Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 113 The Queen Mother is ill, I must be kind to her
Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother's illness had not yet recovered. She looked listless, half lying on the couch with her beautiful eyes slightly closed. She looked haggard and adorable, with her usual noble and indifferent demeanor completely gone. She looked like a little dainty wife.

"Mother, it's time to take your medicine." Zhu Qizhen stepped forward with the medicine bowl.

He suddenly thought of the phrase "Da Lang should take medicine". How about poisoning the beautiful queen mother? If so, the Duke of England would definitely jump out and tell the truth. If the emperor poisoned the queen mother, if it got out, everyone in the world would know that I am a fake.

"I won't drink it." The Queen Mother turned her head away, her pretty face bitter like a child, "This medicine is too bitter."

"Good medicine tastes bitter." Zhu Qizhen began to coax her, his voice soft, "How can you get better without taking medicine? Mother, you still have many important things to do, and I need you too."

The Queen Mother raised her head. Although she was ill, her eyes were extremely cold: "Drink it!"

Zhu Qizhen fed her with his own hands, but he didn't think much about it. The Queen Mother's expression was a little awkward and unnatural, and her cold eyes soon couldn't hold back, and she bit her lips lightly: "Ask Shuangxi to feed her."

"How can that be? This is a chance to show off your filial piety." Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows, "Come on, be good, open your mouth."

The Queen Mother pouted, her bright eyes almost showing dissatisfaction. However, she still opened her mouth obediently, and Zhu Qizhen picked up the spoon and poured it into her.

"Ahem, do you want to choke me to death?" The Queen Mother glared.

"Aren't you afraid of the bitterness? Drink it in big gulps and it will be over in a few swallows." Zhu Qizhen continued to pour it with a spoon.

The Queen Mother finally finished drinking, and the corners of her mouth were full of drops of medicine. Zhu Qizhen picked up the handkerchief beside her and wiped it off carefully for her. They were too close, and when they looked up, their eyes met.

The Queen Mother's mature and beautiful face turned red instantly, and a layer of red quickly spread over her fair skin.

"I'm leaving now and will come back tomorrow." Zhu Qizhen stood up.

He walked out of Kunning Palace and a cold autumn breeze blew past, making him much more sober.

Damn, I won’t be able to control myself sooner or later!
No, I can't control myself now.

It was already dusk, and he hurried to the Queen's bedroom. The Queen was very surprised to see him: "Your Majesty, you didn't tell me that I would sleep with you tonight."

Zhu Qizhen didn't care about anything else and rushed forward like a hungry wolf.

The queen rested her hands on the windowsill, raised her beautiful face, with a touch of charming blush on her cheeks. She bit her lips slightly, as if she was trying to suppress some emotion, her eyes were seductive, blurred and deep, and only a trace of clarity was barely holding on.

"Your Majesty, do you remember what I said last time?"

"Remember to remember."

"My life now depends on you, Your Majesty."

"We are all on the same boat. I know that. So, you have to listen to me. Come on, turn around."

"I will help you monitor the Queen Mother."

……

Cold autumn has arrived.

The sky was high and clear, with a few thin clouds drifting by occasionally, but they could not block the increasingly cold sunlight. In the streets and alleys, fallen leaves were flying, gently falling in the autumn wind, covering the bluestone ancient road, and the rustling sound added a bit of loneliness.

The moss on the city wall seems to become darker in this season, telling the vicissitudes of time. The surface of the moat is covered with layers of fine ripples, reflecting the sparse willow shadows on both sides, which looks particularly cold. Occasionally, one or two late-returning geese fly across the sky, leaving behind a few shrill cries, adding a bit of autumn sadness.

In the market, pedestrians seem to have hurried their pace because of the cold autumn. Everyone wraps up tightly, with a bit of coldness on their faces. The shop signs sway gently in the wind, and occasionally a few low calls can be heard, but they can no longer hide the bleakness of this season.

Zhu Qizhen went out of the palace incognito, holding a sesame cake in his hand and eating it while walking. When he passed by an inn, he saw many students either sitting in the corridor or squatting under the door, holding a book in their hands and reading attentively.

The Enke exam is coming up soon, and these are candidates from all over the country. Some of them are from poor families, who don't have extra money and can't afford charcoal, so they can only study while walking to keep out the cold. Candidates from wealthy families must be warming themselves by the fire and reading in their rooms.

There was a young man in the corridor, reading very loudly. People around him were affected by him and silently advised him to lower his voice, as it was too noisy.

Zhu Qizhen saw that the young man had a handsome face and clear eyes, so he stepped forward and asked with a smile: "Young man, are you here to take the exam too?"

The young man nodded: "Exactly!"

"You passed the imperial examination?" Zhu Qizhen said in disbelief, "How old are you?"

The boy's eyes were full of pride. Before he could answer, someone beside him said, "Brother, you underestimate him. He is Li Dongyang from Xihu. He can write calligraphy as big as a foot in diameter. He is a child prodigy. He passed the imperial examination at the age of thirteen."

Li Dongyang?
Wasn't this guy the chief minister of the cabinet during Zhu Houzhao's reign? He was a talented person, but some people also said that he was attached to the eunuch Liu Jin.

"Talented man, come, sit down and chat. I'll treat everyone to a drink." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

He is very willing to communicate with young students.

……

Zhu Qizhen came out of the inn and saw the Jinyiwei commander Shi Biao waiting at the intersection. He winked at Shi Biao and said as he walked, "Send someone to keep an eye on the man named Li Dongyang inside."

"Yes." Shi Biao nodded. "Your Majesty, I have selected the students who will participate in the special examination this time. I will give you a list when the time comes. They are all talented people who can be used."

Zhu Qizhen nodded with satisfaction.

Before this, he had instructed Shi Biao to investigate the past of the students who came to participate in the special examination and select some available people. If the new policy is to be thoroughly implemented, it is not enough to rely on Liu Dingzhi alone.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Ding's case is basically clear." Shi Biao continued to report, "His wife said that Zhang Ding was in Henan, and under the order of a big boss in the capital, he set up a small inner treasury and secretly embezzled the court's taxes. Zhang Ding had anticipated his own fate before his death, so he made two preparations. One was to die on his own initiative to save his wife, and the other was to leave a life-saving talisman for his wife. Unexpectedly, his wife was so strong-willed that she had to avenge her husband and revealed everything. Your Majesty, should the small inner treasury be exposed publicly in the court?"

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and nodded: "Okay, let Yang Shan, the Chief Censor of the Censorate, make a report at the court tomorrow morning. It's time to scare those people who are in charge of the small inner treasury."

"Yes, sir." Shi Biao accepted the order.

"Go away, I want to take a walk alone. If I stay in the palace, I will get sick sooner or later." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

Shi Biao smiled and left quickly.

Zhu Qizhen walked alone on the streets of the capital, watching the autumn wind sweeping the fallen leaves. At this moment, he felt the reality, and everything in the palace seemed unreal.

……

Unconsciously, he arrived at the foot of the city wall. He looked at the cold autumn city wall, listened to the rustling autumn wind, and a huge sadness surged up without warning.

He leaned against the wall, squatted down, and rubbed his face with his hands, not knowing where the sadness came from. He thought of many people: the soldiers who fought together during the defense of the capital; the victims he saw when he went to the disaster area; the first person he killed when he came to this world; and even his relatives in his previous life.

"Young man, why are you crying?" A white-haired old soldier came over and threw the wine gourd in his hand to him, saying, "Take a sip to warm yourself up. Young man, there is nothing in this world that you cannot overcome."

Zhu Qizhen took the wine gourd, raised it and took a sip. The wine was strong enough that he felt his heart burning instantly. He threw it back to the old soldier and said with a smile: "Thank you, old man. At your age, you are still guarding the city?"

The white-haired old soldier shook his head and smiled: "I am alone, so I asked my soldier who is now the vice governor for a job to help Your Majesty guard the city gate."

"Are you bragging? All your soldiers are governors and deputy governors?" Zhu Qizhen looked unconvinced.

"Of course not!" The old soldier seemed to be in high spirits. He squatted down next to Zhu Qizhen and sighed, "Back then, I followed the late emperor in the expedition to the northern desert and made contributions. Now, in my dreams at midnight, I can still vividly remember the moment when my comrades were beheaded by the barbarians on the grasslands. The sound of the enemy's cavalry hooves is always ringing in my ears."

Zhu Qizhen put away his joking expression. He always respected the old soldier, but he said jokingly: "Old man, you didn't do well later. Otherwise, how could you still be alone?"

The white-haired old soldier laughed cheerfully, "It's really nothing great to exchange one's life for military exploits. In my generation, there were many famous generals. Of course, the strongest one was still the late emperor. You don't know, in the battle of Mobei, the late emperor wore the armor passed down by Emperor Taizong, beat the war drum himself, and vowed not to turn back until the enemy was defeated!"

Speaking of this, the old soldier looked proud and had tears in his eyes. He raised his wine gourd and took several gulps, then continued, "That year, I heard that the current emperor was defeated in Tumubao. I was so angry that I couldn't sleep for several days. Later, the Wala Yesen army was at the gates of the city. I heard that your majesty led the troops and killed the enemy general, driving Yesen back to the grassland. I was happy again and drank a pot of good wine. The son of the late emperor is not a coward."

Zhu Qizhen had a strange look on his face, thinking that the late emperor's own son was a coward.

"Old man, so you are here to guard the city gate for His Majesty?" he asked.

"It's not because of this. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is good at fighting, as he should be." The old soldier took another sip of wine and said, "I heard that your majesty is promoting new policies. My old comrade in Henan wrote to me and he was very happy. I finally know what the new policies are, but those damn scholars only know how to make up stories and slander your majesty. If I were younger, I would have slapped their teeth out. I am a poor old soldier and can't help your majesty, so I will guard the city gate for your majesty. I only hope that your majesty will promote the new policies throughout the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen looked at the white-haired old soldier in front of him and listened to his simple wish. His eyes became moist: "Old man, I will definitely do it."

……

It was already dusk when we returned to the palace.

Zhu Qizhen went directly to Kunning Palace and entered the main hall, where he saw the empress dowager watering the flowers. She was wearing a simple long dress that outlined her perfect curves, her long black hair drooped, and her eyes were elegant and cold.

Is the illness cured? Regardless of whether it is cured or not, Zhu Qizhen needs to show his concern. He nervously stepped forward, grabbed the ladle from the empress dowager's hand, and angrily said: "Why are you out here to get some fresh air? You can't get some fresh air if you are not cured yet."

"I... just feel bored." The Queen Mother was intimidated by his aura.

"Depressed? You are already old, and you don't know this? If you are exposed to the wind now, your condition will definitely get worse tomorrow." Zhu Qizhen glared at him.

The Queen Mother felt concerned at first, but when she heard the words "old age", her eyes instantly became sharp: "Who cares? There's no food for you in Kunning Palace today, go back to Qianqing Palace."

"Hey, I'll take care of it!" Zhu Qizhen walked over.

He put his arm around the empress dowager's waist, pushed her into the hall, and pressed her to sit on the couch. The empress dowager pushed his hand away, and her soft hand gently slid across her cheek, her face slightly red: "Okay, I won't go out, okay?" Zhu Qizhen moved a chair to sit in front of her, raised his eyes and looked straight at the empress dowager. The empress dowager shrank back, her beautiful eyes as cold as ice: "What's wrong? Why don't you leave?"

"Mother, I have something to tell you." Zhu Qizhen's expression was serious. "Do you know about the little inner treasury?"

The Queen Mother's expression changed slightly, and then she shook her head: "What do you mean by a small inner treasury? I am no longer in charge of government affairs, why are you asking me?"

Zhu Qizhen breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I am relieved. When I kill people, I will not hurt your followers. Mother, do you know? The former Henan Governor Zhang Ding was forced to death. He left a suicide note, revealing a small inner treasury that secretly embezzled the court's taxes. How can this be tolerated? It must be a senior official in the court who could do this. If I catch him, I will never show mercy!"

"You said that the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs." The Queen Mother said coldly, "Don't talk to me about government affairs in the future."

Zhu Qizhen nodded: "Okay!"

After saying that, he turned and shouted towards the kitchen: "Shuangxi, is the food ready? Your Majesty is starving."

When the Queen Mother heard this, she rolled her eyes and almost fainted.

……

The next day, morning.

Yang Shan, the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, reported the results of the interrogation of the Zhang Ding case and exposed the incident of the small inner treasury. All the ministers in the court were surprised. Some were even filled with righteous indignation and started to curse.

Zhu Qizhen watched their performance coldly. He knew that many people here knew about the existence of the Xiaoneiku, and some even participated in it.

"Your Majesty, this is unheard of. No one in the past dynasties has dared to be so bold." The cabinet chief Wang Zhi said, "I ask your majesty to investigate it strictly!"

"I second the motion." Yu Qian bowed.

The two big men expressed their opinions, and the other ministers followed suit. Zhu Qizhen stood up, looked slowly, and said in a deep voice: "Zhang Ding's wife said that someone from the capital forced her husband to death. Haha, maybe the person behind the scenes is in this court. He can command the governor, so his position is prominent."

All the ministers listened and did not dare to look up.

Zhu Qizhen's voice continued to fall: "He set up a small inner treasury and secretly embezzled the court's taxes. He forced Zhang Ding to death and framed Liu Dingzhi in order to obstruct the implementation of the new policy. These two crimes are enough to confiscate the family property and exterminate the clan. I want to see who has such courage! Jinyiwei, Dali Temple and Metropolitan Procuratorate, you must do your best to track him down."

"We obey your order." The ministers bowed.

……

After the court session, Zhu Qiyu hurried to Kunning Palace, saying that he was going to pay his respects to the empress dowager.

The Queen Mother dismissed everyone, and only the two of them were left in the hall. Zhu Qiyu said in a panic, "Queen Mother, His Majesty has issued an order to investigate the matter of the Little Imperial Household Treasury today."

"I told you to stop long ago, but you wouldn't listen." The coldness in the Queen Mother's eyes was clear. "I only need five million taels, and I know you will be greedy, so I accept it. But you actually want to run the small inner treasury for a long time. Do you think the emperor and all the civil and military officials in the court are fools?"

Zhu Qiyu hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. When I return, I will order the people below to stop, but Your Majesty, do you have any way to help me?"

"No." The Queen Mother said coldly.

"But... Queen Mother, the five million are still gathering from all over the place." Zhu Qiyu said with an embarrassed look on his face.

In fact, his words were a threat. If the Queen Mother did not stop the Emperor, she would not get the five million. The Queen Mother heard this and chuckled, "Okay, I don't want it."

Zhu Qiyu: “???”

The Queen Mother suddenly stood up, her eyes murderous: "I will still support Your Majesty, but when the time comes, it will be hard to say whether you, the prince, can save your life. Do you think that Your Majesty is completely unaware of what you have done?"

Zhu Qiyu only felt a chill running from his coccyx to his head. He finally realized that the Queen Mother was still the Queen Mother and he was no match for her.

"Don't think you can threaten me." The Queen Mother looked down at him.

"Please forgive me, Queen Mother. I will definitely keep the five million taels." Zhu Qiyu kowtowed quickly, "I will handle the matter of the small inner treasury myself."

The Queen Mother waved her hand coldly: "Get lost!"

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the memorials in his hand, which were all about the tax collection in various places. As an emperor, he only just learned about tax collection.

The distribution of tax grain mainly follows the principle of "shipping" and "retaining". The shipped grain refers to the grain that needs to be transported to the court or other designated places after being collected, which is mainly used for the court's expenses, the food and wages of the capital and border defense troops, etc. The retained grain is the part retained by the local government, which is used for local government expenses, the food and wages of local garrisons, and disaster relief, etc.

The ratio between "shipping" and "retaining" will vary according to the specific situation. Zhu Qizhen also saw that due to the serious land annexation, the existence of a large number of tax-free fields has reduced the tax grain of the court.

Today's tax grain is not as high as that during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

"I hope Henan can implement the new policy this time and collect taxes and grain from the gentry." He said to himself.

He was worried because the tax grain from various places had been delivered to Beijing one after another, but there was still no movement from Henan. He was worried that Liu Dingzhi would not be able to collect the tax in the end, and the new policy would not be implemented.

"Is there no memorial from Henan?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I went to the Cabinet and the Grand Council and checked both of them. There was no memorial from Henan." Cao Jixiang reported.

Zhu Qizhen could only comfort himself that no news was good news. If there was any accident, Yang Guifang would definitely submit a memorial. This guy hadn't submitted a memorial for many days.

"Go and call all the cabinet ministers. It's time to discuss next year's expenses." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

Cao Jixiang took the order and trotted away.

……

Prince Qing's Palace.

Zhu Qiyu told Tung Xingdao about his meeting with the Empress Dowager.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't threaten the Queen Mother." Tung Xingdao frowned. "The Queen Mother has been regent for more than ten years. No one knows what else she controls."

Zhu Qiyu regretted it very much: "I was anxious and impulsive at that time. What should I do now? The emperor is investigating the small inner treasury, and the queen mother may abandon me at any time. How come I am in danger all of a sudden?"

Tung Xingdao took a sip of tea slowly and said, "Your Highness, it's not a dangerous situation. The Queen Mother still needs you to redeem her son. As for the small inner treasury, it's actually easy to deal with. Most of the things were done by Duke Cheng. If you have no choice, just abandon him."

"I'm afraid he will be the second Zhang Ding." Zhu Qiyu worried.

"No!" Tung Xingdao was very sure, "Duke Cheng's family is big and powerful, so he has to consider his family. Zhang Ding, he only has one wife, so he can risk it. But Duke Cheng is impossible, this is already the third generation of Duke Cheng, do you know how big their family is? The continuation of a big family is the most important thing, and when the time comes, someone will naturally teach him and force him to make a choice."

Zhu Qiyu understood.

In fact, a family like the Chengguo Duke's is like a small royal family, and the continuation of the family is the most important thing. Therefore, the Chengguo Duke is easier to control.

"Alas, the emperor has forced us to give up Duke Cheng." Zhu Qiyu sighed, "I don't know how difficult the road ahead will be."

Tung Xingdao spread his hands and smiled: "It's a narrow escape from death!"

Who doesn't risk their lives to achieve great things? He was well prepared, but the King of Qin seemed not to be ready yet and still had unrealistic fantasies.

……

Zhu Qizhen spent the whole day settling accounts with the cabinet ministers and felt very disappointed.

Damn, after all this time, the national treasury may continue to be in deficit next year, and God will protect us from natural disasters. Those generals are still clamoring for war? By then, they won't even be able to pay their salaries.

He returned to Kunning Palace sighing and lying straight on a chair with his eyes blank. The Queen Mother saw him so quiet for the first time. She walked up to him with her long legs and frowned slightly: "What's wrong?"

"Mother, why don't you continue to rule the country from behind the scenes?" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "I can't rule the Ming Dynasty any longer."

The Queen Mother raised her lips slightly, with a smug smile on her beautiful face: "Now you know how difficult it is to be the head of a household, right? Have you seen the tax situation this year?"

"Our expenses are not enough to cover our income." Zhu Qizhen scratched his head.

"If you don't have money, you have to live frugally." The Queen Mother sighed, "You have to live your life."

She sat down in front of Zhu Qizhen, bringing with her a gust of fragrant wind. Zhu Qizhen sobered up a lot after smelling the fragrance, and smiled slyly: "Mother, how much is the annual expenditure of the palace?"

A trace of sadness emerged in the Queen Mother's beautiful eyes. "The palace expenses include many aspects, such as food, cosmetics, firewood, bed curtains, sedan chairs, carpets and other daily necessities, as well as the cost of building palaces, mausoleums and other large projects. If you really count them all, the figures will scare you. However, since I took charge of the harem, the concubines have lived a hard life."

"Can it be a little more frugal?" Zhu Qizhen blinked.

"You go talk to them yourself, they are all your concubines." The Queen Mother said angrily.

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, always reducing expenditure is not a solution. I can't always make my people and my concubines suffer, right? There are so many corrupt officials in the world.

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(End of this chapter)