Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

Fengyang Inn.

"Two guests, wait a moment, the food will be here soon." The waiter waiter was young, with a clever look on his face, he memorized the dishes that Xi Zhao had ordered, and ran to the back kitchen to place an order in a few steps.Chongzhen and Xizhao sat quietly and waited, while drinking the half-warm tea that Xiao Er had just brought.This inn looks very old, only the repairs of the doors and windows facing the street are new and eye-catching. There are about ten rooms.I heard people say that this Fengyang Inn is already the largest inn in Fengyang City, but the business seems to be deserted and there is almost no popularity.The shopkeeper with a friendly face stood behind the counter half as high as half a person, squinting his eyes, and calmly calculated his calculations; in the hall, besides Chongzhen and Xizhao, there was an old man with a flushed face and disheveled clothes, who was separated from Xizhao and the others. There are several tables, sitting on benches with crossed legs, a jug of wine and half a plate of peanuts in front of them.He picked up the flagon, took a sip at the spout, wrinkled his brows and eyes exaggeratedly, then spread them out suddenly, and smacked his mouth hard.The hall was originally quiet, but when he smacked his lips, it really seemed that there was a lot of movement.The shopkeeper glanced at him, ignored him, and continued to lower his head to settle accounts; Chongzhen and Xizhao were unconsciously attracted by him, and seeing that there was nothing special and important, they turned their gazes back again.

"It's been a tiring day today, so I'm tired too." Xi Zhao took a sip of tea and said, "I asked Xiaoer just now that there is a bath room in the backyard of this inn. After eating, adults can take a hot bath and go to the bathroom. Get rid of the tiredness on your body."

"Hmm..." Chongzhen seemed to be in deep thought, and just agreed casually.After returning from the imperial mausoleum, the emperor has been reticent and in a bad mood.Xi Zhao naturally understood, so she quietly accompanied her, not disturbing her much.After a long while, Chongzhen came back to his senses a little bit, with a slight doubt on his face: "When did you ask Xiaoer? I didn't see him."

"Why bother your lord over such trivial matters." Xi Zhao smiled and said, "Where does your lord want to go in the next two days?"

"Let's go to Mount Jiuhua tomorrow." Chongzhen said lightly.

Xi Zhao was taken aback, she didn't expect that the emperor with this melancholy face would still be interested in traveling around the mountains and rivers.But Xizhao only wanted the emperor to be happy, and he had no opinion on what the emperor wanted to do. "Yes. I heard that the scenery of Jiuhua Mountain is very beautiful. It would be nice to go there to relax."

"It's not a distraction this time." Chongzhen lowered his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "The southern foot of Mount Jiuhua... is Longxing Temple."

Longxing Temple... At this time, Xi Zhao realized that she had made a slip of the tongue, and was about to open her mouth to make amends, when suddenly there was a wave of wild laughter from behind.The two looked back, and it turned out to be the drunk old man, propping himself on the table and laughing crazily, while patting the table vigorously, he stopped laughing after a long while.

"Jiuhua Mountain? It would have been burnt down long ago!" He hiccupped, his throat seemed to have thick phlegm, and his voice was extremely muddy.I saw him raising his hands tremblingly, and then raised them sharply, "A fire... Boom! It's all burnt out, it's burnt black, I don't even recognize my mother!"

"Hey, old man Sun! Just go crazy yourself, don't disturb other people's guests." Chongzhen Xizhao was still confused, and the shopkeeper behind the counter scolded him tightly.

"Hehe." The old man Sun was not annoyed, instead he gave a drunken laugh. After laughing, he stared bloodshot eyes in an instant: "Damn it...Damn it! Those thieves deserve to die! Have pity on me!" There...it's so hot that even Mom doesn't recognize..." As he spoke, the hatred on his face suddenly turned into overflowing sadness, and his face changed like a thunderstorm in July, quickly and without warning.

Laughing for a while, angry for a while, and sad for a while, the old man was really drunk.Xizhao always hated drunks, and frowned and refused to pay attention, but Chongzhen's heart moved, and he asked the shopkeeper, "Do you know, sir, what kind of sad things this old man has gone through?"

"Hey..." the shopkeeper sighed, "Isn't it just that on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month when bandits robbed the city, his son was burned to death in order to save his old mother, and his wife was gone. Later, old man Sun came back to collect the body and saw his son After being burnt out of shape, I was stimulated and became like this. Hey..." The shopkeeper's face showed sadness, "This gang of thieves really did a lot of harm to Fengyang City. Their wives and children were separated, their families were destroyed, and many people died. Oh..."

The shopkeeper's words made Chongzhen's heart suddenly filled with depression, which was stuck in his chest, and he couldn't get rid of it.He turned his head, wanting to say something to this old man Sun, but his thoughts went back and forth, and he couldn't say a word.The catastrophe in Fengyang is a sin that I have to bear. No matter what words of comfort or sympathy, it seems that I have taken the position of others, cunningly avoiding this responsibility; Like a deep ridge chiseled by a knife and an axe.Just when Chongzhen was hesitating to speak, the old man Sun began to curse again:

"You all deserve to die! Everyone who is alive deserves to die! Hiccup! What did you say that the official who slaughtered dogs for the heavens came to harm the common people... After collecting so much tax money and raising so many soldiers year after year, in the end, no one came Keep my son safe...my son...you died so badly...hiccup! You people deserve to die! Thieves deserve death, dog officials deserve death, and the emperor deserves more death!"

"What did you say!" Xi Zhao didn't like drunks in the first place, when he heard him scolding the emperor, she stood up abruptly, with widened eyes, she was about to rush forward to argue.The shopkeeper turned pale with fright, and hurried out from behind the counter, and ran to Old Man Sun's table and covered his mouth in three steps. "Oh ancestor! What are you talking about!" Then he turned to Chongzhen Xizhao and comforted him, "You two officials, don't take offense, don't take offense, this old man is a madman, don't be as knowledgeable as him."

Facing this out-of-control scene, Chongzhen looked determined, grabbed Xizhao's arm, patted the table, and signaled him to sit down.Xizhao was angry in her heart, but she had to listen to the emperor's order and return to her seat for the time being.Xiaoer, who was lazy in the back kitchen, heard the commotion in the front hall, and also lifted the curtain to get out, only to see old man Sun being restrained by the shopkeeper, struggling continuously. He said to Xiaoer: "Little Zhuzi, quickly go and find Liu Gui from Dongjie, and let him quickly drag this crazy old man away."

"Hey!" Xiaoer replied, and was about to go out, but seeing old man Sun throwing the shopkeeper violently, he slapped the table and stood up, but stopped talking in a daze, and shook himself. He staggered towards the door.

"Hey! You haven't paid yet!" Xiaoer leaned over to help the shopkeeper, and when he saw that Old Man Sun was about to leave, he shouted at him again.

"Forget it, let him go." The shopkeeper stood up holding the bench, patted the dust on his body, looked at the back of old man Sun, shook his head sympathetically, and went back to the counter to continue to settle accounts .

two

"The dishes are ready, you two take your time." Xiaoer put the dishes on the table one by one, turned around and was about to leave, when Chongzhen called him again: "My little brother, does the old man often come here just now? "

"I don't come here often." Xiaoer turned around again, curled his lips and said, "This old man Sun always doesn't pay for the drinks. If he wants to come more often, it's okay. It means that the shopkeeper has a good heart and doesn't care about him. .”

"Oh..." Chongzhen thought about it, touched his body, took out two large ingots of silver, and put them on the table. "Is that enough to pay for his drink?"

"Ouch! Enough is enough, ten years of wine money is enough!" Xiaoer's eyes lit up, staring at the silver, but he didn't dare to reach out to get it, so he had to look at the shopkeeper, but saw that there was no money behind the counter. one person.While Xiaoer was serving the food, the shopkeeper disappeared.

"That's enough." Chongzhen nodded and said, "I'll pay for him today. If the old man comes to drink, give him a drink, and if he comes to eat, give him a drink. Don't charge him any more." money."

"Definitely." Xiao Er agreed with a nod and bowed his waist, "The guest officer is really kind-hearted, and old man Sun doesn't know how he got such a great blessing to receive alms from the guest officer."

"Charity..." Chongzhen smiled faintly, his face a little sad, "I owe them more than just two ingots of silver..."

"Huh?" Xiaoer looked blank, not understanding what Chongzhen meant.Before he could figure it out, Chongzhen asked again: "It is said that you were in the city on the day when the city was robbed on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?"

"Yes, it is, but this side is near the east of the city, and the bandits came late. The young man and the shopkeeper fled outside the city to take refuge before the fire came over."

"Oh... are your parents safe?"

"The little one's parents are gone a long time ago, and the shopkeeper raised the little one." Xiao Er giggled, sat down on the bench next to her, held a tray upright on her lap, and chatted casually.

"So...then are there any other people in your family?" Chongzhen asked again, his eyes softened when he heard the words.

"There is also a sister who has been a child bride-in-law in someone else's house since she was a child. She has never met her. But that family is in the north of the city. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, bandits came from the north of the city. No one knows the news, probably they didn’t escape.”

"Hey..." Chongzhen sighed, lowered his eyes silently, and couldn't bear to ask any more.

"Guest officer, don't be sad." Xiaoer still had a smile on his face, but he didn't seem to be very sad. "The little one has been separated from her sister since she was a child. I can't remember what she looks like. She didn't escape on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month." There are countless people who come out, and those who can come back are blessed. The shopkeeper often says that if you survive a catastrophe, you must have a good fortune. Those of us who escaped this catastrophe will surely have a good life in the future .”

Chongzhen saw that Xiao Er was so optimistic, he was relieved, but also a little bit surprised. "It's rare for you to be so open-minded. Don't you hate this disaster in your heart?"

"Who do you hate? Do you hate bandits?" Xiao Er blinked and thought for a while, "If you say you don't hate them, how can you not hate them for making Fengyang such a disaster? But if you say you hate them, you don't hate them very much. Get up." Xiaoer smiled honestly, "I'm afraid these thieves have nothing to eat or drink, and they will rebel if they can't survive. If not, who is willing to risk their lives if they live a good life. They are all hard-working people... Hehe , I can’t bear to hate them.”

"Then you..." Chongzhen paused, hesitated for a long time, and then said in a low voice: "Then you...do you hate the emperor?"

"Emperor...?" Xiao Er raised his eyebrows, and immediately became serious, "Oh, guest officer, you can't say this casually, if you say something wrong, you will be beheaded..."

Just as he was talking, the door squeaked, and the shopkeeper came in from the back door holding the account book. "You kid, why are you talking to customers here again! If you have nothing to do, go to the back kitchen to help!"

"Hey!" Seeing the shopkeeper came back, Xiaoer stuck out his tongue towards Chongzhen Xizhao, and smiled mischievously: "Then guest officer, take your time." After finishing speaking, he ran back to the back kitchen.

three

The bathroom was damp, and a white gauze screen with pictures of flowers and birds stood in the center of the room. On one side was a huge wooden barrel filled with hot water. Chongzhen immersed himself in the water carefully, and slowly relieved himself. in one breath.

"My lord, is the water temperature suitable?" Xi Zhao asked on the other side of the screen as she sorted out the clothes that Chong Zhen had changed.

"Exactly." Chongzhen answered briefly.

"The adults wash slowly, and the little ones go outside and wait." Xi Zhao said, carrying dirty clothes on her shoulders, and was about to go out.

"Dexiu..."

"Huh? What else does your lord want?" Xi Zhao stopped when she heard Chong Zhen calling her.

"You said..." After half a sentence, Chongzhen stopped for a long time without saying anything, as if something unspeakable was choked in his throat, unable to spit out or swallow.Xi Zhao was not in a hurry, she returned to the screen, sat on the bench and waited patiently.The water vapor gradually diffused through the screen, forming clouds of white mist under the ceiling.After about half a cup of tea, on the other side of the screen, Chongzhen lowered his eyes, looking at the smoky water, and finally said in a muffled voice:

"You said Daming...would he just die in my hands..."

The emperor asked so directly and blatantly!Xi Zhao was startled immediately, but immediately calmed down and calmed down, thought for a while, and comforted him softly: "The emperor is overhearted. Throughout the ages, is there any king who has subjugated the country who is not stupid? Even if it is not licentious and innocent. , There is absolutely no one who governs the country as diligently as the emperor. Please rest assured, the emperor, with a good emperor like you, in a few years, Daming will definitely return to the Qingping and prosperous age."

"Hey..." Chongzhen sighed softly, "You love to say nice things to coax me."

"How dare you coax the emperor, Dexiu is telling the truth." Xizhao smiled, and accidentally caught a glimpse of the mud stains on the clothes Chongzhen wore during the day, and felt sour again.

"Actually, it's not that I can't detect it. Now the Ming Dynasty is exuding a sense of death. To support the country and seek revival is just a four-character duty."

"The emperor means..." Xi Zhao's eyes widened, and her heart beat wildly in an instant.how come?how come? "Your majesty is saying... Daming really wants to...?"

"I don't know." Chongzhen's tone was as calm as ever.He rested his head on the side of the wooden barrel, looking at the mottled and decayed ceiling that had been fumigated by water vapor for many years, suddenly laughed dryly twice inexplicably, and said lightly: "Sometimes I really feel that all this is like a scene arranged by God. Put on this surname, let me play the role of the emperor, cut off the livelihood of the people, let them play the role of rebels, arouse the ambition of the Jin people, and let them be foreign captives. Resist with all your strength, meet each other on a narrow road, and refuse to give in to each other. No one can escape this doomed wrestling. The actors only know where they should go, but they still can't guess the ending of the script. Even if they feel helpless, I have to act hard according to the set path of the play, and act, I will not see the end of the song, and I will only rest until I die. Ha, you are not ridiculous."

"Your Majesty..." Hearing the negative words from Chongzhen's mouth, Xi Zhao's mood turned from sour to bitter, from bitter to astringent, and even the sweet words of comfort were completely speechless for a while.The two remained silent for a long time, and before they knew it, the steam in the room gradually dissipated, and the tables, chairs, benches, and cabinets were all engulfed in that almost suffocating white mist.The shadow of Chongzhen was faintly reflected on the screen, and the person behind the screen broke the silence with a soft sigh, making the pretty flowers and birds on the screen seem to have a touch of sadness.

"But if in the future, Daming really dies in my hands, under the Nine Springs, how will I meet my ancestors, how will I be judged by future generations after a hundred years, and now there are so many people..."

"..." Xizhao recollected Chongzhen's words, a sudden flash of inspiration flashed in his heart, and finally thought of a word of comfort for Chongzhen.He took a deep breath, put the robe in his hand aside, calmed down, and said An Anran: "Don't be sentimental, your majesty, since it's a well-arranged script, how will the ending be, but some people will blame the hard-working actor ?”

"..." The shadow on the screen trembled slightly, but did not make a sound.

Xizhao smiled warmly, and his voice was as clear as spring water and as gentle as a stream: "Dexiu often feels that it is too unfair for everyone in this world to judge heroes by success or failure. The world is so vast and vast. , the ends of the earth, all living beings, the vicissitudes of life, changing rapidly, human beings exist in the world, it is as insignificant as a drop in the ocean. If you don’t know the will of the sky, and don’t care about people’s hard work, merits and demerits, it’s too narrow to judge by success or failure. God's will is hard to disobey, and every person or thing has its own destiny, and God's destiny, how can one person's power can lighten it." Xi Zhao looked at the shadow on the screen, with a gentle but firm look in his eyes, "Others Although Dexiu's heart is uncontrollable, Dexiu sees and remembers everything the emperor does. Even if one day in the future, God's will really does not follow people's wishes; No matter how things are judged, in Dexiu's heart, the emperor is an eternal sage."

After Xizhao finished speaking, there was no response from the other side of the screen for a long, long time. This sudden silence was so quiet that dark waves gradually grew in the bottom of my heart, and there was no peace.But this is too much to say...?Just when Xizhao was feeling up and down in his heart, he suddenly heard the sound of water moving slightly in that room, accompanied by the mist drifting, and Chongzhen's slightly hoarse voice sounded in a low voice:

"I didn't expect you to..." Chongzhen paused before finishing his sentence, his voice became deeper and deeper, "Even if it's coaxing me, I'm glad to hear it."

"Your Majesty..." Xi Zhao was overjoyed, her eyes were wet and her eye sockets were slightly sore.

"Let's call him my lord...the name of the emperor is not good."

"Yes... my lord."