Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 159 Demon Queen: I am yours!
The night in Beijing is intoxicating.

In Yonghe Palace, Concubine De Sun Zhenzhen was lying on the couch with her hair disheveled and her mouth blocked by a piece of cloth.

He took off the cloth on Sun Zhenzhen's mouth. Sun Zhenzhen gasped and almost cried out of shyness, trying to hide her inner shame. The emperor had some strange hobbies recently, and the door to a new world was opened for her.

"Your Majesty, are you and Concubine Xian like this as well?" Sun Zhenzhen asked shyly.

"Well, there are more tricks." Zhu Qizhen stroked her jade back and smiled, "Although Concubine Xian is usually dignified and gentle, she is much crazier than you when she gets wild. Why are you still shy?"

Sun Zhenzhen glared at him: "You have played me to pieces."

Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently, feeling comfortable all over. Sun Zhenzhen leaned on his shoulder and said softly: "Your Majesty, you have been busy with government affairs recently, and you have worked hard."

"Are you disgusted with me?" Zhu Qizhen stared.

"No...no..." Sun Zhenzhen's face turned red with shame.

Zhu Qizhen lay down, resting his head on his hands and sighing, "I am so annoyed. The war in the north is not going well, and there are people making trouble in the rear."

Sun Zhenzhen leaned in his arms and said gently, "At least the harem is safe and sound, thanks to the Queen Mother. The concubines get along well with each other and don't fight or compete with each other."

Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes.

The time has not yet come. Wait until I depose the Queen and then we’ll see if you guys will fight or not.
"Haven't you been with the Queen Mother recently?" he asked.

"The Queen Mother doesn't need us to accompany her. She occasionally goes out of the palace to play." Sun Zhenzhen curled her lips, "We concubines are strictly prohibited from leaving the palace, but the Queen Mother does go out of the palace from time to time."

Zhu Qizhen was stunned. The Queen Mother went out of the palace from time to time? What did she go out of the palace for?
……

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen returned to the Qianqing Palace and asked, as usual, if there were any memorials from the northern border. The war was what he was most concerned about. He was just reading the memorials when Cao Jixiang came to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Shi is back and wants to see you outside the palace."

Shi Biao is back? Why was there no news in advance?

Zhu Qizhen felt something was wrong and immediately waved his hand to invite him to see him. Soon, Shi Biao came to the palace with a solemn face, and then bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I went to Xiangyang this time and failed. The King of Xiang... He burned himself to death."

"What?" Zhu Qizhen was shocked.

Shi Biao recounted the whole process, and Zhu Qizhen felt somewhat confused after hearing it.

King Xiang is using his death to prove that he is a fake emperor. Once this gets out, it will certainly cause a huge response, and some people will believe what King Xiang says.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Zhu Qizhen frowned, "Everyone in the world will think that I forced my uncle to death."

Shi Biao bowed and calmed down. He said, "Your Majesty, I have evidence of Prince Xiang's rebellion. I think we should charge Prince Xiang with the crime of treason and make it known to the world."

Zhu Qi calmed down and said, "In this case, there will still be people who believe what the King of Xiang said. Moreover, killing my uncle will make me..."

Shi Biao actually interrupted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you can't hesitate! As for killing my uncle, Your Majesty, you have already sentenced two princes and one county prince to death."

Zhu Qizhen was startled.

Yes, what else should I worry about? Killing one prince is killing, killing three is also killing. It is still the same routine as before, making their crimes known to the world, the more the better.

"You must do it immediately and make sure to provide detailed evidence of Prince Xiang's rebellion." Zhu Qizhen said coldly.

"Yes, sir!" Shi Biao took the order and left.

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath and planned to announce the death of Prince Xiang in the morning court tomorrow. He had a premonition that there would be a big storm, and before that, he had to face the Queen Mother and tell her about the death of Prince Xiang.

……

Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother was watering the flowers. Spring was coming, and her flowers were about to bloom. She was wearing a light green dress that outlined her charming and perfect figure. She had a graceful figure and walked with a dignified and elegant posture. Her black hair fell to her waist like a waterfall, swaying in the wind, and her skin was fair and tight.

"Shuangxi, all of you leave." Zhu Qizhen came in and waved.

"Yes." Shuangxi led the eunuchs and palace maids to retreat, leaving only him and the empress dowager in the hall.

The Queen Mother frowned slightly, without raising her head, and continued to play with her flowers. Zhu Qizhen walked to her side, smelling the fragrance, and was slightly absent-minded.

"What happened again?" the Queen Mother asked, looking up.

She locked eyes with Zhu Qizhen, fiercely and boldly, causing Zhu Qizhen to avoid her gaze and said, "Prince Xiang burned himself to death."

"What? What did you say?" The Queen Mother seemed not to hear clearly.

"Prince Xiang burned himself to death, and his entire family died." Zhu Qizhen shouted.

The Queen Mother stayed there for a long time. After a while, she stared at Zhu Qizhen coldly and asked angrily: "You can establish your authority or even arrest people if you want. Why did you force him to death?"

"I don't want to force him to death!" Zhu Qizhen looked straight into her eyes.

He briefly described the process of the Jinyiwei going to arrest people, meaning that they were just going to arrest people, but he didn't expect that Prince Xiang would react so violently. After hearing this, the Queen Mother snorted coldly: "That's good. A prince has set himself on fire. The news will soon spread all over the world, and the words "Kill the false emperor, kill the evil queen, and restore our Ming Dynasty" will also be spread out. Humph, you false emperor, how long can you hold on!"

"Don't forget, we still have you, the evil queen!" Zhu Qizhen said coldly.

The Queen Mother was in a very bad mood, her eyes were cold, "I don't care, the Queen is the Queen, I'm just a woman. Throughout the ages, haven't many things been blamed on us women? I don't want to leave my name in history."

"Haha, you are quite open-minded." Zhu Qizhen looked coldly, "You didn't participate in the prince's move?"

"Hahaha, hahaha." The Queen Mother laughed crazily, walked up to him, stared at him intently, bit her lip and said, "You still doubt me now? Am I stupid enough to get myself involved?"

Zhu Qizhen suddenly reached out and held her beautiful and mature face, blinking his eyes: "A fake emperor and a demon queen, is there any trust between us?"

The Queen Mother was as cold as ice and shook off his hand: "Go away, don't waste your time here, think about how to face it."

Zhu Qizhen continued to hold her face, pinched it, and said, "Evil Queen, don't worry, if I ever die, I will take you with me."

"Okay." The Queen Mother smiled even more crazily.

Zhu Qizhen let go of his hand and turned away.

……

The next day, morning.

Zhu Qizhen announced the death of Prince Xiang and also announced his crime of treason.

The hall instantly fell into dead silence. After a long while, the ministers finally recovered from their shock. They looked at each other, not daring to speak.

Li Xian, the Minister of Personnel, was the first to come forward and report: "Your Majesty, the evidence is irrefutable that Prince Xiang was plotting a rebellion and he should be put to death. He actually burned himself to death and spread rumors about your Majesty. He really has ulterior motives. Your Majesty, expel Prince Xiang from the royal family genealogy. This disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust shameless person is not worthy of being a member of the royal family."

As soon as he said this, many ministers in the court stood up to agree with him. Because they could see that Li Xian was a trusted minister of the emperor, and Li Xian's words represented the direction of the wind.

However, some bigwigs did not speak, such as the Chief Minister of the Cabinet Shang Lu, the Prince's Guardian Yu Qian, and some dukes and military marquises remained silent.

Although Zhu Qizhen was disappointed, he would not force anyone to express their views and immediately announced his withdrawal from the court. What he had to do next was to announce the crime of Xiang Wang's rebellion to the world to counteract the rumors of Xiang Wang's death. As for how many people believed he was real and how many believed he was fake, he had no choice.

The most critical thing now is the battle in the northern border. As long as he can defeat Yesen and stop him from going south, and then publicize it vigorously, his prestige as an emperor will be higher, and some rumors will be dispelled.

……

After the court session, he went to the Imperial Road.

Yu Qian, the Prince's Guardian, and Shang Lu, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, walked side by side. Both of them looked unhappy, solemn and worried. Yu Qian spoke first: "If this continues, His Majesty will probably start a massacre."

The hot-tempered Shang Lu snorted, "Good news! How many of the princes of the Zhu family are good? How much grain does the national treasury spend every year to feed them? They are still not satisfied. Which prince treats the people as human beings?"

"Prince Xiang is actually okay." Yu Qian smiled bitterly.

"Is he crazy?" Shang Lu snorted. "He showed up at this time? Does he think the Ming Dynasty is not suffering enough? He hopes the Ming Dynasty will perish soon? We have worked so hard to defeat Yesen. But he didn't help us, and now he is causing chaos among the people and the army. Does he deserve to be called the Ming Dynasty?"

Yu Qian did not expect Shang Lu to be so angry. He thought Shang Lu would secretly stand on the side of the prince. So he asked directly: "Lao Ge, why didn't you stand up and support His Majesty in the court just now?"

"Am I stupid?" Shang Lu said angrily, "What if... I mean what if, in the future, your Majesty falls, and another Majesty comes back to settle accounts, and finds out that I publicly supported this Majesty, then I'm doomed."

Although the words were roundabout, Yu Qian understood them and cursed: "Old fox!"

Shang Lu glanced at him and said, "Didn't you stand up to support His Majesty, too?"

Yu Qian spread his hands and said: "I support it with practical actions."

Shang Lu gave him a disdainful look: "Old fox!"

Both sides could see clearly what was going on in the two men's minds. Yu Qian sighed, "Although it is not convenient for us to talk, we must support your majesty in action. If we lose the battle in the northern border, then we will all be doomed."

Shang Lu stopped, turned his head and looked at Fengtian Hall, and sighed: "It's really not easy for His Majesty! For the sake of Ming Dynasty and the people, he has not stopped for the past four years. Sigh, this world is really fucked up."

"Hey, Lord, why have you become so vulgar?" Yu Qian asked with a smile.

"Not only am I vulgar, I can also hit people." Shang Lu said angrily, "Anyway, if your majesty has any problems, I will quit. It doesn't matter who you love, I won't serve you."

Yu Qian smiled slightly and said, "You know what? When His Majesty came back from Tumu Fortress, he won the hearts of the people and a group of ministers. Even you, the Lord, were impressed by him."

Shang Lu flicked his sleeves and said, "Anyone who is not blind knows that he will be a good emperor."

He didn't know that there were many ministers who thought the same way as he did.

……

Prince Qing's Palace.

After Zhu Qiyu left the court, he hurried back and found his military advisor Tung Xingdao, telling him about the death of Prince Xiang. Tung Xingdao was also shocked: "Prince Xiang? He actually used his death to prove that the emperor was fake. This is really beyond my expectation." "Hahaha, now the fake emperor is in trouble." Zhu Qiyu said happily, "He can't stop the world from talking."

A sharp light flashed in Tung Xingdao's eyes: "King Xiang does have some strategies. However, it is not easy to do it at the cost of death. I guess there is someone with great advice and persuasion."

"Then why did he do that?" Zhu Qiyu was puzzled. "Everyone is dead, there is nothing left."

"Perhaps he really wants to restore the Ming Dynasty." Tung Xingdao showed admiration, "I admire King Xiang for this."

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand impatiently: "Who is he helping by doing this? It can't be me, right? The King of Xiang and I don't have much friendship."

Tung Xingdao pondered for a moment and said, "If he is helping, he might be helping... the real emperor!"

Zhu Qiyu's expression changed drastically: "Are they in contact?"

"Now it seems that it should be." Tung Xingdao smiled, "When the time comes, the true emperor will reveal his identity and announce it to the world, and then more people will believe in him."

Zhu Qiyu's face was grim: "Uncle Wang, you will never choose me until you die? The real emperor, bullshit real emperor, if it weren't for him, the Ming Dynasty would be like this today?"

"Your Highness, there's no point in getting angry now." Tung Xingdao said in a deep voice, "Next, let's see what you do."

Zhu Qiyu asked: "What should I do? Who should I support? The fake emperor is in urgent need of support. Haha, if I support him now, he will definitely not let me go to the vassal state."

Tung Xingdao smiled with a barely perceptible smile, and said, "Yes, you should support the fake emperor! Right now, my lord, you need chaos. The more chaos there is, the more chances you will have."

Zhu Qiyu nodded thoughtfully.

……

The next morning, Zhu Qiyu took the initiative to stand up and submitted a memorial. In the memorial, he cursed Prince Xiang, saying that he relied on his status as the emperor's uncle and disrespected the emperor. He even said that during the Tumu Incident, the court and the people hoped that he would ascend the throne. He accused him of having a rebellious heart and deliberately spreading rumors about the emperor, which led to the chaos in Jiangnan. He had ulterior motives until his death and was not worthy of being a member of the Zhu family.

Zhu Qizhen was stunned. He did not expect him to be so brave and scold so sharply. The ministers were also dumbfounded. They did not know what this Prince of Qin was up to and what his purpose was.

“Your Majesty, although he is dead, please demote him to a commoner and expel him from the family tree.” Zhu Qiyu bowed finally.

Zhu Qizhen took the opportunity to expel Prince Xiang and praised Prince Qing. The matter came to a temporary end in the court, because Prince Qing had stood up to support the emperor, what else could other ministers say? That was the emperor's younger brother.

However, Zhu Qizhen knew that this matter would not end among the people, it had just begun. This was not the first time that the emperor was said to be fake, it was the second time, and it was said when a prince committed suicide by burning himself.

He could only hope that the navy of Jinyiwei could reverse the situation within a few years. The most important thing at the moment was to secure the throne. Now that he was in power, at least on the surface, no ministers came out to oppose him.

Down towards the back.

Zhu Qizhen also specifically called Zhu Qiuyu to stop, and the two brothers walked for a while on the Imperial Road so that all the ministers could see that they were of one mind.

"Brothers are still the best. Second brother, you helped me again."

"Royal brother, what are you talking about? We are a family. Besides, you are leaving me in Beijing. I am a useless person. Well, I am already very satisfied to be able to take care of my mother."

……

The Queen Mother left the palace and went to Fahai Temple to burn incense and pray for the soldiers on the front line.

After devoutly burning incense and worshipping the Bodhisattva, the empress dowager rested in the meditation room in the backyard. Not long after, a man wearing a bamboo hat came to pay her respects to the empress dowager.

"You did a great job this time. The crisis of the false emperor has arrived."

"My lady, I've implicated you as well. I'm afraid you'll be cursed in history books in the future."

"I am just a woman, I don't care! Next, follow the plan."

"Yes, Prince Qing got carried away this time and supported the fake emperor. His path to becoming emperor is completely cut off."

"Humph, he doesn't have that ability!"

The Queen Mother was dignified and cold, and gave a few more instructions. The man in the bamboo hat bowed respectfully and left. The Queen Mother slowly stood up and walked to the window, where she saw that the flowers in the garden had already bloomed.

"Shuangxi, go back to the palace." She stood there for a long time and then shouted.

When the carriage drove into the palace, the Queen Mother lifted the curtain and looked at the magnificent palace in front of her. Her dark eyes flashed with sadness and she sighed quietly: "For the rest of my life, I will be locked in this gorgeous cage."

She supported her head with one hand, her beautiful and mature face was filled with sadness, her beautiful eyes moved slightly, and then she glared suddenly. Because she saw Zhu Qizhen walking on a path in front of her with Concubine Xian, their fingers tightly clasped.

Zhu Qizhen and Concubine Xian walked and stopped, just like lovers in love. Concubine Xian had a gentle figure and light steps. Her smile bloomed like a flower, and her eyes were full of happiness. When she smiled at Zhu Qizhen, their tacit understanding and deep affection were beyond words.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes never left Concubine Xian, full of doting and affection. They walked side by side, sometimes whispering and laughing, sometimes smiling at each other. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves and sprinkled on them, adding a bit of warmth and romance.

The Queen Mother looked at them with a complicated expression, a mixture of envy, jealousy, and a bit of inferiority. She said coldly, "Shuangxi, hurry up!"

……

Zhu Qizhen actually saw the empress dowager's carriage and was curious about why she left the palace again. He walked with Concubine Xian for a while and then returned to the Qianqing Palace.

As an emperor with ideals, how could he waste his time on women in broad daylight? He had plenty of time at night, and besides, he liked to turn off the lights when doing that.

After returning to the Qianqing Palace, he summoned Shi Biao, the commander of the Jinyiwei. Shi Biao was very nervous, thinking that the emperor was punishing him, but the emperor asked, "How is my navy now?"

Shi Biao was stunned at first, and then reported: "Your Majesty, the navy was later led by Ding Xiu. That guy is very talented. He recruited all the uncles and aunts in the capital. Now in terms of the scale of the navy, it exceeds the imperial guards and is spread all over the capital."

"That's exactly what we want!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Find a few trusted gentlemen to make up a story about Prince Xiang, how he was plotting something evil and had ulterior motives, and then let the navy disperse."

"Yes!" Shi Biao nodded.

"Also, the Jinyiwei in various places can develop a navy." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "What is public opinion? This is public opinion. It will be useful when the time comes."

"I will give the order right away." Shi Biao took the order and left.

Zhu Qizhen lay in the chair, thinking that people these days were still very superstitious, so he should make up some story that he was the true emperor and spread it widely.

This trick was used by Zhu Di when he rebelled.

"Don't chase the swallows, chase the swallows and they fly high, flying high to the heavenly land." Wasn't this nursery rhyme made up by Zhu Di? We should learn more from Emperor Taizong.

……

it's dark.

"Shuangxi, it seems that His Majesty will not come. You should put away the dishes and go downstairs to have a rest." The Queen Mother waved her hand.

"Empress Dowager, you haven't eaten for a day. Don't you want to eat something?" Shuangxi asked worriedly.

"I have no appetite and would like to be alone for a while." The Queen Mother lowered her eyes.

Shuangxi had no choice but to leave the hall with the eunuchs and palace maids. The empress dowager was originally sitting on a chair. She slowly sat up, her long black hair falling down, revealing her beautiful figure. She walked to the soft seat and lay down lazily.

The night was shrouded in darkness, and the candlelight in the hall was dim.

I don’t know how long it took, but I heard footsteps approaching. Looking at the shadow cast by the candlelight, the empress dowager knew that Zhu Qizhen had come, and she immediately closed her eyes slightly.

Zhu Qizhen had gone to the military department to discuss deductions today, and before he knew it, it was already dark, so he came back late. He approached quietly and saw the empress dowager lying on her side on a soft mat, with her back to him, and covered with a soft blanket.

The beautiful figure is curvy and boneless, and even a thin blanket cannot hide it.

Zhu Qizhen walked to the mat. Under the candlelight, the empress dowager's beautiful face was firm and shiny, and her white neck and collarbone were delicate and attractive. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Turns out he was just pretending to sleep!

Zhu Qizhen had a sly smile on his face. He took off his shoes, lay down behind her, and then put his arms around her waist, calling softly, "Ruo Wei."

He thought she would continue to pretend to sleep, but she heard her cold voice: "Turn off the lights!"

Zhu Qizhen: “???”

He was stunned for a moment, thinking he had heard wrongly. The queen mother's cold voice came again: "I know what you men are thinking. Don't you just want to conquer me? Now I am yours."

Judging from the tone, it was obviously wrong, very cold. How could this be the look of handing himself over? Zhu Qizhen withdrew his hand and snorted, "I want to conquer not only people, but also hearts."

The Queen Mother turned around suddenly, and she was so beautiful so close to me that it was breathtaking.

"You don't dare, do you?" A sneer appeared on her lips.

Zhu Qizhen grabbed her neck and smiled coldly: "Who do you think you are? Do you still think you are a peerless beauty? Come on, there are so many young girls in the harem."

The Queen Mother let him pinch her, staring at him viciously without saying a word. If eyes could kill, Zhu Qizhen would be dead now.

"I'll strangle you to death!" The Queen Mother suddenly went mad and pounced on Zhu Qizhen with her fangs and claws bared.

Zhu Qizhen ran away immediately, leaving her mad. The Queen Mother saw him running away, and she gnashed her teeth in anger, stamping her feet continuously. After stamping for a while, she walked to the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Am I worse than those women?" She began to doubt herself.

She has always been absolutely confident in her beauty, but this time she was severely hit by Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Qizhen ran directly to Changchun Palace. Concubine Xian had not yet gone to bed. When she saw him coming in, she was about to stand up and greet him. Zhu Qizhen interrupted her and said, "Lie on your side on the mat, yes, that's it."

Then he leaned forward.

The virtuous concubine closed her beautiful eyes and said softly, "Turn off the lights."

(End of this chapter)