Zhu of the Hongwu era had also guessed what Zhu Qizhen was about to do.

He slammed his fist down onto the desk, his eyes bulging wide...

"You little piece of trash, are you trying to court death?!"

"Old Heavens, hurry down and send a divine lightning bolt to smite this wretch, I can't take this anymore!"

Old Zhu was so furious that his soul was practically escaping his body.

Zhu Biao had also anticipated what this wretch was up to. If this truly happened, Great Ming would likely never wash away this humiliation for eternity!

At that moment, on the heavenly screen.

Zhu Qizhen stood beneath the city walls, gazing up at the towering ramparts, a tempest of emotions churning in his heart.

He steadied himself, trying his best to make his voice sound calm and majestic: "Guo Deng, I have returned! Open the city gates at once!"

Seeing this, the veins on Old Zhu's neck bulged, and his face turned beet red.

"You little bastard, you actually dare to call the gates! I'll tear you to pieces!"

The silver acupuncture needles on his head could no longer hold him back; Old Zhu was so overwhelmed by fury and rising blood that he vomited a mouthful of dark, aged blood!

Zhu Di wore an expression of sheer disbelief.

A dignified Son of Heaven, leading the enemy to pound on his own gates—where was his face? Where was his dignity? He had truly never witnessed such an operation in all his life.

"Damn it all! You little bastard, are you trying to piss me to death?!" Zhu Di's roar echoed throughout the grand hall.

Monarchs from other planes were also utterly dumbfounded by Zhu Qizhen's divine operations.

The State of Qin.

Ying Zheng felt immensely fortunate that his dynasty had produced no such garbage. Although Huhai was quite a bastard, he wasn't depraved to *this* extent.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were this wretch's ancestor, he probably would have been angered to death!

Losing a 200,000-strong army wasn't enough; this time, he actually had the nerve to lead the enemy over to knock on his own door! Ying Zheng's worldview was utterly shattered.

Back when he destroyed the six states, he had never seen anyone so utterly shameless!

The State of Han.

Emperor Wu of Han's face twitched violently!

"I have finally seen it all. An emperor can actually be this shameless—I am ashamed to be counted alongside this fellow!"

"Pounding on his own city gates... you really are something else!" Wei Qing was also left completely stupefied by Zhu Qizhen's antics.

No matter what, you are still an emperor! To stoop this low... it is the most absurd farce under heaven!

The Three Kingdoms Era.

"I have never seen such a brazen and shameless person!" Cao Cao was actually laughed to anger by Zhu Qizhen.

If such a descendant were part of his bloodline, Old Cao declared he would rather his lineage die out entirely!

...

Liu, Guan, and Zhang wore complex expressions, each looking uglier than the last. Zhu Qizhen had utterly pulverized their worldviews.

They never imagined a human being could be so utterly shameless and devoid of all lower limits?

Was he raised by feeding him a placenta instead of nurturing him?

In an instant, Liu Bei felt that his own son, A Dou, had become a lot more endearing.

Although his A Dou was foolish, he was obedient... and he would certainly never lead an army to pound on his own city gates!

The State of Tang.

"What the fuck! What the fuck! You've really opened my eyes. Motherfucker, is this thing even human?!" Li Er was completely dazed.

Such a bizarre freak was truly one of a kind in a millennium!

Beside him, Cheng Yaojin, carrying two ox legs in his arms, froze stiff.

"Holy shit, I've lived for most of my life and never seen such a divine being—he's actually calling for his own city gates to be opened!"

Wei Zheng was so angry his beard and eyebrows twitched: "Enraging old man! This fellow must not be left alive. I truly wish to shoot this bastard dead with a single arrow."

...

Right then, on the heavenly screen.

Up on the ramparts, Commander Guo Deng wore a solemn expression, staring fixedly at his own emperor calling for the gates below.

The soldiers around him grew restless as well, with someone whispering, "It really is His Majesty! What should we do?"

Guo Deng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and shouted in a booming voice: "Your Majesty! This subject has been ordered to guard the city; it is my bounden duty, and I dare not open the gates without authorization! Now the Oirats eye us like tigers eyeing their prey, and this subject cannot sacrifice the common folk of Datong and the rivers and mountains of Great Ming for Your Majesty alone!"

Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen's face instantly turned pale, his eyes filled with shock and fury: "Guo Deng! You have immense nerve! I am the Son of Heaven, yet you dare to disobey an imperial edict? Have you forgotten your own identity? I am the Emperor of Great Ming, and I command you to open the gates!"

A pang of agonizing grief twisted Guo Deng's heart, accompanied by crushing humiliation—to think such a man was the emperor of their Great Ming Dynasty!

"Your Majesty! This subject has never forgotten his identity nor his loyalty to Your Majesty, but this subject knows even better that if the gates are opened now, Datong city will be reduced to a purgatory on earth, the Oirat bandits will charge straight in, and countless more common folk will plunge into fiery suffering."

"Though this subject dies ten thousand deaths, I dare not commit such an act of betrayal against Your Majesty and Great Ming! I beg Your Majesty to forgive me!"

Down below, the Oirat leader Esen darkened his expression. He waved his riding crop and sneered, "Zhu Qizhen, your subjects don't seem to listen to you very well."

With that, he motioned to the soldiers beside him to posture for an assault on the city.

Filled with despair and helplessness, Zhu Qizhen looked up at the ramparts once more, a trace of entreaty flashing in his eyes: "Guo Deng, I beg you, open the city gates!"

Guo Deng stood tall and issued a resounding command: "All soldiers hear my order! Guard the city gates strictly and heighten security! Anyone who dares to open the gates privately shall be executed on the spot!"

Just as Zhu Qizhen was about to shout again, an arrow whizzed past his cheek, grazing his skin.

It scared Zhu Qizhen into breaking out in a cold sweat!

Beneath the heavenly canopy, Zhu Di and Old Zhu wore expressions of sheer relief!

Old Zhu finally caught his breath. "Good, good, the gates weren't opened!"

"Sigh! Who the hell was that? Such terrible marksmanship—why didn't they just shoot that bastard dead with one arrow?!"

Zhu Di felt the exact same way. "What are you using bows and arrows for? Use cannons! Blast him with cannons for me! Blow him straight to hell!"

...

*(Once again, I kneel and beg for five-star reviews! Lords and masters, please bestow them upon this child! I beg of you!)*