Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 277: The True Emperor Collapses: The False Emperor Humiliates My Beloved Concubine in Person

Taibai Restaurant.

Zhang Lun took Yu Qian up to the second floor, sat down by the window, and said, "Sir, I have missed you all these years in Southeast. Without your guidance, I would not be where I am today."

"You have grown up a lot and can speak nice words now." Yu Qian glared, "Invite me to have a few more drinks, it's better than just talking."

Zhang Lun laughed and nodded, then looked at Yu Qian and sighed, "Sir, your hair has turned white."

Yu Qian spread his hands in annoyance: "I will soon be sixty, but my hair is not white? I am old, and the Ming Dynasty will be handed over to you young people in the future."

Zhang Lun shook his head, his face extremely serious: "Sir, the Ming Dynasty still needs you. You are not even sixty yet. Look at my grandfather, he is almost eighty and still works as an instructor. His Majesty said that the Ming Dynasty will expand its territory and become the empire on which the sun never sets. How can we do without you, sir?"

Yu Qian frowned slightly, took a sip of wine, and said, "The Ming Dynasty is already very powerful now. Isn't it good to let the people live a stable life? Why does Your Majesty want to start an expedition?"

"I know. His Majesty told me." Zhang Lun raised his eyes and asked, "Sir, do you know the law of the Dark Forest?"

Yu Qian shook his head in confusion: "What do you mean?"

Zhang Lun put down his glass and began to explain:
"This world is like a dark forest. Every civilization is a hunter with a gun, sneaking through the woods like a ghost, gently pushing aside the branches that block the way, trying not to make any sound with his footsteps, and even breathing must be careful. This is because there are hunters sneaking around like him everywhere in the forest. If he finds other lives, there is only one thing he can do: shoot and kill them. In this forest, other people are hell, an eternal threat, and any life that exposes its existence will be quickly destroyed."

After hearing this novel theory, Yu Qian nodded slowly: "Your Majesty has a long-term vision, but now we are almost the strongest hunter, what are you worried about?"

Zhang Lun shook his head again and again and said:

"Survival is the first need of all civilizations. This means that every civilization puts its own survival first and protects itself at all costs. The current Ming Dynasty can only protect itself, but this is far from enough."

"If we don't expand, others will continue to expand, but the total amount of material in the world remains unchanged. This leads to resource competition and potential conflicts between civilizations."

“Due to the lack of effective communication and trust mechanisms between civilizations, each civilization cannot be sure of the intentions and capabilities of other civilizations and therefore tends to assume the worst, that is, to regard other civilizations as potential enemies.”

"And the most important point is that a civilization may achieve rapid technological development in a short period of time, thereby rapidly improving its strength. This means that even civilizations that seem backward at present may pose a threat in the future. Sir, before Tumu Fortress, can you imagine the Ming Dynasty today?"

Yu Qian seemed to understand and nodded slowly: "So, we must become the overlord first."

Zhang Lun picked up his glass, clinked it with his, and said, "This is what His Majesty told me. He named it the Dark Forest Law."

"Your Majesty knows so much." A complex look flashed across Yu Qian's eyes.

Zhang Lun took a sip of wine and said, "His Majesty said that if we are not strong, we will be beaten up by those small kingdoms in the West in the future and suffer humiliation for a hundred years."

Yu Qian shuddered suddenly.

He thought of the Duke of England's words again, saying that His Majesty came from the future. Could it be true? That's why he knows so much? Is it because we were invaded by foreign countries in the future? Did His Majesty travel back in time to change?
"It is a blessing for the people of Ming Dynasty that they have Your Majesty." He sighed softly.

Zhang Lun rolled his eyes: "Sir, why are you still frowning?"

Yu Qian smiled and shook his head: "I'm just worried about the war ahead."

"After we finish drinking, let's go to the military academy for simulation. They say there's a huge sand table there." Zhang Lun was eager to try. "I also want to know Yang Guifang's next attack plan."

Yu Qian seemed to be in high spirits, and he gulped down a glass and said, "Good!"

……

After they finished drinking, they went downstairs and were about to get on the carriage. Zhang Lun looked up and saw Ding Xiu eating a sesame cake on the street. He called out, "Old Ding, why are you here?"

Ding Xiu's eagle-like eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he hurried to the front of their carriage and whispered, "Don't shout, I'm on a mission."

"Who are you following again?" Zhang Lun held his forehead with his hand. "You Jinyiwei just like to play this game. Old Ding, I'll buy you a drink some other day."

Ding Xiu was also happy to see Zhang Lun: "Yes, I need to drink, but I don't have time recently. You are coming back to get married, so you shouldn't leave so quickly. Let's make an appointment later."

Yu Qian, who was standing by, glanced at him, then turned to Zhang Lun and said, "He's a very busy man now. I may not even be able to get him a date for a drink."

Ding Xiu glanced at the two of them, smiling: "You know, I've been investigating the Junshan Society recently. By the way, you two bosses, do you have any news about the Junshan Society? Has the Junshan Society contacted you?"

"I'm in the southeast." Zhang Lun said unhappily.

Yu Qian snorted coldly: "How about taking me to your prison and torture me?"

Ding Xiu waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, no."

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out quickly, without even saying hello, and headed towards the opposite side. Zhang Lun rolled his eyes and was about to call him, but Yu Qian stopped him and pointed to the opposite side: "He is following someone."

"That girl?" Zhang Lun followed his gaze. "Hey, isn't that girl the wife of Chao Xiaotian from Daming Trading Company?" Yu Qian was puzzled.

Zhang Lun had not been in the capital for the past few years and did not know the situation. Yu Qian explained to him and said that Chao Xiaotian was the emperor's apprentice and that the emperor was using him to plan overseas.

"Chao Xiaotian, of course I know." Zhang Lun spread his hands, "Their fleet of the Daming Trading Company is rampant in the South Seas and the West Seas, and it cannot do without the help of our fleet."

Yu Qian glared: "I know, you are now the Pirate King that His Majesty mentioned. No one dares to mess with you on the sea. When the Portuguese see you, they stay away from you."

"Tsk, we'll beat them up every time we see them." Zhang Lun snorted disdainfully, "They're still trying to seize our island. To me, Westerners are all fucking barbarians."

Yu Qian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's go back to the military academy for the sand table simulation. Shi Heng and Zheng Hong are waiting for you."

……

Qianqing Palace.

Ding Xiu came in to report to the emperor that, apart from Shi Biao, he was the only Jinyiwei who had the qualifications to face the emperor directly. Zhu Qizhen was reviewing memorials and asked without even looking up, "What's new?"

"Your Majesty, I suspect that the Qi family brought the fake emperor back to the capital." Ding Xiu said.

Zhu Qizhen looked up suddenly, put down the pen in his hand, and frowned: "Suspicion?"

"Yes, we haven't found any evidence yet." Ding Xiu continued to report, "The Qi family's fleet went to Istanbul with the Ming Trading Company's fleet last time. They brought back a group of descendants of the Central Plains people who were there. After those people came to Beijing, some of them entered Shuntian University."

"I know all of this." Zhu Qizhen said.

Ding Xiu frowned. "I dealt with those people at Shuntian University, and I learned from one of them that there were a few people from the Central Plains on the ship at the time. They had been in the bottom of the cabin, and he discovered them by accident. However, he couldn't be sure whether those people came to the capital, because when the ship was in Southeast Asia, a group of people from the Central Plains got off the ship and stayed in Southeast Asia."

"You are right to suspect. If those people were not suspicious, why would they be hiding in the bottom of the cabin?" Zhu Qizhen said coldly.

Ding Xiu's eyes flashed sharply, and he said, "Your Majesty, do you want to arrest him? Once he's in the imperial prison, there are plenty of ways to interrogate him."

"If we don't find out, we'll alert the enemy." Zhu Qizhen asked, "Are you absolutely sure?"

Ding Xiu thought for a moment and shook his head: "If they dare to do it, they must be well prepared to deal with it. Even if Qi Feng is arrested, I am not sure I can get the answer from him."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Then keep watching."

"Yes, sir." Ding Xiu nodded in acceptance.

Zhu Qizhen suddenly sneered and said, "I do have a way to provoke the fake emperor, if he is really hiding in the capital."

"What method?" Ding Xiu looked up.

……

It was a clear and crisp autumn day, and the banks of the Gaoliang River were crowded with people.

Today, a grand lake cruise was held on the Gaoliang River, and this event was hosted by the imperial court. Its grand scale and momentum were enough to prove the importance the imperial court attached to this celebration. There were even rumors that the emperor and his concubines would be present to enjoy the autumn scenery with the people.

The Ministry of Rites has put a lot of thought into hosting this event, striving to fully display the prosperity and charm of the capital of the Ming Dynasty. They have not only carefully arranged the scenery on both sides of the river, making every place full of flowers and fragrant, but also specially arranged a variety of programs and performances to attract tourists and people from all over the world. From the melodious ancient music performances to the wonderful acrobatic performances, from the exquisite handicrafts display to the delicious special snacks, all of them reflect the prosperity and diversity of the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

The ultimate goal of the Ministry of Rites is to build the Ming capital into a world capital.

The Zhengtong Emperor wore a turban and a face scarf, dressed like a Westerner, followed by Yuan Bin who was dressed in the same way. They squeezed out of the crowd and held onto the railing on the shore.

"First, there are the flower boats from overseas." Yuan Bin looked up at the river and said, "They all have their own characteristics."

The Zhengtong Emperor sighed: "Ships from all nations have gathered here. The Ming Dynasty has already had such a strong appeal."

As they were watching, suddenly, there was a cheer from the crowd. It turned out that the emperor's dragon boat had arrived. Zhu Qizhen was standing at the bow, holding a beautiful woman in his arms.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Which concubine is that? She is so beautiful."

"Hey, why doesn't this concubine look like someone from the Central Plains?"

At this moment, the orthodox emperor was struck by lightning, stunned on the spot, and then his eyes were spitting fire, and his fists were clenched tightly, because he knew the beauty, her was his beloved concubine at that time: Bulma.

She was wearing a luxurious purple palace dress, which outlined her charming and perfect body curves. She snuggled obediently in Zhu Qizhen's arms. The breeze blew, and her skirt fluttered, making her figure more graceful and ethereal.

"She...she...betrayed me?" The orthodox emperor whispered with gritted teeth.

(End of this chapter)