The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 712 Emperor Guangde's New Policies

September 30th, the fifth year of Guangde, in the main hall of the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City, Nanjing.

The two Empress Dowagers sat facing each other, Jin Yuji holding a whisk and Yang Qing'er beating a wooden fish. They sat east and west, one Buddhist and one Taoist, and looked at each other in silence.

Amber, Dujuan and others stood far away at the door to serve. Like the two empress dowagers, these personal palace maids were now old and were no longer the youthful and lively girls.

The mournful cries of wild geese could be heard from the sky outside the palace. A lone goose was busy searching among the clouds, trying to find its way home.

Jin Yuji glanced at the sandalwood incense that was about to burn out in the copper censer, and placed the "Tai Shang Chun Yang Zhen Jing" in her hand on her knees.

"Kan'er hasn't come to pay his respects for two days."

Yang Qing'er put down the wooden fish and looked up at Jin Yuji. Her once beautiful face was now covered with wrinkles, and there were a few silver strands on her black hair.

"The emperor has been very busy these days, so how could he have the time to visit us two old maids?"

Yang Qing'er's tone seemed nonchalant, as if she was talking about something very far away, but Jin Yuji knew what the little emperor was busy with at the moment.

"The emperor also gave me this copper incense burner and sandalwood for the Double Ninth Festival this year. This is it."

As Jin Yuji spoke, she pointed to the uniquely shaped copper stove in front of her.

Yang Qing'er glanced at the copper stove and soon smelled the rich scent of sandalwood, and her suppressed emotions eased a little.

She recalled that when her father Yang Hao was alive, he spent a huge sum of money hoping to get a piece of genuine Siamese jade to present to the nobles in the palace, but unfortunately he failed to buy it in the end.

"This sandalwood is a tribute from Siam. It's very valuable."

Jin Yuji smiled perfunctorily and said nothing.

Yang Qing'er said thoughtfully, "The Qi army in Fujian is preparing to recapture Guangdong and Guangxi. After pacifying Guangdong, the next step will be the small countries in the south. No wonder Siam took the initiative to show goodwill."

The two women chatted for a long time, and the topic returned to Liu Kan.

"Yu Ji, you should talk Kan'er down. Get him to stop. Hey, we just sent Pei Dahu away, and now they're trying to punish Director Xie. I heard even Dongfang Zhu is under investigation... This has pushed all of our nobles in Da Qi into a corner. It's inevitable that someone will do something detrimental to Da Qi."

"I'm afraid he can't control this group of old ministers."

Jin Yuji recalled the past and didn't listen to what Yang Qing'er was saying at all.

After Yang Qing'er finished speaking, she whispered, "Concubine Chen and Zhang Yan look exactly alike, even their voices are very similar. If she goes to persuade the emperor, he will probably listen."

Yang Qing'er smiled and said, "Kan'er has little connection with that Concubine Chen, so he won't listen to her. If I want to persuade her, I have to rely on you, Yu Ji."

Jin Yuji looked embarrassed.

She knew that Liu Kan had his own difficulties.

I have been suppressed by my father for too long.

More than ten years have passed since Wu Ding abdicated.

For over a decade, Liu Kan, as the Emperor of Great Qi, had to look after his father's wishes and endure humiliation. Now that he had gained power, he was eager to immediately re-establish the policies of Great Qi.

"I'm doing my best. Liu Kan is different from his father. I've never seen him cry..."

Thinking of the emperor's neglect of his two mothers these days, Jin Yu Ji felt more and more hopeless.

She murmured to herself:
"Alas, I wonder if the Emperor has truly become an immortal."

~~~~
When the news of the disappearance of the retired emperor reached Nanjing, the concubines in the harem cried every day and were heartbroken.

Liu Rushi and Bumbutai hanged themselves that day.

The two Empress Dowagers cannot die because they not only represent themselves, but also represent the rule of Da Qi.

The more times like this happen, the more the two of them have to withstand the storm, just like they did more than 20 years ago.

On the first day of October, after the morning court session ended, Emperor Guangde walked to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to his two mothers.

Liu Kan looked at his two mothers who were vegetarians and Buddhists, and knelt down in front of them to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May I ask if you are well?"

Jin Yuji said as usual: "An, please stand up."

Yang Qing'er replied, "Your Majesty is pure and filial. If the Emperor could see this, he would surely be pleased."

When Liu Kan, who was kneeling on the ground, heard the three words "Grand Emperor", his expression changed slightly, and this change happened in just an instant.

He stood up gently, turned around and said to the followers behind him:

"Everyone get out and wait!"

A large group of guards and eunuchs following Emperor Guangde hurriedly left the Cining Palace.

Liu Kan respectfully bowed to the two empress dowagers, exchanged a few words with them, and finally got to the point.

"This son has come today to discuss something with the two queens."

Jin Yuji remained silent.

Yang Qing'er quickly said, "The Emperor, please speak if you want to. There are no outsiders here."

Liu Kan looked around and saw that the two palace maids, Amber and Dujuan, were standing far away at the door as if they were avoiding the plague god. Only then did he relax his vigilance and tell his two mothers everything he was doing.

"Mother, I intend to cancel the marriage alliance with Sweden. In addition, I will halt the military campaign and withdraw all the troops stationed in Japan, Yinzhou, Australia, etc..."

"In addition, I will expel those evildoers who deceived my father. I will also expel all the Taoist alchemists in Fengtian Hall and Daqing Palace without sparing a single one."

(End of this chapter)