Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

The sky was overcast, and thin snowflakes were blowing in the wind, and a thin layer fell on the stone bricks in the prison courtyard.Li Quan hurriedly walked through the center of the courtyard, leaving a line of light footprints, carrying a wet and cold air, pushed the door into the main room of the Prison of Rites.

"Elder-in-law, have you heard?" Li Quan withdrew his lint cloak, handed it to Zhou Xi to keep it, went straight to the inside, and sat down by the brazier, "Master Yang went to Changping to work in the army a few days ago, and he turned against Master Lu .”

"I heard someone say something." Wang Chengen clasped his hands lazily, and let the little eunuch hold the memorial for himself to read, "There are differences in political opinions, and it will be a matter of time before they turn their faces. Both of them are stubborn cows. , it is better to be at odds."

"That's right... then, have you read today's memorial?" Li Quan asked again.

"They just picked it up and sent it here, so it's not right to read." Wang Chengen pouted, and the little eunuch who was holding the memorial quickly turned a page.

"Today, Lord Yang recommended Chen Xinjia to be the right servant of the Ministry of War and the censor of the right capital, the Governor Xuan Da, and the booklet has also been submitted." Li Quan withdrew his hand from the brazier, "The emperor has verbally approved it."

"Oh?" Wang Chengen raised his eyebrows, pulled his hand from the cage, rummaged through the pile of unread memorials, and sure enough, he saw Yang Sichang's memorial.

"This Chen Xinjia has the same nostrils as Yang Sichang. With such a blatant recommendation, is Master Yang going to become the second Wen Tiren?" Li Quan said.

"Hey, that's not the case in the imperial court. Since ancient times, old wine has been put in new bottles, and the soup has been replaced without changing the medicine." Wang Chengen unfolded the memorabilia and read it hastily in front of the light. Sure enough, what Li Quan said was not bad, " Heh, this old boy, it seems that this time he is really going to make a move."

"Your father-in-law said that he wants to make a move before making a peace negotiation?" Li Quan thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Now that the emperor supports Lu Xiangsheng so much, why is he still not giving up?"

"That's what made my heart shut up in one breath, and I got into a fight with that side. I heard that that day, Lu Xiangsheng made Mr. Yang very uncomfortable." Wang Chengen glanced at Li Quan, threw the memorial aside, and caged up again. Hand, with a casual look, "Besides, what is the emperor's mind in this war and peace matter, I am afraid he understands better than you and I. Before the Qing soldiers came, the emperor's partiality to the main peace faction, you should think Is it fake?" After speaking, Wang Chengen looked at Li Quan and smiled meaningfully.

"Could it be that the emperor really...?" Li Quan's eyes flashed, he leaned forward and asked.

"Hey." Wang Chengen stretched out his hand to block it, and cut off Li Quan's words, "Our family doesn't know about it. It's something we can't interfere with, and it's useless to think about it."

Li Quan smiled slightly, regained the look in his eyes, paused, and said calmly: "I don't know if it's the illusion of a villain, since my father-in-law brought down Mr. Wen, he doesn't seem to like to intervene in these affairs of state. It's over."

"Hey... this means that people are getting old..." Wang Chengen signaled the little eunuch who was waiting on him to step back, leaned back on the chair, and said slowly, "When a person is old, it is better to have one thing more than one thing less. Besides, Lu Xiangsheng He didn't come to ask our family to do anything, as for Yang Sichang... hmph, he has formed an alliance with that fellow Gao Qiqian, and they are so close, our family is helping him if we don't trip him up."

Didn't Lu Xiangsheng come to beg him... These words sounded somewhat sour. "I don't know who the father-in-law is sincerely trying to help?" Li Quan asked again with a twitch of his mouth.

"The emperor is hesitant about who to help, how does our family know." Wang Chengen glanced at Li Quan, and heard the joke in his words, "In short, a war may not necessarily be defeated, and a peace may not necessarily be concluded, no matter who helps whom , everything depends on God’s will.”

two

At this moment in the Hall of Martial Arts, the much-discussed Yang Sichang was discussing matters with Chongzhen in the Nuan Pavilion.

"Since the Qing army entered the pass, the defense of the capital has been very strong, and it has not been damaged at all. This is all the credit of Yang Qing, Lu Qing and other ministers. I am very relieved."

Xi Zhao studied a inkstone inkstone, straightened her sleeves, and stood aside.With a happy face, Chongzhen said to Yang Sichang who bowed slightly before the case.

"Your Majesty is serious. These are the duties of the ministers." Yang Sichang said respectfully, "However, the capital has been unable to attack for a long time. There are reports that the Qing army is going south, so we must guard against it."

"Well. Lu Qing has already made a report on this matter. He plans to take a small road and march overnight, march from Jiazhuang to Julu, and intercept the Qing army going south. Yang Qing has been in charge of the military affairs. What do you think of this strategy?" From among the stacks of memorials, he took out Lu Xiangsheng's letter, opened it for confirmation, put it on the case, and pushed it in front of Yang Sichang.

Yang Sichang lowered his head and smiled, but he didn't read the memorial. "Master Lu has led the army for many years, and as the governor-general, the strategy he formulated is naturally good. Although the minister is in charge of the military department, he is talking on paper after all, so how can he dictate what Master Lu thinks." Yang Sichang spoke modestly, but always kept his eyes down, avoiding taboo Looking at Chongzhen's eyes.

"Hey~ what are you talking about..." Before Chongzhen finished speaking, he saw the messenger eunuch come in a hurry and stop at the door of Nuan Pavilion.

"What's the matter?" Chongzhen was slightly displeased when the conversation was interrupted.

"Go back to the emperor, Yang Tinglin, the editor of the Imperial Academy, is asking to see you." The messenger eunuch said with a low voice.

"Yang Tinglin?" Chongzhen frowned slightly, "I'm discussing matters with Yang Qing, so it's inconvenient to see him. Tell him to go back first."

"Yes."

The eunuch was sent to lead the eunuch to retreat, but he came back after less than a cup of tea.

"Your Majesty, Yang Tinglin, Lord Yang heard that the Emperor was discussing matters with Lord Shangshu, so he handed this paper over to the villain, and asked the villain to ask the emperor to have a look at it immediately." Then, he handed the memorial in his hand to Xi Zhao respectfully. .

"Look at it right away...?" Chongzhen looked puzzled, repeated the four words on his mouth, and his eyes fell on Yang Sichang, but he didn't ask any more questions, and took the memorial from Xizhao.

Yang Sichang glanced at the note that was handed over to the emperor, and his heart sank.Yang Tinglin has always been congenial with Huang Daozhou, and has a very close personal relationship, and both heads are born in the same way.The papers he wrote, and the Pope immediately went over them in front of him, and nine times out of ten, there was nothing good about them. "Since the editor has something important to do, I will leave for the time being." Yang Sichang changed his mind and asked for his resignation without losing the opportunity.

"It doesn't matter." Chongzhen stopped the sentence neatly, unfolded the memorial in his hand, and read it hastily. When he finished reading, there was a strange smile on his face.This smile made Yang Sichang feel the hairs on his back, the scene where the monarch and his ministers were in harmony just a moment ago became freezing cold in an instant.

"Nan Zhong is included, but Li Gang has no merit; potential goodness and success, Zong Ze perishes." Chongzhen read a few sentences in the memorial, put down the paper, and said with a half-smile, "Guess Yang Qing, who is Yang Tinglin participating in? "

With Nanzhong included, Li Gang has no merit; Zongze perishes when he has the potential to be good.Rao Xizhao is not erudite about the ancients and the present, but I also know that Nanzhong Li Gang and Qianshan Zongze are both literary and military, internal and external, one war and one war, just like Yang Sichang and Lu Xiangsheng today.What Yang Tinglin meant was that if Yang and Lu were allowed to confront each other, the futile Li Gang and the perishing Zong Ze were the lessons learned from Lu Xiangsheng and Supervisor Lu... Only this memorial made Cai just now be in the warm pavilion under the clear sky. In a blink of an eye, dark clouds were already covering Yang Sichang's head.Xizhao felt apprehensive, and secretly peeped at Yang Sichang who was standing stiffly aside with his head bowed, and when he waited there, he suddenly raised his head, and the expression on his face was actually a slight smile.

"Your Majesty Yang is here to impeach this humble official..."

"Exactly." Before the words fell, Chongzhen immediately picked up the conversation, with a very serious expression, "Yang Tinglin reported that you ignored the court's decision, and privately sent Chen Xinjia to secretly contact the Qing army to plan peace. Yang Qing, is there such a thing?"

"Your Majesty, it is clear to me that this is what Yang Bianxiu heard, and I have never done this." Yang Sichang calmly replied without changing his face.

"Oh...no?" Chongzhen leaned back in his chair, looking at Yang Sichang with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, "Where there is no wind, no waves, since you have never done it, where did this hearsay come from?"

"Where did the rumors come from... This humble official doesn't know. But Chen Xinjia, the new governor of Xuanda, has not yet left the city to take up his post. How can he have the opportunity to contact the Qing army hundreds of miles away?" Yang Sichang said every word without rushing Dearly argued, "Besides, Your Majesty has already decided on a strategy of fighting hard. As an important member of the court, how can I go my own way and go against the decisions of Your Majesty and the court officials. Governor Lu is right. It's not the right time either, Your Majesty may relax, although I have advocated for peace in the past, but now, I am afraid that my fighting spirit is no different from that of Yang Bianxiu."

I don't know if it was Yang Sichang's words that were really reasonable. After hearing this, Chongzhen took a deep breath and didn't say anything for a long time.Yang Sichang was also surprised, just as he was about to say something more, Chongzhen nodded, put together the memorial of Nanzhong Qianshan, put it aside, and ignored it.

"Yang Qing has always advocated peace talks, and every move will inevitably arouse suspicious suspicions. Just remember what you said today, and don't let me live up to your expectations."

"Wei Chen obeys."

So easily the sky opened up?Xizhao was a little surprised, only to see Yang Sichang bowed his head, thought for a moment, and said: "Bianxiu Yang is an upright person, and I think it's not a deliberate false accusation, it's just that the rumors between the government and the public have polluted the ears of Bianxiu Yang for a while. So I have a Thoughts, I wonder if His Majesty will agree."

"You speak."

"Yes." Yang Sichang coughed lightly, "I heard that Editor Yang is quite knowledgeable in military affairs and good at the art of war. This time, it is better to appoint him as the head of the Ministry of War, and send him to join the army in Dudu Lu's battalion. First, he will assist Lu Du The teacher retreated from the enemy, with the heart of serving the country with the whole Yang Bianxiu, and secondly, with the Yang Bianxiu as his eyes, he witnessed the main battle strategy between the court and the ministers, dispelled the doubts of the ministers, and corrected the rumors of the government and the public. What does your majesty think?"

"Well, that's fine, Yang Tinglin has always been eager to serve the country, and transferring him to the front line can be regarded as fulfilling him." Chongzhen agreed, "Then do as Yang Qing said, and you can draw up an order when you go back."

"Yes. The humble minister will leave."

Yang Sichang half-closed his eyes, bowed and bowed, exited the Nuan Pavilion, walked through the main hall, and stepped out of the gate along the passage in the center of the courtyard.Outside the gate of the Hall of Martial Arts, a middle-aged official with a long beard stood beside the gate with his hands down.This person was Yang Tinglin, the editor of the Imperial Academy who had just sent in the memorial.Seeing Yang Sichang walking out of the door with a relaxed expression, he was taken aback for a moment and forgot to salute for a moment.It was Yang Sichang who was the first to twitch his lips, and cupped his hands with a smile.

"Hello, editor."

"Huh." Yang Tinglin snorted through his nose, and also raised his hands indiscriminately, as a return of the salute.Yang Sichang didn't mind, he smiled coldly at Yang Tinglin, and strode away from the Hall of Martial Arts with his hands behind his back.

In the Hall of Martial Heroes, Xi Zhao looked at the door Yang Sichang had just left, pondered his words and actions just now, and felt an indescribable strange feeling in his heart.With a calm tone and clear order, in the face of such sudden impeachment and questioning, his reaction always seemed so deliberate for some reason—besides his gentleness and composure, there was no panic or grievance when he was falsely accused. Or is it anger.Is his self-cultivation so extraordinary, or is he hiding something with his excessive calmness?perhaps……

"Your Majesty, the villain always feels that Master Yang..."

"Yeah." Just as Xizhao spoke halfway, Chongzhen abruptly picked him up, "This time, I believe him." After finishing speaking, Chongzhen didn't explain much, as if he wanted to end the topic early, without raising his head , Continue to crouch at the desk to approve the memorial.