Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Outside Xi'an Gate, this street looks very lively.

Ixi is still dressed as a Mongolian girl, and her little braids are quite exotic, paired with her cute and beautiful oval face, causing passers-by to stamp their feet.

It's not that there are no beauties in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, but beautiful Mongolian girls are really extremely rare nowadays, so many men look back.

At this moment, it feels like "the plower looks at his plow, and the hoeer forgets his hoe".

Sun Gao, one of the Four Horsemen in the capital, came after hearing the news. When he saw that he was actually a palace guard, he fled far away, his heart beating violently.

No one in the capital can mess with the one in the palace. The successor of the civil service group who was jointly cultivated by the three forces has been sent to Leizhou to guard the granary. Xu Yuangai's house has just been ransacked. He, a little Qi Xun, must contact the emperor. It's courting death.

Of course, Yikesi didn't know that someone had helped her get rid of a lot of flies, but she had a very lively temperament and was extremely curious about the dazzling array of products in the capital.

Like many tireless women in later generations, she has little resistance to products, but she is very interested in any product.

Due to the sultry weather in the capital, his whole face looked red, but he was very considerate. He promised the little eunuch and the guards who were accompanying him: "The weather is sultry now. You don't need to follow me all the time. I promise not to run away." !”

When she spoke, her face looked very serious to show that she was not lying.

In fact, she really had no intention of doing so. After all, as long as her mother made peace with Daming, she would be able to return to the prairie with the mission.

The accompanying young eunuch Feng Bao actually believed it, but he knew very well what his responsibilities were, so he wiped the sweat beads on his forehead and said: "Princess Yixi, we are not tired!"

Yi Kexi looked at Feng Bao and still insisted on following him. He could only visit as few shops as possible, but when he came to the corner of the street, his eyes lit up.

This shop looks very grand. It seemed to sell porcelain earlier, but now it has been changed into something very strange.

"Sir, you have good eyesight! This is the leaf lock newly developed by our Ministry of Industry. Now it is only sold in the capital, and there are only four stores selling this kind of leaf lock in the whole capital!" The shopkeeper saw Yi Kexi carrying a Helpers poured in and immediately greeted him enthusiastically.

Ixxi played with this weird padlock and found that it was indeed strange and impossible to break.

"Sir, this is the key to this lock, you can try it!" The shopkeeper saw that the lock had indeed attracted the attention of this distinguished guest, and immediately handed over the key enthusiastically.

The history of Chinese locks can be traced back to the period of Lu Ban, the founder of carpenters. However, the locks during that period were actually door bolts, which used the principle of a mechanism to prevent people outside the door from entering.

By the Han Dynasty, people found that the door latch was not secure enough, so they invented the three-spring lock.

The most important component of the three-spring lock is the elastic piece. Since it requires a strong material, it needs to be made of copper. The elastic force of two or three plate-shaped copper pieces is used to achieve the functions of sealing and opening.

It's just that the key of the three-reed lock is a long piece of copper. Although this kind of lock is a big step forward in safety and confidentiality than the door latch, the threshold for forged keys is too low.

Of course, ordinary people would like to break off a copper plate and make flowers. It is not easy to forge a copper plate key of suitable length and thickness, so it still has a strong anti-theft effect for ordinary people.

With the emergence of springs, Zhu Youtang had a stronger pursuit of the anti-theft power of locks, so this kind of leaf lock was used.

The key of the blade lock is almost the same as the key behind it. The key is inserted into the lock and turned. The metal blade in the lock can effectively use the control of the spring to rotate. When the rotating blade touches the gap in the lock tongue, it can be opened.

Yi Kexi followed the method taught by the shopkeeper and gently twisted the key. Suddenly he heard a click inside the lock, and the U-shaped copper pillar opened as expected. He couldn't help but show a surprised expression on his face.

Although I once owned a three-pin lock, it shared the key with my mother's, so my box became unsafe at all.

But now that the Ming Dynasty actually invented such a powerful key, she suddenly felt unbelievable. The Mongolians would never be able to match these smart and monster-making Han people in terms of creativity.

"Sir, this kind of lock has a key for each lock! Look at the unique shape of the key. Even if you want to forge it, it is not an easy task!" The shopkeeper could tell that the identity of the girl in front of him was different. Generally, sell the product immediately and enthusiastically.

Yikesi took a fancy to this kind of leaf lock and immediately asked the price: "How much does one cost?"

"Two taels!" The shopkeeper's eyes brightened slightly and he pointed out two fingers.

Yi Kexi had recently learned about the prices in the capital, but he stared in surprise and said, "Two taels? Just this little thing?"

"Sir, do you really think it's not worth it? If you have this leaf lock and our special red sandalwood box, you don't have to worry about someone stealing the gold beads and jewelry!" The shopkeeper's reaction to the person in front of him was actually As expected, he pointed to the red sandalwood box next to him and continued his sales pitch.

Ixxi found that this kind of lock was indeed hard to find, so he readily agreed: "Okay, I want a long box to hold a painting!"

The shopkeeper happily took out a long box and personally helped put the painting in the red sandalwood box. Then he handed over the key and said, "This guest, the total is twenty taels of silver!"

"Should this bead be enough?" Ixi took out a beautiful bead from his sleeve and said very proudly.

The shopkeeper's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the bead. After confirming the value of the bead, he nodded hurriedly and said: "That's enough, that's enough!"

The group of people had just walked out of the shop when Wang Tong came in a hurry.

"What's up?"

"People from Shuntian Mansion came to inform, they said Huang Shang has been found!"

"Where?"

"Hurry up and get on the carriage. The Zajia family will lead you there now!"

Wang Tong noticed that the store in front of him was his own imperial store, but it was too late to think about it now, so he urged Yikesi seriously.

Ixi only took his accompanying maid Tana and boarded the carriage, and the others followed closely behind.

The shopkeeper who had just sent the person out saw that it was Wang Tong driving the carriage. His eyes were straight with shock, and he suddenly felt that the beads in his hand were very hot.

Since the place was not too far away, the carriage soon arrived in front of a house.

When Yixi got off the carriage, he felt that it was very strange here. There were no pedestrians walking in the entire alley, and the guards guarding the door were like statues.

Wanfu?

Yikesi looked up and saw the door plaque, and his beautiful face suddenly became confused.

"Princess Yixi, please come this way!" Wang Tong smiled and nodded to the guard guarding the door, and then enthusiastically led the way.

This is a very big house. The house has a Jiangnan charm, with winding paths leading to secluded areas. There is not a single person living in the house.

Yixi looked around strangely, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. Even the guards who had been accompanying him like a shadow didn't even follow him.

Following Wang Tong to the backyard, he saw three people having tea there.

She knew the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty, so she could see at a glance that the most noble man was the young man with extraordinary bearing. This young man's skin was so delicate that it was even better than her own. He was undoubtedly a handsome man from the Ming Dynasty with red lips and white teeth.

"Princess Yixi, this is the Huang Shang you are looking for!" Li Mu, the official of Shuntian Prefecture, was always here. When he saw Yixi, he explained.

Zhu Youtang naturally noticed the blushing Mongolian girl and found that this pearl of the prairie was indeed very good-looking and had a very sunny and lively aura about her.

Perhaps, only the grassland environment can bring out such a lively and sunny woman.

Yi Kexi looked at Zhu Youtang out of curiosity and to see the difference in Zhu Youtang, while Zhu Youtang looked at Yi Kexi more out of appreciation.

this……

Wan An and Liu Ji silently exchanged glances. Seeing the young man and woman openly looking at each other, they felt that they must have seen each other.

If life is just like the first meeting, it is probably the most beautiful moment between a man and a woman. Both Yi Kexi and Zhu Youtang had a feeling of youthful heartbeat.

"What evidence is there?" Yikesi asked a bit arrogantly as he thought about the business.

Liu Ji glanced at Zhu Youtang and answered on his behalf: "Shen Mo, a member of the Xuanfu, originally from Huguang, is fifty years old, six feet tall, has a mole on his left forehead, and has no children under his knees!"

"How do you know so clearly?" Yikesi couldn't help but be surprised when he saw that all the information was correct.

Wan'an had just found someone who had confirmed that Shen Mo was indeed a spy sent by Wang Yue and Wang Zhi when they were in power. He immediately smiled and said: "Of course we are old acquaintances!"

"Then do you know what Master Mo likes to eat the most?" Yikesi still had doubts in his heart and asked seriously.

this……

Wan An and Liu Ji looked at each other, but they had no information about this at all.

"Fish!" Zhu Youtang finally spoke and gave a direct answer.

Ixi found that this young man who didn't talk much seemed very convincing, so he said happily: "Okay, I believe you! Tana, give him the painting!"

Wan An and Liu Ji suddenly became more confused and looked at Zhu Youtang strangely, but they couldn't understand how Zhu Youtang knew that Shen Mo liked to eat fish.

Zhu Youtang naturally guessed, but when faced with such a sudden question, he knew he had to show enough confidence. It doesn’t matter if the answer is right or wrong, what matters is being fast and confident.

Niu Hanniu, the eunuch in charge of the army, stepped forward to take the painting, but when he took the long box, he discovered that there was a leaf lock on the box.

Zhu Youtang didn't expect that the leaf lock he invented would stump him. He couldn't help but burst into laughter. He was really a good example of shooting himself in the foot.

"Princess Yixi, what do you mean?" Liu Ji also noticed that there was a leaf lock hanging on the box, and immediately asked.

Yi Kexi took out a small key from his sleeve, but looked at Zhu Youtang and made a condition: "What is your identity? Tell me, and I will give you the key!"

this……

Wan An and Liu Ji did not expect to arouse the vigilance of the Mongolian princess, and couldn't help but turn their heads to look at Zhu Youtang.

"I am Hongzhi, and I am also Huang Shang as Shen Mo said!" Zhu Youtang hesitated for a moment, then directly revealed his identity.

Although Yixi had some suspicions, he was still shocked when he learned that the young man in front of him was the Ming Emperor. At the same time, he also realized that Dayan Khan could not restore the Yuan Dynasty.

"Can you give the key to Your Majesty?" Wan An looked at the stunned Ixi and reminded him.

Ixi realized his teacher's identity, but he still threw the key happily and said: "Catch it, give it to you!"

Zhu Youtang suddenly thought of his first love classmate in his previous life. At that time, he also liked to throw things at him, so he stretched out his hand to catch it.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Feng Ma on the side said when he saw something flying towards him, he immediately stood in front of him and knocked away the suspected hidden weapon.

Bang!

The flying key made a crisp sound, but accidentally landed on the edge of the lake pavilion. However, it did not lose its momentum and fell directly into the water.

Yikesi looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but be stunned again and again. He just threw a key over, so why was he so nervous?

Zhu Youtang didn't know whether to blame or reward him. Feng Ma did this out of loyalty, but could he be rewarded when the flying key entered the lake?

"Slave, pick it up right now!" Feng Ma knew his mistake and immediately took the initiative to ask for help.

With a splash, the person went into the water.

It was at this time that Liu Jin brought the sour plum soup.

Zhu Youtang was very fond of the Mongolian girl in front of him, so he rewarded her and said: "This is the palace's sour plum soup, which is best for relieving the heat. Try it!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yikesi noticed that the Han man in front of him was indeed very different from the Mongolian man, showing both strength and softness, so he thanked with a smile.

Wan An did not expect that Zhu Youtang would give up such a delicious sour plum soup to a Mongolian girl. He was considering whether to show his loyalty by giving in, but Zhu Youtang's attention was completely on the leaving Mongolian girl.

After a while, the key was fished out.

"Your Majesty, there is really a painting hidden in this!" As the upper painting was uncovered, a new painting appeared below. In addition to the morphological characteristics of each figure, there are also a large number of text annotations in the painting. .

If "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" only depicts the night banquet scene of officials at that time, then here it depicts the appearance and characteristics of the main Mongolian figures, and it also includes information on the relationship between the leaders of various tribes, which can be said to be worth a thousand dollars.

From this intelligence, it can be clearly concluded that it is Manduhai who really controls Mongolia now, and the right-wing Yongshebu, Ordos and Tumut tribes are all loyal to Manduhai.

However, there are also some Mongolian tribal leaders who support Dayan Khan, while Huoshai and Yibula and other large tribe leaders of the opposite sex have always been independent in their own affairs, but they maintain their independence.

"Your Majesty, this picture is of no use!" Wan An looked disappointed when he saw the content in the picture.

Zhu Youtang looked at this intricate network of relationships, but shook his head gently and said: "If we start a head-on war with Bei Yuan now, then this picture will indeed have little effect. After all, the key to winning the battle between the two sides is the strength of the army. If we successfully negotiate a peace with Bei Yuan this time, then this painting will be the key to our victory. Next, we should all use a combination of vertical and horizontal strategies to deal with Bei Yuan!"

I have to admit that if the Ming Dynasty did not engage in internal strife, with the strength of the Ming Dynasty's frontier army and the endless supply of loyal and brave men, it would actually be a very simple matter to deal with the little Mongolia.