Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 249: The Queen is pregnant, and His Majesty turned over the Queen's card? !

"Take a look for yourself to see what these southern officials are saying."

Because they had to escort members of the Yu family all the way, Qinglong's speed was slower than that of Nanjing officials and Zhuque and others in delivering messages.

Qinglong was secretly surprised when he took the test book.

Officials in Nanjing actually took the initiative to report on smuggling?
It's really strange. How could they report this matter involving their core interests to His Majesty on their own?
With a puzzled mood, Qinglong opened the book written by Zhang Peng.

But the more he looked, the worse Qinglong's expression became.

In the end, Qinglong's face turned red with anger, and his hands holding the test book were shaking slightly.

"What nonsense! What nonsense!"

"Your Majesty, there is absolutely no truth in what is written here. Your Majesty, please do not believe it easily!"

Qinglong was so angry that his lungs were about to explode when he looked at the test paper in his hand.

The contents recorded here, except for the result, are all correct, while the rest of the causes and processes are written in the style of the Spring and Autumn Period, which is complete nonsense!

Even the six departments in Nanjing took the initiative to discover the smuggling ships of the Yu family, and also discovered the smuggling ships of the Liu family.

Could these southern officials be any more shameless?

After Qinglong finished reading it, Mou Bin wanted to come over and read it again.

After reading the contents of the question book, Mou Bin's face also turned pale.

"We, the Jinyiwei, had just captured Yu Yunzhong, and they reported to the court that Yu Yunzhong was smuggling. How could it be such a coincidence?"

"And the Liu family, they are probably also abandoned by Nanjing. They are so cruel. Once they are no longer useful, they are immediately pushed out to take the blame. What a good plan!"

"Hundreds of people in the Liu family were beheaded because they resisted censorship. They can't even make up a story. Could it be that the elderly and children would also resist censorship?"

"To silence someone is to silence them. It's a pity they can come up with such an excuse!"

How could Zhu Youtang not know this information if even Mou Bin could see it?
Since Zhu Youtang had already made up his mind to crack down on these smuggling gangs, he would definitely not believe a single word of the petitions they submitted.

However, this incident also gave Zhu Youtang a reason to go to the West again.

Zhu Youtang planned to start with this case, first opening a loophole for the Ming court to go into business, and then eliminate the smuggling group in Jiangnan.

"According to the intelligence sent by Zhuque, the entire Liu family has been silenced by the southern officials."

“There are definitely many Jiangnan officials involved in smuggling.”

Zhu Youtang pondered for a moment, then ordered: "Mou Bin, you Jinyiwei should interrogate Yu Yunzhong carefully."

"We must get the list of all the people involved in smuggling from him!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Mou Bin and Qinglong both obeyed the order.

Now, because the Nanjing officials took the initiative to report and investigate the smuggling, Zhu Youtang had an excellent reason to go to the West.

The task of organizing people to rebuild the ship and sail to the West again has become imminent.

But until now, Zhu Youtang has not yet figured out who should be sent to be responsible for shipbuilding and all matters related to the voyage to the West.

Zhu Youtang thought about it, his eyes passing over everyone in the room.

While the Jinyiwei were reporting the situation to Zhu Youtang, Wang Zhi and Ji Sheng from the Western Factory stood quietly by the side waiting for orders.

Zhu Youtang's gaze finally fell on Jisheng. After a moment of silence, Zhu Youtang suddenly asked, "Wang Zhi, what do you think of Jisheng?"

Being asked so bluntly by Zhu Youtang, Jisheng was shocked and couldn't help feeling a little worried.

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t do something well that made Zhu Youtang unhappy.

Wang Zhi had an idea and guessed that Zhu Youtang had something important to do and would hand it over to Yu Jisheng.

Jisheng is his right-hand man, and he knows Jisheng quite well.

He was also happy to see his subordinates being entrusted with important tasks by Zhu Youtang.

"Your Majesty, Jisheng is loyal and dedicated to his duties. He is brave and daring. Although he behaves a little eccentrically, he still abides by the rules and is reliable in handling cases."

"The most important thing is that Jisheng is loyal and has no second thoughts!"

"This time we will investigate 40 years ago and investigate the border generals who participated in the Tumu Incident. Ji Sheng should be credited with the greatest achievement."

"Even Yang Hong's tomb was found by Ji Sheng and his men!"

Wang Zhi had a very high opinion of Jisheng.

Of course, if Wang Zhi was not satisfied with Ji Sheng, Ji Sheng would not have become the third in command of the Western Factory.

Wang Zhi's evaluation surprised Ji Sheng himself.

He had never thought that Wang Zhi would evaluate him in this way, which surprised and delighted him.

Zhu Youtang nodded with satisfaction. He always trusted people recommended by Wang Zhi.

"In that case, Jisheng, I will order you to be the eunuch in charge of the internal affairs, in charge of shipbuilding and sailing to the West."

"Reopen the Fuqing Shipyard and the Jiangnan Shipyard, and supervise the construction of 200 seagoing ships in Minzhou."

"Please keep this atlas carefully and have the craftsmen build a new type of sea vessel according to the instructions in this atlas."

"This Zheng He navigation map must also be carefully preserved. If you follow the navigation, there will be no problem."

As Zhu Youtang spoke, he handed the ship upgrade atlas and Zheng He's navigation chart rewarded by the system to Jisheng.

Jisheng widened his eyes in shock, respectfully took the album from Zhu Youtang, and his whole body was shaking with excitement.

He never expected that Zhu Youtang would actually give him full authority to handle such an important matter.

When Zheng He made his first voyage to the West, he was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, a senior eunuch of the fourth rank.

His rank was the same as that of Wang Zhi, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables.

Of course, the power held by these two officials cannot be compared.

With just one sentence, Zhu Youtang raised his official position to the same level as Wang Zhi.

Such a blessing from heaven made Jisheng very excited and extremely happy.

"I thank you for your grace, and I will die for you, Your Majesty!"

Jisheng knelt in front of Zhu Youtang and kowtowed three times to him.

Even Wang Zhi, who was standing by, was shocked when he heard the news.

There was a trace of envy in her eyes when she looked at Jisheng, but it disappeared in a flash.

Although this journey to the West is extremely difficult, as long as it succeeds, it will be a great achievement that will be recorded in history!
Among all the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch most admired and respected was Sanbao eunuch during the Yongle period.

He was a great man who truly brought glory to the eunuchs. During the entire Ming Dynasty, whenever anyone mentioned Sanbao eunuch, they would praise him as a true man, right?

That is to say, eunuchs were not allowed to enter the Taimiao, otherwise among the civil and military officials who accompanied Emperor Taizong into the Taimiao, there must have been a place for the eunuch Sanbao.

He was a truly powerful eunuch who was worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Later eunuchs such as Wang Zhen, Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and other powerful eunuchs who held utmost power in the court could not be compared with Zheng He at all.

Zheng He has transcended the category of eunuch and is a true national hero!
The merits of all the eunuchs in the world total one shi, Zheng He gets nine dou alone, and the other eunuchs share one dou!
And now, Jisheng is expected to become the second Sanbao eunuch. How can Wang Zhi not feel envious?
But he himself understood that in Zhu Youtang's heart, although it was important to go to the West again, the Ming Dynasty was the real core.

Zhu Youtang obviously needed him more and would never let him go to the West.

So I can only bury this envy deep in my heart.

Mou Bin and Qinglong next to them didn't react that much.

After all, the voyages to the West were always carried out by the emperor's household slaves and eunuchs. As healthy people, they would never touch upon matters that were the core interests of the royal family.

Zhu Youtang was quite satisfied with Jisheng's reaction.

He continued to say to Ji Sheng: "In addition to the one thousand Western Factory eunuchs, we will select three thousand eunuchs from the palace to accompany you on your voyage to the West."

"In addition, we will recruit another 20,000 sailors, and I will dispatch another 10,000 Ming navy officers to escort you all the way."

"As for the construction of the sea vessels, I will send another Minister of Works to accompany you to Minzhou."

"He can be in charge of shipbuilding, and you can just exercise the right of supervision."

Although the task that Zhu Youtang gave to Jisheng was arduous, the conditions he provided were also generous.

With such strong support from Zhu Youtang, Ji Sheng would do his best to complete this mission to the West even at the risk of his life!
"Yes, Your Majesty! Your humble servant will obey the Emperor's orders!"

"I swear to complete the mission at my death. If there is any mistake, I will not be able to see Your Majesty. Please ask Lord Wang to cut off my head and bring it to you!"

Jisheng was so excited that he signed a military order on the spot.

Zhu Youtang smiled and waved his hand: "Okay, go do your job. I am not interested in your heads."

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, will take my leave!"

Wang Zhi, Ji Sheng, Mou Bin and Qing Long all bowed and said goodbye, then left the Yangxin Palace.

After Mou Bin and Qinglong walked out of the Yangxin Palace, they immediately walked quickly to the imperial prison to prepare for the interrogation of Yu Yunzhong.

Wang Zhi and Ji Sheng, on the other hand, walked slowly towards the Internal Affairs Bureau.

"Ji Sheng, His Majesty has entrusted you with such an important matter. Please do not let His Majesty down."

Wang Zhi walked in front and spoke slowly.

It is both a reminder and a warning.

Jisheng quickly stated his attitude: "Yes, Mr. Factory Supervisor."

"I still say the same thing. If I fail in my duty, I will bring my head to you!"

Wang nodded expressionlessly: "Let's go, there is no time to lose. Let's go to the palace and select 3,000 smart eunuchs for you to go to the West with you."

"Yes, Mr. Supervisor."

Jisheng followed behind Wang Zhi, walking closely.

……

After the people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Factory left, peace returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After dealing with so many matters in succession, Zhu Youtang felt a little tired. He lay on the couch, relaxed his mind and relieved his fatigue.

Since he returned to the capital a few days ago, he has been dealing with backlogs of government affairs and cleaning up the mess that Zhu Youju made.

It was only until this moment that I had a moment of free time.

Then Zhu Youtang remembered that he had not been close to the concubines in the harem since returning to the palace.

Now that we have some free time, we might as well use it to promote the relationship between husband and wife so that they can live in harmony.

Zhu Youtang sat up, half lying on the couch, and called the eunuch from the Jingshifang.

"Luo Xiang."

"The slave is here."

Following Zhu Youtang's low shout, a eunuch in his thirties walked into the Yangxin Palace carrying a tray full of concubines' top names.

"Your Majesty, are you going to turn over the cards?"

As Luo Xiang spoke, he knelt in front of Zhu Youtang, raised the tray in his hand above his head and handed it to Zhu Youtang.

Luo Xiang was also one of the Eight Tigers, who were famous in later generations. However, he did not act as high-profile as Liu Jin and Zhang Yong, so his reputation was relatively small among the Eight Tigers.

Luo Xiang also worked in the Jingshifang before. After Fu Dahai died, not only did the position of the eunuch in charge of the seal become vacant, but even the Jingshifang was left without a manager.

So Zhu Youtang promoted Luo Xiang and made him the head eunuch of Jingshifang.

Zhu Youtang lowered his head and swept his eyes over the top performers.

In addition to the original five top cards, a new top card, the Choros concubine, was added.

And the original top concubine Shupin has been replaced by Shufei.

Zhu Youtang reached out and turned over the name card of Concubine Shu, which was placed in the middle.

Luo Xiang hurriedly and respectfully left the Yangxin Palace, and took the eunuchs from the Jingshifang and quickly rushed to the Xianfu Palace where Concubine Shu was.

In Xianfu Palace, Zhang Wan'er, who was pregnant, was lying on a couch to rest.

Her two personal maids sat beside her, Weihong was reading to Zhang Wan'er, and Yicui was embroidering a big red bellyband.

The bellyband is not big and it is obviously prepared for newborn babies.

"Look, Madam, Yicui's bellyband is almost finished. The stitches are so dense, and the koi is so fat!"

Weihong was halfway through reading when she suddenly pointed at the koi in Yicui's hand and said to Zhang Wan'er.

Zhang Wan'er smiled and glanced at the bellyband made by Yicui, and nodded: "Yes, Yicui's needlework is the best. This bellyband is much better than the ones embroidered by the women workers in the weaving bureau."

"When the little prince is born, he will be very comfortable wearing this bellyband."

Yicui's cheeks flushed slightly, and she tightly grasped the bellyband in her hand: "You are joking again, Madam. How can I compare with the female workers in the weaving bureau?"

But Yicui's eyes were full of tenderness when she looked at the bellyband in her hand.

It was as if I could already see the baby in Zhang Wan'er's belly wearing this red bellyband.

At this moment, Zhong Xiang hurried to Xianfu Palace and reported to Zhang Wan'er: "Madam Shufei, Madam Shufei, please get ready quickly. His Majesty is turning over your name card!"

"Ah I?!"

There was surprise in Zhang Wan'er's tone, but more of confusion.

Zhang Wan'er stood up with her big belly and asked in surprise, "Eunuch Luo, are you sure? Did His Majesty really turn over my name card?"

"It's true. How could I dare to be wrong?"

Luo Xiang bent over with a flattering smile on his face: "The sedan chair has been parked outside the palace. This time it is a soft sedan chair carried by eight people. Your Majesty, please come in."

"Okay, then you guys wait outside the door for a while."

"Here."

Although Zhang Wan'er was surprised, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

When Weihong Yicui heard the news, she was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.

"Your Majesty is still turning over your majesty's name card even though she is pregnant. It seems that your majesty's favor towards your majesty has not diminished in the slightest."

Weihong said this with a smile as she helped Zhang Waner with her makeup and clothes.

Zhang Wan'er laughed and scolded, "You little bitch, be quick and don't keep His Majesty waiting for too long."

"I know, I know."

Because she was pregnant, Zhang Wan'er did not take a bath or change her clothes. She simply tidied up her appearance, then got on the sedan chair in the Jingshifang and walked towards the Yangxin Palace.

(End of this chapter)