Beijing, Forbidden City, East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, late at night.
The twenty-one-year-old young emperor stared blankly at the imperial court. There was a stack of newspapers piled on the imperial court. The newspapers were all about civil unrest. In the front line, there was still trouble in the northwest, and now even in Henan. Civil unrest also broke out, and it was getting worse.
According to local reports, the bandits from all over the country have colluded. It is said that the bandits have formed the so-called Thirty-six Battalions, with their leader Gao Yingxiang as their leader, known as the "King of Chuang". Under the leadership of King Gao Chuang, the bandits have used the king for themselves. , Lao Huihui, Huo Cao Cao, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other troops crossed the Yellow River eastward and gathered more than 200,000 refugees. They have successively conquered Ningxiang, Shilou, Jishan, Wenxi, and Hejian counties in recent days.
Wherever the rebel army passed, it was like locusts sweeping across, and every house was broken and in a mess. As of the day before yesterday, in Henan alone, more than 80 officials, big and small, had been lost to the rebel army. I heard that the rebel army is now heading towards To seal it off, the governor of Henan sent people to call for help several times!
But what is strange is that the young emperor's mind does not seem to be on the Tang newspaper in front of him, nor is he thinking about the situation in Henan. His eyes are fixed on a copy of the Liaodong emergency report that was presented five days ago. Report.[
There was only one sentence in the urgent report: Zhang Chun's army had been completely wiped out at the Xiaoling River outside Jinzhou City.
Zhang Chun was defeated, could Zu Dashou still hold on? Can Jinzhou hold on?
If Jinzhou is lost, Ningyuan will be in danger; if Ningyuan is lost again, won't the Donglu be in danger?
The painful memory of Donglu entering the Pass two years ago deeply hurt the young emperor and made his heart ache.
For several nights, he lay alone in bed. When he closed his eyes, the scene of his people being kidnapped by the Donglu always appeared in his mind, and scenes of tragic scenes of family destruction and death always appeared in his mind.
He blamed himself and suffered, but there was nothing he could do.
Why doesn't God send me a good general to hold up half the sky in Liaodong?
Why doesn't God send me some good ministers, so that the whole court is filled with filth and smoke?
Without God's help, he could only rely on himself, constantly motivating himself to be diligent, never delaying state affairs, and trying to use his diligence to turn the tide and revive the Ming Dynasty.
But two years later, the country's situation has not developed in a good direction as he thought, but has become worse.
The number of enemies of the Ming Dynasty changed from one Donglu to two. What is sad is that the second enemy was his own people.
Alas, what evil did I commit in my previous life? God, you want to torture me like this!
With a "bang" sound, Chongzhen accidentally knocked over the late night snack that had long been cold. The crisp crackling sound of the bowl alerted the little eunuchs on duty outside. They came in in a panic and stood there a little scared.
The emperor has been in a bad mood these past few days. He heard that Liaodong suffered another defeat and the losses were so great that some people in the court were discussing abandoning the customs and protecting Shanhaiguan. The emperor disagreed, but could not find a way to solve it. In addition, there are constant emergencies in various places, and the civil unrest is getting more and more intense. When the two situations intersect, can the emperor's mood improve?
The two young eunuchs looked at each other, lowered their heads, and did not dare to move, lest they offend the emperor and vent their anger on themselves.
Chongzhen did not go to see them, but still looked at the pile of newspapers. After a long time, he got up impatiently. He was too lazy to look through the memorials under the newspapers, because those memorials were all full of words, and none of them could really help. He, the emperor, came up with solutions. After all, he was either asking for money or for soldiers.
God can tell me, if I have money and soldiers, can I not give it to the subordinates? Can I watch the situation get worse day by day? Am I really a stingy and greedy miser, watching my country collapse day by day?
, but you are counting a pile of silver for fun!
well!
Chongzhen sighed deeply. People outside said that he put all the money he got from Wei Zhongxian's house into the inner treasury and refused to take it out to provide to the national treasury. However, the silver he took out from Wei Zhongxian's house was only tens of thousands of taels, which was a small amount.
Even he was surprised by it.[
Unlike his brother who stayed in the palace for many years, Chongzhen knew the situation of the courtiers when he was King Xin. He knew that most of the officials in the court had hundreds of thousands of taels. He once thought that Wei Eunuch had deceived the emperor.
My brother must have been very greedy for so many years. I originally thought of ransacking his house and taking out the money to enrich the national treasury, but I didn't know that the money in Wei Yu's house was not as much as that of a fourth-rank official.
If I had known this, why didn't I listen to the emperor's brother except Wei Zhongxian? With Old Wei here, why didn't he have any money?
"In today's world, Da Kuang and the Queen are the only ones you can trust, and they are the only two who can help you."
The emperor's brother's last words were ringing in his ears, but now, everything has changed.
There is no medicine for regret in this world. Now, we can only take one step at a time.
I hope Qiu Hejia can live up to my expectations and defend Jinzhou, otherwise, he will have to abandon Ningyuan and Tubao will close its doors.
Chongzhen, who had no choice but to think of anything, got up and walked around in the Nuan Pavilion. He suddenly remembered that Prince Cixi had not been seen for many days. The last time he saw him, he could stand for a while. He was as white and fat as a ball of powder. He was talking hoarsely and could not hear what he was saying.
, with a cute and naive look on his face, which is very pleasing to the eye.
If I haven't seen you for a few days, I'm afraid you might be stumbling around?
As close relatives, thinking of the emperor, Chongzhen's brows gradually relaxed, and his mood became slightly better. He glanced at the two young eunuchs, then raised his legs and went out.
Seeing this, the eunuch Lu An, who came over for night patrol, hurriedly followed behind with a cloak. He stepped forward to put it on for him, and asked carefully: "Where are you going, Lord Long Live? Please let me know first, so as not to worry about it."
They were discourteous and ruined Long Live Lord's interest."
"No need, I'm not surprised."
Chongzhen turned left and headed north to Kunning Palace. He wanted to see Cixi immediately, so he walked very fast. Several guards followed him in the dark shadows around him. Lu An took the lantern from the palace maid next to him and led the way with the lantern.
.
The entire Forbidden City was quiet. The east-west long streets were no longer full of laughter and noise during the day. Except for those on duty, the eunuchs and palace ladies were all hiding in their rooms and sleeping soundly. As they approached the Rijing Gate, a row of reddish light spots floated in front of them. Chongzhen
Knowing that it was the palace maidens who called out the night, they held palace lanterns and golden bells every night, walking from the Qianqing Palace Gate to the Sunjing Gate and the Yuehua Gate, singing "The world is at peace -", despite the wind and rain, the cold and heat.
The maids suddenly met the emperor on the road, and they all made way for him and knelt down to greet him. Chongzhen ignored him and stepped into the Kunning Gate. The maids at the door knelt down to greet him. One of the maids had already rushed in to report.
Not long after, Empress Zhou hurried to the door and knelt down to greet her. Chongzhen pulled her up and asked with concern: "How is your prince? Have you slept? I haven't seen you for a while, and I'm thinking about you very much."
Empress Zhou smiled and said: "Your Majesty is so tired that I don't dare to ask anyone to invite my concubines. Cihong already knows how to call daddy." She took her husband's hand and walked slowly into the palace.
Hearing that the emperor knew how to call daddy, Chongzhen couldn't help but have a smile on his face and asked: "But is it true? They say that children call mother first. You must have taught me the word daddy."
"Cixun is extremely intelligent. I only taught him a few times before he memorized it." Empress Zhou chuckled, with a hint of maternal pride on her face.
"Hurry up and hug me and shout to me!" The smile on Chongzhen's face became even brighter, and he couldn't wait to see his son and hear him call him daddy.
Queen Zhou was startled when she heard this, a little confused: "Your Majesty, as a father, you don't even know what time it is. The child has long been coaxed to sleep by the wet nurse. How can you scream in your dream?"
As soon as the words came out, looking at her husband's slightly haggard face, she couldn't help but feel sad in her heart, and said with a smile: "I have long wanted to hold the baby in my arms to make the emperor smile, but I am afraid that the emperor is busy these days and disturbs the emperor's business.
Things. I heard that the war outside the Pass is not going well. Your Majesty, please take care and don’t be anxious and get in bad shape.”[
After Empress Zhou said so much, Chongzhen didn't know that the emperor must have fallen asleep, so he felt a little disappointed. Seeing Empress Zhou worried about him, he comforted her and said: "Qiu Hejia, the governor of Liao Dynasty, is very knowledgeable about military affairs, and Sun Chengzong is in charge.
If we close the door, I don’t think it will be too corrupt.”
After saying that, he looked at Queen Zhou's slightly fat body and suddenly said with a smile: "Back then, before you entered the palace, you were said to be thin and slender, not like a blessed person, but now you have turned into a child-gifting queen."
Queen Zhou didn't realize that he had such thoughts. Her cheeks turned red and she glanced at the door. She saw that the young eunuch and the maids had long disappeared, and then she asked shyly: "Does your Majesty dislike my concubine's bloated body?"
Chongzhen didn't say anything, he just dragged her into his arms, smelled a faint scent of frankincense, inhaled his mouth lightly, and said intoxicatedly: "Huan is fat and Yan is thin, why should she be separated from Xuan Yu? Xun'er must be fat in vain, right?"
Empress Zhou said: "The Director of Ceremony found two good nipples, both of which are Nongzhangzhi's first born. My concubine actually has a lot of milk. I feed him some every day. Can Xun'er be in vain?"
Fat? Don't worry, Your Majesty, Xun'er is one of the few eldest sons since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, how dare I treat him badly?"
"Then I will rest here tonight and listen to you talk about Xun'er." Chongzhen lowered his head and whispered at her temples. His hands inadvertently touched Queen Zhou's chest and rubbed it gently.
Queen Zhou blushed and said shyly: "I have been disturbed by Xun'er for most of the day. I am a little tired. Besides, I am heavy. Your Majesty, you should go to Yongning Palace or Yikun Palace! Otherwise, they will know tomorrow.
Now, I have to chew my tongue again."
"Um?"
Only then did Chongzhen notice that her abdomen was slightly bulging. He couldn't help but feel happy again and reached out to touch it.
Empress Zhou gently knocked his hand away, then grabbed it and placed it on her abdomen. She said coquettishly: "Your Majesty, you are scaring the child. He is kicking around inside!"
Chongzhen smiled and said: "It's your belly that wins the battle, what are they talking about?"
"Calling the emperor partial and scolding my concubines for being greedy! They are so eager to see the emperor's gift to Guanyin!"
"I think they forgot about me after having Xinger!"
Empress Zhou smiled and looked out at Zhen Zhen, saying: "I am a good person for the Pope, but I was criticized by the Emperor."
"I know you have the beauty of not being jealous."
Thinking of Concubine Tian's charming eyes, Chongzhen's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't delay any longer. He left Kunning Gate and turned eastward along the dark long alley. When he was about to reach the hanging flower gate of Yongning Palace, he heard a burst of urgency behind him.
footsteps.
Lu An turned around, held up the lamp, and yelled at the visitor: "Whoever is running around is not afraid of surprising the Holy Master!"
"Lu, Eunuch Lu, this servant has something urgent to do and wants to see Lord Long Live!"
The visitor was the eunuch Zhao Quan. Hearing Lu An's scolding, he did not dare to reply and argue. He stood with his hands down and kept glancing at Lu An with his eyes. He breathed heavily and looked very panicked.
Lu An felt sorry for the emperor and scolded him: "What time is it already? Long Live the Lord is going to rest. Is there anything that we can't talk about tomorrow?"
Chongzhen waved his hand indifferently, turned around, glanced at Zhao Quan, and asked him: "What's the matter? You are so anxious to see me."
Zhao Quan hurriedly said: "Long live my lord, it is Eunuch Cao who is asking you to come back to Nuange as soon as possible."
"What do you want me to ask you?" Lu An glared at Zhao Quan angrily.
Zhao Quan came to his senses and secretly cursed himself for being incoherent and not talking about the key points. He hurriedly said: "Just now a military report was sent from Liaodong, saying that Jinzhou had just repelled the attack of Donglu. Now a report has been sent. Eunuch Cao
We are waiting in Nuan Pavilion, please come back quickly!"