Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 94: Warning to the Queen Mother: The Harem is Not Allowed to Interfere in Government Affairs

Zhu Qizhen chatted with Wang Zhi in a warm atmosphere and he did not seem to be deliberately being courteous.

At this time, Yang Guifang came in hurriedly holding a memorial. Seeing the emperor, she quickly handed it over and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial from Liu Dingzhi from Henan."

Zhu Qizhen was slightly surprised. It arrived so soon?

Previously, the Ministry of Revenue allocated 400,000 taels of silver to purchase grain from wealthy households in the capital, and Liu Dingzhi was responsible for escorting it to the disaster area. He had never expected that Liu Dingzhi had already arrived in Henan, and he must have been exhausted and hurried all night.

Disaster relief was extremely urgent, and Liu Dingzhi came from a poor family and knew the suffering of the people, so he would not delay. This was also the reason why he chose Liu Dingzhi.

"I hope Dingzhi can stabilize the situation there." Zhu Qizhen took the letter and slowly opened it.

His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the memorial and his expression suddenly changed.

"I left the capital and headed south to Henan. After walking twenty miles, I saw people scraping human flesh on the roadside, just like slaughtering pigs and dogs. Many of them avoided people, and people did not think it was strange. So I was terrified. After walking for another half a day, I saw an old woman holding a dead child, cooking it and crying. I asked her, "Why are you crying if you want to eat it?" The old woman said, "This is my child. If I abandon him, he will be eaten by others. So I would rather fill my stomach." I couldn't eat for several days because of this."

Zhu Qizhen's hands were shaking, and he could hardly hold the memorial. The tragic situation described in the memorial was unbelievable to him. To him, the four words "eating one's own children" were just four words in the history book.

Have the disaster victims really fallen to such a state?
"Why didn't the Henan officials report it before?" he asked through gritting his teeth.

"Your Majesty, the officials in Henan also reported the disaster, but they did not describe it in such a...bloody way." Yang Guifang replied with a wry smile.

The tragic scene emerged in Zhu Qizhen's mind. He took several deep breaths, trying to get rid of the scene, but the scene kept appearing in his mind.

"I have decided to go to the disaster area in person." He said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, this is not possible." Yang Guifang tried to dissuade him. "You are the new ruler, so you need to stay in the capital and stabilize the situation."

The meaning of his words was very clear. If Your Majesty leaves the capital at this moment, what should you do if someone in the capital is plotting something ill?

……

"The land is covered with yellow dust, and almost no one lives in every village. Bones are all over the place, and ghosts cry every night." Zhu Qizhen sighed heavily, "How can I see all this when I am sitting in the Wenhua Palace? If I don't go out for a walk, what's the difference between me and the saying 'Why doesn't Emperor Hui of Jin eat meat porridge?'"

Wang Zhi, who had been sitting in silence on the chair, heard the emperor's words. He stood up, knelt, and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty's concern for the people is a blessing for the people. Your Majesty, you can go with peace of mind. I will preside over the cabinet and guarantee that there will be no problems."

Zhu Qizhen reached out his hand to help him up, saying, "Lord, while I am away from the capital, I will rest assured that you will be in charge of the capital."

Wang Zhi looked at the young emperor, tears welling up in his eyes: "Although I am old, I can still protect the Ming Dynasty for a few more years. Your Majesty, you are still young, and I look forward to seeing a sage king."

"My Lord." Zhu Qizhen laughed at himself, "I don't have such great ambitions. I just want the people of the world to have enough food to eat. It's enough for every family to have enough food and the people to live a well-off life."

Wang Zhi sensed the sincerity and determination in the young emperor's heart and bowed respectfully again, saying, "I, your Majesty, will do my best to assist you."

This greeting was full of sincerity. If the emperor was just talking big, he would never be so moved.

"My Lord, let's discuss the specific arrangements for my departure from Beijing." Zhu Qizhen motioned for him to sit down.

"After Your Majesty leaves the capital, the old ministers will report on court affairs every three days and deliver them to the emperor at the fastest speed." Wang Zhi responded.

After finalizing the arrangements, Zhu Qizhen took Yang Guifang out of Wenhua Hall. Yang Guifang was still worried: "Your Majesty, it's really not the right time to leave Beijing."

"Are you worried that someone is plotting something bad? I want to leave the capital and see how many people in the government and the country support me." Zhu Qizhen smiled, "As long as Yu Qian stands on my side, the capital will be very stable."

Yang Guifang was stunned. Only by leaving the capital can we see the real capital. His Majesty did not leave the capital just to help with disaster relief.

……

The Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Army.

Yu Qian, who was looking at a map in deep thought, heard footsteps coming. He turned around and hurriedly stepped forward to bow: "Your Majesty, I am Yu Qian. I pay my respects to you."

"Master Yu, please stand up." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand. "I came to see you. What are you busy with?"

Yu Qian pointed to the map and said worriedly: "The Yellow River has burst in many places, and the canal is not smooth, which has hindered the transportation of grain from the south. The soldiers in the north are in urgent need of military supplies."

"No delay, transfer from the Beijing warehouse immediately." Zhu Qizhen made a decisive decision.

Yu Qian chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't ask me, I'd be embarrassed to bring it up."

Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes unhappily and said in a deep voice: "I came here today to tell you that I have decided to go to the disaster area in person. The defense of the capital is now in your hands."

"Your Majesty is going to the disaster area? That's great." Yu Qian said, "Only when Your Majesty sees the tragic situation in the disaster area with your own eyes will you truly understand what disaster relief is and how to do it. You will also see a... a real Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen was a little surprised when he heard this. He did not expect Yu Qian to agree so much.

Yu Qian pondered for a moment and continued, "Your Majesty, I will select some people to accompany you when you go to the disaster area this time. Your Majesty still remembers Zhang Lun, right? That guy trained a group of soldiers with good combat effectiveness."

"Huh, how can you not remember?" Zhu Qizhen spread his hands, "Last time he challenged me to a sword fight, he lost, and he said he would marry his sister to me. It's been so long, and there's no news at all. I'm just going to settle the score with him."

Yu Qian laughed and ordered the guards behind him: "Go, call Zhang Lun!"

……

Kunning Palace.

Zhu Qizhen came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother was wearing a plain long dress, holding a pair of scissors in her hand, trimming a potted plant. Her long black hair was hanging down, and her beautiful face was indifferent.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to come and pay respects to me every day." She said calmly without even looking up, "Since you are in power, you should focus on government affairs."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly: "Mother, I came to say goodbye to you. I have decided to go to the disaster area in person."

The Queen Mother paused, raised her cold eyes and asked, "Leaving the capital now?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded affirmatively: "The government affairs of the court are handled by the cabinet, and the military affairs are handled by Yu Qian. I am very relieved. I am still young, and I have to go out and take a look at the country of the Ming Dynasty. I don't want to just read the memorials, which are what the officials below want me to see. I want to see the real Ming Dynasty."

The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Very good! Your Majesty has this intention, it is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

"I'm not here, mother, please take care of yourself." Zhu Qizhen bowed.

"You won't die!" The Queen Mother waved her hand, "You can go without any worries."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "I have one more thing to say, mother, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics!"

(End of this chapter)