Chapter 335 The Demon Queen Wants to Have a Child

On the imperial road.

Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin, walked slowly, the sun fell on him, casting a long shadow. He looked left and right, obviously nervous and scared.

After the morning court session today, the emperor sent an edict for him to have an audience with the emperor. Since returning from the Western Regions, although the emperor did not strip him of his princely title, he had been sending Jinyiwei to monitor the palace.

Therefore, like several other princes, he rarely left the palace and stayed there obediently. He would only come out when the emperor ordered him to attend some banquets.

The emperor met him alone today, which made him extremely nervous.

Soon, they arrived in front of the Qianqing Palace. The eunuch chief Cao Jixiang was already waiting and led him into the palace. Zhu Qizhen was reviewing memorials, and when Zhu Qiyu came in, he knelt down respectfully to pay his respects.

Zhu Qizhen did not ask him to get up immediately, but continued to review the memorials without raising his head. Zhu Qiyu, who was kneeling in the hall, had begun to tremble slightly. Finally, Zhu Qizhen put down his pen, raised his eyes and said, “Second brother, get up quickly.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Zhu Qiyu stood up slowly.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and asked, “Are you used to the life in the palace in Beijing?”

“Good, very good.” Zhu Qiyu said quickly, “It’s just that my salary is a bit high. There are only a dozen people, so we don’t need so much. Please reduce my salary, Your Majesty.”

Zhu Qizhen stood up and laughed loudly: “Prince Qing knows to reduce his salary on his own initiative. However, the Ming Dynasty is not like it was in the past. We have money now. Of course, I have to treat the princes of the royal family well. We are a family.”

“I am deeply troubled, after all, I have not done anything for the court,” said Zhu Qiyu.

“Want to do something for the court?” Zhu Qizhen asked with interest.

Zhu Qiyu knelt down hurriedly: “No, I am incompetent, and I am content to be an idle prince.”

“No, no, no, you do have talent.” Zhu Qizhen raised his hand, “The Ming Dynasty still has to rely on its own people. So, I will change your title to Secret King and let you follow the fleet to America.”

“Ah?” Zhu Qiyu raised his head in horror.

Zhu Qizhen walked up to him, patted his shoulder condescendingly, and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I want you to go to America to be the king. I am giving you a chance. How you can develop there depends on your ability.”

“I obey your order.” Zhu Qiyu kowtowed.

Zhu Qizhen nodded with satisfaction: “Go back and pack your things, take your whole family with you, and set off with the fleet today.”

“Today?” Zhu Qiyu was dumbfounded.

“No way?” Zhu Qizhen asked coldly.

“I will go back and pack it up right away.” Zhu Qiyu bowed again.

He respectfully left the hall, walked back to the imperial road, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sighed in his heart: “The emperor still took action against the Zhu family. Fortunately, he didn’t kill them directly, but just drove them out of Ming. Well, going to a foreign country, he was able to save the lives of a family, which can be regarded as his kindness.”

After leaving the palace, he looked back and stood there for a long time. He might not have the chance to return to the capital in this life. He knelt down and kowtowed three times: “Ancestors, I am an unfilial descendant.”

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the map in his hand, wondering where to send all the vassal kings. Sending Zhu Qiyu away first was a start for him, and he also wanted to see the attitude of the court officials.

The next step was to confer titles on all the princes of the Zhu family. The world was so big that even a few hundred people could be conferred titles. After marking them on the map, he continued to review the memorials.

“Your Majesty, here’s an urgent message from Samarkand.” Cao Jixiang came in holding a memorial.

Zhu Qizhen took it, opened it immediately, and a smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The report said that the Ottoman emperor almost died while attacking Belgrade, a fortress on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Since the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire continued to expand into Eastern Europe and concentrated its forces on conquering the Kingdom of Hungary.

Belgrade is a gateway, a fortress that the Ottoman Empire must capture, and the strongest castle in the Kingdom of Hungary.

The person in charge of guarding the fortress was the famous general Hunyadi Ano, who had fought against the Ottoman army many times in the previous twenty years, and the Battle of Belgrade was the showdown he had been looking forward to for a long time.

Hunyadi stocked and equipped the castle as best he could, leaving a strong garrison in the castle under the command of his brother-in-law Mihaly Szilard and his eldest son Laszlo Hunyadi. He also set about assembling a relief force and a fleet of about 200 light warships.

The Ottoman Empire’s army was also commanded by the emperor of the empire himself.

At the beginning, the Ottoman army besieged the side of Belgrade near the Danube and started a fire attack. They had 300 cannons, most of which were deployed in the surrendered Roman legions, and the rest were installed in about 200 warships. The Ottoman emperor divided the army into three parts: the Roman legion on the right wing, the Anatolian legion on the left wing, and he himself sat in the center to command the imperial guards.

The city’s garrison of less than 7 men and the inhabitants of Belgrade worked together to resist such a powerful army. They placed their hopes on the impregnable fortress of Belgrade, the strongest castle in the entire kingdom.

Hunyadi arrived at the heavily besieged castle with his fleet up the Danube and dealt a heavy blow to the Ottoman fleet. He also strengthened the castle’s defenses by transporting troops by water and supplying the scarce food.

The Ottomans launched a general attack, and the besiegers broke through the first line of defense like a tide and launched an attack on the main city. But Hunyadi ordered his soldiers to throw tarred wood and other burning materials to form a wall of fire, which cut off the Ottoman guards who had already rushed into the inner city and the soldiers who tried to enter the upper fortress. In the end, the Ottoman emperor was injured and lost consciousness, and was escorted away by his subordinates.

“After this battle, the Ottoman Empire will probably wilt for a while.” Zhu Qizhen said to himself, “The Ming Dynasty’s chance has come. The delegation should have arrived at the Kingdom of Hungary.”

He immediately summoned Yang Guifang and discussed the current situation with him.

“Your Majesty, I have to return to the front line.” Yang Guifang said, “This Hunyadi won this battle. I estimate that he will soon become the actual ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary. I will send an envoy immediately after returning to Samarkand. If we can attack the Ottoman Empire from both sides, it will be difficult for the Ottoman Empire to fight on two fronts.”

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly: “I wanted you to come back and take a break for a while, but the timing doesn’t allow it. Then you should return to the front immediately.”

“Your Majesty, I have something else to ask.” Yang Guifang said, “Ottomans have a powerful navy. When I return, I will build a shipyard at the estuary to produce warships and establish a navy. I need your support.”

“I will send someone to you. Some of the people from our shipyard will be transferred there directly.” Zhu Qizhen said.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Yang Guifang bowed again, “Your Majesty, I will be waiting for you in Constantinople.”

Zhu Qizhen laughed loudly: “Good!”

……

In the harem, the moonlight is like water, gently falling, adding a bit of tranquility and elegance.

The breeze blew by, bringing with it the scent of flowers. The sparse palace lanterns added a hazy beauty to the night. The lanterns under the corridor swayed gently, and the palace maids moved quietly between them, either preparing supper for the nobles or tidying up clothes for tomorrow.

In the courtyard, Aisha leaned in Zhu Qizhen’s arms, about to cry. Zhu Qizhen’s face was serious: “Why are you crying again?”

“Once the Ming Dynasty went to war with the Ottoman Empire, I could never go back.” Aisha said quietly.

“How could I possibly treat you unfairly?” Zhu Qizhen was speechless.

Aisha raised her beautiful face and said, “I am worried about my family in Osman. Our emperor will not let them go.”

Zhu Qizhen held her exotic face in his hands and said, “Don’t worry, the Ming Trading Company has already cooperated with them and will arrange a way out for them.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will serve you wholeheartedly.” Aisha pursed her red lips and said, her face full of exotic charm was stained with a blush, her red lips slightly parted, her pearly teeth bit her lower lip, she lowered her head shyly, her slender hands unconsciously stroked the gauze undergarment she was wearing, tears flashed in her eyes, revealing endless tenderness and charm. After hesitating for a moment, she finally turned around slowly, her waist slightly bent, her hips slightly raised, her movements revealing an indescribable gracefulness and grace.

Zhu Qizhen’s eyes swept across the graceful figure. The beautiful scenery faintly revealed under the veil made his breathing involuntarily pause and his heart was in turmoil.

Aisha was also a poor woman, widowed at a young age, and had to flee her hometown and come to the distant Ming Dynasty. In this foreign country, she could only hold on to Zhu Qizhen and rely on him.

“Your Majesty, I will be obedient.” Aisha looked back and smiled, “You have finally managed to stay in the palace, so just marry me.”

Zhu Qizhen smiled, lay down on the couch, and said, “Come on.”

Aisha lowered her head obediently and slowly climbed up from the other side of the couch. She used her hands and feet to move gently and swiftly to the inside, then knelt down gracefully, with her hands folded in front of her belly. At this time, the blush on her face became more intense, and her eyes were shining with a bit of confusion and shyness, which made people feel pity for her.

Zhu Qizhen reached out and plucked out the jade hairpin in her hair, and her long black hair fell down.

He hugged Aisha and rolled her into the bed, hugging her plump body tightly…

……

early morning.

The morning sun set over the Gaoliang River. The queen in a white dress stood by the river, with her proud and slender figure, elegant and cool. The breeze blew her hair, and she looked like a fairy descending to earth.

“You really didn’t come home last night.” She snorted.

There was a crackling sound coming from the riverside. It turned out that the peasant women were washing clothes there. Aunt Li looked at her while washing and whispered something to Aunt Liu beside her.

The Demon Queen knew that they must be discussing her. She curled her lips and walked over. Aunt Li was obviously a little flustered when she saw her coming over.

“Are you doing the laundry?” the Demon Queen called out.

Aunt Li quickly put the clothes in the basin, picked them up, forced a smile at the witch queen, and strode away. The witch queen squatted down where she was squatting and chatted with the remaining peasant women.

“My husband bought a lot of cakes from Yixinzhai, but I won’t eat them. Aunts, please come and eat them.”

“Pastry from Yixinzhai?”

“Yes, my maid Shuangxi has been eating alone recently.”

“After breakfast, we will go to see you, Madam Zhu.”

“Call Aunt Li?”

“Don’t call her. She says a lot of bad things about you behind your back.”

Aunt Liu told Aunt Li everything she had said about the Demon Queen. The Demon Queen smiled and thought, “Can’t I deal with you guys? Divide them first, then defeat them one by one.”

After chatting with her aunts, she returned to her own courtyard. Shuangxi had already prepared breakfast and called out, “Madam, eat quickly before it gets cold.”

“Master, will you come back tonight?” asked the witch queen.

“Yes.” Shuangxi said with a smile, “Didn’t the master say that before he went out yesterday? He would meet some friends.”

The Queen pouted and said, “Who knows where he went to fool around? Let’s eat. Shuangxi, take out the cakes later. I want to entertain the guests.”

“Guests? Where did the guests come from?” Shuangxi became alert instantly.

The demon held the bowl in his hand and pointed to the next room: “Aunt Liu and the others.”

Shuangxi breathed a sigh of relief and looked strange.

My lady, why are you chatting with a group of peasant women now?

……

At dusk, the setting sun falls into the courtyard.

Shuangxi was preparing dinner in the kitchen while the Demon Queen was playing with water with a child by the well. The pool made of bluestone looked particularly simple and elegant. The water in the well was so clear that you could see the bottom. It slowly overflowed from the wellhead, gurgling along the carefully laid stone channels, and bypassing every corner of the courtyard.

Smoke from every household began to rise, carrying the aroma of food and slowly drifting into the air. Zhu Qizhen pushed the door open and shouted, “Is the food ready? I’m hungry.”

Then he was stunned.

The Demon Queen came over holding a little girl, stood in front of him, and smiled coquettishly: “Are you finally back?”

“Who is this child?” Zhu Qizhen asked.

“Aunt Liu’s little girl.” The demon queen pinched the child’s red face, “Look, how pretty she is.”

It was obvious that she liked the child very much. At this time, Aunt Liu came in from the main door and said, “Mr. Zhu is back. I’m here to take the child away. It’s time to eat.”

She waved to the child, who was reluctant to leave, as if not wanting to leave the Demon Queen. The Demon Queen smiled dotingly: “Come and play with me tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” The child then followed Aunt Liu and left.

Zhu Qizhen smiled, walked up to the demon queen and hugged her, saying, “Sister? You are so shameless.”

“What are you talking about?” The Demon Queen glared.

Zhu Qizhen hugged her gently, pinched her waist, and said, “I never realized that you liked children before.”

“Didn’t I like children before?” The Demon Queen frowned slightly.

Zhu Qizhen held his forehead, almost forgetting that she was in a state of amnesia, and said with a smile: “That’s not the case. The main reason is that we don’t have children. I don’t know either.”

The demon queen leaned in his arms, raised her beautiful face, and said shyly: “Husband, let’s have a baby, okay?”

“Of course.” Zhu Qizhen hugged her waist tightly, “Let’s work hard together!”

Shuangxi came out with food and said as he walked, “Master, Madam, eat. Only when you are full can you have the energy to work hard together.”

Zhu Qizhen was very annoyed: “You little girl, you are getting worse and worse.”

“Didn’t I learn it from you?” The Demon Queen glared.

“What does it have to do with me? She’s always by your side.” Zhu Qizhen rolled his eyes.

The three of them sat down to eat, and the last rays of the setting sun fell on them.

(End of this chapter)