Chapter 303 Kunxing is pregnant
After seeing off Zheng Zhibao, Jingzhou welcomed a guest, who was Shi Lang.
Zhao Xiaokun is now busy with the navy, and the best candidate to train the navy is from Zheng Zhilong.
Zhao Xiaokun knew that their method might not be applicable, so Shi Lang was the most suitable candidate.
Shi Lang had originally been in command of the army, planning to march north to Tianjin. However, he received an imperial decree to hold his troops in place for the time being. This made him very depressed, and he felt sorry for the prince.
In Jingzhou Prefecture, Zhao Xiaokun hosted a banquet for Shi Lang.
"Admiral, I am ashamed! I did not go to Tianjin as agreed last time, which led to the failure of the Northern Expedition." Shi Lang said with his head down.
"Mr. Shi, you are wrong! Even if you go to Tianjin as promised, it will not help the overall situation. The Donglin Party in the court planted a traitor, which led to the failure of the Northern Expedition. It has nothing to do with you!" Zhao Xiaokun comforted.
"Thank you, sir, and Your Highness, for your understanding!" Shi Lang said with a bow.
"Since General Zheng has completely transferred you to me, we are all a family from now on. If you have any difficulties, just tell me directly. I will definitely help you!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"Sir, my family is still under General Zheng's command. Please ask the admiral and the prince to bring them to the mainland." Shi Lang said.
"That's not difficult! I'll seal the letter, and I believe Lord Shi will be able to reunite with his family next month." Zhao Xiaokun said.
"Thank you, sir!" Shi Langdanqi said while kneeling.
"Hurry up and get up. A man's knees are made of gold. He should kneel to heaven, earth and his parents. Get up!" Zhao Xiaokun shouted.
"Yes, sir!" Shi Lang stood up and said.
"The navy training will still depend on you in the future. We are all landlubbers and cannot get on the ship. Just tell me if you need anything. I will do my best to give it to you and do what I can do." Zhao Xiaokun said.
"I will definitely fulfill my mission!" Shi Lang said.
Although Shi Lang was less than 30 years old at the time, he had already demonstrated his talent in naval warfare. Under Zheng Zhilong, he had led his fleets out to sea many times, battling other pirates for control of the southeastern coast. He also fought several battles with the Dutch and Spanish without losing.
After appeasing Shi Lang, Zhao Xiaokun wrote to his younger brother, asking him to write to Zheng Zhilong, asking him to send Shi Lang's father and brothers to him. He also asked about the military training and when the Northern Expedition was planned.
After receiving the letter, Zhao Xiaofei immediately replied to his elder brother. There's no rush for the Northern Expedition; we need to stabilize the South first. We can only wait and see what happens in the North! The next step is to force the Queen Mother to abdicate.
How could he persuade her to abdicate? Zhao Xiaofei wrote, "Since Wang Erxi is with you, tell him to tell the Empress Dowager that my two brothers will never betray the Ming Dynasty." He then urged her to return power to the Emperor. If she still wanted to control the government, we should attack Nanjing before launching the Northern Expedition. He used military persuasion. If she didn't want to see the Ming Dynasty destroyed by her, she would have no choice but to return power.
As for the selection of officials, there is no good way to do it now. We can only select some reliable people from the literati. As for the training of our own talents, we can only say haha, unless we find some more people to come to the Ming Dynasty.
However, this is unrealistic, because if I ask someone else to come to the Ming Dynasty, the relevant departments will probably find me and discover my secret.
In the Forbidden City in Nanjing, Empress Dowager Zhou was so angry that she threw the glass to the ground, where it broke into pieces.
Wang Erxi returned and told her the answer: this matter was not easy to reconcile. The only way out now was to return power to the emperor, with Ni Yuanlu as the new Prime Minister. He would personally appoint someone to serve as the Second Prime Minister and Grand Secretary.
The emperor was still young, could he handle government affairs properly? As a mother, she treated her son like a child. Empress Dowager Zhou was the same, always feeling that Zhu Cijiong was unreliable.
If I hadn't forced him to study every day, it's very likely that their Zhu family would have produced another ridiculous emperor.
Empress Dowager Zhou arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. After Zhu Cijiong paid his respects to his mother, he asked, "What arrangements do you have for me, mother?"
"It's nothing. Your brother-in-law now lets me spend my remaining years in the harem and leaves the government affairs to you. My son, what do you think?" asked Queen Mother Zhou.
"Brother-in-law said that?" Zhu Cijiong asked.
"Yes! Otherwise he would most likely attack Nanjing." said Empress Dowager Zhou.
"I am already 14 years old today, and I hope that my mother will stop treating me as a child. I can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the world alone." Zhu Cijiong said.
"In that case, you should start learning to handle state affairs tomorrow!" said Queen Mother Zhou.
"Thank you, mother!" Zhu Cijiong said happily.
Queen Mother Zhou had long tasted the power and was not willing to give it up easily, so she had to think of some secret ways to gain control.
After chatting with his mother for a while, Zhu Cijiong said, "Tomorrow I plan to take Wenxian to the palace. Since my mother has agreed that Wenxian will still be raised by my sister, it would be more sincere if I go in person."
Queen Mother Zhou said, "My son has grown up and knows how to win people's hearts. Then go! Come back soon!"
"Thank you, Queen Mother!" Zhu Cijiong said. Actually, he was thinking about Lu Ling. He and the girl from the Emei Sect were truly in love. He missed her every day when he couldn't see her, and even had someone send a letter to the palace when he had nothing to do.
Lu Ling was pregnant before she left the palace, but unfortunately the child was born prematurely and could not be saved. Lu Ling and Zhu Cijiong were sad for a long time.
After leaving the palace and arriving at the gate of the palace, Princess Kunxing asked for the main gate to be opened to welcome her brother.
Lu Ling, Kou Baimen, and Wu Sanmei also came out to greet them. Kunxing was overjoyed to see his brother bringing Wenxian with him, and he pulled his son into his arms. Wenxian, missing his mother dearly, dove headfirst into her arms and refused to let go. It was a long time before Wenxian emerged from Kunxing's embrace.
Wu Sanmei's current situation was extremely awkward. The court disliked her family, and Zhao Xiaokun didn't seem to like her either. She was feeling a bit resentful and sick. How could she not get sick if she lived in constant worry? Furthermore, she heard that Zhao Xiaokun had gone to Jingzhou and taken Liu Rushi with him, which infuriated her immensely.
Zhu Cijiong was extremely happy to see his sister. He said, "Sister, please don't be polite. We are all family. Why should we be so polite? Come in quickly or you will catch a cold!" Zhu Cijiong was not polite at all. Every time he went to his sister's house, he lived there as if it were his own home.
Kunxing knew his brother was preoccupied with Lu Ling, so he chatted with her for a few moments before leaving them alone. The others went to the study.
Wu Sanmei knew that others might not take her seriously, so she excused herself. Only Kou Baimen and Kunxing were left sitting in the room. Kou Baimen had given birth to a daughter last month.
She had just finished her confinement. Kunxing sent a letter to Zhao Xiaofei, which made him extremely happy. However, Kou Baimen was depressed. She wondered why everyone else gave birth to sons, but she only gave birth to a daughter?
Kou Baimen said, "I wonder what name the prince gave his daughter?"
"Don't worry, I guess she will write to you soon. I've also read the book, and I think my daughter is..." Kunxing felt nauseous before he finished speaking.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
