Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

"Since the implementation of the four positive and six corner strategies, it has indeed been quite effective. The chaos of the bandits has been eased, and Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai have also surrendered to our Ming Dynasty. Yang Aiqing has really contributed."

In the Hall of Martial Heroes, Chongzhen said to the officials standing with hands down before the case with a happy expression on his face.This official looked to be about fifty years old, of medium build, with a square face and thick eyebrows, with a few strands of gray mixed in between his beard and hair.This person is the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Sichang.He lowered his eyes, covered his eyes, and politely said his thanks:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your praise. Doing your best for the imperial court is the duty of a minister. Now that the riots of bandits have not subsided, I really dare not take credit for this."

"Hey, meritorious service is meritorious service, and meritorious service must be rewarded." Chongzhen smiled slightly and said, "I want to let you be the minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Dongge University, enter the cabinet, and participate in the maintenance of the military. The minister of the Ministry of War will be replaced by Hong Chengchou, but he leads The soldiers are out and lack skills, so you are still in charge of the military affairs, what do you think?"

Hearing this, Yang Sichang raised his head abruptly, his eyes sparkled, and his voice became louder: "Thanks to the emperor's high regard, I will do my best for Ming Dynasty and die!"

"Well, good!" Chongzhen smiled and nodded approvingly, "If there is any obstacle in the implementation of the new military law, you can report it to me. This time we will wipe out all the bandits. Don't be afraid of difficulties and return halfway."

"Yes, I will definitely live up to the emperor's expectations." Yang Sichang expressed his determination loudly, paused, then lowered his tone and said, "However, there is one thing that I dare not not report to the emperor."

"You speak."

"Yes..." Yang Sichang cleared his throat, and said, "Since I implemented the policy of four positives and six corners, officials and soldiers from all over the country have actively responded and cooperated, but only Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi has never reported the situation of the battle. It is rumored that he is using private property He recruited troops and bought horses, managed his own funds, and blindly acted arbitrarily, and did not cooperate with other provinces to suppress the bandits. Sun Chuanting is a veteran with meritorious service, and it is not easy for me to send a letter to criticize too much, so I have to report this to the emperor, and ask the emperor to judge."

It was obvious that he was complaining, but Yang Sichang's tone did not contain a trace of resentment, as if Sun Chuanting's unruly behavior was not embarrassing himself, as if he did not exist in this turmoil.Chongzhen suppressed his smile, pondered for a while, and said, "I see, I will inform Hong Chengchou, who is also in Shaanxi, and he will report the situation of the battle in Shaanxi on his behalf. As for the self-management of military resources, it is also for the purpose of suppressing the bandits, so there is no need to worry too much about him." gone."

"Of order." Yang Sichang's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he stopped arguing, calmed down, bowed respectfully, and then left.

"Sun Chuanting..." Looking at Yang Sichang's leaving back, Chongzhen subconsciously repeated the name, shook his head, and continued to review the memorial.

two

Today, the drizzle has just stopped, and the spring is warm.As usual, Xi Zhao went to the Supervisor of Rites to deliver the memorial for Mr. Jia, who was handicapped in his legs and feet.He has always been at odds with Wang Chengen, and the place of the Supervisor of Rituals has become a place of right and wrong, so he put down the papers and explained to the supervisor of the Supervisor of Rituals, without stopping any longer, he turned around and walked straight to the gate of the Supervisor of Rituals go.But not far from the gate, Xi Zhao suddenly felt someone pat her on the back.

"Hey, why are you here?"

Xi Zhao looked back, and saw that standing behind her was Bi Tao, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.Although they are in the same palace, the palace is huge, and the Supervisor of Rites and the Hall of Martial Arts are not close to each other. The two of them walk and live in this fixed area every day, and before they know it, they never get the chance to see each other again.It may have been two or three years since Bi Tao came to visit her last time, but now she looks at Bi Tao's face like a peach and plum, with a smile on her face, and the warmth flows through her heart.

"I also wondered who this fairy who was sinking fish and wild geese was. I took a closer look and found that it was Sister Bi Tao." Xi Zhao cupped her hands and smiled softly, "Long time no see, sister, how are you doing?"

"Just this mouth is slippery, and I'm not afraid of slipping my tongue." Bi Tao smiled sweetly, apparently enjoying hearing it very much, "I'm doing very well. Seeing that you still have a poor mouth, it seems to be not bad?"

"Thanks to my sister, everything will be fine."

"Well, that's good." Bi Tao stroked the broken hair around her ears, and glanced at Xizhao, "You said you were going to leave, thinking you would never see you again, and caused people to secretly shed a few pots of tears, As a result, you are just fine, and you have been lingering in the palace until now." As she said that, Bi Tao stretched out her slender fingers and poked Xi Zhao's chest, raised her eyebrows and smiled, with a playful look on her face, "Tell me, what will you give me as compensation. "

Hearing Bi Tao's words, Xizhao couldn't help his heart throbbing, the place where his chest was poked was hot, and the tenderness that had been silent for a long time suddenly surged quietly again. "...Zhou Xi... How do you treat you?" Xi Zhao looked at the familiar silver hairpin in Bitao's black hair, and did not respond to Bitao's joke, but instead smiled slightly and asked seriously.

Bi Tao was taken aback for a moment, then stopped laughing and lowered her eyebrows. "He treated me well, don't worry."

"The two of you will be together, I really never thought of it at the beginning." Xi Zhao sighed softly.

"Actually... ever since we met in your room, he always came to see me..." Bi Tao whispered, "That year when you went to Fengyang with the emperor, not long after you left the palace, he told me It's about Caihu."

"So that's how it is. Zhou Xi is a nice person, and he is motivated. It must be good for you to follow him." Xi Zhao's words were sincere, but for some reason, after saying this, her heart felt faintly sour.

"It's better than following you." Bi Tao said, raising her eyes to look directly at Xi Zhao's face, her almond eyes seemed to be smiling but not smiling, she didn't know if she said it as a joke or just out of anger. "I..." Xi Zhao didn't know how to answer for a while, but she eased her eyes again and said softly: "It's you, after all, you are not real... Just stay in the palace like this, just in case someday ..."

"Sister, don't worry too. I have a sense of propriety." Xi Zhao comforted Bitao.Bi Tao looked at Xi Zhao's determined eyes, and nodded slightly.

Just when the two of them were talking secret words to each other, and their feelings were sprouting, no one noticed that at the corner of the wall, a pair of ears had already absorbed their conversation, and a pair of eyes were shining with jealous flames, directly piercing the heart. His hatred was burning red hot.

three

The ceremonial supervisor has a side room.

"Hey, why are you dragging me!" Bi Tao straightened her messy green flower jacket, and glared at Zhou Xi who was closing the door over there.Zhou Xi closed the door and turned his head with a displeased expression on his face.

"Who did you meet today?"

"Who? Didn't you meet anyone?" Bi Tao felt guilty and avoided Zhou Xi's gaze.She naturally knew who Zhou Xi was talking about, and after living together for many years, she also knew how much taboo this person was in Zhou Xi's heart.

"Who didn't you meet? Don't try to scare me!" Zhou Xi raised his short eyebrows and asked with his eyes wide open, "I can see clearly! What did you all say? What is not true? What do you mean?"

He heard it!Bitao's heart jumped wildly, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.Calm, calm.It doesn't matter whether he knows about the other things, but this one thing must never be revealed.She quickly calmed down, took a breath, shook the handkerchief in her hand, and said with force and ease: "Hey, I remembered, I thought you said who you met, it turned out to be Zhang Dexiu. I said that today I always have ears Fever, it turned out that I was talking to someone, but you overheard me." She turned around, sat on the chair in the room, lowered her eyes and fiddled with the veil, "Didn't you hear everything, and still ask me. "

"I'm asking you, what do you mean he's not real after all?" Zhou Xi insisted, and asked a step closer.

After saying so many words, why did he focus on the most fatal sentence so stubbornly.Bi Tao's heart was agitated, but her face was still calm, with a lazy look: "What's not true? I never said that, I think you heard it wrong."

Zhou Xi narrowed his eyes and stared carefully at Bitao's expression, as if trying to figure out what Bitao was hiding on purpose. "Don't try to fool around, just tell me clearly, what is Zhang Dexiu that is not true?"

"Oh, I don't know what it means if I haven't said it? I've been with you for so long, and you still don't believe me." Bi Tao was sweating behind Zhou Xi's stare, so she stood up impatiently, stretched out her hand Zhou Xi pushed it away, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhang Dexiu yourself, I have something else to do, I don't have time to waste time with you." Then, he pushed the door and left the small side room.

Bitao must know something.Zhou Xi watched Bi Tao walk away, thinking about Bi Tao's flustered expression at that moment just now.Bi Tao once served Zhang Dexiu personally for half a year, what secret did Zhang Dexiu have for her to discover?Zhou Xisi thought about coming over, and thinking about going over, suddenly a flash of light flashed in his mind.Could it be...could it be...! ?The people who entered the palace with them did not come in the right way; in those few months when I lived with him, even though it was the middle of winter, he always wore strict clothes no matter whether he was inside or outside the house, when he got up and went to bed. , airtight, I only thought that he was afraid of the cold, could it be that...?The more Zhou Xi thought about it, the more real it became, and he couldn't help being shocked.If it was really as I guessed, then this is a capital crime that cannot be escaped!No wonder Bi Tao panicked, no wonder she refused to admit it... Zhou Xi thought about it, a strange smile gradually appeared on his face.

——Zhang Dexiu, ah Zhang Dexiu, you have hidden such a terrible secret, thanks to you, you are still at ease!Now that this secret is finally in my hands, I think you can still flaunt it for a few days.

four

The supervisor of ceremonies is in the main room.The sound of walnuts being rubbed in Wang Chengen's hands became slower and lighter, and unexpectedly stopped abruptly.He squinted his eyes and glanced at Zhou Xi who had been whispering by his side for half a day.

"Do you have any real evidence?"

"This..." Zhou Xi hesitated for a while, "There is no real evidence... none of us can verify his bottom."

"Then the imperial doctor who treated his wounds back then, have you gone to look for it?"

"I went, but the imperial doctor passed away with a sudden illness last year, and there is no proof of his death." Zhou Xi rolled his eyes and said, "A few years ago, when he was sweeping the floor of the Qianqing Palace, he also went to look for the villain who lived with him. One of them committed the crime and died at the time, one was said to have been dispatched to the Military Bureau, but he could not be found, and there was one left named Qi Xiaobao, who was working in the Shangshan Prison. The villain asked him the day before yesterday if he had any clues, but he also shook his head. Can't tell why."

"Other than that, no one knows the details of Zhang Dexiu?" Wang Chengen frowned, a little bored.Even though he was not at odds with that Zhang Dexiu, he was not in a hurry to put him to death.But when such a big deal comes up in front of you for nothing, but you can't hold it firmly in your hand, this always makes people feel unwilling.

"Uh... probably not anymore." Zhou Xi pursed his lips and didn't say any more.From beginning to end, Zhou Xi did not mention Bitao's name.Bi Tao must know, it's not wrong, but he knows Wang Gonggong's methods even more.If he really wanted Bi Tao to speak up, it would not only be as gentle as asking to ask.Although his desire to bring down Zhang Dexiu was ten times stronger than that of Wang Gonggong, the friendship with Bi Tao in the past few years finally taught him that he couldn't bear it.

"Then it's not easy..." Wang Chengen didn't know what Zhou Xi was thinking. He leaned back, leaned his arms on the back of the chair, and turned the walnut again, "The truth of this matter is very important." Black and white, if our family really complained to the emperor, and it turned out that we were the ones who were wrong in the body test, then there is no room for change, not to mention the embarrassment, we have no way to explain it to the emperor." Wang Chengen said again Glancing at Zhou Xi, "How sure are you?"

"Hmm...ninety percent." Zhou Xi thought for a while, and said firmly, "I couldn't sleep yesterday, and the villain remembered something again. Back then, we all purged ourselves outside the palace, spent money, and entrusted the door to get in." He came from the palace. When he first entered the palace, his father-in-law arranged for a physical examination. Zhang Dexiu was the last one, but he couldn’t die. During the physical examination, his stomach hurt and he had to go to the toilet. ..." Zhou Xi lowered his voice, and with a mysterious look, he uttered three words in a serious manner, "...There is no test."

"Oh?" Wang Chengen's eyes lit up when he heard that.

"Now that I think about it, do you think he did it on purpose?" Zhou Xi continued to fan the flames.

"Hmm..." Wang Chengen narrowed his eyes, pondered for a while, and finally shook his head, "Anyway, these are still speculations, which cannot be counted."

"Elder-in-law, but..." Zhou Xi felt anxious when he saw Wang Chengen shaking his head.

"Let us think about it." After speaking, Wang Chengen stood up and walked out of the room with his hands behind his back.