Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

in the palace.

In a remote ear room somewhere, a slender eunuch was looking up and down at these young people who had just entered the palace.

"Eunuch Zhao has taken care of you guys. According to the rules, if you purify yourself privately, you will be punished. You are lucky to be able to enter the palace."

These people have already purged themselves?so far so good……

Taking advantage of the darkness and the moon, and successfully pretending to be Zhang Dexiu by making up a few words, Xi Zhao suddenly realized that she was about to face an insurmountable difficulty—purification.Although he didn't want to lose his life, Xi Zhao was absolutely unwilling to lose his children and grandchildren.But in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, how can the matter of purification be concealed?He went up and down all the way in a state of anxiety, but now he listened to the eunuch with thin eyebrows, he was finally at ease, Amitabha didn't know whether he should thank God for his help, or congratulate himself for his luck.

"If it wasn't for the recent accidents and the shortage of manpower in the palace, you wouldn't be able to come in that easily. From now on, you must keep yourselves in the palace and do things well. This is the palace, at the feet of the emperor. If the rules are broken again, and something happens, don't blame it. Our family never reminded you."

Several people bowed respectfully.The eunuch with thin eyebrows nodded, and continued: "There are twelve prisons in our palace, each of which is in charge of different matters. After Wei Zhongxian and Eunuch Wei are gone, the most lacking person is naturally the chief of ceremonies, but you are newcomers, naturally there is no such thing Blessings go in. Let me see..." The thin-browed eunuch glanced at several young people, "You two...what's your name?"

The two people standing in front each reported their names.

"Well, you two, go to the prison. You, you look like a monk, you go to the Jingong prison, you, go to the Yinshou prison, as for the two behind," he looked at Xi Zhao, his eyes widened. He squinted, "You two go to Zhidian Supervisor. Take a short break tonight, and someone will take you to report to each prison tomorrow."

"Dare to ask my father-in-law." The young man in front lowered his head and asked carefully, "What should I do when I go to the prison?"

"These questions, after you report for duty tomorrow, someone will tell you one by one." The thin-browed eunuch didn't look at him directly, "No matter what you do, be diligent and smart. If you do it well, you will naturally have a chance to make a fortune."

After finishing speaking, the eunuch with thin eyebrows got up to leave, and several people hurriedly bowed down to see him off.But in the middle of the walk, he stopped suddenly, turned around and said: "By the way, someone will come to check your body in a moment, you are waiting here, don't wander around, you will lose sight of anyone."

Medical examination? !Xi Zhao, who was just a little relieved, gasped again, and it stuck in her throat, making her breathless.I thought that the matter of purifying the body was over, but who knew that something would happen again so soon.The eunuch with thin eyebrows went out, and the others also found a place to sit down.Xi Zhao was walking towards the wooden bench in the corner, while anxiously thinking about how to get through this hurdle.

"Zhang Dexiu?"

A thin and small man dragged a wooden stool and sat next to Xizhao.Xi Zhao was thinking about things in a daze, and after a long time, she suddenly realized that this person was calling her.

"Ah...um. Are you?"

The thin man smiled, showing a canine tooth.

"My name is Zhou Xi, hehe, both of us are assigned to the Zhidian Supervisor."

In this way, the eunuch with thin eyebrows just now seemed to be talking about me and him.Xizhao raised his eyes to look at this man named Zhou Xi - fair and handsome, with crooked eyes, smiling, and he was seventeen or eighteen years old just like himself.He was dressed in short ochre-colored attire, and his demeanor did not look like a child from a poor family.

"Oh, yes, please take care of Brother Zhou in the future." Xi Zhao cupped his hands and said.

"Where, mutual, mutual."

I was speechless for a while.It's not that Xixi is annoying people this week, it's just that Xi Zhao is too busy thinking about how to pass the body check, and has no time to pay attention to the overtures of his future colleagues.

Zhou Xi didn't seem to care too much, and sat down side by side with Xizhao, playing with the hem of his clothes, and started talking to Xizhao again: "Hmm...how did Brother Zhang get in here?"

"Huh?" When asked such a question suddenly, Xi Zhao didn't know how to answer for a while.

"It cost me 30 taels of silver to buy this door." Before Xizhao could answer, Zhou Xi said to himself.

"Huh? Bought it?"

"Yeah, I have been cleansed since I was a child, and I wanted to send me in, but I have never been able to do so. People like us can't do anything else, so I spent my own money and entrusted someone to come in. What, you are not?"

"Oh, I... almost." The parents were really cruel, Xi Zhao thought. "Why would your parents put you on such an errand?"

"My parents died early, and I have been staying at my uncle's house."

It turned out that he was also an orphan.Xi Zhao's heart moved, and the strange face in front of her seemed to get closer.

At this moment, the door creaked, and two eunuchs walked in.

"Starting with you, come, come up to this house with me."

That arrives so fast!Sunset suddenly became tense.There is no way.Xi Zhao rubbed her chest and collected herself.

There is always no way out, so I can only gamble to see if these two brats are willing to push the grindstone.

"That one over there, it's just you! You're the only one left, don't dawdle!"

"Oh...oh!" Xi Zhao got up quickly.The eunuch who came for the physical examination was one tall and one short, and looked very ordinary in clothes, much worse than the eunuch with thin eyebrows, and he couldn't compare with that Eunuch Zhao.From the looks of it, he should be doing errands.Thinking of this, Xi Zhao hesitated and walked towards the door.As soon as he left the door, he suddenly stopped, bowed his body, and covered his stomach with his hands.

"Ouch, Ouch~"

"What's the matter with you? Hurry up and leave!" The old man was always not very polite to newcomers.The same is true of the two eunuchs who came to check up.

"Ouch... my stomach... my stomach hurts suddenly, I can't, I have to go to the latrine..." Xi Zhao lowered her voice and made a painful expression.

"Why did you go there just now? You have to go to the latrine now! Don't waste your time! Go up after the body check!" the short eunuch shouted with raised eyebrows.

"Ouch... It hurts... My lords, please do me a favor, I can't bear it anymore!"

The two eunuchs looked disgusted. "Why are you the last one with so many things! When are we going to wait for you to go to the latrine! Hurry up and get a body check first!"

"I can't do it, my lord...you say this...how about..." Xi Zhao took out a piece of silver from her chest and stuffed it into the short eunuch's hand, "This is for the two adults to drink, please be lenient, I I can't hold it anymore... This, this is coming out...!"

When the two eunuchs saw the ingot of silver, their eyes lit up immediately, and their attitude suddenly softened.

"Well... Seeing how anxious you are, go and hurry, we will wait for you here."

"I don't know how long I'm going to pull, I'm afraid it will delay the matter of the two adults..."

"Alright, let's go first, take your time!"

"Then... my lord, go slowly, I... I have to go quickly..." Saying that, Xi Zhao clutched her stomach and hurriedly ran to the back of the house.

Glancing at Xi Zhao's back, the tall eunuch took the silver, weighed it, and said happily, "This kid is quite generous. But is he okay if he doesn't pass the test?"

"What's the matter if you haven't seen enough of that stuff?" The short eunuch snorted disdainfully, "Look at his sissy, I don't even believe that he's not clean."

After finishing speaking, the two eunuchs cheerfully took the money, turned and left.

two

On the Datong bunk, Zhou Xi snored lightly, as if he had fallen asleep.Xizhao lay beside him, staring at her eyes, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what.One ingot of the five ingots of silver that he exchanged for so much trouble that he couldn't get along in the capital was used up.Looking back, it really hurts a little.Xi Zhao turned over, and her eyes fell on the window paper that was shining with faint moonlight.But this level has been passed, there must be no obstacles ahead, although it cost a piece of silver, but stay here for a few months with delicious food, wait until the wind outside calms down, then take the remaining four pieces Find a chance to go out, and this matter is considered satisfactory enough.The more Xizhao thinks about it, the more optimistic she becomes, and the more she feels that coming here is really a godsend when there is nowhere to go.When the family changed back then, if it wasn't for the occasional retainer who helped hide him, he would have been arrested and assigned. Now that he has been arrested in the capital, he has no way to advance or retreat, and he just happened to encounter such a good opportunity.It should be the pity of the heavens that I can turn danger into good luck again and again. Speaking of it, I am really a lucky person.

The next morning, Xizhao was in a good mood.Get up early, put on a blue-gray plain shirt with a round collar, put on a simple black gauze hat, straighten your temples, chat with Zhou Xi for a while, and wait for a while before someone calls you.

"Zhang Dexiu, Zhou Xi, follow me."

After leaving the gate of the small courtyard and turning a corner, the eyes suddenly opened up.The scene that broke into my eyes was so shocking that Xi Zhao almost forgot to breathe for a moment.The tall palaces are patchwork, majestic like mountains, and the square in front of the palace is broad and magnificent, as magnificent as the boundless sea.The white marble railings are like layers of waves, supporting countless lifelike auspicious dragons. The red high walls support a large area of ​​bright yellow glazed tiles, as if the sea under the morning light is shining brightly like gold.On the roof of the corridor, the eyes are full of gorgeous and delicate meticulous color paintings, far and near, spreading to the end of the field of vision; on the side of the avenue, there are gilded beasts of various shapes, with dignified and majestic faces, all watching the ultimate scene of this school. The luxurious hidden dragon's place.During this journey, Zhou Xi's mouth never closed.Rao Xizhao had seen more of the world than Zhou Xi, and it was the first time she was in it, but she couldn't help but be impressed by the breathtaking royal style.

After passing through several palaces and passing through several paths, the leading eunuch led Xi Zhao and the two of them to a courtyard with gray walls and gray tiles.Pushing open the door of the main room, I saw two eunuchs sitting in the upper seat drinking tea and talking.

"This is Eunuch Ma, who is in charge of Zhidian Supervisor. This is Eunuch Li." The leading eunuch introduced humbly.

Xi Zhao lowered her head slightly, secretly looking at the two father-in-laws.The eunuch known as Ma Gonggong was about forty years old, wearing a dark blue brocade collar shirt with an ivory-colored sunflower pattern embroidered on the chest and back.This person is slightly fat, with a black and yellow complexion, and a cold face, but judging by the decent clothes, the palm seal of Zhidian Supervisor must be a high-ranking person.That Eunuch Li was slightly inferior in clothes, but his demeanor was restrained, his eyes were deep, and it was hard to tell what kind of person he was.

"You step back." Eunuch Ma put down the teacup in his hand and waved to the leading eunuch.The leading eunuch saluted and left the room.

"What are your two names?"

"The villain Zhou Xi." "The villain Xu...Zhang Dexiu."

"Yeah." Eunuch Ma glanced at the two of them, smacked his mouth, revealing a golden tooth, "From now on, you will come under our family's care. The newcomer must be diligent and sensible. If you are lazy, Our family has clear rewards and punishments. Alright, Li Quan, let’s take them to work.”

Eunuch Li next to him hurriedly asked, "Where does Eunuch want to arrange them?"

Eunuch Ma didn't look up, picked up the teacup, half closed the cup lid, and took a sip.

"Let's just... Southeast Library."

three

Leaving the gray-walled courtyard and walking straight for a while, we arrived at the Southeast Library.There are several rows of small houses scattered under the high palace wall, and a few dead leaves are blown by the cold wind, making the scene very depressing.

"The two of you will be in charge of the southeast library from now on, from the first room on the north side to the last room on the south side, about a hundred feet away..." Eunuch Li said, gesturing with his hand.

Xizhao and Zhou Xi were confused. "Dare to ask Eunuch, what are we responsible for here?" Zhou Xi asked carefully.

Eunuch Li was taken aback for a moment, then withdrew his arm and clasped his hands together with a helpless expression. "Cleaning up! You two are already here. I don't know what the Zhidian Supervisor does?"

The two looked at each other, both speechless.

"Hey...remember, our straight palace supervisor is in charge of cleaning and sweeping the palace. The brooms, rags and other things are stored in the small room over there. You can fetch them yourself later, so you can work hard, don't be lazy, there will be people from time to time Come here for an inspection..." At this point, Eunuch Li seemed to be thinking of something, he suddenly paused, his eyes narrowed, and his brows were slightly frowned, "However, people don't often come to this southeast library...you finish cleaning during the day and go to bed at night Always close the doors and windows, and don’t go out and walk around at will.”

After a few more instructions, Eunuch Li left.The two of Xizhao saluted and walked towards the small room pointed by Eunuch Li.

"Since entering the palace, only Eunuch Li has been kind to others." Zhou Xi glanced at the direction where Eunuch Li left, and said to Xi Zhao.Xi Zhao nodded, but she was a little concerned about Eunuch Li's instructions just now.There seems to be a mystery behind these words, but Xizhao thought about it several times, but couldn't figure out anything from it.So they simply left it behind, and the two took the broom from the small room and walked to the first room to the north.

It is the depths of winter.There are very few plants and trees near the southeast library, surrounded by hard and cold palace walls, with unmelted snow piled up under the corners, making people feel even colder and biting.After sweeping the floor a few times, the two stopped to breathe and warm their hands, and turned their backs from time to time to resist the unexpected cold wind passing through the hall.

"I don't know what the other prisons are doing. It's really unlucky for us to be assigned to this prison." Zhou Xi frowned, rubbing his hands and said to Xizhao, "Looking at Brother Zhang's fair skin, I think he's not used to this job." Bar."

"It's okay, it's okay." Five years have passed, and these hardships are still bearable.Besides, it was just hiding for a while, and Renren passed away.Xizhao thought.

"How did Brother Zhang get in here?"

"Uh..." Why did this topic come up again.Xi Zhao looked at Zhou Xi, and saw him holding a broom, blinking his eyes, waiting for his answer.Xi Zhao complained in her heart, thought about it and said: "My parents died when I was young, and I came to the palace only when I had nowhere to go. After entering the palace, I still have a place to live, and there is no place to live outside." It's a lie, but it's just that the key things can't be known to him.

"It's the same hard-fated people." Zhou Xi sighed. "Actually, most of the people who come into the palace now want to take a shortcut and make a career out of it. I don't know what brother Zhang is like...hehe, to tell you the truth, my little brother has some ideas..."

"Oh?" Xi Zhao looked at the unremarkable young man in front of him with great interest. Although he felt a little surprised, but after thinking about it, it made sense—after all, he paid money to come in, so there must be some name for it. .

Zhou Xi chuckled and said: "I'm not afraid of brother Zhang's jokes when I say this, but I just think about it for a while. I don't expect to be like Eunuch Wei. I just want to live a good life with good clothes and good food." I am content with my life. With such a body, I can’t get a future by studying. I don’t want to live in a life of lack of food and clothing, but this incompleteness left by me when I didn’t change things has pointed out a clear way for me.”

He is not big, but his heart is not small.What Zhou Xi said made Xi Zhao look a little different: "I didn't expect Brother Zhou to have such an idea."

"Why, brother Zhang didn't think about it?" On the contrary, Zhou Xi was even more surprised, "Then why do you have to spend money to come in?"

"Uh..." I didn't think about it, I really didn't think about it, including being asked such a question in such a situation, and I was completely unprepared.In fact, thinking about it, this is obviously very likely to happen.

"I just think that after entering the palace, I have a place to stand, and I don't need to be under the fence of others, wandering around." Although I lack foresight, fortunately, I have a quick mind. With this body, wherever you do your work, you are always inferior to others, so you can simply be an eunuch, surrounded by people with the same fate, even if it is a bit difficult, at least you will no longer be discriminated against..."

The more Xizhao said, the more it seemed real, and she was almost full of snot and tears.Zhou Xi beside him also sighed and nodded, and seemed to be touched in his heart.It seems that a pair of brothers with the same fate are talking to each other, but in Xizhao's heart, it is not a good feeling.

——It's not that I deliberately deceive you, after all, I'm not a fellow traveler.Brother Zhou, don't take offense.