Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 198 Demon Queen: What I fear most has finally come

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen personally summoned several Portuguese businessmen, mainly to understand the current situation in the West and make effective preparations for the future expansion of the Ming Dynasty.

After chatting for more than two hours, Zhu Qizhen finally gave his own summary.

First, the major European countries and their conditions during this period:

England: Under the rule of the Tudor dynasty, Henry VI's reign was unstable due to mental illness, and the conflict between his brother Richard, Duke of York (later Edward IV) and his wife Queen Margaret triggered the War of the Roses. Despite the internal strife, England's economy and culture continued to develop steadily.

France: After the Hundred Years' War, France gradually recovered, Charles VII consolidated the royal power and devoted himself to the reconstruction and unification of the country. French culture and art also achieved remarkable achievements during this period.

The Holy Roman Empire: A loose alliance of many principalities, with limited emperor power and constant disputes among local princes. Despite this, the Holy Roman Empire is still the nominal overlord of Europe.

Spain: In the process of gradual unification, the marriage between Castile and Aragon laid the foundation for the unification of Spain. At the same time, Spain also began to expand overseas, laying the foundation for its future rise.

Italy: It is still the cultural and artistic center of Europe. Various city-states such as Venice and Florence have maintained relative independence and prosperity. The Renaissance reached its climax here.

There are also small countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands, which, like Spain, have started the great voyages of discovery. However, they are still in the early stages of exploration.

During this period, Europe did not form an absolute hegemony. The power among countries was balanced and the competition was fierce. Although the Holy Roman Empire was nominally the ruler of Europe, it was actually in decline; although Spain was rising, it had not yet reached the point of hegemony; England and France were too busy with internal disputes to take care of other things.

However, rapid development has taken place throughout Europe.

Economically: With the development of the commodity economy, European cities gradually prospered and became new economic centers. Mediterranean trade and North Sea-Baltic Sea trade became important economic pillars.

The continuous progress of agricultural and handicraft production technologies has promoted the improvement of productivity and the accumulation of wealth.

Culturally: The Renaissance movement emerged in various parts of Europe, and humanistic ideas were deeply rooted in people's hearts. Remarkable achievements were made in the fields of literature, art, science, etc., and a large number of outstanding cultural masters and artistic works emerged.

The invention and widespread application of printing promoted the dissemination of knowledge and the popularization of culture.

Religious aspect: The Reformation movement is in the making, and the authority of the Catholic Church is being challenged. The rise of Protestant forces will have a profound impact on the political landscape of Europe. Religious conflicts and persecutions also occur from time to time, exacerbating social unrest and instability.

Military: The widespread use of firearms has changed the form of war, and countries have strengthened their military construction to improve their military strength. The Portuguese Francois cannon is a very advanced artillery.

However, the whole of Europe faced a powerful enemy, the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which marked the demise of the Byzantine Empire and the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe and the Mediterranean region reached a new peak.

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to expand westward, the biggest enemy it will face is the Ottoman Empire." Zhu Qizhen said to himself.

He thought that the troops should be divided into two groups. One group could go by land, like the Mongol Empire did in the past, with cavalry sweeping all the way to Europe; the other group could be by sea, with a powerful invincible fleet to dominate the sea.

Thinking of this, he patted his head.

Wake up! It's broad daylight, don't dream yet.

"I want to buy your French cannon." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

The leader of the caravan, Francisco, nodded quickly: "In compliance with your majesty's order, we are very willing to trade with the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "Ming Dynasty welcomes you. My Ming Dynasty also needs teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and other subjects. I am willing to spend a lot of money to hire them. You can introduce relevant talents."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Francisco nodded.

……

On this day, in the camp outside Beijing.

Zhu Qizhen, accompanied by Yang Guifang, entered the camp and was greeted by Yu Qian in person.

"Old Yu, what have you been doing in the military camp recently?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile, "Are you hiding from the court and deliberately staying in the military camp instead of going back?"

Yu Qian had a helpless expression: "Your Majesty, last time you asked me to train a heavy cavalry, I dare not not do it, I have been busy with this matter recently."

Zhu Qizhen nodded with satisfaction.

Yang Guifang said before that Yesen relied on a heavy cavalry to break through his defense and escape back to Mobei. The heavy cavalry could play a decisive role at a critical moment.

At that time, he thought that the Ming Dynasty would also have a powerful heavy cavalry. The advantage of heavy cavalry was to use the speed and inertia of the warhorse and the penetrating power of the spear to break through the enemy's defense line.

Heavy cavalrymen and horses were all in armor, and the riders' armor might include zebra armor, fish scale armor, two-crotch armor, and bright armor, etc. These armors not only covered the main parts of the body, but also provided good protection. Horses were covered in special horse armor, and except for the eyes, nose, limbs and tail, the rest of the body could be protected by armor.

Their weapon is the spear, which is an extremely long heavy weapon, up to 16 feet long, with a blade 18 inches long. The use of the spear requires superb riding skills and techniques, but once it hits the enemy, its powerful penetrating power is enough to break the armor and kill the enemy.

"Great!" Zhu Qizhen praised Yu Qian after listening to his introduction, "The Ming Dynasty needs a heavy cavalry like this."

"Your Majesty, it has not yet been completed. We are currently training the troops," said Yu Qian.

The three climbed up a hill in the camp and stood facing the wind. Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice: "Now that the situation in the southeast is gradually stabilizing, we can free up our hands to solve the crisis in the northern border. Yu Qian, train the troops well, this time I will personally lead the expedition to the northern desert."

Yu Qian nodded, hesitated and said: "I will do my best! Your Majesty, you don't have to lead the army yourself, let me go. There is Shi Heng in the northern border, I will go with him, are you still worried? You still have to stay in the capital."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly and waved his hand: "We'll talk about it later. By the way, I also brought you a good thing this time. This is the blueprint of the Portuguese Francois cannon. Take it back and have a look. My Ming Dynasty also needs such advanced artillery. Heavy cavalry is still a cold weapon. This time, we have to rely on muskets and artillery to completely eliminate the advantages of the grassland cavalry."

"Yes!" Yu Qian was overjoyed.

……

The next day.

The news shocked the court and the public, and the emperor issued an order to execute Xinning Bo. Some ministers pleaded for Xinning Bo, but the emperor refuted it by citing the example of Taizu killing his son-in-law.

If they can kill the son-in-law of the emperor, what about the new Earl of Ning?

After receiving the news, Duke Ying immediately entered the palace, but he did not go to see the emperor, but went to Kunning Palace to see the empress dowager. Duke Ying had long since stopped caring about government affairs, and he went to the palace to plead for the new Earl of Ning.

The Queen Mother dismissed everyone and summoned the Duke of England alone.

"Lord Xinning, we have to protect him." Duke Ying said anxiously, "His great-grandfather Tan Yuan followed Emperor Taizong and died in the battle of Jingnan. Emperor Taizong appreciated his contribution and posthumously awarded him the title of Fengtian Jingnan Tuicheng Xuanli Wuchen and Chongjing Hou. How can we just kill the descendant of a meritorious official like Lord Xinning?"

The Queen Mother heard this and sighed, "If your Majesty wants to kill me, I can't stop him."

Duke Ying continued, "Queen Dowager, please talk to His Majesty. He...sometimes still listens to you. The Earl of Xinning went to Shaanxi and Gansu because of my arrangement. The Tan family only has this one descendant. If he dies, the family line will be cut off, Queen Dowager."

The Queen Mother was silent for a long time, and then said, "Let me give it a try. You can see that the current His Majesty is no longer the same His Majesty as before. Who in the court or the public dares to refute him?"

The Duke of England lowered his head.

In just less than five years, the pseudo-emperor had gone from being a small refugee to becoming the emperor whose words were law. He was respected by everyone in the government and the country, and he also won the hearts of the people.

"I am guilty." The Duke of England cried.

"Alright, Duke." The Queen Mother waved her hand, "You can go back. If you are guilty, go and tell Emperor Taizong."

The Duke of England bowed and left the Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother sat silently in the chair, in a daze. It was not until Shuangxi came in that she came back to her senses, raised her beautiful eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, have you not come to Kunning Palace for three days?"

"Yes." Shuangxi nodded. "General Manager Cao said that His Majesty has been very busy with government affairs recently and is still reviewing memorials at night."

The Queen Mother sighed quietly.

She always felt that something had happened to the emperor, causing his mood to change. Why did he suddenly want to kill Xin Ningbo? She originally thought that she had softened the emperor and made him less bloodthirsty at the beginning.

"Shuangxi, prepare the food and follow me to the Qianqing Palace." The Queen Mother waved her hand.

"Yes." Shuangxi went to prepare.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen was reading Western books presented by Portuguese merchants, including "Elements of Geometry". He recalled that when he was in school, geometry was the most annoying thing.

He took a pen and drew triangles, polygons, and circles, trying to solve some of the problems, which also reminded him of some geometry problems he had learned in his previous life.

At this time, footsteps were heard, and the queen in a lavender dress walked in. The hem of her dress reached the ground, and she was graceful and elegant. A plain satin ribbon was tied around her waist, which was slender enough to be held in one hand, highlighting her graceful figure.

"Huh?" Zhu Qizhen looked a little surprised.

"What's wrong? Do you think it's strange that I came to see you?" The Demon Queen raised her eyebrows.

Zhu Qizhen shook his head and smiled: "I'm afraid you'll come and call me to task."

The Demon Queen walked up to him and said with a half-smile: "Ask me about your crime? Do you think you have done something wrong?"

"The emperor can't be wrong." Zhu Qizhen raised his eyes and said, "Duke Ying went to see you, right? He must be pleading for the new Earl of Ning. I didn't go to you because I didn't want to embarrass you."

A smile appeared on the Queen's perfect and charming face, and her cold eyes blinked: "Don't come on, are you avoiding me? Women's intuition is very accurate."

Zhu Qizhen was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "How could that be? I've been quite busy with government affairs recently."

The Demon Queen was very bold. She came to his throne, leaned over, and showed a charming curve. She stretched out her arms and directly hugged his neck. Her long sleeves slowly slid down, revealing her fair wrists. She leaned forward slightly, and her beautiful face came close. Her dark eyes raised, and her red lips moved: "Are you so busy that you don't even have time to eat with me?"

Shuangxi behind her was frightened and hurried out of the hall to prevent others from suddenly coming in. Zhu Qizhen was also stunned. The demon queen was getting more and more relaxed. He stretched out his hand and pulled the demon queen into his arms.

"I'm afraid I've fallen too deeply into your honey trap." He held her waist and sighed, "Isn't there a saying that whoever takes it seriously will lose first?"

The Demon Queen leaned in his arms, her deep eyes staring at his cheek, she reached out and gently touched the stubble on his chin, her eyes drooping: "You can have the cold war with me, but you can't not come to my place for dinner, I want to see you every day."

Zhu Qizhen looked down at her beautiful face and smiled: "You are a little overbearing now."

The Queen's eyes were gentle, her fair arms tightly hugged him, and she leaned forward with her flawless and beautiful face. The passionate kiss was breathtaking.

After a while, the Demon Queen gently pushed him away and asked softly, "Did something happen to you?"

"You'd better not know." Zhu Qizhen also let her go.

The Demon Queen stood up and gently tidied her long black hair with her hands. Her hair fell on her cheeks, making her skin look whiter and her temperament more noble and graceful.

"Okay, I won't ask." She stared at Zhu Qizhen and said, "Don't forget, you can't miss meals in the future."

Zhu Qizhen nodded.

The demon queen smiled brightly and walked away with her long legs.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

Today is Buddha's Bathing Festival, and there is a grand temple fair at Leiyin Temple.

The temple gates are wide open, welcoming believers and tourists from all directions. Under the red walls and gray tiles, there are colorful prayer flags hanging, swaying gently in the wind.

The temple fair has not started yet, but the temple is already crowded with people. The believers hold flowers, incense and candles, their faces are filled with piety and joy. The hawkers' cries and children's laughter fill the air, making it very lively.

With the ringing of a clear bell, the Buddha Bathing Festival temple fair officially began. In front of the main hall of the temple, a huge Buddha statue was carefully decorated, shining with gold, and looked particularly solemn and sacred.

The Buddha Bathing Ceremony began, and the Zhengtong Emperor, as an honored guest, led the crowd to burn incense and pray for blessings. After the ceremony, the Zhengtong Emperor got on a carriage and returned to the palace in the city.

Today, Dunhuang City was also extremely lively. The Zhengtong Emperor's carriage was passing through a street, and suddenly, there was a loud bang and an explosion! The carriage was blown up into the sky.

The guards following the carriage all drew their swords and looked around vigilantly. Yuan Bin, riding on his horse, looked at the overturned carriage with a pale face.

Bang! Bang!
The debris fell to the ground, but there was no human body. Yuan Bin shouted, "Go and tell the city guards to block the entire street!"

He secretly felt fortunate that the Emperor had just made a sudden decision not to take the carriage, but to go outside the city with military advisor Wu Xingdao, and was protected by Xu Bin and his men.

If the emperor was in the carriage, he would be a dead body by now. Yuan Bin looked around fiercely. Who did it? How could he grasp the timing so well?

Soon, the patrolling city guards arrived, blocked the entire street and began to search. An hour later, the guards came to report that they had found nothing. The people living in the streets and alleys were all local residents.

"drive!"

Yuan Bin rode his horse, he wanted to report this matter to the emperor immediately. It was too dangerous, and there would be crises everywhere in Dunhuang in the future.

……

Beijing.

It was already dusk when Zhu Qizhen finished reviewing the memorials. Just as he was about to leave for Kunning Palace, Cao Jixiang arrived holding a secret memorial and reported, "Your Majesty, this was sent by Ding Xiu."

He took the memorial from the northwest very seriously and opened it immediately. After scanning it, his face became completely gloomy. Ding Xiu confirmed one thing in the secret memorial: Wu Xingdao was in Dunhuang and became the military advisor of the false emperor.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were cold: "No wonder we couldn't find him, it turns out he went to Dunhuang. Wu Xingdao is the Queen Mother's man, and this was all planned by the Queen Mother."

He held the secret letter and pondered for a long time.

Then, he came to Kunning Palace and said coldly to Shuangxi: "Shuangxi, you go out first."

Shuangxi felt the emperor's coldness. She looked up at the Demon Queen who was sitting on the soft seat. The Demon Queen didn't even raise her head and said, "Why don't you get out?"

"Yes." Shuangxi had no choice but to retreat. Before leaving, she looked up at the emperor. When she met his cold eyes, she was so scared that she immediately lowered her head.

After Shuangxi left, Zhu Qizhen came to the Queen Demon.

The Demon Queen then raised her head, met his cold gaze, and sighed softly: "I knew you were in trouble. Come on, Pseudo-Emperor, what do you want?"

The false emperor's eyes were like knives, and he asked word by word: "Wu Xingdao, you let him go, right? You let him go to Dunhuang?"

Dunhuang?

In this Kunning Palace, they had originally agreed not to mention these two words. Now the fake emperor took the initiative to bring it up. The demon queen's heart trembled slightly.

"I arranged it." She faced the murderous gaze of the false emperor without retreating at all.

The fake emperor suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed her fair neck, and said with a ferocious look in his eyes: "Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"

The demon queen's beautiful face quickly turned red, but the corners of her mouth showed a sarcastic smile: "Kill him!"

"Do you think I don't dare?" The fake emperor directly picked her up.

"You dare not!" The Demon Queen pinched his arm with both hands, "At least you dare not kill me with your own hands. I am the Queen Mother of the Ming Dynasty! Humph, I helped Dunhuang, and you are angry? Then you also planned Dunhuang's assassination, several times, right? Should I be angry? Should I kill you? The person you want to kill is my son."

Although she was holding her breath, she was already hysterical by the end.

Bang!

The fake emperor threw her on the soft seat and threw himself on her.

Swish!
The sound of clothes shredding came, and his eyes were blazing with fire, as if he had lost his mind. The demon queen panicked, and in a few seconds, her long dress shredded, and she shouted, "Kill me, or I'll kill myself!"

She picked up a knife from the table and pointed it at her neck. The fake emperor stopped mid-air and slowly withdrew his hand. The demon queen sat there pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes.

The two looked at each other, and the false emperor's eyes, which were full of anger, finally became clearer.

The demon queen shrank her body and put her hands in front of her to cover the broken parts. Her long skirt was completely messy and torn in some places, revealing her fair skin.

She raised her head slightly. Under her messy hair, her pitiful dark eyes had already turned red from crying. Her voice was slightly hoarse: "You can kill me, but you can't humiliate me!"

……

After a long silence, the false emperor spoke: "Like you said, I dare not kill you, at least not with my own hands."

The demon queen had a somewhat stubborn expression. She curled up and wiped away her tears. "I never asked you for your advice. In the end, I lost. So I lost. You are the fake emperor. Have I ever been angry with you? The person you want to kill is my son."

The fake emperor smiled coldly: "You mean, we each use our own methods, and whoever loses must admit it! But, between us, we are still... like before... using each other, right?"

The demon queen calmed down, her eyes provocative: "Isn't it exciting?"

"This is so exciting!" The fake emperor looked at her directly, "When the time is right, I will really kill you."

"I will kill you too." The Demon Queen's eyes were cold. "Didn't I tell you that either I die in your hands, or you die in my hands, or we can die together."

A sick smile appeared on her lips.

ill!

The fake emperor picked up a blanket and threw it at her, saying, "Go change your clothes. I can't control you like this."

The demon queen stood up, her beauty suddenly revealed. She actually walked in front of the fake emperor, her figure showing graceful curves, like a seductive black rose, deadly and charming. She put her hands around his neck and bit his lips.

Crazy woman!
The fake emperor's lip was bitten by her again. She greedily sucked the blood from the wound for a long time before letting go. The corner of her mouth was full of blood, and she snorted, "It's even."

She turned and walked towards the inner hall, her figure swaying, her black hair falling on her jade back.

The fake emperor wiped the wound on the corner of his mouth, smiled slightly, and turned to leave. The voice of the demon queen came: "You promised me that you would have dinner with me no matter what."

"Shuangxi, come in." The fake emperor sat down on the chair, "Serve the meal!"

……

The witch queen changed into a white long dress. The breeze blew her skirt, making it flutter, highlighting her graceful figure.

She sat down opposite the false emperor, and the two looked at each other as if nothing had happened. Shuangxi heard the quarrel, but she didn't dare to ask anything.

"Will you really lead the expedition to Mobei in person?" the Demon Queen asked while drinking her soup.

"Yu Qian and the others don't want me to go." The fake emperor said while eating, "I really want to go to Fenglangjuxu! I also want to say that if the enemy can go there, I can go there too."

The demon queen lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Emperor Wu of Han did not personally lead the army! You have read so much history, you should know that there are only two situations when the emperor personally leads the army: either the country is in danger, or victory is certain!"

The fake emperor smiled and spread his hands: "Didn't Emperor Taizong lead five expeditions to Mobei?"

The Queen raised her beautiful eyes and asked, "The Emperor Taizong can be so willful because he has a good prince, as well as Xia Yuanji, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Bo and other capable ministers in the court. Do you have any?"

The fake emperor frowned.

I don't have anything! However, just because I don't have anything now doesn't mean I won't have anything in the future. I can't go to Mobei in person right away, I have to be prepared.

"Dunhuang..." he began.

The demon queen looked sternly: "Can you please not mention Dunhuang in this palace? Why...why do you want to hurt me? Can't we just have a good meal in Kunning Palace?"

The false emperor really wanted to ask, what would you do if I killed your son?

The Demon Queen seemed to be avoiding this question.

"When can I go to that courtyard and stay for two days? You've been saying this for two months." asked the Queen of Demons.

The two looked at each other.

(End of this chapter)