Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 163 The Demon Queen finally surrendered!
"Have you been leaving the palace from time to time recently?" Zhu Qizhen asked suddenly.

The Queen Mother blinked her eyes and moved her thin lips slightly: "Well, go to Fahai Temple to pray for the soldiers in front."

Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes and said, "Have you forgotten about the last assassination attempt? The assassin has not been caught yet. It is too dangerous for you to go out. They want to kill the Demon Queen."

"Last time, I encountered an assassin because I went out with you." The Queen Mother snorted, "I'm going out alone, it's safe."

"Blame me." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

The Queen Mother stared at him with her beautiful eyes and said coldly, "If I don't blame you, who should I blame? If it weren't for you, would I have become the demon queen they are talking about?"

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and pointed: "You are the evil queen! The history books of later generations will also call you that."

"You..." The Queen Mother's face turned red with anger.

Shuangxi on the side held his forehead with his hand.

Sure enough, they are warm and cozy one moment and quarreling the next. They have been feeling crazy recently.

"I am concerned about you, too. Don't be ungrateful." Zhu Qizhen said, "If anything happens to you, I won't care, but the things you really care about will be over."

The Queen Mother raised her hand and hit him, but Zhu Qizhen, who was quick-witted and quick-handed, grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. The Queen Mother felt pain, but endured it, staring at him with anger in her beautiful eyes, biting her lips lightly.

"If you don't want to listen, then don't listen." Zhu Qizhen let her go and stood up. "Well, I'd better go find the virtuous concubine. She is well-behaved and obedient."

He strode away, leaving behind a dashing back. The Queen Mother was so angry that she looked like she was about to cry. Her dark eyes were watery, as if she had been bullied, and her large chest rose and fell slightly.

Shuangxi didn't dare to go forward to disturb him and stood behind him with his head down.

……

Zhu Qizhen did not go to Changchun Palace to find Concubine Xian, but went to Yonghe Palace to find Concubine De Sun Zhenzhen.

Sun Zhenzhen had not received the imperial edict, and did not expect the emperor to come, so she did not dress up specially. Her long legs were intertwined, and she sat on the table with her hips raised. She rested her chin on one hand and tilted her head slightly to read a book, but she was obviously not concentrating and looked bored.

"Your Majesty~" She saw Zhu Qizhen coming in and hurried forward, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand to support her and said softly, "I passed by and missed you."

Sun Zhenzhen's mature and charming face was flushed, and her eyes were shy: "I miss your majesty too."

What are you waiting for? I just got angry at the Queen Mother and I am about to vent it.

He picked up Sun Zhenzhen and carried her sideways, walking towards the phoenix couch in the inner hall.

After a while, the gauze hanging from the phoenix couch swayed violently, and two figures inside the gauze hugged each other tightly. Sun Zhenzhen's pair of delicate feet were tense until they loosened, and the wind and rain slowly stopped.

Sun Zhenzhen hugged Zhu Qizhen with her white arms, her eyes full of affection. Zhu Qizhen gently hugged her, sniffed the fragrance of her hair, and said, "Go and persuade the Queen Mother not to leave the palace recently. It's too dangerous."

"I mentioned it last time, and the Queen Mother was very unhappy." Sun Zhenzhen said, "She told me not to get involved and not to ask about it in the future."

Zhu Qizhen frowned, "How about you go with her next time? She is going to Fahai Temple to pray for the soldiers on the front line, so it would be nice to take you along. After that, you can say you are going on her behalf to show your filial piety."

"Yeah." Sun Zhenzhen nodded.

Zhu Qizhen looked down at her red face and whispered something in her ear. Her face turned even redder, and a struggle flashed in her eyes, but she finally got into the bed and kept going down.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The Zhengtong Emperor looked at the letter in his hand with an expression of disbelief on his face, and said coldly: "Do you still want me to be stable? How long will it last?"

Xu Bin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since the Junshan Society said so, it must be that the time is not yet ripe. In fact, the court has just won a victory and stopped Yesen. The prestige of the pseudo-emperor has soared again, and he even has the momentum to surpass Emperor Xuanzong. Everyone in the court and the country respects him."

"Yes, Your Majesty, you have to stay calm." Yuan Bin said, "We have come from Mobei to Dunhuang, and the most difficult times are over. Your Majesty, we will definitely be able to return to Beijing."

The Zhengtong Emperor took a deep breath, seemed to calm down, spread his hands and smiled: "I am not in a hurry! I can stay in Dunhuang for a few decades. I am just worried that the capital has lost confidence."

"Your Majesty, you are the orthodox one." Xu Bin said, "The Zhu family has experienced four generations of holy rulers. Both the people and the army are on the side of the Zhu family. Your Majesty, the Junshan Society will definitely be loyal to you. But...but Your Majesty, you must also have determination and tolerance..."

The Zhengtong Emperor interrupted him and smiled bitterly: "I understand. After the Battle of Tumu Fortress, they lost their confidence in me. So I have to endure and listen to them. Otherwise, I, the true emperor, will be worse than that false emperor."

Xu Bin and Yuan Bin looked at each other and bowed together: "Your Majesty is wise."

The Zhengtong Emperor put away his dejected look and asked, "How is the situation in Guanxi? The Shazhou Guards of Yahansha and the Hami Guards of Bulie have joined forces, but they still haven't been able to resolve the civil unrest?"

"Not yet, and it has become more complicated." Yuan Bin frowned and said, "Liu Dingzhi, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, intervened. Some of the grain and grass in Guanxi came from Shaanxi and Gansu, and now they are intercepted by Liu Dingzhi. He stood on the side of those newly appointed garrisons and supplied them with grain and grass. In addition, he ordered Yahansha and Bulie in the name of the court to stop invading other garrisons, otherwise the court would send troops."

The orthodox emperor looked coldly: "The fake emperor knows how to use people."

Xu Bin on the side said: "Guanxi is unstable internally, so we can't advance rashly."

The orthodox emperor nodded slowly, with a sharp flash in his eyes.

……

The grassland outside the Great Wall, Yesen’s camp.

Boyan hurried in and saw Great Khan Yesen sitting there with his eyes closed. He bowed and said, "Great Khan, the spies have found the Ming army behind us."

Yesen stood up suddenly: "Where?"

Boyan walked to the map, pointed to a location and said, "Here."

Yesen narrowed his eyes, his murderous intent exposed: "They are really good at hiding. Their commander is very familiar with the grassland."

"Khan, I will go there myself and destroy them," Boyan said.

Yesen's eyes were cold and grim: "You have to go, and you have to bring 10,000 Qiexue troops with you."

Boyan was horrified, thinking he had heard wrongly, and asked: "Bring...bring the Qiexue Army?"

Yesen gave him an affirmative look: "Yes, take the Qiexue Army and kill them! We need a battle that we are sure to win to boost morale. Now, only by sending out the Qiexue Army can we be sure of victory."

The Qiexue Army was the strongest cavalry of the Mongol Empire at that time.

The Keshig was an elite force formed by Genghis Khan himself, and its origins can be traced back to Genghis Khan's early years. Initially, the Keshig consisted of only 70 daytime guards and 80 nighttime guards. Later, as Genghis Khan's power grew, the Keshig team expanded significantly, eventually forming a Keshig Army of people.

The selection process of the Qiexue Army was very strict. Those who were selected had to have excellent individual combat capabilities and master skilled horseback archery skills. They were skilled in archery, with a range of more than 500 steps, and were well-equipped, carrying two bows and arrows for various purposes.

Since the Khexue were the Khan's personal guards, loyalty was the basic condition for selection. Some of the Khexue members were from the children of meritorious officials, nobles, and officials such as the Wanhu, Qianhu, and Baihu, while others were people with special talents who joined after being recommended. This selection mechanism ensured the Khexue Army's absolute loyalty to the Khan.

The Keshig Army enjoyed extremely high status and privileges. Genghis Khan once publicly announced that if a thousand households outside fought with the Keshig, the thousand households would be guilty. This shows that the status of the Keshig Army in the Khan's heart was much higher than that of ordinary soldiers.

They have a strong fighting power and are the elite force among the Mongolian cavalry. They have made great achievements in Genghis Khan's conquest of the West, and even destroyed the three major knight orders in the West in one battle.

After Yesen became the Great Khan of Mobei, he reorganized the Qiexue Army. After two years of selection, training and actual combat, he finally had 10,000 Qiexue troops. This was also the source of his confidence.

"Boyan, the Qiexue Army is in your hands." Yesen patted Boyan's shoulder heavily and said, "We must win this battle and completely destroy that Ming army."

"Yes!" Boyan nodded in acceptance.

……

Somewhere in the grassland.

Yang Guifang looked at the Wala spy in front of him and chopped off his head with a knife. The spy's head fell to the ground. After more than a month of raiding, he lost a lot of weight, but his whole body was filled with a fierce murderous aura.

The captains beside him were already used to it. Every time they captured an enemy spy and questioned him, the young commander would kill him without hesitation, leaving no one alive.

This is not even more cruel. If the young commander encounters herdsmen from the grassland tribes during the march, he will order a massacre without hesitation, even including women.

This was to ensure that their marching route would not be discovered by anyone. After more than a month, everyone not only respected this young commander, but also felt a little afraid of him.

Who would have thought that he was once a handsome man?
"According to what the spy just said, there is another cavalry that has also entered the grassland." Yang Guifang raised the corner of his mouth, "I guess it should be Zhu Yong. He came from Yanghe and is to our east. It's quite interesting. Yesen must have been confused."

"General, this grassland looks endless, but it is actually very complicated." The lieutenant was a little worried. "General, you have been running around the grassland for more than a year. That General Zhu Yong is new, right? Isn't it too risky for him to do this?"

Yang Guifang suddenly shuddered and nodded, "You are right! Now we know that Yesen has a Qiexue army under his command. According to Yesen's temper, he has been frustrated for so long and is holding back his anger. If Zhu Yong and his men are discovered, Yesen will definitely send out the Qiexue army to wipe out Zhu Yong."

The captain was anxious: "What should we do?"

Yang Guifang looked towards the east and sighed helplessly: "In this vast grassland, we can't communicate with each other at all. We can only rely on God. So, let's go to the east."

"Yes!" The captain said with a bitter face, "General, this is someone else's Changshengtian, it won't bless us."

Snapped!
Yang Guifang raised her hand and slapped him on the back of the head: "Zhang Hu, you are being clever now? I asked you to use your brain in the battle, but you can't do it?"

……

Capital city, Gaoliang River.

Zhu Qizhen came here on a secret visit. He was bored staying in the palace and remembered the time he went to Gaoliang River with the Queen Mother. Thinking that spring was almost over, he came to take a look.

The silence and bleakness of winter have quietly faded away, replaced by vigorous vitality and lush greenery. The river surface is no longer covered by thick ice, but sparkling and clear. On both sides, tender green willow branches hang down and sway in the wind, like a shy girl dancing with her soft waist.

He planned to rent a pleasure boat and cruise the river alone to relax. Besides, when he was relaxed, his mind would be clearer, and perhaps many of the problems he hadn't figured out would be solved at once.

When he arrived at the shore, he found that many people were renting pleasure boats, all of whom were going to cruise the river, but there were no pleasure boats available for rent. Just as he was regretting, a gentle voice came: "Sir, do you want to cruise the river?"

Zhu Qizhen looked up and saw a woman standing on the bow of a pleasure boat by the river. She was wearing a simple long skirt that outlined her figure to be extremely graceful and exquisite, and her slightly powdered cheeks made her look even more elegant.

"Yes." Zhu Qizhen nodded with a smile.

"Why don't we go together?" The woman smiled slightly.

"Is this... convenient?" Zhu Qizhen smiled.

He saw that the pleasure boat was extremely exquisite and elegant, and not something that ordinary people could ride on. The woman should be a lady from a wealthy family, so why would she have the audacity to invite a strange man?
Is it because I'm too handsome?

"We are all children of the underworld, so we don't avoid these worldly etiquettes." The woman smiled calmly, "I am Ning Rongrong, and I have traveled a lot running a club. I don't care about the so-called gender separation, but I am sorry for offending you, young master."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "It's not abrupt, so I'd better obey your command respectfully."

He boarded the ship decisively because he had heard Shi Biao mention this name. Ning Rongrong, also known as Ning Dajia, was the president of the Chamber of Commerce. It was she who supported the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

Shi Biao checked and found out that this woman was born in Yazhou and followed her father into business since she was young. When she grew up, she was very capable and became the president of the joint chamber of commerce of Huizhou, Shanxi, Fujian and Jiangsu merchants. She had a guild hall in the capital, which was a gathering place for merchants.

Zhu Qizhen was curious at the time, but he didn't expect that he would meet Ning Rongrong, who was actually a beautiful woman.

The pleasure boat slowly sailed into the river, swaying gently with the current. Zhu Qizhen followed Ning Rongrong into the cabin and looked at the ever-changing scenery on both sides of the river through the exquisite window lattices. Occasionally, a few water birds flew over the river, leaving behind a series of cheerful chirping sounds.

"My name is Zhu Wusi. I'm sorry to bother Mr. Ning." Zhu Qizhen smiled warmly.

"Young Master knows me?" Ning Rongrong was slightly surprised.

"The girl is the president of the Chamber of Commerce. I have heard of her." Zhu Qizhen smiled.

Although it was their first meeting, they didn't feel strange. Ning Rongrong made tea skillfully, with a very ladylike demeanor, and her bright eyes showed the mature and cool temperament of a queen.

Zhu Qizhen sipped tea and chatted with her about all sorts of things. It turned out that she was not only the president of the Chamber of Commerce, but also had her own spinning and weaving workshop, spinning yarn and weaving cloth.

"Hey, are the spinning and weaving machines we use today still the ones passed down by Grandma Huang?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

The Huang Po he was referring to was Huang Dao Po.

Ning Rongrong nodded slightly: "It's her style, but there are some improvements."

As for textiles, he had taken an elective course in this area when he was in college in his previous life. The reason why Western textile technology developed rapidly was because of the advent of the spinning jenny. He knew the principle of this thing.

"I have studied spinning machines before." Zhu Qizhen picked up a pen. "I'll draw you a schematic diagram. You can try to see if you can make it. It is a multi-spindle manual spinning machine. It greatly improves the spinning efficiency by operating multiple spindles at the same time, but the principle is relatively complicated."

Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes lit up instantly and she walked to his side. Zhu Qizhen started to draw according to the schematic diagram in his mind. After an hour, he finally finished the painting.

He took the diagram and explained it to Ning Rongrong. Ning Rongrong was indeed a professional and understood it immediately. As she listened, her beautiful eyes became brighter and brighter: "If this can be done, Mr. Zhu, your contribution will surpass that of Mrs. Huang."

Zhu Qizhen thought to himself, if I give this thing to the Ministry of Industry, they should be able to make it faster. By then, the textile industry will develop rapidly and be exported to the West, making a lot of money.

"Master Zhu, please take a seat." Ning Rongrong became more enthusiastic. "When this spinning machine is completed, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "That's not necessary. I just ask that you spread it so that people all over the world can benefit from it."

Ning Rongrong was slightly stunned, then nodded affirmatively.

……

Fahai Temple.

The zen room in the backyard is where the Queen Mother rested after burning incense today.

The man in the bamboo hat came forward to report: "Empress Dowager, the Northwest has replied. They will not start a rebellion for the time being, nor will they announce it to the world. They want to maintain stability."

The Queen Mother nodded slowly: "It's been four years. I hope he can make progress."

The man bowed respectfully: "The Queen is in charge of the capital, and will welcome your Majesty back in the end."

The Queen Mother sighed, a sad look flashed in her eyes: "After today, I will not summon you again in the short term. You continue to hide. I will also continue to endure the humiliation."

"The most difficult one is you, my lady." The man bowed again.

The Queen Mother waved her hand, and the man left. She sat there for a while, then came to the window, looked at the sunlight in the garden, and whispered to herself: "Is it difficult for me? Yes, but is it more difficult for him? In the end, how should I face it?"

Her hair swayed in the wind, her beautiful eyes were cold but could not hide her sadness. She took a deep breath and called out, "Shuangxi, go back to the palace."

The carriage left the temple and slowly moved along the street. The Queen Mother lifted the curtain and looked out the window. Passing the bridge over the Gaoliang River, she remembered the last time she insisted on swimming in the river and was assassinated.

"Next time, let's ask him to go swimming in the river again," she thought to herself.

Her beautiful eyes slowly scanned the area, then suddenly froze, her expression changing drastically: "Hey, isn't that His Majesty? Shuangxi, stop by the side of the road and take a look. Is that His Majesty?"

Shuangxi stopped the carriage and turned to look at the riverside. He saw a pleasure boat just docking and a man in a white robe and a woman in a plain long dress just got off.

Who else could that elegant man in white robe be but the Emperor? Shuangxi nodded, "Empress Dowager, it's His Majesty. There's a girl with him, so pretty. I was saying that His Majesty always leaves the palace, so he must have a girl outside the palace. What's it called, a beautiful girl in a golden house."

The Queen Mother's face was full of frost. She fixed her eyes on the woman and lingered for a while before saying, "Let's go back to the palace."

Shuangxi had a gossipy look on her face and wanted to watch for a while longer, but the Queen Mother ordered her to drive away in her carriage.

……

It was already dark when Zhu Qizhen returned to the palace. He and Ning Rongrong hit it off right away and went to sit in her guild hall to get acquainted with the place, as he might go there often in the future.

After dinner, he returned to the palace. Thinking that he hadn't visited the Queen Mother yet, he came to Kunning Palace. It was surprisingly quiet, without any eunuchs or maids. Did they go to team building again? The Queen Mother was the first to initiate team building. The servants in Kunning Palace had a comfortable life.

He came to the inner hall and saw the Queen Mother sleeping on a table on a soft mat. She was wearing a thin gauze dress that fell to her thighs, with a great classical charm. Her long black hair was like a waterfall, draped behind her. Her long legs were crossed, revealing a pair of delicate feet.

"You're wearing so little, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Zhu Qizhen muttered.

As if she heard something, the queen mother's long and curled eyelashes trembled slightly, her charming eyes slowly opened, and she blinked lazily: "Why are you here? What time is it that you come back?"

"Why did you fall asleep here? Where are Shuangxi and the others?" Zhu Qizhen asked with concern.

The Queen Mother sat up slowly, half of her face slightly red from being pressed. The moment she lowered her head, she realized that she was only wearing a long gauze dress, and she quickly grabbed a blanket beside her and covered herself with it.

"I want to be alone for a while, so I'll let Shuangxi and the others go downstairs to rest." She lowered her head, her face turning even redder.

Zhu Qizhen sat down opposite her, smelling the intoxicating fragrance, and raised his eyebrows: "Are you unhappy again?"

The Queen Mother raised her head and snorted, her beautiful eyes full of sarcasm: "Of course I can't compare to you. You told me not to leave the palace, but you ran out to play with a woman. Shuangxi said that it must be the woman you kept outside the palace."

"Did you see me today?" Zhu Qizhen was annoyed. "That woman's name is Ning Rongrong, she's the president of the Chamber of Commerce. I just happened to run into her today. It was my first time seeing her. Shuangxi actually spread rumors. Wait till you see how I deal with her."

"Don't bully me..." The Queen Mother pulled the blanket hard and tried to throw it at Zhu Qizhen.

Unexpectedly, she tripped and fell into his arms. She nudged her head in his arms and said embarrassedly, "My arm is numb!"

How can one not feel numb if he rests his arm on it?

Zhu Qizhen simply helped her adjust her posture so that she could lie more comfortably, and then he massaged her arms and said, "Lie still, I'll massage you."

"Oh~"

She actually stopped moving and just lay there obediently, blinking her beautiful eyes as she watched him rub her arms.

After a while, she blinked her eyes, her eyes brightened a little, and whispered, "My shoulders are sore too, rub them too."

Zhu Qizhen was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "You won't push me away this time?"

"I have to surrender. After all, I am just a weak woman." The Queen Mother changed the subject and said, "I mean, you pressed well. I surrender."

"How about changing places? The space here is too small and I can't move freely." Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows.

The Queen Mother's eyes flashed with panic, and she quickly sat up and took the blanket to cover her legs. She coughed and became more aggressive: "Tell me, what happened with Ning Rongrong? The first day you met? Are you kidding me? You just met, why are you back so late?"

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand and said sinisterly, "They are from the Ning family. They control the Huizhou merchants, Shanxi merchants, Fujian merchants, and Jiangsu merchants. They are rich and have connections. I will get close to them. I will need them in the future."

The Queen Mother's face was full of contempt: "You are the emperor, you... do you have to be so cheap? Don't go and abuse other people's girls."

Zhu Qizhen shrugged: "I am passive."

……

Ps: I can’t write well, so I don’t dare to ask for votes, I’m so useless.

(End of this chapter)