Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 178: Descendants of Jianwen? Assassination? I am a fake
Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The leader of Hami Guard, Bu Lie, came into the city with a group of soldiers. On the one hand, he came to pay his respects to Yahansha, and on the other hand, he wanted to discuss the next step in Guanxi with the emperor in distress.

After Yahansha died, Bulie became the most prestigious leader of the Seven Guards of Guanxi. Sitting on his horse, he recalled the alliance with Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and how high-spirited they were at that time.

It was because of that alliance that the current situation in Guanxi was established. Emperor Xuanzong, a great leader, actually personally led an expedition to Mobei and destroyed Mahamu. Since then, the Oirat has never invaded Guanxi and has been entangled with the Ming Dynasty.

But it was only 20 years later that the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty was captured by Yesen in the Battle of Tumu Fortress and finally fled to Guanxi. What's even more ridiculous is that there is a fake emperor in the capital.

"What the hell is going on?" Bu Lie's eyes flashed. "However, the defeat of Ming and Wala is also an opportunity for us in Guanxi. However, we in Guanxi are also in chaos."

He rode his horse slowly towards the palace in the city, followed by dozens of guards, all paying attention to the small stalls on both sides of the street. In this vast northwest, there is only one decent city, Dunhuang. Although Hami is larger than Shazhou, it has no city.

Suddenly, a sound of breaking air was heard.

Many men in black suddenly appeared from the houses on both sides of the street, holding bows and arrows and shooting wildly. The street was immediately in chaos, with everyone running wild.

The black-clad man's target was clear, it was Bu Le, and all the arrows were shot at him alone. Bu Le reacted very quickly, wielding his sword to block the first few arrows, and then rolled over and hid under his horse. His personal guards quickly moved in and protected him in the middle.

Shuo Shuo Shuo!
Arrows kept flying, many guards fell down, and the smell of blood was pungent.

scold!
An arrow passed through the gap between the guards and pierced Bulie's chest. At this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves came, and the patrol guards came, led by Tieyan.

"Go in and capture him alive," he yelled.

The patrolling city guards rushed into the houses on both sides, and Tie Yan rushed to Bu Lie and shouted anxiously: "My lord, you... hurry up and carry my lord into the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, a violent explosion was heard.

boom! boom! boom!
The houses on both sides of the street exploded, and flames shot up into the sky, accompanied by shrill screams. Tie Yan's eyes were blazing with fire: "It turned out to be gunpowder, it must have been done by the Jinyiwei again!"

Bu Lie covered his chest and said in a deep voice: "Go back first..."

Before he could finish his words, he fainted. Tieyan led the remaining patrol guards to escort Bu Lie back to the palace. When Emperor Zhengtong heard the news, he hurried out of the inner hall and ordered the doctor to do his best to treat him.

"Fortunately, there is no poison on the arrow." Tie Yan said, "I hope it doesn't hit a vital part."

The Zhengtong Emperor frowned and said, "What's going on? Tieyan, didn't you check everything? How come there is still an assassin hiding?"

Tie Yan quickly knelt down and bowed: "Your Majesty, there are many caravans recently. Although the patrolling city guards have checked, it is difficult to identify them. Dunhuang City relies on the goods and taxes of the caravans. We can't close the city gates."

"I don't blame you." The Zhengtong Emperor sighed, "I hope the people of Bulge will have their own destiny."

They waited anxiously for half an hour. The doctor came out of the room with blood on his hands and beads of sweat on his forehead. He smiled at them and said, "Your life is saved. You will need a long time to recover and recuperate."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Zhengtong Emperor immediately announced that Bu Lie would stay in his palace to recover from his injuries and use the best medicine. Hami's personal guards were very moved.

After everyone left, the Zhengtong Emperor kept Xu Bin and Yuan Bin. Xu Bin's eyes flashed with excitement, and he whispered: "Bule is the most prestigious person in Guanxi now. Keeping him will not only control Hami, but also help the emperor control the princes."

The Zhengtong Emperor nodded and said to Yuan Bin: "Mr. Yuan, go to Hami, take the gold and silver treasures, and bribe the general there."

"As you command." Yuan Bin nodded, "I will go back with those guards."

"Some of the Bulie guards must stay behind to reassure Hami," said the Zhengtong Emperor.

After the three of them discussed it, they each took action. The Zhengtong Emperor stood in the corridor, staring at the south in a daze, and said to himself: "I am short of a military advisor."

……

Beijing, the imperial palace, the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the memorial in his hand, frowned and thought, and then snorted: "Yesen is still a thief. He actually colluded with the Golden Horde in the north. His 10,000 heavy cavalry were sent by the Golden Horde to help him."

Xu Youzhen and Yang Guifang, who were standing in the palace, were secretly shocked. On the one hand, they were shocked that the Golden Horde had gotten involved. On the other hand, they were even more shocked at how His Majesty knew about this. Who submitted the memorial to His Majesty?

"So we still can't let our guard down in the Northern Frontier." Xu Youzhen said, "So it seems like it's okay for Guo Deng, Liu Dachui, and Yang Hong not to come back. We can rest assured that we have three experienced veterans here."

Yang Guifang nodded in agreement and said, "Even if the Golden Horde helps, Yesen will not go south in the short term. At most, they will harass us. Therefore, we still have to send some new troops south to fight against the Japanese."

Zhu Qizhen put down the memorial in his hand and nodded: "Yu Qian has already made arrangements. While there is no war in the northern border, we must at least drive the Japanese pirates out and strike them hard. It will be difficult to quell the Japanese invasion in a short time."

If the fundamental problem is not solved, after one batch of Japanese pirates is destroyed, another batch will rise up soon. Zhu Qizhen has read history, and he knows that Japan will soon enter the so-called Warring States Period, which is actually a few counties fighting each other. By then, more people will lose their homes, and more Japanese pirates will emerge.

"Your Majesty, it's time to train a navy." Yang Guifang said.

"Where did the money come from?" Zhu Qizhen said helplessly, "We can't just find a few wealthy businessmen to confiscate their property."

For some reason, Ning Rongrong's figure popped up in his mind. The Chamber of Commerce, it brought together all the wealthy businessmen, they were very rich, how could he make them bleed?
"This is Liu Dingzhi's memorial." Zhu Qizhen collected his thoughts, picked up a memorial and handed it to them, saying, "Look, the fake emperor of Dunhuang is causing trouble again and has taken control of Bu Lie of Hami Guard."

After reading it, Yang Guifang frowned and said, "What's wrong with that kid Ding Xiu? He didn't even make any noise? He took all the blame for others."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Ding Xiu is in a difficult situation. Shi Biao has recently assigned him more people. Let's just wait and see. At least, the situation in Guanxi is getting more chaotic."

The three of them discussed how to better support Ding Xiu and Liu Dingzhi.

……

Zhu Qizhen sneaked out of the palace again, dressed in white, playing the role of a handsome young man, Qiantang Zhu Wushi. He came to the guild hall, and his target was of course Ning Rongrong, to find out how much money this woman had and how much money she could control.

As the president of the Chamber of Commerce, she not only has her own industries, but also has giants from the Chamber of Commerce such as Huizhou Merchants, Shanxi Merchants, Fujian Merchants, and Jiangsu Merchants under her, who follow her in smuggling.

This is simply a business empire.

"Mr. Zhu~" Ning Rongrong came forward warmly.

Although she was as cold as ever, she was still very polite to Zhu Qizhen. This time, she seemed more enthusiastic than before and took him into the private room.

"I just happened to have some top-quality Longjing tea, please have a taste, young master." Ning Rongrong had a smile on her face, her black hair falling behind her, highlighting her delicate and fair skin, her phoenix eyebrows and bright eyes.

This young master wants to taste you the most.

Zhu Qizhen grumbled in his heart, but on his face he was a serious gentleman, smiling as gentle as jade: "Okay, after drinking the tea made by the young lady, I always savor it."

The maid brought tea leaves, and Ning Rongrong began to make tea. She put her hair behind her ears, revealing her jade-white neck and gentle profile. Her eyes were like deep pools of water, very focused. She first used her slender fingers to gently move the charcoal fire and adjust the heat. Then, she gracefully picked up the teapot, turned her wrist slightly, and the hot water poured into the pot like a trickle, making a pleasant sound.

While brewing tea, her eyes remained gentle and focused, and the whole world stood still at this moment. She gently stirred the tea leaves, letting the rich tea fragrance slowly diffuse in the air, refreshing the heart.

A focused woman is the most beautiful!
Zhu Qizhen admired it quietly until Ning Rongrong pushed the teacup in front of him and smiled gently: "Sir, please."

Smelling the tea, Zhu Qizhen was already looking forward to it. He took a sip from the teacup and praised, "Good tea, fresh and refreshing, refreshing."

"As long as you like it, young master." Ning Rongrong continued to pour him tea.

The two chatted and drank, and after a while, Zhu Qizhen felt a little dizzy.

Bang!

He lay down on the tea table and seemed to have fallen asleep.

……

When he woke up again, he looked down and around, and was numb.

He was tied up to a pillar, with Ning Rongrong sitting in front of him, and a dozen big men standing behind her, all holding knives.

Zhu Qizhen quickly calmed down and raised his eyebrows: "Mr. Ning, what do you mean?"

Ning Rongrong at this moment was as cold as ice, with eyes as sharp as knives: "What do you mean? Kill you!"

"We have no grudges against each other, why are you killing me?" Zhu Qizhen was really confused. "Besides, I helped you!"

Ning Rongrong stood up and walked in front of him, with hatred in her eyes: "No grudges? Well, haven't you always wanted to know who I am? You even asked Xiao Cai about it. Now, I'll tell you, so that you can die knowing the truth."

"Who are you?" Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows.

"My grandfather was the Grand Secretary of Emperor Jianwen. The Ning family was exterminated by Zhu Di. Only my father fled overseas with the emperor." Ning Rongrong sneered, "And you, Emperor Zhu Qizhen of the Ming Dynasty, now you know why we want to kill you, right?"

Damn, descendants of Jianwen’s ministers?

Zhu Qizhen understood, without any fear on his face, and asked in confusion: "How do you know my identity?"

Ning Rongrong snorted: "Someone told me that there are many people who want you dead. As for who told me, I can't tell you."

"Hey, hey, I'm about to die, and you still don't want to tell me this? You just told me to be a clear-headed ghost." Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes.

Ning Rongrong smiled coldly, secretly shocked in her heart, wondering why this guy didn't seem afraid at all.

Zhu Qizhen looked at her and grinned: "Then let me change the question. You put drugs in the tea, right? Why not just poison me? Wouldn't it be fine if you just poisoned me to death?"

"That would be too easy for you." Ning Rongrong snorted.

Zhu Qizhen nodded in agreement and continued to ask: "The smuggling routes you control now, the clients of Western merchants, are they handled by you overseas?"

Ning Rongrong's face flashed with pride, and she said proudly: "It has been decades. Although the emperor is gone, we are no longer as weak as we were back then. We have huge caravans in the East, West, and South Seas."

Zhu Qizhen swallowed his saliva, as if he saw his prey, and asked again: "The emperor is Jianwen, right? He really took you to escape overseas. Hey, tell us your story."

"You talk too much." Ning Rongrong waved her hand fiercely, "Come here, take him away, take him to the tablets of the emperor and my grandfather, and kill him one by one."

Zhu Qizhen shouted: "So cruel? Girl, can't you see that I really love you?"

Ning Rongrong smiled sadly, with sadness flashing in her eyes: "I, Ning Rongrong, returned to Daming only for revenge, not for emotions."

She raised her arm and smashed it down. Three big men came forward, untied the ropes on the pillar, and were about to arrest Zhu Qizhen.

"Oh, what a pity, you should have poisoned me directly." Zhu Qizhen curled his lips into a sneer.

He exerted force suddenly, and the ropes tied to him broke instantly.

Choking~
He pulled out the long sword from the big man next to him and slashed it horizontally.

scold!
The big man's head flew out of his body, and a shower of blood sprayed out. Before those people could react, Zhu Qizhen swung his sword and killed two more, then stepped forward with one foot and rushed towards Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong was horrified and had no time to react before the long knife was already placed on her fair neck.

"Don't even move!"

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand and pulled Ning Rongrong into his arms, holding her waist with one hand and holding the knife across her neck with the other. The big men didn't dare to move at this time.

Ning Rongrong came back to her senses, her eyes full of regret: "I didn't expect you to be so terrifying. I should have poisoned you to death."

"It's too late to regret now." Zhu Qizhen smiled.

"What do you want?" Ning Rongrong asked coldly.

Zhu Qizhen's hand holding her waist suddenly tightened and chuckled: "I'm not as cruel as you, killing people at every turn. Let's talk. Let them go first."

Ning Rongrong looked pale, and tried her best to calm down. She said to the dozen or so big men, "All of you get out first."

Even though the dozen or so big men had fire in their eyes, they had no choice but to retreat.

……

After they left, Zhu Qizhen swung his hand and punched Ning Rongrong hard in the stomach. She groaned, stepped back repeatedly, and fell on the chair.

She bit her lips so hard that blood was flowing out. Her eyes were cold and resentful, filled with hatred and rage, staring at Zhu Qizhen.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll punch you and we'll settle the matter." Zhu Qizhen sat down beside her and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "How could I bear to kill you?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head slightly, shook off his hand, stared at him coldly and said, "You didn't kill me, but you are attracted by my property and the wealth behind me, right?"

Zhu Qizhen grabbed her fair neck and sneered, "How clever! I am increasingly reluctant to kill you."

(End of this chapter)