Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

"Why hasn't Wei Zaode arrived yet?"

In the Hall of Martial Heroes, Chongzhen was sitting behind the dragon table, his fingers kept tapping on the armrest, his slightly frowning brows showed a bit of anxiety.Standing beside the case was a black and thin eunuch, bowing humbly, lowering his head and not daring to lift it up.

Today is the seventeenth of March.

"My majesty, please be safe. I won't send someone to call me again. It should be here soon." Xi Zhao comforted, removed the herbal tea on the table and replaced it with a cup of hot one.

"Hmm..." Before Chongzhen could reply, the eunuch sent to summon Wei Zaode walked quickly to the door.

"Report to Your Majesty, Lord Shoufu has arrived."

"Quickly pass it on!" Chongzhen frowned, and sat upright.The eunuch at the door left as ordered, and after a while, footsteps gradually approached. The chief assistant of the cabinet, Wei Zaode, dressed in black gauze uniform, approached the warm pavilion, and bowed to Chongzhen before setting the dragon case.

"See Your Majesty."

"En." Chongzhen nodded, and turned to the black and thin eunuch next to him, "Du Xun, what you said just now, please repeat it and listen to the first assistant."

"Yes." The black and thin eunuch named Du Xun heard the words, his eyes flickered uneasy, swallowed again, and then he said: "King Chuang...uh...the army of thieves has now been exhausted outside the Xizhi Gate. The thief sent a villain to send a message. If the emperor is willing to cut off the northwest area with him, divide the country as king, and reward the army with a million taels of silver, he can withdraw his troops and stop attacking the city. After the establishment of the country, there will be no tribute and worship. But it can be used to curb the bandits in the imperial court, and help control the Liao Fan... Uh... I don't know what the emperor and Mr. Wei think...?" Du Xun said more and more, his confidence became weaker, his two small eyes looked at Chongzhen, and then at Wei Zaode , After speaking, there is only silence in the room that can be heard.Chongzhen remained calm, looking straight at Wei Zaode, waiting for his reaction, but until Du Xun finished speaking for a long time, Wei Zaode on the other side still stood silently, without saying a word. "What do Wei Qing think of this decision?" Seeing that he was silent, Chongzhen had no choice but to urge, "The situation is critical now, so we should make a decision as soon as possible."

"..." Wei Zaode's shoulders twitched slightly, and he bowed deeply, but remained silent.Du Xun, who was at the side, saw that the chief assistant was silent, turned his eyes, took a step forward, and said cautiously: "The emperor, please forgive the villain for speaking bluntly... The bandits are strong and unstoppable. The defensive line extends to the foot of the capital, and now the Twelve Tombs are all burned down, and Xizhimen was destroyed in an instant... In the view of a villain, the emperor should still..." Du Xun didn't finish his sentence, but seeing Chongzhen's face darken and his sword eyebrow raised, His eyes stabbed coldly at the traitorous eunuch who had already surrendered to the enemy.Du Xun was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, shrank his neck, lowered his body again, and dared not speak any more. "What exactly is Wei Qing thinking?" Chongzhen closed his gaze, turned around and asked Wei Zaode again.Wei Zaode's lips were tightly closed, no matter how Ren Chongzhen asked, he just kept saluting and bowing, without uttering a word.

"You...!" Seeing Wei Zaode's attitude, Chongzhen's anger rushed to his heart, his hands clasped the armrest tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands burst out.Wei Zaode was startled, knelt down hastily, and finally had no choice but to speak: "This matter is of great importance, I really dare not speak rashly, I beg Your Majesty to make a holy decision!" After saying that, he kowtowed deeply and fell on the ground without getting up .When Chongzhen heard Wei Zaode's words, his heart felt cold, his hands gradually let go of the armrest, but his anger was extinguished all of a sudden, and could never be ignited again.Stop, stop.Perfunctory, retreating, this dynasty has been a civil servant for more than ten years, when is it not like this?Ha, this is coming, but it can be regarded as a beginning and an end.Chongzhen sighed faintly, and closed his eyes wearily.

"...You all step back."

"Your Majesty...then...that villain...how should that villain answer...?" Du Xun asked hurriedly when he saw Chongzhen's reply.

"I've made up my mind, and I have another purpose. You answer him like this."

I have made up my mind, do I have another purpose?Xizhao's eyes lit up with hope, but also with disbelief.After finally waiting for Du Xun and Wei Zaode to walk out of the Hall of Martial Heroes, Xi Zhao immediately asked:

"What does the emperor mean... is there a countermeasure?"

"Isn't the countermeasure decided early on?" Chongzhen still closed his eyes, speaking lightly, without a trace of superfluous emotion in his words. "It has been more than 270 years since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, but it has fallen to this point in my hands. There is no way to redeem my sins. How can I exchange my ancestors' country for my life?"

"But your majesty...!" The fire of expectation suddenly disappeared, replaced by waves of panic and uneasiness pouring into the atrium, "Then what should I do from now on..."

"The king dies and the country dies, that's all."

After Chongzhen finished speaking, he didn't speak anymore, but closed his eyelids heavily, as if falling asleep, and didn't open them again for a long time.

two

As soon as the night fell, Chongzhen went to bed early, but Xizhao in the wing room tossed and turned, unable to sleep for a long time.It seems that the emperor has made up his mind that he will live and die with the country.The country is too big, the state affairs are too complicated, the emperor and a group of ministers are powerless, let alone take care of themselves.But even if the country is destroyed, I really can't just watch the emperor die for the country that was dragged and gnawed by thousands of courtiers.Xi Zhao turned over, only to see that the window paper in the room, which could have let some moonlight through, was now dimly blurred.I am the most clear about the emperor's temperament, no matter how much I say, it is impossible to persuade him to abandon his ancestral foundation, escape from the capital, and just live on.But...but how could the emperor die!The more Xi Zhao thought about it, the more helpless she became, she simply lifted the quilt, got up, held the lamp again, and walked back and forth in the room.Just between this back and forth, his eyes flashed inadvertently, and a person suddenly appeared in his mind.Uncle Gui...!right!Uncle Gui has always been wise, but he is always desperate, why not go to the Southeast Library and ask Uncle Gui again!Thinking of this, Xi Zhao's eyes lit up, as if he had finally grasped some life-saving straw, no matter how late it was, he blew out the lights and candles in one breath, and headed for the southeast library.

The Hall of Martial Arts is not too far away from the Southeast Library, and when Xi Zhao remembered that it was getting late, he was already standing in front of the Southeast Library.Just after the fifteenth day, there should have been a full moon hanging high in the sky, but the night sky was covered by thick layers of dark clouds, and there was no moonlight at all.The night is dim, like water and fog, making this southeast library seem to have stopped at the moment of the passage of time, just like it was more than ten years ago, without any change.It would be great if everyone, everything, and everything were like this... But the palace is huge, and the only thing that hasn't changed is probably the condition of the Dongnanku.Xi Zhao couldn't help feeling a trace of sadness in her heart, but then patted her cheek again, tensing her mind.Now is the time of life and death, so how can it be the time to hurt the spring and the autumn.Since I have come to look for Uncle Gui, even if it is not early, I still have to go to the hut to have a look.Thinking in this way, Xi Zhao groped towards Uncle Gui's residence, turned his feet, and walked into the gap between the two rooms, only to see a ray of light shining through the small door in front, which was extraordinarily bright in the dark night.Sure enough, Uncle Gui hadn't rested yet, Xi Zhao was overjoyed, and walked up quickly to knock on the door, when he heard Uncle Gui's familiar and old voice from inside the room: "Come in."

"The junior came late at night, so I'm bothering you." Xi Zhao gently pushed the door open, only to see that Uncle Gui was still sitting quietly on the wicker chair, with the familiar medicine pestle and medicine jar still in hand. "Long time no see, how are you?"

"I'm fine, little brother don't need to worry about it." Uncle Gui has a calm and gentle face, he doesn't seem to mind Xizhao's presumptuous visit, nor does he mind that he hasn't visited for a long time, he just answered simply, stood up, signaled Xizhao to sit down, and fell He drank a cup of tea and placed it on the coffee table next to Xizhao.The warm tea fragrance wafted around the tip of her nose, which made Xi Zhao's heart relax a little without her noticing it.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. If you don't come again, the tea will be cold."

"Uncle Ghost knows that the junior is coming?" Xi Zhao was a little surprised, but suddenly felt that this scene seemed familiar.Uncle Gui didn't answer, but walked slowly back to the rattan chair and sat down, said in a calm and unhurried manner: "Brother is here, there must be some business."

"Junior..." Xi Zhao paused, and unconsciously clenched his clothes. "The junior wants to ask Uncle Gui for guidance."

"Hehe." Ghost Uncle glanced at Xi Zhao's tightly clenched hands, his cheeks were wrinkled, and he said with a calm smile, "My little brother thinks highly of me too. An old man who is dying, how can I give my little advice."

"But this junior really doesn't know what to do. This junior just... just... wants the emperor to live..." As soon as the matter of life and death came out, his heart was instantly twisted into a knot. Xi Zhao lowered his head, the expression on his face All of a sudden it was dark.

Uncle Gui didn't move when he heard the words, but the corners of his mouth slightly twitched, as if he had foreseen Xizhao's question. "Everyone has his own life, and his life depends on the sky. It's not something you and I can change, so don't force me, brother."

Speaking of this sentence on a daily basis, Xizhao naturally understands it.But today is no longer that usual. "But...but if you don't do anything else, the emperor will... just... this junior really can't bear it..." The words continued intermittently, and finally fell silent.The brocade on the skirt was wrinkled by the setting sun, and if one didn't pay attention, a teardrop seemed to drop down, disappearing in the deepest part of the layers of folds in an instant.Uncle Gui's eyebrows moved slightly, and he was silent for a while before he opened his mouth and said:

"Brother...do you still remember that Sunset song?"

"..." Xi Zhao was startled for a moment, then raised her head, her eyes were slightly red.

"I don't want the sunset to be too early, so I can't go back to heaven and have no way... In life, there are always times when actions and actions are in vain. When there is no alternative, it is better to look away instead of grieving yourself." Gui Bo said in a gentle voice, his words were calm.

"But..." Xi Zhao spoke halfway, paused, and then shook her head firmly, "No, no, no... If it's something else, maybe I can feel a little relieved, but this is the only thing, how can the junior Impossible to see." The candlelight was shining brightly, reflecting the side face of the setting sun, and at some point, a shallow line appeared in the corners of the eyes that were originally smooth and flat. "The younger generation is no longer the ignorant young man who entered the palace to take refuge. More than ten years later, the palace, and the emperor, have already become all that the younger generation has. No matter what the Ming Dynasty is, the emperor must not die, otherwise it will be like a young man's family broke down. Losing everything, how can I teach this junior how to survive...I beg Uncle Gui to teach this junior, wealth and glory, or whose world, this junior doesn’t want anything extravagantly, even if the world is turned upside down, this junior just wants to keep the emperor’s life!" Xi Zhao Raising his head, he looked eagerly at Uncle Gui.But Uncle Gui didn't seem to have heard Xizhao's heart-pounding pleading, he just smiled quietly, and then spoke again, and there was a hint of etherealness in his words that was hardly noticeable.

"The ups and downs alternate, the ups and downs come and go, and everything cannot escape the calamity of reincarnation. This is the case with the Ming Dynasty, the emperor, and the younger brother. I have known the younger brother so far, and it can be said that I have a destiny. I am waiting here today. Farewell. Daming's lifespan is coming to an end, and the deadline has come. This is a fixed number that no one can change. Everything is coming to an end, and I shouldn't stay here anymore. Karma is impermanent, the world is changing, and the future is still long, brother. You have to take care of yourself in the future.”

Listening to Uncle Ghost's words, Xi Zhao's mind was suddenly in a trance, and when she came back to her senses, the old rattan chair was actually empty.

"Uncle Ghost? Uncle Ghost?" Xi Zhao was taken aback, and hurriedly got up to look around, but the room was empty, where was Uncle Ghost?Xizhao went out to look for it again. The dark southeast library seemed to be sinking at the bottom of a deep pool, with no sound and no trace of people.The assertion that the end of the Ming Dynasty has come, the ghost uncle who suddenly disappeared without a trace... Xizhao's heart was churning and confused, and he couldn't even tell which event was more shocking to the shaking of his shoulders at this time.The last ray of hope has been lost in this way, what should I do now... There is still a gleam of light in the crack of the door behind her.Xizhao leaned on the wall and staggered back to the Uncle Ghost's room, only to see a lamp like a bean beside the empty rattan chair, tables and chairs, medicine cabinet, Buddha statue, incense burner, although everything in the house was there, it seemed to be normal. Sisi turned into ashes and drifted away, and in the end there was nothing left.Xi Zhao's legs went limp, and she sat slumped on the ground, watching desperately that the candle was burning, burning, and finally shed all the wax tears, and slowly extinguished it.