Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 173: The Pseudo-Emperor Learns, the Queen Is Speaks with Silver Tongue

Ancestral Temple.

After a great victory in the northern frontier, Zhu Qizhen led his ministers in offering sacrifices, and this time the momentum was extremely grand.

Zhu Qizhen, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, walked in front, followed closely by a large group of officials. Some wore civil official robes, elegant and dignified; some wore military armor, heroic and valiant, and everyone's face was filled with irrepressible excitement and pride.

The sacrificial ceremony officially began. The drums rumbled, shaking the sky, and the trumpets blew through the clouds, as if announcing the glory and victory of the Ming Dynasty to heaven and earth. Incense smoke rose up and lingered over the Taimiao. Accompanied by melodious music, the sacrificial officer held the sacrificial text in his hand and spoke in a loud and solemn voice:
Alas! The northern border was in flames, smoke rose everywhere, the enemy was rampant, invading our territory and disturbing our people. Our soldiers heard the drums of war and rose up, wearing armor and holding weapons, vowing to defend our country to the death. On the battlefield, iron horses and golden swords, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the fighting was unprecedentedly fierce. However, our soldiers were brave and fearless, and they fought one after another, building a copper wall with their flesh and blood, and finally defeated the enemy and restored peace to the northern border.

However, the war was cruel, and many of our brave soldiers died. Some were young and handsome, while others were strong and brave. They all sacrificed their lives for their country and their souls returned to heaven. When I heard this sad news, my heart was broken and my clothes were soaked with tears. Their bravery is like the light of the sun and the moon, shining for thousands of years; their righteousness is as deep as the mountains and seas, and will be recorded in history forever.

Today, I have led all the officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to set up an altar for sacrifice. Incense and candles are burning, and paper money is flying to express my grief and respect. May the souls of our fallen soldiers rest in peace and be forever respected. May their heroic deeds inspire future generations and make our Great Ming Dynasty strong and everlasting for thousands of years.

"Long live my emperor."

"Long live my emperor."

"Long live my emperor."

The young emperor stood majestically on the altar, looking at the ministers kneeling below, he slowly opened his arms.

This world belongs to me!
"Long live my emperor."

"Long live my emperor."

"Long live my emperor."

The roar of the mountains and the sea resounded throughout the capital. Yu Qian looked at the young emperor on the high platform with a complicated expression, thinking to himself: "In just four years, he has finally grown into an emperor. From now on, those legends can no longer shake him."

The eyes of the cabinet chief Shang Lu also fell on the young emperor, and it was difficult to understand. Compared with these old ministers, the young generation of ministers who had only entered the court in the past four years all had fiery eyes.

Fortunately, they met a great sage. The future was their time! Their hearts were surging. In this Ming Dynasty, there might not be a "Zhenguan Prosperity".

……

After the memorial service.

Zhu Qizhen returned to the Qianqing Palace and summoned Xu Youzhen, Li Xian, Dong Yuchang, Shi Biao and Ke Qian. These were his trusted ministers who had come with him and were different from other ministers.

"I've called you here to discuss Yu Qian's memorial." He took out a memorial and handed it to Xu Youzhen, saying, "Look at this, this is the list of people who are going to be rewarded."

After reading it, Xu Youzhen handed it to Li Xian and asked them to read it. He pondered for a while and said, "Your Majesty, Yu Shaobao's memorial seems to be comprehensive and flawless. However, I have a small suggestion, which is to give more rewards to veterans like Guo Deng, Yang Hong, and Liu Dachui, and let them return to Beijing. They can also enjoy the benefits of serving in Beijing."

Zhu Qizhen immediately understood what Xu Youzhen meant. Those three veteran generals were all commanders of the frontiers. Asking them to return to the capital and giving them nominal positions was actually taking away their military power.

"But the capital also needs young people." Li Xian said, "The Five Military Commandery, the Imperial Guard, and the garrisons around the capital also need young people."

What he wanted to say was that these were the ones who were going to defend the capital, and they needed to use their own people. After hearing this, Dong Yuchang said, "Transfer Yang Guifang back to the capital and make him the assistant minister of the Ministry of War and the commander-in-chief of the left army, in charge of the fifth of the three camps."

Ke Qian shook his head: "The three major camps in the capital are all under the charge of Yu Shaobao, and the Fifth Army Camp is still the main force of the Beijing Camp. Isn't this clearly a division of Yu Shaobao's power? Isn't it too hasty?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded, thought for a while and said, "Yang Guifang will be transferred back to the Wenhua Palace as a university scholar, and will serve as the Minister of the Ministry of War, concurrently as the commander-in-chief of the rear army, and concurrently as the commander of the 12th regiment camp."

Thus, the young Yang Guifang was implicitly the second most important figure in the Ming military. On the surface, his title was not high, not as high as those so-called dukes and military marquises, but he actually had great power.

Yang Guifang was used to replace Yu Qian.

……

In a house in the east of the city.

The seemingly ordinary yard was actually heavily guarded. Several masked people entered the yard and, under the guidance of the guards, entered a secret room.

This time, the last person to arrive was the woman wearing a fox mask. After she entered the secret room, she smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, I'm late. I've been busy lately."

In the middle, the woman with the rat mask, although wearing a black dress, could not hide her proud figure. She glanced over and said in a deep voice: "The great victory in the northern border, the prestige of the false emperor can be said to be growing day by day, and welcoming back the true emperor is even more urgent, it will take a long time."

The fox masked woman smiled faintly: "I'm not in a hurry. I'm just following your instructions because of my low status. I just hope to be safe and not be caught by the false emperor."

"Don't worry, we can't catch you." The woman with the rat mask said coldly, "Don't forget, I know your origins. As long as we welcome the true emperor back, he will pardon your people, and you and your people can return to the capital of the Ming Dynasty."

The fox-masked woman chuckled, "It's been almost a hundred years, and it seems my people are just as eager."

The others were listening, all curious about the identity of the fox-masked woman. The rat-masked woman simply nodded and returned the topic to welcoming the True Emperor.

"Everyone, please maintain the supply of materials and silver." She said in a deep voice.

"I'm afraid we don't have that much silver, right?" The wolf-masked man said, "If it's one million taels each time."

The others expressed the same doubts, but the woman in the rat mask waved her hand and said, "You don't have to worry about the silver. You just need to cooperate and transport the silver safely to Guanxi."

They were all curious, where did Boss Rat get so much silver?
……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen was in a good mood and reviewed memorials faster.

Cao Jixiang came in hurriedly with a piece of intelligence and bowed, "Your Majesty, this was sent by Ding Xiu, the pacification envoy of the Jinyiwei, from Shaanxi and Gansu."

Zhu Qizhen stopped writing and reached out to take it.

According to the procedure, most memorials were to be sent to the cabinet, and after the cabinet had read them, some of them were handed over to the emperor. However, as an emperor, he had some memorials sent directly to the Silijian, skipping the cabinet and presented to him.

Liu Dingzhi, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and Wang Lai, the governor of the river, all had this privilege. Ding Xiu, the pacification envoy of the Jinyiwei, had even more privileges. He did not send memorials, but intelligence.

After Zhu Qizhen opened it and read it, a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The intelligence reports said that the Zhengtong Emperor in Dunhuang married the only daughter of Yahansha, the leader of Shazhou Guard. He closed the intelligence reports and sneered, "What a trick this Zhengtong Emperor played. Could it be that he had to rely on Shazhou Guard to make his fortune? Guanxi is such a small place... No, we can't let him have any chance of turning things around."

He lowered his head and pondered how to kill the legitimate emperor.

The Guanxi area nominally belonged to the Ming Dynasty, but in fact it was autonomous. The Jinyiwei's several assassination attempts had failed, which had already alerted the enemy, making it even more difficult to assassinate them in the future.

Lead the army to slaughter them? Now that Yesen has fled back to Mobei, it's a good time. Just ended the war with Mobei, and immediately started the war with Guanxi? There is not even a reason. On the surface, the Seven Guards of Guanxi still surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

"What excuse?" He rubbed his face.

……

There was no answer for a while, he thought about calling his confidants to discuss it next time, rubbed his face, and continued to review the memorials. He opened one of the memorials, and it turned out to be from Hu Yi.

The memorial said that he and Wang Zhi had already arrived in Quanzhou, and described the local customs and practices there, as well as the implementation of the new policy. Quanzhou was far away from the emperor, so the implementation of the new policy was not as good as in the Central Plains.

At the end of the memorial, Hu Yi recalled a small incident. He had been to Quanzhou during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He had heard a story about a group of people from Yingtian City who went out to sea from Quanzhou. They were men and women, including monks, Taoists, and scholars. It was very strange.

When he came to Quanzhou again this time, he heard from the locals that some people from overseas also returned to China. He also sighed that people will eventually return to their roots.

"You're the weird one. Why am I wasting my time listening to you sighing?" Zhu Qizhen closed the memorial in annoyance.

He continued to review other memorials, and when he thought back, he felt something was wrong. Old man Hu Yi would not sigh blindly. Could he have another meaning? Why did he recall the events of Emperor Taizong's time?

During the reign of Emperor Taizong?

Zhu Qizhen was shocked. At that time, Hu Yi had only one thing in mind, which he did in secret and traveled all over the Ming Dynasty. That was to look for Zhu Yunwen.

Could it be that his memories were related to Zhu Yunwen? But decades had passed, and Zhu Yunwen must have died. What good were his memories now?

"The old man doesn't explain himself clearly." Zhu Qizhen muttered and stopped thinking about it.

……

It was already midsummer, and the sun was scorching hot, like melting gold and boiling iron, scorching the earth mercilessly. The streets of the entire capital seemed to be distorted by invisible heat waves, and the air was filled with a burning smell, and even the stone pavement underfoot seemed to be faintly scorching. All around, the towering city walls and the scattered eaves cast sparse and short shadows under the scorching sun, but they could not alleviate the ubiquitous heat at all.

Zhu Qizhen came out of the palace, his brows slightly furrowed under the scorching sun, and his eyes swept across the empty and dull streets. He saw few pedestrians, and the few who were there were all walking hurriedly, holding fans or wearing bamboo hats, trying to find a bit of coolness in this endless heat wave. The trees drooped their branches listlessly, and even the usually lively sounds of the market became sparse and lazy at this moment.

The doors of the shops on both sides of the street are half-open, letting in faint but attractive cool breezes, mixed with the fragrance of fruits and vegetables or the subtle aroma of tea from the teahouse, which is a rare comfort in this hot summer.

"I really want a glass of iced Coke." He muttered.

"Master~" Chao Xiaotian came out of a small shop nearby, holding a sliced ​​watermelon in his hand, "The shopkeeper sent it to me, just pulled it out of the well, it's very cold." Zhu Qizhen took a piece and ate it in big mouthfuls, it tasted a bit like iced watermelon. There were no refrigerators in this era, but people put watermelons in the well, pulled them out and cut them when they were eating, they were also very cold.

"Master, what did you ask me to investigate last time...Junshan Society, the masked people?" Chao Xiaotian said while eating, "I have a clue. One of my beggars saw two of them in a yard in the east of the city. One was wearing a snake mask, and the other was wearing a fox mask..."

Zhu Qizhen was shocked and asked anxiously: "What courtyard? Where is it?"

Chao Xiaotian thought for a moment and said, "The courtyard at the bottom of the Thirteenth Alley in the east of the city."

Zhu Qizhen patted his shoulder and laughed: "You have done a great deed, boy!"

Chao Xiaotian's hand trembled, and the unfinished watermelon fell to the ground. He smacked his lips, wiped his mouth, took out a pair of talismans from his pocket, handed them to Zhu Qizhen and said, "Master, this is what I asked for from the temple. I give it to you and your wife. It will keep you safe."

Zhu Qizhen was moved and took it: "Okay, my disciple is thoughtful."

He continued to explain, asking him to continue investigating the Junshan Society, but not to get close to it. After explaining, he returned to the palace and immediately found Shi Biao, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and asked him to investigate the courtyard in the Thirteenth Lane in the east of the city.

……

In such a hot summer, even though the Qianqing Palace had adopted many measures to reduce the heat, it was still difficult to resist the heat waves that invaded from all directions. Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon chair. Although there were palace maids beside him gently waving round fans, sending a faint breeze, he still felt irritated and couldn't help but miss the immediate cooling air of the air conditioner in his previous life.

Unable to bear the scorching heat, he came to the Imperial Garden to cool off. As soon as he entered the door, he felt a fresh air different from the one indoors rushing towards him, with a faint scent of grass and trees, which instantly lifted his spirits.

Here, tall trees with lush branches and leaves formed dense green shades, isolating the heat from the outside world. The sun shines through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled shadows. When the breeze blows, the leaves sway gently, making a rustling sound.

In the pond of the Imperial Garden, lotus flowers stand tall and graceful, pink and white, emitting a faint fragrance. The water is clear and you can see the bottom. Occasionally, a few fish swim leisurely, breaking the tranquility of the water. The cool breeze blows across the water, bringing waves of refreshing coolness.

Zhu Qizhen strolled on the path of the Imperial Garden, and his restless heart finally calmed down. He raised his eyes and saw the empress dowager in the pavilion. She was wearing a thin white dress that outlined her charming and perfect figure. She had a graceful posture and black hair like a waterfall. In the sunlight, her skin looked even whiter than jade.

The Queen Mother saw Zhu Qizhen approaching and said to Shuangxi behind her, "Look, the Emperor must be unable to bear the heat and has come to the Imperial Garden to slack off."

"How could I be lazy? I just came here after I finished reviewing the memorials." Zhu Qizhen came over and glanced at Shuangxi, "Go, get some iced fruits."

Shuangxi bowed and left in a hurry.

The Queen Mother glared at him and said, "Stop bullying Shuangxi."

Zhu Qizhen took out the talisman that Chao Xiaotian had given him from his pocket and said, "Here's one for you. Chao Xiaotian brought this from the temple after praying for blessings. He said he wanted to give it to you, his master's wife, to keep you safe."

The Queen Mother's hand trembled slightly, and she took it, smiling: "That child is quite filial. Doesn't he know your identity as a fake emperor?"

"Of course I don't know!" Zhu Qizhen suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, "I don't know you are the Demon Queen."

The demon queen did not struggle, but raised her mature and charming face. Her long neck was like a proud white swan, and her delicate collarbone was white.

She stretched out her slender jade finger, and gently scraped his chin with the nail of her index finger. Her mature and charming eyes were smiling, full of provocation: "So, what do you want to do, fake emperor?"

The false emperor's chin was scratched by her, and he instantly got goose bumps all over his body and shrank back. The demon queen stretched out her arms and hugged his neck. Her long sleeves slowly slid down, revealing her fair wrists. She leaned forward slightly, and her beautiful eyes smiled more and more.

"She is so brave today?" The false emperor recalled the night of the masquerade ball and still had some nostalgia for it.

He lowered his head, looked at the Demon Queen biting her moist lower lip, and was about to speak.

Unexpectedly, the Demon Queen stood on tiptoe and came up to him. The Pseudo-Emperor blinked and was absent-minded for a moment, then he hugged her waist tightly and took the initiative.

A man and a woman fell into chaos and things got out of control.

The false emperor had never expected that the Demon Queen would be so capable. He thought he had a lot of experience in love in his previous life and was good at it no matter it was French style, wet style or shallow style.

The Demon Queen, this ancient person, is actually so capable, and she is the one leading the way.

After a while, the Queen gently pushed him away. She put her index finger in front of Zhu Qizhen's lips. Her pretty face was already red. Her spring-like eyes were full of restraint: "Stop!"

The fake emperor wiped his mouth and spread his hands: "Sooner or later, you will make me sick."

"Don't come on!" The demon queen snorted, "There are so many concubines in the harem, how can I hold you back?"

The fake emperor did not force it, waiting to see who could not hold back first. He smiled and said, "You are different today than before."

The Demon Queen reached out and gathered the hair by her cheeks behind her. Her cheeks were covered with a few rouge-like clouds, and her eyes drooped: "I am also a woman... Don't laugh!"

After the night of the masquerade, that scene often appeared in her mind, and she actually reminisced about it more.

The fake emperor held back his laughter, feeling a little sad for her in his heart. It must be very hard for a woman who had been locked up in the deep palace for more than ten years, right?
"Do you know where Jianwen escaped to?" He changed the subject.

The Demon Queen shook her head, looking puzzled: "Why do you ask this? Where Jianwen went, only Emperor Taizong and Hu Yi should know. However, this happened decades ago, where Jianwen is is no longer important."

The pseudo-emperor spread his hands in silence, "It was Hu Yi. He and Wang Zhi went to Quanzhou for a trip. He wrote me a memorial, talking about some random things. In the end, he said that he had been to Quanzhou when he was young, and heard that a group of people from Yingtian City went out to sea, including monks, Taoists, scholars, and other men and women. When he went to Quanzhou this time, someone there said that people from the Central Plains had returned from overseas."

The Demon Queen frowned slightly after hearing this, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, "Is he trying to tell you that Jianwen fled overseas? And then Jianwen's descendants returned to the Central Plains?"

"As expected of a woman who has been regent for more than ten years, she is smart." said the fake emperor.

The demon queen glared at him unhappily: "Even if they come back, so what? Do they still want to overthrow the Ming Dynasty? This is impossible. After decades, no one thinks of Jianwen anymore."

The fake emperor frowned and thought so too. He snorted, "Hu Yi, if you want to say something, just say it clearly."

The Queen sighed softly, "You may not know that Hu Yi may have some agreement with Emperor Taizong that he cannot tell. Otherwise, everyone would know where Jianwen is. I believe that Hu Yi must have found Jianwen back then."

The false emperor nodded thoughtfully.

……

The next day.

After the morning court session, Shi Biao, the commander of the Imperial Guard, came to the Qianqing Palace to report: "Your Majesty, I sent people to check the courtyard you mentioned. It is really clean. No one lives in it, and nothing is left behind, not even a clue."

"This shows that these people are very cautious." Zhu Qizhen frowned, "Didn't they check who owns that yard?"

Shi Biao looked strange: "What a coincidence, it is Sun Xianzhong's yard, but since Sun Xianzhong's death, this yard has been confiscated and no one has used it since."

Sun Xianzhong was the younger brother of Sun Jizhong, the former Marquis of Huichang, and also the younger brother of the Empress Dowager. He was beheaded for committing a crime. Zhu Qizhen did not expect that he still had a courtyard, so he asked, "Sun Xianzhong has a son, right? He betrayed his uncle Sun Jizhong, and is now the Marquis of Huichang."

"It's Sun Lian. I sent people to check, and he hasn't been to that yard again." Shi Biao said, "It seems that he doesn't know about it. I'll still send people to keep an eye on him."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly: "After all, there are clues. You should keep a close eye on it. We must find out about the Junshan Society. You can contact Chao Xiaotian more often. His Yulong Gang is all over the capital. Don't underestimate the beggars under his command. Beggars are not conspicuous, but it is easier for them to get information."

"Yes, sir." Shi Biao nodded in acceptance and walked out.

Zhu Qizhen stayed for a while and continued to review memorials.

……

The dusk is vast.

Zhu Qizhen came to Kunning Palace. If he didn't come to have a fight with the witch queen every day, his life would be really boring. As for whether they would develop feelings for each other, it didn't matter. When it came to a life-and-death struggle, both of them would probably do it without hesitation.

The Queen was standing in front of the window, wearing a simple and elegant floor-length dress, her figure was restrained and curvy, and she was extremely proud. When she saw Zhu Qizhen coming in, she waved her hand and said, "Come quickly, there are a few places in this account book that I can't calculate."

There was an account book on the table. Zhu Qizhen walked over, picked it up, glanced at it, and yawned: "I've been busy all day. I'll show you next time. Okay...ah..."

The Demon Queen hugged his neck with both arms, stood on tiptoes, and blocked his mouth directly. Her beautiful big eyes blinked cunningly, and she bit his lips lightly before letting go: "Can you demonstrate now?"

"You...don't care about it now?" Zhu Qizhen held his forehead, "That's not right, why did your style change so drastically?"

The Demon Queen spread her hands indifferently: "This is in my palace, there is no one here. I am already the Demon Queen, why would I care so much? Who will win in the end is a matter for the future, now I have to live my life."

Zhu Qizhen smiled playfully: "Are you so open-minded? Then how about..."

"Don't push your luck!" The Demon Queen picked up the notebook and said, "Tell me how to solve it!"

Zhu Qizhen sighed, "What a loss! Teaching you math has cost me so much effort."

The demon queen gritted her teeth, endured it, and acted like a good student.

(End of this chapter)