Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 136 If we don't kill the fake emperor, he will become real, and the people of the world will support him.
Yangzhou, the chief envoy's office.

Ren Chang'an, the governor of Jiangsu, was secretly meeting with Chen Chang, the governor of Zhejiang, and He Changsheng, the governor of Anhui. The three of them were in a secret room, all with frowns on their faces.

"King Qing has written to all of you, right?" Ren Changan took out a letter and placed it on the table. "This is the letter he wrote to me, and it's about the Little Imperial Household Treasury."

Chen Chang also took out a letter and placed it on the table, snorting, "I received it too. When Jiangnan got into trouble, he asked for money so promptly, regardless of whether we lived or died."

He Changsheng also took out a letter and put it on the table, spreading his hands: "I am the youngest here, let me say first, I will definitely not listen to King Qing again. Your Majesty has given us a chance, why don't we take the opportunity to side with Your Majesty? Besides, although the account book was burned in front of us, who knows if a copy has been copied earlier?"

"That means your majesty can control us at any time in the future." Chen Chang said, "However, your majesty follows the way of a sage monarch and will not control us without reason. In fact, he just wants to see how we behave in the future. In this case, I will no longer listen to King Qing."

Ren Changan nodded slowly: "What you said makes sense, and there is another key point. All of us were promoted by the Queen Mother. Now, judging from the situation, the Queen Mother supports Your Majesty, at least supports Your Majesty in implementing the new policy."

"Yes, the Queen Mother went south with Your Majesty to worship their ancestors and traveled around the south of the Yangtze River. This is very telling." Chen Chang said.

Ren Changan glanced at the two of them, his face serious: "We three brothers stand together, and from today on, we will support your majesty. However, we will pretend that we don't know about the matter of the small inner treasury. From now on, we will no longer pay attention to the prince of Qing."

Chen Chang and He Changsheng nodded repeatedly.

……

Governor's Yamen.

Xu Youzhen was assigning tasks. The officials below were very proactive and actively promoted the new policy. After assigning the tasks, he kept Shen Manqing.

"Your Majesty has shown mercy and has not exterminated the three clans of the Shen family." Xu Youzhen sighed softly, "As for you, he has shown mercy and retained you. What do you think?"

Shen Manqing sat there in silence for a long time, then stood up and bowed: "Master Xu, it is definitely not appropriate for me to stay with you. Yangzhou is already a sad place, and I can't lift my spirits. I want to go to Taishan County, Zhejiang Province to serve as the county magistrate. Please recommend me, Master Xu."

"Taishan?" Xu Youzhen was shocked. "The Japanese pirates are causing a lot of trouble over there."

"That's why I want to go." Shen Manqing bowed, "Last time I heard Zhang Lun talk about the rampant Japanese pirates along the coast, I am willing to join the fight against them."

Xu Youzhen praised: "Great! If all the young people of the Ming Dynasty were like you, why would we worry about not being able to revive the country?"

Shen Manqing bowed deeply and walked out.

Xu Youzhen sat down on the chair, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Shen Manqing was the emperor who wanted to spare his life, but if it was his idea, he would have to cut the grass and root it out.

At this time, Jinyiwei Ding Xiu walked in and bowed: "Sir, Ren Changan secretly met with Chen Chang and He Changsheng. I don't know what they talked about."

Xu Youzhen smiled indifferently: "They are all smart people who know how to choose. Now, I can control them at any time. It depends on their performance in implementing the new policy."

Ding Xiu nodded and bowed again: "The matter in Jiangnan is over, I will return to the capital."

"Well, it's time for you to go back. His Majesty needs people around him." Xu Youzhen stood up, looked at Ding Xiu, and said seriously, "His Majesty's situation is still full of dangers. We are the first to follow His Majesty. Our fates have long been connected. Please!"

Ding Xiu spread his hands and smiled: "Master Xu, are you being hypocritical?"

The two looked at each other and laughed.

……

A fleet was sailing slowly on the canal.

Zhu Qizhen stood at the bow of the boat, looking at this ancient canal, feeling quite emotional.

He stared at the calm water, as if he could see the waves of history surging in it. On both sides of the canal, the ancient trees were lush and tall, witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties from ancient times to the present, and also witnessing the prosperity of this canal.

The canal began in the Spring and Autumn Period, when the State of Wu dug the Han Canal to attack the State of Qi, forming the prototype of the canal. In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of Sui dug and opened the canal to the capital Luoyang and connected Zhuo County, making the canal a major artery of north-south transportation. In the Yuan Dynasty, the canal was renovated, abandoning Luoyang and taking it straight to the capital, forming the current canal.

Since Emperor Taizong moved the capital to Shuntian, the canal has become particularly important. Almost all grain transport was carried out through the canal, which ensured the supply of materials to the capital, maintained the stability of the capital, and met the needs of the royal family and officials. The army in the capital and surrounding areas needed a large amount of food and military supplies, and the canal became an important transportation channel for these supplies. Through the canal, the court was able to quickly mobilize supplies to support the front line.

"In recent years, the siltation of the canal has become a big problem." The queen mother came to his side, looked at the river and said, "The court has tried every possible way, but it can't solve the problem completely."

Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said, "This is not the right approach. We just clear the silt when it gets silted up, and then it silts up again. With such a huge cost every year, it can only last for a while."

The Queen Mother glared at him and said, "So many ministers who manage the river have no way to cure it. If you can do it, then do it!"

Zhu Qizhen was amused by her little expression and chuckled, his eyes full of tenderness: "I do have an idea. If we want to cure it completely, we have to treat the Yellow River, the Grand Canal and the Huai River together. We can't just treat the section that is silted up. That won't work even in 10,000 years. The Yellow River, the Huai River and the Grand Canal have formed a water system. They need to be treated as a whole. Only then can the problem be solved in the end."

"It sounds nice, but it's all empty talk." The Queen Mother curled her lips.

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly, glanced at the sky, and said, "I heard that they caught some fresh fish? Then I will eat them while I tell you, the Empress Dowager, about my immature river management strategy."

The Queen Mother rolled her eyes and walked to the bow table and sat down.

……

The setting sun shines on the river, which is extremely beautiful.

Zhu Qizhen and the Queen Mother sat opposite each other, eating fish and drinking a few sips, looking very comfortable. After a while, the Queen Mother raised her head unhappily and said, "Don't just focus on eating, aren't you going to talk about your river management strategy?"

"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen wiped his mouth.

He picked up a pair of chopsticks and placed them parallel to each other on the table. Then, he picked up the kettle and poured water between the chopsticks. The water flowed slowly on the table between the two chopsticks.

The Queen Mother's mature and charming eyes blinked with great confusion: "What do you mean?"

Zhu Qizhen smiled, held the two chopsticks with both hands and slowly moved closer. The water in the middle was squeezed and flowed very quickly in a blink of an eye, dripping along the table.

"This is called restraining water and attacking sand," Zhu Qizhen explained. "Through specific engineering measures, such as building levees and adjusting river channels, the water flow is concentrated and the flow rate is increased, so that the power of the water flow can be used to scour the riverbed and reduce siltation. The river channel becomes deeper, the water flows unimpeded and goes straight to the sea. Coupled with the raised river levees, there is no need to worry about floods."

The Queen Mother stared at the table with her beautiful eyes, and said in surprise: "It sounds like that's the case. Then you should quickly ask the Hedao Yamen to do it."

Zhu Qizhen smiled bitterly and spread his hands: "It's not that easy. We need to control the Yellow River, the Grand Canal and the Huai River to ensure the smooth flow of water transport. It will take at least 30 years to achieve results. I don't even know if I can live another 30 years."

"You can't do it, but there are future emperors!" The Queen Mother stared at him with her cold eyes and said seriously, "This... This is a major event related to the future of China. Let's not worry about personal gains and losses. Just do it, even if it's just a start. This river management strategy must be passed down. Only when the Yellow River is calm can the people live and work in peace and contentment."

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hands and rubbed his face: "Don't you always ask me why?" "You..." The Queen Mother turned her head away, "You just know how to make me angry and hurt me with your words. I'm saying, at worst, I'll die with you in the future, okay?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "We are not children anymore, please don't die, I don't want you to die."

At this time, Shuangxi came up with the fish soup, and both of them lowered their heads.

……

As night fell, lanterns were hung up.

After they finished eating, they sat on the bow of the boat, enjoying the breeze and the night view on the river. After reading for a while, Zhu Qizhen picked up the memorial sent today and began to review it.

Although he was not in the capital, some memorials were still sent to him, requiring him as the emperor to make the decision. Of course, the cabinet gave suggestions.

"We have to pass through Shandong to return to Beijing, right?" the Queen Mother asked suddenly.

"Yes." Zhu Qizhen nodded. "The river governor Wang Lai is over there supervising the repair of the levee. I want to discuss the plan with him again. Before the repair of the Yellow River, he can take a trip along the Yellow River to conduct a field inspection."

The Queen Mother nodded slowly, secretly praising him in her heart. This guy was steady and decisive. In a few years under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty might really be revived.

What a pity.....

"To implement it effectively, we need the cooperation of officials." Zhu Qizhen looked at the memorial in his hand and said, "Grandpa Taizu designed many systems, wishing that the emperor could directly control every place in the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned."

The Queen Mother frowned slightly: "Why do you suddenly feel this way?"

"The three local offices in Shanxi are shirking responsibility again." Zhu Qizhen shook the memorial in his hand and smiled. "During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the prime minister was abolished, and the emperor directly led the six ministries and local provinces. The local governments established the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and the Ministry of Military Affairs, which inherited the civil, judicial, and military powers of the Executive Secretariat respectively."

The queen mother looked puzzled: "Is there a problem with this?"

Zhu Qizhen frowned and said, "Grandpa Taizu originally intended for the three departments to check and balance each other. For example, the Military Command is in charge of the military, but the deputy commissioner of the Censorate also has the responsibility to supervise and take care of the army. However, the Censorate's main job is criminal justice, and the governor is in charge of civil affairs and major cases, and can also participate. In this way, won't the three departments be in internal friction? When encountering major events, the three departments will shirk responsibility and evade. When encountering droughts and floods, various resources need to be deployed in time for disaster relief, and the three departments are afraid of taking responsibility and cannot cooperate. Isn't it just waiting for chaos?"

The Queen Mother was secretly shocked that the fake prince had such a deep understanding of the Ming system.

"What should I do then?" she asked.

"What can we do? We can only appoint a governor and put him in charge of the three officials." Zhu Qizhen was helpless. "But new problems will arise. The governor has too much power. If he colludes with local gentry, it will be troublesome again. It's too difficult for me."

The Queen Mother had a complicated expression on her face and said softly, "You can be a good emperor only if you can think of these things."

A barely perceptible smile flashed across Zhu Qizhen's lips.

This time, I took the Queen Mother out to worship the ancestors and traveled around Jiangnan to show the royal family affection to the people of the world. Damn, it's a show. My previous life gave me a lot of experience and many methods. If there was an Internet, I would take a few photos at every place and spread them out.

……

Capital city, Prince Qing’s Palace.

Zhu Qiyu handed the official report in his hand to Tung Xingdao, his eyes full of murderous intent: "Those incompetent officials in Jiangnan are not coming back to me now. They must have surrendered to the fake emperor."

After reading the contents of the court report, Tung Xingdao's face was solemn: "The fake emperor's trip to worship the ancestors was really a smart move! In this way, the people of the world will not doubt his identity as a fake emperor. Moreover, he also took the empress dowager on a tour of Jiangnan. After this trip, his reputation has greatly increased. The people also saw the deep love between the prince and the empress dowager."

"Bah, bullshit mother-son love." Zhu Qiyu cursed.

"Your Highness, don't be angry. Stay calm." Tung Xingdao sighed. "During this trip to Jiangnan, the fake emperor showed his imperial methods that surprised me. He actually only killed Shen Yihan and didn't kill anyone else. He also subdued the officials in Jiangnan."

Zhu Qiyu sat down with a plop: "My little inner treasury is definitely gone in Jiangnan. Those bastards have all surrendered to the false emperor, and there is no obstacle to the new policy in Jiangnan anymore."

"We lost in Jiangnan." Tung Xingdao's eyes were sharp, "It all depends on the capital."

Zhu Qiyu slammed the table and said, "Find a way to kill him! I can't watch him take over the Zhu family's kingdom."

Tung Xingdao held his forehead with his hand and said, "Your Highness, calm down! Not to mention that we can't kill him, even if we succeed in killing him, the throne won't be yours."

"I am so angry that I am confused." Zhu Qiyu's eyes are blazing with fire, "I just watched that fake emperor step by step, and it is almost coming true!"

Tung Xingdao shook his head: "It's far from the time to admit defeat. You have to know that the Queen Mother will eventually take down the fake emperor. She is not in a hurry, so we have to hide even more."

"I don't know what the Queen Mother is thinking." Zhu Qiyu snorted.

"The Queen Mother is very shrewd!" Tung Xingdao sneered, "She is waiting for her own son to come and reap the fruits created by the false emperor."

……

British government.

Yu Qian came to visit the Duke of England.

Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Fu, personally welcomed him and greeted him warmly: "Little brother Yu Qian, you still remember to come and see me?"

"Hey, you don't look like you're seriously ill." Yu Qian looked him up and down.

How could the Duke of England look like he was seriously ill? He looked very energetic. He spread his hands towards Yu Qian and said, "Isn't it to please His Majesty to pretend to be sick? For you, Yu Qian, I don't need to pretend."

"You old fox!" Yu Qian glared, "What on earth do you want to do? Everything started with you, but you're the best, hiding in the mansion and not saying anything."

The Duke of England put away his joking expression and asked seriously: "Yu Qian, I want to ask you, what do you think?"

Yu Qian spread his hands and said, "I still say the same thing, for the Ming Dynasty, for the people! It's so hard to have an emperor who works wholeheartedly for the people. It's a blessing for us as ministers."

"You uncle!" the Duke of England cursed, "Whose subject are you?"

Yu Qian remained calm and said, "Your Majesty's subject, aren't you?"

(End of this chapter)