Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 205 Wala International Students: Finally able to return to Beijing!

Qianqing Palace.

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen specifically summoned Wang Hao, the son of Wang Lai, the governor of the river. This time, the river officials went to Beijing to receive the reward, but Wang Lai, the governor, did not come.

"Wang Hao, your father said in the memorial that he was ill. Is he feeling better now?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Much better. The doctor said I need to stay in bed and rest." Wang Hao said with his head down, a flash of nervousness in his eyes.

Zhu Qizhen stood up from the imperial chair, walked to Wang Hao who was kneeling in the hall, and snorted, "Wang Hao, you will never lie! Tell me, what is your father's illness? What is the actual situation? I know him. If he is not sick and can't walk, he won't claim to be sick."

Wang Hao slowly raised his head, tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty, my father...is seriously ill! The doctor said that it's because he has been soaking in water for many years and his body is damaged. This time, the embankment collapsed after two nights of fighting. His illness is very serious."

"Why didn't you say it earlier!" Zhu Qizhen was furious.

"My father won't let me say it." Wang Hao's voice trembled, "He didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, and he also said that it was his fault as a minister that he made His Majesty worry."

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly, squatted down in front of Wang Hao, and looked at his calloused hands. He reached out and took Wang Hao's hands that were as hard as tree bark, and said in a choked voice: "You and your son have suffered a lot in the past few years. These are not the hands of a young man in his twenties."

"Your Majesty, as long as the Yellow River is calm, the hardships of our father and son are nothing." Wang Hao said proudly, "We will lose weight and enrich the world! We are happy."

Zhu Qizhen wiped his eyes and said, "I will take you to the Imperial Hospital later. You should tell the doctors about your father's condition in detail. If you need any medicine, get it from the Imperial Hospital. You must cure your father's illness. Tell him that I need him. The Yellow River is only temporarily stable. He will be in charge of the major projects in the future."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Wang Hao kowtowed.

Zhu Qizhen patted his shoulder and said, "Get up. I will take you there now. Take the medicine and go back immediately. Tell your father that it was all given by me. Tell him that it is my will and he must get well."

Tears welled up in Wang Hao's eyes.

……

It is autumn now, the sky is high and the air is clear.

A carriage was driving in the driveway, and the Queen Mother lifted the curtain and looked out the window. She was in a trance for a moment, because the capital was very different from four years ago.

The streets were clean and tidy, with pedestrians and carriages moving in an orderly manner. The horse manure that suddenly fell would be quickly handled by special cleaning personnel, and the Wucheng Bingmasi had special personnel patrolling to maintain order.

Although there has been no major construction in recent years, the Ministry of Works has transformed the capital, giving it a brand new feel, making it more orderly and comfortable to look at.

"Your Majesty, that's Chao Xiaotian, right?" Shuangxi pointed to the side of the road.

"It's really that boy." The Queen Mother waved her hand, "Park the car next to him. It's still early today, so let's not go back to the palace yet. Ask him to treat us to a meal at Taibai Tower."

Shuangxi smiled and nodded, and stopped the carriage on the side of the road. Chao Xiaotian was squatting there eating a sesame seed cake, and when he looked up, he was about to scold her, but when he saw that it was Shuangxi, he quickly smiled and said, "Girl, it's you. The one in the carriage is my master's wife, right?"

The Queen Mother came out of the carriage and said, "It's me, Xiaotian, why are you here?"

"Master's wife." She walked towards Xiaotian, "I like the sesame cakes here."

The Queen Mother smiled slightly and said, "Would you like to invite Master's wife to Taibai Tower for a good meal today?"

Chao Xiaotian nodded decisively: "Okay, Taibai Tower is right behind."

The Queen Mother got off the carriage and looked at Shuangxi. Shuangxi hesitated and said she would not go. She would wait in the carriage and happened to be watching the carriage.

"Just drive the carriage over there directly. Otherwise, I'll ask a younger brother to watch over it." Chao Xiaotian said.

"No need." Shuangxi smiled.

The Queen Mother seemed to remember something, so she left Shuangxi behind and went up to Taibai Tower with Chao Xiaotian. She had heard of Taibai Tower, but this was her first time there. She didn't expect that Taibai Tower was so popular and full of people.

"Master's wife, I have a special seat." Chao Xiaotian led her to the second floor.

The waiter saw Chao Xiaotian and greeted him warmly: "Boss Chao, you haven't been here for a while. Your seat is reserved for you. Hey, who is this beautiful girl?"

"Don't guess blindly, this is my master's wife." He glared at Xiaotian.

"Then your master must be a blessed man, to be able to marry such a beautiful wife." said the waiter.

The Queen Mother smiled slightly, feeling happy. Chao Xiaotian took her to a window seat and said, "Master's Wife, there are several very good dishes here. I will order them."

"Just watch," said the Queen Mother.

She looked around with her beautiful eyes and found that the place was full of people, all talking loudly.

"The Yellow River levee can be defended, and the river governor Wang Lai must have made a great contribution. However, if we want to say the first credit, it should be your Majesty, because the material used for the levee now is concrete."

"Yes, that thing is extremely strong. It was made by His Majesty. Now it is not only used to repair the levee, but also used in many other places."

"Our Majesty knows everything. It's only been a few years. The people can be said to be living and working in peace and contentment."

"I see, the golden age is coming!"

The Queen Mother listened, picked up the teacup and took a sip in silence.

After ordering the dishes for Xiaotian, he said generously, "Master's wife, eat as much as you want today."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Is this another fortune?"

"Of course not. My Shunfeng Escort Agency has started escorting people to Dunhuang City in the northwest." Chao Xiaotian said proudly, "That's a big escort. One round trip can earn several thousand taels of silver."

The Queen Mother frowned and said, "Going to the northwest? Isn't it strictly controlled there?"

"It's okay. My escort agency has the clearance documents, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works both support me." Chao Xiaotian said proudly, "The Ministry of Revenue needs me to explore the Silk Road, and the Ministry of Works also needs me to explore the road. It is said that they are preparing for the construction of...highways in the future."

The Queen Mother was extremely confused when she heard this: "What is a highway?"

Chao Xiaotian explained: "It's a big and wide road specially designed for carriages and horses to run wildly. That's what the Ministry of Works said. It is said that this was the idea of ​​His Majesty the Emperor."

The Queen Mother snorted in her heart, what is the fake emperor going to do? Why didn't he tell me?

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen was listening to the report from Shi Biao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The escort from Shunfeng Escort Agency set out yesterday." Shi Biao reported, "My secret guards have also sneaked in. I have discovered that many escorts from Weiyuan Escort Agency have entered Shunfeng Escort Agency, and they are escorting this escort."

The Weiyuan Escort Agency was the one that escorted the Junshan Association before. Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and asked, "Are the items they escort ordinary silk and porcelain?"

Shi Biao nodded affirmatively: "Yes, there is nothing else. The owner of this escort is the Qi family, and they have never done anything illegal."

"Keep an eye on it!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

"Yes!" Shi Biao continued to report, "There is nothing unusual at the Duke of Ying's mansion. The Duke of Ying never goes out now." Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly, "It means he has something to hide and has discovered that we are monitoring him."

"Catch him?" Shi Biao's eyes flashed coldly, "If he goes to the imperial prison, he will have no choice but to confess."

Zhu Qizhen shook his head. "First, you have no evidence. If you arrest the Duke of Ying, it will shock the court and the public. Second, even if you arrest him, what will happen if someone like the Duke of Ying refuses to confess after having experienced the test of life and death on the battlefield? The court and the public will revolt. Although I am not a merciful monarch, I have always been ruthless to corrupt officials. Being so ruthless to the Duke of Ying will cause people to change their minds. Besides, I want to use the Duke of Ying to catch big fish."

He did have a worry in his heart, because everyone in the court and the country knew that it was the Duke of Yingguo who brought him, the emperor, back from Tumu Fortress. But if even the Duke of Yingguo was killed, would the ministers still stand on his side?

The ministers may not care whether the emperor is real or not, but they care about their own lives.

……

dusk.

The demon queen sat in front of the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed: "I have wrinkles now."

"My queen, you don't have any wrinkles." Shuangxi said from behind her, "Outside, standing next to you, my queen, who wouldn't think you're younger than me? I'm jealous of you. The years have left only beauty on you, my queen."

The Queen of Demons recalled the compliments from the waiter at Taibai Tower today, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "You are the only one who can say that! Alas, although I practice the Taoist way of health preservation, who in this world can really stay young forever?"

Her eyes dropped, as if she was worried.

At this time, footsteps were heard. Shuangxi turned around and saw the fake emperor coming in. He bowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty."

"Shuangxi, I'm hungry." The pseudo-emperor waved his hand, "Go and serve the dishes."

Shuangxi got up and went to the kitchen. The false emperor came behind the demon queen, looked at the beautiful and charming face in the mirror, put his hands on the demon queen's shoulders, and said, "So beautiful!"

"You already have wrinkles." The Demon Queen rolled her eyes.

"Look, I have more wrinkles than you." The false emperor leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder.

The Queen smiled brightly, her mature and charming charm was fascinating. The fake emperor bit it directly, and stretched out his hands while biting it and started to do something weird.

Snapped!
The demon queen opened his hand, stood up, and glared: "You are hungry, why don't you eat?"

"Can I eat you?" The fake emperor raised his eyebrows.

"Get lost!" The Demon Queen walked to the dining table and sat down.

The false emperor sat down opposite her, Shuangxi brought the food, and he began to eat. The demon queen ate in small bites and asked, "What highway do you want to build?"

"Oh, it's just a plan." The pseudo-emperor said, "If all of Ming Dynasty had highways, the army could travel from the capital to the border, and that would be fast!"

The Queen nodded, her beautiful face full of confusion: "How did you come up with this? I have never heard of a highway."

"Just pick a random name so that the ministers will think it's powerful and they will support me." The fake emperor spread his hands.

"What a devious way!" The demon queen was annoyed.

Zhu Qizhen looked proud: "Not only the highway, in a few days, the Ming fleet will go out to sea, officially starting the great voyage, seizing the initiative. In the future, the Ming will become the empire on which the sun never sets."

"What is the British Empire?" The demon queen didn't understand again.

The false emperor explained to her that the earth is round, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and always shines on one side of the earth, etc.

"The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets means that the sun always rises on the territory of the Ming Dynasty." The false emperor said domineeringly.

The Demon Queen was slightly stunned, her beautiful eyes flickering. Although she didn't quite understand, she longed for the powerful Ming Dynasty.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The orthodox emperor is accompanying Bulma. Two months have passed, and Bulma's belly is already very obvious. She has become more gentle and caresses her belly gently.

"The child should be born next year," said the Orthodox Emperor.

"Yeah." Bulma looked expectant.

The two of them snuggled together, enjoying the happiness of the moment. After a while, the maid came to report that Mr. Xu Bin had arrived. The Zhengtong Emperor then walked out of the inner hall and went to the front hall.

Xu Bin held a letter in his hand and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, there is a letter from the capital."

"Great!" The Zhengtong Emperor took the letter and asked, "How did it come? Didn't the Weiyuan Escort Agency dare to move the goods? The couriers couldn't even pass the checkpoints in Shaanxi and Gansu."

Xu Bin reported: "A Shunfeng Escort Agency can deliver the goods. The Junshan Association arranged to send this letter through the Shunfeng Escort Agency. Apart from this letter, the other goods are normal and are not suspected."

"Shunfeng Escort Agency?" The Zhengtong Emperor said happily, "I guess we can use it in the future."

After saying that, he couldn't wait to open the letter, glanced at it quickly, and then frowned: "Go, invite Mr. Wu over."

Soon, Wu Xingdao arrived. The Zhengtong Emperor handed him the letter and said, "Junshanhui proposed a bold plan in the letter. Mr. Wu, what do you think?"

After reading the letter, Wu Xingdao also frowned: "If this plan succeeds, it is indeed the most perfect."

"But the risk is also great." The orthodox emperor said, "If I sneak into the capital and am discovered, I will die! The capital now is the territory of the false emperor."

Wu Xingdao nodded: "Indeed, if we are discovered, we will die. Moreover, all our plans in Dunhuang will be meaningless."

"At least we have the final say in Guanxi now," said the Zhengtong Emperor.

Xu Bin, who was reading the letter, said, "But even if we are strong in Guanxi, we may not be able to get a response from the people even if we raise an army. Because the prestige and wisdom of the fake emperor have surpassed that of the previous emperor, and he is deeply loved by the people. The people of the world don't care whether the emperor is real or fake."

The orthodox emperor took a deep breath and realized that Xu Bin was right. If he wanted to replace the false emperor, the Junshan Society's strategy was the fastest and most direct, and it would be the most perfect if it succeeded in the end. This meant that all the efforts of the false emperor over the years would eventually belong to him.

"It's really hard to decide." He smiled bitterly, "I also want to return to the capital. I dream about it."

Wu Xingdao pondered for a while and said, "There is no need to rush. If we want to implement this plan, we have to wait until the pseudo-emperor starts the Northern Expedition. By then, all his energy will be on the Northern Expedition, and Yu Qian, Yang Guifang and other ministers will have gone to Mobei. That will be our chance."

"I'll think about it carefully." The Zhengtong Emperor smiled and changed the subject. "Has Mr. Yuan led the army westward?"

Wu Xingdao nodded and said, "Yes, Timur has already marched eastward, and Chagatai has transferred all his main forces to the west to defend against Timur. This really gave us an opportunity to attack Chagatai, as they are unable to fight on two fronts."

The Zhengtong Emperor smiled and spread his hands: "The situation here is very good. Am I sure I want to sneak into the capital at this time? If I go, I will be in danger of death."

Deep down, he just doesn't dare to take risks.

Wu Xingdao frowned, he was worried that Junshan would be disappointed.

(End of this chapter)