Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

The journey seemed endless.Chongzhen and Xizhao sat together, occasionally chatting for a while, and most of the time, they quietly looked at the scenery outside the window.After all, they were traveling in micro-clothes, and there was only a curtain between them and the coachman. The two of them tacitly avoided topics such as the palace and the court, and only chatted about irrelevant gossip, so it was considered to pass the time.But for Xi Zhao, even this occasional conversation is enough to make his mood as melodious and joyful as the reed flute in the mountains-always, the emperor is so high and high, a dragon chair and a yellow robe will always make him happy. People forget his age and ignore his heart; but now sitting side by side in this narrow carriage, speeding through the same scenery, ups and downs with the same rhythm, the sunset suddenly found that the sage in his heart in the past , can be like ordinary men of the same age, so close that it is almost within reach.

Six years ago today, even in a dream, how could such an ordinary scene be imagined.

"The jade pendant on your waist seems familiar?" Chongzhen was bored after seeing enough of the mountain scenery, and his eyes stopped on Xizhao.

"Your Excellency forgot, this jade pendant was rewarded by you." Xi Zhao said with a smile.

"I rewarded you?" Chongzhen blinked, but couldn't remember a clue.

"A few years ago, about selling ginseng..." Xizhao bypassed the words that were inconvenient to mention, and only reminded Chongzhen with a few words.

"Ah—yes." Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and he suddenly remembered, "I rewarded it, but I forgot. No wonder it looks familiar, this jade pendant was worn by me for a long time many years ago. "Chongzhen said, suddenly stopped talking, stared blankly at the jade pendant on Xizhao's waist, as if thinking of something, a dark color appeared on his face, "at that time, my lord mother was still there."

"Master...?" Xi Zhao was taken aback and blurted out.

"Hmm. What?" Chongzhen raised his eyes to look at Xizhao.

"Ah no...it's nothing." Xi Zhao subconsciously glanced at the curtain in front of the carriage, and said no more.Ever since Xizhao entered the palace, the emperor's wife, Empress Yi'an lived in the Compassionate Ning Palace.I have never heard of the emperor's mother being mentioned in these years, so...has she passed away long ago?

Chongzhen smiled knowingly, and stopped talking. After thinking about it, he changed the subject: "Tell me about your family background. I remember you once said that you were originally from a family of officials."

"Uh...yes." Xi Zhao was still thinking about the emperor's mother, when she heard Chong Zhen's question, her breath was suffocated, and her nerves tensed up.The matter of real identity is the most sensitive topic for Xizhao, if one word is careless, it will lead to death.Xizhao turned his mind quickly a few times, and carefully replied: "The villain is from Jizhou, North Zhili, and my father was an official in the court. At that time, my father refused to join forces with the eunuch party and wrote a letter to impeach Wei Zhongxian, so he was imprisoned by the eunuch party." He was framed, his official position was removed and he was assigned to the army in southern Xinjiang. It was just a pretense to want to be in the army, but not long after he left the capital, his father was murdered by Dongchang."

"Oh..." Chongzhen thought for a while and asked, "What is your father's name, any official position?"

What's the name... Xizhao raised her throat, swallowed, and hurriedly waved her hands: "It's not worth mentioning for a small official. Besides, it happened many years ago. When my father passed away, the villain was only 12 years old. The house was confiscated, and my mother became ill, and it didn't take long for her to die like this."

"Hey...you are also a miserable person..." Chongzhen didn't seem to be aware of the panic in Xizhao's heart, but he was moved with emotion, and there was a little more sympathy in his eyes, "It's not easy to be alone without father and mother...how did you come here? of?"

"Later...uh..." In front of the dignified emperor, Xi Zhao could not speak about her petty theft experience.What's more, it's too late for me to enter the palace at the age of 17, and it doesn't conform to the rules of the palace.Let's tell a lie, Xi Zhao thought about it, and said slowly: "After my mother passed away, the villain had no one to rely on. As the son of a criminal minister, the relatives in the family were unwilling to take him in, so my uncle simply sent the villain to..." Xi Zhao paused, "Send it to your lord's mansion."

"Are you 12 years old? It's earlier than me." Chongzhen nodded, then sighed again, "Hey...It's really unpredictable, and good luck tricks people. That's the situation."

"Being able to serve by the adult's side is a blessing that has been cultivated for many lifetimes. No matter what happened in the past, now the villain has to thank God for his love." Xi Zhao smiled, her eyes were clear It's like a spring. "Everyone has his own destiny, and everything is just an arrangement in his destiny. Whenever a villain thinks this way, everything can be seen."

"Fate..." Chongzhen also smiled faintly, muttering the word "fate" in his mouth, which made the smile sound like a sigh.

two

By the station.

The coachman Wang Er carefully took care of the horses by the stable, while Chongzhen and Xizhao drank some tea and walked around the post station while exercising their muscles and bones that had been curled up for half a day.

In mid-September, autumn has already entered.The green color of the landscape has faded, it is not as gorgeous and bright as in summer, it seems to be covered with a hazy layer of tiredness, but it seems to be much gentler.The breeze blows, carrying the melodious birdsong in the mountains, and the faint fragrance of the grass and trees, brushing the face lightly, it is a kind of indescribable comfort.Chongzhen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, only to feel a burst of relief in his chest, and most of the fatigue of the journey quietly dissipated.

"Where is this?" Chongzhen asked casually, looking around at the beautiful mountains and rivers.

"My lord, I asked the coachman in the morning, he said he was going to rest in Suzhou tonight, now that it's past noon, this place should not be far from Suzhou." Xi Zhao replied.

"Oh..." Chongzhen nodded, "After Suzhou, we will almost arrive at Fengyang."

"If all goes well, we will arrive in Fengyang at noon tomorrow."

"Are you going to Fengyang tomorrow?" Chongzhen was startled, his eyes gradually dimmed.

"Yes." Seeing Chongzhen's expression, Xizhao simply responded without further words.What Fengyang meant to the emperor, of course Xizhao understood; and what kind of devastated Fengyang would be, which was only described in black and white in the past, even Xizhao didn't dare to imagine.Before I knew it, there was only one day away from all of this.Even though he came all the way for Fengyang, but the end was imminent, even Xizhao couldn't help but feel a little inexplicably timid.

"Hey. It's ridiculous to say." After a long silence, Chongzhen finally opened his mouth and said, "It's rare to be able to act out such a play as you like. Dress up in a costume, arrange a few props, and sing by yourself, forgetting yourself, so quickly I have to retreat to the audience and continue to return to the training of the present world." Chongzhen exhaled, with a wry smile on his lips, "It's a dream, and it really won't last long."

Dream... Hearing the emperor's helpless self-mockery, Xi Zhao silently felt pity in his heart.It's true that good fortune tricks people.In the whole world, there are thousands of people who want to be the emperor, but God pushed him to the position of emperor; or if he decided to let him be the emperor in this troubled times, why did he arrange such a disposition for him.The man in front of him is always so gentle and forbearing, sensitive and reticent, his thin figure standing in the slight autumn wind, faintly showing a bit of weak bookishness.If he had been born with an iron fist like the □□Chengzu, or if he had been as weak and weak as the emperors of the past generations, he would not have been tortured like today in the face of this riddled country.

Good luck tricks people...

Xizhao sighed in his heart, staring blankly at the landscape that was no longer green enough, and after a long while, he murmured:

"Dexiu thinks...my lord has sung for too long."

"Oh?" Chongzhen was surprised for a moment, and turned to look at Xizhao.

"My lord, facing this country and the country, the court officials have been singing on stage for so many years, and they finally had a moment to catch their breath, but before the fatigue subsided, they had to put on their costumes again, and once again boarded the stage where everyone was watching. The high platform." Xizhao said seriously, An Anran met Chongzhen's eyes, "Rather than saying that these days are illusory and dreamlike, Dexiu feels that everything surrounded by the red wall is like a long journey to the emperor. A boundless dream from which I cannot wake up."

"Is the one in the red wall a dream..." Chongzhen slowly looked away, his eyes were deep and deep, and gradually immersed in the empty mist in the mountains.

three

When we arrived in Fengyang, it was drizzling in the sky.

Fengyang City had no city walls, and the only lonely city gate had been burned beyond recognition by the flames of war, leaving only black and smoky broken walls.The carriage passed through the incomplete city gate, and stopped firmly on the side of the road. The door curtain was lifted, and Chongzhen and Xizhao jumped out of the carriage with their soft luggage. "At Chenshi three days later, wait for us here." After instructing the coachman, the two held up their oil umbrellas and walked towards the city on foot.

More than half a year has passed, and the bloody smell in the city has been washed away by the wind and rain.People are repairing the damaged and half-destroyed houses, taking care of the reopened shops, and attracting pedestrians to stop and go. These busy and lively scenes will always give Chongzhen a little relief—in any case, Fengyang is probably still a All is well.However, the unclaimed ruins of houses that occasionally appear on the street often come into view untimely, reminding Chongzhen of how real and cruel the catastrophe was. Brick, severely scratched a series of scorched marks in Chongzhen's heart.

"My lord, the government office is just ahead." Xizhao asked the passers-by, and came back and said to Chongzhen who was staring at the ruins in a daze, "The villain will go and inform you first, and you sit here for a while, and the villain will take it." I'll be back after the paperwork."

Chongzhen nodded in agreement, sat down in the nearby teahouse, watched the setting sun walk quickly to the front gate of the yamen, talked to the guard for a few words, and then disappeared behind the gate.The document that Xi Zhao wanted to get was the permission issued by the government office to enter the imperial mausoleum.The royal mausoleum is naturally not a place where ordinary people can enter without permission. Although the emperor is going to go this time, Chongzhen has never wanted anyone to know his identity since he left the palace in micro-clothes.Xizhao had an imperial edict drawn up before leaving the palace, and at that time, he only said that it was an imperial envoy from the capital, who was ordered to check the repairs of the imperial tomb, and then he could enter the imperial tomb to worship in a dignified manner.

Chongzhen took a sip of tea, waited, and silently looked at the street scene outside the teahouse.The rain had mostly stopped, the sky was gray, and the air was thick with moisture.The sporadic passers-by have mostly put away their umbrellas, taken off their bamboo hats, and are no longer rushed by the rain.Across the street, a few children were holding a windmill, laughing and running, stepping on the wet ground casually, causing the stagnant water to splash in all directions.Chongzhen was watching intently, when he saw a plainly dressed woman step into the shop door, walk past Chongzhen's table, put down the oil umbrella that was still dripping, and greeted the shopkeeper in a dialect that was not easy to understand. Thinking of something, he suddenly started giggling, and fine lines gathered at the corners of his eyes.No matter how cruel the catastrophe is, will life be revived in the end... Chongzhen looked at the woman's hearty smile, and a smile could not help but appear on his face.Fortunately, I just came here now, so I don’t have to face the mournful look when the flames of war just extinguished, so I don’t know how much suffering I have saved... Chongzhen thought to himself, but was suddenly surprised in his heart—fortunately...?How could it be a good thing... It was my own sin that Fengyang's life was ruined, so how could he secretly rejoice because he didn't have to face the unbearable consequences!Chongzhen tapped his forehead and couldn't help smiling wryly.Even if he is wearing ordinary clothes, he is still the emperor of Ming Dynasty, but in just a few days, he will be drawn into the drama too deeply by the clothes and titles used to conceal his identity, have he forgotten his duty...

Or, I'm still too greedy for the peace off the stage...

"My lord." At some point, Xi Zhao had already returned to the teahouse, and a greeting interrupted Chongzhen's thoughts. "Ah, what's the matter?" Chongzhen quickly regained his composure and responded.

"I got the paperwork, when does your lord want to leave?" Xi Zhao asked respectfully.

"Hmm..." Chongzhen paused for a moment, and looked up at the woman who was still chatting with the store owner.

"Go at once."