Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 241: The Virtuous Concubine Gives Birth to a Son, the Battle for the Crown Prince, the False Emperor: Of course, the Biological Son is Chosen
Northwest, Dunhuang City.

Xu Bin came to the palace with a bag. The Zhengtong Emperor and military advisor Wu Xingdao were already there, both with gloomy faces. Seeing them, Xu Bin took out a few roasted corns and sweet potatoes from the bag and said, "Try them. I just bought them on the street. The caravan brought them from the Central Plains. It is said that they were brought back from overseas during the court's great voyage."

"It smells very nice." Wu Xingdao spoke deliberately, trying to break the dull atmosphere.

The orthodox emperor also put away his expression, took a corn, took a small bite, and nodded: "Not bad, very sweet."

Wu Xingdao was chewing a sweet potato and asked, "What is this called?"

"Corn and sweet potatoes." Xu Bin said while eating corn himself, "These things can grow in the mountains and don't require much water. If the court promotes them vigorously, the people will have more food. It is said that the yield is much higher than that of rice."

"That's a good thing." Wu Xingdao praised, "It will help many people not to go hungry anymore."

The orthodox emperor slowed down and sighed softly: "The false emperor has indeed done better than me. In just a few years, he has implemented new policies internally, and externally he has suppressed the Japanese pirates and swept the northern desert. He also opened up the great voyages and brought in huge wealth."

Xu Bin and Wu Xingdao looked at each other and were silent for a while, not knowing how to respond, because what the emperor said was true and they didn't want to flatter him deliberately. Xu Bin put down the corn in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, if it really doesn't work, we will follow what Junshan said and sneak into the capital. That will be our last chance."

The orthodox emperor was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily: "Okay! If we can't resist the imperial army, I will sneak into the capital. At that time, I will ask you to take care of Bulma and my child."

"Your Majesty!" Xu Bin's eyes were filled with tears. "Of course I will follow you, Your Majesty."

"As do I." Wu Xingdao waved his hand, "Your Majesty, it is not yet time to entrust your orphan to me."

The Zhengtong Emperor pointed to the letter on the table and smiled bitterly: "It's from the Junshan Society. The fake emperor has already decided to lead his troops to the northwest next year, heading towards us."

"In that case, should we call Yuan Bin back in advance?" Xu Bin frowned, "There are at least 100,000 troops left."

Wu Xingdao shook his head and said, "No, when that time comes, it will not be Yuan Bin who comes back, but we who go to Chagatai. It is safer there, and after the imperial court takes over the western part of Guanxi, it will complete the unification of China and may not march into the Western Regions."

"Yes." The orthodox emperor nodded repeatedly.

Wu Xingdao pondered for a moment and continued, "We must strengthen our alliance with the Timurid Empire. It would be great if we could destroy Chagatai as soon as possible. By then, we can use the power of the Timurid Empire to stop the imperial army from advancing westward."

The Legitimacy Emperor agreed and said: "Send an envoy to the Timurid Empire."

……

The sky is clear and the air is fresh in the capital.

The sun shines gently through the gaps in the clouds, neither too hot nor too cold, but full of warmth. On the streets, people are surging in an endless stream, and all kinds of pedestrians, some hurried and some slow, shuttle through the quaint alleys.

The hawkers' cries, with a long and cheerful tone, came one after another.

"Baked sweet potatoes, delicious sweet potatoes."

"Roasted corn, sweet corn."

Zhu Qizhen, who came out incognito, was chewing a corn in his hand. He ate while walking, and wherever he looked, he saw the unique charm of autumn in the capital: the eaves dotted with red leaves, the glazed tiles shining in the sun, and the faces that were filled with contentment and tranquility.

As an emperor, he was of course happy to see this scene, which showed that the people's lives were getting better. In addition, the corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes brought back from the great voyages had already begun to be promoted.

Suddenly, a horse stopped in front of Zhu Qizhen. Yu Qian got off the horse and bowed slightly to Zhu Qizhen: "Your Majesty? You sneaked out of the palace again?"

"I have just had a little leisure time." Zhu Qizhen shrugged. "There is nothing to do in the palace."

Yu Qian held his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, there are too many people in the capital now, and you don't even bring a guard with you."

"You don't understand. There are more people in the capital, but the public security is very good." Zhu Qizhen looked proud. "The Five Cities Military Department and the Embroidered Uniform Guard cooperate well. Not to mention robbery, there are even no thieves. There are many foreign caravans in the capital now. We have to let them know that the Ming Dynasty is the most suitable place for investment and long-term residence."

Yu Qian smiled, seeing through the emperor's thoughts, and said, "Your Majesty, you just want to keep the foreign talents here? I heard that there are more than a hundred foreigners taking the exam this time?"

"Yes, and they are all technical subjects." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "They are all talented people. We must vigorously develop technical subjects."

Yu Qian pointed to the Taibai Restaurant in front of him and said, "Your Majesty, on behalf of the people of the world, I would like to invite you to have a drink."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Okay, I'm going to give you, Duke Xia, a good beating today."

The two went to Taibai Restaurant, but did not ask for a private room, but sat down at a window seat on the second floor. The waiter came over, and Zhu Qizhen began to order dishes, while Yu Qian was worried.

Soon, the food and wine were served, and the two began to drink and chat. After three cups of wine, Yu Qian asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, will you send troops to the northwest next year? We just fought in the battle of Mobei, so why don't you take a break?"

"We must solve the problem of the northwest." Zhu Qizhen affirmed, "Only when the northwest is solved can the Ming Dynasty be truly stable. Only then can I free up my hands and feet to manage overseas affairs."

Yu Qian nodded slightly and said nothing. Zhu Qizhen continued: "If we, the Ming Dynasty, do not manage the foreign oceans now and miss the great voyages, then the foreign powers will come to divide us up in the future."

"I have heard about it, too." Yu Qian nodded. "The Portuguese once wanted to occupy our island, and the Dutch also tried to probe us frequently. Fortunately, Zhang Lun is in charge of the southeast."

Thinking of this, he felt a little scared. If the Ming Dynasty had not built a fleet in advance, wouldn't the Portuguese have occupied our islands? He silently thought of what the emperor had said: The territory of the Ming Dynasty is vast, but not an inch of it is redundant. ...

The cold is getting stronger.

Emperor Zhu Qizhen was still very busy, attending court to discuss government affairs and reviewing memorials after court. After the morning court session on this day, Zhu Qizhen was reviewing memorials when a palace maid served him hot tea, and he drank it without even raising his head.

"Eh~" After taking a sip, he looked up and saw Qiqige Qiao Lili standing beside him, looking unwilling. Zhu Qizhen asked with a slight smile, "Why is it you?"

Qiqige pursed his lips and said, "We grassland people don't eat white rice. From today on, I will be your tea-serving maid. Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what flavor do you like to drink? I can prepare it for you."

"You should call yourself a slave." Zhu Qizhen smiled.

"Then you can just kill me." Qiqige raised his head and said unyieldingly, "I am the princess of the grassland, not your slave. You can kill me but not humiliate me."

Zhu Qizhen raised his eyebrows with interest: "Humiliation? Like the previous two times? This hall is not convenient."

"You..." Qi Qige's face turned red with shame and anger, but he could only try his best to endure it.

"Okay, I won't embarrass you." Zhu Qizhen smiled and spread his hands, "Do you know bubble milk tea? There are other flavors, such as watermelon, mango, etc."

Qiqige's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had been given a new idea. He bowed and said, "I understand. I'll try it right away."

"Hey, hey, you won't poison me, will you?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

Qi Qi Ge gritted his teeth and said, "I need to taste it before it enters your mouth, and the eunuchs have to taste it too. How can I poison you? Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. If I poison you to death, I'll be dead too. I still want to go back to the grassland."

She was about to leave when Zhu Qizhen stopped her and asked, "Do you want to know the news about your father Khan?"

"How is my father Khan?" Qi Qige turned around immediately, ran to him and asked anxiously.

Zhu Qizhen held her hand and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Come, remember the French kiss I taught you last time? Come, let me see if you have learned it."

Qiqige pursed her red lips, tears flashed in her eyes, and after a pause, she put her hands on Zhu Qizhen's shoulders and kissed him with her red lips. Zhu Qizhen hugged her flexible waist and enjoyed being passive.

After a long time, the lips opened.

Qi Qi Ge, with a red face, stared at Zhu Qi Zhen and said, "Can you tell me now?"

Zhu Qizhen blinked: "I'm not satisfied yet."

"If you don't tell me, I'll bite you to death." Qi Qige glared with her beautiful eyes.

Zhu Qizhen stood up suddenly, turned her over, and pressed her down on the imperial table. Cao Jixiang, who was not far away, saw this and quickly waved away the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall. The moment the door of the hall was closed, he could already hear the creaking and shaking sound.

After a while, Qiqige collapsed on the imperial table.

Zhu Qizhen adjusted her skirt, tied his belt with satisfaction, and said, "Your father Khan is still fleeing northwards, and he will probably join up with the Shibir tribe. Don't think that's a good thing. He won't die even if he loses to us. But if there is a fight within the grassland, you know the morals of you Mobei people, you will definitely kill him."

Qiqi pulled up her skirt, stood up, tears welling up in her eyes, and said coldly: "Whoever kills my father Khan, I will kill him!"

"Haha, you're quite ambitious." Zhu Qizhen chuckled.

Qiqige turned around, came in front of him, tilted his head, and wiped his tears: "You can ask me anytime in the future, as long as you don't kill my father Khan."

"That depends on my mood." Zhu Qizhen held her face and said, "Go and make your tea."

……

It’s winter in the blink of an eye.

Zhu Qizhen had already moved to the warm room in the Qianqing Palace to work. On this day, after Qiqige served tea, he stood in a corner waiting and did not go out.

It was too cold outside, and this warm room was too warm. Zhu Qizhen did not ask her to leave. Cao Jixiang knew that Qiqige had a special relationship with the emperor, so he was very polite to her.

Not long after, a maid from Changchun Palace came over. After hearing her report, Cao Jixiang was overjoyed and hurried to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the Concubine Xian is about to give birth."

"Ah?" Zhu Qizhen threw down the pen in his hand and ran towards Changchun Palace.

He calculated the date and found that the due date was only a few days away, so he prepared the midwife and other necessary preparations in advance. When he arrived at Changchun Palace, he heard the loud cry of a baby in the room.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you are a prince!"

Zhu Qizhen took a while to come back to his senses. He was overjoyed. I am a father now. I have a son. My kingdom has a successor.

(End of this chapter)