Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 196 Demon Queen: At this moment, I want to die!

"Stop! Master will treat you to as much sesame cake as you want."

Zhu Qizhen called Chao Xiaotian, of course he wanted to know the situation of Junshan Society.

After a while, the master and his apprentice each took a sesame cake and squatted on the roadside to eat it. While eating, they said to Xiao Tian:

"Master, our people saw those masked people you mentioned in a garden in the south of the city. He saw five people, one wearing a wolf mask, one wearing a dog mask, one wearing a deer mask, one wearing a cow mask, and one wearing a snake mask."

"At that time, the courtyard was heavily guarded, with many guards in black. My brother waited for half an hour until those people came out. He wanted to follow their carriage, but the men in black saw him, so he had to run."

"Later, I sent someone else to check the yard, but there was no one there. It was an unused, empty yard with no one living there at all."

Zhu Qizhen was so angry that he wanted to slap him. At that time, your brother could have just gone to the Jinyiwei and arrested him, right? However, he changed his mind and thought that Chao Xiaotian didn't know his identity, so he didn't dare to tell the Jinyiwei what his master had told him.

However, he finally got some new information. There were at least five people in the Junshan Society, wearing masks of wolves, dogs, deer, cows and snakes. He patted Chao Xiaotian on the shoulder and encouraged him: "You did a good job. Let your people keep watching."

"Yes." Chao Xiaotian was very happy to receive the compliment.

"You can go now." Zhu Qizhen stood up.

Chao Xiaotian also stood up and asked, "Master, where are you going?"

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and said, "Guild Hall, Master is looking for Roujia for something serious, don't think too much about Master, Master is a decent person."

To Xiaotian: “Haha.”

……

Zhu Qizhen arrived at the guild hall. Roujia saw him and immediately went to greet him.

She was wearing a red dress today, with a proud, hot and charming figure. She took Zhu Qizhen's hand and led him into the private room.

"Has Mr. Ning written to you?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Of course!" Rou Jiamei smiled, "My young lady also asked about you in the letter, sir. Oh, and Madam, asking if you would come to the guild hall and asked me to receive you well."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly and said, "I heard that your Jiangnan yarn mills and porcelain kilns have supplied goods to the Weaving Bureau?"

Roujia gradually leaned on Zhu Qizhen, her beautiful eyes full of affection: "Yes, they are all top-quality goods. Mr. Ning said that these goods are for the inner court, and the rest will be shipped overseas. This year, Western merchants want a lot of goods, and we can't supply them, so the court has to arrange for them."

"You are so sensible." Zhu Qizhen held her charming face.

This time he came to ask the Chamber of Commerce to go through the Maritime Customs Office to make the process smooth as soon as possible. Once the Western merchants got the goods, the money would come in, and the national treasury needed the money.

"Sir, let me serve you?" Roujia pointed to the soft couch.

"No need to go there." Zhu Qizhen walked to the window and stood still.

Roujia understood it at once, but disappointment flashed in her eyes. She was still thinking that she could get pregnant with a dragon seed, and then she would fly up to the tree and become a phoenix. But she also knew that Ning Daren could not enter the palace, let alone herself? She needed to take it slowly.

She smiled charmingly, walked to Zhu Qizhen and squatted down.

A gentle breeze blew, Zhu Qizhen leaned against the window with both hands and took a deep breath.

Soon, the windows began to swing, and the amplitude was quite large. Roujia, who was squatting there, felt her legs soften slightly, and she fell to the ground, her charming and affectionate eyes looking pitiful.

She pursed her lips, tears welled up in her eyes, tilted her head, wiped the corners of her eyes, and said in a low and self-abased voice: "I am useless!"

"It's okay." Zhu Qizhen patted her head.

He packed up, turned around and left without looking back. Roujia looked at his back and bit her lip: "I will get pregnant with a dragon seed sooner or later."

……

Zhu Qizhen returned to the Qianqing Palace and immediately summoned Shi Biao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and told him about Chao Xiaotian's report.

"Your Majesty, which courtyard is in the south of the city?" Shi Biao asked.

Zhu Qizhen told him the exact location and shook his head: "If we go now, there will definitely be nothing left."

Shi Biao's eyes were sharp: "I can check the owner of the garden, but I hope it is not ownerless or sealed."

Zhu Qizhen also guessed so.

The Junshan Society always meets in different places, which shows that they are extremely cautious and will not leave any clues.

"Wolf, dog, deer, cow, snake." Zhu Qizhen frowned. "Does this have any meaning? Or did they just randomly choose a mask to wear?"

Shi Biao didn't understand either, and said in a deep voice: "Since they are wearing masks, it means they are afraid of being known. This means they are not ordinary people, and perhaps many people know them."

Zhu Qizhen nodded: "It seems that I have to find a time to let you and Chao Xiaotian know my existence, but what identity should I use?"

"You have to be a higher official than me." Shi Biao spread his hands, "Your Majesty, just say you are the commander of the Imperial Guards. The commander of the Imperial Guards usually stays in the palace and rarely goes out."

Zhu Qizhen Diantouzhen agreed: "Yes, so that guy won't always ask me what I do and why I am so secretive. I will tell him that I am investigating the Junshan Society. If he has any news and can't find me, he can go directly to you."

"This way, we won't miss the opportunity." Shi Biao said with admiration, "Your Majesty, your disciple is even more informed than me, the Jinyiwei."

Zhu Qizhen smiled.

He had supported Chao Xiaotian for this reason. In previous lives, when reading martial arts novels, it was said that the Beggars' Sect was the most informed. Why? Because the Beggars' Sect had so many members, spread all over the place, and did not attract attention.

Chao Xiaotian's Yulong Gang is actually the Beggars' Gang. The disciples in the gang are either beggars, vagrants or hooligans, and they are everywhere in the capital.

"How is the special forces team that I asked you to train before?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Your Majesty, I will take you to see it." Shi Biao said confidently.

……

Jinyiwei, martial arts training ground.

Zhu Qizhen stood on a high platform, looking at the more than a thousand people below, all of whom were dressed in tight clothes and each of them was extremely sharp.

This was the team that Zhu Qizhen wanted Shi Biao to train. He also told Shi Biao about the training methods and tactics of the special forces in his previous life. Of course, he was only half-baked and had learned all this from TV, movies and books. But at least it could expand Shi Biao's thinking.

"Your Majesty, these are the best fighters selected from the Jinyiwei and the army." Shi Biao said, "They have passed rigorous training, including the reconnaissance and lurking training you mentioned."

Zhu Qizhen nodded with satisfaction: "I will use them to carry out the assassination mission."

Shi Biao's eyes were full of confidence. He waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I will ask them to practice martial arts."

After saying that, he raised his arm and smashed it down, and more than a thousand people below began to practice.

The first thing to be demonstrated was archery. Rows of soldiers stood still, holding longbows. With a crisp whistle, they simultaneously pulled the bowstrings to their full length, and arrows pierced through the air like meteors, aiming straight at the bull's eye. After the rain of arrows, the area around the bull's eye was densely packed with arrows, and none of them deviated.

Next, it was close combat. They were agile and nimble like cheetahs, jumping and shuttling around the arena, sometimes rolling to dodge, sometimes striking swiftly. What was even more surprising was that they seemed to be able to fly over eaves and walls, easily leaping onto the high platform and landing steadily.

The most shocking scene was the obstacle crossing performed by several fighters together. They used ropes, wooden stakes and other obstacles to perform difficult tumbling, climbing and jumping, and their coordination was seamless.

"Very good!" Zhu Qizhen praised, "Shi Biao, send these people to Ding Xiu and follow his orders."

Shi Biao looked painful: "Your Majesty, do you want me to leave some for you to protect you?"

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "I don't need it!"

Shi Biao: “!!!”

Yes, Your Majesty, you are the invincible one in the world.

……

After coming out of the martial arts arena, Zhu Qizhen asked the team to go back by themselves, and he wanted to walk alone. As the chief eunuch, Cao Jixiang was used to the emperor going out for a walk incognito from time to time. He couldn't stop him, and he knew that the emperor was a martial artist, and the assassins were the ones who died in the previous assassinations.

Zhu Qizhen did not go to the guild hall this time. He did not have the same feelings for Roujia as Ning Rongrong did. He just used her to calm down. He strolled to the Imperial College this time.

He missed his college life. If he hadn't traveled through time, he would be a college student now, living a life of skipping the morning commute. He entered the Imperial College slowly, and because he was incognito, no one recognized him.

The Imperial College is much more lively now than it was four years ago. The last time Yang Shan, the Minister of Rites, reported, the number of students in the Imperial College has exceeded 3,000, including many foreign students.

Walking on the tree-lined path in the Imperial College, he sighed in his heart: "I am a student from Huaiyou, what can the world give me?"

Not long after walking, he ran into two people, the leader of which was a bright young girl. When she saw Zhu Qizhen, she was very surprised: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Li Ling?" Zhu Qizhen interrupted her, "What a coincidence."

The girl was Li Ling, the eldest princess of Goryeo. When she saw that the emperor had interrupted her, she realized that the emperor did not want to reveal his identity, so she bowed and said, "Mr. Zhu."

The guard beside her recognized Zhu Qizhen as the one who was rude on the street last time, and glared at him angrily: "It's you? Are you also a student of the Imperial College?"

"Don't be rude." Li Ling scolded angrily.

The guard suppressed his anger and took a step back. He was beaten away by Zhu Qizhen last time and still refused to accept it. Zhu Qizhen smiled and asked Li Ling, "Are you used to being in the Imperial College?"

"It's much better than my Goryeo." Li Ling blinked her lively eyes, "Mr. Zhu, can you... walk with me?"

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "Okay."

Li Ling waved to her guard, signaling him not to follow. Although the guard was unwilling, he did not disobey Li Ling's order. Zhu Qizhen imagined the plot of the Korean drama "The Princess and Her Guard" in his mind.

The two of them strolled under the tree. Li Ling was a little nervous and whispered, "Your Majesty, you go out without a guard?"

Zhu Qizhen smiled and shrugged: "Who knows me? I've been in the palace for a long time and I'm bored, so I sneaked out for a walk."

Li Ling waved his fist in admiration and said, "When I was in Wangjing, I also wanted to escape from the palace, but I failed every time."

The girl is youthful and attractive, and quite cute.

"Why did your uncle agree to let you study in Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Qizhen asked curiously.

"Maybe I am insignificant." Li Ling gritted her teeth. "When I was little, my uncle was quite good to me. Who would have thought that he would rebel? However, he did not kill many of his own family members."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Little girl, it's not time to start killing people yet. When he ascends the throne, he will kill a lot of people. But your uncle sent you to the Ming Dynasty, perhaps with the intention of protecting you and keeping you away from trouble.

"Your Majesty, can you help my brother regain the throne?" Li Ling asked directly.

"Well, that's difficult." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "Unless the Ming Dynasty sends troops."

Although Li Ling was young, he grew up in the royal family and knew a lot. He immediately understood what the emperor meant. Ming was the suzerain of Goryeo, but sending troops was another matter. "For my brother, I am willing to do anything."

She clenched her fists and recited silently in her heart.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes fell on her. Her face was delicate, her bright peach eyes were clear, and a few strands of hair fell beside her soft cheeks, adding a bit of girlish liveliness. Her dark eyes were stubborn, her eyelashes were long and thick, and the tail of her eyes were upturned. As her eyes blinked, her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but sigh, the girl is so beautiful.

"You should study hard in Ming Dynasty. When you have learned enough, come back and help your brother regain the throne." He encouraged with a smile.

"Yes." Li Ling nodded heavily, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave now."

She seemed to be full of confidence all of a sudden, she lifted her skirt and walked away with big strides.

Vigorous and high-spirited!
Zhu Qizhen burst out laughing. He began to understand why her uncle sent her to the Ming Dynasty. With her condition, she would not survive more than three episodes in the palace infighting.

……

Night falls.

Zhu Qizhen came back from outside and went directly to Kunning Palace. He was walking slowly on the imperial road when Shuangxi came up from behind him and bowed: "Your Majesty, your servant greets you."

"Hey, why are you here? Aren't you serving the Empress Dowager?" Zhu Qizhen asked, looking up.

Shuangxi pursed her lips slightly, "The Queen Mother wants to be alone, so let's all leave. I was walking on the road, and suddenly I remembered that there was still soup stewing in the kitchen, so I went back to turn off the fire. Otherwise, the Queen Mother would definitely not know, and I'd better not burn the kitchen."

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead with his hand: "You really understand her."

He raised his hand, signaling Shuangxi to follow him. Shuangxi bent her waist and followed carefully. Seeing her frightened look, Zhu Qizhen teased, "Shuangxi, how old are you this year?"

Shuangxi pursed her red lips and said, "I am twenty years old."

Zhu Qizhen pretended to be shocked: "Ah? You are an old maid now. It is time for you to leave the palace and get married. You can't waste any more time in the palace."

"I...will never marry and will always serve the Queen Mother." Shuangxi said in a low voice.

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Is this the Consort Wan who will be my adopted son's future wife? She doesn't look like him. She's too weak and not strong at all.

"Your Majesty, we're here. I'll go report to the Queen Mother." Shuangxi wanted to enter the hall first.

Zhu Qizhen stopped her and asked, "Do I need to report this?" They entered the hall together and found that there was no one in the hall, only a few candles were lit, and the candlelight was swaying.

"The Queen Mother should be taking a bath. I'll go to the kitchen first." Shuangxi hurried to the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, the witch queen came out from the inner hall, and she really went to take a bath. She was wearing a white gauze undergarment, the whiteness in front of her body was dazzling, and her figure was enchanting and graceful.

"Are you here?" She beckoned to Zhu Qizhen. She was no longer shy as before and raised her eyebrows. "Come and help me dry my hair."

Zhu Qizhen walked over and pulled her into his arms domineeringly. She stretched out her arms, hugged his neck, tilted her head slightly, and chuckled: "You are still too young. You went to Ning Rongrong's place before. Were you coveting her beauty?"

"Bah!" Zhu Qizhen let go of her and sat down on the chair. "I can stay calm even if you're in my arms. If you don't believe me, why don't you try?"

He sat upright, serious, not even looking at the Demon Queen.

The demon queen chuckled, with a half-smile on her face. She was in the mood. Let her give it a try. Can’t she control a passionate young man like you?

She stood in front of Zhu Qizhen, her long white legs made him unable to take his eyes away. She leaned closer, her beautiful eyes smiling, and her fingers gently moved in front of him: "Can you really remain calm? Do you have this ability? Why did you rush back to find Concubine Xian every time before?"

Zhu Qizhen looked calm and said provocatively, "I have been reading Buddhist scriptures recently."

puff~
The Demon Queen was amused again, and the smile between her brows became even more intense. She leaned forward and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, then chuckled: "Okay, let's see how strong your concentration is."

After saying that, she sat directly on Zhu Qizhen's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and blinked her mature and charming eyes slightly: "False Emperor, am I beautiful?"

At such a close distance, the false emperor smelled the subtle fragrance and unconsciously hugged her waist and nibbled on her neck. The demon queen giggled.

The moment she fell back laughing, she saw Shuangxi, who was dumbfounded. She hurriedly tried to stand up, but how could Zhu Qizhen let her go at this moment?

"Let go, Shuangxi is here." the Demon Queen said anxiously.

The false emperor then looked up and saw Shuangxi standing there in a daze.

The Demon Queen stood up hurriedly. Although she was the master and Shuangxi was the servant, she felt guilty and a little flustered.

Did Shuangxi see what happened just now? Where is my dignity? Did she see my wild side?
At this moment, I want to die!

The false emperor was much calmer, even a little gloating.

Demon Queen, are you dead this time?

Bang!

Shuangxi knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I didn't see anything!"

The fake emperor smiled playfully. If it was before, he would definitely kill him to silence him. But now, he believed that Shuangxi was smart and would have known that he was the fake emperor and that he was having an affair with the Demon Queen.

"Shuangxi, you know all my secrets." The fake emperor sighed, "I have no choice but to kill you."

Shuangxi was so frightened that his face turned pale instantly.

The Demon Queen finally reacted, turned around and glared at the Pseudo-Emperor, saying, "Don't scare her. She already knows everything she should and shouldn't know. I only have this one confidant maid by my side. If you dare to kill her, I will turn against you."

The fake emperor spread his hands: "Oh, then don't kill me!"

Shuangxi was scared and confused.

I saw something I shouldn’t have seen, but the emperor really won’t kill me?
"Shuangxi, why are you standing there? Why don't you bring out the soup you cooked? I'm hungry too." said the fake emperor.

It's better to keep Shuangxi, so that when he can have an affair with the Queen in the future, he will have someone to watch over the door.

But Shuangxi looked at the Demon Queen in disbelief. The Demon Queen still had an embarrassed look on her beautiful face. She waved her hand and said, "Go ahead. Don't worry. We won't kill you."

"Yes." Shuangxi got up and left.

The fake emperor sat on the chair and raised his eyebrows at the Demon Queen: "How about we continue?"

“You big-headed ghost!” The demon queen glared at him fiercely, picked up the robe on the soft mat and put it on.

The false emperor suppressed his laughter.

This time the Queen Demon's character has collapsed, and it has been confirmed that she is the Queen Demon.

……

After a while, the Double Happiness Soup was served.

The false emperor and the demon queen sat down to drink soup, and Shuangxi stood respectfully behind the demon queen.

The demon queen's robe was loose, but her curves were still exquisite. Every time she lowered her head, the spring scenery she revealed fascinated the false emperor. She glanced at him: "More unscrupulous, right? You completely ignore Shuangxi's presence?"

"What can't Shuangxi see?" The fake emperor looked up at Shuangxi and asked, "Is that right?"

"I still know nothing." Shuangxi lowered her head.

The Queen sighed softly and changed the subject: "Yesterday, Concubine Xian told me that the silk and porcelain of Ning family in Jiangnan are going to be brought to the capital. Concubine Xian said that Ning family gave the cost price to supply the inner court, and they don't make any money."

The fake emperor didn't care: "If you don't want to earn money, then don't earn money. It just so happens that our inner treasury is short of money."

"If we do business this way, the Ning family will lose money sooner or later." The Queen Mother glared, "Let them make money. We in the royal family will not take advantage of this."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly: "Forget about this year, let's start next year."

The Demon Queen knew his difficulty and nodded.

Zhu Qizhen finished eating quickly, and then he turned around and left. He had to go to Wenhua Hall. It was his habit to visit the cabinet ministers who were working overtime every day. One was to encourage them, and the other was to deal with urgent memorials.

The demon queen watched him go, gently put down the spoon in her hand, and sighed. Shuangxi came to her, knelt down, and bowed: "My queen, you are really too hard."

"Shuangxi, we have been together for more than ten years." The Demon Queen looked at her and smiled bitterly, "You know almost everything about me. So, there is no need to say more between us."

Shuangxi nodded repeatedly: "I understand."

The Queen laughed at herself and said, "I wanted to keep my last bit of dignity in front of you, but today... Hey, I..."

"Your Highness, in my heart, you have never changed." Shuangxi bowed again, "You are the person I admire the most. But, Your Highness, this... how will you... what will happen in the future..."

The Demon Queen raised her hand to let her get up, and smiled with relief: "In the future, I will definitely be the Demon Queen in the history books! I don't care anymore. In fact, I... In fact, the False Emperor did a good job, but he is not a descendant of the Zhu family after all."

Shuangxi's eyes were filled with tears: "My lady, I'm sorry for your hardship."

……

Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Qizhen came in and saw the chief minister of the cabinet, Shang Lu, sitting there with a memorial in his hand and tears in his eyes.

"Lord Shang, what are you doing?" Zhu Qizhen was confused.

"Your Majesty~" Shang Lu handed the memorial to Zhu Qizhen, tears streaming down his eyes, "Lord Wang... passed away!"

Zhu Qizhen quickly took the letter and glanced over it.

It turns out that Wang Zhi passed away last month. No wonder I haven't received any memorials from him for a long time.

"Lord Wang has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice, "Lord Shang, please prepare to posthumously award Wang Zhi the title of Grand Protector and the posthumous title of 'Wenduan'."

"Your Majesty is wise." Shang Lu bowed with tears in his eyes.

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly: "Lord Wang is eighty-four years old, which is also a long life."

Eighty-four is an absolutely long life in this era.

At this time, the chief eunuch Cao Jixiang came in holding a box and reported: "Your Majesty, this is the last secret memorial from Lord Wang."

(End of this chapter)