Many people, though filled with question marks and completely unaware of what had just happened or what would happen next, still obediently retreated.
Even Empress Sun, after a moment of hesitation,
Was forcibly dragged out by Empress Dowager Zhang's people.
At this moment, the one most bewildered was Emperor Xuande himself.
He not only didn't know how his mother had suddenly become young again, how his deposed empress wife had cultivated to such a degree that she could restore youth, but also what his mother intended to discuss after sending everyone away.
"Mother... Mother, what exactly do you want to do?"
Despite having many questions swirling in his mind, Emperor Xuande had seen his mother when she was young, so he didn't fail to recognize her. He was just utterly bewildered.
He didn't know what his mother intended.
However, Empress Dowager Zhang was in no mood to explain. Instead, she looked at Ding Yun with some tension and asked, "Shanxiang, do you think he can be saved?"
"He can be saved, but I have two conditions."
"You say..."
As Ding Yun and Empress Dowager Zhang exchanged these two sentences, Emperor Xuande quickly spoke again, his voice weak, asking:
"What are you two plotting?"
"Empress Dowager, I'm not in a hurry anyway. Perhaps you should explain the cause and effect to His Majesty first, lest His Majesty still thinks we intend to harm him!"
Considering that the ultimate decision rested with Emperor Xuande due to her conditions, Ding Yun, not in a hurry, suggested that some matters needed to be made known to Emperor Xuande.
Empress Dowager Zhang thought about it.
And agreed it made sense.
So, she turned and began to explain to Emperor Xuande.
She recounted what had happened earlier in Cining Palace, Ding Yun's prophecy, her cultivation success, and her ability to save him, albeit with conditions.
After hearing his mother's explanation,
Emperor Xuande fell silent, contemplating and struggling. He pondered the truth of his mother's words, the loopholes in the actions of his deposed empress, and whether he should agree to the deposed empress's demands in order to survive.
Ultimately, the desire to live prevailed.
He nodded indifferently and looked directly at Ding Yun:
"First, tell me your conditions.
Be reasonable. If your demands are too excessive, I would rather die than submit."
"My first condition is that I want my two daughters to have the freedom to choose their spouses. That is to say, you will not bestow marriages or specifically assign them驸马. Their marriages will be entirely under my purview.
This condition should not be excessive, right?"
As soon as Ding Yun finished speaking, before Emperor Xuande could react, Empress Dowager Zhang unhesitatingly agreed on his behalf:
"Yes, yes, no problem!"
Emperor Xuande remained silent, signaling his approval.
He had barely seen his two daughters, so what did it matter if they had the freedom to choose their spouses? Naturally, it was of no consequence to him.
"My second condition is to depose the Crown Prince!"
Ding Yun had anticipated that her first condition would be agreed upon, so she immediately and unhesitatingly stated her second demand. This was the truly difficult matter and would likely require much persuasion.
"No, how can this be?
The Crown Prince is the foundation of the state. How can we lightly speak of deposing or establishing? Even if you resent me for the matter of the deposed empress, or even resent Empress Sun, you cannot transfer this resentment to Qi Zhen. Moreover, he is now my eldest legitimate son.
His position as Crown Prince is rightful.
How can he be easily deposed!"
Good heavens, as soon as Ding Yun mentioned deposing the Crown Prince, Emperor Xuande, who had been maintaining his composure, could no longer pretend. He immediately became agitated.
"Heh, Your Majesty, do not be ungrateful. I am asking you to depose the Crown Prince not to harm you, but to help you, and even to help you save the Ming Dynasty's empire.
And to help you save the Ming Dynasty's noble factions.
Believe it or not, after your death, when your so-called eldest legitimate son ascends the throne, he will not only favor eunuchs but also lead an expedition personally, burying the Ming Dynasty's four hundred thousand troops and more than half of its noble factions.
He will even be captured by the Oirats.
Becoming a 'Koumen Heavenly Son' (叩门天子), he will personally lead a contingent, demanding that the border gates be opened wide to allow him and the Oirat army to enter!"
"The future achievements of your eldest legitimate son will be no less than those of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Of course, I am not referring to his superiority over Emperor Xuanzong's early reign, but rather his inferiority to Emperor Xuanzong's later reign, when the prosperous age came to an abrupt end.
He is the genius who interrupted that prosperous age.
He is the genius who caused the Ming Dynasty to decline from its peak."
What Ding Yun said this time was all true. Throughout history, there were very few emperors whose future actions would rival those of the current Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen. Perhaps only the two from the Jingkang Incident could be compared.
"You are spouting nonsense. How is this possible?"
Empress Dowager Zhang had already stepped aside. She felt that the amount of information she had received today had exceeded her brain's capacity, so she needed to stand aside and recover. Emperor Xuande, however, completely disbelieved what Ding Yun had just said. He felt that his own son could not be that incompetent.
"Why is it impossible?
Since you don't believe me, I will let you witness the future for yourself. Empress Dowager, please join us."
Ding Yun knew very well that she could not make an emperor believe that his eldest legitimate son was a waste and have him depose the Crown Prince with just a few words. Therefore, she had come prepared.
After speaking, she directly pulled Emperor Xuande and Empress Dowager Zhang's consciousness into the illusion she had constructed for them, allowing them to witness the events of the next few decades from a divine perspective, namely the absurd actions of Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen over the next few decades.
Of course, Ding Yun had no intention of elaborating on trivial details like what they ate for breakfast or lunch within the illusion.
Therefore, in the illusion, Emperor Xuande and Empress Dowager Zhang only experienced some relatively important events.
For example, Zhu Qizhen's enthronement, Empress Dowager Zhang's regency, the three Yangs managing the Grand Secretariat, the Luan War, Zhu Qizhen's new policies, his favoritism towards eunuchs, his personal expedition, the Tumu Crisis, the 'Koumen Heavenly Son' incident, Zhu Qiyu's ascension during the crisis, the defense of the capital saving Zhu Qizhen, the 'Door Seizing Coup' and his restoration, the persecution of all meritorious officials and loyal generals from the defense of the capital, his succumbing to slander, the killing of honest officials, and the continuous peasant uprisings...
It could be said that apart from the actions before his personal rule, Emperor Xuande and his mother could accept them. However, the subsequent actions caused both Emperor Xuande and Empress Dowager Zhang to feel immense heartache, and they even began to curse profusely.
After leaving the illusion, they were still unable to calm down immediately and continued to curse for quite some time.
Then, they looked at each other, unsure of the truth.
If what they had just experienced was indeed the future, then deposing the Crown Prince would not be a bad thing. However, they could not be certain whether their recent experience was truly the future or something deliberately created by Ding Yun for them to see.
Therefore, they remained quite hesitant.