Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 288 The Demon Queen Collapses: I Have No Face to See the Late Emperor

Ming Trading Company.

Zhu Qizhen came out of the guild hall and came here to see Chao Xiaotian. Before he entered the door, he saw Chao Xiaotian sitting alone on the street not far from the door, squatting there smoking.

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen felt somewhat disillusioned.

Damn, cigarettes are finally spreading. Using cigarettes and alcohol to earn money from men, now you have to come up with makeup and skin care products to earn money from women.

"Xiaotian, what are you worried about?" Zhu Qizhen shouted.

"Master?" Chao Xiaotian was overjoyed and ran up to him. "Are you fully healed? I've wanted to see you for a long time, but Brother Shi said you were in the Imperial Guards, so it's not convenient."

Zhu Qizhen pulled him to sit down and said, "Your injury has healed a long time ago. I've been a little busy recently. Why are you smoking here alone?"

Chao Xiaotian took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhu Qizhen, saying, "Master, you are right, this is good stuff. Men need this to keep them going. I plan to build a cigarette factory in Ming Dynasty as well."

"I don't smoke." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand. "Smoking is harmful to health. You have to print this sentence. You can't smoke all the time. Do you know? You will get lung cancer."

Of course Chao Xiaotian didn't understand what lung cancer was. He was addicted now and couldn't stop smoking. So he changed the subject: "Master, I haven't seen Master's wife for a long time. Is she okay?"

"Very good." Zhu Qizhen said unhappily, "You have made me angry a lot."

Chao Xiaotian frowned and sighed: "I really envy you and Master's wife."

Zhu Qizhen sensed something was wrong and asked, "Did you and Qi Shu quarrel again? As a man, don't argue with a woman."

"Master." Chao Xiaotian said, "I feel like she betrayed me."

"Ah?" Zhu Qizhen widened his eyes.

Looking at Xiaotian's surprised expression, she quickly explained: "It's not that kind of betrayal. She didn't find another man."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and smiled: "Then it's not a matter of principle."

"Oh, you can't explain it clearly to Master. I'll ask Master's wife when I see her one day." Chao Xiaotian stood up and said, "Master, let's go to Taibai Tower and I'll treat you to a drink."

Zhu Qizhen did not refuse, knowing that this boy had something on his mind. In fact, he could guess what it was, after all, Ding Xiu had reported everything about Qi Shu.

"Okay, let me tell you about Nanyang." Zhu Qizhen said, "Your Ming Dynasty trading company is expanding rapidly and is going to start a monopoly trade."

……

Night falls.

The night swallowed up the towering palaces and winding corridors one by one in the endless darkness. The late autumn wind, with a bit of chill, shuttled between the palace walls, making a long and fragmented hum.

Zhu Qizhen had just returned from Taibai Restaurant and had slept till now. Xiyao served him a cup of sobering tea at the right time, and the fragrance of tea was lingering. He took the teacup, took a sip, and the warmth went straight to his heart. Then he washed his face with cold water, completely dispelling the remaining drunkenness, and his eyes gradually became clear.

Outside the palace, the world was completely occupied by the night. A cold moon hung high in the sky, shining silver light, but it seemed particularly cold and without any warmth. It quietly illuminated the sleeping palace, adding a bit of loneliness to the already quiet night.

Zhu Qizhen walked out of the hall and headed towards the six ministries.

"Your Majesty, please take the sedan chair." Cao Jixiang followed.

"No need. Walking will make you more awake." Zhu Qizhen strode away, and a group of eunuchs and palace maids had to follow closely.

He came to the cabinet, where a charcoal fire was already burning. A middle-aged man was sitting beside the fire, concentrating on reading a report. Zhu Qizhen asked the eunuchs and palace maids to stay outside, and he went in.

"Sir Shangshu, I'm busy." He shouted with a smile.

The one who was concentrating on reading the report was Yang Shan, the Minister of Rites. When he saw the emperor standing in front of him, he quickly stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you..."

"Alright, alright." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand, "Why are you on duty?"

Yang Shan looked helpless and said, "He was captured by Lord Xu. There have been many things going on recently, and the cabinet cannot be short of people on duty. He is worried about the young people, so he will let the ministers of the six ministries take turns to take duty."

"That's a good idea." Zhu Qizhen laughed and pulled a stool to sit next to the charcoal brazier. "Although you are in charge of the Ministry of Rites, you are a senior official in the court. I am relieved to have you take charge."

Yang Shan did not join the cabinet, and neither did Chen Xun and Gao Gu, two of the six ministers. Zhu Qizhen did not want the cabinet to be too large, so he only used a few people, and those young university scholars were actually just responsible for copying and writing.

"Your Majesty, the imperial examination will be held next year." Yang Shan said, "I have already started preparing. This time, it is estimated that there will be 20,000 people participating in the examination."

"That's good. The Ming Dynasty is full of talented people." Zhu Qizhen said.

Yang Shan smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Examination Hall is a bit small, and the Ministry of Rites is planning to build another one."

Zhu Qizhen knew what he was going to say and glared at him: "You want money? I don't have any. Go to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for it."

"Chen Xun is just a bricklayer. Your Majesty, you need to issue an order to him." Yang Shan was speechless. "I asked him for money, but he said he had none and asked me to find a way myself. What can I do?"

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "From now on, each department should have its own small treasury."

Yang Shan was overjoyed: "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Qizhen was very upset: "Don't talk nonsense, what I mean is that we need to have a budget system."

The two chatted by the fire for half an hour before Zhu Qizhen got up and returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Yang Shan stared at his receding figure in a daze for a long time.

"Ah, Your Majesty." Yang Shan sighed softly, "This Ming Dynasty will only get better and better in your hands. I...I am sorry for you."

……

The night is intoxicating.

Zhu Qizhen flipped over the card of Jingwen today. She is the new concubine in the palace. He likes Youlan and Jingwen, one is elegant and the other is fiery. But the elegant Youlan is already pregnant, so he has to find the fiery Jingwen.

"Your Majesty, I have learned a piece of music recently." Jingwen blinked her beautiful eyes, "I will play it for you.

She stood up lightly, walked to the table beside her, and with her slender fingers, she gently opened a beautifully crafted brocade box. In the box lay a delicately carved jade flute. She picked it up casually, and then a melodious and clear melody sounded leisurely. The sound was cold and lonely, just like the plum blossoms that bloomed proudly in winter, untainted by dust and unique in the wind and frost.

Zhu Qizhen watched and listened, thinking that this was not her style. Who did she learn this from?
The melodious music was very penetrating, reaching the deepest part of people's hearts. Even the Demon Queen who happened to pass by could not help but catch this melody in her ears. For a moment, the loneliness deep in her heart was quietly awakened, as if she was instantly caught in a snowflake flying all over the sky. She was surrounded by an indescribable and unexpressible sorrow, which weighed heavily on her heart and could not be shaken off.

"Jingwen can also play music?" She looked up quietly.

"She learned it from Miss Xiyao. I met her in the Imperial Garden the day before yesterday." Shuangxi said.

A cold look flashed across the corner of the Demon Queen's mouth: "Xiyao was born in a scholarly family in Jiangnan, so it's not surprising that she knows these things. But this song sounds really sad."

Zhu Qizhen had no idea that the witch queen had passed by and was quietly admiring Jingwen's beauty.

Jingwen closed her eyes and played the music elegantly, as if she was expressing her inner loneliness and sadness. Soon the song ended, she slowly opened her eyes and met Zhu Qizhen's clear gaze.

"The song is nice, but a little sad." Zhu Qizhen asked, "Are you unhappy in the palace?"

Jingwen shook her head: "This is what Xiyao taught me."

Zhu Qizhen paused, thinking that Xiyao, that girl, smiles all day long, but her heart is in another world. She must be unhappy, and she didn't want to stay in the palace from the beginning.

When the time comes, fulfill her wish.

"Okay, it's late at night, we don't need to cultivate our sentiments." Zhu Qizhen whitewashed his finger.

Jingwen walked over and leaned into his arms softly. He gently held her waist and stroked her with his big hands, full of tenderness and love. The elegant fragrance from her body, like a wisp of light smoke, quietly ignited the heat in his heart. His eyes moved between her cheeks and body. She had a graceful figure, and every line was just right, flawless.

Her body trembled a little, and she said softly, "I will go take a bath first."

"Okay, I'll wait." Zhu Qizhen let her go.

Jingwen's pretty face turned slightly red, she glared at him with a little shame and anger, then stood up and went to the back hall.

Zhu Qizhen lay lazily on the couch, looking at the moonlight outside the window.

Not long after, Jingwen came out of the bath, wearing a white gauze underdress. Her two snow-white and straight legs were eye-catching. She stood in front of Zhu Qizhen in a coquettish manner.

Soon, the sound of fighting began.

……

Autumn in the north is colder than in the south. Zhu Qizhen had few memorials these days, so he left the palace in the afternoon. He liked to travel incognito. He wandered to the Hongwu Military Academy. He wanted to walk around by himself, but heard that there were new girls recruited.

Unexpectedly, he ran into Shi Heng as soon as he entered the door. This guy dragged him to the military academy's training room, where there was the largest sand table in the Ming Dynasty, occupying an entire floor, simulating the map of the entire Western Region.

Everyone needs to stand on the second floor for the sand table simulation.

"Your Majesty, we are currently rehearsing. Come and have a look." Shi Heng said, "Today it's Yu Qian versus Zhang Lun. It's going to be very exciting."

When Zhu Qizhen entered the practice room, everyone knelt to greet him. Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite. There is no room to move around here. You can do whatever you need to do. I will just watch and not say anything."

He came to the second floor and stood in the best viewing position. Yu Qian and Zhang Lun each held a long stick at both ends of the sand table. As long as they pointed with the stick, the guards below would place the soldiers at the specific location on the sand table.

Yu Qian was on the side of the Timurid Empire, and Zhang Lun was naturally on the side of the Ming Empire.

The two sides engaged in a fierce offensive and defensive battle on the sand table. Although it was just a simulation, the onlookers were also terrified. After two hours, the two sides were in a stalemate.

"I think we should stop here today." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "You can fight again another day. I am hungry."

After he made some comments, the crowd dispersed. He called Yu Qian, and the two walked and talked on the path in the campus. Yu Qian sighed: "Your Majesty is in good health, which is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty, you must learn from your mistakes and don't leave the palace casually."

"I was negligent last time, otherwise, who could have hurt me?" Zhu Qizhen said arrogantly.

"Your Majesty, you are in the open, and the assassin is in the dark." Yu Qian said, "You are defenseless."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Old Yu, do you think there will be assassins who will come to kill me?"

Yu Qian nodded affirmatively and spread his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is now expanding across the world, and there are many forces hostile to the Ming Dynasty. They all want to assassinate Your Majesty."

"Is it so serious? How come I didn't know?" Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Yu Qian said with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, Chagatai has been destroyed, right? Now the trade routes are open, and Chagatai's people, as well as those in Mobei, can come to the capital. Among them, there are quite a few who hate us. If they knew you were the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, they would take action."

"If I die, the world will be in chaos." Zhu Qizhen's eyes flashed, "Now that you put it that way, I really have to be careful."

Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, it's good that you have this awareness. Don't leave the palace casually in the future."

"Let's go to Taibai Tower for a drink." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

Yu Qian: “!!!”

……

Fahai Temple.

The Demon Queen came, but today the abbot of the temple did not come to greet her in person. In the past, every time she came, the abbot would come to greet her in person. The Demon Queen did not care about this, but just asked curiously: "Isn't the abbot in the temple?"

"Madam, the abbot is seriously ill." A young monk answered with a sad face.

The demon queen was shocked. She had known the abbot for more than 20 years. When she was young and came to this Zen temple, she knew the abbot. At that time, the abbot was following another person.

That person was Yao Guangxiao. In the temple, everyone called him Master Daoyan. Daoyan was a strange person. He wore court clothes to attend court during the day, and changed into monk clothes to chant sutras at night.

Daoyan lived in the Fahai Temple for a long time. It was in this temple that the Demon Queen met Daoyan. Daoyan touched her bones and said something that she would never forget.

"Girl, if you were a man, you could be an emperor."

Of course the Demon Queen didn't believe it. Divination and fortune-telling were just tricks to fool people. Later, Daoyan taught the Demon Queen a lot of things and never mentioned the bone-touching incident again.

"I will go to see the abbot." The Demon Queen came to her senses and said to the little monk.

The young monk brought the demon queen to the abbot's room, which was very simply furnished. Although the abbot was sick, he still sat on the cushion and meditated.

"Your Majesty, you are here." The host did not stand up this time.

He waved his hand, and the young monk went down, followed by the Queen's Shuangxi, who also stood outside the door. The Queen sat down on the chair, looked at the pale-faced host, and said, "Master, what's wrong with you? I'll ask the imperial physician to come and see you."

"No need, my time is coming to an end." The host smiled, "Madam, Master Daoyan left some scriptures. They are in the Zen room in the backyard, next to where you often rest. Haha, I will leave those things to you when I am gone."

The Demon Queen was shocked and raised her eyes to ask, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It's not a big deal." The host smiled faintly, "Your Highness and the Master, although you don't have the title of master and disciple, there is a master-disciple relationship. I don't want Your Highness to recall the past."

The Demon Queen also calmed down and said, "Master Daoyan has a disciple. Pass those things to his disciple."

"So the queen knows everything." The host nodded slowly, "If the queen doesn't need it, give it to Sanxiao."

Seeing that the host was having trouble breathing, the demon queen did not bother him any more and left. After burning incense and worshipping Buddha, she came to the meditation room in the backyard. Remembering what the host said, she pushed open the door of the meditation room.

Although there was no master in this Zen room, it was obvious that someone cleaned it regularly, so it was very clean. There was a bookshelf on the wall, filled with books.

The host was talking about these scriptures, which were left by Yao Guangxiao, and many of them were his notes. The Demon Queen reached out and picked up a book, opened it, and slowly scanned it.

The autumn sun shone in the Zen temple, and the breeze brought a cool breeze. Shuangxi stood at the door, staring at the tree in the yard in a daze. After an unknown amount of time, the demon queen's sorrowful cry suddenly came from the Zen room: "Demon monk! You are harming me, harming me!"

Bang!

There was a loud noise, as if something fell to the ground.

Shuangxi was shocked and immediately pushed the door open. He saw the Demon Queen holding her head, her beautiful face full of tears, and she kept shouting, "The demon monk has misled me, the demon monk has misled me. I have no face to go down to see the late emperor, the demon monk has misled me."

The bookshelf fell to the ground, and the books were scattered all over the floor.

“My queen, my queen.” Shuangxi stepped forward to support the demon queen, “Calm down, this is Fahai Temple.”

……

Night falls.

Zhu Qizhen came back from outside the palace and went to Kunning Palace. He couldn't ignore the witch queen. Kunning Palace was still the same as before. The eunuchs and palace maids were left outside. Only Shuangxi was left in the palace, so it was very quiet.

He walked in and saw only the flickering candlelight but no one.

"You came."

Following a gentle and charming voice of a queen, the demon queen slowly came over from the side and threw herself into his arms, her cold and beautiful face slightly raised. Her long black hair, as smooth as a waterfall, gently fell down, adding a bit of laziness and charm. She was wearing a light and thin gauze undergarment, half-covering and half-hiding, her spring scenery was looming.

Under the flickering candlelight, her skin seemed to be covered with a soft and charming halo, delicate and smooth, like the finest silk in the world, without a single flaw to be found.

Finally, he gently held her jaw and slowly applied force to lift her cheek. Their eyes were closely intertwined at this moment. It seemed as if there were thousands of words being communicated silently in the depths of their eyes. A subtle and strong tension filled the air. He chuckled, "Did you not take your medicine? Are you sick again?"

"Hate."

The Queen glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, reached out to take away his hand that was pinching her chin, and pressed it tightly against her, blinking her beautiful eyes slightly: "When are you going to stay in the courtyard for a while?"

Haha, there must be a conspiracy.

Zhu Qizhen muttered in his heart, gently stroked her long hair, and smiled: "After a while."

There was a clear flash of sadness in the demon queen's beautiful eyes. She seemed to have an illusion that he was not as enthusiastic as before. Before, he had always been looking forward to living in the courtyard.

"What happened today?" Zhu Qizhen asked with his head down.

The Demon Queen did not answer him. Instead, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him directly on the lips, domineering and proactive.

After a long time, the lips opened.

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath and said, "I almost suffocated to death."

The enchantress's pretty face, which was still rosy, instantly turned a deeper crimson, and mist like a veil seemed to rise from her beautiful eyes, adding a bit of haziness and temptation. She glanced at him charmingly, pursed her red lips, and uttered a soft, lingering, and seductive whisper: "It's useless now."

"Are you provoking me?" Zhu Qizhen hugged her tightly.

The Demon Queen slightly raised her slender neck, her long hair falling down, and pursed her red lips: "So what?"

(End of this chapter)