Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 265: Emperor Zhengtong returns to Beijing and prepares for the coup
On this day, the sun was shining brightly.

The caravan from the Ming Dynasty entered Istanbul. They were very curious about the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the overlord of the Western Regions. The orthodox emperor and his entourage who followed the caravan into the city were also attracted by this majestic city.

Istanbul is a transportation hub between Europe and Asia and has an extremely important strategic position.

The history of this city can be traced back to two thousand years ago, when it was founded by the ancient Greeks and was called Byzantium. Later, the Roman Empire moved its capital here and renamed it Constantinople, and it became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Two years ago, the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.

Istanbul is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, and is an important hub connecting the East and the West. It straddles the Bosphorus Strait, closely linking Asia and Europe. This unique geographical location makes Istanbul an important node on the Silk Road. Whether it is the Silk Road on land or the Silk Road on the sea, this city cannot be avoided.

"This is a magnificent city." The orthodox emperor said as he looked over the towering city walls, "It's no worse than our capital."

Xu Bin's eyes were full of curiosity, and he said, "Your Majesty, let's go for a walk and take a look."

The military advisor Wu Xingdao also agreed: "Go towards the port."

Yuan Bin was the most vigilant and had always been guarding the Zhengtong Emperor. He was the most skilled in martial arts among the four. The four of them walked slowly along the street towards the port.

On both sides of the street, shops were lined up one after another, with colorful signs swaying gently in the breeze. They had never seen such a rich variety of goods, from silk and porcelain from the East to spices and jewelry from the West, everything was available, as if the wealth of the whole world had gathered here.

In the corners of the market, artists showed off their exquisite skills, whether they were ceramic craftsmen or carpet weavers, their craftsmanship was amazing. The Ottoman nobles in gorgeous robes and exquisite turbans, as well as merchants and travelers from all over the world, added a bit of exoticism to the city.

There are several stunning buildings in the city. The Blue Mosque, with its majestic dome and six minarets, has a charming blue tiled structure that shines in the sun.

The imperial palace was also very majestic. Emperor Zhengtong stopped to look at the palace and sighed: "This palace is still not as good as our Forbidden City."

"Your Majesty, it is said that their young emperor is planning to build a more grand palace." Xu Bin said.

There was a flash of envy in the eyes of the orthodox emperor.

Once upon a time, I was also very young, in my twenties, in great vigor and vitality, and I wanted to become the overlord of the world.

"Your Majesty, let's go." Wu Xingdao reminded, "There are many patrolling guards here, we should hurry to the port and find someone to pick us up."

……

Port of Istanbul.

The Zhengtong Emperor and his entourage of four arrived and stood at the edge, looking out.

In the harbor, huge sailing ships and various types of ships shuttled back and forth, like floating islands. These ships came from all over the world, some were loaded with spices, silk and precious porcelain from distant India and Ming Dynasty; others were carrying silk, spices and exotic treasures, ready to set sail to Europe in the west.

The dock was bustling with people, and the porters were busy shuttling between the ships and the warehouse, unloading boxes of goods from the ships, or neatly stacking the goods on the ships waiting to depart.

The four of them, including the Zhengtong Emperor, were shocked by the scene before them. They had never seen a harbor like this before. Looking up, they saw that the end of the harbor was connected to the skyline, as if the harbor had no boundaries. In the distance, the fog on the sea gradually dissipated, revealing more ships and a wider sea area.

"Does our Ming Dynasty have such a large port?" asked the Zhengtong Emperor.

Xu Bin glanced over and said, "Your Majesty, I heard from the merchants that the Ming Dynasty's Quanzhou Port is even bigger than this. There are more fleets and merchants over there than here."

The orthodox emperor sighed softly, "It seems that it is wrong to insist on Taizu's ban on the sea. The false emperor is so bold that he dares to open the sea rashly."

Wu Xingdao beside him shook his head: "The false emperor did not rashly open the sea. He first established a navy and pacified the Japanese pirates before opening the sea. Your Majesty, the current Ming navy is very strong. The Spanish and Portuguese dare not provoke it."

"I'm hungry." The Zhengtong Emperor interrupted him and pointed to a tavern nearby. "Let's go there to eat something. Mr. Xu, go find the contact person."

Xu Bin nodded and accepted the order: "Yes! They should be here. I saw several Ming Dynasty caravans."

……

They went into the tavern next door and ordered a table of food. During the journey, Emperor Zhengtong was not used to the food here, but he couldn't stand the hunger and gradually got used to it.

"Your Majesty, once we contact the contact person and get on the boat, we can return to Ming Dynasty." Wu Xingdao smiled.

"I am both excited and nervous." The Zhengtong Emperor raised his glass, "Come on, I hope everything goes well."

Yuan Bin nodded with a smile: "Everything went well."

The three were drinking when an Ottoman at the next table greeted them and asked in not-so-fluent Central Plains dialect, "Are you merchants from the Ming Dynasty?"

Wu Xingdao looked alert and smiled: "Yes."

The three Ottomans actually moved over on their own initiative. The young man who had just spoken said proudly, "Welcome to Istanbul. This meal is on my table."

This young Ottoman was full of vigor and nobleness, and his sharp eyes flashed with majesty from time to time. Wu Xingdao and the orthodox emperor, Yuan Bin, looked at each other and signaled to remain calm.

"Thank you." He smiled and asked curiously, "You can speak our Central Plains dialect?"

The young man's eyes flashed with longing: "My name is Murad. I long to go to the East and learn the Central Plains dialect from a master from the East."

"You are welcome to visit Ming Dynasty if there is a chance." The Zhengtong Emperor laughed loudly.

Several people sat together to eat, and Murad curiously asked many questions about the Ming Dynasty. Afterwards, the people around him reminded him a few words, speaking in Ottoman.

Murad stood up with a feeling of unfulfilled desire and said goodbye to the three people. The three people watched them leave, and Wu Xingdao followed the young man with his eyes, saying: "This person is noble and powerful, so he should not be an ordinary person."

"Never mind, we just met once." The Zhengtong Emperor just laughed it off.

Murad left the tavern and got on a carriage. A small team surrounded the carriage, and one of the knights stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, do you want to invite those Ming people back to the palace?"

It turned out that Murad was the emperor of the Ottoman Empire. He was visiting the port in disguise today. He sat in the carriage and thought for a moment, then waved his hand: "Forget it, maybe I heard it wrong."

Just now in the tavern, he heard the two Ming people calling the younger Ming person "Your Majesty", so he went up to greet them. However, he thought that it was impossible for the Majesty of the Ming Dynasty to appear here.

At this time, in the tavern.

Xu Bin came in from outside, his face excited: "Your Majesty, we have met the people who are supposed to pick us up. In three days, we will board the ship and return to Daming."

The Zhengtong Emperor was overjoyed.

……

The capital of the Ming Dynasty. Yu Qian returned to the court, because the leaders of the southwestern tribes took the initiative to submit letters of loyalty, and the Duan clan also took the initiative to surrender. Zhu Qizhen was of course happy, and this new army could also go to the Western Regions.

He held a private banquet to congratulate Yu Qian on his triumphant return.

In the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, the emperor and his ministers drank together. Zhu Qizhen looked at Yu Qian, who had aged a lot, and sighed: "Old Yu, you are old now, so you should enjoy a peaceful life in the future. I will also call your son back to the capital to honor you."

"Your Majesty, my son will do what he wants. If he wants to have a bright future, he has to rely on his own abilities," said Yu Qian.

Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes and said, "Your son Yu Mian is a man of both civil and military talents. Why are you still not satisfied?"

Yu Qian spread his hands helplessly: "Until now, he still hasn't given me a grandson. What's the use of him?"

Zhu Qizhen was very confused.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard reported that Yu Mian's wife gave birth to three daughters but no sons.

"Well, I think you're okay." Zhu Qizhen blinked, "I'll give you a concubine as a reward?"

Yu Qian's face turned red and he waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I'm old, really old."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Old Yu, you are not old. Now that you are back, I will leave the Five Military Commandery to you to lead it and cooperate with Yang Guifang in the battle in the Western Regions."

"I obey your order." Yu Qian nodded.

Then, the two discussed the war in the Western Regions. Zhu Qizhen originally thought that Yu Qian would be very eager to see it, but he was very calm and seemed to have little interest in expanding the territory.

That’s right, Yu Qian is not a pure military general after all.

……

The palace on the top of the mountain quietly bathes in the warm sunshine.

The sun shines through the palace eaves, scattering in the exquisite courtyard. A gentle breeze blows by, carrying the freshness and coolness of the forest, gently blowing through every leaf, and gently caressing the beautiful face of the queen, bringing a hint of imperceptible comfort.

The Queen, wearing a light blue dress, lay gracefully on a carved hollowed-out lounge chair, her long hair casually spread behind her like the brightest silk in the night sky, her black and shiny hair even more lustrous under the sunlight, forming a sharp and moving contrast with her delicate, white skin, which was like the finest warm jade, emitting a warm luster. There was an innate nobility hidden between her eyebrows, and her phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, revealing a faint sadness.

She sighed softly, and her voice seemed to contain endless thoughts and unknown stories. As she slowly turned around, she inadvertently revealed the exquisiteness of her collarbone and the white and delicate skin on her chest, like a mountain covered with the first snow. She slowly raised her slender white wrist, the movement was indescribably elegant and calm, and then gently picked up the teacup placed on the carved tea table next to her. Her red lips slightly opened, and the fragrance of tea rose up, intertwining with her breath. Her eyes drooped slightly, revealing a bit of laziness and resentment.

"Shuangxi, His Majesty hasn't come for more than a month, right?" She raised her beautiful eyes and asked.

"Yes." Shuangxi came over with a plate of exquisite pastries and gently placed it on the table in front of the Demon Queen. "My Queen, try it? I made it with the flower petals that we picked ourselves."

The Demon Queen shook her head slightly, not interested: "I'll eat when I'm hungry. Is there any news from the mountain today?"

"Not yet!" Shuangxi frowned slightly, "But, according to the date, the fleet of the Daming Trading Company should be back soon."

The Demon Queen pursed her red lips, sat up, picked up a piece of cake and started eating: "Yes, my silly son will be back soon, I have to cheer up."

Shuangxi handed over a piece and said with a smile, "My queen, have another piece."

The Demon Queen stretched out her hand and pinched her cheek, saying, "You eat too, Shuangxi. When things are settled, you and I will spend the rest of our lives in this palace."

"Yes, your majesty." Shuangxi nodded.

"Hey, you are still young, you won't be disgusted by an old woman like me, right?" the witch queen asked with a smile.

Shuangxi said with an unhappy expression: "My queen, you look younger than this servant. His Majesty is fascinated by you."

"Little girl, you mentioned him again?" The Queen raised her eyebrows, "Are you thinking about him? Little girl, are you thinking about love? What His Majesty can do, I can do too. I will help you."

As she said that, she held Shuangxi's face and bit her red lips.

Shuangxi blinked her beautiful eyes and slowly closed them.

……

This day.

Ships kept docking at the canal wharf. With the development in recent years, the wharf has been continuously expanded and is very prosperous. After a merchant ship docked, a group of people quickly got off the ship and got on three carriages parked nearby.

The carriage passed through the streets of the city and stopped in front of a courtyard in the north of the city. The group got off the carriage, strode into the courtyard, and under the guidance of the guards, came to the underground secret room in the courtyard.

A man wearing a deer mask was waiting in the basement. When he saw the leader enter the secret room, he hurried forward, knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it's really you, Your Majesty, you are finally back."

It turned out that the person who came was the Zhengtong Emperor, and behind him were Xu Bin, Yuan Bin and Wu Xingdao. The Zhengtong Emperor looked at the deer mask with a puzzled look on his face: "Who is it, my dear minister?"

Deer Mask quickly took off his mask and bowed again: "Your Majesty, it's your subject."

"My dear, it's you. That's great." The Zhengtong Emperor was overjoyed and helped him up personally. "My dear, thanks to you and the Junshan Society, I can return to the capital again."

The Deer Mask cried, "Your Majesty, you have suffered. It's good that you are back. It's good that you are back. Your Majesty, now that you are back, we can start the plan and take back the Ming Dynasty."

The Zhengtong Emperor was quite emotional: "I have been waiting for this day."

"Your Majesty, you must be careful when you enter the capital." Deer Mask calmed down his excitement and said, "The Jinyiwei in the capital are also investigating the Junshan Society. We must be extremely careful. Your Majesty, you should stay in this secret room and never go out. Everything will be arranged by our Junshan Society."

The coldness in the eyes of the Zhengtong Emperor flashed away, and he nodded with a smile on his face: "Of course! I understand, everyone is risking their lives to help me. I will remember it."

"Your Majesty, let's sit down and talk in detail." said the Deer Mask.

At this time, Xu Bin said, "Sir, His Majesty has come all the way here and hasn't had his meal yet."

Deer Mask was startled and stood up and said, "I'll go get ready. You guys stay here. I'll be back soon."

He strode away. The Zhengtong Emperor watched him go and sighed softly, "Well, aren't we prisoners?"

"Your Majesty, please be patient. This is all for your safety." Wu Xingdao said, "Next, we will prepare to replace the fake emperor."

(End of this chapter)