The Ming Dynasty: The Iron-Blooded Martial Emperor, Who Slaughtered the World

Chapter 141 You won't even offer me a cup of wine!

Liu Jin quickly helped Li Shouyi up, and the maid behind her also stepped forward to support the swaying Li Shouyi.

Liu Jin asked somewhat awkwardly, "Consort Li, are you alright?"

Li Shouyi shook his head: "I'm fine, really, I'll go in now."

Li Shouyi was unwilling to give up this hard-won opportunity. She gritted her teeth and endured the excruciating pain in her knees as she walked step by step into the main hall of Cining Palace.

Inside the Cining Palace, she finally saw the figure she had been longing for.

Li Shouyi struggled to reach Zhu Houzhao and knelt down: "This concubine greets Your Majesty!"

The moment his knees touched the ground, that excruciating pain shot through Li Shouyi's knees again.

But compared to the pain in my heart, the pain in my knees seemed insignificant.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Li Shouyi, who was making concessions, with a blank expression and no emotion in his heart.

"Consort Li must have had a tough day. She really paid a high price to see me."

Faced with Zhu Houzhao's sarcasm, Li Shouyi gritted his teeth and smiled, "It's not hard work, it's Your Majesty who is working hard on state affairs."

"Your Majesty, I have a request to make."

Li Shouyi knew that she didn't have much time left, so she didn't waste time on small talk and went straight to the point.

Zhu Houzhao knew that Li Shouyi had been kneeling all afternoon, but he did not let her get up.

He simply looked coldly at Li Shouyi and said, "Speak, Consort Li, what brings you to see me?"

Li Shouyi raised his head, looked at Zhu Houzhao, and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, my father did not abdicate voluntarily."

"It was Park Won-jong, Sung Hee-yeon, and Yoo Soon-jeong who launched a coup, forcibly imprisoned my father, and forced him to abdicate!"

"They killed my uncle, seized military power, and placed my father and mother under house arrest!"

"That Prince of Jincheng was also put forward as a puppet by them!"

"What Cheng Xiyan said is all a lie to Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not believe his one-sided story!"

Zhu Houzhao nodded and asked in return, "And then?"

"what?"

Li Shouyi was stunned by Zhu Houzhao's question. She stared at Zhu Houzhao with wide eyes, unable to understand what he meant.

Zhu Houzhao turned his attention to the delicious snacks in front of him. He picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and put it in his mouth, saying casually.

"What you've said is all your side of the story. What evidence do you have?"

"And even if what you say is true, even if a coup did occur in Korea and your father was forced to abdicate, what impact would that have on me or on the Ming Dynasty?"

"Yi is your father, but whether it's Yi or Yi Yeok, does it make much difference to me who becomes the King of Joseon?"

"Korea remains a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty, and continues to pay tribute to me every year, even more than before."

"Even if they deceived me about the succession to the throne, it wouldn't have much of an impact on the Ming Dynasty."

Even though Zhu Houzhao had already made up his mind to send troops, he appeared calm and collected at the moment, as if he didn't care about the matter at all.

After all, it's Li Shouyi who should be worried about this, not him.

Sure enough, upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, Li Shouyi's face first showed a look of astonishment, followed by panic.

After all, Zhu Houzhao's words were not without reason.

The change of the Joseon throne had little to do with Zhu Houzhao or the Ming Dynasty.

This was also the thought in the minds of the North Korean officials who launched the coup.

"But Your Majesty, Cheng Xiyan and the others have deceived you! This is a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Li Shouyi tried hard to find a reason to implicate Zhu Houzhao, but after thinking it over and over, he could only come up with the crime of deceiving the emperor.

"Oh? So what?"

Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "As long as they pay enough tribute each year, I can also recognize the legitimacy of their succession to the throne."

Zhu Houzhao's words effectively shut down any further conversation Li Shouyi could have made.

This also completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Li Shouyi's heart.

Zhu Houzhao made it clear to her that he was unwilling.

He was unwilling to expend a great deal of manpower and resources to punish those treacherous officials for the so-called crime of deceiving the emperor.

Her father also lost all hope of returning to the throne.

"But Your Majesty—Your Majesty—"

Li Shouyi panicked completely. Her spirits collapsed, and the pain in her knees quickly overwhelmed her. She slumped to the ground, staring blankly ahead.

Suddenly, Li Shouyi turned to Zhu Houzhao and kowtowed, pleading for help: "Your Majesty, I beg you, please help my father!"

"

"My father and mother have been placed under house arrest, and their fate is now unknown."

"Now, only Your Majesty can help them!"

"Please, Your Majesty, I beg you!"

At this moment, Li Shouyi burst into tears.

The pressure that had been weighing on her heart was released all at once, and she cried so hard that she looked like a delicate flower in the rain, a sight that evoked pity.

Zhu Houzhao sat on the dragon throne, looking at the bewildered and pitiful Li Shouyi in front of him, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

"So now you've decided to ask me for help?"

Do you remember the last time we shared a bed?

"Even though you have been in the palace for more than half a year, you have never contacted me on your own initiative. This is the first time you have come to see me."

Zhu Houzhao continued to savor the late-night snack sent by the Imperial Kitchen, each word cutting into Li Shouyi's heart like a knife.

"To be frank, you don't need my feelings for you at all; you're afraid to be near me."

"You do not treat me as your husband. At the previous banquet, you were not even willing to offer me a toast."

"If you respect me and regard me as your husband, then those who launched the coup today, such as Seong Hee-yeon and Park Won-jong, will receive their due punishment, and your father will once again become the King of Joseon."

"But unfortunately, you don't."

"Now come before me and ask me to help your father reclaim the throne."

"Li Shouyi, do you think this is appropriate?"

Zhu Houzhao's words made Li Shouyi tremble all over, and his heart was filled with regret.

If she had known this day would come, she would never have maintained the dignity of a Korean princess and ignored Zhu Houzhao for the past six months.

If she had won Zhu Houzhao's favor during this period, would he have helped her father reclaim the throne of Joseon without hesitation?

Li Shouyi didn't want to think about these problems; the more she thought about them, the more regretful she became. She cried and said, "Your Majesty, I was wrong."

"If Your Majesty can help my father, I am willing to do anything."

Zhu Houzhao looked down at Li Shouyi without saying a word.

Li Shouyi knelt down and walked to Zhu Houzhao's side, kowtowing to Zhu Houzhao's feet with extreme respect.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Li Shouyi, who was kneeling willingly at his feet, showing her utmost submission, with a faint smile on her face.

In fact, he had always been aware of Li Shouyi's attitude since he entered the palace.

However, he was unwilling to issue hope Yao's orders to force Li Shouyi to respect him.

This kind of forced respect can only ever be superficial; what he wants is genuine respect from Li Shouyi.

Now, Li Shouyi has knelt before him, showing Zhu Houzhao her utmost respect.

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "Please get up and sit down. Stay here tonight and let me feel your sincerity."

"Let's see if you're willing to do anything for your father."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Li Shouyi struggled to stand up, but the pain in her legs made her tremble uncontrollably.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she was slightly lowered. There were still tear stains on her face, and her nose was pink.

Zhu Houzhao waved to Liu Jin: "Liu Jin, take her to bathe and change."

"Oh, and give her something else to eat."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After receiving the order, Liu Jin went to Li Shouyi and led her out of the main hall of Cining Palace.

After Li Shouyi left the main hall, Zhu Houzhao ordered someone to summon Li, the Minister of Works; Wang Shouren, the Minister of War; and Zhou Jing, the Minister of Revenue.

Soon, the three ministers arrived together.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

After arriving at Cining Palace, the three of them bowed to Zhu Houzhao together.

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "My beloved ministers, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao then asked Li, the Minister of Works, "Li, how is the Ministry of Works doing with the shipment of cannons and flintlock muskets to the nine key border towns that I ordered?"

Li bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has already transported 10,000 flintlock muskets and 300 breech-loading cannons to Datong Prefecture."

"Only five thousand flintlock muskets were delivered to Gan Ning's garrison, while three hundred breech-loading cannons were delivered."

Datong Prefecture was a key border town guarded by the fearsome General Ling Luoshi.

Zhu Houzhao pressed further, "What about the other nine important border towns?"

"Your Majesty, due to production capacity issues, the Ministry of Works has not yet delivered flintlock muskets and cannons to the other nine important border towns."

Li hesitated for a moment before quickly adding, "However, the Ministry of Works has already delivered a total of 50,000 flintlock muskets and 1,000 breech-loading cannons to the three major battalions and twelve regiments in the capital."

"At the same time, 1,200 rifled cannons have been installed on the walls of the capital."

At this time, the capital city, equipped with 1,200 rifled cannons, was virtually impregnable in this era.

Even if foreign tribes besiege the capital again, we can wipe out all these arrogant foreign tribes without losing a single soldier!

However, the opportunities to use the cannons on the walls of the capital were actually not many.

Zhu Houzhao nodded, having a general idea of ​​what the troops would be like to go to Korea.

Then, Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhou Jing and asked, "Zhou Jing, has the autumn tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty been collected this year?"

'

Zhou Jing cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the autumn taxes for most provinces have been collected."

"Only the autumn taxes from three or four remote areas are still on their way."

"

Zhu Houzhao said, "Read it to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"