Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 149 The Queen Mother endures humiliation: You call me a demon queen, you have no shame, I accept it

Entering the twelfth lunar month, the capital was shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds. The sky was gloomy, and even the light was frozen by the biting cold, making it difficult to penetrate the clouds. The cold wind was as sharp as a blade. On both sides of the street, the bare branches of the trees swayed in the cold wind, and everything was silent.

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen was wearing a heavy dragon robe, but he could still feel the cold wind penetrating through his layers of clothing. He walked on the imperial road in the cold wind that could almost freeze his blood. All around him, except for the occasional footsteps of the guards and the sound of wind chimes from the eaves of the palace in the distance, there was silence. In this silence and cold, his figure seemed particularly lonely and upright.

He did not return to the Qianqing Palace, but went to the Ministry of War. Yu Qian, the Prince's Guardian and Minister of War, was holding a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of War. When he saw the emperor coming, he hurriedly led everyone to greet him.

"See Your Majesty!"

"Everyone stand up, I just came to see you all."

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand, put it to his mouth and blew a breath of hot air, then smiled: "The capital is so cold, your soldiers at the border will be frozen into ice cubes? Have their winter clothes been sent over?"

"It was delivered last month," Yu Qian reported. "The food and fodder for the winter have also been delivered to the camps at the border."

Zhu Qizhen nodded, spread his hands and smiled: "In addition to these, we will also send them New Year's goods, so that they can have a festive New Year at the border."

Yu Qian was delighted when he heard this: "On behalf of the soldiers at the border, I thank Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and looked towards the north:
"Don't thank me, it's me and the people of the world who should thank them. There is no such thing as a peaceful life, it's just that someone is carrying the burden for us. Without them, how can we celebrate the New Year in peace?"

"People die at the border every year, but everyone in the capital enjoys peace! I will hold a grand sacrifice this year to let the people know how our peace came about. When they offer sacrifices at the end of the year, they can also burn a stick of incense and an elegy for the soldiers who died in battle."

When the rough guys in the Ministry of War heard this, tears welled up in their eyes.

For many years, these rough guys who came back from the border, every New Year, when they saw the prosperity and peace of the capital, they thought of their comrades who died in battle outside the border.

Anyone, remember them?

It turns out that the emperor remembers!

……

The Queen Mother and Shuangxi left the palace again and went to Fahai Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings.

The carriage was driving slowly on the street. Shuangxi saw someone selling candied haws on the street. She smacked her lips. When she was a child, her family was poor and she wanted to eat some, but her parents would never be willing to buy them for her.
"If you want to eat it, go buy it. The smacking of its mouth is louder than the neighing of a horse." The Queen Mother's voice came.

Shuangxi was very embarrassed. She stopped the carriage by the road, jumped off happily, and ran to buy a string of candied haws. She ate it and spat the pits on the roadside. She ate and spit while walking, and came to the carriage and was about to get on.

"That girl, stop!" a voice came.

Shuangxi turned around and saw a young man carrying a knife, walking towards him aggressively, shouting, "Who told you to litter? There is a trash can on the side of the road, you don't throw it in, are you blind?"

"You...you..." Shuangxi was surprised.

She was not afraid, because the boy in front of her was the boy that His Majesty had reported last time. Indeed, this guy was Chao Xiaotian, who led the Yulong Gang to pick up garbage on these two roads, dumping garbage for merchants and collecting some "protection fees".

"Who are you?" Shuangxi stared.

"I'm Chao Xiaotian, the leader of the Yulong Gang. You littered and you'll be fined!" Chao Xiaotian stretched out his hand, "Two copper coins, hand them over."

Shuangxi, who had followed the Queen Mother for many years, how could she be threatened? She was about to argue, but the Queen Mother's voice came from the carriage: "Give it to her, it's your fault."

Shuangxi reluctantly took out two copper coins and handed them to Chao Xiaotian, looking at him with contempt and was about to leave. Chao Xiaotian stopped her and said, "It's not over yet. According to the rules, you have to stay here and catch the next person who litters, and then you can leave."

"No more fun, right?" Shuangxi put his hands on his hips.

"Hey, little girl, you are quite arrogant. If you were not a girl, I would have taken action long ago." Chao Xiaotian said.

The Queen Mother's voice came again: "Shuangxi, listen to him."

Chao Xiaotian looked at the luxurious carriage and said, "Your wife is sensible. By the way, let me remind you that starting next year, you can't park your carriage randomly. My master said that people should walk on the sidewalk and cars should walk on the road. This way, there will be no chaos and no accidents."

The Queen Mother asked with great interest, "Who is your master?"

Chao Xiaotian was very proud: "My master, Xiang Tianwen, is the best martial artist in the world."

The Queen Mother in the carriage rolled her eyes.

If you ask the sky, that guy can only deceive these ruffians. If you ask the sky, you really want to ask God.

……

An hour later, Shuangxi drove the carriage to Fahai Temple. She was still angry and shouted, "What leader of the Yulong Gang? Queen Mother, if you don't stop me, I will beat him to a pulp today."

The Queen Mother got out of the carriage with a smile on her face: "Didn't you notice that the two streets are indeed different? They are clean and tidy, with trash cans placed along the streets. With them maintaining the streets, everyone throws their trash into the trash cans instead of littering them."

Shuangxi blinked, she was so angry that she didn't notice. She snorted: "That's also the credit of your majesty. What do those rascals know? Your majesty is really amazing. Just a few words changed those rascals and changed those two streets."

"If the entire capital city could be like that, it would definitely be fresh and clean, and the capital city would become beautiful," said the Queen Mother.

"Isn't it easy? Just find some more ruffians?" Shuangxi spread his hands.

The Queen Mother shook her head slightly and walked into the Fahai Zen Temple. Just like last time, after burning incense, she rested in the Zen room in the backyard. Not long after, the man in the bamboo hat came to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has appointed Yu Shiyue to try the case. He will not let Duke Cheng go," the man said worriedly.

"Duke Chengguo can be abandoned." The Queen Mother said coldly.

"Although he was dismissed from his post and stripped of his title, many people in the army have benefited from the kindness of three generations of Duke Chengguo," said the man.

"It's useless." The Queen Mother waved her hand, "Be prepared to abandon Duke Cheng and don't get implicated."

The man had no choice but to nod: "Yes!"

The Queen Mother waved her hand and the man retreated.

……

The night is as dark as ink and the cold wind is howling.

The Yonghe Palace was warm. On the phoenix couch, Defei Sun Zhenzhen bit her lips lightly, her fair wrists tightly hooked around Zhu Qizhen's neck. Just as she was about to speak, her thin lips were blocked. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes slightly opened, and after a moment of confusion, she responded enthusiastically.

Gradually, the two figures embraced each other.

Half an hour later, with the sound of a phoenix, Sun Zhenzhen lay weakly on the couch, like a blooming flower, delicate and beautiful.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently and said, "Have you visited the Queen Mother recently?"

He felt a little strange. He had never met Concubine De again when he went to the Empress Dowager's house for dinner. Concubine De bit her lips lightly, smiled coquettishly, and said in a soft and lazy tone: "How can I go to the Empress Dowager's house for dinner every day? That's against the rules. However, I go to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager every day."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead and smiled: "That's not necessary. If you guys are not annoyed, I think the Queen Mother is annoyed."

De Fei leaned obediently in his arms, her thin lips parted slightly, and she spoke in a soft and pleasant voice: "Your Majesty, that is the rule of the harem. However, I didn't go today because the Queen Mother left the palace."

Zhu Qizhen frowned slightly: "Has the Queen Mother been out of the palace often recently?"

Concubine De shook her head. "Not often. I've seen her a few times. She said she went to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings. The Queen Mother is a Buddhist. She would go there on special days."

Zhu Qizhen stretched and rested his head on his hands.

Concubine De wrapped her arms around his neck, her charming eyes blinked slightly, her moist lips moved slightly, and her voice was soft and elegant: "Your Majesty, the sisters are secretly competing to see who can give birth to a dragon son for Your Majesty first."

Zhu Qizhen was speechless and asked, "What do you think of me?"
……

"yawn!"

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, holding his waist with one hand and a pillar with the other, and sneezed continuously. Cao Jixiang, who was standing behind him, looked strange and reminded him weakly: "Your Majesty, the Jingshifang reminded you that you have been turning over the concubines' cards too frequently recently. Your Majesty, please pay attention to your health."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand and said: "You are just a eunuch, you know nothing."

In fact, there was a strict procedure for the emperor to summon his concubines to sleep with him, but he did not follow it. However, the records of his summoning concubines to sleep with him were very clear, even the length of time was recorded.

"Your Majesty, Shandong Governor Dong Yuchang requests to see you." Cao Jixiang just gave a reminder and turned to business.

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

He walked to the throne and sat down, rubbing his waist, and secretly decided that he had to rest for a few days. Not long after, Dong Yuchang came to the palace and paid his respects.

"Stand up." Zhu Qizhen was very happy. "Dong Yuchang, why are you dark again?"

Dong Yuchang looked very helpless and spread his hands. "Last month, Wang Lai, the river governor, came to Shandong and took me to inspect the river all day. I got a tan. He is very powerful now. He wants me to cooperate with this and that. It's so annoying."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly: "I have also heard that officials in the nine provinces along the Yellow River are afraid of Wang Lai. Dong Yuchang, you and Wang Lai are brothers in need, why are you afraid of him too?"

"I'm not really afraid of him." Dong Yuchang's face turned serious. "Some officials are really afraid, but not that kind of fear. Because Wang Lai is strict, they can't cooperate. Some officials even wanted to make money from the river. Your Majesty, Wang Lai works hard under the command. He is too kind."

Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly: "I gave him the royal chess and card, but he doesn't know how to use it? If he doesn't kill a few of the corrupt officials below and frighten them, he will have a harder time in the future. Go back and tell him that I will back him up, and he should do it boldly! Otherwise, when will the Yellow River be calm?"

"Yes, sir!" Dong Yuchang nodded.

Zhu Qizhen sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Tell me about your situation in Shandong."

Dong Yuchang came to report, and he talked for a full hour. After listening, Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly: "Dong Yuchang, how about you stay in Beijing? Shandong is already on track, let others take care of it." "Ah?" Dong Yuchang was shocked.

Zhu Qizhen did want to keep him in the capital. First of all, he was a good official and very cunning.

"You should go to the Ministry of Justice and be a minister first. After a while, I will hand over the Ministry of Justice to you." He said seriously, "The capital is different from other places. You should concentrate on your work and study hard."

Dong Yuchang bowed respectfully and said, "I obey your order!"

……

After Dong Yuchang left, Zhu Qizhen thought about Wang Lai and wrote him a letter. He attached great importance to this river governor and did not want him to get entangled in the struggle among local officials and delay his work.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Works Gao Gu is here to see you by imperial decree." Cao Jixiang reported.

Zhu Qizhen handed the letter to Cao Jixiang and asked him to arrange for someone to deliver it directly to Wang Lai. Cao Jixiang withdrew and called Gao Gu, the Minister of Works.

"I, Gaogu, pay homage to Your Majesty." Gaogu paid homage.

"Stand up." Zhu Qizhen held a cup of hot tea and smiled, "There are not many memorials today, so I would like to talk to you about transportation in the capital."

Gao Gu obviously didn't understand. Zhu Qizhen didn't rush to explain. After a while, Li Zhuang, the commander of the Wucheng Bingma Division, Liu Bian, the inspector of the Censorate, and Ding Xiu, the pacification envoy of the Jinyiwei, all arrived.

"Okay, everyone is here, let's have a meeting." Zhu Qizhen glanced over, "The road traffic in the capital is mainly managed by your Ministry of Works, the Five Cities Military Department, the Patrol Censors, and the Jinyiwei Officer School. Today, we have to clarify the responsibilities of each department, and also determine some rules. The traffic is too chaotic now. The last time the empress dowager sneaked out of the palace, she was almost hit to death."

The four of them were terrified? Did the Queen Mother sneak out of the palace? Was she almost killed?

Zhu Qizhen continued, "Also, post stations and express delivery shops are responsible for delivering military intelligence and urgent official documents. They are all in the capital. If there is no good management, how can they be delivered in time? What if an accident occurs and the intelligence is lost?"

The four of them were still in the shadow of "the Queen Mother was almost killed", and did not realize that what he said later was more important. After he sorted it out, he finally determined:
The Ministry of Works was fully responsible for the construction and repair of road traffic facilities, including the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. In addition to patrolling thieves, clearing streets and ditches, and dealing with prisoners and fire bans, the Wucheng Bingmasi was also responsible for the traffic order and appearance of the capital. The Patrol Censor was mainly responsible for road patrols to ensure the cleanliness of the streets and smooth traffic in the capital. The Jinyiwei officers also participated in road patrols to maintain traffic order.

"People, carriages, and horses should be separated." Zhu Qizhen continued, "People should walk on the sidewalks, and horses and carriages should walk on the carriageways. You, the Wucheng Bingma Division, must implement these new rules."

……

As the year draws to a close, there are fewer memorials to be received. Zhu Qizhen has been discussing policy issues with various ministries recently, and he feels much more relaxed.

At dusk, he came to Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother wore a long skirt and a snow-white fox fur coat, which made her skin look even whiter and her temperament even more graceful. When she saw Zhu Qizhen coming in, she put down the book in her hand and snorted, "You said that I sneaked out of the palace and was almost killed?"

Zhu Qizhen was stunned: "Which bastard can spread the message so quickly? I will kill all his clans."

"Cao Jixiang, go and kill all his clans." The Queen Mother said, "As the chief eunuch, he is here to educate the young eunuchs and maids in my palace. Because I sneaked out of the palace, he, the chief eunuch, had no idea."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead and chuckled, "I just want to scare the ministers and let them know the importance of traffic management. The traffic in the capital is too chaotic and the environment is poor. It is simply dirty and messy. It is in urgent need of change. Otherwise, when envoys from other countries come and see that the capital of our country is just like this, they will easily feel disrespectful."

"Haha." The Queen Mother glanced at him. "I heard that you asked the Ministry of Works, the Five Cities Military Department, the Patrol Censor, and the Imperial Guards to come up with some new traffic rules?"

Zhu Qizhen walked up to her and sat down, saying with great interest: "Yes, people walk on the sidewalk, and cars walk on the road..."

He spoke in a crackling voice, and the Queen Mother listened quietly, wondering how this guy could have so many wonderful ideas in his head? She leaned lazily on the cushion, nodding her head in agreement from time to time, with her long, perfect legs curled up to the side.

Bang!

The cold wind outside suddenly blew open the window, and a gust of cold wind blew in, making the empress dowager shiver. Zhu Qizhen reached out and held her small hands, clasped his hands together, blew hot air from them with his mouth, and covered them.

"That's enough. Spray it on my hand." The Queen Mother glared and pulled her hand back.

Zhu Qizhen was so upset that he stood up and shouted towards the back hall: "Shuangxi, is the food not ready yet? You have been getting slower and slower recently. You are really useless. I will marry you off one day."

Shuangxi came out carrying a plate, looking very aggrieved.

The Queen Mother glanced at him and said to Shuangxi, "Don't be scared by him. Only I can decide where you belong."

Shuangxi's eyes sparkled with tears: "I am willing to serve the Queen Mother forever."

"Silly girl." The Queen Mother sighed, "You also need to have your own life."

……

Border, Datong City.

It snowed heavily. Yang Guifang, who was visiting the frontier for the first time, had never seen such heavy snow. The snowflakes were as big as mats. They piled up one by one, layer by layer, covering the ground, the city walls, the barracks, and even every inch of the air. The Great Wall not far away stretched out like a giant dragon sleeping in the snow.

Despite the heavy snow, there were still scout teams returning from Mobei, because they wanted to prevent the grassland army from launching a sneak attack while it was snowing, which had happened before.

When Yang Guifang entered the central army tent, Guo Deng was listening to the report from the spies who had just returned. He looked serious and asked, "Did you see any Wala people who died of starvation or freezing along the way?"

"Yes." The spy leader nodded affirmatively.

The experienced Guo Deng judged: "The snowstorm in Mobei is even heavier this year. I guess a lot of livestock have frozen to death. They must be short of food."

"Lack of food? Isn't that a good thing?" Yang Guifang interrupted, "After the spring comes, we will take the opportunity to charge in."

Guo Deng shook his head: "It's not us who will charge in, but they will go south to break through the pass and plunder. We will have to face a group of extremely hungry wolves. Just imagine how terrible it will be."

Yang Guifang's heart trembled.

If there is a food shortage in Mobei, then their army will march south to get food. They will do whatever it takes to avoid starvation.

"We have to pass this news back to the capital," Guo Deng said, "After the spring, we will have a great war."

Yang Guifang nodded: "I will go to Xuanfu tomorrow, and I will tell General Shi about this situation. We must prepare in advance."

Shi Heng was stationed in Xuanfu and coordinated the entire military affairs of the northern border.

……

It’s snowing in Beijing, too.

Snowflakes fluttered and slowly fell from the lead-gray sky, quietly covering every inch of land, slowly wrapping the noisy world into a white tranquility.

Zhu Qizhen got up early in the morning and opened the window. The world in front of him was covered in snow. The sky was pale and there was only this single color between heaven and earth, which was both vast and lonely. Snowflakes piled up silently, layer by layer, gradually burying the palace walls, eaves, streets and even the mountains in the distance, making the entire capital city look even darker.

He stared at the snowflakes flying all over the sky, and a sense of inexplicable depression rose in his heart. Although the snow was beautiful, it also had an invisible weight, covering the sky and the earth.

"They say auspicious snow means a good harvest, why do I feel like it's an ominous sign?" he muttered to himself.

At this moment, in Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother, wearing a luxurious fox fur, also stood in front of the window, holding a letter in her hand, which was specially sent by the King of Xiang. In the letter, the King of Xiang used fierce words and even cursed her as a witch queen. As the brother of the late emperor and a prince of noble status, he had no respect for the Queen Mother and even used vulgar words in his words.

The Queen Mother was in deep grief. Since the death of the previous emperor, she had been entrusted with the responsibility of ruling the Ming Dynasty, and she had never slacked off for a moment. But now, she was scolded by this "evil queen", accused of being shameless and conspiring with the false emperor to usurp the Ming Dynasty.

The soft hair around her waist danced lightly in the wind, and two lines of tears quietly slid down her fair and beautiful face. At this moment, a sad smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, showing her helplessness and sadness.

The two lines of tears in the corners of her eyes were as crystal clear as morning dew, adding a bit of weakness and sadness to her. Her lips were the color of cherry blossoms, and her tightly pursed lips revealed stubbornness. Her soft hair danced lightly in the wind.

The Queen Mother had a graceful and elegant figure, standing there like a plum blossom in winter.

There were footsteps, and Zhu Qizhen walked in and shouted, "Tai...what's wrong with you?"

He saw the Queen Mother hurriedly put away the letter and wiped away the tears from her eyes. The Queen Mother shook her head: "I... I'm fine, I just feel sad when I see the snow."

"At your age, why are you still sad about the passing of time?" Zhu Qizhen walked up to her.

When her age was mentioned, the Queen Mother did not get angry like before. Instead, she pursed her lips, tears welled up in her eyes and said, "Yes, I deserve to die."

She spoke softly and with low self-esteem, wiping the corners of her eyes, her eyes were filled with tears, so fragile that it was heartbreaking. Zhu Qizhen reached out and embraced her, patted her back, and said softly: "It's just a joke, you are the most beautiful, and you are still the most beautiful in the harem."

The Queen Mother did not dodge this time. She rested her head on his shoulder. Her long eyelashes, which were slightly tearful, trembled slightly. Her watery eyes slowly closed and tears flowed down.

Zhu Qizhen felt his shoulders were wet with tears. He was about to let go and look at her, but she stopped him: "Don't move. I just want to lean on her for a while. Just for a while."

He did not move, gently stroking her soft and cool hair. After a while, the Queen Mother gently pushed him away, lowered her head, and a few strands of hair fell on her fair and beautiful face.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Zhu Qizhen reached out and held her face.

"I'm old now, is it not okay for me to feel sad about the passing of time?" The Queen Mother took his hand away.

Zhu Qizhen dodged cleverly, reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes, and grinned: "But, it's winter now."

puff~
The Queen Mother was amused and gave him a sidelong glance.

She thought to herself, you can call me a witch queen, you can call me shameless, I accept it, I will have to continue to endure the humiliation until we regain the Ming Dynasty.

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(End of this chapter)