Chongzhen Sunset Song
Chapter 48 Apologize
?one
Riding on the carriage of Fuya, he left Fengyang City and headed south, and within a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the entrance of the imperial mausoleum.
"Eunuch Zhang, the imperial mausoleum is here." The newly appointed Fengyang magistrate put on a smile, bowed his waist low, and respectfully raised the curtain of the carriage and hung it up. "Eunuch, get out of the car and be careful." The magistrate said while stretching out his hand flatteringly to protect him, as if Xizhao was a trembling old man who would make mistakes if he was not careful.
Xi Zhao got out of the car and looked around.The city walls around the cemetery are towering and heavily guarded.Perhaps it was because he had never experienced such a tragic battle to guard the tomb, but from the outside of the tomb, there were hardly any signs of damage.The magistrate looked at Chongzhen behind Xizhao. Although his face was slightly puzzled, he didn't pay much attention to it. He just stayed beside Xizhao and said courteously:
"In the past few months, according to the will of the Holy One, the restoration of the cemetery has not stopped for a moment. All the burnt pines in the mausoleum have been cleaned up, and new plants have been planted according to their original positions; the hall of enjoyment and the palace of fasting are under repair. Finally, we can see the general appearance; the missing stone statues are also being produced, and it is estimated that all 32 pairs will be completed at the beginning of next year. As for the destroyed mausoleum..."
"Okay." Xi Zhao frowned slightly, and interrupted the magistrate's words—although it was a very normal report, it was always unpleasant to Xi Zhao's ears. "The repair situation, we can go in and check it ourselves."
"Yes..." The magistrate quickly stopped talking, with a stiff smile on his face, "Then I will take you in right away."
"No need. The prefect will wait here later."
"Yes, yes." The magistrate nodded again and again, watching Xizhao and Chongzhen enter the cemetery, and shouted: "Eunuch, go slowly—the next official is waiting at this door—!" Xizhao didn't look back, just waved He made a move, at least in response, and walked straight to the depths of the imperial mausoleum with Chongzhen.
There are three city walls in the imperial mausoleum.After entering the second gate, Xi Zhao shed the air of imperial envoy and walked respectfully behind Chongzhen. The master and servant walked south along the Shinto path.The surrounding area was empty, and there were no people, only craftsmen walking hurriedly in the distance.As the magistrate said, the pines in the garden are all supported by wooden frames, and the trees are short and thin; beside the Shinto, there are only a few scattered stone statues in their original positions, and the rest are all missing. New replacements are still being made.The sound of ding ding ding ding was heard from a distance, and it was only when the two of them entered the third city gate that they realized that the original fortifications were all concentrated in the Xiangdian in the center of the imperial mausoleum.Logs are neatly piled up in the yard, and there are some waste sawdust scattered around. Some people stepped on the stone platform and planed the wood vigorously. Some people climbed onto the scaffolding and knocked the trimmed wood. Everyone was busy. I didn't have time to notice that there were already two strange guests visiting here.Chongzhen stopped in his tracks, looking at the Xiangdian which was being repaired from a distance, his eyes gradually turned gray.
"My lord...?" Seeing that Chongzhen was silent, Xi Zhao asked tentatively.
"Look at that hall..." Chongzhen said heavily.
"The main hall...?" Xi Zhao followed Chongzhen's eyes, smiled slightly, and carefully replied, "Well, it seems that the main hall is about to be repaired."
"Look at that hall, it's almost brand new..." Chongzhen didn't smile at all, and his face became more and more sad as he said it.
"Uh..." Xi Zhao was dumbfounded.Take a closer look, and sure enough, the main hall is up and down, inside and out, from the beams to the door frames, from the porch pillars to the window panes, there is a dazzling new wood color.
From this point of view, it should be completely destroyed at that time...
Thinking of this, Xi Zhao's heart suddenly tightened up.
"Let's go." Chongzhen sighed, took a step and continued to walk deep.
The rain stopped, but the dark clouds in the sky lingered for a long time, low and heavy, without a ray of sunshine.The two of them bypassed the hall of enjoyment and entered the palace, and suddenly they seemed to have come to another world.The surrounding area is empty and silent, with no birdsong, no trace of people, and even sparse vegetation.The damp soil is exposed to the air, exuding a unique smell after the rain; a straight stone road in the center leads to the hills in the distance, and the road is full of mud and water everywhere, making it extremely slippery; The beeping sound came in faintly, intermittently, seemingly absent, as unreal as a voice from outside the sky.The two walked for a long time in silence, and Chongzhen stopped in front of a large stone incense burner.
"Is this the mausoleum?" Xi Zhao looked around and saw a stone tablet on each side, one of which was densely engraved with many small characters, while the other had no words at all.
Chongzhen didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the front.Xi Zhao also looked forward. After searching for a long time, he suddenly saw a low stone platform not far in front of him. When he took a closer look, he couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment—this hill-like mound in front of him, could it be Royal tomb? !I saw Chongzhen lifted his skirt, bent his knees, and knelt directly on the wet and cold stone road, put his hands on the ground, and bowed his head deeply.
"The unworthy descendant Zhu Youjian, the apology is late."
two
It's been about an hour.
Xizhao waited six or seven feet behind Chongzhen, watching the emperor kneeling in front of the mausoleum from afar.The mausoleum is bare, with no trees, and almost no grass. It seems that the mausoleum was roughly piled up not long ago, and the mausoleum has been restored to its original appearance.So, when the thieves attacked, did they really destroy the mausoleum?Xizhao gasped.How can such a mausoleum as big as a hill be destroyed, or in other words, how much hatred do they have with Daming, the imperial court, and the emperor if they are not afraid of difficulties and spare no effort to destroy this imperial mausoleum?In a trance, Xi Zhao seemed to see how on a certain winter night, thieves swarmed in front of a pile of charred ruins, singing and drinking, laughing and celebrating their glorious victory; but when he recovered, there was only one The thin figure knelt alone in front of the mausoleum, silently praying for the forgiveness of the ancestors in the middle of this cold and empty cemetery.In the gray world, that figure is so small and lonely, despite the howling autumn wind, no one can share even the slightest bit of chill with him. Say, inexplicable loneliness—
——Back to the stage where the golden drums blare, in that endless dream, no matter how rough and difficult it is, no one can stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor.
Xi Zhao lamented, suddenly felt her cheeks wet and cold, and realized that she had quietly shed two lines of tears unknowingly.
"My lord...?"
After a while, Chongzhen suddenly supported the ground with his hands, as if about to get up.Xi Zhao hurriedly ran forward to support the unsteady emperor.
"My lord, how do you feel about your legs? Can you still walk?" Xi Zhao asked with concern.
"...It's okay." Chongzhen said so, when he moved his knees, his brows twitched slightly.
"Your Excellency, let's take a break." Xi Zhao supported Chongzhen, walked slowly to the stone steps of the stele pavilion and sat down, then wiped the muddy water on Chongzhen's robe with his sleeve.In a hurry, Xi Zhao suddenly noticed that the emperor's eye circles were slightly red, and there were two indistinct tear stains on his face.Xizhao was startled, as if seeing something she shouldn't have looked at, she looked away instantly, and continued to wipe Chongzhen's clothes with her hands, but her heart was full of mixed feelings, and it was difficult to calm down.
Enough is enough... so much torture, enough is enough...
three
Outside the imperial mausoleum gate.
Several horses harnessed to the cart were pacing on the spot, eating the green grass on the ground leisurely.The coachman relieved his hands in the distance, while straightening his trouser belt, he hummed a little tune and walked unhurriedly towards the carriage.However, the prefect of Fengyang was not so leisurely and calm. He walked back and forth beside the carriage, and looked into the gate uneasily from time to time.
"It's been more than an hour, why haven't you come out yet?"
"My lord, please be safe and don't be impatient, how about... the officer will go in and have a look for you?" Seeing that the magistrate was anxious, the master next to him suggested, stroking his beard.
"Alright, then go quickly." The magistrate thought about it and nodded.
The master took the order, just walked a few steps into the gate, stopped, turned around and ran back quickly.
"Come out, come out!"
"Oh?" The magistrate was shocked, adjusted his clothes, and ran to the gate of the imperial mausoleum.When Chongzhen and Xizhao came out, they hurriedly lowered their bodies to accompany Xizhao, for fear of being slighted.
"Eunuch Zhang, are you satisfied with the repairs?"
"Well, it's okay." Xi Zhao didn't want to waste too much energy on this lie that had no effect, so he dealt with it casually.
"Uh..." The magistrate was stunned for a moment, blinking, as if a little surprised, "If the father-in-law has any instructions, just let the subordinate officials know, and the subordinate officials will give orders quickly and follow them as soon as possible."
"The instruction is to report the situation to the emperor truthfully after returning to Beijing, and the emperor will issue it. How can our family talk too much." Xi Zhao said, walking to the carriage with her hands behind her back.The magistrate hurriedly raised the curtain respectfully, and got into the car under the protection of the setting sun: "Yes, yes, yes... the lower officials are confused." The magistrate laughed and said, "Then please ask Eunuch Zhang to speak kindly in front of the emperor." In a few words, the renovation of the imperial mausoleum is the top priority of our Fengyang Mansion, and I will definitely do my best to make everything satisfactory to my father-in-law and the Pope."
"Yes. Our family will convey the loyalty of the magistrate to the emperor." Xi Zhao nodded and glanced at Chongzhen secretly.The emperor was watching by his side, no matter how he acted like this, he felt uncomfortable all over. Xizhao just wanted to get rid of the exaggeratedly smiling magistrate as soon as possible, return to the inn in the city steadily, and return to the status of master and servant with the emperor earlier.
But the magistrate was not so knowledgeable. He rubbed his hands and said obsequiously: "Uh...it's getting late, and the lower official has prepared a table of wine and food in the humble house. I wonder if Eunuch Zhang will appreciate it?"
"No, let's go back to the inn to eat."
"My father-in-law came to Fengyang for the first time, how can I let my father-in-law eat in such a simple place." The magistrate still smiled charmingly, "Let me let the lower officials clean up the dust for you, and I will do my best for the court. Filial piety."
"We appreciate the kindness of the magistrate, but there is no need to eat this meal." Xi Zhao said coldly, feeling a little irritated in his heart.
"Hey, Eunuch Zhang..." The prefect wanted to say something, but was stopped by Xi Zhao again: "Today, the magistrate also worked hard for half a day, and it was really hard, so let's go back to rest earlier, we are going back to the inn to rest too .”
"But……"
"Okay, if there is a chance in the future, our family will visit the magistrate's mansion."
Riding on the carriage of Fuya, he left Fengyang City and headed south, and within a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the entrance of the imperial mausoleum.
"Eunuch Zhang, the imperial mausoleum is here." The newly appointed Fengyang magistrate put on a smile, bowed his waist low, and respectfully raised the curtain of the carriage and hung it up. "Eunuch, get out of the car and be careful." The magistrate said while stretching out his hand flatteringly to protect him, as if Xizhao was a trembling old man who would make mistakes if he was not careful.
Xi Zhao got out of the car and looked around.The city walls around the cemetery are towering and heavily guarded.Perhaps it was because he had never experienced such a tragic battle to guard the tomb, but from the outside of the tomb, there were hardly any signs of damage.The magistrate looked at Chongzhen behind Xizhao. Although his face was slightly puzzled, he didn't pay much attention to it. He just stayed beside Xizhao and said courteously:
"In the past few months, according to the will of the Holy One, the restoration of the cemetery has not stopped for a moment. All the burnt pines in the mausoleum have been cleaned up, and new plants have been planted according to their original positions; the hall of enjoyment and the palace of fasting are under repair. Finally, we can see the general appearance; the missing stone statues are also being produced, and it is estimated that all 32 pairs will be completed at the beginning of next year. As for the destroyed mausoleum..."
"Okay." Xi Zhao frowned slightly, and interrupted the magistrate's words—although it was a very normal report, it was always unpleasant to Xi Zhao's ears. "The repair situation, we can go in and check it ourselves."
"Yes..." The magistrate quickly stopped talking, with a stiff smile on his face, "Then I will take you in right away."
"No need. The prefect will wait here later."
"Yes, yes." The magistrate nodded again and again, watching Xizhao and Chongzhen enter the cemetery, and shouted: "Eunuch, go slowly—the next official is waiting at this door—!" Xizhao didn't look back, just waved He made a move, at least in response, and walked straight to the depths of the imperial mausoleum with Chongzhen.
There are three city walls in the imperial mausoleum.After entering the second gate, Xi Zhao shed the air of imperial envoy and walked respectfully behind Chongzhen. The master and servant walked south along the Shinto path.The surrounding area was empty, and there were no people, only craftsmen walking hurriedly in the distance.As the magistrate said, the pines in the garden are all supported by wooden frames, and the trees are short and thin; beside the Shinto, there are only a few scattered stone statues in their original positions, and the rest are all missing. New replacements are still being made.The sound of ding ding ding ding was heard from a distance, and it was only when the two of them entered the third city gate that they realized that the original fortifications were all concentrated in the Xiangdian in the center of the imperial mausoleum.Logs are neatly piled up in the yard, and there are some waste sawdust scattered around. Some people stepped on the stone platform and planed the wood vigorously. Some people climbed onto the scaffolding and knocked the trimmed wood. Everyone was busy. I didn't have time to notice that there were already two strange guests visiting here.Chongzhen stopped in his tracks, looking at the Xiangdian which was being repaired from a distance, his eyes gradually turned gray.
"My lord...?" Seeing that Chongzhen was silent, Xi Zhao asked tentatively.
"Look at that hall..." Chongzhen said heavily.
"The main hall...?" Xi Zhao followed Chongzhen's eyes, smiled slightly, and carefully replied, "Well, it seems that the main hall is about to be repaired."
"Look at that hall, it's almost brand new..." Chongzhen didn't smile at all, and his face became more and more sad as he said it.
"Uh..." Xi Zhao was dumbfounded.Take a closer look, and sure enough, the main hall is up and down, inside and out, from the beams to the door frames, from the porch pillars to the window panes, there is a dazzling new wood color.
From this point of view, it should be completely destroyed at that time...
Thinking of this, Xi Zhao's heart suddenly tightened up.
"Let's go." Chongzhen sighed, took a step and continued to walk deep.
The rain stopped, but the dark clouds in the sky lingered for a long time, low and heavy, without a ray of sunshine.The two of them bypassed the hall of enjoyment and entered the palace, and suddenly they seemed to have come to another world.The surrounding area is empty and silent, with no birdsong, no trace of people, and even sparse vegetation.The damp soil is exposed to the air, exuding a unique smell after the rain; a straight stone road in the center leads to the hills in the distance, and the road is full of mud and water everywhere, making it extremely slippery; The beeping sound came in faintly, intermittently, seemingly absent, as unreal as a voice from outside the sky.The two walked for a long time in silence, and Chongzhen stopped in front of a large stone incense burner.
"Is this the mausoleum?" Xi Zhao looked around and saw a stone tablet on each side, one of which was densely engraved with many small characters, while the other had no words at all.
Chongzhen didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the front.Xi Zhao also looked forward. After searching for a long time, he suddenly saw a low stone platform not far in front of him. When he took a closer look, he couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment—this hill-like mound in front of him, could it be Royal tomb? !I saw Chongzhen lifted his skirt, bent his knees, and knelt directly on the wet and cold stone road, put his hands on the ground, and bowed his head deeply.
"The unworthy descendant Zhu Youjian, the apology is late."
two
It's been about an hour.
Xizhao waited six or seven feet behind Chongzhen, watching the emperor kneeling in front of the mausoleum from afar.The mausoleum is bare, with no trees, and almost no grass. It seems that the mausoleum was roughly piled up not long ago, and the mausoleum has been restored to its original appearance.So, when the thieves attacked, did they really destroy the mausoleum?Xizhao gasped.How can such a mausoleum as big as a hill be destroyed, or in other words, how much hatred do they have with Daming, the imperial court, and the emperor if they are not afraid of difficulties and spare no effort to destroy this imperial mausoleum?In a trance, Xi Zhao seemed to see how on a certain winter night, thieves swarmed in front of a pile of charred ruins, singing and drinking, laughing and celebrating their glorious victory; but when he recovered, there was only one The thin figure knelt alone in front of the mausoleum, silently praying for the forgiveness of the ancestors in the middle of this cold and empty cemetery.In the gray world, that figure is so small and lonely, despite the howling autumn wind, no one can share even the slightest bit of chill with him. Say, inexplicable loneliness—
——Back to the stage where the golden drums blare, in that endless dream, no matter how rough and difficult it is, no one can stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor.
Xi Zhao lamented, suddenly felt her cheeks wet and cold, and realized that she had quietly shed two lines of tears unknowingly.
"My lord...?"
After a while, Chongzhen suddenly supported the ground with his hands, as if about to get up.Xi Zhao hurriedly ran forward to support the unsteady emperor.
"My lord, how do you feel about your legs? Can you still walk?" Xi Zhao asked with concern.
"...It's okay." Chongzhen said so, when he moved his knees, his brows twitched slightly.
"Your Excellency, let's take a break." Xi Zhao supported Chongzhen, walked slowly to the stone steps of the stele pavilion and sat down, then wiped the muddy water on Chongzhen's robe with his sleeve.In a hurry, Xi Zhao suddenly noticed that the emperor's eye circles were slightly red, and there were two indistinct tear stains on his face.Xizhao was startled, as if seeing something she shouldn't have looked at, she looked away instantly, and continued to wipe Chongzhen's clothes with her hands, but her heart was full of mixed feelings, and it was difficult to calm down.
Enough is enough... so much torture, enough is enough...
three
Outside the imperial mausoleum gate.
Several horses harnessed to the cart were pacing on the spot, eating the green grass on the ground leisurely.The coachman relieved his hands in the distance, while straightening his trouser belt, he hummed a little tune and walked unhurriedly towards the carriage.However, the prefect of Fengyang was not so leisurely and calm. He walked back and forth beside the carriage, and looked into the gate uneasily from time to time.
"It's been more than an hour, why haven't you come out yet?"
"My lord, please be safe and don't be impatient, how about... the officer will go in and have a look for you?" Seeing that the magistrate was anxious, the master next to him suggested, stroking his beard.
"Alright, then go quickly." The magistrate thought about it and nodded.
The master took the order, just walked a few steps into the gate, stopped, turned around and ran back quickly.
"Come out, come out!"
"Oh?" The magistrate was shocked, adjusted his clothes, and ran to the gate of the imperial mausoleum.When Chongzhen and Xizhao came out, they hurriedly lowered their bodies to accompany Xizhao, for fear of being slighted.
"Eunuch Zhang, are you satisfied with the repairs?"
"Well, it's okay." Xi Zhao didn't want to waste too much energy on this lie that had no effect, so he dealt with it casually.
"Uh..." The magistrate was stunned for a moment, blinking, as if a little surprised, "If the father-in-law has any instructions, just let the subordinate officials know, and the subordinate officials will give orders quickly and follow them as soon as possible."
"The instruction is to report the situation to the emperor truthfully after returning to Beijing, and the emperor will issue it. How can our family talk too much." Xi Zhao said, walking to the carriage with her hands behind her back.The magistrate hurriedly raised the curtain respectfully, and got into the car under the protection of the setting sun: "Yes, yes, yes... the lower officials are confused." The magistrate laughed and said, "Then please ask Eunuch Zhang to speak kindly in front of the emperor." In a few words, the renovation of the imperial mausoleum is the top priority of our Fengyang Mansion, and I will definitely do my best to make everything satisfactory to my father-in-law and the Pope."
"Yes. Our family will convey the loyalty of the magistrate to the emperor." Xi Zhao nodded and glanced at Chongzhen secretly.The emperor was watching by his side, no matter how he acted like this, he felt uncomfortable all over. Xizhao just wanted to get rid of the exaggeratedly smiling magistrate as soon as possible, return to the inn in the city steadily, and return to the status of master and servant with the emperor earlier.
But the magistrate was not so knowledgeable. He rubbed his hands and said obsequiously: "Uh...it's getting late, and the lower official has prepared a table of wine and food in the humble house. I wonder if Eunuch Zhang will appreciate it?"
"No, let's go back to the inn to eat."
"My father-in-law came to Fengyang for the first time, how can I let my father-in-law eat in such a simple place." The magistrate still smiled charmingly, "Let me let the lower officials clean up the dust for you, and I will do my best for the court. Filial piety."
"We appreciate the kindness of the magistrate, but there is no need to eat this meal." Xi Zhao said coldly, feeling a little irritated in his heart.
"Hey, Eunuch Zhang..." The prefect wanted to say something, but was stopped by Xi Zhao again: "Today, the magistrate also worked hard for half a day, and it was really hard, so let's go back to rest earlier, we are going back to the inn to rest too .”
"But……"
"Okay, if there is a chance in the future, our family will visit the magistrate's mansion."
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