Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

Ever since he left from the fortune teller, the emperor has not spoken much.After setting up the brazier, Xizhao thought while building a simple bed with stools and planks.There are many children and grandchildren, and whoever puts these four characters on is auspicious and pleasant words, but when it comes to him, a fake eunuch, it becomes a throwing knife that hits the vital point.It's fine if the emperor doesn't take it to heart, but if the emperor asks, how to explain it should be cautious and consider carefully...

"No one has lived in it for a long time, but there are still so many charcoals here." Sitting by the bed, Chongzhen said, looking at the brazier that was burning vigorously.

"I don't know when the emperor wants to come. The charcoal in winter and the ice in summer are always prepared by the villain." Xi Zhao smiled and spread her quilt on the simple bed that had been set up.

"Oh...so that's the case..." Chongzhen nodded, with an unnatural expression on his face, and then fell into the silence just now.This silence did not come from the fortune teller's prediction of the rise and fall of Ming Dynasty.Although the words that the end is approaching are bitter and heavy, Chongzhen is sober.No matter how ominous the prophecy was, it was just another stab at the existing scar.But apart from the prophecy, what really disturbed Chongzhen at this moment was the last few words of the fortune teller.A house full of children and grandchildren...?Chongzhen lowered his eyes and silently recited the four characters that seemed to indicate a certain secret.If there were no rumors about the fake eunuch a while ago, today's fortune teller's words might be laughed off.But all kinds of rumors came first, and I couldn't help but not doubt what Sun Mantang's prophecy meant here.Dexiu was transferred to the Duzhi prison in the first month of the Gengwu year. Once the year passed, Dexiu had been with him for nine years.Could it be that he actually hid his identity and lied to him for nine years, but he didn't know it, and didn't notice it for nine years?

Chongzhen raised his head and looked at Xizhao's busy figure, thinking about it in his heart, but he was really hesitant.In the past nine years, Da Ming has experienced ups and downs, and he shared my worries with me in everything. When he was confused and depressed, he always accompanied me with forgiveness. Dexiu was not indifferent to himself.For nine years, if he really had ulterior motives and pretended to be a eunuch, then no matter what his original purpose was, he should have achieved it long ago, so how could he be honest and loyal to accompany him for so many years.And today, how can I doubt his identity just because of the fortune teller's unsubstantiated statement?Hey... No, no, it should be that I am too suspicious, and I almost trust a fortune teller who I met by chance, and I suspect this man who has been with me for many years and is also a servant and friend.Chongzhen tapped his forehead and exhaled.Even if Sun Mantang is true there, there must be other explanations, not to mention...

——What's more, if even he deceived himself like this, how could anyone else be trusted in the whole world.

"Does the Emperor have a headache?" Xi Zhao made the bed, dusted her hands, turned around and saw Chong Zhen tapping his forehead, and asked with concern.

"Ah...no, it's okay." Chongzhen was taken aback for a moment, then avoided Xizhao's gaze.

Your Majesty... what are you thinking?Xizhao felt uneasy, but the emperor didn't ask questions, and he couldn't just speak up to defend himself, so he could only pretend that nothing happened, thought to himself for a while, and said, "Your Majesty... don't mind the ominous words of the fortune teller too much." Xizhao put the brazier on Moved to Chongzhen's side, and put on a cup of hot tea for Chongzhen, "Although destiny has its own destiny, it is not unchangeable by manpower. The fortune teller said that the villain has many children and blessings, but now the villain... After entering the palace, isn’t it just changing the fate on your own?”

There was a pause in Xi Zhao's words, and he still used "entering the palace" instead of such definite words as "cleaning body" or "eunuch", as if if such words were not spoken, it would not be considered as really cheating the emperor.Chongzhen cast his eyes on Xizhao, did not answer, just nodded slightly - these words are not only to reassure me not to be discouraged by Daming's future, but also his explanation of the words "Sun Mantang" there.Chongzhen withdrew his gaze and thought silently.Reasonable, timely, and in line with people's wishes, this explanation really makes me very happy to believe... Then, it's better to just keep believing like this.Just in case... If there is an eventuality, is it what I want to cut off the nine years of getting along with each other with a knife?

The outside of the window is as dark as thick ink, and there is not a ray of moonlight.The candlelight in the house flickered slightly, and the soft candlelight reflected the three wisps of cigarettes in front of the spirit tablet in the corner of the room, curling gently and endlessly.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, go to bed earlier." Xi Zhao said.

"it is good."

The night was deep, and Xizhao slept on the simple bed, breathing gradually evenly.There was a little light in front of the window, and the room with the lights out was actually darker than a moonless night.Chongzhen looked at the gray window paper and couldn't fall asleep for a long time, this doubt lingered in his mind, no matter how he solved it, he still couldn't get rid of it.Right and wrong, black and white.Cutting off nine years of getting along is not what I want, and it is even more wrong to deceive myself and others with intractable knots in the future.Chongzhen turned over, hid his face in the darkness, his mind turned back and forth, and finally made a decision.It's not because the fortune teller's prophecy has been fulfilled many times, nor is it because the fake eunuch's rumors a while ago are so true, not to mention that this mere prophecy is only a few words, and it can be explained satisfactorily.Because at the moment when the firecrackers exploded, Dexiu couldn't force himself to ignore the panicked look on Dexiu's face.

two

On the second day, before dawn, Chongzhen got up early.When Xizhao opened his eyes, Chongzhen was already fully dressed and sitting by the bed.

"The villain deserves to die." Xi Zhao suddenly woke up, got up, and hurriedly put on his clothes, "The villain overslept and woke up later than the emperor, please forgive me."

"Don't panic, it's still early." Chongzhen said calmly, "Come here, I have something to ask you."

I……?Xi Zhao was startled, and her hands that were twisting her belt suddenly stopped in mid-air.The emperor always calls himself me outside the palace.At this time, I suddenly called me abnormally, what the emperor wants to ask is...?Xi Zhao's heart jumped wildly, her fingers were stiff, and she couldn't tie the belt around her waist for a long time.Chongzhen was not in a hurry, just sat patiently, and when Xizhao finally adjusted his clothes, he walked in front of Chongzhen tremblingly, but Chongzhen pursed his lips again and remained silent for a long time before he asked:

"Dexiu, do you have something to hide from me?"

"Your Majesty...what do you mean..." Xi Zhao lowered her head and answered very without confidence.Chongzhen sighed softly, and said something, as if he had made a great determination:

"Dexiu, you and I have been master and servant for many years, and we have a deep friendship. I shouldn't have doubts about you. But things can't be controlled by people. Since the suspicion has already arisen, I don't want to get along with you day and night in the future. There will always be a knot in my heart. Chongzhen paused, and then said, "I'll ask you again, what are you hiding from me about your identity?"

Identity... When Xi Zhao heard the words, his heart sank immediately - the emperor asked so directly, it was no longer something that could be fooled by a few simple sentences.If the answer is yes, it may be easy, but this short word is enough to make myself lose everything.The life in the palace, the trust of the emperor, and even his own life may all be wiped out; if the answer is no, it may be simple, but in Xizhao's heart, he is unwilling to violate the promise at the beginning. The emperor made such a deliberate deception... Xizhao bit her lip, her chest twitched and tangled, she couldn't say a word for a long time, but she didn't notice Chongzhen's eyes, which were gradually dimming. Become ashes.

The answer is already there.There should be no point in waiting any longer.

"It's okay if you can't say it. You can know the truth once you test it."

You will know once you test it.

Chongzhen spoke word by word, his tone was calm as usual, but did not exude a trace of warmth, Jiao Xizhao seemed to fall straight into the bottom of a deep cold valley, the churning in his chest immediately condensed, from his throat to the bottom of his heart, frozen into ice in an instant.

Everything, stop here...

Xi Zhao closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and knelt down on the ground with a plop.

"Dexiu... ten thousand deaths."

three

The window paper turned white little by little, and the snow outside the window was still drifting, and the chill was unabated compared with yesterday.Chongzhen looked at the man kneeling in front of him, and felt that his heart suddenly disintegrated into quicksand, falling on the ground with fine wreckage, unable to gather together again.Such swearing and sincerity turned into nothing in the end; or in other words, the deception that existed from the beginning turned the swearing into a deception that had been planned for a long time.The fine sand overflowed from the chest to the whole body, blocking every blood vessel and wrapping every nerve. The whole body was just so stiff, and any slight movement seemed to become extremely difficult.

"You..." After a long time, Chongzhen squeezed out a word from his lips.Xizhao's shoulders twitched lightly, still lying on the ground, not daring to look directly into Chongzhen's eyes.

"roll."

"Your Majesty...!" Xi Zhao raised her head suddenly, and the Emperor cried out in mournful sobs.Knowing that it was irreversible, Xi Zhao still couldn't bear this judgment-like word. "Your majesty... please listen to the villain's explanation!"

"Get out, go wherever you want, the farther the better, I don't want to see you again." Chongzhen turned his head away, but his eyes just fell on the spiritual tablet in the corner of the room.He paused for a moment looking at the spiritual position, then twitched the corner of his mouth in self-deprecating manner. "...I forgot, this is your home." After speaking, Chongzhen suddenly got up and walked towards the door.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Xi Zhao hurriedly took a few steps on her knees, grabbed Chong Zhen's lapel, and two tears fell down.No, the Pope cannot leave!In the panic, Xi Zhao had only one thing on her mind - if she didn't explain everything clearly and let the emperor step out of the threshold of this hut, then after this farewell, there would be no chance to explain in this life. "Your Majesty! No matter what the villain has concealed, but the villain's love for you has never been false! For the sake of master and servant for many years, please listen to the villain!"

Master and servant for many years... Fragments of the past suddenly flooded into his heart at an inappropriate time, making Chongzhen's heart skip a beat.The tense nerves softened a little, he stopped, sighed secretly, and sat back on the bedside.

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Seeing that Chongzhen did not leave, Xi Zhao managed to calm down, then bent down and solemnly kowtowed. "...For so many years of deceiving the emperor, the villain is convicted. Now that the matter has been told, the villain has nothing to hide. This house is the old house of the villain's family, and the spiritual tablet in the corner is the villain's parents. "

Hearing the words, Chongzhen twitched his eyebrows, and subconsciously glanced at the spiritual seat, but still sat there coldly.

Xi Zhao raised her hand to wipe away the tears, tried to calm down, and said slowly:

"The villain's real name is Xu Xizhao. His father, Xu Youliang, was an official in the Imperial Academy. Because he opposed Wei Zhongxian, he was killed by Wei Zhongxian in the fourth year of Tianqi. His mother also died with his father soon after. The family was destroyed, and the villain has been living alone on the street. The enemy pursued him, and when he had nowhere to go, he hid in the palace with the new eunuchs. He wanted to avoid the limelight and left, but he was lucky enough to come to the emperor's side." Xi Zhao looked directly into Chongzhen's eyes, and then said, " If it were someone else, this kind of encounter would have nothing but glory, but the villain is different. The eunuch did not end well, and his parents could finally rest in peace under the nine springs, and the villain's revenge was avenged. It is the emperor. Therefore, in the heart of the villain, the emperor has always been regarded as a benefactor. God is so kind to teach the villain to serve the emperor. The villain also knows that paper can't cover fire, and there will always be a day that can't be concealed, but the longer he stays with the emperor, the more he is reluctant to leave. He just wants to stay with the emperor for a while longer every day, so he is chaotic. It has been dragged down to today's situation. The villain's name is fake, his identity is fake, but his love for the emperor is not half fake, the sun and the moon are proofs, and the world can learn from it!" Xi Zhao said, and there was a firm look in his eyes for a moment. The brilliance, but then even if he lowered his head, a dark color appeared on his face, "The villain did not have any outrageous thoughts when he said this, but I just hope that the emperor can forgive the villain from the heart, even if the emperor never sees the villain again, he will not The emperor's resentment towards the villain will add to his annoyance and spoil his mood."

The room was silent.Chongzhen didn't talk much at first, but at this moment he sat silently, his half-drooped eyelids just covered his eyes, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.I don't know how long it passed like this, until it was already bright outside the house, Chongzhen raised his head to look at the window, and finally stood up again.

"Your Majesty...?" Xi Zhao looked up at Chongzhen, her chest was filled with anticipation and fear, almost stopping her heartbeat.

"Among the eunuchs, there must not be anyone who is not clean." Chongzhen walked towards the door, with his back to the sunset, and there was no trace of ripples in his low voice, "You don't have to go back to the palace." As he said, he reached for his cloak and pushed it away. door, and left without looking back.

There is no need to go back to the palace.

……ended.

Xi Zhao suddenly slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the direction where the emperor left, only to feel the essence of the whole body passing away one by one, houses, courtyards, streets and cities, everything in the world collapsed and shattered, turning into wisps of dust The wind blows away, leaving only an invisible, shadowless, soundless, and boundless blank space.