The Stories of Mine in the Ming Dynasty of China in 1368

Li Qing fell silent again. After a long while, he told the truth, "In an ideal situation, you can live through this year. If not, it might be only two or three months."

In fact, the illness Empress Ma had wasn't serious. It was equivalent to a bad cold in later generations.

But the main problem was that her physical foundation was too poor. Li Qing couldn't reverse the decline of various physical functions. Even with the advanced medical technology in later generations, there wouldn't be many good solutions for such a situation.

Speaking of which, Empress Ma wasn't very old, only fifty years old. But she had endured too much hardship and fatigue in her early years, over - exhausting her body, which led to this situation.

"Autumn will arrive in a few days. That means it's definitely no problem for me to spend the Mid - Autumn Festival?"

"Yes, but Your Majesty must take the medicine on time and eat less meat." Li Qing nodded. "Starting from tomorrow, this servant will prepare new medicine for Your Majesty. It will be very bitter."

"Hehe..." Empress Ma smiled softly. "The hardships I've endured are much more bitter than medicine. As long as I can see my children and grandchildren more, why should I be afraid of a little bitter medicine?

Li Qing, thank you!"

"Your Majesty is too kind. It's this servant's duty." Li Qing said with restraint.

Empress Ma, like a kind old woman, said gently, "Now that you've joined the Jinyiwei, do you know the responsibilities of the Jinyiwei?"

"I've got a general idea."

"What do you feel?"

Li Qing pondered for a moment and then told the truth, "It's very imposing, but... this servant doesn't like it."

For some reason, in front of this kind face, it was hard for him to hide his little thoughts.

Empress Ma sighed softly. "To be honest, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten involved. I can't interfere in political affairs either. The officialdom is like a battlefield. Always be more cautious in everything."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's instruction. This servant has remembered it." Li Qing said seriously.

Empress Ma wanted to give a few more instructions, but when she saw Zhu Yuanzhang come in, she stopped the topic.

Li Qing stood up and saluted, "This humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up." In just a few days, his wife's condition had improved significantly. Zhu Yuanzhang was too happy to care about Li Qing's rudeness yesterday.

Li Qing tactfully got up and said, "Your Majesty, the weather is fine today. You can take Her Majesty for some proper exercise in the palace. It will help with her recovery."

Empress Ma didn't have much time left. Li Qing wanted to do his part to let her have more warm moments with her husband in the remaining days and leave some good memories for Old Zhu.

At the same time, he could also build up his favorability for future considerations.

"Good." Zhu Yuanzhang was particularly happy. "Dear, I'll put on your shoes. Let's go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden later. The flowers there are really beautiful..."

Li Qing quietly backed out, looked up at the blue sky, took a deep breath, and walked out of the palace.

...

At the Zhenfu Division Yamen.

Li Qing called Liu Qiang over. "What's the price of houses nearby... Cough cough, how much does a mansion cost?"

"Is the lord going to buy a property?" Liu Qiang was full of envy.

Look at him. He's only been in the capital for a few days and he's already a thousand - household and planning to buy a house.

"Which area does the lord want to buy a mansion in?"

Li Qing thought for a moment. "Preferably close to the yamen and the palace. It can be a bit smaller. I don't have much money. Can four hundred taels buy a mansion in the capital?"

He had to set aside some money for visiting brothels and listening to music.

He didn't know the housing prices in this era. Thinking about the housing prices in later generations, he felt uncertain.

"Sure, definitely can." Liu Qiang patted his chest to guarantee. "This afternoon, I'll take a few brothers to inquire. I'll ensure to find a satisfactory mansion for the lord by tomorrow at the latest."

Li Qing reminded, "Don't force anyone, and don't maliciously drive down the price. Just follow the market price."

"Don't worry, lord." Liu Qiang smiled. "Under the天子 (emperor)'s feet, even we Jinyiwei can't do anything against the law. Otherwise, we'll be punished severely."

Li Qing felt relieved. "Then I'm counting on you."

"It's a piece of cake. It would be too polite if the lord is so formal." Liu Qiang pretended to be unhappy.

"Haha..." Since his subordinate was showing goodwill, he naturally accepted it with a smile. "Go and find me some books about Jinyiwei's investigations, case - hearings, etc."

"Yes, lord. Please wait a moment." Liu Qiang cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Soon, he came back with a stack of books in his arms. "Lord, here they all are."

"Okay, you go and train those new recruits. Don't worry about me."

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave." Liu Qiang cupped his fists and went to the front yard.

Li Qing stretched and started to study seriously.

He had to admit that the Jinyiwei didn't get their reputation for nothing. They were powerful for a reason. Their methods of arresting people, investigating, interrogating, and executing were all well - organized.

They used different methods for people of different ranks. Besides, there was a book specifically recording the execution code words.

Li Qing couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of the ancients.

For example, "[Beat gently and ask]" meant not to beat too hard, mainly for nobles.

"[Beat hard and ask]" meant to beat severely, mainly for civilian officials.

When carrying out the court flogging, one had to accurately figure out the emperor's intentions, and there were also code words for this.

"[Beat]" indicated that the emperor only wanted to give a mild punishment.

"[Beat severely]" showed that the emperor was very angry, and the person receiving the flogging would be seriously injured, unable to get out of bed for at least ten days.

"[Beat with all your heart]" meant the emperor wanted to kill someone. They had to beat the person to death within the specified number of strokes.

This was the most difficult. They had to kill the person, but also not make the person receiving the flogging look too miserable. The highest level was that there was no blood on the body, but the person still died.

In this way, it could be proved that it wasn't the emperor who wanted to kill, but that the person was physically weak and couldn't bear it. No one else could be blamed.

Li Qing was really... like having his eyes opened by a small knife cutting his buttocks.

He didn't expect there to be such profound "knowledge" in it.

Li Qing sighed, "It seems that it's not easy to be a qualified Jinyiwei."

The recruitment conditions for the Jinyiwei were very strict. Those with an unclear family background were not wanted, those who were short in stature were not wanted, and those who were ugly were not wanted.

Regarding the last condition, Li Qing really couldn't understand. Did people in ancient times also rely on their looks to make a living?

Fortunately, he was handsome and could just about scrape by... Li Qing sighed and continued reading.

...

At Shenshi (3 - 5 p.m.) in the afternoon, Li Qing returned to the imperial palace and went straight to the imperial study.

In the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang and his son had just finished reviewing the memorials and were chatting over tea. They both seemed to be in a good mood.

"This humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty and Crown Prince殿下 (Highness)."

"You're excused." Zhu Yuanzhang was in an excellent mood, and his attitude towards Li Qing had softened significantly. "Is this about treating the Empress?"

"Your Majesty is perceptive." Li Qing nodded and took out the prepared prescription. "This is the new prescription."

Zhu Yuanzhang reached out to take the prescription presented by Xiao Guizi. Although he couldn't understand it, he still examined it carefully. Then he said, "Xiao Guizi, go and have someone prepare the medicine according to the prescription."

"This servant obeys the decree." Xiao Guizi took the prescription solemnly and hurried away.

Li Qing added, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty's condition has improved a bit. Tomorrow, this servant will use acupuncture to treat Her Majesty."

After a pause, he said, "To ensure nothing goes wrong, please ask Her Majesty to change into form - fitting clothes."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly and asked, "After the acupuncture, will the Empress be cured?"

"Well..." Li Qing smiled bitterly. "Your Majesty, getting rid of an illness is like pulling out silk, and the effect won't be that quick... However, acupuncture treatment can make Her Majesty recover faster."

"All right!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and then said, "When you cure the Empress's illness, we will reward you handsomely."

Li Qing had become immune to the empty promises made by Old Zhu. Although he didn't take it seriously in his heart, he still said, "Thank you for Your Majesty's great kindness."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "How well do you understand the Jinyiwei?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, this servant has read the relevant regulations and also has a general understanding of the case - handling and interrogation procedures." Li Qing replied.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood, Li Qing seized the opportunity. "Your Majesty, I'm not used to living in the eunuch's duty room. I'm used to the tranquility in the mountains. Suddenly living with so many people, I can't fall asleep at night. Can I live outside the palace?

Hehe... This servant is a man, and it's not proper to stay overnight in the palace. Don't you think so?"

You little rascal, asking us for money yesterday and now asking for a house. Is there no end to it... Zhu Yuanzhang said indifferently, "It is indeed inappropriate for a man to stay overnight in the palace."

Before Li Qing could show a happy expression, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately followed up with, "Why don't you stop being a Jinyiwei and become the grand eunuch in charge instead? What do you think?"

Li Qing: (⊙o⊙)…

"Your Majesty, this servant... just wants to be in a better state to diagnose and treat Her Majesty." Li Qing said reluctantly.

"All right, we grant your request." Zhu Yuanzhang said irritably. "Was the money the Crown Prince gave you yesterday enough to buy a mansion?"

Li Qing was stunned. Only then did he realize that Old Zhu thought he was asking for a reward. He couldn't help but feel speechless and quickly said, "It's enough. This servant only needs a place to live. My demands are not high."

"All right, step down."

Li Qing cupped his hands and saluted. "This humble servant takes his leave."

Zhu Biao said with a hint of complaint, "Father, since he has cured Mother's illness, it's only right to give him some rewards."

"If an emperor bestows rewards recklessly, his ministers will not appreciate the weight of his kindness." Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "Besides, we can give, but he shouldn't ask for it explicitly. This Li Qing is a useful man. Being strict with him is to temper him."

Father, you're just stingy. No need to explain... Zhu Biao said against his will, "Father is wise!"

Li Qing felt extremely relieved. Finally, he could live alone. This way, he could practice his true qi without worry.