Di Ming

Chapter 132 The Big Secret

"...Yang Jinying and several other palace maids were captured by Empress Xiaolie after their failed attempt to assassinate the emperor. At that time, Emperor Shizong was still unconscious."

“My aunt was the Empress, and Emperor Shizong was unconscious at the time. So, my aunt temporarily took control of the Forbidden City.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yin knew that it referred to the Renyin Palace Coup of the twenty-first year of the Jiajing reign.

One of the major unsolved mysteries in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

At that time, Daojun was unconscious and covered in wounds from being stabbed by hairpins. The imperial physicians dared not treat him. Fortunately, Empress Fang ordered Xu Shen to administer strong medicine, which saved Daojun's life.

After finally waking up, the Daoist Emperor was severely weakened and still shaken, so he could only rest in bed. The power of the Forbidden City was now entirely in the hands of Empress Fang.

However, Empress Fang's reign of power will not last more than ten days.

Just as Zhu Yin thought Fang Jian was telling the truth about the Renyin Palace Coup, Fang Jian suddenly changed the subject:
“At the time, no one was sure that Emperor Shimiao would recover. So the palace made preparations in case Emperor Shimiao died, in which case the empress would support the young emperor to succeed to the throne and rule from behind the curtain.”

"Empress Xiaolie temporarily assumed power. A eunuch reported that a Mongolian monk was requesting an audience. He said he had important confidential matters to discuss and wished to see the Empress."

"Emperor Shizong revered Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, and usually did not associate with monks. However, Empress Xiaolie was a Buddhist, so she met with that foreign monk. If Empress Xiaolie had not temporarily taken power, that foreign monk would not have been able to enter the palace to pay his respects."

"That foreign monk was over seventy years old. When he saw the Empress, he knelt down and said that he was of the bloodline of the Ming Dynasty and the great-grandson of Emperor Yingzong!"

What? Zhu Yin hadn't expected that the so-called secret wasn't the Renyin Palace Coup, but rather something about Emperor Yingzong.

Isn't this too bloody?

But Fang Jian continued, "The Mongolian monk said that before my father died, he told me that he was the grandson of the Great Ming Khan. When the Great Ming Khan was in Mongolia, he slept with several Mongolian noblewomen, one of whom became pregnant and gave birth to my great-grandfather..."

"However, Emperor Jingtai was on the throne at the time, and the noblewoman dared not come to acknowledge her relatives. Later, a war broke out among the Mongol tribes, and the noblewoman also died in the chaos of war, leaving only Emperor Yingzong's son."

"After his father grew up, he learned that he was the grandson of Emperor Yingzong and wanted to secretly serve the Ming Dynasty. So he secretly spied on the secrets of the Mongol nobles and looked for an opportunity to make a name for himself."

"After spying for several years, he actually uncovered a huge secret: the secret of the Imperial Seal of the State!"

The Imperial Seal of the State? Zhu Yin was immediately excited upon hearing this.

It turns out to be the secret of the Imperial Seal of the State!

Fang Jian took a sip of tea and continued:

“He personally witnessed the Imperial Seal of the State being cursed by lamas ordered by Dayan Khan (the little prince) with magic, which was said to be damaging the Han people’s national fortune. As long as the Imperial Seal of the State of the Han people is cursed, the Han people will lose their country again sooner or later.”

"The Imperial Seal of the State was cursed and imprisoned in a place called Hutubi Temple in the Chahar tribe. Unfortunately, his personal power was too limited, and he simply couldn't obtain it..."

"...The old Tibetan monk's story was so bizarre that Empress Xiaolie couldn't believe it. But the old Tibetan monk produced Emperor Yingzong's keepsake, which was indeed the same item that had been in the palace back then."

"The old Tibetan monk also presented a map showing the place where Dayan Khan used to curse the Imperial Seal of the State. He said that as long as the Ming Dynasty sent several thousand cavalrymen to launch a surprise attack from Liaodong and follow the map straight to Hutubi Temple, they could retrieve the Imperial Seal of the State."

Zhu Yin couldn't help but ask, looking a little nervous, "And then?"

Fang Jian said, "Empress Xiaolie accepted the map and told him not to tell anyone, saying that she would personally summon him to the palace once the emperor recovered."

"But it was truly fate. The old Tibetan monk was already over seventy years old. He had traveled a long way to get here, met the Empress, and presented her with the secret map. Perhaps the matter was settled, and he felt relieved. He fell ill as soon as he left the palace."

"On the third day after leaving the palace, the old Tibetan monk died in Beijing. When Emperor Shizong recovered, Empress Xiaolie presented him with a secret map. Emperor Shizong said it was nonsense and completely unbelievable, saying that Emperor Yingzong could never have left any bloodline in Mongolia. This was a smear against Emperor Yingzong."

"Emperor Shimiao also said that the so-called curse on the Imperial Seal was purely the monks' sinister intentions and their lies to mislead the public. As for the foreign monks' suggestion to send troops to retrieve the Imperial Seal, Emperor Shimiao believed it to be a conspiracy and a trap, and absolutely not to be believed. He also warned the Empress not to spread rumors."

"Empress Xiaolie originally thought it was a great achievement, but it turned out to be a disgrace, and she could only keep it a secret and dared not make it public."

“Then one day, my grandfather came to the palace to see her, and she told him about it and gave him the secret map of the Tibetan monk. Anyway, the emperor didn’t believe it, so the secret map was no longer important.”

“My grandfather got his hands on the secret map and became interested in it. He wanted to know whether the Tibetan monk’s words were true or false. So, under the pretext of trade, he boldly went to Chahar and found Hutubi Temple according to the secret map.”

"He stayed at Hutubi Temple for a while and concluded that the Imperial Seal of the State must be haunted there. However, Hutubi Temple is located in the heart of Mongolia and is heavily guarded. It is the haunted temple of the Golden Family, and even my grandfather could not get his hands on it."

“Grandfather knew very well that Emperor Shizong would never wage war against the Mongols. Since he could not send troops, he could not retrieve the Imperial Seal. Therefore, he could not make a fuss about it.”

"Later, the Fang family fell on hard times, and my father wanted to use this secret to turn their fortunes around, but he couldn't find a suitable person to entrust it to..."

Only after Fang Jian finished speaking did Zhu Yin understand his intention.

He wanted to use his position to exchange the secret of the Imperial Seal for the Fang family's comeback.

As long as the imperial court finds the Imperial Seal of the State based on clues from the Fang family, the Fang family's fortunes will turn around.

After Fang Jian finished telling the secret, he took out a secret map from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yin.

“Young brother, you are a rare prodigy. You should be able to see that this secret map is quite remarkable.”

Zhu Yin took it and saw that it was a sheepskin scroll.

The painting is densely covered with blue pigment depicting mountains and valleys, and deep within the dense forests of Mongolia, the address of Hutubi Temple is marked.

Mongolia has many dense forests. Without this map, finding the little-known Hutubi Temple would be no easy task.

Zhu Yin looked at the map and guessed that it was located in Chifeng, south of the Greater Khingan Mountains in later generations, probably the birthplace of the Khitan people.

This place is now the heartland controlled by Tumen Khan, the Great Khan of the Eastern Mongols. Tumen Khan is now a powerful force in the northern frontier, with 60,000 cavalrymen directly under his command.

“Brother Fang,” Zhu Yin sighed, “the imperial court is unlikely to send troops. In recent years, the policy towards the Mongols has always been defensive. Taking the initiative to attack… is too difficult.”

"The emperor and the Grand Secretaries would not agree to send troops based on this map alone; they don't believe it, or rather, they are unwilling to believe it."

Fang Jian smiled wryly and said, "Young brother is right. Even the Emperor Shizong didn't believe it back then, let alone now."

“Sigh… I’m telling you this secret not only to revitalize the Fang family, but also to help the Ming Dynasty get back the Imperial Seal of the State. It is, after all, our Han people’s national treasure, and we can’t let the barbarians keep dominating it.”

"I dare not fully believe in these mysterious and mystical matters. But if they can truly ruin the fortunes of the Han Dynasty, will our Han Dynasty truly face the danger of national extinction in the future?"

Zhu Yin shook his head. "Brother Fang, it's no use. Those people in the court won't believe it or care. Unless the current emperor is ambitious and has the will to expand the territory and graze horses across thousands of mountains, it would be good enough if the Mongols didn't take the initiative to invade. How could they possibly follow the example of Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang and launch a preemptive attack?"

Fang Jian was very disappointed when he thought of all the rumors that had circulated since the current emperor personally led the expedition.

No matter how you look at it, the current emperor doesn't seem like a monarch like Emperor Wu of Han or Emperor Taizong of Tang.

Zhu Yin added, "Although the Fang family has declined, Brother Fang is still an educated man who still understands the distinction between Chinese and barbarians. This alone is enough to revive the Fang family."

"Leave this secret to me. The future of the Fang family is in my hands. With Brother Fang around, the Fang family's fortunes will turn around."

Fang Jian understood Zhu Yin's meaning and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Yin is someone who can even bring down the Wang family. As long as the Fang family is on his side, they have hope.

He trusted Zhu Yin's character and believed he was the most suitable person to entrust this secret to.

...

After seeing Fang Jian off, Zhu Yin carried Ning Qingchen back to the room.

"Is it the Imperial Seal of Qin Shi Huang?" Ning Qingchen asked.

Zhu Yin nodded and fell into deep thought.

The Imperial Seal of the State fell into the hands of the Khitans during the Five Dynasties period, and later into the hands of the Mongols. This lineage may be true.

In other words, starting from the Later Jin Dynasty, the emperors of the Central Plains were essentially "unreliable" rulers.

Later, the Qing Dynasty claimed to have obtained the Imperial Seal of the State, which was likely a hoax.

If the Manchus had truly obtained the Imperial Seal of the State, they would have undoubtedly taken it out.

The Imperial Seal of the State was a treasure symbolizing the imperial power of China. Unfortunately, it has been lost for a long time.

One intriguing theory is that the decline of Chinese martial arts roughly coincided with the loss of the Imperial Seal of the State, both occurring during the Five Dynasties period.

The true rise of the foreign races also began in the Fifth Generation.

When the Imperial Seal of the State existed, China was never destroyed by foreign tribes. After losing the Imperial Seal, it was destroyed more than once.

From an idealist perspective, there is a causal relationship involved.

Ning Qingchen asked, "Do you want to retrieve the Imperial Seal of the State?"

Zhu Yin snapped out of his thoughts and deliberately asked, "What do you think?"

"Of course we have to take it back!" Ning Qingchen replied in her childish voice. "That's our Han people's national treasure, the duck!"

Zhu Yin said, "We can't take it back now. I have no power or troops. Once we have military power, we will take back the Imperial Seal."

Ning Qingchen clenched her little fists. "Then when will you have military power?"

Zhu Yin smiled and picked her up. "It'll be soon. As long as I pass the imperial examination, I'll have a way to participate in the war against Korea and gain military power."

Zhu Yin was not joking.

He absolutely must participate in the Imjin War.

He refused to believe he would miss this great battle!
……

East China Sea, Daishan Island. A large contingent of soldiers, divided into several groups, is training on the island.

The entire Daishan Island was filled with the sounds of battle.

In the past two months, the Daishan Army has become the largest force in Zhoushan.

at this time.

Despite his gray hair, Qi Jiguang was in good spirits. Standing on a small hillside, he looked at the Daishan Army, who were training diligently according to his training methods, with great satisfaction.

He exudes an air of vigor and vitality despite his advanced age.

Beside him stood a pretty little girl, around ten years old.

The little girl had two buns tied up with red ribbons, and wore a pale yellow pleated skirt with a waist-length blue overcoat. Her bright and fresh appearance was very eye-catching.

It was Ning Caiwei.

She has been on Daishan Island for a day.

"Father, how many soldiers are there in the Daishan Army now?" Ning Caiwei asked. "There weren't many soldiers two months ago."

Qi Jiguang laughed and said, "That's exactly two thousand men. In the past two months, we've trained several hundred new soldiers and recruited several hundred more usable pirates."

"Caiwei, with two more months of training, you'll definitely be a force to be reckoned with. Let Zhihu attack that barbarian island of Itte and seize the warships they're building."

As he spoke, he was filled with emotion, but also a sense of pride.

He thought that after being dismissed from his post, he would never have the chance to command troops again, but unexpectedly, he was able to continue his military career on the island.

As long as the Daishan Army does not become pirates plundering the Ming Dynasty, they are serving the Ming Dynasty in disguise, guarding the Ming Dynasty's sea borders, and dealing with foreign barbarians, Japanese pirates, and other pirates. What's wrong with that?

Qi Jiguang was never a pedantic person.

Since the imperial court doesn't care about the coastal defenses, only this old reformer can overstep his bounds and do the work.

Thinking of this, Qi Jiguang felt a sense of sorrow again.

It is truly lamentable that the mighty Ming Dynasty does not even have a decent navy, allowing enemy ships and smuggling vessels to come and go as they please.

Although the Daishan Army had two thousand men, if they did not go ashore to plunder, how would they solve the problem of military supplies and provisions?

We can't grow that much military rations on Daishan Island alone.

"Caiwei, we are currently facing a shortage of military rations, needing seven or eight hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) each month," Qi Jiguang said. "We can't go ashore to plunder, and we can't really become pirates, so the military rations depend on you."

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "Father, don't worry. As for the military rations, Zhihu and I will transport them overseas. Once our Daishan Army is strong enough, we will raid Japan and Luzon, and then we will have food."

She originally wanted to suggest taking over Taiwan, but after thinking about Zhu Yin's words, she had to give up.

At that time, the development of Taiwan required a lot of human resources.

At least tens of thousands of people.

With only a few thousand people, how can Daishan Island possibly have the resources to develop this precious island?
Upon hearing the name Zhihu, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but smile. "Zhihu is indeed a child prodigy. He has accomplished so much in such a short time since arriving in Nanjing, and he has even been admitted to the Imperial Academy. I underestimated him."

"I never expected that you would also befriend Hai Rui and Tian Yi. I am increasingly looking forward to seeing how far the young tiger will go in the future."

Ning Caiwei felt honored to hear him praise Zhu Yin.

Unbeknownst to the two, Zhu Yin had not only become Shen Yiguan's apprentice, but had also used others to commit murder, framed others, and brought down the Wang family, gaining more than 3,000 acres of fertile land.

If Ning Caiwei knew, she probably wouldn't want to do business anymore.

Robbing money is still the fastest way.

Qi Jiguang then asked, "Are you still practicing martial arts in Nanjing? Have you and Zhihu been slacking off?"

Ning Caiwei answered honestly, "We practice about twice every three days, each time for about half an hour in the morning. My daughter is already skilled in archery, but she lacks strength and can only use a small bow."

Qi Jiguang shook his head: "This is not working hard enough. If you want to show your face and make something of yourself, you should practice martial arts, so as not to waste your big feet. Otherwise, you won't even be able to protect yourself, so how could the young tiger dare to let you out?"

“Hongying is talented, but you can’t learn to be as good as her. However, it’s very easy for you to learn to be able to protect yourself.”

"From now on, you will have to learn martial arts from Hongying every day for one hour, for five years. Can you do that?"

Ning Caiwei clenched her little pink fist, "I can do it! Not only will I be able to protect myself, but I will also be able to be a female general, riding a horse and fighting!"

"Hahaha! To be a female general!" Qi Jiguang laughed. "You? To be a female general? Hongying might be able to, but as for you... you're too delicate, I'm afraid that won't do."

Ning Caiwei said seriously, "Father, don't underestimate me. Maybe I will become a female general like Fu Hao, Princess Pingyang, or Lady Wa in the future."

As the two were talking, another woman appeared from the bottom of the hillside; the dashing Ding Hongying was none other than her.

"Aunt Ning!" Ding Hongying called out, "The big ship is ready, shall we set sail?"

Qi Jiguang said, "Hongying, you've only been back in Daishan for a day, why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

"Hmph!" Ding Hongying snorted. "General, I've only been back for a day and people are already coming to my door as matchmakers. It's so annoying! If I don't leave, will I get married?"

Qi Jiguang laughed and said, "You're almost sixteen, can't you talk about your future husband's family?"

Ding Hongying shook her head, "I don't want to. I still want to do great things with Uncle Hu. So, I don't want to stay here anymore. I'd better set sail and leave, out of sight, out of mind."

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "I was originally leaving today. Otherwise, if I had stayed too long, I probably wouldn't have been able to get back before the New Year."

Qi Jiguang nodded: "You may board the ship. We'll meet at Daishan before the New Year!"

Ning Caiwei bowed and bid farewell to Qi Jiguang: "Father, take care, your daughter is leaving."

Ning Caiwei and Ding Hongying switched to a warship on Daishan Island.

The ship had over a hundred men and two cannons. That was enough for self-defense.

As the ship sailed south, it frequently encountered merchant ships. However, these merchant ships were mostly armed and not to be underestimated.

However, seeing Ning Caiwei's boat, most people wouldn't dare to make a move.

This time it went very smoothly, and the ship arrived at the Portuguese port seven or eight days later.

Although Macau was occupied by the Portuguese, it was a "free port." Even pirate ships could dock in the port as long as they paid the berthing fee and followed the regulations.

Ning Caiwei observed that a large number of Ming Dynasty smuggling ships were anchored in what is now Macau. The ships were managed by Europeans with high noses and deep-set eyes.

What an irony.

Smuggling ships from the Ming Dynasty anchored in Macau right under the noses of the government.

It is evident that the administrative system of the Ming Dynasty had become completely dysfunctional after more than two hundred years.

During the late Ming Dynasty, a large amount of silver flowed into overseas markets, but unfortunately, most of it ended up in private pockets through smuggling. The imperial court and the emperor only received a small share.

She paid a mooring fee and moored the boat in North Bay.

Then Ning Caiwei, accompanied by only a dozen or so attendants, rented a flat-bottomed riverboat and entered the Pearl River Estuary.

The plan is to travel upstream along the Pearl River Estuary, enter Guangxi along the Pearl River, disembark in Liuzhou, and then travel by land.

There are many checkpoints and garrisons at the mouth of the Pearl River, and as usual, it's a matter of paying money to let people pass.

Money talks. All that matters is river defense inspections; they're just for show.

It was late autumn, but the Pearl River basin remained warm as spring.

However, Ning Caiwei dared not be careless at all.

During the late Ming Dynasty, the Pearl River was rife with river bandits, and countless innocent souls perished at its bottom.

Therefore, apart from Ding Hongying and a few other women, the other eight people around Ning Caiwei were all shrewd and capable, and they also secretly carried three-eyed pistols.

That night, before the boat even reached Guangzhou, they heard a pitiful cry for help coming from the river ahead:
"Who will save me?! Who will save me?!"

Ning Caiwei, who understands Cantonese, immediately changed her expression.

A sailor from Guangdong immediately said, "Young lady, don't worry about her. This is most likely a trap, a trick by the river bandits."

However, the screams grew even more pitiful.

Ning Caiwei looked up and saw that on a ship not far ahead, lights were flashing and swaying, and there was a faint glint of swords on the ship.

This doesn't look like acting!
Just as Ning Caiwei was wondering what was going on, she saw two people rush out of the boat and jump into the river with two "plop" sounds, seemingly swimming towards her.

The people on the boat were shooting arrows, and the arrows shot into the river with a whooshing sound.

The two men swam over with all their might, shouting hoarsely, "Who's coming to save me?!"

P.S.: Too busy today, that's all for now. I feel so powerless, thank you. I believe everyone who tried to guess the secret got it wrong.

(End of this chapter)