Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 39 Queen Mother: This child's methods are similar to Taizu

The next day.

After the morning court session, the empress dowager took the phoenix sedan chair back to Kunning Palace. But on the imperial road, she noticed that many ministers were heading to Qianqing Palace. She couldn't help but frown and asked, "Shuangxi, why are all the ministers heading to Qianqing Palace?"

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, it was said that His Majesty summoned them to attend a small court meeting." Shuangxi responded.

The queen mother's beautiful eyes suddenly turned cold. She waved her hand and said, "Let's go and see what His Majesty is discussing in this small court meeting. Why do you need to hide it from me?"

Shuangxi immediately ordered the eunuchs to carry the phoenix sedan chair to the Qianqing Palace. After a while, they arrived in front of the gate of the Qianqing Palace. After the empress dowager got off the sedan chair, she looked around and found that there were hundreds of Jinyiwei standing outside the Qianqing Palace.

"Your servant Shi Biao pays his respects to the Queen Mother." Shi Biao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stepped forward and saluted.

"What exactly does Your Majesty want to do with such a big fuss?" the Queen Mother asked in a cold voice.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is summoning the Minister of Revenue Shen Gu and the Assistant Minister of Revenue Liu Ye." Shi Biao replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, do you want to enter the palace?"

The Queen Mother's cold and charming eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, and then she strode into the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. As soon as she stepped into the main hall, she couldn't help but be surprised. She saw two huge curtains hanging in the main hall, and behind the curtains were kneeling ministers.

From behind the curtain came the voice of Emperor Zhu Qizhen: "Come here, give Lord Shen and Lord Liu a seat."

The Queen Mother immediately understood the Emperor's intention. He was setting a trap. He summoned Shen Gu and Liu Ye behind the curtain, but asked the ministers to listen in from behind the curtain. Shen Gu and Liu Ye must not have known that there was someone kneeling behind the curtain.

"I want to listen to it too!" the Queen Mother said coldly.

Shi Biao quickly ordered someone to bring a chair. He had already thought of how to stop the empress dowager from entering, but he did not expect that the empress dowager had no intention of going in, but sat down to listen.

This was simply great and saved him a lot of trouble.

……

At this moment, inside the curtain.

Zhu Qizhen was sitting on the throne, drinking a cup of tea comfortably.

Shen Gu sat on the left, feeling flustered. As soon as he came in, he saw Liu Ye was already there, and immediately wondered in his heart, did Liu Ye betray him?
Otherwise, His Majesty would not have summoned you specifically.

"You two don't have to be restrained." Zhu Qizhen's eyes wandered between the two of them, "Drink tea, what's wrong, do you dislike my tea?"

Liu Ye quickly picked up the hot tea on the table and drank it in big gulps. Shen Gu pretended to be calm, and gently picked up the teacup to take a sip, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid you summoned me not just for tea, right? I'm in the Ministry of Revenue, and I have a lot of official business waiting to be dealt with."

"Oh, actually it's not me who has something to report." Zhu Qizhen pointed at Liu Ye, "It's your adopted son, Lord Liu, who has something to report. My dear Liu, since Lord Shen is here too, if you want to report him, do it in person!"

Shen Gu's expression changed drastically when he heard this. As expected, Liu Ye had betrayed him.

Liu Ye stood up and saluted respectfully to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Shen Gu instructed the Minister of Granary to steal and sell official grain..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Shen Gu was so frightened that he dropped the cup in his hand onto the table. He stood up suddenly and scolded him harshly: "You are slandering me! Liu Ye, I have always treated you well, how dare you frame me?"

"Hey!" Zhu Qizhen waved his hands, "Sir Shen, why are you so impatient? This is your adopted son, why don't you let him finish what he's saying?"

Shen Gu tried his best to suppress his emotions, but his body still trembled involuntarily. He snorted coldly, sat down and said: "Liu Ye, I advise you to think twice before you act!"

Zhu Qizhen sneered: "Sir Shen, are you threatening me?" As the cold words fell, the temperature in the palace seemed to drop sharply. Shen Gu was panicked and hurriedly said: "I dare not!"

"It's already this time, how could I still be afraid of you?" Liu Ye seemed to have mustered up her courage, "It was he who ordered the theft and sale of government grain, and he forced me to do some of these things..."

Liu Ye described in detail how Shen Gu stole and sold government grain. The officials kneeling behind the curtain all looked pale after hearing this, especially Yu Qian, who wanted to rush in and beat Shen Gu up.

After the two wars last year, the capital was already short of food. How many people were starving? During the defense of the capital, the people were even more hungry while helping to defend the city. Without the participation of the people, how could the city wall of the capital be repaired so quickly?
Although Yesen has retreated, the people are still starving. If the people in the capital are starving, how many refugees will starve to death in the north and south of the Yangtze River?
And this minister of the Ministry of Revenue was still stealing and selling official grain! No wonder there was no food to open soup kitchens to help the people.

……

"Your Majesty, when the news of the defeat at Tumu Fort came, Shen Gu dared to speak wildly... He said, Your Majesty, please don't die. If anything happens to you, the Queen Mother will not be so easy to fool when she is in power." Liu Ye continued, "He often despises Your Majesty, thinking that you know nothing and does not take you seriously at all. He even insulted the Queen Mother, saying that it is too much for a woman to be in power!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Gu was so angry that he jumped up from his chair and yelled, "Liu Ye, you have lost all moral principles. You... you are not a human being, you are just a mad dog!"

"You are a mad dog!" Liu Ye cursed back without showing any weakness, "You are self-righteous, ignoring His Majesty and looking down on the Queen Mother. You think you are talented and should be the Prime Minister of the Cabinet."

"That's all because of your flattery to me all the time!" Shen Gu said gritting his teeth.

"Hmph, if I hadn't flattered you, would you have let me take the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?" Liu Ye responded sharply.

Zhu Qizhen watched them swearing at each other and laughed out loud: "Hahaha, the swearing between you two is really nice to hear. Hahaha, it's even more exciting than a shrew scolding in the street."

He smiled and waved.

Several Jinyiwei came out from behind the curtain and slowly opened it. Shen Gu turned around and saw the civil and military officials kneeling there. His face suddenly changed. In other words, the ministers had heard clearly the quarrel between him and Liu Ye just now.

When he saw the Queen Mother sitting at the back, he was completely despaired and slumped down in his chair.

"You all saw it, didn't you?" Zhu Qizhen stood up slowly, his eyes sweeping across the courtiers in the hall, "Look carefully, everyone! These are the important officials of the Ming Dynasty? Are they still human? They are biting each other like dogs, it's so ugly!"

All the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to look the emperor in the eye. Only the empress dowager had a cold gaze. She looked at Zhu Qizhen with a hint of fear in her heart.

This guy's methods are becoming more and more vicious, killing people and destroying their hearts.

This cruel method is quite similar to that of Emperor Taizu!
"Your Majesty, I request that Shen Gu be severely punished!" Yu Qian bowed.

"Just punishing him severely is too easy for him." Zhu Qizhen said coldly, "The case of the granary is not over yet! I reviewed the memorials today and found that the spring famine is very serious! Haha, my Ming Dynasty is almost starving. Emperor Taizu once said that the Ming Dynasty and the people share the world. If some of you make the people unable to eat, then I don't mind letting the Fengtian Hall become a river of blood!"

He paused, and glanced at the ministers again: "I have said everything I should say. If anyone among you has evil intentions, be on your own!"

After saying this, he strode towards the Queen Mother and bowed respectfully: "Mother, do you think my son's handling of this is appropriate?"

The queen mother looked gloomy and said coldly: "Yes."

……

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(End of this chapter)