Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

"Your Majesty, there are people from the empress's side again. Please move the emperor to Kunning Palace for the New Year's Eve dinner." Xiao Lizi from the Duzhijian came in from the door and said with a bow. Class in the sunset.

"Yes, I see." Chongzhen replied casually while lowering his head and writing Zhu Piao.

"... Your Majesty." Xiao Lizi still lowered his body, raised his eyes to look at the Emperor, and asked cautiously for a long time, "Eunuch Zhang...won't you go back to the palace during the Chinese New Year...?"

The ink brush in Chongzhen's hand paused. "Well, I won't come back."

"Uh...but..."

"What?" Chongzhen raised his eyebrows, his expression turned cold instantly.

"No...it's nothing..." Xiao Lizi was taken aback, and swallowed his words again, "Your Majesty, let's rest and go to Kunning Palace to have dinner earlier. It's Chinese New Year, don't get tired and exhausted." .”

"Hmm..." Chongzhen relaxed his expression, put down his ink brush, and stretched his body. "Okay. That's it."

"Yes." Xiao Lizi hurriedly fetched the lint cloak and put it on for Chongzhen.After finishing his clothes, Chongzhen left Wuying Hall and headed for Kunning Palace by chariot.

When Chongzhen came to Kunning Palace, the concubines, princes and princesses had been waiting for a long time.Seeing that the emperor finally came, everyone was refreshed and stepped out of their seats to pay respects.Empress Zhou hurriedly ordered the maids to serve the food, and after a while, the hot food and wine were put on the table one by one.The band played festive tunes, and the empresses and concubines led their children to pay New Year greetings to the emperor in order of seniority. The Kunning Palace was full of reunion and joy.

"I can't listen to Eunuch Zhang's little song, and I feel that something is missing this year." After drinking for three rounds, Concubine Tian's cheeks were flushed by the alcohol, and she said with a smile.Everyone nodded in agreement, and no one noticed that this unintentional remark made Chongzhen's face slightly stiff, and his smile faded by seven points.

"Yes, every year at the New Year's Eve dinner, around this time, Dexiu will always present a song to add to the fun." Empress Zhou who was sitting next to Chongzhen also nodded, smiled softly, and then asked Chongzhen, "Is Dexiu going out of the palace?" What are you doing? Why haven't you come back for so long?"

"Well...it's nothing." Chongzhen replied perfunctorily, picked up the wine glass, and drank it down in one gulp.Empress Zhou had some doubts in her heart, but seeing Chongzhen's increasingly cold expression, she didn't dare to ask any more.Everyone in the hall was far away, and didn't notice anything strange for a while, only heard Concubine Yuan smiled and said: "He didn't come back to serve on New Year's Eve, Zhang Dexiu should be punished, and when he comes back, he must be punished and sing again." once."

"This is the best." "Concubine Yuan is right." All the concubines agreed.

"When? When will Zhang Dexiu come back to sing?" Amidst the noise, only a little prince asked childishly.

Snapped!

"Zhang Dexiu! Zhang Dexiu! Without Zhang Dexiu, you will not be able to pass the New Year?!"

The chief executive suddenly let out a muffled shout.The music stopped abruptly, and Chongzhen slammed his wine glass on the table with a sullen expression, causing everyone present to fall to their knees in fright, and the air in the hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Queen Zhou also knelt down and advised timidly.Chongzhen looked at Empress Zhou, then at the concubines and maids who were kneeling all over the room, and finally calmed down a bit.Although everyone knelt because of their anger, no one knew where their anger came from.This is a problem between me and him, so what does it have to do with them.Chongzhen let out a long sigh, softened his mood, and waved his hands to teach everyone to calm down, but he didn't have the heart to stay in the banquet any longer, and said "you wait to continue", then got up and left Kunning Palace.The concubines looked at each other in blank dismay, no one could understand the sudden anger of the emperor.But the emperor was not around, so there was no reason to continue having fun, everyone left one after another, and the New Year's Eve dinner broke up unhappy.

two

This year's New Year's Eve, the city of Beijing is under martial law.Although there were still firecrackers in the city, to Chongzhen's ears, the sound of firecrackers always seemed to lack some energy, not as festive and pure as in previous festivals.Chongzhen didn't take the chariot, but only brought the attendants who held the lamps, and walked to the Wuying Hall on foot.As soon as the cold wind passed, most of my mind cleared up, and my irritability gradually subsided a little.I have walked this night road on foot in the past, and Zhang Dexiu was always by my side with a lantern at that time.Today, things are, people are not.Chongzhen looked at the gray ground, only felt that the swaying range of the lamp shadow was subtly different from before, it was hard to explain, the way was unclear, but there was a strangeness that was hard to ignore.It seems that once, he persuaded me to withdraw my punishment and return to live in Qianqing Palace.Yes, he always loves to intercede for others, if these concubines and palace people know the reason why he has not returned to the palace, will there be someone to intercede for him?Or maybe he thought that just expelling him from the palace would not offset the crime of deceiving the emperor... Chongzhen lowered his head and smiled wryly at himself.Family background, identity, even the name is fake.Nine years of heart-to-heart, inseparable, everything seemed like a silly joke.If there is one person in this world who will not deceive me, it should be him——I have always believed in this deeply, but he relied on this trust to deceive me for nine years, which teaches people how not to hate me.But knowing that this is the crime of deceiving the emperor, and knowing that he can leave this red wall to live freely at any time, but he is willing to stay in the palace and serve me for nine years, this is how people can hate him.Chongzhen recalled Xizhao's sincere confession that day, and couldn't help but sigh.Behind the deceit is such a pure heart, how can I have the heart to really kill him for the crime of deceiving the king.Besides, if I kill him, how many people in this world who treat me sincerely will be left...

...Hey, in the final analysis, the reason for being so entangled and bored is because of the delay and difficulty to calm down—neither the anger of blaming him for lying nor the heart of letting him go.If he could calm down, he wouldn't be so confused, and he wouldn't be so angry at those bystanders who don't know the truth... Thinking of this, Chongzhen's heart suddenly tightened, he frowned, and sighed.No, no, this is not right.The Qing army has not retreated, the country is in trouble, and there are all kinds of urgent matters waiting for me to deal with, how can I think about these trivial details every day, can't calm down, can't wake up.Zhang Dexiu can't come back anymore, and we will never see him again in the future.I only hope that tomorrow and the day after, there will be more memorials and more, so as to dilute the excess troubles and emotions as soon as possible.

Bang - bang!I don't know where there was another firecracker explosion, and sparks lit up in the sky.There is no snow tonight, the moon is bright and clear, the breeze is clear and cold, and the winter feeling is as deep as the ink of the night sky.The sound of firecrackers was far away, and the lights were dim. Chongzhen suddenly felt that this short night road was unprecedentedly lonely.He tightened the collar of his cloak, raised his head, and looked up at the crescent moon like a hook.

... From now on outside the palace, he will be left alone.I don't know how he will spend this New Year's Eve...

three

Success or failure is here.

Outside the Xihua Gate, Xizhao pointed at the eunuch Wusha on top of his head, and patted his cheek hard.I don't know how the emperor explained this matter after returning to the palace, but Xi Zhao believes that the emperor will not really announce the truth to the whole palace - the amount of gossip in the palace is already enough to make people upset, why bother to add another The piles are chewed by the palace people.What's more, even if it's announced, it's just that you can't see the emperor, and it's just humiliated by the guards, so what's the matter.Xi Zhao settled down and walked towards the small red lacquered door downstairs, only to see the tall guard recognized Xi Zhao from a long distance away, and greeted him with a smile on his face:

"Hey, Eunuch Zhang, you're back!"

"Ah, um." Xi Zhao was taken aback for a moment, and responded accordingly.I don't know how they heard about their whereabouts. In short, such an enthusiastic response is probably not a bad thing.

"Eunuch Zhang has been out of the palace for so many days, it's been really hard. Hey! You two, open the door quickly." The tall guard turned his head and yelled at the door, and turned his head to face the sunset, with a friendly smile again.Xizhao nodded to him, then stepped into the door.

As expected, the emperor didn't tell the truth, everything was the same as before leaving the palace.Xizhao walked towards the Hall of Martial Arts, answering the greetings from the palace people from time to time.Thinking about it, I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, but the emperor has never punished him justly because of his old feelings, so he deliberately said it out, wouldn't it be in vain to tell the truth.But it will be different from now on, Dexiu will never embarrass the emperor again.Xizhao watched the roof of the Hall of Martial Heroes getting closer and closer, trying to calm her heartbeat.If the emperor is willing to forgive Dexiu, from now on Dexiu will truly serve the emperor again without any falsehood.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Zhang is back!" The eunuch ran to the door of the Nuan Pavilion and reported the report with a happy face, but he never thought that this report would make Chongzhen stunned on the spot, the ink pen slipped, and his face became stiff. Still should be angry.Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Xizhao lifted his cloak and stepped into the warm pavilion, kneeling down as if nothing had happened.

"Report to the emperor, the villain's affairs have been settled, and I am here to report to the emperor."

Return to life...?It took Chongzhen a while to recover, picked up the ink brush, put it on the side of the inkstone, and managed to calm down.I thought that the matter was over, and I just needed to wait for time to subside everything, but the man in front of me who broke into the palace unscrupulously seemed not to be reconciled to this.Chongzhen looked at this hateful but nostalgic face, and a hundred thoughts arose in his heart in an instant.Apart from begging for my forgiveness, he may not have any other purpose here.But this matter is extraordinary, no matter how entangled in my heart, how can I really forgive him?But it would be very troublesome to just drive him out in full view, why not put an end to this matter today.Chongzhen pondered for a moment, then told everyone: "You all go down."

"Yes Yes."

The serving eunuchs and court ladies saluted and left the room one after another. The last one who left, Xiao Lizi, was very obedient, keeping his eyes on the emperor's expression, and gently closed the door.The carved wooden door creaked and closed, only Chongzhen and Xizhao were left in the room, and there was an awkward silence.

"You...are you coming back to be punished?" Chongzhen narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and said calmly.

"The villain is here to ask the emperor for forgiveness." Xi Zhao knelt on the ground, lowered her head and said.

"Forgiveness?" Chongzhen snorted coldly, "You committed this crime, you shouldn't live in this world, I didn't kill you, already forgiven, what more forgiveness do you want?"

"The villain knows that his crime is unforgivable, and I just ask the emperor to forgive the villain, give the villain a chance to redeem his sins, and allow the villain to return to the palace to serve!" Xi Zhao raised her head and looked straight at Chongzhen, for fear of missing every detail on Chongzhen's face. A nuanced response.

"Go back to the palace?" Chongzhen narrowed his eyes, and there was no possibility of turning around in his expression, "Let's not say that I will not forgive you, even if I forgive you, given your situation, how can you stay in the palace again?" middle?"

"The little man understands, so..." Xi Zhao bit her lip, and finally made up her mind, "Please allow the little man to cleanse himself!"

"What did you say...?" Chongzhen's shoulders trembled, and his eyes widened. The word "clean body" obviously surprised him.

"A villain is not talented, he is not full of strategies, and he is not superior in martial arts, but his loyalty to the emperor can be learned from the sun and the moon. The villain's parents died since he was a child, and he has no relatives and reasons. Only the emperor is good to the villain. I regard the emperor as my home. I may have hesitated in the past, but now I realize that as long as I can stay with the emperor, I can give up everything. I only hope that the emperor will forgive the villain and allow the villain to return to the palace to make up for it For the mistakes I made to the emperor, this villain will never lie to the emperor again for the rest of my life!"

Xi Zhao's words were firm and decisive, and after he finished speaking, he bent down and pressed his forehead to the ground, unable to get up.The earnest tone, the look of anticipation, the direct wording, all kinds of familiar feelings that make Chongzhen stir up the long-standing memory, and also stir up the unsteady mood.For a moment, the resentment toward the man in front of him was almost about to loosen and collapse, but with all kinds of thoughts and entanglements in his mind, the unresolved knot in his heart was still difficult to heal. Atrial pain.

"Since you know that your crime is unforgivable, why do you still come to ask for forgiveness?" After a long silence, Chongzhen said coldly, "That day outside the palace, you can be regarded as deceiving me, but now in this palace, you can't be forgiven. You are a bully who has no room for change. You should be clear about the crime of bullying, I have given you a chance to live outside the palace, but I have to act impartially inside the palace."

Chongzhen spoke harsh words, but his eyelids were lowered, and he didn't look directly at the sunset.

"You just accept your fate."?