Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 240 The Demon Queen's Final Choice: Dedicating Herself

At dusk, the setting sun gently casts its last golden glow on the palace.

The autumn wind came quietly, bringing with it the coolness and a bit of bleakness of early autumn. It shuttled between the palace walls, brushing past the ancient trees that had witnessed the changes of countless years, causing the fallen leaves to flutter, like fragments of time, spinning and falling in the empty courtyard.

Under the palace's eaves, copper bells swayed gently in the wind, making a long and lonely sound. The footsteps of the palace maids and eunuchs seemed particularly clear in this quiet evening, but also hurried.

The Demon Queen stood in front of the window and sighed softly.

Zhu Qizhen just came in and heard her sigh, his heart moved, as if he saw the loneliness of a woman in the deep palace. The witch queen was wearing a thin white long skirt, tall and graceful, with picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and every frown and movement was dignified and elegant.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Qizhen walked over. "Falling in love? That shouldn't be the case at your age."

"Get lost!" The Demon Queen glared at him fiercely.

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to pull her into his arms, buried his head in the warmth of the Demon Queen, and said pitifully, complaining to himself: "Hey, today Alena said that my illness is more serious."

The Demon Queen's cold eyes froze for a moment, then she slapped him on the head and angrily asked, "You went to see that woman again?"

"Can you focus on the main point? I'm here to see a doctor. I told you last time that there's something wrong with my soul." Zhu Qizhen hugged her tightly as he spoke, his tone particularly heavy, "I might really become a lunatic."

"So...what did she say?"

The Demon Queen felt that he was not joking, and her expression suddenly became serious. She reached out and pushed his head out of her arms, holding his face and asked seriously.

I thought, weren't you drinking with the soldiers today? Why are you suddenly depressed now?

"She said that I have to practice diligently according to her method." Zhu Qizhen looked melancholy.

The demon queen blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with curiosity and confusion: "What method?"

"It's just... between men and women..." Zhu Qizhen moved closer and whispered Alena's method in her ear.

"She has no good intentions!" The Demon Queen gritted her teeth and said, "How could she be like that... She is..."

"It is still useful. Didn't you interrupt me last time? I felt it was useful then." Zhu Qizhen sighed softly, hugged her tightly, smelled her fragrance, and began to play the victim. "If you don't agree, I can learn that method and practice it with you."

When the demon queen heard this, her face instantly turned red, and she blinked, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Finally, she raised her beautiful eyes and said, "There are so many concubines in the harem."

"But I only like you." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "Alena said that when two people love each other, the more they forget themselves during practice, the better the effect will be."

The demon queen's pretty face turned red, but her beautiful eyes stared at him and said, "Don't joke about this!"

Zhu Qizhen looked gloomy: "If you don't want to, I'll think about it. There's no rush anyway. If you go crazy, then go crazy."

“You…” The Demon Queen glared at him, “Okay, I can, but… we have to go outside the palace. Your name is Zhu Wusi, and my name is Sun Ruowei. That way, I will… be your wife.”

After saying that, those beautiful eyes looked at him with tenderness and tenderness, as if she would not refuse as long as she could do it.

"Great!" Zhu Qizhen began to show his fox tail, "I'll go learn it first, and then I'll take you out."

The demon queen glared at him, and when that time came, she would be the only one to be bullied by him.

……

After the beginning of autumn, the summer heat finally disappeared. The sky was clear and the autumn breeze was blowing gently, bringing a bit of coolness and the fragrance of ripe fruits, passing through the streets and alleys.

The streets were crowded with people. This cool and refreshing autumn day was a good time for traveling. Both the royal gardens and the mountains outside the city attracted a constant stream of tourists. The patrolling guards of the Five Cities Army and Horses were dressed in uniforms, with swords on their waists, moving among the crowds to maintain order.

In the streets and alleys, in teahouses and restaurants, people were talking about the victory of the Battle of Mobei. The news of the victory of this battle spread quickly to every corner of the capital like the autumn wind, arousing the pride and excitement of countless people. The old people stroked their beards and sighed, recalling the past; the young people were excited and looked forward to the future; the women knitted clothes by hand and talked about the heroic deeds of the heroes.

A man wearing a wolf mask appeared in front of a house in the west of the city. There were guards all around the house, and there were also secret guards not far away.

Wolf Mask sighed, "You're getting more and more careful."

He strode into the yard and entered a stone chamber. There were already four people inside: a deer mask, an ox mask, a tiger mask, and a rabbit mask.

"There will be new members at Junshan Club." The wolf mask looked at the tiger mask and the rabbit mask, and finally landed on the deer mask. "Why are you the host? Where is Rat Boss?"

Deer Mask spread his hands: "She is not available, so she asked me to host it. Everyone is here, let's get started. His Majesty has announced that he will use troops in the northwest next year. The dangerous time has come."

"There's nothing we can do." Rabbit Mask said with a smile.

"Indeed, no one can stop His Majesty. With his current prestige, no minister can oppose him." Bull Mask asked, "So what is Boss Rat's plan?"

Deer Mask pondered for a while and sighed: "Boss Rat still insists on the original plan, that is, His Majesty of Dunhuang can sneak into the capital, but he dare not. Then, Boss Rat's intention is to use the court's military operations in the northwest to force him to sneak into the capital."

Wolf Mask said calmly: "Once the troops are deployed, they will be out of control. After taking over Dunhuang City, the swords will be blind and everything will be unpredictable."

The Deer Mask looked at him and said, "So, when the imperial court deploys troops to the northwest next year, the selection of the commander-in-chief is very important. Boss Rat's opinion is that it still has to be... Duke Xia."

"Yu Qian?" The rabbit mask said, "I heard that the emperor wants to remove his military power."

The Deer Mask glanced over and said, "Whether it can be Duke Xia or not depends on our joint efforts."

……

Ming Trading Company.

Zhu Qizhen strode in and saw the yard full of goods. Chao Xiaotian and Qi Shu were counting them. Seeing Zhu Qizhen, Chao Xiaotian happily stepped forward and said, "Master, come and see. These are the goods that my Daming Trading Company brought back from this voyage. There are so many."

There are indeed a lot of goods in the yard, of various categories.

First of all, there are spices, such as pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, etc. There are also rice, fruits and other food. The rice is imported from Siam and is very fragrant. There are also many medicinal materials, such as bird's nest, dendrobium, wild ganoderma, etc.

"Not bad." Zhu Qizhen said after scanning the area, "Once we have occupied the gold and silver mines in America and have more silver, we can buy food, medicinal materials, etc. from these places. Xiaotian, you should prepare to set up a branch company there."

Nodding to Xiaotian: "Yes, I am doing everything according to the master's arrangement."

Zhu Qizhen looked around and said, "There are many mineral resources in Nanyang. You can open a mine."

"Yes." Chao Xiaotian said, "We will take it step by step and build our own power in the local area."

Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied, and this was the purpose of his establishment of the Ming Trading Company. Finally, he wanted to monopolize global trade through the Ming Trading Company.

"Xiaotian, have you decided when to get married?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile, looking up at Qi Shu beside him, who lowered her head shyly.

"I'll follow your instructions, Master." Chao Xiaotian was also shy.

Zhu Qizhen patted his head and spread his hands: "Master has been too busy recently, otherwise it would have been arranged long ago. In this way, I will go to your house to propose marriage in the autumn."

"Thank you, Master." Chao Xiaotian said excitedly.

The master and the apprentice entered the lobby and began to discuss the company's next plan. Qi Shu served them tea obediently, then went out and closed the door.

……

After coming out of the Ming Trading Company, Zhu Qizhen came to the guild hall.

Roujia was obviously surprised to see him, because Zhu Qizhen had not come for a long time. She took small steps forward to greet him, bent her soft waist slightly, and bowed, "Mr. Zhu."

"Come and take a look." Zhu Qizhen walked towards the private room with ease. "Did Mr. Ning send any letters recently?"

"Yes." Roujia nodded, "Please take a seat, sir. I will get it right away."

Zhu Qizhen sat down at the tea table and drank a cup of hot tea slowly.

Roujia quickly took the letter and handed it to Zhu Qizhen. Then, she knelt beside him and waited. Zhu Qizhen took the letter and scanned it quickly.

Mrs. Ning did not reveal any secrets in the letter. She just gave some instructions about Bufang and the porcelain kiln, and asked her to continue to transfer money, as her expenses in Japan were quite high.

"From now on, all the money you earn will be used to satisfy the Ning family." Zhu Qizhen said after reading the letter, "No need to ask me anymore."

"Yes, I'll remember it." Roujia nodded.

She was dressed simply today, as she had not expected Zhu Qizhen to come, but her figure was still proud, especially the majestic figure in front of her, which was trembling and rubbed against Zhu Qizhen from time to time.

Zhu Qizhen was not very interested in her now. He came mainly to discuss business. Roujia and others had been running business in Nanyang for many years and could help Chao Xiaotian's Ming Trading Company.

"I have shares in the Daming Trading Company." Zhu Qizhen said directly, "In the future, they will be in Southeast Asia, so you should help them more."

Roujia nodded respectfully, her voice soft and charming: "Yes."

After Zhu Qizhen gave some instructions, he stood up and left. Roujia's charming face was very disappointed. She used her slender waist to support her slightly "heavy" body and walked him to the door.

……

Changchun Palace.

Xianfei was meeting Zhang Fu, the former Duke of Ying, her grandfather. She had to ask for permission before she could meet him. Zhang Fu was wearing a linen shirt and looked even older.

"Grandpa~" Concubine Xian's eyes were moist, "You must take care of yourself."

Zhang Fu looked at his granddaughter who was pregnant, with a kind face: "Don't worry, madam, I'm very strong. I won't take care of anything in the future. I will just teach in the military academy."

Xian Fei nodded repeatedly: "That's great, Grandpa, it's great that you can figure it out. I, my parents, my brother, will all be happy, as well as the baby in my belly."

She was implying, Grandpa, please stop messing around, our family can't stand it, and please think about the baby in my belly, he can be the emperor and may even become the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

"Grandpa understands." Zhang Fu sighed.

He felt quite complicated. In his opinion, he deserved death because of his actions, which brought a fake emperor to the Ming Dynasty. But after going through so much, especially looking at the powerful Ming Dynasty and the child in his granddaughter's belly, at this moment, he didn't want to care about anything. After his death, he would go and apologize to Emperor Taizong.

Zhang Fu stayed in Changchun Palace for an hour before leaving. When he was walking on the imperial road, he ran into a palace maid, who turned out to be Shuangxi.

"Old Duke, the Queen Mother invites you." Shuangxi bowed slightly.

Zhang Fu was silent for a while, then waved his hand and said, "Miss, I am no longer a duke, but just an ordinary citizen. I am sleepy and tired now, so I will not go to see the Queen Mother."

Shuangxi was stunned.

Zhang Fu waved his hand and walked forward without looking back.

Shuangxi returned to Kunning Palace and reported the matter to the Queen Mother. After listening, the Queen Mother frowned slightly and sneered: "Could it be that he also gave up in the face of difficulties? Is he thinking about saving himself?"

"Your Majesty, now that Concubine Xian is pregnant with the dragon seed, the Duke of England must have more things to consider, right?" Shuangxi said.

"Hmph!" The Queen Mother snorted coldly, "Even if the virtuous concubine gave birth to a prince, he would never become the crown prince."

……

The harem courtyard.

Zhu Qizhen came here when he came back from outside the palace. Alena and Qiqige were both there. They didn't want the maids to serve them, so they had to do everything by themselves. Qiqige was making tea. The hall was filled with the strong aroma of milk tea. That was the way they made tea on the grassland, making tea leaves and goat milk together.

"Your Majesty is here." Alena lay on the soft mat.

She was wearing a light red prairie-style dress that outlined her proud curves. She supported her fair chin with one hand, tilted her face up, and her eyes were full of charm. Her fair, straight legs were intertwined, and one foot was slightly raised.

Seeing Zhu Qizhen coming in, she immediately stood up, took small steps forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"No need to be so polite." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand.

Qi Qige seemed not to see him. She concentrated on making tea. She gently pushed her long black hair behind her ears with both hands. Her delicate face was stubborn, wild and cold.

The next moment, she couldn't hold it anymore.

Because Zhu Qizhen directly hugged her in his arms, stretched out his hand to pinch her cheek, and said: "Are you still giving me a cold face? When we were on the couch, you were enjoying it very much."

Qiqige glared in shame, but she didn't dare to resist, because the last time she resisted, she was beaten up by Zhu Qizhen and her whole body fell apart. Moreover, Zhu Qizhen's various tricks made her feel ashamed.

"Your Majesty, try the tea brewed by Qi Qi Ge." Alena said, pushing a cup of hot milk tea in front of Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Qizhen picked it up and took a sip. It tasted very good, just like the milk tea he had in his previous life. He hugged Qiqige and said with his head down: "Your cooking skills are good. It's better than those of my maids."

Qiqige turned her head away stubbornly, not looking at him and not saying a word. Zhu Qizhen liked her like this, so he put the teacup on the table, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and bit her red lips domineeringly.

At first, Qiqige was passive and resisted. After a while, she unconsciously hooked her hands around his neck, and although she was still passive, she cooperated a little awkwardly.

Alena had no intention of avoiding it, and stared at him with her beautiful big eyes. After a long time, Zhu Qizhen let go of Qiqige. She looked red, as if she was angry with him. She leaned in his arms, her eyes drooping, and her fists clenched tightly.

"Okay, I'm not here to bully you. Go back to your room. I'm going to find Alena." Zhu Qizhen slapped her on the butt.

Qiqige pinched him in shame and anger, then stood up immediately, glanced at Alena, and went back to her room. Alena smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have bullied our Qiqige before, and you are just leaving her like this? She is at least a princess."

"Then how do you think I should treat her?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, don't you like the tea she makes?" Alena raised her eyebrows. "Let her be a maid in your palace to serve tea. We can't live and eat for free in the harem, right?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head repeatedly: "She goes to serve tea to me? I'm afraid she will poison me to death."

Alena chuckled, "No, she won't dare to do anything to you until she is sure of her father's fate. What if you really catch her father? Besides, she wants to return to the grassland. How can she return to the grassland after poisoning you?"

"So, I can indeed consider it." Zhu Qizhen smiled and changed the subject, "I came here to ask you to teach me the method you used to cure my illness last time."

Alena smiled charmingly: "I am happy to serve you, but it is not convenient here. Please go to my room."

……

In the room, Alena was sitting cross-legged on the couch, having taken off all her clothes.

The slender waist is so thin that it cannot be held in one hand.

A pair of eyes of different colors made her beautiful face even more charming, delicate and pretty. She was a woman with charm in her bones.

Charming beauty!

No wonder Yesen dotes on her. How could a man bear this?
Zhu Qizhen complained in his heart, sitting cross-legged opposite Alena with his eyes closed, otherwise he would have rushed over to subdue the demon first. However, he really came to see a doctor.

Alena began to chant a spell, and Zhu Qizhen relaxed, certain that this was a technique similar to hypnosis, just like last time. In an instant, he felt his soul cleansed and got goose bumps all over his body, but it was extremely comfortable.

After a while, Alena's voice came: "Your Majesty, leave everything to me, just relax."

She slowly approached and pressed herself against Zhu Qizhen, the melodious singing continued. Zhu Qizhen completely relaxed, it was so fucking great.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived~" came the voice of a eunuch.

Zhu Qizhen opened his eyes, looked at Alena who was already clinging to him, and spread his hands: "Should we continue or stop?"

Alena smiled charmingly, pushed Zhu Qizhen away, and said, "You should go see the Queen Mother, Your Majesty. You must not be affected during the treatment. This way you can enjoy the beauty of my concubine and heal your Majesty faster."

"That makes sense." Zhu Qizhen quickly put on his clothes.

The two of them arrived at the main hall and saw that the Queen Mother had already arrived. She stood there, dignified and majestic. She swept her beautiful eyes over the two of them coldly and snorted, "Your Majesty, you are quite diligent in running to this villa."

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is here to see a doctor." Alena bowed slightly, "I sincerely want to cure his illness, Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand."

"I didn't misunderstand." The Queen Mother snorted, "I just came to see if you need anything. We in the Ming Dynasty are hospitable. Although you are not guests, we will not treat you unfairly."

Alena took a small step forward, smiling slightly: "We do need something. We are used to the grassland life. Can you provide fresh goat milk?"

"Yes." The Queen Mother nodded.

Zhu Qizhen listened to their conversation and wondered, "Why is it that every time I come to the villa, the witch queen comes soon after? Is there someone who has informed her? Who is it? I will kill all her clans."

……

Kunning Palace.

On the way back, the Queen was cold as ice and didn't say a word. After returning, she stood in front of the window and looked out. Zhu Qizhen had no choice but to walk over and continue to coax her: "I won't fall in love with that Alena."

"hehe."

The tall and graceful Queen chuckled, supporting her flexible waist with one hand, and glanced at him with her cold and charming eyes, revealing a bit of mockery and sarcasm, "You don't even let Yesen's woman go."

Not only Yesen's favorite concubine, but also Yesen's daughter was involved.

Shameless, all men are so shameless.

"You don't understand. I am planning the future of Mobei, which is also related to our Ming Dynasty." Zhu Qizhen said with grievance, "Don't come to ruin my plan. I am playing a big game. Besides, I still need to treat my illness. Do you really want me to become a madman?"

Hey, for the Ming Dynasty, I can sacrifice anything, even give myself to Alena.

Women, after all, lack a sense of the overall situation.

The Demon Queen looked at him and became even angrier: "Are you still feeling wronged?"

"Of course, I'm not only aggrieved, I'm also tired." Zhu Qizhen lay down on the soft mat, "Come, help me massage, my eyes hurt."

"Hmph!" The Demon Queen was not only talking nonsense but also being honest. She came over and sat down next to him.

Zhu Qizhen rested his head on her legs skillfully. She stretched out her skillful hands and gently pressed his temples. The kneading felt really comfortable.

"Among my women, you have the best skills." Zhu Qizhen said with his eyes closed.

The Demon Queen paused for a moment and said, "I am not your woman."

"Indeed, you are not yet." Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows, "Then why are you jealous? No, you are not jealous, you are just thinking that I don't want to be cured and waiting for me to go crazy, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Demon Queen pushed him away violently as if she was angry, and glanced at him coldly with her beautiful eyes.

Zhu Qizhen rested his head on the pillow again and smiled: "Don't be angry, I'm tired, I'll take a nap first. When I wake up, I'll come back to quarrel with you."

He hugged the demon queen's waist, rubbed it, and closed his eyes. Not long after, snoring sounded, and the demon queen was so angry that she waved her fist, but she didn't really hit him, but pulled the blanket over him.

"Who wants to quarrel with you?" She muttered, looking at him in her arms.

She was lost in thought, thinking about what to do next year. How long could this peaceful life last?

"I am not your woman." She whispered these words and said faintly, "When you are Zhu Wusi, I can offer myself. Are you willing to be just Zhu Wusi?"

Zhu Qizhen in her arms was already sleeping soundly, smacking his lips and rubbing her chest. She blushed slightly: "Even though he's asleep, he's still so shameless."

After an unknown amount of time, she felt her legs go numb and she lost all feeling. Shuangxi came over and whispered, "My queen, how about putting His Majesty down?"

The Demon Queen shook her head: "Forget it, I guess he hasn't been sleeping well recently."

(End of this chapter)