Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 208: The Demon Queen's Defense is Broken, and a Thousand Miles of Disaster

In the west of the city, there is a house.

It looks ordinary on the surface, but in fact, there are secret guards all around this courtyard, carefully observing the passers-by around, and even beggars are not spared.

In front of the gate of the mansion, a man wearing a wolf mask sighed softly: "It's true that they always change the place every time."

After saying that, he strode over, and the guard at the door respectfully led him into a secret room. He was the first one to arrive.

Rat Boss sat in the main seat, with a deer mask, a cow mask, and a snake mask on his left and right. When Rat Boss saw him come in, he waved his hand and started the meeting.

The man with the snake mask took out a box and handed it to Rat Boss who was sitting at the main seat. Rat Boss took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the box. Inside was a letter. This kind of box is specially used to send secret letters and can only be opened with a specific key.

After Rat Boss finished reading the letter, although he couldn't see her face, he could clearly feel that her eyes instantly became sharp, and a cold voice came: "They still need to consider it? Don't they know that it is the most perfect plan?"

She handed the letter to the man with the deer mask beside her, and stood up, supporting herself on the table with both hands, looking very angry. The man with the deer mask finished reading the letter and handed it to the man with the wolf mask, and they passed it around.

"That's understandable," said the man in the deer mask. "The situation in western Kansai is different now. Dunhuang controls the entire Kansai region, and they have a foothold."

Rat Boss snorted coldly: "Short-sighted! A small Guanxi makes him satisfied? Then what are we planning here? Everything is meaningless."

“Why don’t you go and write a letter to persuade him?” said the man with the bull mask.

"Hmph!" Rat Boss pounded the table. "We are already taking risks. Sooner or later, the SF Escort Agency will be discovered by the Royal Guards."

The man in the deer mask sighed and said, "Boss Rat, you should write a letter to persuade them! Otherwise, all our preparations in the capital will be useless."

Boss Rat finally nodded and said, "I'll write it now!"

……

After the autumn, the capital city is shrouded in a light veil of melancholy, and the cool air is mixed with a bit of bleakness.

When Chao Xiaotian walked out of the escort agency, he was hit by a chill, and he tightened his clothes involuntarily. The pedestrians on the street were in a hurry, not as lively as in summer, but more quiet than in autumn. He walked to a small stall on the roadside. The stall owner was an old man with a vicissitudes of life, who was guarding the steaming stove. Seeing a customer coming, he greeted him with a smile. Chao Xiaotian ordered a hot pancake. The pancake had a golden and crispy crust and a soft inside. When he took a bite, the wheat fragrance filled the air, and the warmth instantly dispelled the coldness around him.

He ate the pancake with big mouthfuls, his eyes unconsciously looking into the distance. The outline of the palace was looming in the mist. After eating the pancake, he wiped the corners of his mouth, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and was about to leave when a carriage stopped in front of him.

"Master's wife?" Chao Xiaotian shouted at the woman who came out of the carriage.

"Xiaotian, when I passed by here, I wanted to visit your escort agency." The Queen Mother smiled slightly.

She was wearing a purple dress today, dignified and gentle, and got off the carriage. She walked towards Xiaotian and took her to the escort agency not far away.

"How's business lately?" the Queen Mother asked as they walked.

"There are more jobs in the same city. My master is really good. I used his methods and quickly opened up the situation." Chao Xiaotian introduced, "But there are still not many escorts from other provinces."

The Queen Mother smiled and encouraged: "You are just getting started, it's already very good."

The two entered the escort agency, where the escorts were busy, but in an organized manner. Chao Xiaotian continued to introduce: "This internal system, uh, that's what the master said, it was all made by the master for me. With me, every order I deliver can be checked, very clearly."

He introduced himself as he walked. The Queen Mother watched and muttered in her heart: "That guy really knows how to do everything. He can even run the escort agency better than others."

"Master's wife, come in and have some tea." Chao Xiaotian said, "Have dinner here today. I have hired a chef with good cooking skills."

The Queen Mother smiled and nodded: "Okay, your master is lucky to have you as his disciple. Xiaotian, do you listen to the master or the master's wife?"

"Ah?" Chao Xiaotian was a little confused, and then said decisively, "I'll listen to it."

The Queen Mother smiled slightly, sitting upright on the chair, her eyes sweeping across the busy scene outside. She told Xiaotian that those were the goods of the Qi family and were to be shipped to the northwest.

……

An hour later.

The Queen Mother came out of the escort agency and got on the carriage. The carriage went around a street and headed towards the palace. Shuangxi looked at the Queen Mother who seemed to be worried and asked, "My Queen, are you worried about Chao Xiaotian?"

"No." The Queen Mother shook her head. "He is the apprentice of the false emperor. I have nothing to worry about. Alas, I am angry. Chao Xiaotian has great ambitions, but my son, haha, is content with a small fortune and has no fighting spirit. He is extremely short-sighted."

Shuang Xi hadn't seen the Queen Mother get angry for a long time, so she quickly said, "His Majesty has suffered too much, and maybe his mentality has changed. Your Majesty, His Majesty has always listened to you, and he will still listen to you."

"He has been cowardly since he was a child." The Queen Mother frowned.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. His Majesty will become more mature after going through so many hardships." Shuangxi continued to persuade.

"He is far inferior to the fake emperor, not even worthy of carrying his shoes!" The Queen Mother punched the wall of the carriage, "I will give him another chance. I hope he will listen to me. Otherwise, I can do nothing about it."

She looked out the window at the street, lost in thought.

The carriage slowly drove into the palace and drove on the imperial road. The empress dowager heard the laughter and lifted the curtain to look inside, only to see Zhu Qizhen, Consort Xian and Consort De flying kites.

"Isn't he busy with government affairs?" The Queen Mother looked coldly.

"His Majesty is not always busy." Shuangxi said, "In his Majesty's words, he combines work and rest. When he gets tired of reviewing memorials, he will go out of the Qianqing Palace to play for a while."

The Queen Mother's eyes fell on Zhu Qizhen, who was teaching Consort Xian to fly a kite, and the two laughed from time to time. She sighed softly, "It's so good to be young."

"You are young too, Madam." Shuangxi said, "If you were standing next to Concubine Xian, you would look younger than Concubine Xian."

The Queen Mother raised her lips slightly, reached out and touched her face, and sighed softly: "Shuangxi, you don't understand, women also need to be moisturized to be younger."

Shuangxi blushed: "I don't understand."

"Girl, why are you blushing?" The Queen Mother joked, "It seems that His Majesty is right. It's time for you to get married."

Shuangxi shook her head repeatedly: "No, this servant must always serve the Queen Mother."

……

The night is intoxicating, Changchun Palace.

Xianfei lay lazily in Zhu Qizhen's arms, her jade back was charming and her cheeks were flushed. Zhu Qizhen held her with one hand and rested his head on his head with the other.

"Is the Duke of England all right?" He sighed. "I summoned your father yesterday and asked about the Duke of England. He said that he had locked himself in the garden recently and hardly came out."

The virtuous concubine gathered some strength and stood up. Her black hair fell down, and her blushing cheeks made her look even more beautiful. She said, "Your Majesty, I don't know. I haven't been back for a long time. Your Majesty, is my grandfather...are you monitoring him? There are Jinyiwei outside our house."

Zhu Qizhen frowned and said, "The Jinyiwei is investigating the case. This is all I can say."

The virtuous concubine lowered her eyes and leaned on him again, her voice full of worry: "My grandfather is old, Your Majesty, please give him a good old age. I will go back and persuade him to stay at home peacefully."

"I am willing to give him a good old age." Zhu Qizhen hugged her waist and said, "I and your family are actually one. The British public security can rest assured in the mansion, so naturally nothing will happen."

The virtuous concubine said delicately, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his hand to hook her delicate chin, looked down at her beautiful face, and smiled: "You, just think about how to give birth to a prince for me."

"I have tried very hard." Concubine Xian's face turned even redder. "Last time, Mr. Li showed it to Your Majesty, he has been concentrating on finding the formula. He didn't dare to try it on Your Majesty. He would only offer it to you if he was sure it was useful."

Zhu Qizhen sighed quietly: "I am looking forward to it too."

He is really looking forward to it now and needs a son of his own.

……

After the autumn harvest, the court will begin to collect taxes.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the memorial sent by the Ministry of Revenue, which contained detailed information on tax collection in various places, and frowned: "I always feel that something is wrong, the numbers are not accurate."

Chen Xun, the Minister of Revenue, understood what His Majesty meant and bowed, "Your Majesty, you are talking about local lands, but the figures for money and grain are wrong, right?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded: "Is there any more concealment?"

"Of course there are!" Chen Xun pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, you have measured the land and implemented the new law. This is the best result in history. As for concealment, there will still be some, but they will not account for the majority."

Zhu Qizhen was puzzled and asked, "How can there be a case of concealment? What are the local government officials doing for a living?"

Chen Xun sighed and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, what you said before that the imperial power does not extend to the countryside is actually true. Although the court has taken many measures in recent years, it still cannot change the fundamental situation. For example, many county magistrates in the local area have less authority than the local patriarchs of the wealthy families and the prestigious elders of the gentry. Sometimes the county magistrates have to ask these people for help when they do things. Therefore, it is inevitable that there will be concealment. The clerks who work are all locals."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly.

He could still understand that in the Ming Dynasty, a clan leader in a small place might be more useful than an official. But this situation was difficult to change for a while.

"Your Majesty, our tax revenue has quadrupled compared to the early years of the Zhengtong era," Gao Gu bowed, "This is all thanks to your wisdom, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "This is not enough. It seems that we need to earn income from more sources. You call the officials from the Maritime Customs Office and we will discuss overseas trade someday."

"As you wish." Chen Xun bowed and walked out.

Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes and thought about how to generate income! The expenses were too high, and agriculture alone was not enough.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The sky was dim, the setting sun was blood-red, but with a hint of coldness, it slowly sank below the horizon. The cold wind howled, sweeping in from the vast Gobi Desert, passing through the sparse dead branches, making waves of sobs.

On the tower, the guards had put on heavy winter clothes early. The armor shone coldly under the dim light, and every patrolling footstep echoed in the empty air. The desert in the distance, under the afterglow of the setting sun, was unreal in its beauty, yet it was also filled with endless desolation. Occasionally, a gust of wind blew, stirring up gusts of yellow sand.

A caravan walked out of the desert and entered Dunhuang City. Not long after, a letter was handed to the Zhengtong Emperor. He looked at the letter and asked Xu Bin: "Is this the last letter before winter?"

"Probably." Xu Bin nodded. "By then, the mountains will be blocked by heavy snow and no caravans will travel west."

The Zhengtong Emperor hesitated, opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, his face darkened, and handed the letter to the military advisor Wu Xingdao who was sitting beside him, smiling bitterly: "Junshan will urge me to prepare to sneak into the capital."

After reading the letter, Wu Xingdao frowned slightly and said, "Then the false emperor will at least go to the north in the autumn of next year, right? Even if he wants to sneak in, it should be by then."

"Yeah, I don't know why they are so anxious." The Zhengtong Emperor spread his hands.

"We should familiarize ourselves with the caravan in advance." Xu Bin said, "I guess we will be mixed in with the caravan at that time, so we need to plan ahead to deal with various emergencies."

The Zhengtong Emperor shook his head: "I haven't decided yet, and the Junshan Society has decided for me?"

Xu Bin lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "Your Majesty, I think if Your Majesty does not approve of the Junshan Society's plan, or feels that the time is not right, you should just write back and make it clear. Otherwise, the Junshan Society will be waiting in the capital, and the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, which will be disadvantageous to us in the future."

"I think so too." Wu Xingdao nodded, "Or just deny it directly, so that everyone won't waste their efforts, and Junshan will be able to make other preparations."

The orthodox emperor took a deep breath, his face conflicted.

……

Xuanfu.

In the frontier military town, the cold wind was howling. Today, several teams entered the city. They were all commanders of various camps from the northern border defense line, who were ordered to come to the meeting.

The camp lobby was very lively. Many generals hadn't seen each other for a year. They met at the end of the year and agreed to have a good drink in the evening.

"Wang Yue, I haven't seen you for just one year, how come you look so old?"

"Zhu Yong, look at yourself in the mirror."

"Hahaha, I am still a gentleman."

"Bai Gui, stop talking nonsense. Let's move your Shen Ji Battalion to the grassland to practice. Let's see if you are the same as us."

The young generals were chatting with each other, and the old generals Guo Deng, Yang Hong, Liu Dachui and others were sitting on their chairs watching them and laughing. Until the commander Shi Heng came in, everyone sat on their chairs obediently.

Shi Heng also had a vicissitudes of life on his face. He glanced over and smiled, "I summoned you here for no big deal. The court has sent us the New Year's goods in advance. You can take them back."

"Is that all? Marshal Shi, then why did you call us here? Wouldn't it be enough to send the grain transport team?" Wang Yue said.

Shi Heng said angrily: "Boy, I have delayed your work, right? You have grown wings, right? Do you dare to challenge me?"

"I dare not, I dare not." Wang Yue waved his hands quickly.

Shi Heng snorted, "I know that you have penetrated deep into the grasslands in the past year, won several victories, and frightened the Oirat tribe. What's so great about this? If you have the ability, you can capture Yesen."

Guo Deng smiled, glanced around, and said to Shi Heng: "General Shi, you must have something to do, just announce it. I'm in a hurry to have a few drinks with Lao Yang and Lao Liu."

"Since we are here, why should you spend money? The food and drinks are ready. After the party, let's drink together." Shi Heng put his hands on the table and said, "I have a serious announcement to make. In the autumn of next year, Yu Qian will lead an army of 500,000 to the north. We will all follow him and fight our way into the northern desert."

All the generals were shocked and looked at Shi Heng in unison. Shi Heng spread his hands and said, "It's over. Let's go and have a drink!"

"Master Shi, is that all? Explain clearly."

"There's no rush to drink."

"Yu Qian is in charge? What are we doing?"

……

In the capital, autumn colors are already deep.

The patrol guards of the Wucheng Bingmasi all put on heavy armor and walked through the streets, with heavy footsteps. On both sides of the street, the heat and fragrance of teahouses wafted out, blending with the faint smell of burning charcoal in the distance, adding a bit of the flavor of fireworks in this cold season. Pedestrians either wrapped themselves tightly in clothes or held heaters in their hands, walking hurriedly or leisurely.

A carriage drove by in a hurry, driven by Shuangxi, and inside sat the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother's beautiful face was terribly gloomy at the moment, and she held a letter in her hand.

"You are a hopeless case." She said in a cold voice, "How can you accomplish anything if you beat him to death like this? What do you mean by bad timing? The later we wait, the less chance we have."

As she spoke, she tore the letter in her hand into pieces and threw it into the stove to burn. Shuangxi, who was driving, smelled the smoke and asked hurriedly, "Madam, are you okay?"

The Queen Mother sighed from the car: "I am so disappointed! I endured the humiliation, planned in the capital, and did so much, but he...he was afraid! Then what is the meaning of my persistence?"

As she thought about it, tears welled up in her eyes and two lines of tears flowed down.

For more than four years, as the empress dowager of the Ming Dynasty, she struggled to hold on, but what did she get in return?
"My queen, are you...going to give up?" Shuangxi asked carefully.

The Queen Mother was silent for a long time, wiped her tears, and smiled bitterly: "How can I give up?"

……

dusk.

The fake emperor came to Kunning Palace and saw Shuangxi standing there blankly at the door. He took small steps forward, stretched out his hand to rub her pretty face, and asked with a smile: "Shuangxi, what are you daydreaming about? Are you thinking about love?"

Shuangxi looked helpless, pointed to the hall, and said, "The Queen drove me out, saying that I wanted to be alone."

"It's okay. Women always feel unhappy for a few days every month." The pseudo-emperor patted her shoulder and said, "Then I'd better not go in, so as not to be affected by the disaster."

Shuangxi was so upset that he quickly pulled him back and said, "You are the only one who can persuade the queen."

The fake emperor held his forehead with his hand: "Why is she suddenly unhappy? Did you make her angry?"

"No, I don't know." Shuangxi blinked her beautiful eyes, "Does a woman need a reason to be unhappy?"

"You're right." The fake emperor pinched her face and strode in, with an air of 'a husband, once he leaves, will never return'.

When he arrived at the main hall, the lights were dim with only a few candles on. He saw the demon queen curled up on a soft mat, covered with a thin quilt, but it could not hide her graceful figure.

He walked over quietly, took off his shoes, quickly got into bed, and hugged the Queen. He found that the Queen was only wrapped in a bath towel, with delicate and smooth skin, exuding an alluring fragrance.

The Demon Queen turned around and kissed him. The Pseudo Emperor was a little caught off guard, but he quickly cooperated and kissed her passionately. When his hands started to play tricks, the Demon Queen stopped and slapped him: "Hateful!"

"What's wrong?" the false emperor asked, "Shuangxi is standing outside looking pitiful. Did you scold him?"

The Demon Queen pursed her red lips and lowered her eyes: "It's nothing, I just suddenly want to be quiet."

"Ah?" The fake emperor looked angry. "Who is Jingjing? Tell me clearly, I'm going to kill him."

puff~
The Demon Queen hit him repeatedly with her delicate hands and glared at him: "Go ahead and kill Jingjing."

"I'm hungry. Let's eat. Shuangxi said you haven't eaten yet."

After a moment of tenderness and affection, the false emperor gently let go of the weak and boneless body of the Demon Queen and slowly stood up.

As soon as he sat up, a soft figure leaned against his back. The Demon Queen leaned against Luo Yan's shoulders, hugged him with her arms, and in that thrilling swaying, she spoke in a charming and slightly lazy voice, revealing deep loneliness and reluctance: "Will you leave me in the future?"

"Never." The false emperor turned his head, looked at the charming face leaning on his shoulder, and responded gently.

Didn't we agree on this? When the time comes, either you kill me or I kill you.

Why are you so sentimental today?
Menopause? Sentimental?
"Hmph, you lied to me." The Demon Queen stared at him with her narrow and charming eyes, but her tone suddenly softened, and her arms tightly wrapped around him, as if she wanted to embed him into her own world.

"Well, I'm not lying to you. I will be responsible for my woman. Obviously, you are not my woman yet." The fake emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of playfulness in his words.

The demon queen was dazed for a moment when she heard this, and then she suddenly bit his shoulder. This time, the force was much stronger than the previous bite on his neck. The false emperor could clearly feel his skin being penetrated and blood gushing out. However, he endured the pain, because compared to the fatal danger of biting the neck, this bite on the shoulder was painful but not fatal.

He endured it silently, allowing the Demon Queen to vent her inner anxiety and confusion through this behavior.

"Okay, how could I leave you? Didn't we agree that either we would be killed by each other, or die together?" The pseudo-emperor's tone became increasingly gentle, as if it could heal all wounds.

As his voice fell, the demon queen's strength instantly relaxed, and her heart softened. She gently licked the spilled blood, and her eyes revealed a more gentle affection. The sticky sweetness and the scarlet at the corner of her mouth intertwined, making her look even more enchanting and charming.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly while licking the blood, exuding a kind of sickly fragility.

The fake emperor had a nonchalant smile on his face and shook his head gently: "The pain in my body is nothing, but seeing you like this, my heart hurts more."

The Demon Queen held his face in her hands, her lips stained with blood, and kissed him passionately.

After a while.

The demon queen seemed to have calmed down. She picked up a robe from the soft mat and put it on. Her long, straight white legs fell down. She stood up and shouted outside, "Shuangxi, bring the food up."

"Do you want to ask the imperial physician to take a look?" asked the false emperor.

The demon queen looked at the wound on her shoulder and glared: "It's just a small wound. I'll help you apply medicine."

The false emperor held his forehead with his hand: "I'm talking about you!"

The Demon Queen suddenly leaned over, put her hands on his shoulders, and said fiercely: "I am not sick!"

(End of this chapter)