Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 234 The Demon Queen was ashamed and angry: You are worse than a beast!

At dusk, Kunning Palace was immersed in a gentle twilight, and the scorching heat of the hot summer seemed to retreat quietly at this moment.

The carved beams and painted buildings are outlined with delicate golden edges by the setting sun. In the interweaving of light and shadow, the flowers, plants and trees within the palace walls seem to be stained with a bit of solemnity and sorrow. The breeze blows by, bringing up waves of fine and lingering echoes, just like the unknown secrets in the deep palace.

The palace road is long, and the setting sun stretches the shadows of the palace maids and eunuchs. They are either walking hurriedly or standing silently. In this charming and slightly lonely scenery, the deep palace is added with a bit of depth and mystery.

Many eunuchs and maids were waiting outside Kunning Palace, but only Shuangxi was serving in the main hall of the Demon Queen. Therefore, the Demon Queen wore something very bold, a thin long skirt, her beautiful figure was vaguely visible, the skirt only reached her thighs, and a pair of long, straight, white legs were curled up.

She lazily lay on her side on the soft mat, supporting her pretty face with one hand and turning the pages of a book with the other. Her dainty feet moved slightly, her toes as white as jade, lovely and delicate.

"Beautiful lady, do you need a massage?" Zhu Qizhen approached. "This is a craft passed down from our ancestors. It's guaranteed to be comfortable."

After hearing this, the Queen smiled lazily and charmingly, and rolled her eyes: "I don't know your little thoughts, so dirty."

As she chuckled, a strand of hair fell beside her red lips, adding a touch of royal sister charm. Zhu Qizhen went straight over, lay down, and rested his head on her legs with ease.

"My eyes hurt." He closed his eyes and smelled the faint fragrance of the Demon Queen.

The Demon Queen spat: "Don't you want me to press it for you?"

She stretched out her delicate hand, gently pressed his forehead, and asked softly, "Did Mobei win another battle?"

"Yeah." Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes, feeling sleepy, "But, Yesen ran away again."

The Demon Queen lowered her eyes and pressed gently. A few strands of hair fell on Zhu Qizhen's nose. He smelled the subtle fragrance and soon fell asleep.

"Come and sleep here." The demon queen patted him lightly but kept still for fear of waking him up.

She reached out and gently stroked his cheek, her eyes tender.

……

The next day.

Zhu Qizhen announced another great victory in Mobei during the morning court session, and the ministers cheered. The battle of Mobei was already decided, and the ministers began to discuss post-war plans.

After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen held a small court meeting as usual. After discussing some recent important matters with the cabinet ministers and the ministers of various ministries, Zhu Qizhen began to review memorials.

One of the letters was from Hu Yi, who missed the old man very much and immediately opened it to read. In the letter, Hu Yi expressed his longing for the emperor and talked about some family matters. He had returned to his hometown of Wujin, personally cultivated a few acres of land, and followed Tao Yuanming's example to enjoy the joy of the countryside.

"Hey, that's not right." Zhu Qizhen frowned, "Didn't this old man go on a journey with Shang Lu? At first, he traveled with Wang Zhi and Wang Zhi died of exhaustion. Why is he returning to his hometown alone now? Where is Shang Lu?"

He was shocked to find that he had not received any news from the post station about where Hu Yi and Shang Lu had gone for a long time, because he, as the emperor, had allowed that all food and lodging expenses of Hu Yi and Shang Lu would be reimbursed by the local post station wherever they went.

"This old man didn't mention Shang Lu at all in his letter." Zhu Qizhen smiled. "Could it be that the two old men went on a trip because of a disagreement and parted ways?"

He recalled that when he traveled with friends in his previous life, he was indeed easily impatient.

"Your Majesty, Jinyiwei commander Shi Biao requests to see you." Cao Jixiang came in to report.

"Announce." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

He closed the memorial and looked up to see Shi Biao coming in. After paying his respects, Shi Biao began to report: "Your Majesty, Ding Xiu has made arrangements so that the monks from the Western Regions who were holding a Dharma Assembly in Dunhuang are willing to come to Beijing."

"Okay." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands. "I will write to the Dharma Kings of U-Tsang, inviting them to come to Beijing. I will also organize a grand meeting for the salvation of the saints and ordinary people by land and water, which will be even grander than the one in Dunhuang. Not only the eminent monks from the Western Regions, the eminent monks from U-Tsang, but also the eminent monks from our Central Plains, and the eminent monks from Southeast Asia and the East will be invited."

Shi Biao bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Qizhen immediately began to make arrangements and asked the Jinyiwei to deliver the message. After giving some instructions, Shi Biao was about to leave, but suddenly he stopped and said, "Your Majesty, Shang Ge Lao is in the capital, and our secret guards have encountered him. He seems to have been in the capital for some time and rarely goes out."

"Shang Lu?" Zhu Qizhen was a little confused. "This old man has come to the capital, why doesn't he come to pay his respects to me?"

"Well, the elder has retired after all." Shi Biao smiled.

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "As for old comrades, the court should care about them. Besides, we have won many victories recently, and we should celebrate with the elder. Where does he live?"

Shi Biao frowned and said, "Your Majesty, based on your words, my sixth sense tells me that there is something strange about Shang Ge Lao. You think he is so impatient, why would he not come out to join in the fun when he sees the court's successive victories? But he is very quiet. There is something fishy about this."

Zhu Qizhen was startled: "Do you suspect Lord Shang?"

"Perhaps my sixth sense is wrong. Hehe, Your Majesty, you are not in a hurry." Shi Biao spread his hands, "I will let the secret guards keep an eye on him for a few days."

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and nodded: "Don't let him find out and think that I don't trust him. Shang Ge Lao also helped me. Without his support, my new policy at that time would be difficult to implement."

"I understand everything." Shi Biao bowed and retreated.

……

After Shi Biao left, Zhu Qizhen was stunned for a long time, thinking of Shang Lu. It was not until Chen Mao, the Duke of Jing, came to visit him that he came to his senses.

"Your Majesty, the matter of the military academy is almost done." Duke of Jing Chen Mao said, "Please give it a name, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's call it Hongwu Military School!"

After hearing this, Duke Chen Mao of Jing praised: "Great! The spirit of Emperor Taizu in heaven will surely be happy."

Zhu Qizhen asked Cao Jixiang to bring a chair to Duke Jing and asked him to sit down. Then he said, "Old Duke, I have high hopes for the military academy. I have some ideas that I want to share with you. Of course, the final operation of the military academy still depends on you."

He actually wanted to tell Duke Jing some of the concepts of modern military academies. He hoped that this military academy would produce more talents, so that they could adapt to the great empire on which the sun never sets.

The two chatted for half an hour, and Jingguogong Chen Mao said: "Your Majesty, I have learned a lot! I am not flattering you, Your Majesty is really a genius. You have not been on the battlefield much, but you think so comprehensively."

"I am just giving you suggestions." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, "Professional matters should be left to you professionals. The teachers of the military academy, the arrangement of courses, etc., are all left to your Ministry of War."

"As you wish." Duke of Jing Chen Mao nodded.

He was about to leave, but stopped, hesitated, and asked, "Your Majesty, can we invite the Duke of England to be a teacher at the military academy? He has been a commander-in-chief. When it comes to the ability to fight a war... he is definitely better than me."

"There is no Duke of Yingzhou in the Ming Dynasty anymore." Zhu Qizhen said coldly.

Duke Jing nodded and bowed: "I am sorry for what I said. Zhang Fu has been fighting for his whole life. If his experience can be passed down, it will be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen smiled helplessly: "You are quite persistent. It's not that I don't want to, but even if I ask him to go, he may not appreciate it. So, I will allow you to go and see him. If he is willing, I will allow it. However, I have to say it the day before yesterday, only let him teach, you have to keep an eye on him, and you can't do anything else."

"As you wish!" Duke Jing was delighted. "I will go and persuade him. He is old now and he must want to see a strong Ming Dynasty. He will definitely be willing to teach the young people of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and waved his hand, and Duke Jing retreated.

He rubbed his eyebrows and continued to review the documents.

But before an hour had passed, Yang Shan, the Minister of Rites, came to pay his respects and said, "Your Majesty, at the beginning of the year, because of the war in Mobei, the court postponed his imperial examination this year to the autumn. It's only two months away, and the Ministry of Rites has made preparations. I'm here to report."

"I almost forgot about this." Zhu Qizhen put down his pen.

Yang Shan reported that the number of candidates for the imperial examination this year would be the largest since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, exceeding 10,000. The Ministry of Rites also built a new Gongyuan and improved its facilities.

"Your Majesty, there are also two thousand people taking part in the practical examination this time." Yang Shan said.

"Very good!" Zhu Qizhen said thoughtfully, "Before, I told you about the university, you have to hurry up, the military academy of the Ministry of War has been established."

Yang Shan held out his hand: "Your Majesty, please approve the funds for the Ministry of Rites, and I will do it immediately."

"Get lost!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hand in annoyance. "Don't ask me for money. Also, the idea I told you before, that is, the entire line of elementary schools, middle schools, and universities, we must start thinking about how to implement it. Education is the most important thing."

"Give me the money." Yang Shan extended his hand again.

"Go ask the Ministry of Revenue for money." Zhu Qizhen glared.

……

It's already midsummer.

Zhu Qizhen felt that it was not as hot as in his previous life, but there was no air conditioning or electric fans in this era, so he would sweat profusely when he was reviewing memorials.

He was not used to the palace maids fanning him from behind, which distracted him. So after criticizing for a while, he would go outside to walk around in the corridor and get some fresh air.

"Your Majesty~ Your Majesty~"

One day, he was enjoying the breeze in the corridor when he saw an old man running towards him, shouting. It turned out to be Shang Lu. He looked very agile and much stronger than Hu Yi, but of course, he was also much younger than Hu Yi.

"Mr. Shang?" Zhu Qizhen pretended to be surprised. "Didn't you go sightseeing? Why did you come to the capital? And why didn't you inform me in advance?"

Shang Lu looked speechless and spread his hands: "Don't mention it. I and Mr. Hu are not on the same page. That old man is too slow in doing things. It drives me crazy."

"Well, so what?" Zhu Qizhen asked with interest, "Did you fight?"

Shang Lu shook his head repeatedly: "That's not the case. After all, Mr. Hu is my teacher. How could I fight with him?"

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "I thought you two were fighting, and wanted to know who won."

"Let's not talk about that old man." Shang Lu said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have actually been in Beijing for a while. Alas, the capital city is really changing every day. I have lost my way in Kyoto several times."

Zhu Qizhen glared, "You came to the capital, but you didn't come to see me?" "Your Majesty, you are busy. You must be worried about the battle in Mobei. I won't come to trouble you." Shang Lu looked proud. "Now that the battle in Mobei is over, I came to see Your Majesty. Your Majesty, you fought well. If the Mobei issue is resolved, the Ming Dynasty will have nothing to worry about."

Zhu Qizhen led him to walk and chat in the corridor. After chatting for a while, Shang Lu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I heard that you are going to build a university. Are you in need of teachers? I am old enough to teach at the university."

"So you came here for this matter." Zhu Qizhen was annoyed. "I thought you would never come to the temple for no reason. Now that you have retired, why don't you go home and enjoy your grandchildren?"

Shang Lu shook his head repeatedly: "That would be so boring. Please allow me to teach, Your Majesty. I will definitely be able to do the job."

Zhu Qizhen laughed out loud: "If you want to go, of course I will allow you to go! After the university is established, many teachers will be needed. I am still worried about this."

He was actually worried about the teachers of technical subjects. He hoped that the caravans from the West could recruit more teachers from European universities.

……

The harem courtyard.

Zhu Qizhen strolled here. There were imperial guards outside, but there were no maids in the courtyard, because Princess Qiqige of the grassland did not want maids.

After he came in, he came to the main hall and saw Qiqige standing by the window in a daze. She was wearing a long dress from the Central Plains, showing her proud curves. Her long black hair without makeup reached her waist, and her waist was slender. When she saw Zhu Qizhen coming in, her beautiful face was filled with hatred, and her eyes were sharp: "Are you here to see that bitch? She went to the Queen Mother's Kunning Palace."

Zhu Qizhen was slightly surprised. He did not expect that Yesen's concubine Alena would take the initiative to pay a visit to the Queen Mother of the Ming Dynasty. The two imposing royal sisters together should be secretly comparing themselves, right? I should have gone to Kunning Palace earlier.

"I'm here to tell you that your father has been defeated again and fled to Mount Langjuxu in a panic." Zhu Qizhen chuckled, "It won't be long before our Ming army returns to the capital with his head in their hands."

Qi Qi Ge rushed towards him fiercely, like an enraged she-wolf, and shouted, "Impossible! Chang Sheng Tian will protect my father Khan."

Zhu Qizhen grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall. Looking at Qiqige who was struggling more and more, he pinched her tender cheek and commented, "You don't seem to be very smart."

"You are a devil!" Qi Qige glared, "The devil emperor of the Ming Dynasty covets our fertile grasslands."

Snapped!
Zhu Qizhen slapped her in the face, and five handprints immediately appeared on her beautiful face.

Qi Qige fell to the ground, revealing her graceful figure with beautiful curves. Her pair of heterochromatic eyes stared at Zhu Qizhen coldly and angrily.

"In your grassland, captives are not even slaves, right?" Zhu Qizhen looked at the foreign woman in front of him with a smile. Unlike the women in the Central Plains, she had a wild beauty that made men want to conquer her.

Qiqige looked at him with unyielding eyes and said coldly: "I am not a prisoner! I am the princess of the grassland."

Zhu Qizhen chuckled and raised his eyebrows: "No, no, no, you are my prey now."

Qi Qige pursed her lips and stopped talking, because she saw Zhu Qizhen's aggressive eyes, like a wolf on the grassland seeing delicious prey.

Zhu Qizhen looked down at her, his smile faded: "According to the rules of your grassland, how do you think I should enjoy you as my prey?"

Enjoy?

Qiqige knew what she was going to face. The men on the grasslands captured female captives and said they were enjoying them. She closed her eyes and two lines of tears flowed down. She knew that she could not resist.

At this time, the Queen Mother and Alena had just returned to the harem villa. As they approached the main hall, they heard a woman's shouting and cursing, her words mixed with the Mobei dialect.

"It's Qiqige. What is she scolding?" asked the Queen Mother.

Alena's face turned pale instantly. She clenched her hands slightly and said, "It's His Majesty the Emperor inside. He... and the princess are... the princess is calling him shameless."

The Queen Mother heard the noise and guessed what was going on inside. Her face turned cold and she was about to rush in. However, when she reached the window, she stopped and said coldly, "We cannot stop your Majesty from doing anything."

Alena's beautiful eyes flashed with resentment, but it flashed away, she lowered her head and closed her lips. The Queen Mother heard the sounds and movements coming from the house, her brows slightly furrowed. The Queen was strong and stubborn. The noise inside was getting louder and louder, and the Queen was a little uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and kept a distance. Alena could only follow her silently.

I don’t know how long it took, but the noise in the house finally died down.

At this time, inside the house.

"According to your Mobei rules, you are a prisoner and I can enjoy you at any time."

Zhu Qizhen reached out and gently brushed away the hair that was stuck to Qi Qige's cheek due to sweat, and looked at her perfect and exotic face, their eyes meeting.

Qi Qige turned her head, shook off his hand that was touching her cheek, stared at him fiercely, and said nothing, like a hurt she-wolf.

Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly and put on his clothes. Qiqige, who was lying on the couch, had tearful eyes full of hatred, and her white and slender jade fingers tightly grasped the quilt, wrapping her aching body.

"Don't look at me like that." Zhu Qizhen said coldly, "Be careful or I will give you as a reward to the soldiers."

Of course, he didn't like this wolf girl, he was just after her purely for her sex.

Qi Qi Ge bit her lower lip tightly, the slight trace of blood made her red lips look even more sad and beautiful. She stared at him with resentment, as if she wanted to bite it to pieces.

Zhu Qizhen stood in front of her, reached out and stroked her beautiful cheek, and said: "You are already my woman, don't worry, you will not be given away, maybe you will have my child in your belly. If you really have a child, will he become the king of Mobei?"

Qi Qige widened her beautiful eyes with a look of surprise. She didn't expect that the Demon Emperor had such a plan. She couldn't help but reach out and touch her lower abdomen. Her back felt even colder.

For a moment, my heart was even more confused, and I felt more helpless than ever before.

Tears welled up in her stubborn eyes, and crystal tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.

Zhu Qizhen watched her cry, without any consolation or mercy, and said calmly: "There is a popular saying in the Central Plains: it takes a hundred years to be able to ride the same boat together, and a thousand years to be able to sleep on the same pillow together. We are already husband and wife, if you obey me, maybe you will have a chance to return to the grassland in the future."

……

After saying that, he opened the door and left without looking back. When he came to the corridor, he looked up and saw the Demon Queen and Alena standing there.

"Uh..." Zhu Qizhen shrugged, "I had a deep exchange with the princess."

The Demon Queen was obviously suppressing her anger and said coldly, "Why don't you follow me?"

Zhu Qizhen followed the witch queen out of the harem. Along the way, Zhu Qizhen wanted to talk, but the witch queen said coldly: "Let's talk about it when we get back to the palace."

After returning to Kunning Palace, the evil queen waved her hand and hit Zhu Qizhen, cursing as she beat him: "What did you do? The emperor of the Ming Dynasty, how could you do such a thing that is worse than an animal?"

Zhu Qizhen's mind raced, wondering what to do? He suddenly grabbed the demon queen's hand, pressed her against the wall, and gave her a long and overbearing wall-dong.

At first, the Demon Queen struggled, but after a while, she took the initiative to respond. She pushed him away until she was out of breath, her beautiful eyes fierce: "Don't think I will let you go just like this."

"You can't blame me for this. Concubine Xian and Concubine De are both pregnant." Zhu Qizhen looked aggrieved. "You only tease us but don't feed us. How can a masculine young man like me bear this?"

The demon queen laughed angrily: "Bullshit! There are so many concubines in the harem, and... there is also Shuangxi."

Zhu Qizhen hugged her flexible waist, his eyes gentle: "Well, I do have a purpose."

"What's the purpose?" the Demon Queen asked.

"When the princess has my child, I will release her back to the grassland." Zhu Qizhen said as a matter of course, "When the time comes, I will support her child to become the king of Mobei. Then we will be a family, right?"

The Demon Queen was stunned: "You...you...you are so shameless and vicious."

Zhu Qizhen held her mature and charming face in his hands and said, "I definitely don't like that princess, so don't worry."

"Bah!" the Demon Queen spat.

Zhu Qizhen responded by dominating her against the wall until the demon queen was powerless. Her face flushed with resentment and dissatisfaction: "Alright, alright, you only know how to bully me."

She leaned greedily in Zhu Qizhen's arms, breathing in his scent, her beautiful eyes full of affection, and revealing a bit of spring and water stains.

……

The harem courtyard.

Alena threw a loose robe to Qiqige who was lying on the couch and whispered, "Get up and take a shower. I have prepared hot water."

Qi Qi Ge tilted his head, wiped his tears, and said, "You finally laugh at my joke, laugh if you want."

"I'm sorry!" Alena said suddenly.

Qi Qi Ge was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Alena, her eyes were also full of tears, she sobbed and said, "If I hadn't gone out, I could have protected you. I am a bad woman, and he is just that."

"Hmph, false mercy." Qi Qige said coldly.

"Whether you believe it or not," Alena wiped her tears and said in a deep voice, "In this strange capital of the Ming Dynasty, we can only stick together to keep warm, so that we have a chance to return to the grassland."

Qiqige took a deep breath, got out of bed, and just as she stood up, her legs softened slightly, and she fell to the ground pitifully. Alena reached out to help her, but she waved her hand away.

However, Alena held her shoulders and said coldly: "Be obedient, I will take good care of you for your father Khan."

Qiqige was stunned, then fell limp in her arms, first sobbing softly, then bursting into tears. Alena patted her back gently and said, "Cry, cry, it will be better after you cry. Tomorrow morning, we will pretend that nothing happened and face this cold palace together."

"I am no longer clean." Qiqige said, "I may even have the devil emperor's child in my belly."

Alena thought: "Child?"

Qiqige's eyes were about to burst: "The Demon Emperor said that he would support my child to be the king of Mobei."

(End of this chapter)