Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

Hall of Martial Arts.

"The weather is cold and cold these days. The imperial dining room specially prepared ginger tea for the emperor. The emperor should drink some and rest?" Xi Zhao put a delicate blue and white bowl in front of the Chongzhen case, lifted the lid, and a few wisps of white smoke floated out of the mouth of the bowl .

"Okay." Chongzhen stretched his back, picked up the ginger tea, took a sip carefully, and looked out the window.

"The snow is not heavy, but it keeps falling, which makes people feel uncomfortable."

"The emperor doesn't like this day." Xi Zhao smiled, "Why don't you wait for the day when the snow stops and the weather is sunny and warm, how about I accompany the emperor out of the palace to relax?"

"Going out of the palace... hey..." Chongzhen closed his eyes slightly, and sighed softly, "Now that the Qing army has not retreated, and the capital is still under martial law, how can I have the mood to go out to play in the palace?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. With Governor Lu in charge, the Qing army will retreat soon." Xi Zhao comforted Chongzhen.

"Hmm..." Chongzhen took another sip of ginger tea, and gently put the small bowl by his hand, "Tell me, did I urge Lu Qing too hard?"

"It's just two orders, the emperor doesn't need to worry too much." Xi Zhao put the tray of tea on the coffee table, "Master Shang Shu is right, there have been years of famines in the country, and constant wars, food and wages have always been in short supply, and the war is still resolved quickly , it’s better not to procrastinate.”

"I just heard Yang Qing say that what she said was reasonable, so I started to tell him, but Lu Qing is not the kind of passive and inactive person. This kind of urging is always..." Chongzhen didn't finish speaking, but he listened outside the door. There was a sound of footsteps approaching quickly, and the eunuch was ordered to stop at the door of the Nuan Pavilion with a letter in hand.

"Your Majesty! Urgent report! Urgent report!"

"Bring it to me to see." Chongzhen responded, and the messenger eunuch stepped forward quickly and handed over the letter directly.Chongzhen took the letter from the hunched eunuch, and when he opened it, his face suddenly changed, and he stood up abruptly, knocking over the teacup together.Ginger tea splashed on Chongzhen's sleeve, and the tea bowl rolled off the table, smashed into pieces with a bang.

"Isn't your majesty burning?" Xi Zhao was taken aback, and quickly wiped Chong Zhen's face with his sleeve.But Chongzhen ignored the splashed clothes and the broken teacup, stared blankly at the urgent report, opened his mouth slightly after a while, and spat out the words heavy as lead intermittently from his lips.

"Lu Xiangsheng... died in battle."

two

"Lu Xiangsheng is dead?"

"Yes, Governor Lu died for the country, and then the Qing army attacked Jize, and Eunuch Gao's army collapsed without a fight."

boom!

Yang Sichang was sitting in the back hall of his house, listening to the messenger's words, he felt anger welling up in his heart, and he raised his hand and slapped the table heavily.

"Gao Qiqian, the eunuch, is not enough to succeed, but more than to fail! If you can't lead soldiers, don't show off your strength. Lu Xiangsheng will die as soon as he dies, but he will ruin the good elite! Fell without fighting, and collapsed without fighting! This cowardly battle Who does he want to bear for the crime!"

"My lord, calm down..." The guard who reported the letter secretly raised his eyes to look at Yang Sichang, and then quickly lowered his head.Yang Sichang frowned, leaned on his arm, and pondered for a long time before he said: "Forget it, something happened, and someone has to clean it up. You can go to the Ministry of War to tell Mr. Chen Xinjia the news, and teach him to find some capable men." The spies are here, I have something to order."

"Yes!"

In less than an hour, the three spies dispatched by Chen Xinjia came to the Yang residence.

During the spies' future work, Yang Sichang suppressed his anger and returned to his usual calm.I saw him sitting safely in the hall, asking the leader of the spies about the way. "Hmm... what's your name?"

"The villain's name is Yu Zhenlong." The responder had a dark complexion, a stout figure, and a very brave appearance.

"Okay." Yang Sichang nodded, "You must have heard about Governor Lu. The incident happened suddenly, and the reporter came in a hurry. I am afraid that the news of Governor Lu's death is not true, so you go to Julu now, good luck." To find out whether Governor Lu is alive or dead, if you are alive you have to see a person, if you are dead you have to see a corpse before you can come back and report."

"Obey!" The three of them took orders in unison and were about to leave.But Yang Sichang straightened up and stretched out his hand to stop him: "Wait. I haven't finished my official words yet."

"Your Excellency, just give orders." Yu Zhenlong said.

"However, it doesn't really matter whether it's life or death." Yang Sichang's mouth twitched, and a glint of coldness flashed across his eyes, "If anyone can find out that Supervisor Lu is cowardly and fearful of fighting, and flees before the battle...the three of them will all be rewarded. I understand. Yet."

The three of them were taken aback when they heard the words, and met each other's eyes, but kept silent.This sentence is not difficult to understand, but the meaning in it prevents them from being as straightforward as they were just now. "Okay, you go." Yang Sichang saw the three of them standing still, so he leaned back in his chair and dismissed them.Yu Zhenlong cast his eyes on Yang Sichang, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly cupped his hands, and left Yang's residence with the other two.

three

The spies from the Ministry of War were indeed very efficient. Five days later, Yu Zhenlong returned from Julu and went straight to the Yang Mansion to report to Yang Sichang.

"Have you found out everything I have told you?" Yang Sichang was reading with a book in his hand, asking without looking up at the people coming from the hall.

"I found out." Yu Zhenlong lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Master Lu...has indeed died for his country."

Hearing Yu Zhenlong's words, Yang Sichang's eyebrows twitched suddenly.It is true that death is not counted, and it is the martyrdom who is not partial. Did the spies of the Ministry of War understand what I meant?

"Do you still remember what I gave you when you were leaving?" Yang Sichang was displeased, but his eyes were still on the book in his hand, and there was no expression on his face.

"Little man remembers." Yu Zhenlong replied briefly.

"Since I remember, have you really found out what happened to Governor Lu?" Yang Sichang said with a more serious tone.

"My lord, Governor Lu took the lead in the battle at Haoshui Bridge, bravely resisted the enemy, and was finally outnumbered and died for the country. This matter is indeed true." Yu Zhenlong stood under the hall, with a restrained expression, neither raised his head, Nor back down.

"You..." Yang Sichang slapped the scroll away, his brows gradually gathered dark clouds.He looked straight at Yu Zhenlong, suppressed the anger in his heart, and asked again: "Do you know what you are talking about? I will ask you one last time. Is Lu Xiangsheng dead or not? Even if he is dead, how did he die?"

"Inspector Lu took the lead in the battle at Haoshui Bridge and fought against the enemy bravely. In the end, he was outnumbered and exhausted. After killing dozens of enemy soldiers, Inspector Lu was charged with four arrows and three blades. He fell from his horse and died for the country. , this matter is absolutely true, there is no doubt about it, the way of heaven is divine, and there is no vain loyal minister!"

Yu Zhenlong raised his head abruptly, his eyes widened, and his voice became resonant. The breath-taking aura was as if possessed by ghosts and gods, which frightened Yang Sichang into palpitations.He gritted his teeth, calmed down, then raised his brows, and put on a calm and unhurried expression.

"Okay. I understand." Yang Sichang picked up the scroll again, and said slowly, "You don't cry when you see the coffin..." He glanced at Yu Zhenlong, who was on the opposite side of the neck, "Come on, let this person Take it to the Ministry of Punishment, and tell Mr. Hu to ask him a question, maybe he can think of something."

The servants were ordered to drag Yu Zhenlong away as soon as they rushed forward, but who knew that Yu Zhenlong was tall and strong, several servants couldn't pull him out of the room even after pulling and dragging him.Facing Yang Sichang, Yu Zhenlong showed no fear on his face. As soon as he spoke, a contemptuous sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Master Yang is right, the little people really found more than that, why didn't Master Yang ask? Three people went together, why did only the villain come here today?"

"Why?" Yang Sichang was very impatient, he just responded casually, but before he finished speaking, his face changed, "Could it be that you..."

"Hmph." With a wave of Yu Zhenlong's arms, he threw away the servant who was trying to hold him hostage, "At this time, a certain adult in the Ministry of War should present the information found by the villains together with the relics of Governor Lu to His Majesty. Come on!"

"What!" Yang Sichang's expression froze, and the scroll slipped from his hand. Before he could react, the whole family rushed in:

"My lord, there are people coming from the palace!"

"Someone is coming from the palace?!" Yang Sichang gasped, opened his eyes wide, and gripped the armrest of the chair tightly. He saw several eunuchs in gorgeous clothes entering the room one after another. The first eunuch cleared his throat and said sharply :

"The emperor ordered that Yang Sichang, Minister of the Ministry of Xuanli, enter the palace to have an audience."

four

"My humble minister, Yang Sichang, greets His Majesty."

"Flat body."

From the Yang Mansion to the Imperial Palace, Yang Sichang had a very difficult journey along the way.Judging by the spy's expression, they should have found out the whole thing, at least they must know that Lu Xiangsheng's death was caused by himself.Although there are some Gao Qiqian's self-assessments, but Yang Sichang understands that if the emperor really wants to hold this matter accountable, no matter how eloquent he is, it will be difficult to disentangle himself.How can we avoid responsibility as much as possible and put everything on Gao Qiqian... Just thinking about it all the way, before he knew it, he had stepped into the gate of the Hall of Martial Arts and came to the Nuan Pavilion.The Shangfang sword once bestowed on Lu Xiangsheng is now lying on the table in front of the emperor. Yang Sichang looked at the sword and felt anxious and uneasy. He frowned thoughtfully, his expression was not so much anger, but doubt.

"What is your majesty's purpose in summoning your ministers?" Yang Sichang asked tentatively.

"About the Battle of Haoshui Bridge, I just received a detailed battle report from the Ministry of War." Chongzhen said, his tone seemed to be calm as usual, "I think there are a lot of doubts about Lu Qing."

"Oh? What does Your Majesty say?"

"As far as I know, before going south, Lu Qing always had [-] Xuan troops under his command. Why did the battle report say that Lu Qing only had [-] troops in the Battle of Haoshui Bridge?" Chongzhen said, looking straight at Yang Sichang.

Did the emperor really not know, or did he intend to ask back?After hearing Chongzhen's questioning, Yang Sichang had several thoughts in his heart.Judging by Yu Zhenlong's determined look, they should have indeed grasped the inside story of the incident and reported themselves to the Ministry of War. However, looking at the expression on the emperor's face when he asked the question, it seemed that they were really suspicious and asking himself for a solution.Could it be that Chen Xinjia helped him hide the key content in the battle report...?Chen Xinjia has always been with himself, so it is not impossible to think so, and since it is possible, then no matter what, he can't rush to mess up his position before the emperor makes it clear.Yang Sichang made a secret plan, so he leaned over and replied calmly:

"Returning to Your Majesty, the Qing army in the south is large, and Eunuch Gao is short of combat power. Lord Lu once borrowed troops to reinforce Eunuch Gao, so the ratio of troops has changed. Since this deployment of troops is a temporary emergency, it is not an urgent matter. His Majesty was not alarmed."

"How can Gao Qi lead [-] troops and pay back the shortage of combat power? And once Lu Xiangsheng borrowed, how can he borrow all the main force?" Chongzhen asked again, his brows tightened.

"This...Although Eunuch Gao has [-] troops, but the enemy's [-] troops are really difficult to deal with. I'm afraid Master Lu also thought about the same, so he borrowed more troops for emergency." Yang Sichang replied respectfully.

Chongzhen looked at Yang Sichang, who had a low eyebrow and pleasing eyes, his eyes narrowed, and his doubts were still unresolved. "Is that true...? But the place where Lu Xiangsheng met the enemy was less than [-] miles away from Jize where Gao Qiqian was, why didn't half of the reinforcements come to rescue him?"

"Eunuch Gao has dispatched troops to rescue him, but he couldn't make it in time..." Yang Sichang paused, then continued, "Master Lu was short of troops at the time, so he shouldn't have marched rashly like this, but Mr. Lu has always been stubborn, and it was difficult for others to persuade him. To my ears, if I miscalculate now, it will be irreversible, so that the country will lose its pillars, and I will sigh when I hear this..."

"Advance rashly... Could it be that my two handwritings harmed Lu Qing..." Chongzhen murmured, his eyes darkened.

"No, no, that's not what I mean." Yang Sichang hurriedly argued, "Even if His Majesty issued an order, Mr. Lu should first call back the soldiers and horses, make good preparations, and then plan to march. Perhaps Mr. Lu relied too much on the reinforcements in the army. On the other hand, it is so hasty... In short, according to my opinion, the defeat in this battle was really due to Lord Lu's lack of judgment on the situation, Your Majesty must not blame himself."

"Oh...?" Chongzhen heard the words, lowered his eyes, and thought for a long time in silence, then suddenly raised the corners of his eyes without warning, and stared straight at Yang Sichang.This sudden look made Yang Sichang's heart sink immediately, and his already stable mind began to panic again—from the few questions he asked, the emperor really didn't know what was going on, but why did he suddenly look at him like this? So sharp, could it be that his inadvertent words made the emperor suspicious?Yang Sichang hurriedly reflected on his foreword sentence by sentence. Although he didn't find any flaws for a while, he was worried that he would lose his words if he said too much, so he didn't dare to say more.The two monarchs and ministers stood silently facing each other until the hot tea was completely cooled and Fang Yan's ink was dry. The scene that worried Yang Sichang the most did not happen in the end.Chongzhen opened his mouth, but finally lowered his eyelids and waved his hand lightly.

"You go back."