Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 147 Queen Mother: I am willing to do anything as long as you return the Zhu family kingdom

Fengtian Temple.

Because it is His Majesty's birthday, the hall has been specially decorated today and it is very festive.

Above the palace gate, a canopy embroidered with golden dragons and auspicious clouds was hung, shining brightly. Inside the palace, huge red pillars were wrapped with red silk, swaying gently in the wind, dazzling and gorgeous.

The ground was covered with a brand new red carpet, soft and thick. The throne was covered with brocade embroidered with gold and phoenixes, and on both sides were placed dragon and phoenix candlesticks, which symbolized power and majesty. The flickering candlelight illuminated the room with splendor.

The walls were covered with auspicious paintings and calligraphy, each of which contained the best wishes for His Majesty's longevity. The air was filled with a light fragrance, which was specially selected from various places and was refreshing.

High up, strings of exquisite palace lanterns hang slowly, emitting a soft and warm light.

Zhu Qizhen, wearing a brand new dragon robe, sat down on the dragon throne. All officials knelt in unison and said, "We wish your majesty a long life. Long live your majesty!"

After the voices in the hall rang out, congratulatory voices were heard from outside the hall: "May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life! Long live Your Majesty!"

Those who came to pay their respects today were not only officials of the fifth rank and above in Beijing, but also representatives sent by various provincial governments. The hundreds of people kneeling in the Fengtian Hall were all bigwigs of the third rank and above, as well as nobles. There were nearly a thousand people in the square outside the hall, and they were not qualified to enter the hall.

Zhu Qizhen slowly stood up and looked up at all the people kneeling. He suddenly felt proud. Three years ago, he was just a refugee, and his life and death were uncertain. But now, he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, above all others.

After he was immersed in his memories for a while, he finally spoke: "Stand up."

……

The ministers stood up and began to wish the emperor a happy birthday. The first to stand up was Shang Lu, the chief minister of the cabinet, who bowed and said, "Long live your majesty. I said I would not accept any gifts. I wrote a calligraphy and gave it to your majesty."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and two eunuchs came up with a scroll and slowly opened it. It said: "Use copper as a mirror to correct your attire; use the past as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of things; use people as a mirror to understand gains and losses."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand.

It's my birthday today, and you won't let me go? You even put eye drops on me?
"Very good, I will hang it in the Qianqing Palace to remind me all the time." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

Next, Yu Qian, the Prince's Guardian, presented a gift. His gift was a model of a Western warship, which he had recently purchased from a Western merchant.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the models and praised them: "This is a good thing, Yu Shaobao, I will give it to the Ministry of Works. Gao Gu, you take it back and study it carefully. Combine it with our warships and develop a warship with better performance! It must be better than the warships Zheng He used to go to sea. I will use it in the future!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Gao Gu, the Minister of Works, accepted it without hesitation.

Ministers presented gifts to congratulate His Majesty on his longevity, but none of them were valuables like gold or silver, such as writing brushes, ink, and calligraphy. Li Xian, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward and reported: "Everyone has presented gifts, and it is the turn of the Hedao Yamen to present gifts. The governor of Hedao, Wang Lai, did not come, but the gifts arrived, twenty boxes in total, which shocked the nine gates of the capital. Your Majesty, we all want to know what they are."

"Why doesn't Wang Lai come in person? He's showing off now." Duke Cheng snorted, "He Dao is rich!"

Duke Chengguo was being sarcastic. Everyone knew that the emperor gave Hedao five million taels of silver.

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly and waved his hand: "Carry it up!"

The people from the River Administration Office carried up the twenty or so boxes of things. The young man in the lead, who was thin and dark but full of energy, bowed and said, "Long live your majesty. The River Administration Office presents us with a sand table map of the world's longest rivers!"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Zhu Qizhen also stood up from the dragon chair and said, "This is not easy."

"This was made by our brothers in Hedao after traveling all over the mountains and rivers. Your Majesty, please allow me to set up the sand table." The young man bowed.

"Who are you?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"I am Wang Hao, your humble servant, and I am in charge of the river reservoir." The young man bowed again.

Zhu Qizhen remembered and raised his hand: "Wang Lai's son, right? You could have been a prefect, but later you asked to go to the river to do feng shui and sunbathing."

Wang Hao spread his hands: "As a son, there is nothing I can do. My father is in poor health, and I just want to be by his side and take care of him."

Everyone laughed. Wang Hao led the people of the river and quickly set up a sand table map of the world's longest river on the Fengtian Hall. The river was winding and extended, bypassing the entire hall.

Zhu Qizhen walked slowly in front of the sand table, stroked it gently with his hands, and sighed: "This is my territory!"

Wang Hao knelt down and kowtowed: "The Yellow River will not disappoint your majesty, and we hope your majesty will always keep the Yellow River in mind. Your majesty wants to create a prosperous era, and I will help you. I am willing to spend my whole life to make the Yellow River peaceful."

"Well said!" Zhu Qizhen smiled and glanced over.

He waved his hand, and the eunuch Cao Jixiang came out holding the imperial edict and began to announce:

"I think of all my subjects, all of whom are my people, who are either imprisoned or restricted by the law. I feel very sorry for them. Today, on the occasion of my 1000th birthday, I want to show my great grace and benefit the world, so I issue a general amnesty. From the date of the issuance of this decree, except for the serious crimes of treason and treason, all other criminals will be pardoned, return to their hometowns, and reform. I hope that you, my subjects, will understand my heart, share my grace, live and work in peace, and live up to my expectations. I decree this!"

The ministers were shocked, thinking that His Majesty the Emperor was granting amnesty to the entire nation.

……

After all the officials came to congratulate him, a banquet was held in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, where the emperor and his ministers enjoyed themselves together.

The banquet was not over yet, but the Duke of England left early. Yu Qian went up to him and helped him walk on the imperial road. The cold wind was howling, and the Duke of England looked back at the bustling Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

"Your Majesty is at the peak of his powers." He sighed, "He is getting better and better at granting amnesty to the whole nation."

"My Lord, the Ming Dynasty will also be at its peak." Yu Qian said.

Duke Ying snorted coldly, shook off Yu Qian's hand, and asked, "Yu Qian, what do you think? Can you make your position clear?"

"What I think is not important!" Yu Qian frowned, "It depends on what the government and the people of the world think."

The Duke of England was furious: "Ridiculous! Don't you think this is ridiculous?"

Yu Qian's expression was calm, and he even blinked: "My Lord, isn't this ridiculousness caused by you?"

British Duke: “!!!”

He was so angry that he took a big step forward and almost fell down. Yu Qian quickly supported him and smiled: "Why are you in such a hurry? As long as the Ming Dynasty is thriving, it's okay. Besides, there's still a lot of time. I don't think you will die for a while, just take your time."

"Get out!" The Duke of England left angrily.

Yu Qian stood in the cold wind, looking at the old figure of England, and sighed: "Oh, I am really old. I am old too. I am getting old and I miss the past."

He recalled the expedition to the northern desert, when the white-haired Emperor Taizong was still as imposing as ever, and the young Crown Prince was still full of vigor and vitality.

It was such a beautiful time back then!

……

The banquet was over and it was already dusk.

Zhu Qizhen felt a little dizzy, but he still came to Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother changed out of her phoenix robe and put on her favorite purple dress. Her hair fell like a waterfall around her slender waist. Her skin was delicate and fair, and her eyebrows were like phoenixes, her eyes were bright.

"Are you going to grant amnesty to the whole world?" the Queen Mother asked, looking up.

"Well, I did it in a fit of rage." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "Fertile criminals are definitely not among those who will be pardoned."

The Queen Mother's eyes were cold: "It's just to win people's hearts. The people of the world will praise you as a saint. Why don't you make a pact with the condemned prisoners like Emperor Taizong of Tang did, let them go back to their hometowns, and come back to die when the time comes."

Zhu Qizhen picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

He was really putting on a show, creating a saintly and benevolent persona for himself. Compared to Li Shimin, he was still inferior, because Li Shimin was really good at putting on a show.

"Why do I make you angry again?" He looked up at the Queen Mother.

"I didn't!" The Queen Mother turned her head away.

She has been upset recently, especially since this fake emperor has been gaining more and more popularity among the people and court officials, which makes her even more upset.

Zhu Qizhen said calmly: "I don't want to argue with you. Didn't you ask me to come to celebrate a family member's birthday?"

The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment, then slowly stood up and walked towards the back hall. She said, "Wait a moment."

Not long after, she came out with a bowl of steaming hot noodles, placed it in front of him, and said, "Eat it. You have to eat longevity noodles on your birthday."

Zhu Qizhen was stunned. He remembered that in his previous life, he also had to eat longevity noodles every time he celebrated his birthday.

The Queen Mother let go of a strand of hair and stroked it with her hand. She smiled slightly, and her dark eyes were filled with tenderness: "Eat it, it's not poisonous. When you're full, you'll have the energy to continue arguing."

Zhu Qizhen picked up his chopsticks and ate it in big mouthfuls. He smacked his lips and looked up and asked, "Is there any vinegar?"

The Queen Mother looked at his expression and burst out laughing.

……

In the northern desert, Yesibatur was the headquarters of Yesen of the Oirat Mongols.

Just like the distant capital of the Ming Dynasty, a grand banquet was being held here, because Yesen had won another great victory. Now in Mobei, he was the overlord.

The bonfire was burning, the flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the faces of the people around. Under the firelight, people gathered in a circle and began to dance enthusiastically to the cheerful rhythm and drum beats. The men waved their arms heroically, and the women spun with light steps.

The aroma of wine filled the air, and people toasted together. Yesen sat on a high platform next to the bonfire, wearing a gorgeous battle robe, and from time to time raised his glass to greet his subordinates, thanking them for their bravery and loyalty.

"The Ming Emperor has fled to Dunhuang." Alazhiyuan raised his wine glass and said to Yesen, "Great Khan, perhaps we can form an alliance with the tribes in Guanxi."

"Form an alliance with the rebels?" Boyan's face was red from drinking. "The tribes in Guanxi have betrayed their ancestors, and our Wala warriors will never form an alliance with them." He was right. The leaders of the tribes in Guanxi were almost all descendants of the Yuan nobles. However, they defected to the Ming Dynasty and accepted the imperial decree from the Ming Emperor.

"We will ally with them and march south to the Central Plains together. In this way, the Ming Dynasty will fight on two fronts, which is beneficial to us." Ala Zhiyuan asked Yesen, "Khan, what do you think? This is a good opportunity."

Yesen's eyes were fixed on the dancers below. He snorted coldly, "The Seven Guards of Guanxi are a disgrace to our grassland. I am ashamed to form an alliance with them. Besides, how many troops do they have? It's not worth mentioning."

Alazhiyuan wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he said nothing and picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

When Bayan saw that the Khan had rejected Alazhiyuan's proposal, he was very happy and asked, "Khan, when will we go south?"

Yesen's eyes sparkled with confidence: "Next spring, the army will march south! This time, our iron hooves will sweep across the Central Plains."

Alachim frowned slightly.

Yesen went south, and he stayed behind in the base camp, which was also his chance. He felt that Yesen was a little too confident, thinking that he would be invincible just because he became the overlord of Mobei.
Some time ago, he received intelligence that a Ming army had penetrated deep into the northern desert, winning battle after battle, as if entering an uninhabited area. He reported this to Yesen, but Yesen didn't care at all. In Yesen's view, it was just a coincidence that the Ming army spies were there.

"Come on." Alazhiyuan waved to a young man, "Let's go and toast to the warriors."

He stood up and walked towards the crowd below with Bolai. After the two of them toasted each other, they stood in a corner. Ala Zhiyuan lowered his voice and asked, "Can you still contact the fake emperor of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Yes!" Bo Lai nodded, "There are special Jinyiwei secret guards over there to connect with us."

Alazhiyuan's face was as cold as ice, and he smiled coldly: "Very good! It seems that I still have to form an alliance with that false emperor."

Bolai looked puzzled: "Sir, we failed to kill the Ming emperor and let him escape to Dunhuang. The fake emperor will definitely not easily form an alliance with us."

"He will, because he is the fake emperor." Ala Zhiyuan snorted, "As long as I can help him solve the problem, he will be happy to help me. Besides, he hopes that our Wala will be in turmoil."

Bo Lai nodded: "Then I will go to Datong tomorrow and contact the Jinyiwei secret guards there."

……

Zhu Qizhen still felt dizzy when he got up early in the morning.

However, he still had to attend the morning court, even though it was his birthday yesterday, but the court did not give him a day off. After the morning court, he went to the Wenhua Hall and met with the six departments of the Imperial Censorate together with the cabinet.

The duties of the Six Departments of the Imperial Censorate were: to be in charge of the six ministries, to give advice, to make up for deficiencies, to collect omissions, and to inspect the affairs of the six ministries and hundreds of departments. They were only of the seventh rank, but they had great power. Especially after the implementation of the performance evaluation system, the role of the Six Departments became even greater.

During the implementation of the performance evaluation system, the six ministries and the Censorate recorded the tasks that their officials were supposed to do in three books, one of which was sent to the six departments. The six departments checked the work of the six ministries on a monthly basis based on the contents of the books. They would cancel each completed task, and those who failed to complete the task on time had to report it truthfully, otherwise they would be punished.

The cabinet controlled the six departments, the six departments supervised the six ministries, the six ministries supervised the local governors and other departments and the governors, forming a strict assessment and performance evaluation system from the court to the local level.

Because it was almost the end of the year, the six departments had to evaluate the officials. Today, Zhu Qizhen and the cabinet came to finalize the evaluation of the officials in Beijing.

Zhu Qizhen didn't need to participate in person, but he wanted to understand every aspect of the performance evaluation system, so he came in person. The six secretaries were all very nervous when they saw the emperor.

Because the results of this assessment directly affect the fate of officials in Beijing. Officials who perform their duties conscientiously and have outstanding achievements will be rewarded heavily, such as bonuses, salary increases, and promotions; officials who do not perform their duties and fail to complete tasks on time will be severely punished, including living without salary, reducing salary, being demoted, or even being dismissed from office.

After working all morning, they still haven't finished. The cabinet chief Shang Lu didn't look tired at all, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and said: "Your Majesty, I really didn't expect that a performance evaluation law would greatly improve the efficiency of the court to the local areas. With the support of the performance evaluation law, the new policy can be implemented more quickly. Your Majesty, you are simply a genius!"

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead and said, "Okay, stop flattering me. I have something to discuss with you. Didn't I grant amnesty to the whole country? Many of the officials I arrested before have also been pardoned. Now, the court is looking for people, and some of them can still be used."

"Your Majesty is wise." Shang Lu bowed again.

Zhu Qizhen had a smile on his face.

He mentioned this for a reason. Duke Cheng and Prince Qing were both very cunning, and to deal with them, extraordinary methods had to be used. He planned to use the former Minister of Justice, Yu Shiyue, to investigate Duke Cheng and Prince Qing. Shi Biao had reported before that Yu Shiyue had been very cooperative recently. The people who were arrested by Duke Cheng were all betrayed by Yu Shiyue.

Then this Yu Shiyue can be used!

Evil people should be dealt with by evil people.

……

In the afternoon, Zhu Qizhen returned to the Qianqing Palace and summoned Wang Hao, the son of Wang Lai, the governor of the river. Wang Lai asked his son to present gifts, so he must have something else to do.

Wang Hao entered the Qianqing Palace, obviously very nervous. After paying homage, he knelt there, not daring to move. Zhu Qizhen smiled and raised his hand: "Stand up and answer."

"That's what I have to say." Wang Hao lowered his head.

"Get up!" Zhu Qizhen said speechlessly, "I am tired just watching you say that."

Wang Hao then stood up, still with his head down. Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile: "How is your father's health?"

"Your Majesty, my father has an old illness and has been soaking in the water all year round." Wang Hao said with a distressed tone, "The doctor checked and said that the old illness cannot be cured, so he wants him to take care of it, but he can't sit still. So he still goes into the water himself."

Zhu Qizhen frowned: "As a son, can't you take your father's place?"

Wang Hao was not so nervous anymore, he spread his hands, "He is worried, afraid that we will make a mistake. He taught me personally, and I am his son, if he is not worried about me, who can he trust?"

"This Wang Lai! He doesn't train new people. What will happen when he gets old?" Zhu Qizhen said.

"Your Majesty, I can't persuade him. How about you write a letter to persuade him?" After Wang Hao said this, he felt bold and quickly lowered his head again.

Zhu Qizhen nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll write a letter and you take it to him. Your father has something to tell you about your visit to the capital this time, right?"

Wang Hao hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Yes! We are facing some problems with the river now. Those damn...the local government offices are not cooperating. They think we have robbed them of their money and want to eat our flesh! To build the levee and change the river, we need the cooperation of the local government offices. There was a prefect who sent waste materials. All the money was embezzled by them. My father was so angry that he vomited blood. He said that he would spend five million taels of silver on the river."

Zhu Qizhen understood and a murderous look flashed in his eyes.

……

As the year draws to a close, the number of gifts finally decreases.

Zhu Qizhen came out of the Qianqing Palace that day. Although it was cold outside, the sun was out. He immediately went back to change into casual clothes and prepared to go for a walk on the street.

He was walking on the imperial road when he saw a carriage approaching. Who was so bold as to drive a carriage in the palace? The carriage approached, and the driver turned out to be Shuangxi.

"Oh, Shuangxi, you can also drive?" Zhu Qizhen was surprised.

"The Queen Mother wants to go to the temple to burn incense, and doesn't want to make a big fuss, so I will drive the car." Shuangxi explained.

When Zhu Qizhen heard this, he jumped onto the carriage and got in. Sure enough, the queen mother in a plain long dress was sitting there. Her outfit today had a quiet and elegant charm.

The Queen Mother was also surprised when she saw him come in: "Why is it you?"

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "I often sneak out of the palace."

The Queen Mother rolled her eyes and ordered Shuangxi to continue driving. The carriage drove out of the palace and slowly drove on the street. Suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves came, and it seemed that it was about to collide with the carriage. Shuangxi made a sharp turn. The Queen Mother did not sit firmly and fell into Zhu Qizhen's arms.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her tightly and raised his eyebrows: "Ruo Wei, let me hold you."

The empress dowager's delicate body stiffened slightly and began to struggle. At this time, Shuangxi's voice came: "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, are you all right? Just now, a few Jinyiwei rushed over and scared the horses."

"No...it's okay." The Queen Mother said hurriedly, she was afraid that Shuangxi would come in.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently, admiring her fair and soft skin. At her age, she was still beautiful, delicate and beautiful. The Queen Mother took a deep breath, calmed down her emotions, fixed her eyes, and said coldly: "Can you let go?"

Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows, admiring her face unscrupulously: "We are outside the palace now, you are the queen mother, and I am a fake emperor, this is not a crime, right?"

"Hmph, you finally said these three words." The Queen Mother's eyes were sharp.

Zhu Qizhen gently slid his hand across her collarbone. At this moment, her body trembled a little. She could not struggle and said coldly, "Since you have said it, how do you want to return the Ming Dynasty to the Zhu family?"

"What do you think?" Zhu Qizhen stroked her cheek.

She did not dodge, but stared at him coldly and said, "As long as you return the Zhu family's kingdom, I am willing to do anything."

"Really?" Zhu Qizhen moved closer.

The Queen Mother's breath was choked, and her heartbeat accelerated. At this moment, Zhu Qizhen let her go and said, "I don't need a deal!"

"What do you need?" the Queen Mother asked.

Zhu Qizhen did not answer, but lifted the curtain of the carriage and jumped down directly, which scared Shuangxi so much that he pulled the reins quickly.

"I'm going for a walk and burning incense in the temple. It's so boring, so I won't accompany you." He waved his hand and walked into the street next to him.

Shuangxi turned to look at the Queen Mother in the car. The Queen Mother leaned against the cushion, her beautiful face flushed with anger: "Who wants him to accompany us, Shuangxi, let's go."

The Queen Mother lifted the curtain of the carriage, and the cold wind blew in. Her complexion gradually recovered. She looked at the people coming and going on the street and asked, "Shuangxi, His Majesty often sneaks out of the palace. What does he do?"

Shuangxi immediately put on a gossipy expression and said, "Your Majesty, are you keeping a mistress outside the palace? I heard that all the men in the capital like to do this."

"Nonsense!" The Queen Mother glared, "He is the emperor, and he still... needs a woman? Where did you hear all this nonsense?"

Shuangxi continued gossiping: "Queen Mother, you don't know this. Domestic flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers. Their men are all like this, very bad."

The Queen Mother rolled her eyes and said, "Shuangxi, were you scolding His Majesty just now? Be careful that he may really marry you off one day."

Shuangxi's expression changed drastically.

(End of this chapter)