Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

In a daze, I only felt a burst of medicinal fragrance.Xizhao opened his eyes slightly, only to see the darkness around him, and not far from the place surrounded by incense, a Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was enshrined.

here is? !

"Are you awake?" An old voice sounded, Xi Zhao stood up and took a closer look, the person sitting in the corner over there was indeed Uncle Gui.

"It's better to lie on your stomach." Uncle Gui said, picked up the medicine mortar next to him, and began to grind the medicine, "The injury is not too serious, it should be fine after a few days of rest."

"They sent me to you?" Xi Zhao obediently lay down.

Uncle Gui smiled, which was his answer.

The light, sound, furnishings, atmosphere, and everything in the room of Uncle Ghost in the future for a long time reminds Xizhao of the comfortable days when he first entered the palace.The person wakes up, and the intense pain hits the whole body wave after wave, but the memories of the past few years come to my heart untimely at this moment, provoking the sadness in my heart one by one, making the already unbearable pain Added a bit more bitterness.Where did it come from, where did it go back... Xizhao lowered her eyes and saw a small ant hurriedly crawling past the straw mat at the corner of the bed, but lost her balance and slipped down.

"Uncle Gui... You must be laughing at the younger generation in your heart." Xi Zhao said with a lonely expression.

Uncle Gui smiled and shook his head.

"...It should be time for me to leave here..." Xi Zhao's voice was soft and weak, and she lay powerlessly on the bed, almost bubbling out of her chest full of depression.

"If you want to leave, you can leave at any time." Uncle Gui lowered his head and rolled the medicine, and said flatly, "Just ask your sincerity first, whether you still have nostalgia for this place."

"Hey..." Xi Zhao sighed softly, "So what about nostalgia, the matter has come to this point, the emperor will not see me again, there is no place for me in this palace anymore."

The herbs are grinding together, making a rustling sound.In addition, there is a room far away from the hustle and bustle of silence.After a long time, I heard Uncle Ghost speak slowly, with some certainty in his words: "If there is still nostalgia, things may not have a turning point."

"Oh?" Xi Zhao's eyes lit up when he heard the words.Uncle Gui has never been a person who tells lies. When he said that there is a turning point, he probably has a plan in his chest. "What's the turning point? Uncle Ghost, please give me some pointers." Xi Zhao moved her body with difficulty, and folded her hands reluctantly, as a salute.

"The emperor didn't drive you out of the palace, but just demoted you back to the straight palace supervisor. Do you understand the emperor's true meaning?"

"Really?" Xi Zhao looked at Uncle Gui blankly.

"It's true, I'm afraid it's not appropriate, but the matter has not yet become a dead knot." Uncle Gui chuckled again, "You have to tie the bell to untie the bell. Your fate with the palace is not over yet, and the rest is up to you." done."

"Uncle Gui means...?" Xi Zhao suddenly understood something, and a radiance suddenly appeared on his face.He hurriedly tried to get up, but unexpectedly, there was a sharp pain in his heart, and with an ouch, he fell limp and paralyzed again.

"No hurry, no hurry." Uncle Gui smiled slightly, "It's important to heal your injuries first."

Although the pain did not subside, but a glimmer of light had leaked into his heart.Xi Zhao smiled, nodded vigorously, and then lay down quietly.Wherever I caught my eyes, I saw the ant that slipped down just now, but at some point it climbed up along the edge of the bed again, as if nothing happened.

two

"De..."

As soon as Chongzhen opened his mouth, he was suddenly at a loss for words, glanced at the new face standing beside him, and swallowed the last word abruptly.

"What orders does the emperor have?" The new eunuch had round eyes, but he was also very quick-witted. Seeing that the emperor had something to say, he bowed slightly and asked proactively.

"This stack of papers, you go and send it to the supervisor of ceremonies."

"Yes."

Seeing the newcomer leaving the South Study Room with a thick stack of memorials, Chongzhen sighed softly, put down his vermilion pen, and leaned his head on the back of the chair.It's only been two days since the incident happened, but somewhere in her heart, a little regret gradually sprouted.When it comes to crimes, Dexiu has never done any treacherous and evil things, and what he said in his own ears were nothing but harmless praises such as virtuous and virtuous.But even so, the fact of forming a party has always been indelible.You clearly know that I hate party disputes the most, so why do you want to defy the law; you once promised me with such a sincere look, why did you betray my trust so easily.Chongzhen closed his eyes, only to feel a ball of resentment wrapped in his heart heavy and greasy, which could not be wiped clean or shaken off.If other people were like this, they would sigh or punish him, maybe they wouldn't be so chilled, but this time it was him... The resentment and anger are nothing but because I once, really believed him.

"emperor."

Chongzhen slightly opened his eyes, it was the new eunuch who had returned.

"The memorial has been sent?" Chongzhen got up and lowered his head to approve the memorial again, not wanting to look at him more.

"Yes, I sent it." The newcomer replied, blinking his eyes, hesitating to speak.

Seeing him dawdling away from the corner of the eye, Chongzhen was a little displeased. "What is it?"

"Back to the emperor..." The newcomer said with a puckered mouth, "Outside the door...Zhang Dexiu, Eunuch Zhang...kneeling there..."

"What?" Chongzhen suddenly raised his head, very surprised.Although he called to stop halfway, he still suffered more than a dozen boards. This was not an ordinary minor injury. Could it be that he recovered enough to intercede for himself in two days?Chongzhen's eyebrows moved, but he immediately hid his expression, lowered his head, and only looked at the memorial.

"Understood." Chongzhen said, his tone was so calm that he seemed to be talking about ordinary things like eating and sleeping.

The newcomer took a peek at the emperor, closed his mouth embarrassingly, and stood back to his position.

During the rainy season in Beijing, the weather is as muggy as a steamer, as if you can squeeze the air out of the water by clenching your fists.But today, the sweltering heat seems to be even more restless and mentally exhausting.On the dragon case, the writing brush covered with vermilion hung for a long time, but it did not come down.Chongzhen seemed to be reading the memorial, but when he looked carefully, he seemed to be deep in thought, and his heart had already drifted away.Half an hour passed, and the emperor has not yet approved a few books.After a long time, Chongzhen finally wrote a few words and closed the memorial.

"Come on. Send the notebook to the Supervisor of Rituals."

The new eunuch glanced at the emperor's hand, and took a rough look, there were scattered, probably less than ten books.But how dare he speak too much about the emperor's will, so he quickly packed up these few notebooks and went to the Supervisor of Rituals.

Not long after, the newcomer returned.

"Send it?" Chongzhen asked with downcast eyes.

"Go back to the emperor and send it off."

"En." Chongzhen paused, "Is Zhang Dexiu still kneeling outside the door?"

"Go back to the emperor, it's still there." The newcomer replied cautiously.

"Go tell him not to kneel." Chongzhen frowned.

Xinlai led the order to go out, and after a while, he came back to the study.

"Back to the emperor, the villain passed on the emperor's oral order, but he didn't leave no matter what."

"Hmm..." Chongzhen pondered for a moment, but remained calm. "knew."

It's been about an hour.Xizhao looked at the sky and wiped off the sweat that was about to drip.The wound was burning hot, and the legs kneeling on the ground couldn't help shaking. Xi Zhao had to support the ground with both hands to barely hold back the pain.When I woke up early in the morning, I didn't feel the pain, so I got up and rushed to the Qianqing Palace.Unexpectedly, the sweat was stained, and it was like hitting a dozen boards hard, and the pain made his face pale.Xi Zhao didn't feel too wronged by the emperor's anger and severe punishment.Once upon a time, I stood silently a few steps away from the emperor, feeling the loneliness of the emperor, and also felt the trust of the emperor. Xi Zhao knows better than anyone how much I have made the emperor feel cold this time.This kneeling, I don't want to get rid of the crime, I am full of thoughts, I only hope that the emperor can calm down some anger, believe in my sincerity again, and continue to keep myself by my side.

The turbid cloud gradually gathered.The sun in the sky cannot penetrate the clouds, and the ground is too hot to breathe.The cold sweat from the suffocation and the cold sweat from the pain merged into bean-sized sweat beads, which rolled down from Xizhao's cheeks one by one, and landed on the bluestone bricks with a tick-tock.I have never been a strong person, but now this unprecedented pain tolerance surprised Xixi, but I realized soberly that I was so unwilling to leave this place.The palace people in the past pointed and cast surprised gazes at Xizhao. The guards at the gate of the palace glanced at Xizhao from time to time, but they remained expressionless, wondering how they felt about this sinner's behavior.But Xi Zhao ignored everything around her, and just knelt silently alone, as if isolated from this world.During the interval of pain, the scenes of several years flashed back in Xizhao's mind, as clear as yesterday.Southeast Library, Qianqing Palace, South Study Room, the outsider who tried everything possible to escape from the palace, is kneeling here now, silently praying that the emperor will change his mind and not drive him away.People are really fickle.A weak smile unconsciously floated on Xi Zhao's face.After entering the palace for five years, I don't know when it started, she has been reborn, and she is no longer the Xu Xizhao in the past.There used to be a lone boy who kept his name anonymous and wandered around in the city. No one knew who he was, and no one cared who he was. In the huge and noisy imperial capital of Beijing, he was like a speck of dust and The wisp of smoke does exist, but no one can know it.And on such a day, as the name Zhang Dexiu approached the emperor step by step, it unexpectedly changed unknowingly.In this palace, some people began to care about themselves, some to love themselves, some to trust themselves, and some to hate themselves.Zhou Xi, Uncle Gui, Eunuch Liang, the emperor whom he admired wholeheartedly, and the people in this palace, be it good or bad, even though the false names are imprinted in their minds, in their eyes, they are clearly , reflecting his true face.

Bit by bit, the memories of the past that should have rested gradually came alive. The loneliness that I had intentionally ignored for seven years, at this moment, quietly swelled and eroded like a waking poisonous insect, wantonly stinging the pain in Xi Zhao's body. Every inch of nerve.An inexplicable fear lingered in Xi Zhao's heart, as if if he took a step away from this place, he would step on the ground and fall into a deep valley.Catalyzed by the pain, Xi Zhao heard the voice from the bottom of her heart more and more clearly——

——Is there any reason to leave?Is there any reason, when there may be a turning point, not to use all the energy to grasp the hope?

Xi Zhao grabbed the sleeve of her robe, wiped the sweat off her chin, gritted her teeth, and knelt up again.

three

"You send these to the Li Supervisor." Chongzhen pointed to the few memorials at hand.

The new eunuch looked at the table case with a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Your majesty... I have already run seven times." The newcomer squeezed his eyebrows, thought for a while, and whispered, "Eunuch Zhang has been kneeling outside the door for three hours. Your majesty, how about..."

"If you are told to go, you can go, why are you so talkative." Chongzhen's voice was low and his expression was displeased.

"Yes..." The newcomer didn't dare to say any more, packed up the memorial and left.

Three hours, has it been so long?Chongzhen threw down his pen anxiously, stood up, and walked across the room.The injury has not healed, and you can't afford to kneel for so long, Zhang Dexiu, what do you mean by this?The crimes are all true, not wronged, how do you want me to forgive you; neither imprisonment nor expulsion, but a light punishment like transfer, what kind of forgiveness do you want me to give you?And since I was so persistent in my heart, why did I still do such things that betrayed me in the first place?Chongzhen sighed deeply, he was disturbed for a while, and couldn't find a way to resolve it, so he walked around the house randomly, walking, even the green smoke on the incense burner was disturbed and fluttered, and scattered in all directions.

Just when Chongzhen was upset, there was a loud bang in the silent room, which awakened Chongzhen's nerves.Chongzhen stopped abruptly, and looked intently, it turned out that the jade pendant around his waist slipped and fell in front of his feet.The sudden sound suddenly stopped the restless air, and Chongzhen seemed to be frozen, with his head lowered and silently looking at the ground.This is exactly the jade pendant that Dexiu used to do tricks for himself when he came out of the palace.Just when he was surprised where the jade pendant went, the handsome young man in front of him spread out his palms, stretched out a child-like naughty smile, and respectfully presented the jade pendant to himself.The surrounding figures surged, all of them were chaotic and blurred, only that smiling face was as pure and clear as the beautiful jade in the palm.This feeling and this scene, at the moment when the jade pendant fell, spread out in front of Chongzhen's eyes with incomparable clarity. His rationality, which had been gradually loosened, was suddenly disintegrated by this bright smiling face.

God's will...?

Chongzhen bent down, picked up the jade pendant, put it in his palm, and weighed it gently.A mere jade pendant can easily bypass defenses and soften one's heart so much.Chongzhen smiled wryly, and tied the jade pendant back around his waist.Could it be God's will...?But at a certain moment, Chongzhen faintly felt that he had waited for this moment for too long.

four

Stepping out of the threshold of the main hall, Dexiu was indeed kneeling in front of the corridor, just like the freezing night when Liang Yi was still there many years ago.

"I can kneel here for two days. Is it because I didn't hit the board hard enough?" Chongzhen calmed down, and stood in front of Xizhao with his hands behind his back. "Is this time being punished, or is there something to report?"

An all-too-familiar voice.Sunset suddenly looked up.His face was pale, dripping with cold sweat, and a few strands of messy hair and sweat stuck to his face, but his two glass-like eyes were full of brilliance that couldn't be concealed.

"Your majesty... little... villain this time... has something to report..." Xi Zhao said, her voice was as weak as a gossamer.

Seeing Xizhao like this, Chongzhen's heart twitched violently, and blood gushed in his throat, almost blocking his words.

"What's the matter?" Chongzhen pretended to be calm, but the hands behind his back were trembling slightly.

"Back to the emperor..." Xi Zhao managed to put on a smile, "Dexiu just wants to tell the emperor... Ever since the appointment with the emperor that day... Dexiu has secretly sworn that she will never let down the trust of the emperor. From now on... Dexiu has never done anything to betray the Emperor... Your Majesty..." Xizhao looked up at Chongzhen with firm eyes, "The Emperor believes in Dexiu... Dexiu and Mr. Zhou, and Governor Yuan... Unlike them... different... no matter when... in the past, in the future..."

Before she finished speaking, Xi Zhao's eyelids drooped and she fell straight down.Chongzhen's expression changed drastically, and he shouted in a panic, come, come, send the imperial doctor quickly.The eunuchs at the side rushed forward and hurriedly carried Xi Zhao to Eunuch Liang's room.Chongzhen looked anxious, and said incoherently, hurry up, hurry up, and those who delay will be cut off.And the eunuchs who carried the man to the doctor did not dare to neglect at all, obeyed the order, and ran away, fearing that if they were a little late, the life of this important person would be delayed.

Things happened so fast, the prince, who was leisurely drinking tea in the prison of ceremonies, naturally had no way of knowing all this.At this time, he would not have thought that he had calculated thousands of times, but in the end he missed a little bit—everyone would have someone who was unwilling to give up easily, even the emperor was no exception.