Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 143 Queen Mother, you are suddenly so docile, I can't control myself
These days, every morning when he saw the thick frost, Zhu Qizhen thought of these old ministers. Looking at the white-haired Wang Ge Lao in front of him, he said directly: "Ge Lao, I can let you go back home."

Wang Zhi looked up and met Zhu Qizhen's sincere eyes. Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "I am not demoting you. I grant you a glorious return. Go back and enjoy a few years of peace and happiness, and play with your grandchildren."

"Your Majesty~"

Wang Zhi was silent for a while, tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty obeys your order."

Zhu Qizhen sat opposite him with a smile on his face: "Lord, I will grant 500 tenants. When you go back, you must also submit a memorial to me. Say whatever you want to say and remind me not to make mistakes."

"I have enough land at home, please take back the reward, Your Majesty." Wang Zhi's eyes were filled with tears. He looked at the emperor as if he was looking at a younger generation in his family. "Your Majesty, when I return to my hometown, the only person I miss is Your Majesty. Your Majesty, you are still young, and I look forward to the revival of the Ming Dynasty in your hands."

Zhu Qizhen wanted to have a solemn conversation with Wang Zhi as an emperor, but he was moved by the old man. He felt Wang Zhi's sincerity.

"Your Majesty, I am about to leave, so I will tell you some words from the bottom of my heart." Wang Zhi smiled.

"Hey, you told me a lot of lies in the past, didn't you?" Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

Wang Zhi seemed to relax a lot, and said: "It's not necessarily a lie. I said it after thinking it over. All the ministers in the court should speak to Your Majesty in this way."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "So it's hard for me. I have to fight with you guys every day."

Wang Zhi smiled slightly, was silent for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, you are very similar to Taizu. Taizu was ruthless and decisive in killing corrupt officials. He wanted the world to follow his rules, and then there would be peace."

"I am not that confident, and Taizu overestimates himself." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "In the face of the rules of history, Taizu is also insignificant and a loser."

Wang Zhi listened, nodded thoughtfully, and continued: "Your Majesty, what I want to say is that you are a rare emperor who truly cares about the people. In this respect, perhaps even the ancient saints cannot compare to you. Because of this, Your Majesty, you will face many difficulties in the future. This old minister can't help you, Your Majesty, you have to be careful."

Zhu Qizhen was a little confused: "Could I still be in danger?"

"Is the emperor not in danger?" Wang Zhi said seriously, "Your Majesty, there is one thing you can learn from Taizu, that is, don't trust people easily. As an emperor, you use people."

Zhu Qizhen: “!!!”

This old man seems to have some hidden meaning in his words. An old man who has experienced four dynasties would definitely not speak casually. Can't you be more straightforward? Let me guess?
"Your Majesty, after I leave, the position of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet will be vacant." Wang Zhi said, "It is a taboo for me to recommend someone at this time, but I still have to recommend talents for the country."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "I hope you can recommend someone. Who do you recommend?"

Wang Zhi said in a deep voice: "Shang Lu."

……

The next day, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen summoned Shang Lu. When he thought that this minister who always argued with him was going to become the chief minister of the cabinet, he hesitated. Would I have to argue with him every time in the future?
However, last night Wang Zhi told the story of Li Shimin and Wei Zheng. It was obvious that Wang Zhi expected him, the emperor, to become a sage monarch like Li Shimin, and Shang Lu was his Wei Zheng.

"Mr. Wang is going to retire and return to his hometown." Zhu Qizhen said.

"I know that it is time for him to retire and return home. I am worried that he will suddenly die on the imperial road one day." Shang Lu said, "That would be a big deal. In the future, the history books will record that the prime minister died on the way to court. Your Majesty will also lose face."

Zhu Qizhen: “!!!”

You are really good at talking. Why am I angry before the conversation even starts?

"He recommended you to be the prime minister." He stared at Shang Lu and said.

Shang Lu raised his head, his eyes clear: "He has good vision!"

Zhu Qizhen: “…”

Not only am I angry, I also want to slap you.

"Your Majesty, after all these things, I am no longer the minister I once was, and Your Majesty is no longer the Majesty you once were." Shang Lu said with a serious expression, "As the Prime Minister, I may constantly advise Your Majesty that this cannot be done and that cannot be done, but I can guarantee that in my heart, Your Majesty is the only one."

This sounded a bit confusing, but Zhu Qizhen understood it.

Shang Lu continued, "Also, Your Majesty, no matter how much I opposed the new policy before, I will double my support for its implementation in the future. I now understand that Your Majesty is truly concerned about the people. How many emperors like this have there been in thousands of years? It is my blessing to have met one..."

"Stop, stop!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "If you say any more, it will become corny."

"Your Majesty, I am just getting emotional. Please let me finish what I am saying." Shang Lu was anxious.

"You are the first minister of the cabinet, okay? Don't say anything." Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand, "You organize it so that we can send off Lord Wang and let him return home happily."

Shang Lu bowed respectfully and said, "I obey your order."

……

After seeing Shang Lu off, Zhu Qizhen leaned on his head with one hand and pondered. He was almost in control of the current cabinet and the six ministries. There were still two people in the court who needed to be dealt with, that is, the Prince of Qin and the Duke of Cheng. If these two were removed, even if the ministers in the court were still fighting among themselves, they would be under the control of him as the emperor.

"Your Majesty, Lord Hu, the Minister of Rites, requests to see you." Cao Jixiang came to report.

"Please come in." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

After a while, Hu Yi came to the palace and knelt down to Zhu Qizhen: "Your Majesty, I am Hu Yi, and I pay my respects to you."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand: "Stand up and speak."

But Hu Yi didn't get up, and his wrinkled face was still full of resentment. He said: "Your Majesty, you have allowed old man Wang Zhi to retire and return home, why don't you allow me? I am four years older than him."

Zhu Qizhen was very upset: "But you are more energetic than him, and the Ministry of Rites doesn't have so much to do."

Hu Yi seemed to be even angrier, his expression was very stubborn, yet with the cuteness of an old child, he said: "Your Majesty, if you don't allow me to retire and return home today, I will not get up."

Zhu Qizhen was speechless. He stood up and walked to his side, saying, "Lord Wang recommended a suitable person to me, so I agreed. If you leave, who will be in charge of the Ministry of Rites?"

"This is your business, Your Majesty, and has nothing to do with this old minister. Old man Wang has violated a taboo. When it comes to employing people in the court, Your Majesty has the final say. How can we have a say?" Hu Yi said righteously.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhu Qizhen glared, "From the court to the local areas, most officials are recommended by ministers like you. Now, you are mentioning taboos to me?"

Hu Yi frowned. He had originally wanted to recommend Shang Lu as the Minister of Rites, but Wang Zhi got there first and recommended Shang Lu as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

"I think of someone," Hu Yi said, "Yang Shan, the Chief Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, is a suitable person."

Zhu Qizhen knew this man, who was also a big talker, and could talk back to people even more than Shang Lu. At that time, in the court, Yang Shan talked back to the Minister of Personnel Wang Wen and put him in jail.

……

Kunning Palace.

Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin, first went to see his mother, the Dowager Consort Hu Shanxiang, and then went to Kunning Palace to pay respects to the Queen Mother. Although he was a prince, he could not enter the palace at will.

The Queen Mother dismissed all the eunuchs and palace maids and talked to the Prince of Qing alone. The Prince of Qing got straight to the point and spoke in an impatient tone: "Queen Mother, if you have any tricks, use them now! Otherwise, it will be too late. Wang Zhi and Hu Yi have both retired and returned to their hometowns. The people who replaced them are obviously on the side of the false emperor."

"What can I do?" The Queen Mother said coldly, "I have delegated all the power to you and asked you to manage it. What do you do? With the current situation, you still want to ascend the throne? You can't even deal with a fake emperor."

When King Qing heard this, he became furious and said coldly, "You are blaming me now? If you hadn't supported the fake emperor, would he be in this situation?"

The Queen Mother interrupted coldly: "I don't support him!"

"Okay, let's not argue about this anymore." Prince Qing waved his hand and said, "Now, the cabinet listens to the fake emperor, the six ministries in the court also listen to him, even that Chen Xun actually listens to the fake emperor."

The Queen Mother's eyes were cold and her expression was full of sarcasm: "Do you know why?"

"It's because he's the emperor!" King Qing said angrily, "If he didn't have the status of emperor, he wouldn't be able to win!"

The Queen Mother chuckled and shook her head: "Forget it, if you still understand it this way, no matter how much I say, it will be useless. After all, I am just a woman, an outsider, not a member of the Zhu family. From now on, you can do whatever you want, and don't come to me again."

"Queen Mother, are you trying to kick me out?" A fierce look flashed in King Qing's eyes. "Hmph, don't think I don't know. You must have a backup plan. You can't just ignore your son!"

"What other tricks do I have?" The Queen Mother smiled bitterly.

Prince Qing stared at the Queen Mother. He didn't expect that this woman would become so decadent. It was impossible. She had been regent for more than ten years, and during those ten years, she was the de facto emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

How could such a person admit defeat?
"Go away!" The Queen Mother waved her hand wearily.

Zhu Qiyu sneered: "Queen Mother, don't play dirty tricks, otherwise, I will fight you to the death."

After saying that, he turned and strode away.

The Queen Mother leaned back against the cushions, her long, perfect legs curled up beside her, her face as cold as ice:

"Are all the Zhu family members so stupid? In this situation, we can only show weakness first to confuse the false emperor and then deliver a fatal blow."

"This palace is really...torturing...too tired!"

She curled up her legs, buried her head in her hands, and her body trembled slightly.

After a long while, she raised her head slightly. Under her messy hair, her pair of pitiful dark eyes were red, revealing a bit of haggardness and perseverance.

……

Zhu Qizhen is very busy these days.

He had originally wanted to send Shi Heng and Yang Guifang to the northern border after Deng Qian's new recruits had been trained, but recently there had been intelligence reports that a small group of troops in Mobei had been harassing the border.

So he decisively summoned Shi Heng back from Jiangnan. He looked at the dusty Shi Heng and said, "General Shi, you are a brick of the Ming Dynasty. You can be moved wherever you are needed."

"Your Majesty, do you want me to go fight the Japanese pirates?" Shi Heng said excitedly, "I have wanted to go for a long time, especially after hearing Zhang Lun talk about the arrogance of the Japanese pirates last time, I wanted to fly over. Can our Ming Dynasty still be bullied by a bunch of Japanese slaves? If you let me go, I will use their heads to fill the sea!"

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

He had also recently received intelligence that the Japanese pirates along the coast were indeed arrogant. Although Japan had ended the Northern and Southern Dynasties and was in the Muromachi Shogunate, the Shogun had gradually lost control of the local daimyo. In order to compete for power and resources, the daimyo from all over the country supported pirate activities.

"Leave the Japanese pirates to Zhang Lun to fight," Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice, "I want you to go to the northern border to face your old rival, Yesen, who is ready to move south."

Shi Heng clasped his fists and bowed: "Your Majesty, I am waiting to avenge my humiliation! Just issue an order, and I will lead the troops to attack Mobei." Zhu Qizhen held his forehead and glared at him: "Listen to me, I tell you to go, and the key is to defend! Do you understand? Yesen is powerful now, you just need to stop him. Give me some more time, and then I will give you a chance to conquer the Wolf's Lair."

"Yes, sir!" Shi Heng nodded.

"This time I will assign you a lieutenant general." Zhu Qizhen called out, "Yang Guifang, come in."

Yang Guifang came in from outside, paid his respects, and then looked at Shi Heng and said, "General Shi, I will follow you to gain military merit in the future."

Shi Heng knew Yang Guifang's identity, and grinned: "If you want me to be my lieutenant general, that's fine! Among the young people in the court and the country, only you and Zhang Lun can catch my eye."

"It is my honor." Yang Guifang clasped his fists, "You and Yu Shaobao are the only ones who can convince me, both in the government and in the public."

The two men clasped their fists to each other.

Zhu Qizhen saw it and waved his hands speechlessly: "Alright, alright, why do I feel like two foxes have met each other. Go back and prepare well. I will send you off in person in three days."

The two of them bowed and went out arm in arm.

……

Outside the capital, there is a farewell pavilion.

Zhu Qizhen, in casual clothes, bid farewell to Wang Zhi and Hu Yi. The two old men enjoyed life and were not in a hurry to return home, saying that China was so big that they had to go and see it.

Starting from Beijing, we first went to the top of Mount Tai to see the magnificent sunrise, the red clouds in the sky, and the rolling sea of ​​clouds. Then we went west to the top of Mount Hua to see the strange peaks and rocks, the vast sea of ​​clouds, and feel its steepness. Then we went south to the Shaolin Temple in Songshan to see the tranquility of the ancient temple and listen to the wonderful Zen music.

Then we went east to Huangshan Mountain to admire the strange pines and rocks, the sea of ​​clouds and hot springs. Then we went south to Lushan Mountain to see the waterfalls, the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains, and appreciate the legacy of its literati. Then we went to Wuyi Mountain to taste the fragrance of tea, appreciate the beauty of Jiuqu River, and explore the origin of rock tea.

Finally, we arrived at the Jiangnan water town, strolled through Suzhou and Hangzhou, admired the misty beauty, appreciated the exquisite gardens, listened to the soft Wu dialect, and felt the gentleness and elegance of Jiangnan. Only then did this trip come to a complete conclusion, and we saw all the beautiful mountains and rivers of China.

"After hearing what you said, I want to abdicate." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

"Your Majesty, it is because the Ming Dynasty has an emperor like you that we can enjoy the mountains and rivers at leisure." Wang Zhi said seriously, "Your Majesty, no matter what happens, you are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"I and the old king are traveling south to meet some people and let them know that the current emperor is a holy monarch." Hu Yi bowed.

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand.

Damn, both of you have resigned, but you are still here PUAing me.

"As long as your hands can still write, remember to submit memorials to me." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I will report the situation of the people in various places truthfully." The king stood up and said, "Your Majesty, go back. We are about to set off."

Hu Yi stretched lazily: "I'm really looking forward to it. I heard that girls from Jiangnan are very young."

Zhu Qizhen: “!!!”

These two old guys won’t get beaten up on the road, right?

……

Zhu Qizhen watched them go away, and was in no hurry to go back. He sat in the pavilion and thought alone.

The next step is to get rid of Duke Cheng and let Prince Qing go to his fiefdom, and then the personnel issues in the court will be almost solved. As for government affairs, we just need to follow the new policy step by step.

Da Da Da~
There was the sound of horse hooves, and a man was riding a horse and galloping towards the capital. When he reached the pavilion, the man stopped suddenly, got off the horse, and hurried into the pavilion, and was surprised: "Your Majesty, it's really you."

Zhu Qizhen was confused.

He stared at the man in front of him. He was skinny and dark-skinned, with cracked face and lips. He looked like someone who had been exposed to the sun and wind outside the Great Wall. However, his eyes were bright and sharp.

"Fuck!" Zhu Qizhen looked him up and down carefully, "Wang Lai? Is it you? How did you become like this?"

Wang Lai knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I have been following the Yellow River westwards to the Xingxiu Lake. I have been observing and measuring the water level along the way, and I have just returned."

"Yes, last time you submitted a memorial you said you wanted to walk along the Yellow River step by step." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand to let him stand up, "You actually walked along the Yellow River."

"Not only me, there are several brothers in the River Administration Office." Wang Lai said, "This trip has yielded a lot. The River Administration Office will revise the previous plan. Next year, the first phase of the project will officially begin."

Zhu Qizhen pulled him up and said, "Come on, let's talk while we eat. Let's go to Taibai Tower. I'll treat you!"

Wang Lai said seriously, "Your Majesty, you must pay for it. We cannot waste a penny of the money in the River Administration Office."

Zhu Qizhen laughed out loud.

He felt very relieved to hand over five million taels to such an official.

……

Twilight Quadruple.

Zhu Qizhen just returned to the palace, feeling a little dizzy, with the Yellow River diversion map given by Wang Lai on his back. He thought a lot along the way.

At first, he pretended to be the emperor just to have a meal and gamble, and at least he could satisfy his desire to be an emperor. Of course, he didn't want to be a saintly ruler, he just wanted to be free and easy.

Later, when he saw so many corrupt officials and the disaster victims, he wanted to be a good emperor. In particular, when he was in Xiangfu County, the disaster victims knelt down to bid farewell, which deeply moved him.

Later, he experienced more things. For example, there were officials like Wang Lai and Liu Dingzhi in the Ming Dynasty, and he wanted to support them.

"Ah, actually I am doing this for myself." He muttered quietly, "If I don't become a real emperor, I will die. So I'll just be a good emperor."

As it was getting late, he did not go to Kunning Palace, nor to any of the concubines' palaces, but returned to his own Qianqing Palace. He handed the scroll on his back to Cao Jixiang and said, "Hang the picture up for me!"

As for himself, he sat down on the chair and felt a little sleepy. He waved to Cao Jixiang and said, "Now that you have hung it up, get out and don't bother me anymore."

Cao Jixiang had no choice but to order the young eunuch to hang up the picture, and then everyone left.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Qizhen fell into a daze and fell asleep. The Queen Mother came in. She heard from Shuangxi that His Majesty had gone out of the palace today and came back so late. She was a little worried, so she came to check on him.

Her eyes were first attracted by the picture on the wall. It was a large picture that almost covered the entire wall. She looked closer and exclaimed, "Such a detailed river map."

……

The Queen Mother's beautiful eyes were shining.

This is the map of the world's long rivers. If you don't walk along it yourself, you can't draw such a detailed map. She now began to believe that the emperor's five million would not be wasted, and maybe it could really make the Yellow River calm.

“Push forward the New Deal.”

“River control.”

"Ping Mobei."

"Push back the Japanese invasion."

Zhu Qizhen, curled up on the bench, was talking in his sleep, and after saying these words, he smacked his lips. The empress dowager couldn't help but smile at him.

She walked up to Zhu Qizhen, leaned forward, her hair falling, her brows slightly furrowed, "You're just lying here, aren't you afraid of catching a cold? Wasn't the lesson from last time enough? The servants in the Qianqing Palace should also be punished."

As she spoke, she stretched out her fair jade hand, gently placed it on Zhu Qizhen's forehead and felt it, then exclaimed, "You're not really having a fever, are you?"

She touched her forehead again, but seemed unsure. So she moved closer to Zhu Qizhen, leaning against him, forehead touching forehead, so that she could feel whether he had a fever or not.

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen woke up, and they looked into each other's eyes, and they seemed to be able to feel each other's breath. Both of them were stunned, and after a long while, the empress dowager immediately sat back, and her beautiful face instantly turned red.

"I must be dreaming!"

Zhu Qizhen muttered, "It's just a dream anyway."

He grabbed the Queen Mother's hand and pulled hard, and the Queen Mother fell into his arms. The Queen Mother wanted to break free, but she couldn't break free of his strong arms. Her strength to struggle was getting weaker and weaker, and finally she resigned herself to his embrace.

"Don't go too far, take your dog paws away!" said the Queen Mother coldly.

"It's not a dream." Zhu Qizhen blinked and let her go.

The Queen Mother sat up and gave him a fierce look: "Where have you been fooling around again? You're lying here like this, aren't you afraid of catching a cold again?"

"Ruo Wei..." Zhu Qizhen sat up.

"Don't try to get ahead of yourself. This is the palace, and you still call me by my name?" The Queen Mother looked at him coldly.

Zhu Qizhen rubbed his face and became much more sober. He spread his hands and said, "You were so docile just now. I thought you were fake."

"What nonsense?" The Queen Mother snorted and changed the subject, "Where did you get that river map?"

Zhu Qizhen turned his head and took a look, saying:
"Wang Lai and his team spent several months walking along the Yellow River all the way to Xingxiu Lake, measuring and drawing along the way. I borrowed it. Tomorrow I will ask the Ministry of Works to draw a few more pictures based on this map. I have to return this original map to the river channel."

"I will hang this picture in my bedroom to remind me all the time that river management is a national policy and cannot be abandoned halfway."

The Queen Mother's eyes softened when she heard this. She looked up at her flawless and beautiful face, opened her red lips, and spoke softly, "If you have the determination, you will definitely be able to accomplish it. All right, I'm going back now."

She stood up and left, her skirt reaching the ground, a plain satin ribbon tied around her waist, slender enough to hold in one hand, highlighting her graceful figure.

Zhu Qizhen sat still and rubbed his eyes.

The Queen Mother has been acting strange lately. She seems to no longer worry about her son. She has also become gentler. Damn, is she really fake?

He touched his forehead, and there seemed to be a faint fragrance lingering.

(End of this chapter)