Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 157: The Fake Emperor and the Demon Queen are in collusion, and I, the King, will help you

Changchun Palace.

Zhu Qizhen lay comfortably in the bathtub with his eyes closed.

"I will rub it for you."

Xianfei swam behind him and stretched out her delicate hands to gently massage his shoulders. Her hair was tied up, with only a few strands falling on her round, white shoulders.

After pressing for a while, her face turned red, and she pressed close to him, pressing against Zhu Qizhen's back. In the mist, her black hair fell on the water surface, and her charming eyes were filled with a blurred look.

Zhu Qizhen turned around, gently stroked her silky skin, and looked at her delicate face. Concubine Xian whimpered and hugged his neck tightly.

They moved skillfully and in harmony, and the water in the bathtub began to ripple.

Half an hour later.

Zhu Qizhen carried Concubine Xian back to the phoenix couch. She leaned against his arms greedily and sighed softly, "Your Majesty, you should stay out of the palace less often in the future. I am afraid of the wound on your shoulder."

She slid her delicate fingers across the arrow wound on Zhu Qizhen's shoulder. Zhu Qizhen held her hand and smiled: "A man's wound is a medal. Why should I be afraid of those assassins?"

"No clues yet?" Concubine Xian frowned.

"The other party is very familiar with the capital, and even the Jinyiwei can't catch them." Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly, "Who on earth is it? So powerful."

Concubine Xian raised her head, her long black hair falling, showing her fair and delicate neck. She said, "It means that there are important people in the capital helping them, so they are hiding so deeply. Otherwise, how could the Jinyiwei not be able to track them down?"

"My beloved concubine is smart." Zhu Qizhen put his arm around her waist and said, "The Grand Ancestor once said that his queen could match three good ministers. I think you can do the same as well, my beloved concubine."

The virtuous concubine glared at him and pursed her red lips: "I haven't given birth to a prince yet. Your Majesty, please ask the imperial physician to take a look."

Zhu Qizhen was very embarrassed.

……

During these days, Zhu Qizhen went to the Ministry of War almost every day, keeping an eye on the war in the northern border. Yu Qian, the Prince's Guardian, and Chen Mao, the Duke of Jing, both lived in the Ministry of War.

"Your Majesty, Yang Guifang has won a few battles. However, he actually built a Jingguan. I guess Yesen will do his best to surround and kill him." Yu Qian frowned, "He is impulsive!"

Duke Chen Mao of Jing State shook his head and said, "We should have done this a long time ago! If Emperor Taizong had built Jingguan along the way every time he made five expeditions to Mobei, those barbarians would have not dared to go south long ago."

Yu Qian held his forehead with his hand: "This, this... can't be done this way."

Duke Chen Mao of Jing was anxious: "Why not? What did Huo Qubing do back then? What did the Xiongnu's ballad say? Losing my Qilian Mountain made my livestock unable to reproduce. Losing my Yanzhi Mountain made my women lose their color. From then on, the Xiongnu fled far away and never dared to go south again."

Zhu Qizhen saw that the two of them seemed to be about to fight, so he quickly persuaded them to stop: "Stop, we are far away in the capital, and we don't know the specific situation of the battle. Let's not worry about these details. We just need to control the overall direction. By the way, why hasn't Yesen attacked yet?"

"Waiting for the right time!" Yu Qian said, "Yesen is no less famous than the ancient generals. He has a very accurate grasp of the timing on the battlefield. Just like three years ago, he pretended to attack Datong and Xuanfu, suddenly crossed Zijing Pass, and then went straight to the capital."

Duke Chen Mao of Jing laughed out loud: "Your Majesty, don't worry, although Yesen is cunning. However, Shi Heng, Guo Deng and others are old rivals of Yesen and will not let him succeed. Besides, don't we still have a group of young generals like Yang Guifang and Wang Yue?"

"I am very relieved." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile, "It is you who is worried. Last time, you said you would go to the northern border to take charge."

"Of course, I, Chen Mao, am here to take Yesen's head." Chen Mao chuckled, "Your Majesty, how about you let me go? It's still in time for us to catch up with the hot battle."

Zhu Qizhen was annoyed: "Just stay here quietly!"

……

After leaving the Ministry of War, he came to the Wenhua Hall, where the cabinet ministers were working. Although there was a war in the north, domestic affairs could not be delayed. The implementation of the new policy and river management must move forward steadily.

The cabinet chief Shang Lu reported on the latest government affairs, and everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. Of course, there were some minor episodes, such as the governor of the river, Wang Lai, who was always impeached by local officials for being overbearing.

"Investigate those who impeached Wang Lai." Zhu Qizhen said in a cold tone, "Do you think I don't know? They know that there are five million taels in the river channel, and they all want to make some money from it."

Shang Lu smiled and reported: "That's not entirely true. Since Wang Lai used the royal flag to execute two prefects last time, the local officials have been very cooperative with him. I know Wang Lai. He is also a disciple of Mr. Hu. He is a stubborn person. It is really hard to work with him."

"Then why are the officials in Shandong and Henan so cooperative?" Zhu Qizhen snorted, "It's because they have no selfish motives and all want to cure the river."

"Your Majesty is right. If those officials were impartial, there would be no conflicts." Shang Lu nodded.

Zhu Qizhen stood up and sighed, "I know all the twists and turns in the officialdom. If the court allocates 500,000 taels to a county, at most only seven layers will be left. Humph, but now we are managing the river. If anyone tries this trick again, I will kill him!"

Shang Lu actually had something to say, but he didn't continue. What he wanted to say was that the salaries of officials were too low, so some officials would take risks.

However, this is a complicated issue, and Shang Lu does not want to raise it at this time. He will talk about it after the war is over. Clarifying the administration of officials is a complicated game.

……

At dusk, Zhu Qizhen came to Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother was standing in the corridor in front of the palace, admiring the sunset. She was wearing a purple dress that outlined her perfect body curves, with a graceful figure, a dignified and noble posture, soft hair like a waterfall, and skin as white as jade. Under the sunset, she seemed to be flowing with mist.

"Does the wound still hurt?" she asked Zhu Qizhen who was approaching.

"It's all healed now." Zhu Qizhen came to her side, "For a strong guy like me, those minor injuries are nothing."

The Queen Mother glanced at him and raised her lips slightly: "You were so proud that you almost lost your life. The assassin is still not caught?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded indifferently: "It's hidden very well."

The Queen Mother turned around, her beautiful eyes filled with doubt: "I see you don't seem to be in a hurry, you've been assassinated twice, you don't take this matter to heart?"

"I only keep you in my heart." Zhu Qizhen said without hesitation.

"You..." The Queen Mother's beautiful eyes were filled with anger, and she bit her lips lightly, "It's already this time, and you're still making trouble? The assassin wants to kill not only you, but me as well."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "You are the Demon Queen, you must not be killed!"

The Queen Mother took a few steps towards him, approached him, and said in a low voice, "You are still a fake emperor! Okay, I won't argue with you anymore, let's go back to the palace for dinner."

The two walked into Kunning Palace one after the other, and Shuangxi came up with a plate. When the food was served, Zhu Qizhen started eating with big mouthfuls, while the empress dowager continued to eat with small bites in an elegant manner. However, Zhu Qizhen put down his chopsticks after eating a small bowl.

"Not tasty?" the Queen Mother asked.

"No appetite." Zhu Qizhen wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair.

The Queen Mother's beautiful eyes softened: "What difficulties have you encountered?"

Zhu Qizhen straightened up and spread his hands. "It's not a difficult problem. It's just a problem of administration. Today in Wenhua Hall, Shang Lu seemed to be hesitant to speak. Actually, I know that he wanted to say that the salaries of officials in this dynasty were too low, so corruption arose. Humph, what kind of logic is this?"

The Queen Mother put down her chopsticks and smiled slightly: "This reminds me of a story about Liu Bowen educating his son."

"You're free anyway, so just talk." Zhu Qizhen lay on the chair like a big boss.

The Queen Mother glared and started to tell the story.

It was said that winter was coming, and Liu Bowen's housekeeper came to remind him that he had to hurry up and make winter clothes, but the family had no money. Liu Bowen had no choice but to ask the housekeeper to sell his calligraphy and paintings.

Liu Bowen's son Liu Lian sighed, saying that everyone thought that the ministers of the current dynasty were rich and powerful, but their family could not even afford winter clothes, which was a joke.

Liu Bowen said that the salaries of officials in this dynasty were the lowest in history. If officials in the capital did not have some land and ancestral property, it would be difficult to maintain the expenses in the capital.

Liu Lian knew that the salary of an official meant integrity, and the emperor advocated integrity and valued the integrity of his officials. But Liu Bowen said: integrity also has its limits and cannot exceed the tolerance of officials. Then, he had a conversation with Liu Lian.

"Lian'er, let me ask you, if we have no calligraphy or paintings to sell today, and the rice jar at home is empty, and a subordinate happens to send us ten kilograms of meat and ten kilograms of rice, should we accept them or not?"

"It's just a small gift. It's okay to accept it. It's just to make up for the lack of rice."

"Next time, he sends you twenty taels of silver, and your family happens to be short of silver to buy winter clothes. Will you accept it or not?"

"Take it and return it to him later."

"Next time, he will give you two hundred taels of silver and ask you to accept it. He will ask you to do a private thing for him. This matter is not big, you just need to say hello to your subordinates. Two hundred taels of silver, do you want to accept it or not?"

“Corruption and bribery started from here.”

"Yes, many illegal things were legal at first. Gradually, they became illegal between illegal and legal. The reasons are quite complicated, but there is one thing: if the rice jar is empty, everyone hopes that someone will send rice to them, and saints are no exception. I think that if officials want to maintain long-term integrity, they should not let the ministers' rice jars be empty."

After hearing the story, Zhu Qizhen lay in a chair, deep in thought. The Queen Mother served herself a bowl of soup and drank it slowly, not disturbing him. She thought he must be lost in thought, thinking about the story just now.

After a while, she heard Zhu Qizhen snoring. She was so angry that she picked up the chopsticks in her hand and threw them at him. Zhu Qizhen sat up suddenly and was furious: "Who is who? There are always villains who want to harm me!"

"If you want to sleep, go find your concubine. Don't lie here with me." The Queen Mother said angrily.

"Why are you sleeping?" Zhu Qizhen yawned, stood up and walked out, "I still have to go to the Ministry of War. There may be a war in the north in the next few days. I want to know the result as soon as possible."

The Queen Mother looked at his back with her eyes drooping.

……

Frontier, Yanghe City.

The veteran general Liu Dachui was stationed here. Although he was not a high-ranking official, Guo Deng had to call himself his subordinate when he saw him. Because the first small flag Guo Deng had after joining the army was Liu Dachui. Some of Guo Deng's tactics in leading troops actually came from Liu Dachui. When Liu Dachui was young, he followed Emperor Taizong in the Northern Expedition. On his first battlefield, he was the only one who survived in his team of new soldiers. Since then, he has never returned to the interior of the country and only wanted to stay in the frontier.

"General Liu, General Liu."

Zhu Yong and Bai Gui, the new army commanders who had just arrived in Yanghe City, rushed in. Zhu Yong looked excited and excited, holding a piece of intelligence in his hand, and said, "Old Liu, Yang Guifang has won several games in a row. Yesen's main force is all in the direction of Datong. I think we should help them."

Liu Dachui took the intelligence and scanned it with a look of shock. He raised his eyes and asked, "How can we help? Our mission is to defend Yanghe City."

Zhu Yong was anxious and said, "Old Liu, Datong, Yanghe, to Xuanfu, this is a whole line of defense, we have to cooperate, understand? I ask for permission to bring 10,000 elite cavalry to support Yang Guifang. Hehe, we will be elusive at that time, so that Yesen will not know how many people we have released outside the pass."

"Yang Guifang can do it, but can you?" Liu Dachui said with contempt.

"Yes, Yang Guifang entered the border earlier than us and explored the terrain clearly. However, I have memorized all the scrolls handed to me by Yang Guifang." Zhu Yong said, "Old Liu, let me go! Even if I die in battle, I have no regrets!"

Liu Dachui's eyes fell on him and he felt happy.

Young people, young people emerging in endlessly, they are the future of Ming Dynasty. These kids are full of vigor and vitality, unlike when I was young, I was afraid and nervous.

"Okay, I will allow you to go." Liu Dachui said.

Seeing that he agreed, Bai Gui immediately asked for orders, but Liu Dachui stopped him and said, "You are the commander of the Shenji Camp, we need you to defend the city! I don't know how to use those things of yours."

Zhu Yong patted Bai Gui on the shoulder and laughed: "Old Bai, wait for my victory report at home, and make sure to send it to the capital as soon as possible. Let His Majesty know that we, the new army, will not embarrass him."

Bai Gui spread his hands and said, "If I had known, I would have joined the Fifth Army Camp. You took away the first place. I think Wang Yue must be worried right now."

Liu Dachui looked at the two of them with a smile on his face, as if he was seeing his own promising descendants.

That day, Zhu Yong led 10,000 elite cavalry out of Yanghe City and headed for the grassland outside the pass. Liu Dachui stood on the city wall, watching them go away, and said to himself: "Hold on for a few more years, wait for these guys to grow up, and then I will go to the grassland and sleep with my brothers!"

……

The capital city has entered early spring.

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen did not take a sedan chair, but walked back to the Qianqing Palace. Although the temperature was still a little low and the cold wind blew from time to time, Zhu Qizhen felt particularly refreshed. He walked along the path of the imperial road. The flowers, plants and trees on both sides had begun to sprout new buds, and the tender green color looked particularly bright in the morning light. Occasionally, there were a few early spring wild flowers, not afraid of the cold, blooming proudly, exuding a faint fragrance, which made people feel relaxed and happy.

Zhu Qizhen was in a particularly good mood as he walked and looked around. He took a deep breath of fresh air and felt much more energetic. The palace servants along the way saw him walking back and bowed to him.

Returning to the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Qizhen sat in front of the window, looking at the gradually warming sunlight and the increasingly vivid scenery outside the window, and stretched lazily: "It's another beautiful day."

At this time, Jinyiwei Commander Shi Biao came to pay a visit. When Zhu Qizhen saw him, he immediately felt that something bad was going to happen, and spread his hands: "Tell me, why are you still so cautious? The case is not yet clear, and I haven't punished you yet."

"Your Majesty, something has happened in Prince Xiang's mansion." Shi Biao reported, "The mansion has suddenly raised a lot of chickens and ducks, and they are making a lot of noise. Our spies discovered that Prince Xiang is forging weapons in the basement of the mansion."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand.

Hey, is the King of Xiang trying to learn from Emperor Taizong? He was the first to use this trick, which was smart, but if you use it again, you are just imitating others.

"Is he going to rebel?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Prince Xiang secretly recruited soldiers and horses, and there are 800 assassins in the palace." Shi Biao continued to report, "According to the intelligence of the secret agents, Prince Xiang has been extremely irritable recently, and often shouted "Kill the false emperor, kill the evil queen" in the palace. Your Majesty, the assassination is probably related to him."

Zhu Qizhen frowned: "I always feel like something is not right. Prince Xiang is a calm person."

Shi Biao was obviously anxious: "Your Majesty, do not hesitate any longer, arrest Prince Xiang immediately."

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and nodded.

When Zhu Di rebelled, Jianwen missed the opportunity to arrest him, which eventually gave Zhu Di the chance. There can be no hesitation in such matters.

"You personally take the elite Jinyiwei and go quickly!" Zhu Qizhen said, "Kill all those assassins and escort Prince Xiang and his family to the capital. Are you sure?"

Shi Biao was full of confidence: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I have made arrangements before. The commander of Xiangyang will also obey my orders. I will set off now."

He bowed and then stepped out.

Zhu Qizhen frowned. If Prince Xiang was captured, a life-and-death struggle would begin, and the news of the fake emperor would probably spread throughout the world.

……

After Shi Biao left, Zhu Qizhen called the eunuch chief Cao Jixiang and asked him how the investigation of the traitor was going. Cao Jixiang was a little panicked and knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have screened the eunuchs and maids in the Qianqing Palace. It should not be them who leaked the information. They have not left the palace, and it is impossible for them to contact the outside world."

"Where is the Empress Dowager's Kunning Palace?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"I don't know. I can't check the Queen Mother's people." Cao Jixiang said helplessly, "I secretly checked some young palace maids and eunuchs, and they didn't know that Your Majesty and the Queen Mother went out."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand impatiently: "What use is there for you!"

Cao Jixiang bowed and left in dismay. Zhu Qizhen sat on the chair, rubbing his brows, and sorted out his thoughts. The current focus is still the battle in the northern border.

As long as Yesen is defeated this time, his prestige as an emperor will soar again. Even if some people suspect that he is a fake emperor, they have to weigh their options in their hearts.

Moreover, in this battle, new men were recruited. These newly emerged generals will control the army of the Ming Dynasty in the future, and they are all loyal to him as the emperor.

Therefore, we must win the battle in the northern border!

As for the assassins, there could only be a few of them. After King Xiang is captured, there will naturally be new clues. Before we win the battle in the northern border, we shouldn't make a big fuss here, or the fake emperor's story will spread quickly throughout the world. No matter how many people believe it, it will always be a problem.

……

sunset.

Zhu Qizhen entered Kunning Palace and did not see the Queen Mother. He asked Shuangxi, "Where is your Queen Mother?"

Shuangxi also became much bolder. While busying himself with the work in his hands, he said, "The Queen Mother is bathing in the inner hall. She just came back from the Imperial Garden. She didn't see any flowers and stepped on mud."

Zhu Qizhen began to ask questions: "Shuangxi, does anyone in this palace go out to buy things every day?"

"Occasionally, not every day?" Shuangxi said, "The Queen Mother has always been frugal and doesn't allow us to spend money recklessly."

I really didn’t see it!
Zhu Qizhen complained in his heart, and looked up to see the curtain of the inner hall was drawn open, and the empress dowager walked out. Her exquisite figure was covered with a loose robe and a belt around her waist, which still highlighted her proud curves.

Her long black hair was casually draped on both sides, her unmade-up face was covered with tiny crystal beads of water, her fair skin was like mutton-fat jade, and underneath her robe was a gauze undergarment that was faintly visible.

"Shuangxi, go and put away my jewelry." She waved her hand.

"Yes." Shuangxi nodded and walked into the inner hall.

The Queen Mother then looked up at Zhu Qizhen, met his fiery gaze, and snorted, "Can you be more careful? Shuangxi is here, why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhu Qizhen blinked and said, "How about I take Shuangxi in? Then we can become one of our own."

"How dare you!" The Queen Mother glared with her beautiful eyes.

"Uh..." Zhu Qizhen curled his lips and asked while there was no one else around, "The last time we were stabbed, it means our whereabouts were exposed, and the people who knew we left the palace were either from your Kunning Palace or my Qianqing Palace. I've already checked on my side, shouldn't you check on your side?"

The Queen Mother held a towel in her hand and lowered her head to wipe her wet hair. The moment she possessed him, Zhu Qizhen's eyes widened. It was a bad omen.

……

Xiangyang City, Xiangyang Prince's Mansion.

Gaga gaga… cluck cluck… quack quack…

There was a commotion, noisier than a vegetable market. Under the palace was a huge basement where weapons were being forged. Prince Xiang was in a stone room, and in front of him stood the four commanders of the palace's personal guards. Prince Xiang glanced over and said in a deep voice: "There is a false emperor in the country and a demon queen in the palace. They want to usurp our Ming Dynasty! How can our ancestors' kingdom fall into the hands of others? I will obey the will of heaven and put an end to the rebellion!"

"We are willing to follow His Majesty until death!" The four of them bowed together.

King Xiang's eyes were full of bloodshot, and his face was extremely excited: "Back then, Emperor Taizong led 800 warriors to start the Jingnan Campaign, and finally seized the world. I, the king, also have 800 warriors. This time, God has given this opportunity to me."

One of the four imperial guards commanders was actually nervous.

Your Majesty, please wake up. Who is Emperor Taizong? When he was young, he followed General Xu Da on the Northern Expedition and learned a lot of skills. After he was crowned as a king and established his fiefdom, he controlled the kings along the border.

But what's wrong with you, Your Majesty? Why do you want to learn from Taizong when there are so many people you can learn from?

"Your Highness, please give the order. How should we do it?" asked another guard.

The bloodshot eyes of King Xiang shone brightly: "I will ask someone to tell me when is the right day to start the rebellion!"

Guard: “!!!”

King Xiang pointed outside and said, "You continue to forge weapons and speed up. There are chickens and ducks quacking on the ground, so others won't notice it."

The four personal guards could only nod and accept the order.

King Xiang strode out with his hands behind his back, feeling that he was about to become emperor.

(End of this chapter)