Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 141 The Queen Mother was frightened: The fake emperor cannot make a woman pregnant

The night is getting dark.

Zhu Qizhen lay straight on the couch like a big boss. Tonight he decided to be passive throughout the whole process.

The virtuous concubine beside him was wearing an undergarment made of gauze and several pieces of cloth. Her fair skin looked even more delicate and smooth against the white gauze. Zhu Qizhen tilted his head slightly and pursed his lips, giving people a feeling of being forced and helpless.

"Your Majesty, please don't have that expression."

The virtuous concubine came close to him. Although she was wearing a cool gauze, her skin was still delicate. Her black hair flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall and scattered on his chest, with a faint fragrance. Her beautiful and delicate face came close to his face, and her soft hands gently lifted his cheeks, turning his face to the right side, and her breath was as fragrant as orchid.

"Sister, please let me go." Zhu Qizhen pretended to be afraid.

"How annoying." A hint of shyness and charm flashed in Concubine Xian's eyes, and then she pursed her lips, making her look even more charming.

Half an hour later.

The virtuous concubine nestled lazily in Zhu Qizhen's arms, her jade-like back charming.

"Your Majesty." She sighed softly, "I have been in the palace for several months, but I have not been able to conceive a dragon seed. I am worried."

Zhu Qizhen stroked her soft hair and frowned.

It was strange. I had favored many concubines in the harem, but none of them got pregnant. What the hell, was there something wrong with me? It couldn't be that they had a problem. Besides, Concubine Zhou had a child.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Zhu Qizhen suddenly became nervous.

Xian Fei raised her head slightly, and under her messy hair, her beautiful face showed the same worry: "How about asking the imperial physician to take a look?"

"This is a bit embarrassing." Zhu Qizhen blinked.

"You are His Majesty, who dares to say anything bad about you?" Concubine Xian glared.

She was also anxious. His Majesty came to her most often and hoped that she would give birth to a prince so that he could be promoted to queen in the future.

……

Kunning Palace.

After the Queen Mother stopped ruling the country from behind the curtain, she rarely summoned ministers. However, today she summoned the Minister of Works Gao Gu and asked him what the emperor had made.

Gao Gu was also an old official, upright and honest, and a gentleman. He was actually a little excited: "Your Majesty, what your majesty has made is called concrete, which can benefit the world forever..."

He spoke a lot, and the Queen Mother listened with a gleam in her beautiful eyes: "This thing is so stable, can't it be used in many places? Houses, roads and bridges, river dams, etc.?"

"Yes, your majesty is simply a god." Gao Gu said, "After inspecting the Yellow River, he felt that a more stable material was needed, so he tried to make it. Now the Ministry of Industry is continuing to test it according to the principles provided by your majesty. It won't be long before it can be used on a large scale."

"Very good, then you will do as His Majesty wishes." She waved her hand.

Gao Gu retreated. It was obvious that this Shangshu was also impressed by the emperor.

The Queen Mother supported her head with one hand, frowning in thought.

This pseudo-emperor knows too much. He has proposed new policies in government affairs and a core plan for river management to control water and attack sand. Now he has also made some concrete moves.

The ministers of the dynasty and the people of the world are increasingly supporting him!
"Empress Dowager, Concubine De requests to see you." Shuangxi came to report.

"Please." The Queen Mother regained her composure.

Defei Sun Zhenzhen was her niece, so she was naturally close to her. After paying her respects, Sun Zhenzhen sat next to the empress dowager and talked about some things in the harem.

"While I am away, Consort Xian has been in charge of the harem for me, and she is very organized." The Queen Mother said calmly, "She has some talent, but she is also very ambitious."

Sun Zhenzhen pursed her red lips and said, "The virtuous concubine is very close to the sisters, which is great."

The Queen Mother glared at her unhappily and said, "You will definitely not be her match in the future. Without me, you will definitely not be able to become the Queen."

Sun Zhenzhen held the Queen Mother's arm and said affectionately, "The Queen has not been deposed yet. Besides, the main reason for deposing the Queen is that she has no children. But...but Concubine Xian and I haven't conceived a dragon seed, and neither have the other concubines."

When the Queen Mother heard this, she paused.

Yes, it has been almost three years and the fake emperor has not been able to make a concubine pregnant. There must be something wrong.

……

Zhu Qizhen has been a little uneasy these past two days, and a question always pops up in his mind: Is there something wrong with me?
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is calling you." Cao Jixiang came to report.

"Summoning you now?" Zhu Qizhen frowned. "What happened?"

Cao Jixiang bowed and said, "I heard that the Imperial Hospital Director Tan Fu is also here. Could it be that the Queen Mother is ill?"

Zhu Qizhen immediately stood up and hurried to Kunning Palace. After entering, he saw the empress dowager sitting there in good health, chatting and laughing with the court envoy Tan Fu. How could she be sick?
"Your Majesty is here." The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "The envoy from the Tan Court is here to check my pulse. You should come as well. You caught a cold in Jinan last time. Don't let it cause you any chronic illness."

Zhu Qizhen ignored himself and asked the envoy of the Tan Yuan anxiously: "Is the Queen Mother sick?"

The envoy Tan Yuan shook his head and said, "The Empress Dowager is in good health and is much better than before."

Zhu Qizhen breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that he cared so much about her, the Queen Mother smiled. The envoy of the Tan Court stretched out his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I will feel your pulse."

"Okay." Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand.

The envoy of the Tan Court felt his pulse, and after a while, his face changed slightly. He asked the emperor to change his hand, and felt it for a while, and stared at the emperor for a long time.

"What are you looking at? Am I sick?" Zhu Qizhen felt uneasy.

"Oh, no, Your Majesty is in good health." Tan Yuanshi said hurriedly.

Zhu Qizhen stared speechlessly: "Then you took so long? Doctors are scary when they see people, don't you know that?"

The envoy of the Tan Yuan hurriedly bowed and said, "I know my crime. I saw that Your Majesty was in good health, and I was curious about how you trained. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is just trying to scare you." The Queen Mother raised her hand and her eyes fell on Zhu Qizhen. "It's okay, go and do your thing."

Zhu Qizhen felt warm in his heart, knowing that the empress dowager was worried about his health.

After he left Kunning Palace, he hurried to Wenhua Palace and met with the cabinet ministers to discuss something. Cao Jixiang followed him and said, "The envoy is an old man from the Imperial Hospital, who is deeply trusted by the Queen Mother. He recently had a granddaughter, and the Queen Mother even gave her a special reward."

"Be nice to the doctor. That's what I should do." Zhu Qizhen smiled.

"The empress dowager also gave her granddaughter a name, Tan Yunxian," said Cao Jixiang.

Zhu Qizhen was stunned.

Damn, the Legend of the Imperial Doctress? Tan Yunxian is a rare female doctor in history. Of course, the TV series is all made up, and Tan Yunxian and Zhu Qizhen have no connection at all.

However, this timeline is not right, right? Tan Yunxian was just born? Or was she given the name by the Empress Dowager? As expected, the Ming Dynasty has deviated from the normal historical track.

……

Kunning Palace.

After Zhu Qizhen left, the empress dowager dismissed everyone and only left the Tan Yuanshi.

"Tan Yuanshi, tell me, is His Majesty ill?" the Queen Mother asked in a deep voice.

She believed in Dean Tan, because he was not only a skilled doctor, but also specialized in Taoist health preservation and had a unique and profound understanding of medicine and Taoism.

The Minister of the Court pondered for a while and said, "Strange, very strange! Your Majesty is in good health, but there are some problems with his spirit. In the words of Taoism, a person has three souls and seven spirits, and one of your Majesty's souls is somewhat repelled from his body."

The Queen Mother was stunned and looked coldly: "Does this have anything to do with his infertility?"

"Have!"

The envoy Tan Yuan gave a positive answer and continued, "Men pass on their family line through their essence, which is the essence of the male body. Your Majesty has a problem with his soul, which has caused the essence to be disordered, so he cannot let women get pregnant."

Queen Mother: “???”

She seemed to understand, but she felt that she didn't really understand, so she asked directly: "Is there a way to cure it?"

"It can't be cured with medicine." Tan Yuanshi frowned, "The main thing is to find out the reason why your majesty has a problem with his soul. According to my observation, your majesty's three souls should have problems after Tumu Fort. But I can't figure it out. The soul cannot reject the body, unless it is not your majesty's soul. But, that is impossible. Soul parasitism is extremely strict in Taoism. Unless the original body of the soul is extremely similar to the current host body. Is it possible that your majesty lost a soul in Tumu Fort and happened to be parasitized by a suitable soul? Where did the lost soul go? No, no, no, this is impossible. It's too unbelievable."

Queen Mother: “!!!”

Old man, if you want to study medicine, just study medicine. Why do you have to study Taoism? What nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand you at all. You'd better not practice Taoism in the future. It will affect your medical skills.

"Will that affect your majesty's health?" the Queen Mother asked finally.

"Oh, that won't happen!" Tan Yuanshi said with certainty, "It's just a little rejection, it won't have any effect on your majesty's health. But it will be difficult to pass on the family line!"

The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "It's alright, you can go down. I know about this matter, so don't spread it out. Do you understand?"

The envoy of the Tan Yuan bowed respectfully: "I understand!"

The Queen Mother watched him leave with a smile on her face, thinking to herself, "That guy can't make a woman pregnant. This is good. No new prince will be born in the harem, and the Zhu family's bloodline will not be disturbed."

……

Prince Qing's Palace.

Zhu Qiyu and Tung Xingdao were strolling in the garden, both with solemn expressions.

"The Queen Mother did not give a direct reply, but she said that she would ensure that the prince would continue to stay in the capital." Zhu Qiyu frowned, "Military Advisor, you are right, she is waiting for her son to come and reap the fruits of the pseudo-emperor."

Tung Xingdao seemed to be thinking about something, and sighed: "The Queen Mother's reaction is within my expectations. But, what does Yu Qian think? He had a preliminary agreement with us before."

Zhu Qiyu snorted coldly, with murderous intent flashing in his eyes: "Yu Qian, he deserves to die! If he hadn't been supporting the false emperor, would our Ming Dynasty be where it is today? He holds military power."

"Your Highness, don't be angry." Tung Xingdao smiled. "Emperor Xuanzong was right about Yu Qian. He is loyal not to the Zhu family but to the whole world. I just hope he still remembers the kindness Emperor Xuanzong showed him. Yu Qian is not an ungrateful person."

Zhu Qiyu nodded slowly.

Tung Xingdao pondered for a while and continued: "Prince, the most important thing right now is to find the legitimate emperor. I find it a little strange. The most anxious person about the disappearance of the legitimate emperor should be the empress dowager, because that is her own son. But the empress dowager was only anxious at the beginning, why is she not anxious now?" "Unless she already knows where my royal brother is." Zhu Qiyu blurted out.

"It's very likely!" A cold light flashed in Tung Xingdao's eyes, "That means the Queen Mother is using other allies besides you, Your Highness."

Zhu Qiyu looked angry: "This woman is amazing!"

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen was listening to the report from Shi Biao, the commander of the Jinyiwei: "Your Majesty, news came from the northwest that the fake emperor summoned the seven guards of Guanxi and received their approval."

"Is it recognized just like that?" Zhu Qizhen was shocked.

"Because the fake emperor has the imperial seal and the covenant." Shi Biao frowned, "Your Majesty, the seven guards of Guanxi may cause trouble with the fake emperor. We have to be on guard."

Zhu Qizhen was secretly shocked.

He was not surprised that the imperial seal was with the orthodox emperor. But the covenant was also with the orthodox emperor? No wonder the empress dowager said she didn't know where the covenant was. The orthodox emperor had the imperial seal. If he announced to the world that he was the real emperor one day, it would be difficult to deal with.

"Your Majesty!" Shi Biao suddenly knelt down and bowed, "Please do not be influenced by that fake emperor. No one in the court or the people of the world will believe him, even if he has the imperial seal. For example, I, Shi Biao, only recognize you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen understood what he meant and raised his hand with a smile: "Of course I understand!"

Shi Biao stood up, took a few steps closer, and lowered his voice and asked, "Do you want me to send someone to kill that fake emperor?"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy!" Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly.

Shi Biao's eyes were firm: "I will give it a try! Your Majesty, you should think of other ways at the same time. The Seven Guards of Guanxi are actually just a few small tribes. If they really want to make trouble, they won't do it so quickly."

Zhu Qizhen nodded thoughtfully.

Strike first and gain the upper hand. Summon the leaders of the seven guards of Guanxi to Beijing? They will probably have various reasons not to come.

Then divide them! The internal structure of the Seven Guards of Guanxi is also very complicated, with Mongolians, Tibetans, Hui people, Sari Uighurs, etc.

I will appoint him a few more leaders and let them fight among themselves.

"Yang Guifang." he called out.

After shouting, he remembered that Yang Guifang had already gone to Yu Qian's army. He shook his head helplessly and shouted, "Cao Jixiang, go and call Ke Qian."

Ke Qian was the first place winner of the special examination, and was originally in Jiangnan to assist Xu Youzhen. Or maybe Xu Youzhen was sensible, because when he knew that Yang Guifang had gone to the army, he asked Ke Qian to return to Beijing. In fact, he was just giving the emperor a young man who was available and reliable.

Not long after, Ke Qian went to the palace.

"Ke Qian, you have done a great job in your mission in Jiangnan this time, but I have not yet rewarded you." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "Well, I will appoint you as the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, and you will help me draft imperial edicts in the future."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Ke Qian kowtowed in surprise.

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand to let him stand up, and said: "Draft an edict. I want to summon several leaders of the northwestern tribes to the capital. I want to reward them."

……

After the imperial edict was drafted, Ke Qian arranged for someone to go to the northwest to convey the edict.

Zhu Qizhen sat on the throne with his eyes closed in deep thought. At this time, Li Xian, the Minister of Rites, asked to see him. The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the six ministries, and Li Xian was recently busy promoting the performance evaluation system.

Li Xian, like Xu Youzhen, supported Zhu Qizhen in the early days and could be said to be a trusted minister. Zhu Qizhen spoke to his own people in a much more relaxed tone: "You've been busy lately, haven't you?"

"It's all my responsibility." Li Xian bowed, "Since the implementation of the performance evaluation system, the atmosphere in the court and the country has been completely changed."

Next, he began to report the specific progress of the implementation. Zhu Qizhen was quite satisfied with what he heard. From the court to the local level, everyone was moving.

After Li Xian finished his report, he seemed to be hesitant to speak. Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and smiled: "Is there anything else? I can't eat, I have to accompany the Queen Mother for dinner."

"Your Majesty!" Li Xian's expression was serious. "I think that the Prince of Qing should go to his fiefdom. The prince's fiefdom is a vassal state, which is the ancestral system established by Taizu."

Someone finally brought up this matter.

Zhu Qizhen had recently been thinking about driving Zhu Qiyu out of the capital and sending him to a vassal state. He frowned and said, "But this matter cannot be brought up. You are my man, and the ministers think I want to drive my brother away."

"I have a candidate," Li Xian said, "The Minister of Rites, Hu Yi."

Zhu Qizhen agreed very much, because it was against the etiquette and law for the prince not to go to the vassal state, and Hu Yi could indeed manage it. He frowned and said, "But will Hu Yi stand up and say it?"

"Your Majesty, leave this matter to me." Li Xian was very confident.

"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen nodded.

If you have a few capable people around you, things will go smoothly.

……

The next day, morning.

Minister of Rites Hu Yi stepped forward and reported:
"Your Highness Prince of Qing has been educated by the royal family since childhood. You are both talented and virtuous. You should have been enfeoffed as a vassal state to carry on the aspirations of your ancestors and consolidate the foundation of the royal family. According to the established system of Emperor Taizu, the enfeoffment of a vassal state is a major event of the state, so as to calm the hearts of the people and consolidate the foundation of the country. Now that Your Highness Prince of Qing has reached the age of enfeoffment, but has not yet received the order from Your Majesty, I am really uneasy.

I have heard that the duty of the emperor is to maintain the status quo, establish the business, and stabilize the country. The duty of the vassal king is to assist the emperor and guard the region. If you delay going to the vassal state, you may lose the teachings of your ancestors and may also disturb the hearts of the people. Therefore, I dare to ask your majesty to make a wise decision and quickly grant His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin the order to go to the vassal state, so as to follow the ancestral system, stabilize the country, and comfort the hopes of the people of the world. "

Zhu Qiyu looked at Hu Yi in amazement, wondering when did I ever offend you, old man?
After listening to Hu Yi's report, many officials agreed with him, because no one could object to the reason Hu Yi gave, as it was the rule set by Taizu.

Who dares to oppose Taizu? Even the King of Qing himself doesn't dare to do so.

"Your Majesty, the prince's enfeoffment is a major matter for the court and cannot be decided hastily." Minister of Revenue Chen Xun reported, "Besides, the enfeoffment has not yet been decided. This matter can be considered in the long run."

He stood on the side of the Prince of Qing, and was obviously using a delaying tactic. Duke Cheng and others stood up and expressed their support, and also cited examples, such as the previous princes who were dissatisfied with their fiefs and later changed their fiefs, which only increased the court's consumption.

Zhu Qizhen sneered in his heart. Although Duke Chengguo was also cooperating in the delaying tactic, the example he gave was very appropriate.

"Okay, let me think about it and choose a good fiefdom for my second brother." Zhu Qizhen said.

He was eager to drive King Qing out of the capital as soon as possible.

……

The imperial palace in late autumn was dyed with a layer of brilliant golden glow by the setting sun, but it also inadvertently revealed a sense of loneliness.

On both sides of the imperial road, the maple leaves are like fire, and the sycamore leaves are yellow. They are struggling in this last splendor, as if they want to bloom all the colors of their lives in this moment. The wind gently blows by, taking away a few fallen leaves, which hover in the air and finally lie quietly on the cold stone slabs.

Zhu Qizhen walked on the imperial road covered with fallen leaves and looked up at the sky. He saw the blood-red setting sun slowly sinking into the horizon. At that moment, the whole world seemed to be stained with a layer of sadness.

He had been reviewing memorials all day and felt indeed a little tired. He took a deep breath of the cool air and felt an inexplicable sadness well up in his heart.

Arriving at Kunning Palace, the empress dowager, wearing a purple dress, was leaning on a cushion, showing off her curves. She supported her beautiful face with one hand, and her beautiful eyes were lazily and casually reading a book, but her mind was obviously not on the book, and her expression was a little bored. The luxury she inadvertently revealed was extremely beautiful, especially the mature charm, which made people's hearts shake.

"Come back early today." The Queen Mother looked up.

"Because I want to come back early." Zhu Qizhen slumped in his chair, "I still feel at ease here. In the court, I have been fighting with the ministers."

The Queen Mother seemed to be interested, and her beautiful eyes blinked: "Oh? Tell me about it?"

Zhu Qizhen sat up straight and said, "It is much more difficult to judge a person's words than to judge his actions. Sometimes what he wants to tell you is exactly what he has not said. Sometimes what he tells you is exactly what he wants you to think is the case."

The Queen Mother held the book in her hands, smiling slightly, with a quiet and elegant temperament and a touch of grace and luxury, and said: "This is how I spent the past ten years."

"I'm so tired." Zhu Qizhen sighed.

……

The Queen Mother slowly stood up, walked towards the dining table and said, "If you are tired, eat more. Today we have your favorite fish. Why are you still lying there? Get up and eat it while it's hot."

Zhu Qizhen lazily stood up, walked to sit opposite her, sniffed, and immediately became energetic. He said to Shuangxi who was setting the bowls: "Shuangxi, your cooking skills are getting better and better. I will grant you a good marriage in the future."

Shuangxi's face instantly turned red, and he stood aside obediently. The Queen Mother glared at him and said, "Don't always bully Shuangxi. She went to the imperial kitchen to learn how to cook for you for a long time."

"So I want to find a good husband for her." Zhu Qizhen picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

The Queen Mother also started eating slowly, as elegantly as ever. Zhu Qizhen said as he ate, "Today, the Minister of Rites Hu Yi requested that the Prince of Qin be enfeoffed."

"We'll have to wait for that later." The Queen Mother lowered her head while eating and said, "The Concubine Dowager has been ill recently. If I ask her son to go to the vassal state at this time, she will hate me."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

The Toffee is ill again? Is she pretending to be ill?

"Okay!" Zhu Qizhen nodded, "I'll listen to you."

The Queen Mother raised her head, her eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as a painting, and asked: "Where do you plan to give the Prince of Qing his fiefdom?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "I have never thought about it. I will find him a place in Jiangnan with beautiful scenery and mountains and rivers, so that he can be a free and easy prince."

"Northwest!" said the Queen Mother. "The Ming Dynasty still needs a king of the frontier. When you defeat Yesen, the Ming Dynasty will also manage the Western Regions. Then we can arrange for a prince to go there first."

Zhu Qizhen felt something was wrong. Although the Queen Mother mentioned this matter, it seemed like she had just thought of it. But he knew that the Seven Guards of Guanxi had already mixed up with the orthodox emperor. If a prince was sent, wouldn't they be connected?
"You think it's not possible?" The Queen Mother asked when she saw that he was silent.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "I only have this one brother. I will ask him another day. Anyway, there is no rush for this matter."

The Queen Mother lowered her eyes, and a hint of displeasure flashed across her cold pupils.

"I'm done eating." Zhu Qizhen stood up and walked away without looking back.

……

Ps: I’m just asking for votes. It’s the end of the month, don’t waste your monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)