Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 312 The Demon Queen Finally Meets the True Emperor: She Doesn’t Owe the Zhu Family Anything
Jinyiwei, imperial prison.

An angry voice echoed: "I want to see Shi Biao. If he has the guts, come and see me! How dare you wrongly accuse me? I shed blood on the battlefield!"

Shi Biao came to the cell and looked at Zheng Hong who was shouting inside. Zheng Hong saw him and rushed to the cell door, grabbed the iron pillar, and said with fire in his eyes: "Let me out!"

"It's already this late, so don't waste your energy." Shi Biao chuckled, "You've come in here, but you don't confess honestly. Do you still want to get out? Don't use your military skills in Zhaoyu. If you do, you'll be living a life worse than death."

Zheng Hong said sarcastically: "Am I afraid of you?"

Shi Biao smiled faintly and waved his hand fiercely. A Jinyiwei behind him opened the prison door, and then seven or eight Jinyiwei rushed up. Then, Zheng Hong's screams were heard.

Less than half an hour later.

Shi Biao sat on a chair in the cell, stepped on Zheng Hong's head, and chuckled: "If you come to my prison, just behave yourself. The prison doesn't like tough guys the most."

Zheng Hong was now covered in blood and had no strength to resist. He could only stare at Shi Biao and grit his teeth and said, "Bah, you running dog of the false emperor."

"You can still talk." Shi Biao loosened his feet, "Then let's talk about Junshan Society."

Zheng Hong snorted coldly: "Kill me if you dare."

"I knew you were stubborn. We are not in a hurry." Shi Biao stood up and waved, "Bring the people up."

Footsteps were heard, and two Jinyiwei escorted Yang Shan in. Yang Shan looked much better, wearing a thick cotton jacket and with a ruddy complexion.

"Yang Shan, you betrayed me?" Zheng Hong roared.

He tried to get up, but was kicked down by Shi Biao. Yang Shan looked at Zheng Hong, with pity in his eyes, and said lightly: "I betrayed you."

"You idiot scholar!" Zheng Hong cursed, "You're just a spineless person."

There was no ripple in Yang Shan's eyes, and his tone was indifferent: "Whatever you say, I don't owe the Zhu family anything. Wu'an Hou, do you think Junshan will still have a chance?"

"If you hadn't betrayed us, we would have had a great chance." Zheng Hong said angrily.

"No, we never had a chance." Yang Shan laughed at himself, "Because we have been just pawns from the beginning to the end."

Zheng Hong's expression changed slightly, but his eyes were still spitting fire: "Spineless, stop making excuses for yourself."

"Okay, okay, you are tough." Shi Biao patted his shoulder and said, "I hope your son can be as tough as you."

Zheng Hong was shocked.

……

Duke Xia’s Mansion.

This place is not like other dukes' and marquises' mansions, it is very plain. Of course, it is still quite large, because it is a house granted by the emperor, but the decoration is very ordinary.

Yu Qian was reading in his study, with a map of the Western Regions in front of him. Spring was coming, and there would surely be several major battles in the Western Regions. The goal of the Ming Dynasty this year was to attack the Ottoman Empire from both east and west and destroy the Timurid Empire.

"Master, Mr. Shang is here to visit." The housekeeper came to report.

Yu Qian was slightly startled and waved his hand: "Bring Mr. Shang directly to the study."

After a while, Shang Lu came in hurriedly. Yu Qian said to the housekeeper, "Go down and close the door. Don't let anyone else get close to the study. I won't see any guests today."

The housekeeper hurried away after receiving the order. Yu Qian asked Shang Lu to sit down, poured him a cup of hot tea, and asked, "What happened again? Did Zheng Hong betray us?"

"Not yet." Shang Lu drank a cup of tea and said, "Boss Rat sent us an order to move His Majesty immediately."

Yu Qian frowned: "Where to transfer?"

"Fahai Zen Temple!" Shang Lu said in a deep voice, "There is a cave in the back mountain of Fahai Zen Temple. It was where the national teacher Yao Guangxiao practiced. Move your majesty and the other three there."

Yu Qian was silent for a while, then nodded: "It's a suitable place."

Shang Lu still frowned: "The key is, how to transfer it next?"

"I'll make the arrangements. There's no curfew at night now." Yu Qian sighed. "That's great. I have a few loyal subordinates who are responsible for patrolling the city. I'll make the arrangements and move His Majesty tonight."

Shang Lu was overjoyed: "That's really great."

Yu Qian smiled bitterly, patted Shang Lu on the shoulder and said, "Old Shang, we have to be prepared too. We might be the ones to go to prison someday."

"Haha, that can be considered as asking for benevolence and getting benevolence." Shang Lu smiled carefreely.

……

Dusk, Kunning Palace.

The wind was howling outside, but it was warm as spring inside. Even the flowers that the demon queen had raised had bloomed early, emitting a faint fragrance.

The witch queen was wearing a luxurious purple dress, looking cold and dignified, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but her beautiful face was as cold as ice. She stood in front of the dressing table, looking at herself in the bronze mirror.

A pair of hands wrapped around her slender waist, and then Zhu Qizhen put his head on her shoulder and asked lazily: "What's wrong? Are you still angry?"

"No!" The Demon Queen leaned back and leaned against him. "You've been very active recently. Are you trying to purge the old ministers?"

Zhu Qizhen smelled the fragrance on her body, buried his head in her neck, kissed her, and said, "I don't have that intention. Yang Shan and Zheng Hong have both violated the law."

The Demon Queen turned around, hooked her fair wrist around his neck, blushed slightly, stood on tiptoes and kissed him directly. After kissing for a while, she snuggled in his arms.

"Tomorrow, I will go to Fahai Zen Temple to perform a grand ritual." She whispered, "It will use part of the silver in the inner treasury."

Zhu Qizhen said generously: "My money is your money, you can use it as you like."

The witch queen glared and lowered her eyes: "I have recently summoned the wives of ministers. It's the New Year, so they all have to give some rewards. One of them has already hinted to me that it is about establishing a queen."

"Oh? Who do they recommend to be the emperor?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

A smile appeared on the corner of the demon queen's mouth: "De Fei!"

That was all your idea, right? If you make Consort De a concubine, she is also your own, but you don't make Consort Xian a concubine.

Zhu Qizhen complained in his heart, but said: "They don't know that the person I want to establish is you."

"Don't talk nonsense." The Queen of Demons showed an indescribable beauty in her smiles and frowns. "It's impossible for me to have the same identity as you. Haha, maybe in the next life."

Zhu Qizhen let her go and said, "That's right, you are not my woman either."

The Demon Queen pursed her lips, her face gloomy: "You have never been moved by me."

"If we continue chatting like this, we will end up in a bad mood again." Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

The Demon Queen snorted and said, "I know you want to establish the Virtuous Consort, but you have to think clearly. The Virtuous Consort's family has a duke and a brother who holds military power. According to the rules of the Zhu family, the emperor chooses his empress and the princes choose their princesses from ordinary families."

"Isn't that right? Taizong's queen is the daughter of General Xu Da." Zhu Qizhen said.

“How can they be the same? Taizong was only the King of Yan at the beginning.” The evil queen glared.

Zhu Qizhen stretched himself, walked towards the dining table and said, "I am not in a hurry to appoint a queen. Maybe I won't be the emperor for long. Don't you think so?"

The Demon Queen came over with a cold face and sat down: "Since you are chatting like this, let's have dinner."

……

The next day, Fahai Temple.

Inside the temple, the sound of the bells is melodious, steady and profound, as if it can travel through time and space, summoning souls from afar.

In the center of the temple, a tall altar has been carefully arranged, on which are placed various instruments of worship: the copper furnace is filled with smoke and incense is burning continuously; in front of the solemn Buddha statue, there are various offerings. The altar is surrounded by colorful prayer flags, which sway gently in the wind.

As the deep Buddhist sounds rang out, the monks in cassocks slowly walked into the altar. They had solemn faces, held instruments in their hands, and walked solemnly. Leading the way was an old monk who was very old and respected. The Queen Mother, wearing a gorgeous palace dress that was bright in color but still solemn, and wearing pearls and jade on her head, followed the monks.

The ritual officially began, the monks began to chant, and the Empress Dowager lit a stick of incense with her own hands, inserted it into the incense burner reverently, closed her eyes and prayed silently, praying for the souls of the soldiers who died in the front, and for peace and tranquility for the Ming Dynasty.

An hour later.

In a Zen room in the backyard of the Zen temple, the Queen Mother was summoning a young monk. The monk knelt in the hall, looking at the Queen Mother, tears falling from his eyes, and whispered, "Mother~"

It turned out that this young monk was the orthodox emperor. For the sake of safety, he resolutely changed his appearance and disguised himself as a monk, so that he would not look out of place when practicing in the back mountains, which would be safer. "You have lost weight~" the queen mother sighed.

The Zhengtong Emperor shook his head and said, "It's good for my son to be thinner. Mother, don't worry. My son will feel more at ease if he practices in the back mountain and reads those scriptures."

"Well, very good." The Queen Mother sighed and said, "I will continue to plan. You must calm yourself down. This matter may take a long time."

The Zhengtong Emperor nodded heavily: "Son understands."

The Queen Mother's eyes were dim, and she said calmly: "I will make one last effort. Even if I fail, I won't owe you the Zhu family anything."

"Thank you for your hard work, mother." The Zhengtong Emperor bowed, "It's my son's incompetence."

The Queen Mother shook her head slightly: "Don't worry, the monks you come into contact with in the temple are all trustworthy, but don't come down the mountain easily. Although you don't look like him... the fake emperor now, there are still some similarities. Many monks in the temple have seen the fake emperor, so don't let anything unexpected happen."

"Yes." The orthodox emperor nodded.

The Queen Mother looked at him and explained everything carefully.

……

Two hours later.

Emperor Zhengtong returned to the back mountain of the temple, where there was a cave, which was said to be the place where the imperial teacher Yao Guangxiao practiced. He stood on a mountaintop and looked at the mountain shrouded in mist on the opposite side.

Wu Xingdao and Xu Bin walked behind him. They had also shaved their heads and were wearing monk robes, looking like monks. The Zhengtong Emperor smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry to have you become monks with me."

"It's good to be a monk." Xu Bin smiled, "My great grandfather was once a wandering monk, and the national teacher Yao Guangxiao was also a monk."

Wu Xingdao pointed to the faint mountains in the mist on the opposite side and said, "Legend has it that the national teacher Yao Guangxiao studied the heterodox teachings that came from India. Their teachings require walking on a tightrope at high altitudes to reach the other side of the mountain and obtain the true scriptures. Back then, the national teacher walked on the tightrope from here and disappeared to the other side."

"Ah?" The Zhengtong Emperor was shocked. "Didn't the Imperial Master die? There are records of that."

Wu Xingdao shook his head: "That was recorded under the order of His Majesty. In fact, the world does not know whether the Imperial Master is dead or has passed away in Nirvana."

"Military advisor, do you believe it?" asked the Zhengtong Emperor.

Wu Xingdao laughed loudly: "Your Majesty, do you believe it?"

The Zhengtong Emperor shook his head decisively: "I don't believe it. A gentleman does not talk about strange things."

"Then don't believe it, Your Majesty." Wu Xingdao smiled, "I'll try walking the tightrope later."

The three chatted for a while and then returned to the cave. It was very large and wide, and there was also a small room with all kinds of facilities. After all, Yao Guangxiao also practiced here.

"Here, there are also scriptures left behind." Wu Xingdao's eyes flashed, "We can study them later."

The Zhengtong Emperor seemed no longer worried and said, "Well, now that I am a monk, I must learn Buddhism."

……

Night falls at Changchun Palace.

Zhu Qizhen came in and teased his son Zhu Jianyang first, and then the palace maid took Zhu Jianyang away, leaving only him and Concubine Xian in the hall.

She was wearing a dignified palace dress, with an elegant posture and her slender jade fingers folded on her lower abdomen, she was becoming more and more like a queen. Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently, feeling a little guilty, because the Queen Mother wanted to make Concubine De the Queen, and he didn't know if he could stop it.

In fact, he was also a little worried. The power of Concubine Xian's family was indeed too strong. He was not worried when he was in power, but what about the future? Emperor Taizu Zhu Baba made a rule that the royal family should marry the daughters of ordinary families, which made sense.

"My beloved concubine, you have lost a lot of weight." Zhu Qizhen reached out and gently stroked Concubine Xian's cheek, saying softly, "There have been a lot of things going on in the harem recently, and it will soon be a time of trouble. Thank you for your hard work."

The virtuous concubine smiled gently, her eyes soft, "I am not tired, the queen mother has been in charge again recently, and I am much more relaxed."

"The Queen Mother is looking for the murderer, so let her investigate," said Zhu Qizhen.

Concubine Xian looked at him and asked the question in her heart: "Your Majesty, was it Concubine Zhou who killed the Queen?"

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly, but said nothing. He shook his head, put his arm around her waist, and said softly, "It's better if you don't know about this kind of thing. Just let the Queen Mother handle it."

"They are all miserable women, why bother?" Concubine Xian said in a faint voice.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her tightly and said, "I will protect you. Without your support, it would be difficult for me to get to where I am today."

The virtuous concubine looked at him lovingly, put her hands around his neck, and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to do anything for you."

Zhu Qizhen kissed her domineeringly, and after a while, he was about to carry her to the back hall. However, Concubine Xian said shyly, "Your Majesty, I am not available today. You... go to my bedroom, someone is waiting for you."

"What?" Zhu Qizhen was surprised.

"Aisha came today and I kept her here." Concubine Xian lowered her head in shame.

You are really sensible.

Zhu Qizhen spent some time with her, and then she went to take care of the child. Zhu Qizhen came to the palace with ease and saw Aisha lying on the bed, wearing a long gauze dress that highlighted her proud curves, her beautiful eyes were lazy and charming, and she half-closed her eyes, and there was a lot of charm in her blinks.

Without words, Zhu Qizhen used practical actions to prove the strength of Ming Dynasty men.

After the storm.

Zhu Qizhen lay tiredly on the couch, a cigarette lit in his hand, his heart as calm as water. The Persian beauty was nothing special.

Aisha lay on her side beside him, looking very tired, and she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. She said softly, "Your Majesty, when will the Ottoman Empire delegation arrive?"

"Then spring will come." Zhu Qizhen asked, "Do you want to go back?"

Aisha shook her head and said, "This time, someone from my family may come with the delegation. Your Majesty will allow me to meet them then."

Snapped!
Zhu Qizhen slapped her buttocks, and felt the calm lake surface ripple. He smiled and said, "Of course."

He remembered that Aisha's family was a powerful noble family in Ottoman Empire. He wanted to make friends with them first, maybe he could use them in the future. The young emperor of Ottoman Empire was also quite interesting, as he sent his stepmother to Ming Dynasty.

Aisha moaned softly, and a hint of charm suddenly blossomed from her slightly frowned brows due to pain, and she cast a loving glance at him. Then, she stood up gracefully, her slender legs lightly stepping on the luxurious plush carpet, and every step was full of charm.

She casually put on a red tulle dress, the light hem of the skirt swayed gently with her steps, and her looming figure added a bit of mystery and temptation. Just like that, she slowly walked out of the hall, leaving behind a room full of beauty and reverie.

"Why are you leaving?" Zhu Qizhen shouted. He wasn't satisfied yet.

Aisha's voice came: "This is the bedroom of the virtuous concubine. I can't stay overnight. Your Majesty, I plan to live in the harem courtyard. Please allow me."

"I agree." Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.

The Ming Dynasty wanted to become the empire on which the sun never sets, so the concubines in the harem had to be beauties from all over the world, right? Black pearls were not out of the question.

……

Jinyiwei, Zhaoyu.

Suddenly, in the quiet night, bursts of screams were heard. Zheng Hong, who had been half asleep, sat up suddenly because he was very familiar with the screams.

Soon, footsteps were heard, and two Jinyiwei came over dragging a bloody man. Shi Biao followed them to Zheng Hong's cell.

"Marquis Wu'an, do you want to continue to be loyal, or save your son's life?" Shi Biao smiled coldly, "Choose one of the two, please make your decision."

The blood-stained man raised his head, looked at Wu'an Hou Zheng Hong in the cell, and shouted, "Dad!"

"Ying'er!" Zheng Hong leaned on the prison door with both hands. "Ying'er, how are you? Shi Biao, come at me if you have the guts. Don't hurt my son. He doesn't know anything."

Shi Biao spread his hands and said, "When you were planning a rebellion, did you ever think about your son and your family? Now you tell me that he knows nothing?"

"Everyone is responsible for his own actions." Zheng Hong shouted angrily.

"Haha, that's not the truth." Shi Biao chuckled, "If you succeed in your rebellion, will your son and family enjoy the wealth and glory you bring? Don't they know anything about your rebellion? Then why did he become the commander of the Imperial Guard? My Lord, my Jinyiwei is a reasonable place, you are being unreasonable."

Zheng Hong's face turned pale with anger. Is your Jinyiwei a reasonable place?
"Choose!" Shi Biao urged, "I won't waste too much time on you. If I have the time, I might as well go have a drink with Yang Shan."

Zheng Hong stared at him fiercely, gritted his teeth and said, "I'll tell you!"

(End of this chapter)