Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 225 Everyone in the court knows that the emperor is a fake, who cares?

The morning light is just breaking, and the air is filled with the faint fragrance of flowers and the freshness of dew.

Zhu Qizhen dressed neatly and walked out of the Qianqing Palace to attend the morning court in the Fengtian Hall. When he stood in the corridor, gazing at the gradually brightening scenery in the sky, he was distracted for a moment. It had been a long time since he stopped to admire the palace.

It was the height of spring, and the palace was full of lush greenery and flowers. Dewdrops in the early morning hung on the tips of leaves, sparkling. The palace in the distance was clearly outlined in the morning light.

The palace was very quiet at this moment.

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath and waved his hand: "I won't take the sedan chair. I'll walk over."

Cao Jixiang followed closely behind him with a line of palace maids and eunuchs, as they were used to the emperor's sudden changes. Cao Jixiang was also quite helpless, because according to ancestral rules, the procedures and rituals of the morning court were very complicated and solemn, but the emperor simply did not follow them.

At this moment, drums sounded from the tower of the Meridian Gate, and ministers outside the Meridian Gate lined up to enter the palace. After the drums, someone on the watchtower blew a painted horn, accompanied by an old man's chanting. The sound was desolate and sad, as if carrying a handful of suffering and echoing over the capital.

It’s hard to be a king, it’s hard to be a minister, it’s hard to be a minister!

It’s hard to start a business, it’s hard to keep a business, it’s hard too!

It’s hard to protect your family, it’s hard to protect yourself, it’s hard!

"What is this song about? Why did Your Majesty prepare this?" A young minister was very puzzled.

The oldest minister smiled and said, "You don't understand. This poem was written by Emperor Taizu himself. This was the scene when Emperor Taizu attended the morning court."

Another old minister said, "Yes, when Emperor Taizu heard this song, he knew he had to attend the morning court. He was telling himself not to forget his original intention. Your Majesty also listened to this song. This is to inherit Emperor Taizu's aspirations and to warn yourself."

Xu Youzhen and Li Xian, who were walking in the front, looked at each other and their lips curled up slightly.

It has been five years. They originally took refuge with the emperor who returned from Tumu Fortress. It was a helpless choice for them at that time because the emperor had not yet taken power, and later they were caught up in a huge turmoil over the true and false emperor.

Now, all the civil and military officials in the court know whether the emperor is real or fake, but who still cares?
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is your Majesty today!

The horn sounded continuously, and Zhu Qizhen listened. He did this to tell the world that he remembered Taizu's aspirations. He also reminded himself that the bed in the harem was too soft and the room was too fragrant, but crises were still everywhere. The whole world was full of crises, and he should be like a wolf, always awake and waiting for the opportunity to act.

……

After morning.

Zhu Qizhen returned to the Qianqing Palace to hold a small court meeting. Xu Youzhen held a memorial in his hand and reported: "Your Majesty, I have another memorial here that just arrived this morning. It was not convenient to take it out during the court meeting just now. This is a memorial jointly signed by the Great Treasure Dharma King of U-Tsang and the Great Dharma King of Mahayana."

"What's the matter?" Zhu Qizhen was slightly surprised.

"They are going to Dunhuang to attend a Buddhist meeting." Xu Youzhen said, "The eminent monks from the Western Regions gathered at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang to hold the 'Great Fasting Meeting for the Universal Salvation of Saints and Ordinary People in the Dharma Realm'. Eminent monks from all over the country rushed to Dunhuang to participate in this grand event. The two great Dharma Kings of U-Tsang are also going."

Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly: "This is clearly a conspiracy, it's done for the court to see, it's done for me to see. Dunhuang is telling me that if we move in the western part of the pass, it will cause a chain reaction among the various tribes of U-Tsang."

Xu Youzhen nodded in agreement: "There is a master in Dunhuang. It should be the idea of ​​the military advisor Wu Xingdao."

Li Xian frowned slightly and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it is normal for them to react this way. They don't want the court to use military force against them. At present, the most important thing for the court is to win the battle in Mobei. After we destroy Yesen, we will have the momentum of a great victory. No matter whether it is Guanxi or the U-Tsang tribes, they will have to listen to us. If they don't listen, then we will just pacify them."

"Hey, Lao Li, you, a scholar, finally said something powerful." Wu'an Marquis Zheng Hong said, "Your Majesty, the court is wary of the Guanxi and U-Tsang tribes who think they are colluding with each other? When the time comes, we will deal with them all at once."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and looked over: "There is still a war in Mobei at this moment, so we still have to appease the Dharma Kings in U-Tsang first. In this way, I personally write a letter, isn't it just to participate in the Buddhist meeting? I support it! I will also tell them to invite the eminent monks from the Western Regions to travel east, so that I can hold a larger Buddhist meeting in the capital."

"Your Majesty is wise." Xu Youzhen bowed, "Those eminent monks in the Western Regions may really want to come to the capital of the Ming Dynasty. That would be interesting."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes flashed with brilliance: "Send a message to Ding Xiu and ask him to make some arrangements. The Jinyiwei in Dunhuang City can't assassinate the false emperor, but it should be possible to arrange for those monks from the Western Regions to come to the capital, right?"

Xu Youzhen nodded: "I will do it right away."

After all the ministers left, Zhu Qizhen left behind Shi Biao, the commander of the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard was a spy, and there were some things that only the emperor could know.

"Your Majesty, we still have to be on guard against Wu'an Marquis Zheng Hong." Shi Biao said, "Although the secret guards are following him, they haven't discovered him yet, but he did meet with the Duke of Ying in secret after all."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly and asked, "Is there no movement from the Duke of Ying?"

"Yes." Shi Biao smiled bitterly, "He must have discovered the Jinyiwei, so he stayed indoors and refused all visitors."

"Haha, then I'll go visit him." Zhu Qizhen snorted.

……

British government.

When the emperor arrived, Zhang Mao, who was already the commander-in-chief of the central army, led the entire palace to kneel and welcome him, except for the Duke of Ying, of course. The old man claimed to be sick and hid in a room in the backyard.

Zhu Qizhen and Zhang Mao chatted about some family matters, and they seemed quite intimate. Zhang Mao was very happy because his daughter was a virtuous concubine and was pregnant with a dragon seed. It was rumored that she might be crowned as the queen. Moreover, his son Zhang Lun was now stationed in the southeast and was the main general in the fight against the Japanese. His Majesty's personal visit showed his importance to his Zhang family. Speaking of it, among all the princes and nobles in Beijing, their Zhang family was the most favored by the emperor.

"I'm going to see the old Duke." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

Zhang Mao personally led the way and took the emperor to the Duke of Ying's house in the backyard. Zhu Qizhen waved at Zhang Mao and said, "You all should leave. I want to talk to the old Duke alone."

"As you wish." Although Zhang Mao was worried, he still led everyone out.

Zhu Qizhen pushed open the door and looked up to see the Duke of England sitting there barbecuing and drinking. He was stunned for a moment and said, "Old man, didn't you say you were dying of illness?"

"If you're not afraid of poison, come and have some." The Duke of England snorted.

Zhu Qizhen walked in and closed the door. He walked to sit opposite the Duke of Yingguo and raised his eyes and said, "Duke of Yingguo, you didn't kneel to greet me. I saw that you are old and didn't care. Now, shouldn't you pour me some wine?"

"Haha, if you are not afraid of being poisoned, just drink it." The Duke of England poured him a bowl of wine.

Zhu Qizhen picked it up, took a sip, and praised: "Good wine!"

Duke Ying looked at him coldly and asked, "What are you doing here, false emperor? Are you here to see if I am dead or not? Are you here to see me make a fool of myself? Are you here to make a refugee the emperor?"

"No!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "You have never supported me. I have come this far on my own."

"Without me, would you be where you are today?" the Duke of England said angrily.

"Without me, would the Ming Dynasty be what it is today?" Zhu Qizhen sneered.

Duke Yingguo was so angry that he took a gulp of wine and spread his hands, saying, "I know. You asked the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on me. Tell me, what do you want?"

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly: "I didn't want to do anything to give you a good old age, but you don't cherish it. Until now, I still want to give you a good old age, it depends on whether you can grasp it."

"Haha." The Duke of England said nonchalantly, "Just ask whatever you want to ask."

"Who are the members of Junshan Society?" Zhu Qizhen asked in a deep voice.

Duke Ying pointed at himself and said, "It's me. I founded the Junshan Society. Just arrest me. There will be no Junshan Society in the future."

"Do you think I dare not arrest you?" Zhu Qizhen's eyes were as sharp as knives.

"I know you dare not only to arrest me, but also to kill me." The Duke of England smiled dejectedly, "You are not a soft-hearted person. Haven't you killed enough people? But I hope that it will stop with me. You know in your heart that what I did has nothing to do with my family. If you want to arrest or kill, just come after me alone."

Zhu Qizhen smiled, drank a glass of wine slowly and said, "Old man, why do I feel like you want to prove something by dying?"

Duke Ying's expression suddenly softened. He looked at Zhu Qizhen and sighed, "You learn from Taizu and Taizong, but you are still not as cruel and hard as them! Your cruelty is all fake. Boy, you said you came from the future. Have you never read history? To be an emperor, you have to be cruel."

Zhu Qizhen's heart trembled.

His disguise was exposed by the Duke of England.

Yes, of course he had read history and many online articles, and knew that a male protagonist should be decisive in killing, especially the emperor, who should be like "a king's wrath will result in millions of corpses."

But he really couldn't do it. This wasn't the text he read in his previous life, pursuing the pleasure of that moment. Those were all living beings. A person who had received modern civilization education and had never killed even a chicken, slaughtered innocent people. He was sad to see that barrier in his heart.

However, he recalled that on the battlefield, he swung his sword and slashed it without any hesitation.

"Maybe I can't do it now, but I will be able to do it in the future." Zhu Qizhen laughed at himself.

He regained his composure, his eyes fell on the Duke of England, and said, "Old man, don't think you know me well."

The Duke of England smiled faintly, drank a few sips of wine, stood up suddenly, and spread his hands: "Are you here to arrest me today? Come on, put me in the Ministry of Justice or the Imperial Prison. Give me a chance to be free!"

Zhu Qizhen didn't look at him, but picked up a glass of wine on the table, slowly raised it towards him, and said: "Old man, I toast you one last glass of wine, and we will part ways from now on."

The Duke of England was slightly stunned, then took the wine glass, drank it all, and slammed it down: "I regret it, I am the sinner of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen stood up and left without looking back. His voice came: "Old man, I will create an unprecedentedly powerful Ming Dynasty with peace and prosperity. Do you still think you have done something wrong?"

The Duke of England looked at his receding back, sat down dejectedly, with a complicated expression.

On that day, an imperial edict shocked the court and the public.

Strip away the Duke of England’s title and put him under house arrest!
……

Everyone says that the protagonist is not cruel enough. I am not good at writing. In the past, I wrote about crooked history. I have been learning recently. The protagonist also needs to grow up, and perhaps experience some pain, before he can grow into a great emperor. Just like Zhu Yuanzhang lost Empress Ma and Zhu Biao, he didn't trust anyone in his later years, and the killing became more serious. The protagonist is the same. He will become an emperor, no one trusts him, and the killing is even worse.

(End of this chapter)