An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

But the emperor did not want to delay any longer. If he delayed for another day, he was afraid that something unexpected would happen. So he decided to execute Longkodo after five days.

The empress dowager cried bitterly in Shoukang Palace, and from time to time she would grab her hair and cry like a madman. Her hair was disheveled. She stopped copying scriptures and praying for the Qing Dynasty. She tried to make a scene in front of the emperor and demanded that the emperor pardon Longkodo's death sentence at all costs.

The Queen Mother even took some people to secretly run to the death row, opened the door for Longkodo, and told Longkodo to escape from the death row overnight. He no longer had to worry about the Queen Mother herself. She said that as long as Longkodo was alive, there would always be a chance for them to meet again in the future.

As soon as Longkodo walked out of the prison, he was blocked by the emperor and his men. The emperor sarcastically said that the queen mother and Longkodo were a perfect match and had a deep love for each other. Since Longkodo was going to die, the queen mother could also die with Longkodo to show her loyalty!

The Queen Mother fell to the ground and refused to get up. She cried bitterly and said that the son she had given birth to wanted her to die. Where is justice!

Seeing that the emperor was so heartless to the empress dowager, Longkodo's heart gradually died. He could no longer utter a word, nor did he defend himself. His whole body was shaking violently, and his feet were cold. He said that he had underestimated the emperor. In the emperor's heart, there was no family affection. Longkodo also felt regretful and remorseful. He regretted what he had done and hated his arrogance and inhumanity.

However, the emperor told him that it was too late. The emperor would not give him any chance to make up for his mistakes. If he had known this would happen, why did he do it in the first place? He said, "Longkodo, you are an absurd and arrogant court official, and you ended up like this. Human nature is so complicated and cruel. Longkodo, why don't you publish a book? Let your descendants know about your great achievements and use you as a warning. The emperor said that you can publish a book to warn your descendants not to repeat the same mistakes and to cherish the people around you."

These words made Longkodo burst into tears.

As time went by, the empress dowager became increasingly anxious. If she didn't find a solution, Longkodo would die. The few remaining five days passed quickly, and on this day when the sun was shining brightly, it was Longkodo's time of death.

The Queen Mother couldn't sleep all night, her hair began to fall out in large quantities, and she sighed all day long. She went to the dining room to prepare a sumptuous meal for Longkodo herself, and brought Aunt Zhuxi and Aunt Fangruo, who personally delivered the steaming hot meal to Longkodo. Longkodo was delighted to see such a sumptuous meal, which included chicken, duck, goose, and Yangzhou pig's trotters.

Longkodo wept bitterly, and after wiping away his tears, he said, "From now on, I will never have the chance to go to Yangzhou again. If you want to eat sauerkraut, come and burn some incense in front of my grave."

The Queen Mother originally handed Longkodo a pair of chopsticks, but she threw away the chopsticks, went forward, hugged Longkodo's head and started crying. After crying for a while, she said, "I still have more than ten boxes of the pickled cabbage you gave me. Since you got into trouble, I know I can no longer eat the pickled cabbage you brought back. I dare not eat it anymore, and have been storing it in Shoukang Palace. Whenever I miss you, I go to smell the pickled cabbage. Over time, I have developed feelings for it."

Longkodo cried and said that he could not eat even a grain of rice. Longkodo refused to eat, so the Queen Mother personally brought him food and fed him, saying, "You must eat enough. It is rare that I personally cook for you. If you want to eat but cannot have it in the future, don't be sad. After you die, I will come to find you soon."

Longkodo's nose felt sore and tears as big as beans fell like raindrops, hitting the soup, vegetables and rice. He nodded quickly and stuffed food into his mouth while crying. After eating and drinking, the two of them hugged their heads and cried again.

When the time came, Longkodo was taken out of the death row. The emperor looked coldly at the scene of Longkodo and the empress dowager's separation, without any expression on his face.

The minister who once had great power and clout, and who had helped him ascend the throne, finally came to the end of his life. On the day he was taken to the execution ground, the sky in the capital was particularly gloomy, as if foreshadowing the coming storm. Longkodo's crimes had been proven to be irrefutable, and the emperor personally ordered him to be executed as a warning to others.

On the execution ground, Longkodo was tied up, and his former glory was gone, replaced by fear and despair. He looked up at the sky, his eyes full of regret and unwillingness. However, everything was irreversible. At 12:30 pm, under the gaze of thousands of people, as the executioner's sword fell, Longkodo's life ended, and the curtain finally fell on a generation of powerful officials.

After Longkodo was executed, the Queen Mother was heartbroken when she learned of the news. Although she knew Longkodo's ambitions and calculations, she could not let go of her feelings after years of getting along and relying on him. The Queen Mother fell ill and stayed in bed all day, with no appetite, and her face was haggard and she was too sad. The Emperor did not give Longkodo's old subordinates too much time, and began to purge Longkodo's remnants at lightning speed.

Longkodo was deeply rooted in the court, and it was not easy to eradicate him in one fell swoop. Therefore, the emperor took a series of measures. On the one hand, he strengthened the surveillance and review of court officials, and on the other hand, he promoted a group of loyal and reliable newcomers to balance the power in the court.

While the emperor was cleaning up his internal affairs, how could Tsereng of the Dzungar Khanate miss such a great opportunity? Taking advantage of the civil strife in the Qing Dynasty, he decisively reorganized his troops, prepared his troops, and launched another attack. Soon his troops were at the gates of the city. The real war had begun, and the whole world was immersed in a dark cloud.

The morale of the Junggar army was high. They shouted and waved their weapons, launching a fierce attack on the Qing city. Zhen Heng led his troops to fight, and in the first round, he fought with Tsering for three days and three nights. The two armies fought back and forth, arrows rained down, drums beat, and the battle was extremely fierce. On the battlefield, smoke and dust billowed, flames shot up into the sky, and the shouts of the soldiers and the neighing of the horses intertwined.

As the enemy's main general, Ce Ling showed his outstanding command ability. He planned and won the battle from afar, and skillfully arranged tactics and troops. Under his command, the soldiers were brave and fearless, breaking through our defenses again and again. Although our army also fought hard, it gradually showed signs of fatigue under the enemy's fierce attack.

In the end, Tsering won the victory with his excellent command and the bravery of his soldiers. Our army was forced to retreat thirty miles, morale was low, soldiers were exhausted, and their faces were full of disappointment and frustration. Countless corpses and ruins were left on the battlefield, a desolate scene. However, this was just the beginning. Tsering did not stop the pace of attack. He continued to command the army to advance, retreating again and again, and countless cities were invaded by the Junggar army.