Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 110 I want to select concubines! Queen Mother: Do you dare?
The white-haired Wang walked straight into the hall and was about to pay his respects. Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Sir, please don't be polite. Someone, bring a chair for you."

Zhu Qizhen was really worried that he would suddenly die one day. Then the government and the people would make trouble for the position of the prime minister.

Zhu Qizhen had always kept Wang Ge Lao's reminder in mind. But now he thought about it and realized that there was really no suitable person to replace Wang Ge Lao and become the Prime Minister. Originally, Yu Qian was the most suitable, but that guy would never be able to be the Prime Minister.

"My Lord, if you have anything to say, just submit a memorial. You don't have to make the trip." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

"Some things have to be said face to face." Wang Zhi looked up at the emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, you are vigorously promoting the new policy, but I have not stood up to say a word of support. Are you resenting me in your heart?"

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "Isn't it? If you just said a word, there wouldn't be so much trouble. In my heart, I cursed your ancestors for eighteen generations."

Wang Zhi was stunned at first, then laughed: "Okay, okay, Your Majesty has scolded me, and it's time to calm down. Today, I will tell you my difficulties."

Zhu Qizhen put down his pen and waved his hand. The eunuchs and maids in the hall, as well as Yang Guifang and others, all left. Since it was a heart-to-heart talk, of course only two people could be present.

"Ah~" Wang Zhi sighed first, then said, "I am a Jinshi in the second year of Yongle. I have served in four dynasties, and my students and former officials are all over the world. My Wang family is also a powerful family. My prestige among the gentry is indeed high. Because of this, I really can't bear it."

Zhu Qizhen understood.

After all, Wang Zhi is the leader of the scholars. He is under tremendous pressure by keeping silent. If he speaks out for the new policy, he will be criticized to death.

"I understand!" Zhu Qizhen smiled, "Even if I was angry at the time, I would not blame you."

Wang Zhi's old face was filled with fatigue. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to resign and return home."

"No!" Zhu Qizhen refused decisively, "Lord, the court still needs you. Even if you remain silent, I still need you."

Wang Zhi hesitated to speak.

His original intention was to serve the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty for a few more years. But recently, he had been subjected to many vicious attacks from the gentry, which even affected his hometown.

"If old Wang Zhi doesn't die, he's a thief."

"He remained silent just to please His Majesty's new policy."

"Wang Zhi, how can he be a gentleman?"

Faced with the abuse, Wang Zhi couldn't stand it anymore and decided to resign.

Zhu Qizhen stood up and walked in front of him, sighing: "I know it's hard for you, and it's hard for me too. In fact, in this world, everyone is enduring, and everyone has a knife in their heart. I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but I am also scolded by them behind my back. Haha, if I'm not careful, I will be cursed for eternity. But I can only move forward."

Perhaps because he suddenly felt the same way, Wang Zhi burst into tears: "Your Majesty... You have it harder than I do. I take back what I just said, I..."

He cried so hard that tears and snot flew all over the place, and Zhu Qizhen was completely stunned by him.

What's going on? An adult's breakdown in a matter of seconds?

"Lord, I am walking on thin ice." Zhu Qizhen began to act, his eyes moist, "Please help me for another two years."

"I obey your command." Wang Zhi knelt down tremblingly.

The emotions were so great that the emperor and his ministers almost burst into tears.

……

sunset.

Zhu Qizhen was in a good mood and went to Kunning Palace for dinner, singing and dancing as he walked:
Ordinary DISCO, our ordinary shaker

Ordinary passers-by are looking at

My ordinary soul is in an ordinary out-of-body experience
Ordinary burning in ordinary actions and times
Then, he looked up and saw the stunned empress dowager on the steps. The empress dowager, dressed in a long dress, was dignified and elegant. She stared at Zhu Qizhen with her beautiful eyes and frowned: "What are you singing?"

"Uh, I was just humming." Zhu Qizhen covered his face.

"You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Please maintain your dignity." The Queen Mother said fiercely, "Why do you act like a street thug?"

Zhu Qizhen quickly ran to the Queen Mother, took her arm, and said with a smile: "Mother, this is not the court. I am tired of being so polite all day. There are no outsiders in the harem, so let me be myself. Mother, you are tired too, right? I heard that you were a chivalrous woman in your past."

Many memories flashed through the Queen Mother's mind. When she was young, she could also dance with swords and wanted to venture into the martial arts world. But since she married into the palace, the deep palace has become her cage for so many years.

"Be yourself?" The Queen Mother sighed, "Don't be childish. You are the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, and you can only be the Emperor of Ming Dynasty. And I can only be the Queen Mother of Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen shrugged, his face falling: "Son understands."

The Queen Mother glanced at him with her cold and beautiful eyes. Her jet-black hair fell in the wind, and a touch of tenderness flashed across her beautiful face: "I heard that you and Lord Wang cried today?"

"Nonsense, why would I cry?" Zhu Qizhen sighed, "The elder is old and wants to retire and return home. At this time, the court can't do without him, so I kept him."

The Queen Mother's eyes were filled with curiosity: "He was determined to leave, how did you keep him?"

Zhu Qizhen patted his chest and said, "Be sincere!"

Queen Mother: “!!!”

She glanced at him and snorted, "I support you in implementing the new policy, but you can't rush it. You are right to choose Henan as the pilot site. If it's so difficult in Henan, it will be even more difficult in Jiangnan. Since the Song Dynasty, many wealthy families have moved to Jiangnan. Now Jiangnan is where the gentry and wealthy families gather."

Zhu Qizhen held her arm and nodded, "I understand. You have to eat one mouthful at a time and walk one step at a time. If you take too big a step, you'll easily fall off the ball."

The Queen Mother paused, raised her hand and slapped him on the back of the head, angrily saying: "What kind of nonsense did you learn outside?"

"Mother, don't be angry. It's easy to get wrinkles." Zhu Qizhen said as he pulled her towards Kunning Palace. "It's time to eat. After dinner, I will find Mr. Hu to discuss the Enke matter."

The Queen Mother was being held by him, her mature and charming face slightly flushed.

……

After the meal, Zhu Qizhen came to the Ministry of Rites.

Minister of Rites Hu Yi was holding a document, leaning over the candle and staring at it. Zhu Qizhen felt sad when he saw this. Both Hu Yi and Wang Zhi should have been enjoying their grandchildren.

"Mr. Hu, let me help you take a look." Zhu Qizhen called out.

"Your Majesty?" Hu Yi bowed, "This is the rules of the Enke. All preparations have been made. Take a look."

Zhu Qizhen took the document and quickly scanned it. He was relieved that Hu Yi would preside over the special examination, after all, the old man had presided over many sessions.

"Your Majesty, the turmoil over the Henan exam boycott has not been resolved yet." Hu Yi frowned deeply, "I am a little worried that there may be someone with ulterior motives behind this. I suggest that the court send someone to express the court's position."

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and asked, "Who should I send?"

Hu Yi bowed and said, "Yang Guifang, he was the imperial envoy, went to Henan, and was able to help Liu Dingzhi implement the new policy. He is different from his father, he has a quick mind and many clever ideas."

Zhu Qizhen nodded with a smile.

Hu Yi did not speak out when the Qingliu impeached Liu Ding, but he still supported the new policy. "Your Majesty." Hu Yi stepped forward and looked at the emperor with clear eyes, "Our generation has no choice. But Your Majesty has you. The world of the Ming Dynasty will be yours from now on. Broaden your horizons."

Zhu Qizhen was touched and smiled: "I am just pursuing the eight words 'every family has enough food and the people are well-off'."

Hu Yi nodded repeatedly: "That's enough."

……

The next morning, Zhu Qizhen appointed Yang Guifang as an imperial envoy and sent him to Henan with the royal flag. With the royal flag, he had the power to execute first and report later.

All the ministers saw His Majesty's determination to implement the new policy. Almost no one submitted a memorial to oppose the new policy. However, Zhu Qizhen did not take it lightly, as a bigger storm would come later.

He is also waiting for the results of Henan's new policies to emerge.

After the court session, Zhu Qizhen was about to return to the Qianqing Palace. On the imperial road, he met Shuangxi, a maid sent by the empress dowager. Shuangxi bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, the empress dowager asks you to come over."

"What happened?" Zhu Qizhen asked as he walked.

"The Queen Mother is hosting a banquet for the ministers' wives today," Shuangxi said, "so we invite Your Majesty to come over."

Zhu Qizhen frowned and said, "Since they are female relatives, it would be inappropriate for me to go, right? I have never been invited before."

Shuangxi also looked puzzled and bowed slightly: "I don't know either. Your Majesty has never been invited to such a banquet before. Perhaps the Queen Mother has something to say?"

Zhu Qizhen hurried to Kunning Palace and heard the sound of laughter coming from the garden. It was the women of the ministers' families who were arranged to play in the garden of Kunning Palace.

The empress dowager, dressed in a phoenix robe, stood in front of the window of the palace, looking at the beautiful girls in the garden. Zhu Qizhen came to her side, raised his eyes and saw, wow, Yingying and Yanyan, all beautiful girls.

"Mother, should I select a concubine?" Zhu Qizhen asked with his eyes wide open.

"You dare?" The queen mother's beautiful eyes were filled with coldness and she was aggressive. "Isn't it enough to have concubines in the harem? You still want to choose concubines? Put all your thoughts on government affairs."

Zhu Qizhen curled his lips and said, "That's all I said. Don't be angry, mother. If you don't want to select a concubine, why did you ask me to come here? These are all female relatives. It's not convenient for me to be here."

"Every year, they are given some rewards." The Queen Mother glared, "This time, you will be the one to give the rewards. To implement the new policy, we need the support of the ministers."

It turns out to be a way to win people’s hearts.

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand: "But I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"I have already prepared it for you. Besides, do you know how to prepare things for a girl?" The Queen Mother snorted, "I am just telling you."

Zhu Qizhen nodded and looked across the garden, and saw Zhang Jingshu.

The Queen Mother noticed his gaze and asked coldly, "That's the granddaughter of Duke Ying, right? The one you want to make queen?"

Zhu Qizhen was very confused. Why do I feel like you are jealous?

……

Prince Qing's Palace, back garden.

Tung Xingdao was reading the book "On Factions" written by the emperor. Zhu Qiyu came over and asked in confusion: "Mr. Tung, why are you still reading this?"

"I heard that Your Majesty wants all officials in the world to read his "Imperial Edict on Factions"? " asked Tung Xingdao.

"Yes." Zhu Qiyu nodded, "Now everyone has a copy."

Tung Xingdao closed the book, his face solemn:
"We have underestimated His Majesty before. This move of his is really powerful. In his "Imperial Edict on Factions", he warned all the officials in the world not to form factions and to obey him. The officials should only know that they have a sovereign."

"By opposing cliques, he actually wanted to rectify the administration of officials and implement new policies. From now on, whoever dares to submit a memorial to oppose it together will be considered a clique."

Zhu Qiyu then realized that there were so many plots behind the emperor's "Imperial Edict on Factions". He frowned and said, "Your Majesty has appointed Yang Guifang as an imperial envoy and sent him to Henan."

"Your Highness, we can't let the new policy go so smoothly." Tung Xingdao's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "If you stop the new policy, Your Highness will gain the support of the gentry."

Zhu Qizhen sneered, "Mr. Tung, something big will happen in Henan soon. By then, even the emperor won't be able to stop the overwhelming public opinion."

Tung Xingdao was curious: "What's the big deal?"

"Of course it's a dead person." Zhu Qiyu spread his hands, "Human life is at stake, and the dead person is not an ordinary person."

He is very confident that there will definitely be big trouble in Henan this time.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen's daily routine was to listen to the report from Shi Biao, the commander of the Jinyiwei, because the Jinyiwei collected all kinds of intelligence every day.

"Someone from the Seven Guards of Guanxi came to Beijing and met the Duke of England." Shi Biao said.

"Why don't you come to see me?" Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Shi Biao explained: "The ones who came this time are a few retired old men. They should be old friends of Duke Ying. In the past, Duke Ying fought against the Tatars with them in Guanxi."

Zhu Qizhen only had a rough understanding of the Seven Guards of Guanxi. In the past, the late emperor had an alliance with the leaders of the Seven Guards. The Ming Dynasty dealt with the Oirat and Tatars, and the Seven Guards of Guanxi were to guard the northwest border for the Ming Dynasty.

In name, the Seven Guards of Guanxi belonged to the Ming Dynasty, but in reality, they were autonomous. The Ming Dynasty could not fully control the Seven Guards of Guanxi. Zhu Qizhen had read the History of Ming Dynasty, and found that some of the Seven Guards of Guanxi later rebelled against the Ming Dynasty.

"Just keep an eye on it." Zhu Qizhen said, "If it's a gathering of old friends, don't disturb them."

"As you wish." Shi Biao nodded.

Zhu Qizhen continued to instruct: "Add more personnel to Henan, and any news should be reported back to the capital in a timely manner."

His mind was now almost entirely on Henan. Shi Biao naturally understood what His Majesty meant and nodded his head to accept the order. Zhu Qizhen reviewed the memorial for a while and suddenly raised his head:
Duke of England? The old man was seriously ill last time, how could he still be friends with me? Could he be going to make arrangements for his funeral? Then he doesn't need to meet the people of the Guanxi Seven Guards, right?

"Someone, tell Zhang Mao to come and see me." he shouted.

Not long after, Duke Ying's son Zhang Mao came to the Qianqing Palace. Zhang Mao was now the deputy governor of the Zuojun Commandery, a senior official of the first rank. He paid respectful obeisance: "Your Majesty, I, Zhang Mao, pay my respects to you."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said, "Stand up and talk, Mr. Zhang, how is the Duke's condition?"

Zhang Mao pondered for a moment and said, "It's still the same. I can't eat much. But after taking the tonic that Your Majesty brought last time, I feel better. I can go to the garden to scold my grandson in the next two days."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand, unlucky Zhang Lun.

He stood up, smiled and asked, "Lord Zhang, how about I marry into your family?"

(End of this chapter)