I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 117 Going South
In the final analysis, this matter was because Qian Ning had been favored for too long and had become conservative. He only wanted to keep his position and had no pioneering ideas at all. Jiang Bin, as a newcomer, wanted to show himself in front of the emperor. In his opinion, everything was in vain if he didn't get the emperor's favor.

In the end, Qian Ning figured it out. Since Jiang Bin wanted to go to Qizhou with His Majesty, then go. It would be best if you could get Prince Jing back. Anyway, Qian Ning had lost most of Zhu Houzhao's favor. When Prince Jing returned to Beijing, Jiang Bin would be the one most affected. Qian Ning's situation could not get any worse.

At this time, Li Dongyang had retired due to health reasons, and Yang Tinghe became the chief minister of the cabinet.

After Yang Tinghe received the washbasin-sized glass mirror from Emperor Zhu Houzhao, there was an endless stream of visitors. Yang Tinghe simply placed the mirror in the lobby and allowed the guests to look at it.

His son Yang Shen kept looking at himself in the mirror and exclaimed: "The emperor has given my father a wonderful gift!"

"Yes! This is the first time for me, your father, to see a mirror that can reflect a person so clearly. Unfortunately, your father is already old, and it is not good for this mirror to reflect a person too clearly." Yang Tinghe said with emotion.

"In that case, let your son use this mirror." Yang Shen joked.

"Since it was bestowed by the emperor, how can you give it to others? It's just right for your father to use to straighten his clothes before going to court." Yang Tinghe glanced at his son and said.

"The things are good, but there are too few of them. It would be great if I could buy one," Yang Shen said reluctantly.

"This item is exquisite and rare, so it must be expensive. How much is your salary?" Yang Tinghe retorted bluntly.

"This..." Yang Shen's expression became embarrassed, and he quickly changed the subject, "This mirror was made by King Jing, right?"

"Yes, the envoy of Prince Jing's Palace just arrived in Beijing yesterday, and then the reward came. There must be a connection!" Yang Tinghe said, stroking his beard.

"This King of Jing is well versed in business and industry, and has made a great name for himself in the south. How enviable!"

"The Prince of Jing has been extremely generous in recent years and has solved many urgent problems for the court. I used to think that industry and commerce were just minor matters, but after meeting the Prince of Jing, I suddenly felt that expanding industry and commerce would benefit the country. If the Prince of Jing were still in the capital, the national treasury would not be so empty!" Yang Tinghe sighed.

Glass mirrors caused a new craze in the capital, and everyone rushed to see them, but after all, the number was still too small.

At this time, a business suddenly announced that it had glass mirrors for sale. The way of selling was also quite novel. It was to sell from small to large through auction, which immediately attracted the attention of various nobles in the capital.

The auction of glass mirrors was held soon. A total of more than 200 glass mirrors of various sizes were to be auctioned. Although there had been three years of war, there were still many wealthy people in the capital. These more than 200 mirrors were quickly sold at high prices.

Although the common people of the Ming Dynasty were in poverty and the treasury was empty at that time, the Ming Dynasty had enjoyed peace for more than a hundred years overall and had accumulated a lot of wealth. However, all of this wealth was in the hands of the gentry and landlord class of the Ming Dynasty. Their purchasing power was still very strong, so there was no problem in digesting this batch of glass mirrors with a high premium.

The owner behind this business was Zhu Houzhao. He earned more than 200,000 taels of silver by selling this batch of glass mirrors, which once again solved his urgent problem.

The officials in the court knew very well where the money came from, and no one would say anything more. As long as they had the money to use, it was fine.

In this harmonious situation, Zhu Houzhao's plan to go south was also constantly advancing. "What? Without me? How can you go south without me, father?" Qian Ning looked at Zhu Houzhao in disbelief.

"Zhu Bin said that if so many people disappeared together, those court officials would definitely figure out what happened very quickly. At that time, we hadn't gone very far, so we had to leave someone in the capital to confuse those big turbans and buy us time. After much thought, I think you are the most suitable person, so this difficult task will be handed over to you." Zhu Houzhao patted Qian Ning's shoulder encouragingly.

Qian Ning looked at Jiang Bin hatefully, only to see Jiang Bin secretly smiling at him with smugness.

He was very angry and didn't want to face the pressure from court officials in the capital, but he also knew that what Zhu Houzhao had just said was right, so he hesitated.

When he saw Zhu Houzhao's face begin to turn dark, he reluctantly agreed.

Zhu Houzhao was happy then. He led more than 50 cavalrymen out of the city in three groups under the cover of night. After meeting outside Daxing County, they headed directly south by land.

They took all the seals they had prepared and prepared to travel southwards via the Ming Dynasty's post station system.
The court officials did not notice anything wrong on the fifth day, but they all thought that Zhu Houzhao had begun to neglect his duties again. Anyway, the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty was relatively complete, and even if the emperor did not attend court, it would not affect the operation of the country.

It was not until the seventh day that the ministers felt something was wrong, because Zhu Houzhao had never been absent for such a long time, and they all went to inquire for news.

Qian Ning had no choice but to put forward a plan he had prepared in advance, saying that Zhu Houzhao had caught a cold and was recuperating and could not see outsiders. However, this excuse only lasted for one day, and the cabinet forced the imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau to enter the Leopard Room to take the emperor's pulse. Qian Ning used all his tricks to delay the time until the ninth day.

Although Qian Ning said nothing, all the ministers in the cabinet already understood that the emperor was no longer in the capital.

All the ministers of the cabinet gathered together to inquire about Zhu Houzhao's whereabouts.

Qian Ning still wanted to use false news to buy time for Zhu Houzhao. Sometimes he said that Zhu Houzhao went to Xuanfu, and sometimes he said that Zhu Houzhao went to Datong Town.

But the grand secretaries had already obtained the horse-changing records at the post stations near the capital and saw through Qian Ning's lies.

Finally, Yang Tinghe lost his patience, glared at Qian Ning and said, "Qian Ning, do you really think we dare not kill you? Think about what you are doing! If you don't tell the truth, we will go to Renshou Palace and ask the Empress Dowager to order you to be beheaded in Nanshi!"

Qian Ning was horrified after hearing this. He was not afraid of these court officials before because Zhu Houzhao had always been protecting him. But now Zhu Houzhao is no longer protecting him. These civil servants can really kill him if they are cruel enough!

Even if Zhu Houzhao could avenge himself and punish those present today, he would not be able to be resurrected!
After understanding this logic, Qian Ning's momentum suddenly decreased and he became timid. He happily told Zhu Houzhao and Jiang Bin all their plans.

"Qizhou!"

"King Jing!"

The scholars pondered over this unexpected yet reasonable answer, and fell into deep thought.
(End of this chapter)