Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 40 Yu Qian! If not for one life, fight for all eternity!

Shen Gu was imprisoned.

The undercurrents were surging in the court and the country, and the ministers all felt that this was just the beginning. His Majesty the Emperor wanted to kill people and destroy their hearts, and today he had Shen Gu firmly under control.

The cabinet chief Wang Zhi and cabinet minister Shang Lu walked side by side on the imperial road. Wang Zhi frowned, smiled bitterly, and said, "Your Majesty's method is quite similar to that of Taizu. It is said that Taizu also used this method when he interrogated the treacherous minister Hu Weiyong. Killing people and destroying their hearts is a bit... too cruel."

Shang Lu shook his head and said, "This shows that Your Majesty has matured! In fact, it is only a matter of time before Your Majesty gradually takes charge of government, and it is inevitable that you will take that step. It's just that after the war, the Queen Mother seems to be quite wary of Your Majesty."

"Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of ropes for ten years." Wang Zhi said with a smile.

"Sir, how about we sign a joint letter..." Shang Lu hesitated to speak.

Wang Zhi waved his hand, interrupted him, and said: "Wait a little longer, Your Majesty is still young after all, it doesn't matter if you wait a little longer. Humph, there are some stubborn diseases that Your Majesty may be able to cure."

"That would be a blessing for the Ming Dynasty," said Shang Lu.

The two smiled at each other, and both understood what the other meant. They were laughing, but a person hurried past them with an anxious look on his face, without even saying hello.

The man was Sun Xianzhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He originally wanted to go to the imperial prison, but when he saw that the prison was full of Shi Biao's men, he chose to retreat.

He was going to the Ministry of War to look for Duke Cheng. Before he arrived at the Ministry of War, he saw Duke Cheng walking towards him. The two looked at each other and saw each other's anxiety.

"What should I do? Shen Gu has been imprisoned in the imperial prison, and I can't even get in." Sun Xianzhong said anxiously, "He knows too many things."

"Don't panic! We have never personally participated in the rice business." Duke Chengguo comforted him, "Besides, you are the Queen Mother's brother, and your elder brother is the Marquis of Huichang. Why should you be afraid?"

Sun Xianzhong seemed even more frightened, and said, "To be honest, my elder brother already knew about Mi Xing's affair, and he severely reprimanded me. He also tried to test the Queen Mother's attitude, and he said that the Queen Mother... the Queen Mother might kill her own relatives for the sake of justice!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Duke Cheng's face changed drastically.

……

In the suburbs of Beijing, Shenjiying.

Zhu Qizhen and Yu Qian rode into the camp and immediately felt a solemn and murderous atmosphere blowing in their faces, like a biting cold wind, which made their nerves tense involuntarily.

On the martial arts field, the soldiers of the Shenji Camp stood in formation, full of vigor and vitality. Zhu Qizhen dismounted and asked Yu Qian, who was standing beside him, "What's going on? Are they going to perform martial arts?"

Yu Qian shook his head and smiled: "If we really want to perform martial arts, we have to bring all the Five Army Battalions and the Three Thousand Battalions. Today, we only summoned the Shenji Battalion to demonstrate the new fire guns to Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen glanced around and found that he liked the atmosphere in the army more. He clapped his hands and said, "Then let's get started!"

Yu Qian waved his hand to give the order, and the Shenjiying Fire Gun Team began to practice.

Bang bang bang!
There was a burst of gunfire and a cloud of dust flew.

Zhu Qizhen rubbed his eyebrows. In fact, the firearms of the Ming army were already very advanced in this era. Of course, the disadvantages of the fire gun were also obvious. He recalled the principle of the flintlock musket in his mind.

"Old Yu, I have an idea to modify the fire gun." Zhu Qizhen said, "Call the craftsmen here, I will explain the principle to them, whether they can make it or not depends on their ability."

Yu Qian immediately called the craftsmen over, and Zhu Qizhen explained to them in detail the principle of the flintlock rifle. Yu Qian was stunned. According to what your majesty said, the flintlock rifle made by him greatly simplified the shooting process, the shooting accuracy would be higher, and it would be more convenient to use.

"Your Majesty, I surrender. How did you come up with this idea?" Yu Qian asked.

"Dream on!" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands.

……

At dusk, Zhu Qizhen had a meal in the military camp and enjoyed himself with the soldiers. After the excitement, he and Yu Qian, each holding a pot of wine, sat on a small hill to enjoy the sunset.

Yu Qian's face flushed red, he drank several gulps of wine in succession, and chanted a poem:
The village is very desolate and suffers from drought and locusts every year.

The old man worked as a servant to pay off his debts, and the young child sold food to pay off his debts.

The wall is broken and the wind blows into the house, the beam is collapsed and the moon falls on the bed.

But the herdsmen were unwilling to report the disasters.

"Old Yu, I heard that this is the poem you recited in front of my great-grandfather during the palace examination?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

"Yes." Yu Qian said with some longing, "Emperor Yongle almost chopped off my head, but it was Emperor Renzong who saved me, and later it was the late emperor who bailed me out."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hands and said, "Old Yu, these three are clearly acting and trying to fool you."

Yu Qian laughed loudly, took another sip of wine and said, "I saw it at the time. Emperor Yongle was only good at winning people's hearts. I have served four dynasties. There are constant wars and famines in the world, and in the end, people suffer."

"Old Yu, what do you want?" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "Don't test me, okay? Anyway, we have time, just wait and see what I do, I'm not in a hurry."

Yu Qian was obviously stunned. He didn't expect the emperor to speak so bluntly.

Zhu Qizhen raised his head and took a big gulp of wine. He knew what kind of person Yu Qian was.

"The ancients said, if you don't fight for one lifetime, fight for a hundred lifetimes. My ambition is greater than that of the ancients. What I fight for is a name that will last for all eternity."

This is him, Yu Qian!

"Your Majesty, then tell me, what do you want to do about the granary case?" Yu Qian asked directly.

"Stealing and selling government grain is just the beginning." Zhu Qizhen's eyes were cold, "What I want to solve is the stubborn disease of the court!"

Yu Qian clasped his fists and bowed: "I will definitely support Your Majesty!"

Zhu Qizhen laughed out loud, patted Yu Qian on the shoulder and said, "Old Yu, don't worry, let's go and see! You literati all admire the stories of the emperor and his subjects like Emperor Taizong of Tang and Wei Zheng, right? It is really fascinating that the subjects were virtuous and the emperor was wise, and they worked together to create the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."

Yu Qian nodded slowly and said in a deep voice: "What Wei Zheng said, 'The king is a boat; people are water. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.' This is consistent with what I think, 'The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important.'"

"You tell an emperor that the emperor is insignificant." Zhu Qizhen glared.

"Mencius said this a thousand years ago," Yu Qian said. "In the past thousand years, only Emperor Taizong of Tang has achieved this."

Zhu Qizhen also agreed with this point, saying: "If you are too violent to the people, you will be killed and your country will be destroyed; if you are not too violent, you will be in danger and your country will be weakened. This is the lesson that the short Sui Dynasty taught Li Shimin, letting him know that the emperor is not high and mighty."

"It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty that Your Majesty can see this." Yu Qian bowed sincerely.

"That's not necessarily true!" Zhu Qizhen stood up and said, "Let's go back to the palace!"

He left without looking back, went down the mountain, got on the carriage, and sped away. Yu Qian lay on the hill, looking at the sunset, his brows knitted together.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother," he whispered to himself, "How should I choose?"

He watched the sun set and darkness fall.

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(End of this chapter)