Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 174: The Pseudo-Emperor Explodes into the Time Traveler, and the British Public is Numb

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen frowned as he looked at the four memorials in his hand. These four memorials came from Shi Heng, Guo Deng, Yang Hong and Liu Dachui in the northern border. Guo Deng, the garrison commander of Datong, Yang Hong, the garrison commander of Xuanfu, and Liu Dachui, the garrison commander of Yanghecheng, were unwilling to return to Beijing, saying that they would stay in the border city even if they had to become old soldiers.

Shi Heng spoke for the three veterans in his memorial, asking His Majesty the Emperor to grant them a chance. Zhu Qizhen also saw this clearly, but his purpose in transferring the three back to Beijing was to take their military power. The three veterans with outstanding military achievements were still in the border town, so he couldn't really let them be old soldiers, right?
"Your Majesty, it's OK if they don't want to return." Xu Youzhen sighed, "They are all generals loyal to the Ming Dynasty. I understand the hearts of the border army commanders. Many of their comrades or subordinates died on the grasslands. The hearts of these generals will never come back."

Li Xian knew the emperor's intention, and asked, "How about demoting them on the grounds that they are old?"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and shook his head: "How can I demote him when he has just made a contribution? Well, I am not so stingy. I will reward him. If he doesn't want to go back, then don't go back. I will only transfer Yang Guifang back to Beijing. He has made the greatest contribution this time."

Shi Biao bowed and said, "Yang Guifang is already on his way back to Beijing. He will probably arrive in the capital in the next two days. He brought back a group of wounded soldiers, so he is walking a little slowly."

"Please set the time. I will come to welcome her in person." Zhu Qizhen said.

"Ah? This... isn't too grand? After all, he is not the head coach." Li Xian asked.

Zhu Qizhen laughed out loud: "What we want is a grand ceremony. I must promote Yang Guifang and build momentum for him."

Yang Guifang is his confidant, and she will replace Yu Qian in the future, so shouldn’t it be done in a grand manner?
……

The night is getting dark.

The moonlight fell on Changchun Palace, and the cool breeze blew away the heat of the day. The palace maids and eunuchs were all enjoying the cool air in the courtyard. At this moment, the rhythmic sound of water splashing could be heard from the bathing pool in the back hall.

After a low roar and the sound of a phoenix, it became quiet. The palace was filled with mist, and two figures were hugging each other in the bathtub. Concubine Xian leaned on Zhu Qizhen's shoulder. Her rosy cheeks were even more charming under the light mist.

After resting for a while, Concubine Xian stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will help you get up. The water will be cold later and it will be easy to catch cold."

She stood up from the bathtub with one hand on her chest. Her fair skin was like white jade and the water droplets were crystal clear. Zhu Qizhen picked her up and said softly, "Why are you still serving me? You are tired too. Go to bed."

He carried Concubine Xian back to the phoenix couch, and the two of them embraced each other tenderly. Concubine Xian frowned from time to time because of the pain in her body. She glared at him and said, "Your Majesty, you should see a doctor. Not having a prince... this... is also a major issue for the country."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Of course, he understood what Concubine Xian meant. He needed a biological prince. The previous ones were all sons of legitimate emperors. He gently hugged her waist and nodded, "Okay, I'll go talk to the Imperial Hospital Director later."

The virtuous concubine pursed her red lips and said, "I have found a great doctor outside. He doesn't know your Majesty's identity. Is this a better idea? Your Majesty, please ask the envoy of the Tan Yuan to see him. Then... I will record it."

"Where is the doctor you are looking for?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"The Duke of Ying's Mansion." Concubine Xian's eyes dropped. "It's a good opportunity to go see my grandfather. He's sick again, and his health is getting worse day by day."

Zhu Qizhen was slightly surprised: "He...wasn't he energetic a while ago? He stayed up late with the rough men in the Ministry of War to deduce, how come he is so serious all of a sudden."

Xian Fei leaned on his shoulder, her expression gloomy: "I don't know either."

Zhu Qizhen patted her jade back and comforted her: "Tomorrow, I will accompany you back to the Duke of Ying's Mansion."

The virtuous concubine nodded slightly and stuck close to him.

……

The next day, the weather was fine.

Zhu Qizhen brought his virtuous concubine to the Duke of Ying's mansion. After some formalities, Zhu Qizhen dismissed everyone and sat in front of the bed, looking at the Duke of Ying who was half lying on the bed with a sick face.

"Uh, are you pretending to be sick?" Zhu Qizhen smiled, "You are pretending too well, you look like you are about to die."

The Duke of Ying looked very weak, like an old man on the verge of death. He stared at Zhu Qizhen with cloudy eyes and suddenly sighed, "I am really dying. I will go to the underworld to apologize to Emperor Taizong, Emperor Renzong, and Emperor Xuanzong."

Zhu Qizhen blinked: "Uh... I guess the one who hates you the most is Taizu! Just tell them that the Ming Dynasty still has the surname Zhu."

“Fake emperor!” Duke Yingguo coughed violently in anger, “Cough cough cough… You are now firmly on the throne, and your prestige even surpasses that of the late emperor. Cough cough cough, I accept it! I only ask… cough cough cough… After I die, you treat the Zhu family and Duke Yingguo’s mansion well.”

Zhu Qizhen was slightly stunned, and spread his hands: "Old Duke, don't worry, the Zhu family must keep some princes to support the family. As for the Duke of Ying, we are relatives now. I think highly of Zhang Lun, and your eldest grandson will surpass you in future achievements."

Duke Ying snorted and laughed, with disdain in his eyes: "No matter how good you are, you can't compare to Emperor Taizong. Zhang Lun will only be crowned Duke in the future because of his inheritance."

Zhu Qizhen approached him and asked word by word: "Old Duke, do you know where I came from?"

The Duke of England was stunned.

At the beginning in Huailai City, he had no choice but to let Zhu Qizhen impersonate the emperor, and he did not have time to check his identity. Later, he secretly checked, but could not find Zhu Qizhen's identity at all. There was no such person in the household registration and military registration of Huailai City. It seemed that he appeared in Huailai City out of thin air.

"Where are you from?" the Duke of England asked.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the old Duke who had changed his life and said in a deep voice: "I am from the future. I have traveled through time and space, so I know everything about the Ming Dynasty."

The Duke of England was shocked at first, and then his face was full of disbelief: "Nonsense!"

After saying this, he froze again. Since the first time he met Zhu Qizhen, he had a strange feeling that this person would say some strange words from time to time. Also, the pseudo-emperor seemed to know too much. In addition to government reforms, he also made concrete, improved muskets, knew how to control rivers, and so on.

Could it be that he really came from the future?

"You...you..." The Duke of England stared at him with wide eyes.

"So, you can't beat me." Zhu Qizhen patted the Duke of Yingguo's shoulder and began to deceive him, "You don't have to blame yourself. If you didn't choose me, according to historical records, the Ming Dynasty would have perished. At least the Ming Dynasty is still here, right? And it's still thriving, right?"

The Duke of England was confused and shook his head: "I don't believe it!"

"Do you know how big the world is outside of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Qizhen asked continuously, "Do you know that the West has experienced the Renaissance and started the great voyages of discovery? Do you know that they will eventually invade China? Therefore, I want to create a strong Ming Dynasty and be ahead of them in every aspect. Old Duke, live well and you will see."

"Are you serious? Are you really from..." The Duke of England hesitated.

The two looked at each other in silence for a while, and Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and laughed: "Hahaha, of course I made it up."

Having said that, he strode out.

The Duke of England looked at his back with a very complicated expression.

……

Arriving at the pavilion in the backyard of the British Mansion, Concubine Xian was waiting with an old man who looked like a fairy. Concubine Xian waved at him and said, "Ignore him. Come here. This is Mr. Li, a hermit. He will show you."

In order not to expose the identity of Emperor Zhu Qizhen, Concubine Xian called him by his nickname. Zhu Qizhen also felt that it was time to take a look, so he clasped his fists and smiled: "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Li." Mr. Li said politely: "Your Majesty has condescended to ask me to do my best. Sit down and stretch out your hand."

Zhu Qizhen sat on a stone bench and stretched out his hand. Mr. Li put his hand on his pulse and began to feel it. At first, his face looked normal, but then he was obviously startled and his hand trembled slightly.

Mr. Li seemed to be immersed in taking the pulse. After a long while, he withdrew his hand and said, "Young Master is in good health! As for infertility, I have to go back and look through ancient books. I dare not make a rash judgment. The young master's pulse is really very strange, and I dare not be sure."

After saying this, he stood up, bowed respectfully, then turned and left.

Zhu Qizhen was confused: "Hey, Mr. Li, please explain clearly, what's so weird?"

Xian Fei patted him lightly and glared, "Don't shout, do you think everyone in the mansion knows? Mr. Li will give me his answer."

Zhu Qizhen looked at the old man's back and smiled: "This old man looks like he has something to offer."

He thought, maybe this old man can really cure him, then he can have a son. Damn, after traveling through time and space, he finally became the emperor, he can't just be a tool, right? Of course, the throne should be passed on to his own son.

"Let's go back to the palace. I still have a lot of memorials to deal with." Zhu Qizhen took the virtuous concubine's hand.

The Duke of England's mansion saw them off respectfully. After they left, Mr. Li appeared in the Duke of England's room and was taking the Duke of England's pulse.

"Mr. Li, what's wrong with that young man?" asked the Duke of England.

"Old Duke, I have been treating you for decades for your illness, yet you actually kept it from me." Mr. Li snorted.

The Duke of England asked in confusion, "Where did I hide this from you?"

Mr. Li lowered his voice and said, "That young man is the current emperor."

The Duke of England was shocked: "How did you know?"

Mr. Li smiled slyly: "I won't tell you either."

In fact, as soon as he felt the young man's pulse, he knew that the young man was the emperor, because someone had mentioned to him that the emperor's symptoms were exactly the same as those of young people today.

The person who was mentioned to him was Tan Yuanshi of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

……

This day, Deshengmen.

Zhu Qizhen led the civil and military officials to the gate to welcome Yang Guifang who had returned victoriously. Zhu Qizhen sat in his dragon chariot, and the officials stood behind him. Under the sun, the officials had already begun to sweat and were talking in low voices.

"Your Majesty, why are you welcoming Yang Guifang with such a grand ceremony? Isn't that too high? Yang Guifang is not the commander-in-chief. Although he has made great contributions this time, at most the Ministry of Rites will come to welcome him."

"Isn't it obvious? Ever since Yang Guifang won the first place in the imperial examination, he has been deeply favored by His Majesty. He first served in the cabinet and became familiar with government affairs, then was sent to Jiangnan, then returned to the cabinet, and then was sent to the border army. His Majesty is clearly training him, and he is also working hard. This time he has made a great contribution, and His Majesty is trying to build momentum for him."

"He is young and promising! But he is still too young after all. Your Majesty is praising him so much, aren't you afraid that he will fail early?"

"Huo Qubing is young, isn't he? Emperor Wu of Han was able to choose him as his commander-in-chief. Yang Guifang is no worse than Huo Qubing. This time, he roamed the grasslands, contained Yesen, and won battle after battle without a single defeat."

Yu Qian listened to the discussion of the ministers and looked into the distance. Standing next to him was the chief minister of the cabinet, Shang Lu, who smiled and said, "Yu Shaobao, Yang Guifang is your disciple. You have a good disciple. It makes you proud."

"He will be better than me." Yu Qian praised.

"Aren't you afraid that he will replace you?" Shang Lu raised his eyebrows.

Yu Qian snorted, "I hope he replaces me. Everyone thinks that I, Yu Qian, am greedy for power as I am in charge of military affairs. Haha, I am most looking forward to someone replacing me."

As the two were chatting, a team appeared in the distance, and they were not walking fast.

"Here they come!" someone shouted.

Yang Guifang, who was at the front of the team, rode forward on horseback. Zhu Qizhen, who was in the dragon chariot, also came out and looked at the young general riding forward on horseback.

This is my champion marquis.

He sighed in his heart, and watched Yang Guifang dismount in front of him and kneel down: "Your Majesty, I, Yang Guifang, pay my respects to you."

"Get on my dragon chariot." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand.

"Ah? This..." Yang Guifang was shocked.

"Why are you being shy? Come up and go into the city with me." Zhu Qizhen said in a loud voice.

It was a great honor for a minister to be able to ride on the dragon chariot. Yang Guifang did not hesitate and got up and got on the chariot. Zhu Qizhen patted him on the shoulder, glanced at the ministers, and said: "Yang Guifang has made the first contribution in this battle. I will reward him generously. Promote him to the Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Palace, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and concurrently in charge of the Rear Army Commander's Office and the Twelve Regiments."

All the officials were shocked when they heard this. These positions all held real power. It could be said that from now on, Yang Guifang was the second most important figure in the military, second only to Yu Qian.

"Get started!"

The emperor's motorcade entered the city, followed by the ministers. Shang Lu and Yu Qian walked side by side, and Shang Lu sighed: "A new chapter of the Ming Dynasty has begun. We old ministers should accept our age."

"Then accept it. Now that I'm old, I should give young people a chance." Yu Qian is very open-minded.

They could all see that His Majesty the Emperor would appoint his own people, such as Xu Youzhen, who was to replace Shang Lu as the Prime Minister, and Yang Guifang, who was to replace Yu Qian.

The emperor's layout has been completed. Four years have passed, and most of the civil and military officials in the court have been replaced, and energetic new people are standing in the court.

……

After receiving the reward in the court, Yang Guifang followed Zhu Qizhen down the corridor of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Yang Guifang was still the same, respectful to the emperor, but not afraid, and bowed: "Your Majesty, you are building momentum for me like this, I can't stand it."

"I'm here to support you, what are you afraid of?" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "If you don't push yourself, you won't know how great your potential is."

Yang Guifang looked sincere and bowed again: "I will not let your majesty down."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded, then changed the subject and asked, "Will there be any problems if Guo Deng, Yang Hong, Liu Dachui and others stay in the border areas and continue to hold military power? Last time you secretly reported that the fake emperor in Guanxi might write a letter to Guo Deng. I am worried when I think of it."

Yang Guifang said with certainty: "There will be no problem! The three of them are veterans who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and know what's going on. Just like when Yesen took the fake emperor and asked them to open the city gate, they would only choose not to open it!"

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly.

(End of this chapter)