Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

In a blink of an eye, the wind is warm and the sun is warm, and it is early spring in the coming year.

"This is……"

In the south study room, Chongzhen held a memorial and looked at Wang Chengen opposite.

"Returning to the emperor, I have heard some things recently, and the slaves feel that they have to tell the emperor, so they also wrote a note, and ask the emperor to read it."

"Hmm..." Chongzhen pondered for a moment, nodded, and put Wang Chengen's notebook aside.Wang Chengen bowed and bowed, then left the room.Before turning around, a gaze crossed Long An and flashed past Xi Zhao's cheek.

Usually the prince doesn't know how to write papers by himself, but what is the reason this time?This book, this look...could it be...

Xi Zhao panicked inexplicably, and what Zhou Xi said in the room earlier came to mind.There are probably only two reasons why I can be caught now - I have received bribes from Zhou Yanru, and I am a fake eunuch.I have always kept the matter of the fake eunuch well hidden. In the past, there was no sign of being exposed when I lived with others. Now that I live alone in a room, it should be even less likely that anyone will find out. will betray himself.Then all that's left is the matter of bribery.Although he has decided not to be subject to financial favors, what he has done cannot be erased after all.If Wang Chengen really used this bad deed to refer to himself, how would he explain it to the emperor?

Xi Zhao was flustered when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Chongzhen closing the memorial in his hand and reaching for Wang Chengen's copy.Xizhao's heart tightened instantly, and he held his breath in his throat. Chongzhen opened the folder and spread it on the table. Xizhao moved half a step forward, eyes fixed on the memorial, up and down, carefully , for fear of missing a word.Zhou Yanru...corruption and bribery...playing with power...forming a party for personal gain...Xi Zhao read the whole article several times, but he couldn't find such words as inner minister, eunuch or Zhang Dexiu.

Is it because I worry too much?Xi Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that beads of sweat had already permeated her forehead.It was good not to involve herself, but the doubts in Xi Zhao's heart gradually swelled up, and it was hard to let go.Since he sees himself as an eyesore, but has been standing still, and occasionally makes an offer, but still doesn't say a word, what kind of medicine is sold in this gourd, Wang Gonggong?Xi Zhao thought about it, and really couldn't figure out whether it was the prince who didn't bother to deal with him with great fanfare, or this matter was not as simple as he imagined.

two

This year's spring is the same as in previous years, as usual, the ceremony of sutra feast is held in Wenhua Hall.However, after finishing his lecture today, Chongzhen still sat upright and did not leave immediately.The emperor did not leave, and none of the ministers dared to move, and a tense atmosphere permeated the hall.Judging by this posture, I'm afraid there is nothing good about it.The officials, big and small, lowered their brows and followed their eyes, while secretly guessing, waiting anxiously for the emperor's instructions.

"Is Wang Zhidao, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, here?" After a long while, Chongzhen finally spoke, and his voice echoed over the hall, revealing a high majesty.

"The minister is here." I saw a person from the back come out, bowed and saluted, and stood in the center of the hall.

"I have read the note you submitted the day before yesterday. You seem to be dissatisfied with my reuse of my ministers?"

"I don't dare." Wang Zhidao bowed again, bowed his head and said, "It's just that all kinds of incidents recently reminded me of Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian's misfortunes back then, and I couldn't sleep or eat day and night. Internal ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and those who preempt it will be executed. Wu Zong was in a peaceful and prosperous age, and Liu Jin's misfortune still caused endless harm; now that internal and external troubles are intertwined, it is impossible to allow internal ministers to discuss government affairs lightly. If the past happened again, the consequences would be disastrous. "

"I did it as a last resort." Chongzhen frowned, as if sighing, "As you said, the country is in a time of crisis. I have been on the throne for many years, and the efforts of Qing and other ministers are still not enough to calm the chaos and govern the country. , although the strength of the ministers is weak, if they can be used properly, it is not a bad thing."

"Your Majesty is right, if it can be used in the right place, it will be beneficial, but now the ministers talk and act like their predecessors, so you have to guard against it." Wang Zhidao spoke cautiously, but his words did not Don't budge.

Chongzhen narrowed his eyes, and a trace of displeasure flashed across his face. "The clue of what you said is that Chengen Shangshu impeached Zhou Qing?"

"Your Majesty is a lesson. Your Majesty is the example of the ministers and the mainstay of the court. Now he is joined by the ministers. The hearts of the people in the court are uneasy. They are all concerned about the rules of the court and the future of the Ming Dynasty." Wang Zhidao paused slightly, his eyes rolled Turn, and then said, "The prince has served His Majesty for many years, and he has always abided by the law. He is not a person who intends to overstep the rules. Now he is impeaching his ministers. There must be a reason for the incident. Please be aware of it."

"There is a reason for this..." Chongzhen was silent for a moment, and a smile of unknown meaning suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth, "What is the reason, you might as well tell me."

Wang Zhidao kept his head down, not aware of the emperor's expression, and the words in his mouth were not concealed at all: "I think the prince's actions must be ordered by someone, and the minister has recently heard that Mr. Wen, the second assistant, had a few times with the prince. The next meeting..."

"So?" Chongzhen still smiled, but for some reason, there was a hint of chill in this smile.

"So... I think..." Wang Zhidao is not a fool after all. After asking these two times, he finally noticed the strange attitude of the emperor. He lowered his body, swallowed guiltyly, and began to hesitate in his words, hesitating Can't tell why.

What Wang Zhidao wanted to say was not only understood by Chongzhen, but also by all the officials who saw this.Seeing that Wang Zhidao lost his momentum, some people were secretly happy, some were getting colder, and some were making small calculations quickly in their hearts, such as Zhou Yanru who was sitting on the side.This room originally planned to let Wang Zhidao go to the shuffle on his behalf, and used the internal minister's interference in politics as a backhand blow, pulling Wen Tiren and Wang Chengen together, filing a lawsuit, and also regaining his increasingly shaky chief assistant position. become.But now seeing that the signs were getting worse and worse, Zhou Yanru turned his head, stood up quickly, and bowed to the emperor.

"My lord Wang is just guessing after all, and he didn't inadvertently hurt others." Zhou Yanru secretly glanced at the emperor, coughed dryly, "The officials are ineffective in assisting the government, and they failed to set an example for the officials, which caused many suspicions and frequent impeachments. This is the crime of my minister, please punish me, Your Majesty."

"Punishment is unnecessary. You need to act cautiously in the future, and don't do anything suspicious again." Chongzhen saw Zhou Yanru coming out to smooth things over, so he didn't want to say more. He collected his expression, got up and flattened his clothes, and prepared to leave.Before leaving, he stopped again and said: "I have my own discretion in the matter of my ministers, and you don't need to say more." After finishing speaking, surrounded by court ladies and eunuchs, he left the Wenhua Palace in a mighty manner.

three

The next day, under the imperial decree, Wang Zhidao framed important ministers and tried to gain fame. He should have been punished heavily, but he was given a lighter sentence and dismissed as a civilian.

"Why did your majesty cut Wang Zhidao's officials?" While walking with the emperor, Xi Zhao found an opportunity and asked, "The officials complained a lot every day, and there were many false statements among them, and the emperor has not punished them one by one. "

"It's just a false accusation, that's all." Chongzhen replied leisurely as he walked, "But Wang Zhidao's false accusation in the name of his ministers intervening in politics is really not advisable."

"I see. Your Majesty is wise." Xi Zhao said to him.

Chongzhen smiled slightly, thinking he was used to similar compliments. "What's more, there are a few reliable officials in this dynasty. In the past, the majesty of the king is not comparable to my generation. If you and other ministers are banned from discussing politics, it is really difficult for me alone to trap their minds." As he said that, Chongzhen stopped, speechless for a while, and then said again: "It has always been the officials and censors who love to make a fuss about the inner ministers. The commandments are like amulets to protect officials, and all reasons are based on this. It has been tried and tested. Now that Wang Zhidao has been dealt with, I hope this unhealthy trend can be stopped. You have to take care of yourself and use the past as a warning, don't let me protect the wrong person."

It turned out that the emperor had such a far-reaching plan.A trace of admiration suddenly welled up in Xi Zhao's heart, so she folded her hands and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, Dexiu will do his best to repay the Emperor's favor."

But Zhou Yanru in this room became increasingly uneasy.There were a lot of remarks that were unfavorable to him before. Since the Wenhua Palace incident, the number of impeachment memorials has increased by [-]% compared to before, and most of his cronies have been implicated. From being a high-ranking chief minister of the cabinet, he suddenly became the target of criticism from officials and civil servants.Of course Zhou Yanru understood the reason.Those who can afford the officialdom are all good people.They must be able to smell the change in the direction of the wind in the emperor's punishment of Wang Zhidao - the balance in the emperor's heart is no longer tilted towards Zhou Shoufu.And of course he could sense that all of this, inside and out, before and after, was permeated with the pungent smell of Wen's conspiracy.

Sure enough, it is a puddle of water.The tireless impeachment of the speech officials in the past few years has finally had an effect in the emperor's heart.Mr. Shoufu, who was pushed to the cusp of the storm, knew in his heart that the matter had come to an end, and it was no longer the time to care about intrigues. The most urgent task was to come up with countermeasures as soon as possible to win back the Emperor's heart.But when Zhou Yanru was still thinking about countermeasures in a panic, the fatal blow was caught off guard and finally arrived.

"Today's memorial is basically these." In the South Study Room, Wang Chengen roughly reported the important matters mentioned in the memorial.

"Well, good. You can step back." Chongzhen nodded.

After hearing Chongzhen's words, Wang Chengen did not resign immediately.

"Your Majesty...Chen Zanhua has been waiting outside the hall for a long time during the case of the Criminal Division. It seems that he has something to report." Wang Chengen leaned forward.

"Chen Zanhua?" Chongzhen briefly recalled the name, "Biography."

Wang Chengen took the order and withdrew from the South Study Room.After a while, Chen Zanhua came to the dragon case and bowed respectfully.

"Regardless of Your Majesty's peace."

"Excuse me." Chongzhen leaned lightly on the back of the chair, resting his hands on the armrest of the faucet, without frowning or smiling, with a calm expression on his face. "What do you want to report?"

"The matter you want to report has been written in a memorial, please have a look at it." Chen Zanhua took out a fold from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.Before Chongzhen could fully open the memorial, Chen Zanhua from the other side went on to say: "This compendium describes Zhou Shoufu's ten crimes, all of which are supported by facts, and there is no falsehood in each of them. Zhou Shoufu flattered His Majesty to the utmost, In private, he is fighting against dissidents, selling officials and nobles, filling his own pockets, and his despicable conduct has already lost the hearts of the people in the court. Please don't listen to the Zhou party's slander, severely punish corrupt officials and traitors as soon as possible, and restore the court to cleanliness, and eliminate troubles for the country."

After hearing Chen Zanhua's speech, Chongzhen's expression after the dragon case was a little dignified. Instead, he closed the memorial that had just been opened, silently pressed it on the case, and pushed it to the corner of the case.

"I will decide on the matter of the chief assistant, is there anything else?"

"There is one more thing, although it is not written in the memorial, I have to report it to His Majesty." Chen Zanhua lowered his eyebrows, but his tone was neither humble nor overbearing.

"Speak." Chongzhen lowered his brows.

"Your Majesty, many people have confirmed to my ministers that Zhou Shoufu has frequently made outrageous and outrageous remarks recently. He said that the country is in turmoil and the people are in dire straits. Although he has the power to return to heaven, His Majesty is the Lord Xihuang..."

"What!" Chong Zhen didn't wait for Chen Zanhua to finish, he slapped the armrest, his eyes widened angrily, a rush of blood surged up, his face was flushed red.Everyone in the room was startled and lowered their heads in fear, not daring to speak.

Xi Zhao, who was standing aside, was really startled, not only because of the emperor's anger, but also because Zhou Yanru was so presumptuous and arrogant.Xizhao has been studying since she was a child, so of course she understands the meaning of Master Xihuang—this is almost the same as saying that the emperor is a barbarian with naked clothes in ancient times.The emperor spent most of his days ignoring sleep and food for state affairs, yet he was so scorned by the chief ministers, not to mention Chongzhen, even Xi Zhao, who accompanied the emperor every day, was so angry that he couldn't control himself.

But Chen Zanhua in this room is still adding fuel to the fire: "When Zhou Shoufu made this statement, Shanglinyuan recorded Yao Sunqu, and Li Shiqi was present during the incident. If your majesty doesn't believe it, you can ask these two people to come and testify."

Chongzhen clenched the armrest tightly, and it took a long while to suppress his anger a little bit.I saw him staring straight at Chen Zanhua, pursing his lips. "Tell them to come."

Chongzhen's voice was low, and there was a icy coldness in his eyes.

"And Zhou Yanru."