Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 311: The True Emperor: I Move to the Imperial Guard Prison
The Empress and Concubine Zhou died one after another. People outside the palace did not know the truth, but some ministers also felt that something was wrong. After the morning court session, Yu Qian and Xu Youzhen walked side by side. Yu Qian looked up at the gray sky and sighed: "The storm is coming!"

"Why are you so sentimental, Duke Xia?" Xu Youzhen smiled. "A new year has begun. I think the Ming Dynasty is thriving. Hahaha, wait and see, good days are yet to come."

Yu Qian just laughed it off.

Xu Youzhen put his hands behind his back and smiled slightly: "His Majesty sent you to pick up the five pseudo-vassal kings because he didn't want to cause a big commotion. Don't enter from Deshengmen, just enter from... Fuchengmen, keep a low profile."

There are nine gates in the capital, and each gate actually has a special purpose.

Zhengyang Gate: The most magnificent of all the city gates, it was the gate used exclusively by the emperor. The gate was closed all year round and was only opened when the emperor went to the Temple of Heaven to "offer sacrifices to the heaven" or to the Temple of Agriculture to "plough the fields". Ordinary officials could only enter and exit through the gates on both sides of the city wall, and ordinary civilians were strictly prohibited from setting foot there. It was also called the "national gate".

Chongwen Gate: Wine carts were used to bring in fine wine and delicacies consumed by the nobles of the capital city. Among the eight gates, Chongwen Gate is considered the "Jing Gate", which means brightness and prosperity. People who entered the capital to take the imperial examinations entered through this gate.

Xuanwu Gate: Prisoner's carriages pass through it. It is located in the "Death Gate" position among the eight gates. The Death Gate is an evil gate, suitable for hanging and funerals, executions, wars, hunting and killing animals. To the south of Xuanwu Gate is Caishikou, which has been a place for executions since ancient times.

Chaoyang Gate: The gate on the south side of the east wall of the inner city where grain carts passed, corresponding to the "Du Gate" among the eight gates. Ships entering Beijing by water could only unload their cargo outside Chaoyang Gate and then transport it into the capital, so Chaoyang Gate was called the "Grain Gate".

Fuchengmen: Coal trucks were used here, because the Mentougou area in the west of Beijing is a coal-producing area, and all the coal used in the capital was transported from here. There is a plum blossom carved on the top of Fuchengmen, which is a homophonic of "coal".

Dongzhimen: Brick and wood carts pass through it. It is considered the "Shangmen" among the eight gates, but in fact it is also the "Shangmen", where people do business. In the early Ming Dynasty, most of the wood needed for the construction of Beijing was transported into Beijing from Dongzhimen. Later, wood from the south was also often stored outside Dongzhimen. Therefore, most of the wood needed by the capital was transported into the city from Dongzhimen.

Xizhimen: It is the "Kaimen" among the Eight Gates and is opposite to Chaoyangmen in the southeast.

Anding Gate: The manure cart is actually a gate for soldiers returning from the war. It corresponds to Desheng Gate, and its name implies people's hope for peace and tranquility. At the same time, Anding Gate is the "life gate", which belongs to the earth. After the beginning of spring, everything revives, the yang energy returns, and the earth gives birth to everything. It is a gate of great luck. Therefore, the emperor also passed through here once a year to offer sacrifices at the Temple of Earth in order to pray for a good harvest.

Deshengmen: The gate for soldiers to walk through, also known as the "rest gate", is a place for recuperation and auspiciousness, representing the expectation of victory. When Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty fled north from the north gate Jiande Gate, the Yuan Dynasty fell, and Xu Da renamed Jiande Gate to Deshengmen, also known as Deshengmen. The north gate has always been the most important gate for the defense of Beijing, and the army entered and exited from these two gates most frequently.

……

Yu Qian changed out of his court robes and rode to Fucheng Gate alone. After leaving the city gate, he stopped by a roadside and looked into the distance. It was almost the end of the month, and it wasn't that cold anymore.

Soon, a team came galloping from a distance, escorting five prisoner cars. Soon, they arrived in front of Yu Qian. The leader dismounted and bowed respectfully to Yu Qian: "This humble general pays respect to Duke Xia."

"Ning Emei, it's you." Yu Qian raised his hand, "Why are you the one escorting him? Aren't you going to the front line?"

It turns out that Ning Emei was brought up by Yu Qian, and she had begged Yu Qian to transfer her to Chagatai.

"General Cao is worried about others, so he ordered me to go." Ning Emei smiled, "After I finish, I will return to Chagatai and rush to send reinforcements to join General Yang."

Yu Qian glared at him and said, "You are so proud, come on, follow me into the city, and we will have a drink later."

Ning Emei jumped on her horse and led the team into the city. Yu Qian stopped for a while, waiting for the prisoner's carriage to come up, and then he rode to the side of the prisoner's carriage and rode with it.

The prisoner in the car was Zhu Qiyu. At this moment, Zhu Qiyu no longer had the air of a vassal king. He had an untidy beard, messy hair, and looked extremely decadent.

Yu Qian took out a pot of wine and threw it to him. He picked it up and took a few gulps. His face regained some color. He looked at Yu Qian coldly and asked, "What is my cheap brother going to do with us?"

"I don't know." Yu Qian was silent for a while and said, "You will be taken to the imperial prison next."

Zhu Qiyu was startled: "Imperial Prison? Then why are you here to pick us up? Yu Qian, are you in charge of the Imperial Guards now?"

"I'm free." Yu Qian spread his hands.

He was also confused. At the court this morning, His Majesty personally asked him to pick up these princes. He turned his head and glanced at the princes in the prisoner car behind him. They all looked decadent and desperate.

"Do you regret it?" Yu Qian asked.

Zhu Qiyu smiled coldly and shook his head: "Although I have ambitions, I know I am not that kind of person, but I choose to go to Dunhuang and I don't regret it! You ministers have choices, but I am a descendant of the Zhu family. As a man of the Zhu family, I have no choice."

"Your Majesty sitting in the Golden Throne Hall also has the surname Zhu and is also a descendant of the Zhu family." Yu Qian said indifferently.

"Bullshit!" Zhu Qiyu cursed, "Of course, my real brother is worse than bullshit."

Yu Qian chuckled, rode forward, and led the team through the streets to the Jinyiwei Yamen. Ding Xiu, the Jinyiwei pacification envoy, was already waiting at the door.

Ding Xiu bowed to Yu Qian and said, "Duke Xia, leave the rest to us."

Yu Qian sat high on his horse, looking at this former one of the four young masters of the Yu family, and said in a deep voice: "It is best not to use severe punishment. Their identities... Haha, they are all cowards. What do you want to know? Just scare them and they will confess."

"I understand." Ding Xiu nodded.

Yu Qian laughed out loud: "Ding Xiu, if you are free someday, come and have a drink with me. It's hard for me to see you even once since I came back. You are really not the same as you were in the past."

After saying this, he rode away without waiting for Ding Xiu to react.

……

Fahai Temple.

In the backyard Zen room, the brazier made crackling sounds, accompanied by sparks. The fox mask standing on one side of the brazier took a step back, while the rat mask on the other side did not move at all.

"Princess Zhou was beaten to death. Haha, the Queen Mother is also a ruthless person." The fox mask said coldly.

The cold eyes of the Rat Mask flashed with sharpness, and he snorted: "The Queen Mother actually ruled the Ming Dynasty for many years. Some people, her little tricks, are too immature in the eyes of the Queen Mother."

"Oh?" Fox Mask asked with interest.

The Rat Mask smiled faintly: "If the Queen Mother wants to kill someone, no one can stop her, including the Emperor. Do you believe it?"

The last word she said, accompanied by the fierce murderous look in her eyes, made the fox mask take a step back. Fortunately, she was wearing a mask and did not reveal her terrified expression.

At this moment, she felt a chill down her spine, and she finally realized that she had underestimated Rat Boss.

"Boss Rat, do you want to kill me?" The fox said calmly, "The Queen's death has nothing to do with me."

Rat Mask's eyes were cold: "What about Alena?"

"I didn't kill him." The fox looked innocent, "I have no reason."

"No, you have your strategy." The rat mask laughed sarcastically, "You want to disrupt the harem, take the opportunity to kill a few concubines, and bring the disaster to the empress dowager, so that the emperor and the empress dowager will be more antagonistic. And your current identity will hide you very well. In the end, you seduce His Majesty, first become a concubine, then become the empress, and finally, undermine the emperor. You want to be the Wu Zetian of the Ming Dynasty." The fox's heart was in turmoil. She thought that her plan could be implemented step by step, but she never expected that she would be seen through by the rat boss as soon as she took one step.

"Boss Rat, I don't have that ability, nor do I have that ambition." She took a deep breath and bowed respectfully.

"Haha, you are ambitious!" Rat Mask looked him up and down, "It reminded me of my youth. You are still young. Wait, when I die, you may have a chance. Now, while I am still alive, you have to listen to me. Do you understand?"

The fox nodded heavily: "I understand."

The Rat Mask took a few steps closer, staring coldly: "If there is a next time, you will be the next Concubine Zhou."

After saying that, she strode away.

Fox Mask looked at her back, clenched his fists, and whispered to himself: "Threatening me? Well, I am indeed scared."

……

Qianqing Palace.

Jinyiwei Commander Shi Biao and Zhenfu Envoy Ding Xiu came to see the emperor together. Ding Xiu reported that the five pseudo-vassal kings had been imprisoned in the imperial prison and were in poor health, but they had been examined by a doctor and given medicine.

"We can't let them die." Zhu Qizhen said, "Keep them, they will be of great use."

Ding Xiu nodded and asked, "Your Majesty, do we need to interrogate them? Can we use some... methods?"

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a while and said, "I will hold a grand celebration this year to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, I may need these princes to support me. Haha, the royal family should be harmonious."

When he said this, Shi Biao and Ding Xiu were both shocked, because it was equivalent to the emperor admitting that those five were real princes, not fake.

"Then leave them alone for now. There are several dark rooms at the bottom of the prison. They are small spaces where you can't see your hand in front of you. They are absolutely quiet and you can even hear your own breathing." Shi Biao smiled, "Let them experience it first and think carefully inside."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and smiled: "To prevent them from committing suicide."

"If they had the courage to commit suicide, they wouldn't have endured the hardship of reaching the capital." Ding Xiu said disdainfully, "They are all cowards, so there's no need for us to torture them."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "I guess they don't know where the fake emperor is, but you still have to try him."

Both of them nodded in acceptance, and Shi Biao continued to ask: "Your Majesty, there is no movement from Marquis Wu'an, should we arrest him first?"

"What's the crime?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Quite a lot." Shi Biao said, "We found out that he had secretly smuggled to the northwest through the Qi family before. There were more than one similar illegal activities. Now it seems that it was him and the Qi family who supported Dunhuang in the beginning."

Zhu Qizhen snorted, "Then arrest them. The more crimes the better, so that I can issue orders in the court."

"Yes, sir." Ding Xiu accepted the order.

……

The next day, morning.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard impeached Zheng Hong, Marquis of Wu'an, for seventeen major crimes. The emperor ordered on the spot that Zheng Hong be imprisoned and ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to conduct a thorough investigation and not let his accomplices go.

After the court session, the ministers were all terrified. During this period, two important ministers, Yang Shan, the Minister of Rites, and Zheng Hong, the Marquis of Wu'an, were imprisoned one after another.

"That's not right. Why do I feel like His Majesty is playing a big game? Lord Li, you are in the cabinet. If you have any news, please tell us."

"Yes, yes. We don't know anything and we are worried."

"Why are you so nervous? Yang Shan and Zheng Hong have both violated the law and should be imprisoned. You are both honest people, so what do you have to worry about?"

The ministers were discussing as they walked, and when they arrived in front of the six ministries, they dispersed. Those who could enter the Fengtian Hall to attend court were all shrewd people, and they did not believe that it was just a simple crime.

Shuntian University has started school.

The campus was back to its former bustle. Although it was drizzling, many students were rushing to and from school in the rain. Shang Lu came down from the teaching building and ran into Li Ling.

"Sir, here's your umbrella. I'm going to class." Li Ling handed the umbrella to Shang Lu, frowning, "Li Yanwen from the second medical class said that a classmate in their class hasn't returned to school yet."

Shang Lu took the umbrella and said, "Maybe it's because the journey is too long, so we haven't arrived yet."

Li Ling looked puzzled: "But Li Yanwen said that his classmate did not go home for the New Year, which is strange. However, that classmate is a bit strange and likes to act alone."

"I understand. You go to class." Shang Lu opened his umbrella and hurried into the rain.

At this time of year, spring has not yet arrived, and it is still a bit cold. The mountain behind the school building area is even more foggy. In the small house under the deserted well, the orthodox emperor and Wu Xingdao are playing chess.

Shang Lu hurried out of the secret passage, walked to the emperor and bowed: "Your Majesty, something has happened."

"What's the matter?" The Zhengtong Emperor became nervous and the chess piece in his hand fell onto the chessboard.

"Marquis Wu'an has been imprisoned. He is the tiger of Junshan Society." Shang Lu frowned, "Although he has never been here, I am a little worried."

The Zhengtong Emperor was stunned: "Ah? He was imprisoned again? Did Yang Shan betray him? Don't you Junshan Society know each other?"

"It's hard to say!" Shang Lu sighed, "After all, we all know each other. Even though we are wearing masks and deliberately changing our voices, it's inevitable that we will recognize each other after seeing each other so many times."

Wu Xingdao was secretly shocked and asked, "Will they also be able to give you up?"

The Zhengtong Emperor's expression changed drastically, and he smiled bitterly: "Then I can't even live in a deserted well. Maybe I will move to the Jinyiwei prison."

"Your Majesty, I am waiting for news from Rat Boss." Shang Lu said, "It is better to change places. Our Junshan Club is no longer safe."

The Zhengtong Emperor slowly sat down and said, "What can I do? I can only listen to your arrangements."

(End of this chapter)