Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

"The supervisor of ceremonies is writing to Wang Chengen to ask for an audience."

"pass."

There was a sound of fine footsteps coming from far and near.

"Greetings to the emperor."

Xizhao had met Wang Gonggong a few times before, and he was no stranger to this face, but Wang Chengen didn't seem to remember Xizhao, his eyes swept across his face, and fell directly on Chongzhen without stopping.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Master Zhou has come?"

"Well, I just left not long ago." Chongzhen flipped through the memorial absently.

"Did Master Zhou mention the matter of Governor Yuan?"

"He's here for that."

Wang Chengen narrowed his eyes, thought for a while, and continued:

"Your Majesty, I have something to say... I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Say." Chongzhen replied briefly.

Seeing that the emperor seemed to be in a bad mood, Wang Chengen swallowed his saliva, and said each sentence carefully:

"My servant thinks that Governor Yuan is indeed at fault this time, but whether he is collaborating with the enemy cannot be concluded. Before he was imprisoned, Governor Yuan was already an extremely human minister. Collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country is not good for him. Injuring the Manchu soldiers , and the correspondence with the Jin army are all nonsense in the eyes of slaves, presumably someone deliberately framed. In the sixth year of the apocalypse, Ningyuan was besieged. How can you do such a traitorous act now?" Wang Chengen sighed, shook his head, as if he was heartbroken, "For so many years, Governor Yuan has guarded Liaodong, resisted the Jin army, and made great achievements. If it goes well, If you kill Dushi Yuan, the country will lose a pillar, and it will also make the ministers who have made meritorious deeds in the court feel disheartened!"

This remark made Chongzhen's mind move, and the murderous intention that Zhou Yanru had just induced softened again.Although Yuan Chonghuan's deeds made Chongzhen almost unbearable, it would be a pity to kill him.He is in his prime, full of energy, and experienced. He is one of the best in the court when it comes to fighting. The Guanning Iron Cavalry under him is also one of the most elite troops in Ming Dynasty. Daye, this huge Ming country, but can't think of a second person who can take this job.

But even if there are thousands of rhetoric in this room, how can it be worth the power of the government and the opposition?

"Then, in your opinion, what should he do this time?" Chongzhen's mind was full of twists and turns, but on the surface he remained calm.

"In my servant's opinion, the crimes he committed this time were all due to his over-arrogance and misjudgment of the situation. It was not because he really had the intention of collaborating with the enemy. The servant thinks that he can be degraded and punished according to the crime of dereliction of duty, so as to dampen his spirit. , if he sincerely reflects on it, he can reuse it. Your Majesty, do you see...?" Wang Chengen bent his body low, but raised his head to look at Chongzhen, and several deep forehead lines gathered on his forehead.

"Well...let me think about it again, you can step back for now." Chongzhen raised his temple again, as if he didn't want to discuss further.

"...Yes. That servant will leave."

Seeing this, Wang Chengen didn't want to say much, so he took a few steps back, turned and left the South Study Room.

Zhou Xi was right, the prince really wanted to protect Governor Yuan.So the fact that he and Eunuch Ma were abducted to the Jinjun camp probably had nothing to do with him.Xizhao thought.Originally, he listened to Ma Gonggong cursing all day long, thinking that he must be a treacherous person, from this point of view, probably not all.

After a period of time, when Xizhao was on duty, Mr. Zhou and Eunuch Wang came several times, and the report was roughly the same as before, but the emperor still hesitated to make a decision.Xizhao could tell that the emperor did not want to kill Governor Yuan, but a group of ministers headed by Mr. Zhou pressed on, and the emperor could not allow the emperor to deal with it lightly.Can the opinions of the ministers beat the judgment of the emperor?Xi Zhao couldn't understand, but he didn't say anything to the emperor, after all, the emperor had warned him so.Xizhao is aware of her identity, and at the same time believes that the wise emperor will definitely make a just decision.

But obviously, Xizhao's justice is on Wang Chengen's side.But at the moment when Chongzhen's justice was finally decided, Xizhao just couldn't see it.

two

The rainy season has come, and this afternoon seems to be more sultry than before.The sky was gloomy, and the earth-gray clouds were slowly sinking, almost pressing overhead.Three or five dragonflies passed the gate of Qianqing Palace lowly, and the air was filled with the breath of an impending rainstorm.

In the south study room, Chongzhen sat behind the desk, looking suspiciously at the two officials in front of him, one of whom was the chief assistant of the cabinet, Mr. Zhou Yanru.

"Regarding this important confidential matter, Master Xu can tell His Majesty to know." Zhou Yanru respectfully said to Chongzhen.

Chongzhen heard the words and looked at the person behind Zhou Yanru.This person is Mr. Xu Yuqing, whom Zhou Yanru mentioned in the Ministry of War affairs.Chongzhen often used this name to appear in memorials and inscriptions, but he really had no impression of its face.

"Qizou Your Majesty," Xu Yuqing bowed to Chongzhen, and then said, "Your Majesty must still remember that the platform summoned the right two years ago..."

How can this be forgotten.I was the one who officially entrusted Yuan Chonghuan with the task of Fu Liao in that call. "Well, of course I remember." Chongzhen replied.

"At that time, Governor Yuan made a generous statement, promising to recover Liaodong within five years. The minister heard that Governor Yuan had such a great talent and strategy, and was very impressed. He came to ask for advice on the five-year strategy of flattening Liaodong, but Governor Yuan replied...but Answer..." Xu Yuqing secretly glanced at the emperor, only to see Chongzhen looking straight at him, waiting for the next sentence.

"Answer what? Come on." Chongzhen urged with a slight frown.

Xu Yuqing trembled slightly, and said cautiously:

"But he replied...the talk about Ping Liao in the past five years was nothing more than a consolation..."

All of a sudden, Chongzhen felt a rush of hotness from his dantian to the top of his head, his veins burst out, and he felt dizzy for a while.He tried his best to adjust his breathing, trying to calm himself down, but the blood was surging in his body, and he couldn't calm down no matter what.

Xu Yuqing didn't notice it, and continued to say: "The minister was shocked, and said to him, 'Your Majesty is wise today, how can you talk nonsense? If Liaodong has not been recovered by the end of five years, how can I explain to His Majesty?', but Yuan Superintendent..." Xu Yuqing paused, "I didn't take it seriously... I just sent my minister away."

Cicadas outside the house were still making loud noises without interest, and there were obviously several people present in the room, but no one dared to speak anymore, leaving only a deep silence.Chongzhen's face was gloomy like the sky before the rainstorm, Xu Zhou's spirits were tense, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed to collapse at the touch of a button.

"Xu Yuqing, do you know what is the crime of deceiving the emperor?" After a long time, Chongzhen spoke with a suppressed voice.

Xu Yuqing was taken aback, and was so frightened that he quickly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed: "Your Majesty has learned! How dare I lie to Your Majesty! Everything I said is true, dare to confront Governor Yuan face to face!"

"Hey... get up." Chongzhen didn't ask any more questions, just closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Long En." Xu Yuqing stood up tremblingly, only to realize that he was covered in cold sweat unknowingly.

Seeing that the emperor's mood had stabilized, Zhou Yanru breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a while, and said, "Your Majesty, it can be seen from this that Yuan Chonghuan didn't really want to pacify the Liao Dynasty, but was just lying to deceive His Majesty's trust in order to gain more money and power. Now that the five-year period is more than halfway through, countless manpower and financial resources have been spent, but the capital has suffered such a catastrophe. He must have feared His Majesty's censure in his heart, so he simply surrendered to the enemy in order to save his life. Bullying the emperor is already a capital crime, and now there is the reality of collaborating with the enemy. All the crimes are unquestionable, and please Your Majesty to make a judgment as soon as possible."

"You guys... go back first." Chongzhen said weakly with his eyes closed.

"Your Majesty..." Zhou Yanru wanted to say something, but Chongzhen waved his hand at him, so he shut his mouth tactfully, and retreated with Xu Yuqing.But no one noticed that for a split second, an invisible smile flashed across Zhou Yanru's mouth, and it was fleeting.

three

Weapons, money, talents, privileges, as long as he asks, what should be given, what should not be given, will be given.But in the end, what I got in exchange was a sentence, to comfort me.

Not long after Xu and the two of them left, the rainstorm arrived as expected.Bean-sized raindrops hit the ground densely and did not stop until Xu time.From the time the rain came to the time when the rain left, Chongzhen remained silent, without saying a word.The emperor was in a bad mood, and the eunuchs waiting beside him didn't dare to say too much, for fear that if they made a wrong sentence, he would innocently be buried with Governor Yuan.

Moved by his ambition back then, he agreed to all the conditions he asked, and did his best to help him recover Liao.Although the five-year period is short, as long as Liaodong can be recovered, even ten or twenty years, I can wait.And who would have thought that returning to Liao in five years was a lie; from the very beginning, he probably had no intention of returning to Liao at all.Chongzhen sighed, holding the memorial in his hand, but he had no intention of reviewing it. A gust of wind passed by, and he felt empty and deserted all over his body.This time the fight against the gold was so weak that he even wanted to spare him, as long as he could regain his strength and continue to recover the great cause of the Liao Dynasty, but now it seems that all of this is just a scam.Whether it is deceiving the emperor or collaborating with the enemy, the sinner is nothing more than a death, and this time the hope of restoring the Liao Dynasty has failed, when and when can the Liaodong be truly pacified, the ancestors' foundation can be restored, and the Daming River and Mountains can be rebuilt?

With such a heavy responsibility and such trust, how could he bear to bully me like this...

Chongzhen's heart sank, he simply dropped the memorial in his hand, closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair.Three platform calls, several generous speeches, the past is vivid in my mind, as clear as yesterday.And the clearer the words on that face, the heavier Chongzhen's heart became, so precarious, precarious, and finally fell into that bottomless cold abyss.

But at this time, Xizhao had no way of knowing that the fate of Dushi Yuan was decided in the emperor's heart in a place beyond his vision.The calm Chongzhen finally stopped hesitating. On the morning of the next day, after the eunuch Sili read Yuan Chonghuan's nine major crimes, he told the civil and military officials the frightening truth in a deep and powerful voice. Four words.

"Yi Lu, Ling Chi."

four

"Your Majesty! Think again!"

After the imperial court, a group of officials rushed to Qianqing Palace first, each explaining the reason why Governor Yuan should not be killed. This formation really surprised Xi Zhao.But Chongzhen turned a deaf ear and didn't raise his eyes, just flipping through the memorial irritably.

"Your Majesty! Even though Governor Yuan is suspected of collaborating with the enemy, he still has meritorious service. Ling Chi's punishment is too severe!"

Ling Chi? !

Sunset gasped.Did you hear me wrong?

"Governor Yuan is no better than Liu Jin's generation. Although he cannot be blamed for the siege of the city by the Jin army, it is also because Governor Yuan led the army to fight to the death that the siege of the capital was broken! If it is a crime, it is really worse than Ling Chi!"

Really Lingchi!Just the day before yesterday, the emperor was still so hesitant between killing and not killing, why did he impose such a cruel death sentence for Governor Yuan overnight!Didn't the emperor say that he knew that the correspondence was a trap, and with this best proof of innocence, why did he still believe that Governor Yuan was collaborating with the enemy?What the hell happened this night!Thinking of the word Ling Chi, Xi Zhao broke into a cold sweat, her hands trembled uncontrollably, and her breathing became short of breath.

"Go back!"

Chongzhen endured it for a long time, and finally spoke in a hoarse voice.Behind the low-pitched words, there was an indescribable violence faintly, and this oppressive feeling instantly suppressed all the chaos in the room, making people speechless and shuddering.

The scene suddenly quieted down.

All the officials who had been excited just now were completely overwhelmed by the emperor's words, trembling one by one, whispering "Farewell, humble minister", and left one after another in twos and threes.After a while, only Chongzhen, Xizhao, and a few eunuchs and maids were left in the room.

Sunset was in a state of confusion.He naturally couldn't accept that Dushi Yuan, who had been wronged by collaborating with the enemy, ended up like this, but what made him even more unacceptable was that the wise and courageous sage that he admired until now would make such a brutal decision.

"Emperor... Your Majesty..." Xi Zhao's head was in a daze, without thinking about it, she said first, "My Majesty...why do you want Ling Chi?"

Chongzhen paused, then continued to look at the memorial as if he hadn't heard it.

"Why Ling Chi..." Xi Zhao's voice trembled slightly, "I beg the emperor to take it back..."

Snapped!

Chongzhen closed the memorial abruptly.

"I should have warned you."

"But the emperor..."

"Come on! Pull Zhang Dexiu down! Talk about state affairs and confine him for seven days!"