Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

Internal officials supervise the warehouse.

"Your Majesty is not in good health recently?" The eunuch in charge read the handbook, took the key, and led Xi Zhao into the warehouse.

"Ah... um." Xi Zhao replied vaguely.

Xi Zhao was also present when Wang Chengen played the national treasury emergency.But he didn't expect that the mighty Ming Dynasty would be exhausted to the point of selling off its inventory.Looking at the emperor's expression that morning, he must have mixed feelings in his heart and feel very uncomfortable.The country has been reduced to this point, and even I, a grassroots person, can't help but feel sad, let alone this king who has always been diligent in political affairs and conscientious.The emperor's mood should be ten thousand times deeper than his own.

Therefore, Xizhao did not specify the usefulness of this ginseng.It is enough for him and the emperor to know about this matter, no one else needs to know about it, and no other emotions need to be mixed in - he doesn't want the sage in his heart to be criticized or sympathized with.

"This is it." The eunuch in charge took out a delicate wooden box from the cabinet, "This ginseng is privately kept by Lord Wanli, but it is the best of the best. In the past 20 years, there has never been such a good ginseng." Said Then, he handed the wooden box to Xizhao.Xizhao saw that the wooden box was of exquisite texture and exquisite carvings, so it must be filled with high-priced items.He wrapped the box in cloth, changed his mind, and asked the eunuch in charge:

"Elder-in-law...knows medicinal materials very well?"

"I have been in charge of this medicinal herb warehouse for more than [-] years, and I understand it even if I don't know it." The eunuch in charge smiled and seemed easy to talk to.

"Really." Xi Zhao looked admiring, "I don't know anything about this. If the emperor wants it, I will come to get it, but I don't know that what the emperor wants is such a rare thing."

"A rare thing, you are right." The eunuch in charge curled his lips and said seriously, "These boxes of ginseng stored in the 38th year of Wanli here are all thousands of years old ginseng. □□. Except in the palace, such top-quality products are simply not seen outside."

"So expensive?"

"Yes, Lord Wanli enjoys it the most. He is not willing to eat this ginseng. No, he just keeps it."

"Then tell me, how much is this ginseng worth?" Xi Zhao packed the box and followed the eunuch in charge towards the door of the warehouse.

The eunuch in charge frowned and thought for a while. "In my opinion, this plant is worth this amount." Zhao Xizhao made a gesture, and then said, "Hey, what's wrong with the emperor, and you want to eat this ginseng?"

"I'm just here to run errands, so I don't know that much." Xi Zhao chuckled, "I just heard that the emperor is overworked, and the imperial doctor said that the emperor's body needs old ginseng to make up. I don't know about the rest." After finishing speaking, Xi Zhao asked the steward The eunuch thanked him and left the warehouse.

two

"Look at this thing, how much is it worth?"

In Fu Rui Xing, a well-known pawnshop in the capital, a young man with a handsome face was sitting.I saw him wearing a jet-black square scarf on his head, wearing a water-coloured brocade jacket, and a black sapphire belt around his waist. His eyes were like bright pearls, and his face was like embellished jade. He looked like a gentleman.After finishing the question, the man took the teacup calmly, took a sip, and smiled at the shopkeeper who was hunched over beside him, carefully accompanying him.

This man, of course, is Xi Zhao.

The shopkeeper of the pawnshop looked to be in his forties, with a slightly fat body and a mustache. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed.When Xizhao handed the wooden box to him, he only lifted the lid and glanced at it, then quickly closed the lid as if frightened, bowed his body, cupped his hands, respectfully invited Xizhao to sit in the inner hall, and at the same time greeted the staff Serve tea.

"This item of yours is not ordinary. You have a small eye, so it's not easy to make a judgment. Please ask the shopkeeper to give you an eye." The shopkeeper smiled apologetically, then turned to Xiao Lang who was waiting next to him, "Hurry up and give me Liu Sheng Find it." Xiao Lang responded, and ran out the door in two or three steps.

"Hey." The shopkeeper in this room turned his head again, smiling all over his face, "Dare to ask this young man, where did you get this treasure from?"

"Since it's a business, you only need to judge the value, and you don't need to involve the source." Xi Zhao replied tepidly.

"Yes, yes, yes." The shopkeeper hurriedly responded, not daring to ask again, "My lord, please rest for a while, the imperial court will be here soon."

Sure enough, before a cup of tea was finished, the imperial servant named Liu Sheng entered the inner hall.He bowed to Xizhao, and together with the shopkeeper, he placed the wooden box firmly on a large table, and then lifted the lid with both hands.Although their backs were facing the sun, but the moment the lid of the box was opened, Chao Feng's back suddenly trembled, apparently also shocked by the contents of the box.The two weighed it carefully, and didn't say a word for a long while.Xi Zhao just sat quietly at the back, in the gap, saw Chao Feng carefully holding the tangled old ginseng tree in his hand, weighed it, looked it up and down carefully, and then slowly put it back into the box.He closed the lid of the box, pondered for a moment, turned around and walked to Xi Zhao, saluted again, and said:

"I'll be over half a hundred in the next year, and I've been in the industry for decades, and I've never seen such a rare ginseng. Not to mention this ginseng, but just the huanghuali wooden box containing ginseng. The carver and wood can be worth hundreds of taels." Silver." Chao Feng stroked his goatee, twitched the corner of his mouth, and continued, "Since it is rare in the world, the price must not be low, I think..." He and the shopkeeper looked at each other, "This ginseng together with the huanghuali wooden box , My village offers 5000 taels, I don't know what your master wants?"

After hearing the words, Xi Zhao was not in a hurry to answer, thought for a while, then stood up, smiled and bowed to the two, picked up the wooden box and was about to leave.

"Hey, hey... this young master!" Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, "If you want to go, you should just send a message, we can discuss everything, don't just leave like this!"

Xi Zhao stopped in her tracks, the corners of her lips relaxed slightly, her gaze slanted, and she looked at the shopkeeper.The shopkeeper didn't know why, so he also stared at Xizhao blankly.

"Do you still want to do this business?" Xi Zhao said slowly, not in a hurry.

"That's natural." The shopkeeper nodded.

"In that case, Mr. Chaofeng, let's make a real price with you." Xi Zhao glanced over the shopkeeper's shoulder, and looked directly at Liu Chaofeng behind him.

Liu Chaofeng swallowed his saliva.

"My lord, don't be in a hurry, you always have to bargain when doing business. Dare I ask what price you plan to sell?"

Xi Zhao narrowed her eyes, didn't speak, only smiled.

"Ah, cough." Liu Chaofeng was a little embarrassed, coughed lightly, and said, "Then... 8000 taels, look..."

Xi Zhao sighed softly, shaking her head as if disappointed, and turned to leave again.The shopkeeper hurriedly yelled and grabbed Xizhao's sleeves, Liu Chaofeng also rushed a few steps forward and stopped Xizhao: "If 8000 taels is not appropriate, then the young master can say a price, so that I can have a bottom line in my heart."

Xi Zhao frowned slightly, and waved his hand: "Since Guizhuang has no sincerity to accept this ginseng, why do you need to listen to my price."

"My lord, what are you talking about, please sit down first, let's talk about the price slowly." The shopkeeper held Xi Zhao's sleeve tightly, sweat dripped from his forehead.

Seeing this, Liu Chaofeng sighed heavily.

"Hey! I don't know Taishan with my eyes. I didn't expect that the young master is really knowledgeable at such a young age. Disrespect and disrespect." He made a long bow, and then said, "This ginseng is indeed a rare thing. 5000 taels. This time it's really the real price, don't doubt it again, young master."

Only then did Xizhao settle down, looking at Liu Chaofeng and then at the shopkeeper.

"2 taels." Xi Zhao still smiled tepidly, "The wooden box is not included."

three

With 2 taels of silver bills in his arms and another 400 taels of money in a wooden box, it was past noon when Xizhao left Furuihang.He looked up at the sky, turned a corner, and walked towards Baozhu Hutong.

Baozhu Hutong is about one foot wide, with flat stone slabs and deep houses surrounded by high walls on both sides.Turn into Baozhu Hutong and go straight to the depth of the alley. There is a narrow alley between two houses, which is so narrow that only one person can pass through.Xi Zhao squeezed into this alley, walked forward about thirty or forty steps, and an unremarkable small door appeared at the end of the alley.Xizhao put the silver box in her hand on the ground, squatted down and rolled up her sleeves, groped around the corner a few times, and then grabbed a stone brick and lifted it up.There was a wax box buried under the stone brick. Xizhao opened the wax box and took out a small key, put the stone brick back to its original place, and inserted the key into the keyhole of the padlock on the small door.With a click, the door lock fell off, Xi Zhao stretched out her hand to push the door open, picked up the silver, and walked into the small door.

This small door is not the way back to the palace.Xizhao returned to her own home.

Ever since she found out that her old house had not been sold, Xi Zhao had been living quietly in this deserted house for a few years before entering the palace.He walked into a side room, closed the door, put down the heavy silver in his hands, shook his numb arms, and sat on a chair to rest.

two years.This house, this room, is still the same as before I entered the palace, except for the dust on the tables and chairs, and the weeds a few inches high in the yard, there is almost no change.When she came back in the morning, Xizhao had wiped clean the tables, chairs, cabinets, put away the quilts, and carefully wiped off the dust on the parents' spirit card inside the room.In the past two years, the house has been empty, no one offers incense and worship, and my parents must be very lonely.Thinking about it, Xizhao felt a little sad, so she stood up, took out three sticks of incense sticks from the drawer, took out a fire bag and lit them, put them on the incense burner, flicked her front skirt, knelt down, and bowed three times earnestly.

The child is unfilial and neglected to worship in two years, so I apologize here.

If parents and adults are alive, how would they feel about their child's experience in the past two years?Probably they would shake their heads and sigh, or they might feel that the life of petty theft is finally better—no matter what it is, it is absurd.Time flies, and it has been seven years since the family change.Seven years is not long, but it has been a long time for me, and today's child has long been unable to move towards the future that his father expected back then.So no matter what choice the child makes in the future, I implore parents and adults not to be disappointed with the child.

After saying goodbye, Xi Zhao stood up and touched the bank note in front of her chest.

Twenty thousand and four hundred taels of silver.If you stay away from the palace just like this, you will be full of luxury and wealth for the rest of your life.The name is false, the identity is false, wearing this civilian clothes, no one will know where Zhang Dexiu is.What a perfect opportunity to want to get away.

Xi Zhao was thinking in her heart, and couldn't help but look at the silver box with 400 taels of silver on the table, looked at it, but smiled helplessly.Thinking back to when I was in Dongnanku, how I tried my best to escape from the shackles of this red wall, but I couldn't do it.But now he left the palace openly, walking freely in the familiar streets and alleys as in the past, but there was no desire to escape in his heart.Passing through the bustling teahouse, walking in the still bustling market, turning around the street corner where we stopped sometimes, and looking back at the small shop we visited, it’s not that we don’t miss it, but this nostalgia never starts. Without that, I want to return urgent.It's like brewing tea three times. Although the fragrance of tea is vaguely hidden, the taste is neither bitter nor astringent.

But in just two years, my heart has changed.

Xi Zhao let out a breath, smiled wryly, took off the son's clothes on her body, folded them and put them in the suitcase, and changed back to the eunuch's outfit when she left the palace in the morning.He kept the bank notes on his body, lifted the silver box and was about to leave, but stopped hesitantly, opened the silver box again, took out 50 taels of silver, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and hid it in the deepest part of the suitcase.

No matter what, sooner or later she will take off Zhang Dexiu's clothes and turn back into Xu Xizhao.

Although not now.

After hiding the money, Xi Zhao left the old house.After leaving Baozhu Hutong, the Imperial Palace is not far to the west.On the other side of the red wall, there are still unfinished business and people waiting for me.In the past, you can leave without worries, but now there is always something in your heart that you can't bear to let go.Seeing the palace gate approaching step by step, Xi Zhao suddenly realized that her steps were getting brisk. The palace, which she wanted to escape so much, had unknowingly become her longing home.