Hong Kong Island: Chaos reigns, I suppress it all with a single hand.

Chapter 38: A Marriage Alliance; Chapter Returns

Qi Ming joked, "Minmin, what brings you here? Are you here to keep your promise? I haven't decided what I need you to do yet, so don't worry."

Zhao Min sat down opposite him and asked directly, "Will you go to the Central Plains?"

Qi Ming nodded: "They will also kill your father and brothers."

Old Jin's books do not change the general trend of history.

The Red Turban Army in the Central Plains will likely be defeated by Zhao Min's father, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

But Qi Ming refused.

Therefore, he would personally lead the expedition, taking with him his newly made cannons and muskets.

As for the eventual Northern Expedition to Dadu and the impregnable victory at Buyur Lake, he was too lazy to even consider it.

Zhao Min gritted her teeth and said, her face flushed, "I'll become your maid, and in return, you'll spare my father's and my brother's lives."

Qi Ming shook his head and said, "Military and national affairs are not child's play. Your father is a smart man and can see the big picture! So you should advise him not to be my enemy."

Zhao Min closed her eyes, feeling extremely distressed.

On one side is her own father, and on the other is the man she loves, yet they have to fight each other. This feeling is terrible!

Qi Ming took a sip of tea and suggested:

"How about this, you stay in Yingtian Prefecture! I'll spread the word that the daughter of the Prince of Ruyang has fallen in love with the Emperor of Ming, the mortal enemy of the Yuan Dynasty, and is willing to abandon her parents and brothers and sisters to come to Jiangnan so that the Emperor of Ming can marry her. Under these circumstances, even if your father still wants to fight, he won't be able to fight anymore."

Zhao Min, who was usually quick-witted, stammered, "This, how come..."

Qi Ming said to the two elders of Xuanming, "I want to keep this princess here. Do you two have any objections?"

Looking at him, then at Miss Yang beside him, the lecherous old man, Lu Zhangke, said in a serious tone:

"The saying goes, 'It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage.' It's a great blessing for the princess to marry His Majesty. My junior brother and I have always liked to help others achieve their goals, so of course we won't object to such a good thing."

The drunkard Crane-Pen Elder chimed in, "Senior Brother is right!"

Qi Ming laughed heartily and then said to the ascetic, "What do you think?"

To Zhao Min's utter bewilderment, her mute master, Ku, actually knelt down and bowed to Qi Ming, saying:

"Fan Yao, Right Envoy of Light, pays respects to the Master and his wife!"

She bit her tongue and said, "Master Ku, you are actually..."

The two elders of Xuanming exchanged a glance, then decisively flew out of the window and headed out of the city without looking back.

Qi Ming helped Fan Yao up, saying, "You've wronged the Right Envoy so much all these years!"

"To share your burdens, how could I refuse such labor?"

Fan Yao said emotionally, "The leader's efforts in unifying and revitalizing our sect are far more arduous than those of your subordinates!"

Zhao Min stomped her foot, seemingly furious, but in the next moment she used her lightness skill to leap out of the window.

Qi Ming waved his hand and grabbed her slender waist.

Zhao Min said angrily, "A dignified Han emperor, yet he's just a lecherous man who bullies weak women? If word gets out, what will people think of you?"

Qi Ming laughed, "Once I send you all back to the grasslands, I'll make your father the Great Khan. Isn't that wonderful? You'd better stay here obediently and be my beloved concubine!"

Zhao Min blushed and stole a glance at Miss Yang.

Miss Yang gave a soft snort: "Third time's the charm."

Qi Ming picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Zhao Min, gesturing for her to serve tea.

Zhao Min was somewhat unsteady on her feet, and her voice trembled as she said, "I came here to negotiate with you, not to arrange a marriage!"

"The result of the negotiations is that your father and brother will become Khans, and you will become an imperial concubine. From now on, the Han and Mongol people will be as close as one family, and everyone will be happy."

"No, no..."

"Hurry up and serve tea, call her 'sister,' or you'll be deceiving the emperor!"

"..."

Soon after.

Prince Ruyang and his adopted son Wang Baobao broke with the Yuan court and became warlords on the spot.

That night.

Qi Ming pinched Zhao Min's foot and pressed her Yongquan acupoint, replicating the methods of the original Zhang Jiaozhu, making her laugh uncontrollably until tears came out, and she begged for mercy repeatedly.

After that, it was just that Leader Zhang didn't do it...

That's what Master Zhang prefers to do.

As for Zhou Zhiruo, her character design makes Qi Ming unable to like her, so to this day, he still has no interest in her.

***

Two years later.

The Northern Expedition was successful.

Qi Ming finally relaxed and focused his energy on enjoying life and cultivating.

One day in late autumn.

After Qi Ming and Miss Yang finished practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, they went to visit the other two pregnant women, and then went to the Honglu Temple to meet the Persian envoy.

King Baoshu said, "Your Majesty, how can you, a follower of the religion, become emperor?"

Qi Ming laughed and asked, "Can a woman be a cult leader?"

"Can."

"Will she be able to get married after becoming the leader of the cult?"

"You mean...?"

"What I mean is, if you believe there's something wrong with the new doctrines I've revised, then all the followers in the Central Plains will break away from the Ming Cult. Your horses are quite good; send ten thousand over in exchange for the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth!"

"Ten thousand?! That's too many! A thousand horses!"

"Five thousand, I won't exchange it for less."

"Two thousand! The twelve Sacred Flame Tokens I brought this time also contain a very magical martial art!"

"make a deal."

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

"speak."

"If Consort Zhao gives birth to a daughter, could she be sent to Persia to serve as our holy maiden?"

"Get him out!!"

"..."

End of the year.

Xie Xun returned to the Central Plains.

Because of the enormity of his crimes, after killing Cheng Kun, he was sent to Wudang Mountain to chant sutras and repent, praying for the souls of those who died at his hands.

Zhang Wuji was quite happy.

Many other sects, however, were somewhat displeased.

But there was nothing that could be done.

Yang Xiao is probably indeed dead.

Chen Youliang, however, stepped forward again.

When Qi Ming heard about him, he was already the secretary of the Yangzhou branch and the prefect. Talented people shine wherever they are; this is a perfect example.

Time flies.

It was already the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign.

Qi Mingzhen was not interested in beautiful women. He only had one empress and two concubines, and he also had a top-notch song and dance troupe. However, he only appreciated them and was not too obsessed with them. He cultivated every day.

The results were naturally outstanding.

Unfortunately, Zhang Sanfeng had no will to fight, which made things pointless. So I simply learned some metaphysical Taoist philosophy from him, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

Qi Ming also knew the reason.

There is a limit to the martial arts skills in this world.

Moreover, if one does not pay attention to spiritual cultivation, although one's power is great, one will still be subject to birth, aging, sickness and death, and cannot escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Qi Ming is far from satisfied.

So he didn't linger too long. When the time came, he traveled back to the world of Hong Kong variety shows, rested briefly, and then traveled back again!

That evening.

Qi Ming invited his empress and two concubines to dinner, then played cards, and finally fell asleep comfortably in their arms.

Midnight.

The world was frozen in time.

Hong Kong variety shows.

It was also midnight, exactly the same time.

Qi Ming lay on the bed, seemingly without moving at all, without taking a single extra breath or having his heart skip a beat!

But he didn't wake up for a long time!

Could it be...?

Okay, he's not dead yet, which is normal!

Because he is sleeping right now, his biological clock won't wake him up until six or seven in the morning.