Empress Dowager Sun suddenly began devoutly serving the Three Pure Ones. Not only did she ask to cultivate under the Imperial Preceptor, she also brought out a considerable sum from her private funds and had the Emperor compensate the soldiers who had fallen during the personal campaign.
The Sun family followed suit and donated a great deal of money. The Emperor went even further, opening his private treasury and handing over all its wealth to the Ministry of War to compensate the soldiers.
The Ming Dynasty won back the people's hearts, and the army's morale soared. When the new Emperor sent additional troops north and strengthened defenses against the Oirats and other Northern Hu, no one across the realm objected.
Yu Qian was promoted to Minister of War and replaced Cao Nai in the Grand Secretariat, becoming one of its Grand Scholars.
At the first grand court assembly after the new Emperor ascended the throne, besides proposing additional troops and stronger defenses in the north, he also suggested accepting Deng Maoqi's surrender.
Exterminating Deng Maoqi and the other rebels had been something the late Emperor insisted upon. Zhu Qiyu did not particularly wish to overturn his elder brother's political decision. Besides, many court officials also insisted on upholding the late Emperor's proposal.
Strangely enough, when the late Emperor had still been alive, those who now leapt out to insist on extermination had clearly been urging his Imperial Brother to accept Deng Maoqi's surrender.
How had their views changed just because there was a different Emperor?
Though Zhu Qiyu did not wish to overturn his Imperial Brother's measures, he knew in his heart that continuing the war in Fujian would do the Ming Dynasty more harm than good. Thus, he leaned toward Yu Qian's position.
The trouble, however, had never been