Chapter Fifteen: Engagement

  A fragrance wafted in, and Mengzhu walked in with a tray. Unbeknownst to him, it was already time for dinner, and only then did Zhu Yongxing feel hungry in his stomach.

  "Come, sit down and eat together." Zhu Yongxing gestured for Mengzhu to sit across from him, calling out in a very casual manner.

  "I've eaten." Mengzhu arranged the dishes and sat down, smiling and shaking her head. She pointed to one of the fish plates and said, "This is what I caught in the river today, very fresh."

  Zhu Yongxing nodded gratefully, eating his food and praising a few sentences. Mengzhu laughed happily, her eyes fixed on Zhu Yongxing, making him feel a bit uneasy. In his inherent impression, Miao women are sentimental, but it's best not to mess with them casually. They are passionate like fire, but if you don't want to play for real, don't stir up emotions. Because Miao women have very mysterious methods that can make unfaithful men suffer from internal injuries. This impression may have come from somewhere or a post on an online forum, Zhu Yongxing didn't remember it accurately.

  "Your Highness, can you write poetry?" Seeing Zhu Yongxing put down his bowl and chopsticks, Mengzhu found a topic of conversation, probably wanting to spend more time with him.

  Writing poetry! Zhu Yongxing stroked his chin, if he traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, he would use Song lyrics to cope; if he traveled back to the Song Dynasty, he could use Tang Bohu's to defend himself; but after the end of the Ming Dynasty, he really couldn't think of any famous phrases. As for that Mao person's, it was too overbearing and didn't match the scene!

  Is this girl trying to spend more time with me, or is she happy to see me in a difficult situation? Zhu Yongxing couldn't help but stare at Mengzhu thoughtfully.

  Her eyes shone like pearls as she gazed longingly, slowly lowering her head, lightly pursing the corners of her mouth, seemingly smiling yet not quite, seemingly shy yet not quite.

  Zhu Yongxing's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but softly recite: "The most is that one low head of tenderness, just like the water lily flower not bearing the cool breeze's shyness——"

  Mengzhu raised her eyes and looked at Zhu Yongxing, smiled slightly, and quietly waited for Zhu Yongxing to finish reciting this strange poem.

  Zhu Yongxing scratched his ears and cheeks, furrowed his brow and squeezed his eyes, the original poem he still remembered, but the meaning had all gone awry. What "treasured" was this? Wasn't it a farewell to Mengzhu? He mustered up two lines, Zhu Yongxing racked his brains, clenched his fists then released them, his face turned red then pale. Finally, when Mengzhu lightly opened her lips, he began to recite: "Utter one word of absolute beauty, praise one word of elegance, in that absolute elegance there is sweet sorrow..."

  As Zhu Yongxing let out a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxed. Mengzhu's lips moved slightly, as if reciting the poem that Zhu Yongxing had hastily composed. After a while, she softly sighed and said: "I don't know this tune, but it sounds like inhaling the fragrance of flowers. Sweet sorrow, it's really fitting."

  "There's no such thing as a poem title, I just said it casually and it sounds good to the ear." Zhu Yongxing didn't want to use poetry to elevate himself, let alone lie or cover up. He flashed his eyes, took out the jade bangle, hesitated for a moment, handed it to Mengzhu, and stuttered: "That, you bit me once, I, I'll give this to you."

  Mengzhu's heart was filled with surprise and delight. Since she had bitten Zhu Yongxing to reveal her true feelings, she hadn't received any gifts from him, so her heart had been feeling anxious and depressed for the past two days. On one hand, she comforted herself by thinking that Zhu Yongxing didn't understand the customs of the tribe, but on the other hand, she worried that he might not have a crush on her and wouldn't marry an outsider as a member of the imperial family. Now that Zhu Yongxing had sent her gifts and mentioned their promise to each other when she bit his hand, Mengzhu's worries and anxiety suddenly disappeared, replaced by joy and delight.

  Of course, Mengzhu had long been prepared for this. She took off the embroidered small purse from her waist and held it with both hands, extending it to Zhu Yongxing's face.

  "Thank you!" Zhu Yongxing took it over and secretly let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

  He had thought it through, and since he was going to ask Mengzhu to forge the sacred decree, in order to avoid future troubles, the closer their relationship was, the better. Azhu was beautiful and pure, with nothing that displeased him, and besides, he didn't want such a good girl to be taken away by the dissolute Mianpai Tusi, and he also believed that once their relationship was established, the Mangshan Ke clan would wholeheartedly help him.

  It's a bit complicated, and not so pure. As for this, Zhu Yongxing felt a little ashamed in his heart, but he also secretly decided to treat Ahzhu well, as a compensation and repayment. As for the Miao girl's down-to-earth tactics, since Zhu Yongxing didn't want to be a scoundrel, he didn't need to be afraid anymore.

  The pouch still held the warmth of the girl's body, and seemed to have a intoxicating fragrance. Zhu Yongxing carefully put it away, showing his treasured feelings. Then he looked up at Mengzhu and said: "I want to ask you to help me write something, do you have some free time?"

  Mengzhu nodded vigorously and smiled happily, "Let's go to Azhu's bamboo building to write, there are good paper and ink."

  ……

  "...appointing King Shim of Silla as regent, temporarily in charge of all officials, handling affairs, and holding the power to oversee the country..."

  "...The King of Jin exhausted his mind and exerted himself to the utmost, leading his army in a bitter fight, with great achievements. All the soldiers and generals under his command were restored to their original positions, as a sign of commendation..."

  "...the Qing army launched a major attack, and the generals fought with all their might. Although they were defeated, they were honored, and the court proclaimed their merits. How could they begrudge the reward of kings and marquises? Specifically, Bai Wenxuan was promoted to King of Zhao, Ma Bao to King of Ruyang, Ma Weiying to King of Dongyang, and Gao Qilong to Duke of Chen..."

  "...Although the current situation is critical, Heaven is protecting our imperial dynasty. Your loyalty shines like the sun, your righteousness fills your entire body, and your bravery is like a fierce wind that makes the grasses tremble, which deeply touches my heart. If you are truly in a desperate situation, you can pretend to surrender, but keep your loyalty to the imperial dynasty in your heart, hide and wait for an opportunity, and later achieve great merits..."

  In the bamboo building of A Zhu, Zhu Yongxing had been thinking hard for almost two hours, and A Zhu picked up the remaining gaps, finally roughly determining the content of the forged imperial edict.

  Zhu Yongxing, with one being altered and two being forged, either way it's a crime punishable by beheading. He only has one head, what is he afraid of? If you have the power but don't use it, it will expire. Zhu Yongxing holds onto his fake powers, wielding them like a golden hoop rod. But these few forged imperial edicts weren't just thought up casually, they were the result of his careful consideration.

  Giving himself the title of authority is, of course, the top priority; next is to sell well to Li Jin Wang, after the defeat of Yunnan and Guizhou troops, Li Dingguo was demoted by Yongli for three levels and removed from his position due to self-blame; then it's giving another powerful faction, Gui Chang Wang Bai Wenxuan, an official promotion and title, sealed as a one-word king. As for Ma Bao, Ma Wei Xing, Gao Qi Long and others, they all surrendered in the mid-year surrender wave this year, with some troops, Zhu Yong Xing wanted to use official titles to win them over, which is also a desperate move with a hint of luck.

  Moreover, Zhu Yongxing remembered that the "History of Southern Ming" recorded: After the difficulty of cursing water, Yongli regretted and said, "That day, I was deceived by treacherous ministers, and did not seal Bai Wenxuan as a close prince, and Ma Bao as a king, which led to the dissatisfaction of meritorious officials, what can be done now?"

  It is often when one reaches the end of their rope that they have an epiphany, and Zhu Yongxing felt that Yongli's words came from the heart. This was also the main reason why he deliberately made Bai Wenzhong a prince and Ma Bao a king.