Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 299: False Emperor: Will the coup still happen?

The orthodox emperor was making tea himself. It was frosty outside, with a howling wind and making people shiver, but it was much warmer in the deserted well.

"Yes, it's just like the underground dragon in the Qianqing Palace." He laughed at himself.

Wu Xingdao just got up and saw the emperor making tea, so he went to take over the job. The Zhengtong Emperor waved his hand at him and said, "Military Advisor, I have nothing to do. Alas, I miss the days of reviewing memorials."

"Your Majesty, your life is just like drinking tea. There will always be sweetness after bitterness." Wu Xingdao sat down with a smile.

The Zhengtong Emperor picked up a book beside him and said, "Military Advisor, before Xu Bin comes back, tell me more about Emperor Taizong of Tang. Don't they all say that the fake emperor looks quite like Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

"Actually, he doesn't look like that. Emperor Taizong of Tang ruled the world with benevolence." Wu Xingdao frowned. "When the false emperor should have been ruthless, he was never merciful. He was also good at accepting the advantages of all parties."

The Zhengtong Emperor sighed: "So, he is even stronger than Emperor Taizong of Tang!"

Wu Xingdao raised his eyes and smiled: "Yes! Your Majesty, we must also acknowledge the strength of the pseudo-emperor, otherwise, we cannot have a correct understanding of him."

As the two were chatting, Xu Bin came back with food. Recently, he dressed up as a teacher of Shuntian University and went out to buy some food. Of course, Junshan Club Lao Lu would also make arrangements.

"Your Majesty, good news." Xu Bin came forward hastily, "Junshan Society has found a powerful helper."

The Zhengtong Emperor and Wu Xingdao were very curious, who? Can be called a powerful helper. Xu Bin came to sit beside them, with a gust of cold wind, but his face was excited: "It's the fox of Junshan Society. Old Deer doesn't know the identity of that person, but the mouse boss met the fox in person and took it very seriously. He said that with the fox, our plan is guaranteed."

"Great!" The Zhengtong Emperor slapped his thigh.

Xu Bin took out the food he brought back, and the three of them ate and chatted. The Zhengtong Emperor ate and said, "Gentlemen, while I have time now, please tell me about history. I know I can't become a saintly emperor, but I don't want to be like before. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Your Majesty~" Xu Bin had tears in his eyes.

He witnessed the emperor's growth along the way and felt really relieved and moved.

……

It was the winter solstice, and it snowed heavily.

The snowflakes were light and dense, silently covering every inch of land, every roof, and even the smallest branches, dressing the capital in silver and looking exceptionally enchanting.

Despite the strong wind, snow and biting cold, Emperor Zhu Qizhen still led the civil and military officials, stepped on the thick snow, slowly walked out of the palace and went to the Temple of Heaven to perform the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky.

"Winter Solstice is as important as New Year", and people attach great importance to this solar term. Every household, rich or poor, is busy on this day, preparing a variety of winter solstice delicacies, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, wontons...

After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, Zhu Qizhen did not take a carriage, but rode to Prince Run and asked with a smile: "Brother, let's ride together to the outside of the city to enjoy the snow?"

"Your Majesty, this is exactly what I have been asking for." Prince Run Zhu Zunyuan was overjoyed.

So, the group rode out of the city. Outside the city was a vast expanse of white. They stopped by a river. King Run sighed, "This is the first time I've seen snow."

He was born in Southeast Asia, where it never snowed, so he was very curious about everything, especially the frozen river, which he found incredible and magical, and he could run on it.

The accompanying guards built a huge fire by the river, and Zhu Qizhen sat down by the fire and roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes himself. Zhu Zunyuan was tired from running, so he came over and sat down beside him, saying, "Your Majesty, these sweet potatoes and yams are also popular in our Nanyang, and they were all passed on from the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

I have changed history, right? The Ming Dynasty first discovered America and spread the crops there to all parts of the world.

"Brother, you are now the Prince of Run in the Ming Dynasty, not a Nanyang person anymore." Zhu Qizhen reminded him and asked with a smile, "Are you used to living in the capital?"

Zhu Zunyuan nodded repeatedly and said excitedly: "That's much better than Nanyang. The capital of the Ming Dynasty is already the capital of the world."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly: "Do you want to come out and do something? We are all members of the Zhu family. This world will eventually need people of the Zhu family to govern it. Only then will I feel at ease."

Zhu Zunyuan was obviously stunned for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, I am not familiar with it yet. Once I am familiar with it, I will definitely serve Your Majesty."

"Very good." Zhu Qizhen handed him a sweet potato.

Zhu Zunyuan took it and began to eat it, then asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, is there something else you want me to do today?"

"It's okay, I'm just having fun." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile, "Come to think of it, you and I are a bit alike. We almost couldn't become members of the Zhu family. After I came back from Tumubao, I was really walking on thin ice."

Zhu Zunyuan was about to speak, but stopped talking. Finally, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful. How can a minister compare to you?"

……

After the winter solstice, the days become shorter.

They played until the afternoon, and then returned to the capital. Zhu Zunyuan entered the palace and rushed to the study. The servants had already lit a fire inside, as it was too cold outside.

But as soon as he entered the room, he saw Xiyao sitting there coldly.

"Oh, you, a palace maid, are very free." Zhu Zunyuan walked forward with a smile.

"The emperor invited you to enjoy the snow. What did you talk about?" Xiyao asked coldly.

Zhu Zunyuan spread his hands: "It's just for fun, what can we talk about?"

Xiyao stood up suddenly, walked in front of him, and stared at him: "Listen to me, the emperor is looking for you, he may be suspicious of you, you have to be careful with your words."

"I understand, I didn't say anything." Zhu Zunyuan shrugged.

Xiyao stared at him for a while with a sharp gaze, then said, "After the New Year, you can go to Fengyang. A house has already been chosen there."

Zhu Zunyuan smiled slightly, sat down on the chair, and said indifferently: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Xiyao snorted coldly and walked away without looking back. Zhu Zunyuan looked at her back, a hint of coldness appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he whispered to himself: "Want to kick me away? Don't blame me for being cruel."

Xiyao left the palace and quickly turned a few streets to the market. She wanted to buy some food and go back to Shuntian University. She had taken a leave of absence for the past two days and was attending classes at the university.

After buying the groceries, she walked slowly by herself, but her heart was beating wildly. She whispered to herself coldly: "I can't let him become a variable!"

After saying this, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

After entering Shuntian University, she instantly regained her lovely girlish appearance, shook the basket towards Li Ling who was coming towards her, and said, "Sister Ling, I bought some vegetables. Come to my yard to eat today."

Li Ling was accompanied by a Western girl, who introduced her to Xiyao: "This is Isabella, a Spaniard, who wants to learn medicine from the Ming Dynasty."

"Hello." Xiyao greeted enthusiastically, "If my master were still alive, you could learn from him." Isabella was also enthusiastic: "I read Mr. Yao's class notes, they are amazing."

The three of them walked and talked and returned to the courtyard of the school building area.

……

Qianqing Palace.

After Zhu Qizhen came back, he was dealing with urgent matters quickly. He had recently handed over many matters to the cabinet to deal with. He felt that he could not learn from Taizu. Dealing with hundreds of matters every day was too tiring.

"Your Majesty, Lord Shi from the Embroidered Uniform Guard requests to see you." Cao Jixiang came to report.

Zhu Qizhen stretched and took a break. After Shi Biao came in to pay his respects, he reported: "Your Majesty, Sun Lian confessed last time. I checked Cao Qin and Jiang Tinggui. They probably don't know anything. It was just a test by the Junshan Society to win them over, but they gave up in the end."

"One is Cao Jixiang's adopted son, and the other is Xu Youzhen's son-in-law." Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly, "They really know how to find people to drag Cao Jixiang and Xu Youzhen into the water. They are all people around me."

Shi Biao suddenly had an idea: "Your Majesty, it seems that I can follow this path to investigate the Junshan Society. The people that the Junshan Society is looking for must be related to Your Majesty, or can be close to Your Majesty."

"I have imposed too many restrictions on you Jinyiwei on a daily basis, so you can't move freely." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "From now on, you should be bolder. If something goes wrong, I will cover it for you."

Shi Biao was overjoyed.

Because the Jinyiwei had been impeached after the Battle of Tumu, the emperor had stricter requirements on the Jinyiwei, so that the Jinyiwei was restricted. Now with His Majesty's words, he was more confident.

"I am still naive. I even thought about abolishing the Jinyiwei." Zhu Qizhen laughed at himself.

He himself was unconsciously influenced by Confucianism. A so-called wise ruler would certainly not use inspectors to monitor officials. That was a method used by people like Wu Zetian who came to power illegitimately.

"Fuck! My position is even more illegitimate than Wu Zetian's," Zhu Qizhen thought.

Shi Biao pondered for a while and continued to report: "Your Majesty, according to Sun Lian's confession, Prince Ning may have hidden the fake emperor and his men in the palace at that time. If this is true, their ultimate target is you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen curled his lips into a sneer.

Will history end up the same way? Will there be another coup? Should I give them a chance, use their own tactics against them, and completely eliminate the orthodox emperor?

No, in the hearts of the people of the world, that false emperor has already died in the fire, so there is no need for me to do this.

"You continue to investigate." Zhu Qizhen said coldly, "If necessary, you don't need to report to me. If you find the Junshan Society or the false emperor, kill them on the spot."

"As you command." Shi Biao bowed and thought for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, I have an idea. Sun Lian is no longer useful. Why don't I let him go and use him as bait to see if the people from Junshan Society will take the bait."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up: "Okay, from now on, you Jinyiwei will make your own decisions on these matters. You don't have to report to me anymore. I just want to see the results."

……

At dusk, it started snowing again.

Zhu Qizhen walked on the path of the harem, neither hurried nor slow. The palace lanterns lit up one by one. The dim light cast mottled shadows on the snow, adding a warm and hazy atmosphere to this deep harem.

The branches were covered with snow, hanging down heavily. Occasionally, a gust of wind blew and tiny snowflakes fell, like the gentle sigh of time. In the distance, pavilions and towers were looming in the snow, like towers in a fairyland. The air was filled with a faint chill and freshness, which made people feel peaceful.

He liked to walk alone, so that his mind was clearest and he could review some things. Unconsciously, he arrived at Kunning Palace. The palace was very warm, he took off his coat and looked up at the demon queen who was half lying on the soft mat.

The demon queen wore a thin long dress, revealing a charming curve in her figure. Her black hair was casually scattered behind her, and her beautiful face looked a little haggard, as if she was worried about something.

"Are you feeling melancholy today?" Zhu Qizhen approached and asked with concern, "I haven't seen you for two days. How come you have lost so much weight?"

The Demon Queen smiled faintly, her temperament was demure and elegant, and she sighed softly: "Maybe it's too stuffy. Now that the earth dragon is turned on, it's not cold anymore, but I still feel stuffy."

"Bored?" Zhu Qizhen blinked.

He leaned over, held her beautiful cheeks with his hands, and kissed her domineeringly. The demon queen blinked slightly, then slowly closed her eyes, stretched out her hands to hook his neck, and responded gently.

Gradually, the two of them embraced each other, and Zhu Qizhen became gentle and kissed passionately. I don't know how long it took before they stopped. Zhu Qizhen hugged her waist and thought to himself that he and the Demon Queen were really devoted together. It seems that if he wants to completely repair it, he still needs the Demon Queen.

"How about going to the palace on the top of the mountain for the New Year this year?" Zhu Qizhen asked softly.

"Hmm." The Demon Queen lowered her eyes.

Zhu Qizhen gently stroked her hair, smelling the fragrance and said, "If you are really bored, you can go abroad to play after the spring next year. You only live once, so you should see more of the world so that your trip is not in vain."

"Overseas?" The Demon Queen raised her beautiful eyes.

She had never thought about going abroad, but Zhu Qizhen's words made her heart waver. Going abroad to a place where no one knew her and spending the rest of her life there was actually not bad.

"Can you go with me?" She put her arms around his neck and asked tenderly.

Zhu Qizhen shook his head: "I definitely can't leave."

The Queen blinked her bright eyes, and a look of disappointment flashed across her mature and charming face: "It seems that I am still not beautiful enough to make you love beauty more than the country."

That's for sure!
There are many beautiful women in the world. I am the emperor, and the thing I have no shortage of is beautiful women.

Zhu Qizhen complained in his heart, but smiled and said, "I have the whole country in my mind. Hehe, I want to go out and have fun. Do you think the cabinet agrees? Not to mention going abroad, they will stop me even if I go to Jiangnan."

"You should be happy to have such a minister." The demon queen lowered her eyes.

She was thinking about other things in her mind. She didn't want a tragic ending. If there could be some change, she would be willing to do so.

"Okay, I'm going to the cabinet." Zhu Qizhen patted her slender waist gently.

The Demon Queen hooked her arms around his neck and refused to let go, leaning into his arms: "No, I want you to stay with me."

Zhu Qizhen laughed dumbly, pinched her cheek, and glared: "Why, you really want to be a demon queen... um..."

His lips were blocked by the Demon Queen, who hooked her arms around his neck and offered him a kiss. After a long while, she let go, her face flushed, and glared, "Okay, go!"

"Yes." Zhu Qizhen pinched her waist.

The Demon Queen slowly let him go, looking reluctant. Zhu Qizhen had a feeling that the Demon Queen had been taking more initiative recently, and something must have happened.

(End of this chapter)