Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 118: Queen Mother and Duke Yingguo collapsed, and the fake emperor made the granddaughter of Duke Yingguo his concubine
The fifth day of the first lunar month.

According to tradition, the emperor held a palace banquet in the Baohe Hall to entertain his ministers. This was decided before the New Year. The Ministry of Rites was responsible for planning the banquet process, while the Guanglu Temple was responsible for the execution of specific matters, including the arrangement of the banquet and the preparation of dishes.

Not only the emperor entertained his ministers, but the empress dowager also entertained the ministers' wives in Kunning Palace. Those wives would dress up beautifully on this day, because they would be favored by the empress dowager, and if she granted them a marriage, it would be a great joy.

Therefore, the palace was the most lively on this day.

All officials lined up outside the Meridian Gate in advance, and when the drum sounded, the usher led the officials into the palace. Zhu Qizhen, wearing a dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, full of vigor and vitality.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty."

After the officials entered the hall, they lined up in order and performed the three-kneeling and nine-kowtow ceremony to the emperor. Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite today. Eat and drink well."

All officials bowed again and then took their seats. The seats were also very particular, divided into four levels: upper table, upper middle table, middle table, and lower table. Seats and dishes were arranged according to the rank of the official. The dishes on the upper table were the most abundant, including preserved fruits, fried snacks, main dishes, a variety of wines, and horse, beef, and mutton; while the dishes on the lower table were relatively simple.

After they were seated, the dancers from the Jiaofangsi began to dance and play music, and the officials from the Guanglu Temple served dishes and wine one by one according to etiquette procedures.

As the music changed, all officials knew that they should toast the emperor.

Prince Xiang and Prince Qing, as princes in Beijing, dressed in luxurious formal attire, walked out of their seats, holding carefully carved jade cups filled with clear and mellow imperial wine. They walked slowly towards the emperor's throne with respectful expressions. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two bowed deeply to show their supreme respect for the emperor. Then Prince Xiang spoke loudly, his voice was deep and full of sincerity: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has benefited the world. I wish Your Majesty good health and a long reign of the country!"

King Qing then said: "I also wish your majesty a long life, a long-lasting rule, and a peaceful and prosperous country!"

After saying this, the two of them raised their jade cups above their heads and toasted respectfully.

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly, raised his wine glass and sipped it gently. Then he was very pleased, praised the two princes highly, and rewarded them with gold, silver and silk.

Then it was the turn of the dukes and marquises. Duke Cheng held a golden cup filled with fine wine and walked to the emperor. After paying his respects, he said in a loud voice: "I wish your majesty a glorious governance and a powerful military force. I hope our great country will prosper even more under your majesty's rule!"

Then, it was the turn of the cabinet ministers to salute. The cabinet ministers, dressed in court robes, came forward collectively, each holding a silver cup with sparkling wine in it. They sang in unison: "We, your majesty, wish you a long life, wisdom as vast as the sea, and peace for the people and the world!"

Zhu Qizhen looked at his ministers and felt a sense of pride as if he had joined a gang.

Damn, I finally feel like the emperor holding all the power.

……

The Baohe Hall was extremely lively and the Kunning Palace was also full of joy.

The queen mother, dressed in a phoenix robe, was dignified and noble, with a smile on her face, drinking with the wives of the ministers and chatting about family matters. Here, there were no military or national affairs, and the topics among women were nothing more than getting married and having children.

"Queen Dowager, I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not." Princess Xiang said with embarrassment.

She was the most senior and oldest of the women. The Queen Mother naturally had to give her face and smiled slightly: "Princess Xiang, please feel free to speak."

Princess Xiang sighed softly, "Prince Xiang has been sighing from time to time recently, saying that His Majesty only has four princes so far, and needs to continue to expand his family. Queen Mother, His Majesty is still young, so please appoint a few more concubines."

When the Queen Mother heard this, her expression changed slightly.

The queen standing beside her immediately knelt down respectfully and bowed, "Queen Mother, Princess Xiang is right. I am guilty of not being able to give birth to a prince for Your Majesty, and I do not want to become a sinner of the Zhu family."

After she bowed, Concubine Yang An, Concubine Gao Shu and other concubines all knelt down and asked the Queen Mother to appoint another concubine for His Majesty.

The coldness in the depths of the Queen Mother's eyes flashed across her. She felt that this scene must be manipulated by someone behind the scenes, and deliberately proposed in front of this grand banquet. If she did not agree, it would be that she, the Queen Mother, was ignorant. After all, this was for the emperor to have more princes. There is a saying that "princes are the dragon veins of the dynasty", which is a top priority for a dynasty.

"It's time to choose a few more concubines for Your Majesty." The Queen Mother nodded slowly, "I have been too busy in recent years and have neglected it. Princess Xiang is right to suggest it."

Princess Xiang's eyes flashed with brilliance, and she immediately said, "I have a good candidate."

The Queen Mother snorted in her heart, but asked with a smile: "Which girl do you like?"

"She is the granddaughter of the Duke of England. She is virtuous and talented, and is also from a famous family." Princess Xiang said.

There was a hint of coldness in the Queen Mother's eyes.

Sure enough, it was Zhang Jingshu!

……

The Queen Mother frowned slightly and smiled: "Although it is an honor for the minister to be married by the royal family, I heard that the Duke of England particularly loves this granddaughter. I have to ask the Duke of England about this matter first."

Princess Xiang smiled and shook her head, pointing to a dignified woman below and said, "I've already asked. That's Liu, the daughter-in-law of Duke Ying. Queen Mother, please ask her."

Haha, everything is arranged.

The Queen Mother still had a smile on her face and asked Liu, "Is the Duke of Ying willing?"

Mrs. Liu quickly stepped forward, knelt down and said, "He is willing, and my husband is also willing. This is an honor for our family."

The Queen Mother knew that this could not be stopped. She lowered her eyes, pondered for a moment, and laughed loudly, "Very good, this is a great event. I will grant them marriages. Since you have appointed concubines, I will appoint another one. One of my nieces is also dignified and sensible, so I will grant them marriages as well."

"The Queen Mother is wise." Everyone bowed together.

"Everyone, stand up. No need to be polite today." The Queen Mother looked at Princess Xiang and said, "After the marriage is granted, it will be your Majesty's wedding ceremony. Please help Princess Xiang."

Princess Xiang smiled and bowed slightly: "Yes."

The banquet continued. Under the pavilion in the Kunning Palace Garden, two women were chatting happily. One was wearing a light blue dress, elegant and refined, and it was Zhang Jingshu. The other was wearing a light red dress, elegant and beautiful, and she was the niece of the Queen Mother, named Sun Zhenzhen.

"Come to think of it, our names both come from the Book of Songs. A beautiful girl is waiting for me at the corner of the city. I love her but cannot see her, so I scratch my head and hesitate."

"Yes, the peach tree is young and lush with leaves."

The two were laughing when many people came towards them.

"Congratulations, you are all going to be granted marriage."

……

late at night.

After a lot of tossing and turning, Zhu Qizhen and the queen fell asleep in each other's arms. The queen tilted her head back with a blush on her face and smiled charmingly, "Your Majesty, today the Queen Mother agreed to grant the marriage. As you expected, with the cooperation of Princess Xiang, the Queen Mother had no choice but to agree to grant the marriage. However, she also pushed her niece out."

"Her niece? Where did she come from?" Zhu Qizhen frowned.

"The one who just entered the palace today came from the Queen Mother's hometown." The Queen also frowned, "Could it be that the Queen Mother had expected this? It's such a coincidence that her niece came here."

Zhu Qizhen snorted: "It doesn't matter, as long as I marry the granddaughter of Duke Ying, I will be completely bound to Duke Ying."

The queen's eyes were filled with deep affection: "Your Majesty, please don't forget what you promised me."

"Don't worry, you must be the queen." Zhu Qizhen said in a firm tone.

He also had the second half of the sentence in his mind: I will abolish you sooner or later. In his opinion, only by elevating a smart person like Zhang Jingshu to the position of queen can he compete with the queen mother.

The harem will be truly controlled by him as the emperor. Until now, the financial power of the inner treasury is still in the hands of the empress dowager, so he, the emperor, has to ask the empress dowager for permission before he can use money or reward ministers.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother's niece, Sun Zhenzhen, is also a great beauty," said the Queen.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her tightly and smiled: "What I lack the least is beauties. What I lack is beauties who are truly loyal to me."

He leaned close to the queen's ear and whispered a few words. A hint of struggle appeared in the queen's charming eyes, but she still buried her head in the quilt obediently.

……

On the sixth day, the court opens.

The new year officially began. After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen convened the cabinet ministers and the six ministers to hold a small court meeting to discuss the progress of various matters in the new year.

Two points are certain: first, the performance evaluation system will be implemented to assess officials; second, the new policy will be implemented in the three provinces south of the Yangtze River.

Wang Zhi, the chief minister of the cabinet, reported: "The key to the assessment lies in the implementation of the Ministry of Personnel. The Minister of Personnel, Li Xian, is sincere and capable of taking on the responsibility. With the cooperation of our ministers, there should be no major mistakes."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly, because Li Xian was his own.

Wang Zhi frowned and continued, "It will be much more difficult to implement the new policy in Jiangnan. I think we should appoint a governor of Jiangnan, Liangjiang and three provinces to coordinate the overall situation. This person is very important."

After hearing this, the other ministers also nodded.

Zhu Qizhen actually thought so. Jiangnan is a large area, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, which are called the two rivers and three provinces. To implement the new policy, a general governor is needed to control it.

The key is, who to choose?
This candidate must be his confidant, but among his current confidants, there are only a few who have this ability, and their qualifications are not high.

"Your Majesty, I have a candidate." Yu Qian stood up and said.

Everyone's eyes fell on him. Zhu Qizhen urged, "Hurry up and tell me." Yu Qian pointed to Xu Youzhen, the Minister of Finance, who was not far away, and said, "It was Lord Xu. He once went to Yangzhou to raise relief grain. He fought against the gentry in Jiangnan and won. Lord Xu also has the most thorough understanding of the new policy."

Everyone looked strange after hearing this.

Xu Youzhen is already the Minister of Revenue. If he is sent to be the Governor, wouldn't that be a demotion?
"I am willing to go!" Xu Youzhen stood up and bowed.

Zhu Qizhen was also satisfied with his choice, because Xu Youzhen was very familiar with the officialdom and was also very cunning. Moreover, he was the first confidant Zhu Qizhen had after becoming emperor.

Xu Youzhen also understood the emperor's difficulties at the time, so he stood up decisively.

"Okay, then Xu Youzhen will be the governor of Liangjiang and three provinces." Zhu Qizhen laughed loudly, "I will choose another assistant for you, Yu Qian, lend me your Li Bing."

Yu Qian looked very embarrassed: "Ah? Li Bing... your minister..."

Zhu Qizhen glared at him and said, "Li Bing is a steady person, so he should be an inspector and follow Xu Youzhen."

Yu Qian could only bow and say, "I obey your order."

Shang Lu, who had been silent, stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, I have another suggestion. Why not let Ke Qian, the first place winner of the special examination, and Shen Manqing, the third place winner, go with you and serve as the chief clerks of Lord Xu to train the young people."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up: "Accurate!"

Shen Manqing is the son of Shen Yihuan, the richest man in Jiangnan. He is a card that can be used.

……

Prince Qing's Palace.

After Zhu Qiyu came back from court, he went straight to the room in the backyard.

"Your Majesty today appointed Xu Youzhen as the governor of Liangjiang and three provinces to preside over the implementation of the new policy." Zhu Qiyu shook his head and sighed, "Our people in the cabinet now have no say."

After hearing this, Tung Xingdao smiled calmly and said, "The Prime Minister Wang Zhi has already sided with Your Majesty, so the words of other Grand Secretaries are useless."

Zhu Qizhen looked worried: "Jiangnan is the main source of income for our small treasury. I am really worried."

"Your Highness, don't worry too much." Tung Xingdao said with a smile, "The provincial governors, commanders-in-chief, and officials at all levels in the two Jiang and three provinces are all your people."

"To be precise, it was taken over from the Empress Dowager." Zhu Qiyu said.

Tung Xingdao shook his head: "Those who listen to you now, Your Majesty, are your people. Jiangnan is not Henan. The reason why Liu Dingzhi was able to succeed in Henan was mainly because Your Majesty first cleaned up the officialdom in Henan. The Yellow River punishment made those corrupt officials stupid. But now Jiangnan, haha, can be said to be a solid block."

After hearing this, Zhu Qiyu's brows relaxed.

At this time, the butler came in and bowed, "Your Majesty, Shen Yihuan, the richest man in Jiangnan, wants to see you."

"Your Highness, you must make good use of Shen Yihuan." Tung Xingdao spread his hands, "His strength in Jiangnan will surprise you."

Zhu Qiyu smiled and nodded: "The Shen family in Jiangnan is also an old acquaintance. I will go to receive him in person."

……

dusk.

Zhu Qizhen stretched himself lazily and walked into Kunning Palace, shouting as he walked: "Shuangxi, is the food ready? I'm starving..."

"No!" came the Queen Mother's cold voice.

She was watering the flowers, her cold eyes flashed with a cold light, and she snorted: "You have a queen and concubines, why do you always come to my palace to eat?"

Bang!

Zhu Qizhen took out a piece of silver and threw it on the table, spreading his hands and saying, "Is it not enough for me to give you food expenses?"

The Queen Mother rolled her eyes. She was dressed elegantly and gracefully today, with sharp eyebrows. "Okay, Shuangxi, take it! From now on, whenever your Majesty comes to dine, you must pay for it!"

Shuangxi, who was trembling with fear, had no choice but to put the silver away and whispered, "Your Majesty, please sit down, the food will be served soon."

Zhu Qizhen sat down and closed his eyes, doing the eye exercises from his previous life. When he opened his eyes, he saw the empress dowager sitting opposite him, looking at him curiously.

"This is called eye exercises, which can protect your eyes." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and explained.

"Oh." The Queen Mother's eyes were cold. "I have already issued an edict to grant you a marriage. The Duke of Yingguo's granddaughter Zhang Jingshu and my niece Sun Zhenzhen."

Zhu Qizhen said cheerfully: "I will listen to you, mother."

The Queen Mother snorted, "Are you satisfied now?"

Zhu Qizhen looked innocent: "Isn't this all arranged by you, mother? If you are satisfied, I am satisfied."

"I am so satisfied." The Queen Mother stood up and said, "I won't eat anymore. I have no appetite today."

She strode into the bedroom at the back. Zhu Qizhen shrugged and began to eat with big mouthfuls, praising: "Shuangxi, today's dishes are good."

"Shuangxi, come in." The Queen Mother's cold voice came.

Zhu Qizhen finished eating, wiped his mouth, and walked out of Kunning Palace. As soon as he walked out, he ran into a woman and they almost bumped into each other. The woman was wearing a red dress and was bright and beautiful.

"Ah?" The woman exclaimed, then knelt down and bowed, "Your servant Sun Zhenzhen, I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Is this Sun Zhenzhen?

Zhu Qizhen looked her up and down. She had a plump and slim figure, a noble temperament, and was a real beauty!
"Get up."

When he finished speaking, the man had already walked out. Sun Zhenzhen stood up and saw only a tall figure from behind.

……

The days of attending court and reviewing memorials began again.

Zhu Qizhen was already somewhat used to it. The emperor's job was more tiring than that of an ordinary person. He occasionally looked up at the sky outside the Qianqing Palace. It was still gloomy, and the cold wind was whistling past.

"Your Majesty, the King of Qing requests to see you." Cao Jixiang bowed.

"Please come in." Zhu Qizhen put down the pen in his hand.

After a while, Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin, came to the palace and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said with a smile: "Second brother, there were too many people at the last New Year's Eve dinner, and we brothers didn't have a good drink. You came at the right time. Let's have dinner in the Qianqing Palace today, and let's have a few drinks together."

"I obey your order." Zhu Qiyu nodded and smiled.

The two exchanged some official words before Zhu Qiyu got to the point: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a reward to protect a person. This person is a judicial officer in Yangzhou. He was framed by jealous people and thrown into prison. He was taken to the capital's Ministry of Justice."

Zhu Qizhen was curious. How could a mere judicial officer need a prince like you to be their guarantor? He spread his hands and smiled, "Second brother, why don't you just go and do it? Do you need to ask me for a reward?"

"Your Majesty, although I am a prince, I must abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Qiyu said solemnly, "I dare not show favoritism, so I can only ask you, my brother."

Zhu Qizhen nodded: "I agree! If our Ming Dynasty had more princes like you, I would be relieved."

"Thank you, brother." Zhu Qiyu bowed.

"Okay, come on, go and drink with me." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

……

Although it is the beginning of the new year, it is not yet spring. The days are short and it gets dark quickly.

As dusk fell, the lights in Kunning Palace were on. The Queen Mother sat at the dining table, frowning slightly. Shuangxi came in and bowed, "Queen Mother, His Majesty will not come today."

"If you don't want to come, then don't come." The Queen Mother snorted, picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.

The wind outside the window was getting stronger and stronger, like ghosts howling and wolves howling. The Queen Mother ate a few mouthfuls and felt very upset. Shuangxi poured her a bowl of soup and whispered, "Queen Mother, I guess it was because you scolded His Majesty last time, saying that he was old and came to Kunning Palace for dinner, so His Majesty didn't dare to come anymore."

The Queen Mother put down her chopsticks and a complex look flashed in her eyes.

Every time Your Majesty came in the past, the Kunning Palace was always bustling with chaos, but now it was suddenly quiet.

"Empress Dowager, His Majesty's coming to Kunning Palace to accompany you is also a filial act." Shuangxi said.

"How can he be filial? Humph, it's..." She wanted to say that he had evil intentions, but stopped, lowered her head and continued eating.

(End of this chapter)