Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 145: Demon Queen, look at my demon-subduing spear, are you convinced?
Datong City.

Yang Guifang and Guo Deng stood side by side on the tower, looking out at the vast and boundless land outside the Great Wall. In early winter, a bleak atmosphere permeated the sky and earth.

The mountains in the distance were looming in the mist, revealing a sense of loneliness and desolation. The trees on the mountain had long lost their summer prosperity, leaving only bare branches, swaying in the cold wind, making bursts of low whimpers.

The grassland outside the Great Wall is withered and yellow, having lost its former vitality and vigor. The green and lush scenery of the past has now been replaced by this bleak scene. The tips of the grass are covered with white frost, flashing a cold light. In the distance, a few flocks of late-returning birds are circling in the low sky, and their cries seem particularly desolate in this empty world.

A cold wind blew, rolling up the dust and dead grass on the ground, bringing a piercing chill. Yang Guifang tightened her clothes, with a look of admiration in her eyes: "General Guo, you have been in Datong for several years, right?"

"I don't remember!" Guo Deng smiled.

"His Majesty intends to summon you back to the capital." Yang Guifang said, "Your Guo family is related to the royal family. His Majesty is looking for people, and you will definitely be used if you return to the capital."

Guo Deng was the great-grandson of Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding. The Marquis of Wuding was personally designated by Emperor Taizu as a relative of the imperial family. So three years ago, when Yesen brought Emperor Zhengtong to Datong to knock on the gate, Emperor Zhengtong said that he and Guo Deng were related by marriage.

"With my temper, it's better for me to stay in the border areas." Guo Deng smiled, "If I go to the capital, I will definitely offend people, and then it will be difficult for Your Majesty to do things."

Yang Guifang smiled slightly: "General Guo, among the generals of the Ming Dynasty, you are the most Confucian general. Your poems are well-known in the Imperial College in Beijing. A young man named Li Dongyang even said that you are the best poet among the generals of the Ming Dynasty."

"Thank you for the compliment." Guo Deng's eyes flashed with pride.

Yang Guifang had just arrived, and she really wasn't trying to flatter Guo Deng. Guo Deng was different from other crude generals, he had the style of a Confucian general, he could write poems, several of which were widely praised.

Spring is over and flowers are flying all over the ground, the creek wind and mountain rain make it even colder.

The floating clouds covering the sun will never disperse, and the rotten pillars supporting the sky may never be stable.

The northwest is still in turmoil from war, and half of the people in the southeast are dead.

The old people of the previous dynasty feel ashamed of being of no use and can only shed tears facing the west wind.

"General Guo, you are the only one who dares to write that." Yang Guifang smiled and spread her hands, "We will live together in this frontier from now on, you have to take care of me."

"You are from a famous family and a trusted minister of His Majesty. Do you still need me?" Guo Deng said, "I have no intention of getting promoted. I will stay outside the border."

His eyes suddenly became sharp.

Over the years, many comrades have died outside the pass. He wants to be with them and avenge them.

"His Majesty said, give him some more time." Yang Guifang said excitedly, "One day, we will sweep across the northern desert and seal the Wolf's Lair."

"Okay, I hope I can wait until that day." Guo Deng laughed.

At this time, a guard came up with a letter in his hand and reported: "General, this is a letter from the northwest."

Guo Deng was surprised: "Northwest?"

He took the letter but did not open it. He greeted Yang Guifang and went down the city wall.

Yang Guifang frowned.

Northwest? Could it be the Seven Guards of Guanxi? Could it be that the fake emperor gave Guo Dengxin? Then we need to be on guard.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The orthodox emperor sat in a warm study, flipping through an ancient book, occasionally looking out the window, only to see the cold wind like a knife, wantonly cutting through the empty streets, rolling up waves of yellow sand, making the ancient city even more desolate. The dead branches trembled in the wind, making a whimpering sound.

Xu Bin pushed open the door and walked in, his face slightly solemn as he said, "Your Majesty, the tribal leaders who went to Beijing are back. The false emperor really has added fifteen more guard posts. There will be chaos in Guanxi!"

"It's as expected." The Zhengtong Emperor was calm. "It depends on whether Yahansha and Bulie can keep it under control."

Xu Bin shook his head: "Yahansha has already ordered the leaders to gather, but some have not come. It seems impossible to subdue them all. Your Majesty, we still need to make more plans."

The Zhengtong Emperor gave a bitter smile and said, "It's much better here than in Mobei. What can we do now? We can only wait until Ye goes south first. Then we can take advantage of the opportunity."

"Speaking of Mobei, Your Majesty, they should have received the letters you sent to Guo Deng and Yang Hong." Xu Bin frowned.

"Don't expect too much." The orthodox emperor smiled, "But at least it can sow a seed of doubt in their hearts. And this seed will sprout and grow, and it will be useful one day."

Xu Bin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are now calm and resilient, even I am not as good as you."

"Mr. Xu, I am where I am today thanks to you and Mr. Yuan." The Zhengtong Emperor said seriously, "The three of us have been through thick and thin together. I believe that there will be a day when I can return to the capital."

Xu Bin nodded heavily.

……

Beijing.

The sky was a light grey, as if covered by a thin layer of frost. On both sides of the street, long icicles hung from the eaves of the houses. The occasional sound of dripping water was particularly crisp in the quiet morning, but also a bit chilly.

Ding Xiu, the Jinyiwei pacification envoy, sat at a street stall, with a bowl of hot noodles rising with white mist. He ate the noodles very quickly, and the bowl was empty in just a few bites.

After finishing his noodles, he looked up at the Lu Mansion across the street, which was the residence of Lu Xun, the head of the Ministry of Justice. At this moment, the gate of the Lu Mansion was closed, and the stone lions in front of the gate were also covered with a thin layer of snow, which made them look particularly solemn and silent. The cold wind whistled again, bringing a biting chill. The big trees on the roadside swayed in the wind, and the few remaining dead leaves finally couldn't resist the invasion of winter, and reluctantly fell from the branches, spinning and falling into the dust.

Ding Xiu stood up and walked towards the Lu Mansion with big strides. Dozens of Jinyiwei followed from the surrounding stalls. They arrived in front of the gate of Lu Mansion.

Bang!

The gate was knocked open, and dozens of Jinyiwei rushed in. Then, screams and cries were heard from the mansion. Not long after, Jinyiwei brought out more than a dozen people from the Lu family.

The street vendors watched and sighed: "I watched him build a mansion, I watched him entertain guests, and I watched his mansion collapse. It's better to be an ordinary citizen, more down-to-earth."

"Hey, you're still feeling sentimental?" A guest laughed. "The affairs of the imperial court are very complicated. I heard that the Imperial Guards recently arrested four or five high-ranking officials."

"Maybe something big is going to happen again." The vendor sighed.

"It has nothing to do with us anyway, we'll just eat my noodles." The customer shouted, "Brother, give me another bowl of soup."

……

While the common people in the capital were still leisurely enjoying their breakfast, the morning court session in the Golden Palace had already ended.

Duke Cheng followed closely behind Prince Qing, his face solemn, "Your Highness, five of my men have been captured, and His Majesty is clearly coming for me. You have to help me."

"How can I help?" Prince Qing frowned. "Don't you find it strange? The Jinyiwei are extremely accurate in arresting people and collecting evidence. Your people have been in the capital for so long, they are very cautious, how come they were arrested all of a sudden?"

Duke Cheng stopped talking suddenly and asked: "Someone betrayed me?"

King Qing shook his head again: "There are only a few people who know this much. This shouldn't be the case."

"Yeah, that shouldn't be the case." Duke Chengguo was puzzled. "Did we miss someone?"

King Qing snorted coldly: "Why don't you go check it out?"

Duke Cheng left in a hurry, and anyone who saw him knew that he was in trouble. King Qing's eyes flashed coldly, and he gritted his teeth: "Why did I choose such an ally? Sooner or later, he will implicate me."

He also felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest, and he was a little breathless. Because after His Majesty dealt with Duke Cheng, he would definitely deal with him, the prince.

"Fortunately, I have not been directly involved in any case, so there are many ways to delay it." He muttered to himself, "Like Mr. Tung said, just delay it until the fake emperor and the queen mother break up."

He took a deep breath and continued to walk forward. After a while, he ran into the Prince's Guard Yu Qian. He greeted him warmly: "Yu, Guard Yu, you came from the camp so early?"

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Yu Qian clasped his fists and bowed, "Yes, recently the commanders of various places have been replaced. I will give Your Majesty the list."

Prince Qing smiled and said, "Master Yu is really sincere and dedicated."

Yu Qian said calmly, "I have your Majesty's trust, so I dare not not work hard."

"I hope Yu Shaobao still remembers the kindness of the late emperor." King Qing waved his hand and strode away.

……

Qianqing Palace.

After paying his respects, Yu Qian handed over a memorial and said, "Your Majesty, this is the list of the transfers of the commanders of various places."

Cao Jixiang took the letter and brought it to Zhu Qizhen. Zhu Qizhen opened the letter and waved his hand: "Come here, give Yu Shaobao a seat and serve tea."

He scanned the list, but he didn't know most of the people. The so-called transfer of the commanders of various places actually meant moving the commanders of various provinces to other places. After all, if a person stayed in one place for too long, it would be easy to form cliques. Especially in the army, those soldiers only knew the generals, but not the court.

"You decided on the list, so I will just approve it." Zhu Qizhen wrote with a flourish of his pen, writing the word 'approved'.

"Then I will arrange it." Yu Qian bowed.

Zhu Qizhen put down his pen and asked, "Mobei, Northwest, any latest news?"

Yu Qian nodded and said, "There is intelligence coming in, but there is no major movement from all sides. There is some friction within the Seven Guards of Guanxi because Your Majesty has appointed fifteen more guards."

"Blame me?" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

"I dare not!" Yu Qian continued, "But there are some unexpected gains. In order to expand its territory, the guards expanded eastward to Chagatai. Now Chagatai is also in civil strife, which is an opportunity."

Zhu Qizhen was stunned. This was something he had not expected. He smiled and said, "Let them make trouble in the northwest. You should focus your energy on Mobei. Yesen is the biggest threat. Shi Heng and Yang Guifang have both arrived at the border. Send your new soldiers to them after they are trained." "As you wish." Yu Qian said, "The intelligence reports say that Yang Guifang and Datong garrison commander Guo Deng went deep into the grassland to scout the enemy. Your Majesty, you must issue an order to reprimand them. I have already sent a letter to severely punish them."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded.

He knew everything about Yang Guifang's situation because Yang Guifang had made a secret report to him.

Zhu Qizhen wanted to chat with Yu Qian for a while, but Yu Qian was busy with official duties and was in a hurry to leave. Zhu Qizhen pouted and complained: "It seems that you are busier than the emperor."

He had no choice but to sit down and continue reviewing the memorials. About half an hour later, Cao Jixiang came to report that Yang Shan, the Minister of Rites, wanted to see him. Before Hu Yi returned home to take care of his family, he recommended Yang Shan, and Zhu Qizhen accepted his recommendation.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Yang Shan came in to pay his respects.

"Yang Shan, are you used to moving from the Censorate to the Ministry of Rites?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

Yang Shan nodded seriously: "It's a habit. The Ministry of Rites is only busy once every three years. The rest of the time, it's idle."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand.

The Ministry of Rites is busy once every three years, referring to the imperial examinations. It is not as busy as other ministries on weekdays. Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "So you came to me today to find work?"

"I have something important to do," Yang Shan said. "Your Majesty, next month is your 100th birthday. In the past two years, you said that the country was not stable and you didn't want to hold it. This year, I asked the ministers for their opinions, and they decided to hold it! The imperial examination has been held twice, so there is no reason not to hold a 100th birthday celebration for Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Damn, that's not my birthday, it's that of the legitimate emperor. I feel awkward when I actually hold this longevity celebration.

"No!" Zhu Qizhen said, "I will stay vegetarian and will not accept the court congratulations."

"No." Yang Shan said, "Your Majesty, if you don't do it, the people of the world will think that the ministers have treated you unfairly and that the concubines in the harem are ignorant. Ordinary people celebrate their birthdays. Your Majesty, it's not a big celebration, no extravagance, just a small one. Give the officials a chance to show their loyalty."

You really know how to talk, you deserve to be called a troll in the Censorate.

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead and said, "Well, I will accept the congratulations and feast the ministers, but I will not accept offerings, compose poems, offer wine, or fast."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yang Shan was overjoyed.

……

British government.

A middle-aged handsome man arrived at the gate. After informing the guard, he politely led him in and directly to the Duke of England's study.

"Junior Tan You pays homage to the Duke." The middle-aged man bowed.

"Xiaoyou, you are finally here." The Duke of England called out, "Come here, let me take a look. Wow, you are even more heroic than your great grandfather."

Tan You is the great-great-grandson of Tan Yuan, a famous general in the Jingnan Campaign. Tan Yuan was a brave warrior and the best warrior in the Yan army. Unfortunately, he died in the Battle of Jiahe.

After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he conferred the title of Xinning Earl on his son Tan Zhong, and his descendants inherited the title. Tan You was the Xinning Earl of this generation. Like his great-grandfather, he was extremely brave and could draw a two-stone bow and never miss a shot. He made great contributions on his own and was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of Sichuan.

This time, the commanders of various places were replaced, and he was sent by Yu Qian to Shaanxi as the commander. The Tan family and the Zhang family have been friendly for generations, so when he came to Beijing, he would of course come to visit the Duke of Ying.

"Xiaoyou, you are the commander-in-chief. I, an old man, specially greeted Yu Qian." Ying Gong said.

"Ah? Why...why are you doing this?" Tan You was shocked.

Duke Ying's expression became extremely serious, and he said in a deep voice: "There is something I need you to do! This matter concerns the Ming Dynasty."

Tan You took a few steps back in shock.

……

At night, the cold wind howled.

Zhu Qizhen's body shook three times, and he fell straight on Concubine Xian. Concubine Xian's beautiful face was flushed, and she closed her eyes tightly, because Zhu Qizhen had too many tricks just now, too novel, she couldn't accept it for a while, so she could only close her eyes to hide her inner shame.

"The Ministry of Rites wants to celebrate my birthday." Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently and said, "It's really troublesome. It's better to give me a day off."

The virtuous concubine slowly opened her moist eyes, her face flushed, and she pursed her lips: "Your Majesty, it's time for you to celebrate your birthday. The Queen Mother has also instructed us to prepare a birthday gift for Your Majesty."

"Ah? The Empress Dowager also said that?" Zhu Qizhen was a little surprised. In the past two years, she didn't mention a word about it.

Xianfei nodded, hugged Zhu Qizhen's neck with her fair arms, put her face close to him, and said, "The Queen Mother said that we want to celebrate your majesty's birthday, but the birthday gift is not expensive, as long as it is thoughtful."

"It's right to be frugal." Zhu Qizhen blinked, "What will the program be?"

Xian Fei shook her head: "It was all handled by the Queen Mother herself, and we don't know what exactly it is."

Zhu Qizhen was actually looking forward to it, as it would be nice to have some fun.

Xian Fei leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, "Your Majesty, I will find a famous doctor outside to treat you. If you are embarrassed, we can go out and see you. We will keep the whole process confidential."

Zhu Qizhen was very embarrassed.

Concubine Xian was worried that he had a problem and couldn't let anyone get pregnant. She was anxious to get pregnant with a dragon seed so that she could continue with her later plans.

……

An imperial decree was issued earlier to relocate some wealthy households to Beijing, and the first batch has already arrived.

In the local area, they were powerful families with great influence, and even the local governor had to give them face. But in the capital, they were nothing. In the capital, a brick could hit a third-rank official.

Some young masters of wealthy families who had just moved here thought they were still in the local area and continued to do as they pleased. Liu, the eldest grandson of their family, who came from Anhui, tried to take the singing girl away from Wanhua Tower by force.

By chance, the cabinet chief minister Shang Lu, who was drinking there, saw him and called the Shuntian Prefecture police to have Liu's eldest grandson thrown into prison. After the news spread, the wealthy families who had moved in immediately became obedient.

After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen just said coldly: "If they are honest in the capital, they can still live a life of luxury. If they are not honest, they will be fish on the chopping board."

The ministers all saw that this was how His Majesty dealt with the gentry and the nobles. If anyone dared to slander the new policy and defame His Majesty again, an imperial decree would be issued to make you move to the capital. Then, you would be slaughtered.

The news spread quickly to the local areas, and the resistance to the implementation of the new policy became much smaller. The local gentry were afraid of waiting for the emperor's imperial edict to move to Beijing.

Ke Qian, the new Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, advised His Majesty: "Even so, the gentry will still frame Your Majesty. They may not dare to do so now, but they will dare to do so in the future."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Since I ordered the execution of the two princes, I no longer care about my reputation."

Ke Qian was deeply moved!
……

Zhu Qizhen finished reviewing the memorials in the afternoon. He walked slowly out of the heavy red gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but was met with a piercing cold wind, which made his thin body shiver slightly, and it seemed that even his heart was trembling a little.

The sky was filled with lead-gray clouds, heavy and depressing. The drizzle fell silently, like the tiny sorrows of heaven, gently brushing the glazed tile roof, then slowly sliding down, splashing tiny water droplets, making a tiny and cold sound. Although the rain was not heavy, it seemed to penetrate the clothes and reach the bone marrow, making the already cold air even colder.

The scenery inside the palace looked particularly gloomy in the early winter rain. The magnificent palace was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, losing its former glory and becoming hazy and distant. The maple leaves under the palace wall had already turned red, and now they looked even more sad and beautiful in the rain. A few fallen leaves fluttered in the wind and finally fell powerlessly on the wet stone path.

Zhu Qizhen rubbed his head. He suddenly wanted to get wet in the rain, so he walked directly into the rain. Cao Jixiang behind him saw this and was startled. He hurriedly shouted: "Your Majesty, this rain is too cold. You will catch a cold."

"Don't follow me!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

Being soaked in the rain and feeling the clarity of this moment, he felt that he was a little sick and liked this feeling very much. He walked to Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother leaned lazily on the cushion, in front of her was a small stove with bright red charcoal. In fact, even without the stove, the room was warm because there was a ground heating in the ground.

She rested her delicate white chin with one hand, and her beautiful eyes fell on the book. Looking in this direction, Zhu Qizhen could see the exquisite clavicle and the perfect curve.

The Queen Mother heard the noise, looked up, and saw Zhu Qizhen, who was soaked all over. She was startled: "What happened to you?"

"Nothing, I just want to get wet in the rain." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "Where's Shuangxi? Bring me some clothes."

"I let them go out of the palace to go shopping today, so as not to disturb me while I am reading." The Queen Mother stood up hastily and went to the inner hall to get a set of clothes.

At this time, Zhu Qizhen had already taken off his clothes, and his muscular body gave people a strong visual impact. The empress dowager hurriedly threw the clothes to him. Her heart beat faster and her cheeks became hot.

Zhu Qizhen went to the inner hall to change his clothes. He just wiped his wet hair and let it fall casually on his shoulders, making him look extremely heroic.

The Queen Mother's heart trembled slightly and she was a little dazed.

Zhu Qizhen sat down next to her, leaned closer, and raised his eyebrows: "Ruo Wei, were you peeking at me just now?"

The Queen Mother bit her lips lightly, not daring to look him in the eye, and said coldly: "Don't be so presumptuous, this is the palace, and I am the Queen Mother."

"The Demon Queen!" Zhu Qizhen suddenly held her hand. "People in the community all say you are the Demon Queen. What are you afraid of? Show them the Demon Queen."

The Queen Mother lowered her head, her body trembling slightly, and suddenly raised her head, her beautiful eyes filled with tears: "You must know that future history books will only record you as the legitimate emperor. What do you want? What do you dare to do to me? Aren't you afraid of being cursed by the world? Yes, I am a demon queen, what about you? Are you going to destroy the saintly wisdom that you have established with great difficulty because of a demon queen like me? Do you dare?"

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly, stretched out his hand to gently wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and suddenly pinched her delicate chin: "Do you think I dare not? I learned the demon-subduing spear and prepared it for you, the demon queen."

Tears flowed down the Queen Mother's eyes and across her beautiful face: "Don't push me, okay? I don't want to humiliate myself anymore. Don't force me to be locked up in Kunning Palace forever one day."

What a pitiful guy!
Zhu Qizhen withdrew his hand and said coldly: "You won't, because you are still waiting for an opportunity! Sun Ruowei, then let's wait and see who surrenders!"

The empress dowager wiped the corners of her eyes, her eyes filled with tears. Then she raised her slender white neck, bit her lips lightly, and stared at Zhu Qizhen without saying a word.

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(End of this chapter)