Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice
Chapter 137 Queen Mother, Don’t Bite!
Chapter 137 Queen Mother, Don’t Bite!
Shandong, Jining.
The emperor's fleet docked here, and he was going to summon Shandong officials and river officials here.
The dragon boat slowly approached the shore, and Zhu Qizhen was about to walk out of the cabin when he saw the empress dowager coming towards him. She was wearing a lavender dress that outlined her perfect curves, revealing her innate elegance and nobility.
"I will stay here for two days. You and Shuangxi can go into the city for a stroll." Zhu Qizhen said.
"Don't you need my help to support you?" The Queen Mother's eyes flickered.
Zhu Qizhen gently inhaled the subtle fragrance wafting from the empress dowager. It was very light, like the scent of flowers, a smell he liked. He smiled and said, "Are you trying to make trouble for me? No need! Besides, I'm a man, why would I need a woman's help?"
The Queen Mother's deep eyes blinked slightly, and she snorted, "You don't know how to appreciate kindness. Shuangxi, let's go fishing."
She left with double happiness, her figure swaying.
Zhu Qi calmed down for a while, walked out of the cabin, looked up and saw the officials standing on the dock. He took a deep breath, got off the boat, and walked onto the dock.
"Your Majesty, we, the officials, pay our respects to you. Long live Your Majesty." All the officials paid their respects.
"Everyone, stand up." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand. "Let's talk somewhere else. I've gotten tanned on the way here. We're almost in Beijing. If I don't take care of myself, the ladies in the harem won't recognize me when I return."
All the officials laughed in agreement. The emperor was still so kind. Some of them had seen the emperor a month ago, on the Yellow River embankment.
Half an hour later, in the lobby of Jining prefectural government office.
Zhu Qizhen greeted local officials in Shandong and officials from the river government office, and of course made requests. Then, he summoned Shandong Governor Dong Yuchang and River Governor Wang Lai to the inner hall.
……
"Wang Lai, I made a fortune in Jiangnan this time." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and smiled, "However, I am just passing it on. In the end, I will give you the Hedao Yamen."
"Really?" Wang Lai's eyes widened.
Dong Yuchang on the side also couldn't believe it: "As far as I know, Your Majesty, you have earned more than 5 million taels of silver in Jiangnan. Are you really going to give so much money to the river?"
Zhu Qizhen was annoyed: "Hey, I am the emperor, my words are law!"
Bang!
Wang Lai knelt down and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, with these five million taels, we can start the first phase of the Yellow River renovation project. After listening to your Majesty's river management strategy last time, I discussed it carefully with my colleagues in the river department and have come up with a plan. I was just about to present it to your Majesty, but I was worried that I didn't have the money. Now I have the money, that's great, five million taels."
"Wait..." Zhu Qizhen looked embarrassed, "It's four million taels."
"That's not right, Your Majesty. What you just said was five million taels." Wang Lai looked up.
Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand: "Did I say that?"
Dong Yuchang said quickly: "Your Majesty, you said that you are the emperor and your words are law."
Zhu Qizhen: “!!!”
I even promised to transfer one million taels to the inner court, and I have already told the Queen Mother about it. What should I do?
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will spend every penny on the river." Wang Lai patted his chest and said, "If I embezzle a penny, you can kill me."
Dong Yuchang cooperated very well and praised: "Mr. Wang is very generous. This is a military order. Your Majesty, with Mr. Wang's determination, are you afraid that the river cannot be controlled? Your Majesty, you have to help him!"
Zhu Qizhen glanced at the two of them.
Damn it, you two are teaming up to cheat me out of my money, right?
"Okay, I said five million taels, that's it." Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice, "It will take decades to tame the river, and I dare not promise you anything now, but I will work with you to tame the river."
He was feeling depressed, knowing that the Queen Mother would get mad when he returned.
……
Wang Lai excitedly handed over the river management strategy that their river management office had discussed. Zhu Qizhen read it carefully and discussed it with him again. In fact, he did not know how to manage the river, but he had to understand the plan thoroughly to avoid being deceived.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. The river management office understood the principle of "restraining water and attacking sand", and Zhu Qizhen believed that they would come up with a good plan.
After discussing the river management, Zhu Qizhen's eyes fell on Dong Yuchang and he said with a smile: "Dong Yuchang, you have also seen my determination. You Shandong can't be so stingy, right?"
"Your Majesty is determined to tame the river, and Shandong will support us even if we sell everything we have." Dong Yuchang chuckled, "But please give me some time. I have seen the implementation of the new policy in Henan and Jiangnan, and I have decided to start implementing the new policy in Shandong as well. If we raise the taxes on the gentry, won't we have money?"
Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "You think it's quite clear. I remind you that the implementation of the new policy will be difficult."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Dong Yuchang said firmly, "Henan and Jiangnan have already implemented it, so Shandong will surely be able to do the same. I have been here for a few years and have some understanding. If the people below dare to pretend to obey but secretly disobey, don't blame me for being rude."
Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied: "Go ahead and communicate with Xu Youzhen and Liu Dingzhi. They will tell you what they have learned."
Dong Yuchang kowtowed in gratitude, which showed that the Emperor trusted him and was not afraid of officials like them having private connections.
"That's all for today." Zhu Qizhen looked at Wang Lai and said, "Tomorrow I will have another meeting with you river officials. I will give you the royal flag in public to show my support."
Wang Lai was overjoyed and kowtowed again: "I thank your majesty for your great grace."
……
It was already dusk when we returned to the boat.
As soon as I got on the boat, I saw the Queen Mother standing at the bow, facing the wind, her black hair flowing in the wind like a waterfall, her clothes fluttering, like a fairy.
"You're back?" The Queen Mother greeted him when she saw him. "It's just right. It's time to eat. The fish we're eating today were caught by me myself."
Zhu Qizhen was stunned, and looked him up and down, with an expression that said, "I don't believe you." The Queen Mother saw his expression and instantly became angry. She put her hands on her waist and said angrily, "You don't believe it? Then ask Shuangxi if I caught it myself."
"I believe it, I believe it." Zhu Qizhen said with a perfunctory smile.
"You just don't believe it, right?" The empress dowager's beautiful face turned red with anger.
Zhu Qizhen stepped forward, took her arm, and said with a smile: "I believe it, I really believe it. Uh, I also have something to tell you, you should believe it too, right?"
"What?" The Queen Mother looked alert.
"The one million taels of silver that I was going to give to the inner court are gone. I gave them all to the river." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands. "It's all Dong Yuchang and Wang Lai's fault. These two guys teamed up to frame me. I had no choice but to give them to him."
The Queen Mother heard this but did not lose her temper. Instead, she raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said softly, "Actually, you don't have to explain this to me."
"How can you not explain? We are a family." Zhu Qizhen said.
"Well, I forgive you then." The Queen Mother said with a smile, "I am not the kind of unreasonable woman. You spent your money in the right way, why should I be angry?"
After saying that, she always felt something was wrong.
Zhu Qizhen was relieved when he heard this: "That's good. Let's go and eat the fish you caught yourself. There won't be a single drop left."
A smile appeared on the Queen Mother's stunningly beautiful face.
……
The next day.
Zhu Qizhen invited more than 20 river officials to board the dragon boat to discuss their proposed river management plans. After listening to the explanations of the river officials, Zhu Qizhen found that there were still many things he did not understand.
The Yellow River originates from the Xingxiu Lake, flows through the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi and Gansu, and flows through nine provinces with turbulent waves. The conditions in each place are different.
Take Shandong for example. The Yellow River in Shandong has significant river characteristics. Its river course gradient is steep at the top and gentle at the bottom. Its sediment transport capacity is large at the top and small at the bottom. Sediment accumulates along the way, and the riverbed is silted up year by year, forming a suspended river on the ground. In addition, the flood characteristics of the Yellow River in Shandong are also relatively complex. According to the different periods of occurrence, it is divided into four flood seasons: Tao, Fu, Qiu, and Ling.
The peach blossom flood occurs from March to April every year, when peach blossoms are in full bloom. The melting of ice and snow in the upper and middle reaches forms a flood peak; the summer flood occurs from July to August every year, when heavy rains are concentrated, and is formed by heavy rains. The flood occurs in a short time, has a high sand content, and a large amount of water, which is easy to form a major flood; the autumn flood occurs from September to October every year, and is also formed by heavy rains. The autumn flood is connected with the summer flood time, and is generally known as the "summer and autumn flood". This period is also the season when heavy rains and floods occur frequently; the ice flood occurs from December to February of the following year, when the river freezes and thaws, ice blocks the river, forming an ice flood. Another notable feature of the ice flood is that the flow increases along the way, because after the river freezes, a part of the upstream water is intercepted and stored, which increases the water storage capacity of the riverbed. When the river thaws and opens, this part of the water is released sharply, forming an ice peak flood.
"It's been a mess for the whole year." Zhu Qizhen frowned.
"It's said that our river management office is not busy." Wang Lai's voice suddenly choked up, "Last year, more than a dozen river management officials were washed away by floods, and their bodies were never found."
Zhu Qizhen glanced over and saw that although these men were dressed in official uniforms, their faces were full of vicissitudes of life. He praised: "It is a blessing for the people to have you in the river."
Wang Lai smiled bitterly, looked at his colleagues behind him, and said, "You traveled thousands of miles to be an official for food and clothing. You follow me, Wang Lai, not only can you not make any money, but you are also exhausted. If you do a good job, others can't see it, but if something goes wrong, you still have to take responsibility."
One of the young officials stood up and bowed: "The previous river governors were all bastards, and we can only muddle through. Mr. Wang, you are not here to manage the river, you are here to fight for your life. Then we have nothing to say, we will follow you. All of us have more or less connections with the river. Haha, my family was washed away by the flood, and my mother and sister were washed away with it. I want to fix the river more than anyone else."
"Yes, I grew up by the Yellow River, and I don't believe that we can't cure it." Someone stood up and said.
Zhu Qizhen nodded repeatedly, looked at them and said: "It is said that there are five difficulties in river management: personnel difficulties, direction difficulties, persistence difficulties, financial difficulties, and people's difficulties. I dare not promise you anything now, but river management is my national policy. If you encounter any difficulties, I will solve them with you."
Wang Lai grinned and said, "Your Majesty, if you make a promise right away, I will be afraid! As long as I am here, I will accompany Your Majesty until the day when the Yellow River is calm."
"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen raised his teacup, "I'll use tea instead of wine to toast you."
……
Spent three days in Jining.
Zhu Qizhen decided to return to Beijing by land, after all, he was not far from the capital.
He rode for a while and then went to rest in the Queen Mother's carriage. The Queen Mother was used to it, so she held a book in her hands, glanced at him, and continued reading.
"I have brought trouble upon myself." Zhu Qizhen sighed. "I made big promises to the river officials about their plan. When I return, I don't know whether the cabinet ministers will agree to it."
The Queen Mother slowly raised her beautiful eyes and said, "You are the Emperor, and in the end, aren't you the one who makes the final decision?"
Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand: "After all, it is a national policy. How can we implement it without the sincere support of the cabinet and the six ministries? Besides, the span of river management is long, at least 30 years, and it costs money every year."
"You worry about it yourself. I can't help you." A smile flashed across the empress dowager's lips.
"Why do I feel like you are gloating?" Zhu Qizhen glared.
The Queen Mother suppressed her laughter and waved her hands repeatedly: "Really not!"
Zhu Qizhen was not in a good mood, so he leaned against the wall of the carriage and started to do eye exercises. Seeing his sad face, the Queen Mother said, "I want to learn how to ride a horse. I feel bored sitting in a carriage all day."
"Okay, I'll teach you." Zhu Qizhen opened his eyes.
Soon, Zhu Qizhen led a horse and took the empress dowager to a lawn. He first helped the empress dowager onto the horse, and then he climbed on. The two rode on the same horse.
Zhu Qizhen sat behind the empress dowager, looking at her perfect back curve, lost in thought for a moment. He put his hands through her waist, holding the reins, and clearly felt the empress dowager's body tremble slightly.
The Queen Mother bit her lips lightly, with a hint of shame and anger in her eyes, and her heart was beating fast.
"Keep your back straight and hold the reins tightly." Zhu Qizhen whispered in her ear.
The Empress Dowager was in a state of confusion and held the reins tightly, but Zhu Qizhen held her hand and taught her how to control the reins.
"Hold with both hands, control the direction left and right."
The horse had already run forward, but not very fast. The Queen Mother gradually calmed down, she felt that Zhu Qizhen was really teaching her how to ride a horse, and did not make any extra moves.
"Pull this way, pull this way, why are you so stupid? Hold on tight." Zhu Qizhen let go and let the empress dowager control the reins herself.
The horse suddenly accelerated and galloped away.
Zhu Qizhen immediately hugged the empress dowager's waist, leaned on her back, smelled the fragrance of her hair, and felt a little confused and infatuated for a moment.
The Queen Mother learned quickly, controlled the horse, and said in a very cold tone: "Let go of your hand!"
During this period, she was sometimes cold and sometimes enthusiastic, which made Zhu Qizhen a little annoyed. At this time, he suddenly became a little excited. He reached out and grasped the empress dowager's shoulders, and directly turned her body over. He stared at her angrily and asked, "You asked me to teach you how to ride a horse, and you are so cold."
The empress dowager's beautiful face was very close, her eyes were elegant and cold, her red lips were shiny in the sun, and a few strands of hair fell on her white neck, making her look mature and charming.
"That's because you... are not honest." The Queen Mother lowered her head.
"Okay, I'll let Shuangxi teach you." Zhu Qizhen snorted.
The Queen Mother suddenly raised her head and bit his shoulder. Zhu Qizhen felt the pain and almost cried out, but he held back and let her bite him.
After a while, the Queen Mother raised her head, tears on her beautiful face, and she pushed Zhu Qizhen away: "Get out, you only know how to bully me!"
Zhu Qizhen sat on the grass with a smile on his lips.
……
Beijing.
Shi Biao, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, listens to the report from his subordinates.
"Sir, a few more old soldiers from the Guanxi Seven Guards came to visit the Duke of England. They brought some local specialties, nothing special. The Duke of England was very happy to see them. He drank a bowl of wine and slept for three days." The Jinyiwei couldn't help laughing.
Shi Biao glared at him and said, "What's so funny? He's old. When Duke Ying was in Guanxi, he fought against Eastern Chagatai together with the Seven Guards and won the respect of the Seven Guards. It's normal for some old comrades to come and see him."
"I was worried that he would drink himself to death." The Jinyiwei continued, "This morning, the Duke of Ying personally sent those old soldiers to the city gate. He was really reluctant to leave."
Shi Biao frowned: "Have you checked? Did those people take anything away?"
The Jinyiwei shook his head: "Who dares? The old Duke is holding a knife. If you search his old comrades, he won't cut them with the knife."
"Forget it, just a few old guys, it shouldn't be a big deal." Shi Biao waved his hand.
He rubbed his eyebrows and waved his hand to let his subordinates withdraw. His Majesty will be returning to the capital soon, and he has to make some arrangements.
"Ding Xiu, when did you come back?" He was about to go out when he saw Ding Xiu rushing in.
"Where is His Majesty?" Ding Xiu did not answer him but asked anxiously.
Shi Biao pointed to the spy report on the table and said, "We are almost in Jinan. What's going on?"
"It's an important matter. I need to go see His Majesty." Ding Xiu turned and left.
Shi Biao was a little confused.
I am the commander of the Jinyiwei, what's your attitude? Is the fourth young master of the Yu family so great?
……
It started to rain.
Zhu Qizhen ordered to speed up and enter the city of Jinan as soon as possible. After giving the order, he got into the carriage of the empress dowager, who was sitting there, cold as ice.
"Are you still angry? It's been a few days." Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes, "Why are you still like a child? Are you going to stop talking from now on?"
There was a hint of anger in the Queen Mother's beautiful eyes: "Please keep your distance."
Zhu Qizhen snorted, and then he came over, resting his head on her legs, and raised his eyebrows: "You can yell!"
The Queen Mother was so angry that she stretched out her hands to grab him. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't control myself. I thought that we didn't have much time to spend together like this, so... I'm sorry, okay?"
"Hmph!" The Queen Mother stopped.
Zhu Qizhen reached out and grabbed her falling hair, sniffed it, and said, "I'll leave after a short rest. We'll be in Jinan soon, and the journey won't take many days."
"You're playing rogue." The Queen Mother picked up the fan and fanned gently.
Zhu Qizhen fell asleep quickly. It was indeed easy for him to fall asleep here. The Queen Mother looked at Zhu Qizhen, who had lost a lot of weight, and reached out to touch his face, but stopped.
She sighed quietly, hoping that the journey would not end so soon. After returning to Beijing, perhaps only intrigue and deception would remain.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your servant Ding Xiu requests to see Your Majesty."
Not long after, there was a shout outside the car. Zhu Qizhen sat up suddenly and said to the empress dowager: "It may be urgent. You take a rest."
He got out of the carriage and the rain had stopped outside.
Ding Xiu, who looked exhausted, stood not far away on horseback and bowed to him: "Your Majesty, urgent news from the northwest."
Zhu Qizhen winked at him and rode his horse aside. He asked, "What's going on? Aren't you in Jiangnan?"
"The matter in Jiangnan has been resolved, and Lord Xu asked me to return to Beijing." Ding Xiu explained, "After I returned to Beijing, I received a secret report from the northwest. Your Majesty, you know that I have been responsible for secretly monitoring the northwest, and there is a big situation there."
Zhu Qizhen took the intelligence report, scanned it quickly, and his expression changed drastically: "Is this... true?"
"Among the Seven Guards of Guanxi, there are also spies that I don't have. It must be true." Ding Xiu said.
"They actually went to Guanxi!" Zhu Qizhen sneered, "No wonder there's no news of them in Mobei."
Ding Xiu bowed: "Your Majesty, do you want to send out the army?"
Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "You continue to investigate, don't act rashly. Report the news from Guanxi directly to me in the future."
"Yes, sir." Ding Xiu nodded.
……
The caravan entered Jinan city and stayed in the post station.
Of course, Zhu Qizhen met with some officials from Jinan as usual, spoke some official language, and asked them to cooperate with the governor to implement the new policy, etc.
After finishing all these, he came to have dinner with the Queen Mother.
"I feel a little tired recently. Can we stay in Jinan for a few more days?" the Queen Mother asked with her head down.
Zhu Qizhen said nervously, "I'll ask the imperial physician to come and take a look."
The Queen Mother then raised her head and glared, "No need, I just need to rest more."
Zhu Qizhen seemed to have guessed that the Queen Mother wanted to stay for a few more days. He nodded with a smile: "Of course you can stay for a few more days. I also need to summon local officials to discuss politics."
The Queen Mother smiled and continued to eat elegantly.
Zhu Qizhen pretended to ask casually while eating: "Empress Dowager, when the late emperor formed an alliance with the Seven Guards of Guanxi, was there a written alliance? Is it kept by you?"
"Why are you asking this suddenly?" The Queen Mother's eyes instantly became alert.
"Oh, I heard from the soldiers that accompanied us how the late emperor conquered the northwest and personally conquered the northern desert. I admire him very much." Zhu Qizhen took a sip of soup and said, "I really didn't know there was a covenant."
The Queen Mother lowered her eyes and said calmly, "The letter of alliance is not in my hands, and I don't know where it is."
"Ah?" Zhu Qizhen pretended to be shocked, "The late emperor didn't trust you that much."
The Queen Mother said in a cold voice: "Emperor, don't believe anyone! Also, can you please not mention the late emperor in front of me in the future?"
"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen agreed readily.
He smiled and served the Queen Mother a bowl of soup, saying, "Drink some soup at night, it's good for your skin."
The Queen Mother curled her lips and a faint smile returned to her face.
Zhu Qizhen himself was holding a bowl of soup and sipping it, but his brain was working rapidly.
Because the intelligence sent by Ding Xiu said that Zhu Qizhen from Mobei had fled to Dunhuang City, which belonged to Shazhou Wei, and their leader Yahansha received them.
The Zhengtong Emperor arrived in Dunhuang, so there must be something going on.
"Alazhiyuan is also a waste. He did not kill the legitimate emperor in Mobei." He cursed in his heart.
The Queen Mother saw him deep in thought and raised her eyes to ask, "What are you thinking about? Did something happen in the northwest?"
Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "The northwest is very stable, and the northern desert is also peaceful. I hope it can be stable for a few more years, giving me time to develop the Ming Dynasty internally."
The Queen Mother frowned and said, "You should be prepared for danger in times of peace. The barbarians in Mobei might suddenly move south."
Zhu Qizhen put down the soup bowl and nodded: "This time when I return to Beijing, I have to discuss with Yu Qian about training new soldiers!"
(End of this chapter)
You'll Also Like
-
In Konoha: My canned food shop is very popular in the ninja world
Chapter 233 12 hours ago -
Douluo: When Tang Wulin Met Little Huo Niang
Chapter 608 12 hours ago -
The Void Emperor was resurrected at the beginning, and the Supremes were annoyed
Chapter 381 12 hours ago -
My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia
Chapter 174 12 hours ago -
Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality
Chapter 344 12 hours ago -
How does ordering someone to play with you become your girlfriend?
Chapter 223 12 hours ago -
I use myths to create immortality
Chapter 162 12 hours ago -
Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!
Chapter 402 12 hours ago -
Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice
Chapter 343 12 hours ago -
The story of Rose starts with being a brother
Chapter 358 12 hours ago