Chongzhen Sunset Song

?one

huh, huh, huh...

It was just dawn, and a little eunuch ran over from a distance in a panic. One accidentally tripped over a protruding green brick and fell to the ground.Xi Zhao who was sweeping the floor hastily dropped the broom to help him, but before Xi Zhao came to his side, the little eunuch quickly got up without even looking at Xi Zhao, and hurriedly ran forward again.When they passed each other, Xi Zhao noticed that the little eunuch's eyes seemed to be a bit terrified like seeing a ghost.

Xi Zhao picked up the broom and looked at the back of the little eunuch.Is it wrong?I must have read it wrong.Xi Zhao pursed her lips and continued to sweep the floor without thinking too much about it.

In less than a stick of incense, two more maids came towards this side, their footsteps were so hurried that they almost kicked over the fallen leaves in the dustpan.

"Ah, I'm sorry." The maid who kicked the dustpan was taken aback and hurriedly apologized.

"It's okay."

The palace maid bowed her head to Xizhao as a salute, and left in a hurry.

At noon, the work was almost done.Xizhao wondered while tidying up the broom and dustpan.Usually, almost no one came to this southeast warehouse, but today there are always people rushing past abnormally, and everyone looks nervous. Could something happen?Xi Zhao closed the door of the small tool room, thought for a while, and walked towards Mr. Ma's small courtyard with gray walls.

Arriving at the small courtyard with gray walls, Xi Zhao shrank back as usual and slid under the window of the main room, but she couldn't hear the arrogant voice.Xi Zhao listened for a long time, but there seemed to be no one in the room.Xizhao was even more puzzled.Usually at this time, Eunuch Ma is always there, either scolding the little eunuch or Eunuch Wang, but he is not here today?So Xi Zhao came out from the courtyard wall again, and stood on the side of the road in a daze, not knowing where to go to inquire about the news.Just as she was thinking, she happened to see another palace lady passing by with a strange expression, Xi Zhao hurried forward a few steps.

"Sister, sister!"

The palace maid turned her head and looked at the setting sun.

"Sorry for disturbing my sister, may I ask why everyone looks uneasy today, is there something wrong in the palace?" Xi Zhao asked politely with a bow.

"You don't know?" The maid raised her eyebrows.

"Know what?"

"Huang Taiji has captured Zunhua, and the Jin army is about to attack Beijing. Now that the whole city is under martial law, who knows when it will start!"

"What?!" Xi Zhao was taken aback and took two steps back.

"Hey, that's what happened, I won't tell you anymore, the imperial concubine is still waiting for my reply." After finishing speaking, the maid walked away quickly without looking back.

Jin Jun... Come to Beijing! ?

The palace maid walked away, and Xizhao stood by the palace wall alone, and when the cold wind passed by, she suddenly felt a biting chill.What the hell is going on here?For so many years, although there have been constant wars, the wars are all on the border, hitting the capital... This is something I have never imagined.What will happen to the capital if it is captured by the Jin army?What about us?What about Daming?Will everyone die?Will this place be looted by the Golden Army?Xizhao thought desperately, but couldn't think of the true appearance of the consequences, but the instinctive sense of crisis came in waves, irresistible, and suddenly occupied Xizhao's heart.

two

"Uncle Ghost, Uncle Ghost!"

Xi Zhao knocked on the door twice indiscriminately, before waiting for a response from the door, he hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.Uncle Gui sat on the rattan chair with the medicine pot in his hand, looking up at the sunset.

"Why so panic?"

"Uncle Gui knows that the Jin army is about to approach the city!"

"Really." Uncle Ghost nodded, and continued to make medicine in a calm manner, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

"Uncle Gui, don't you believe it?" Xi Zhao's eyes widened, "It's true, everyone in the palace is panicking today, everyone knows it."

"Hehe, I believe it."

"Hey, if the Jin army captures Beijing, what can we do?" Xi Zhao sat down on the rattan chair, which seemed to be unable to support it, and made a harsh creaking sound, "Will the capital be smashed?" It's rotten, burned to the ground..."

Uncle Gui smiled and shook his head.

"Then you say, will we die?"

"..."

"Hey, what should I do..." Xi Zhao stood up from the wicker chair again before waiting for Uncle Gui to answer, and walked around the room restlessly.

"Brother, relax."

"Huh?" Hearing Uncle Ghost speak, Xizhao stopped.

"Things in this world, what should come will always come, and what should go will always go," Uncle Gui said unhurriedly, "No one can go against the current, even worrying is useless. Brother, don't worry about it for now. Don't worry, just look at it a little bit."

"Uh... Look away... How do you look away from such a big event?"

Uncle Gui gave a hoarse smile and didn't answer.

Sunset frowned.My heart was in a mess, Xi Zhao couldn't listen to Uncle Ghost's words, but for a moment I didn't know what to say to relieve this anxiety, so I could only sigh, fell silent, and sat back on the chair.

There was a moment of silence.In the censer, three sticks of incense burned out one after another, the ashes broke and fell down, and the room was filled with cigarette smoke.The sunlight came in through the small window, bypassed the wisps of smoke, and spread a small patch of light around Uncle Gui's feet, reflecting the wrinkles on his face seemed to be somewhat clearer.

"Don't worry. Daming's fate is not exhausted, this time it will definitely be safe and sound."

After a while, Uncle Gui spoke slowly.The voice was still hoarse, but it seemed particularly peaceful at this moment.

"Uncle Ghost... how do you know?" Xi Zhao was a little surprised and asked tentatively.

The Uncle Gui smiled, still lowering his head, taking medicine.

"Brother, just relax."

three

In November of the second year of Chongzhen, Huang Taiji led the cavalry of the Golden Army, starting from Zunhua, which is only more than 300 miles away from Beijing, and heading straight for Beijing via Shunyi and Sanhe.Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, miscalculated the advancing route of the Jin army and failed to intercept it as planned. The Jin army drove straight in and ignited the flames of war directly under the gate of Beijing City.

After more than ten days of anxiety, the last thing Xi Zhao wanted to see finally happened.If you want to say that you are not afraid of this encounter, it must be a lie.Just hiding in Uncle Gui's place, at least he can stay away from the dark clouds of fear in the palace.Xizhao walked back and forth anxiously in the room for a while, and knelt in front of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for a while, clasped his hands together, and recited sutras that he didn't know were right or wrong.The gunfire in the distance was continuous, as if it exploded in Xizhao's ears, occasionally mixed with the footsteps of palace people outside the house and shouts from nowhere, disturbing the anxiety in Xizhao's heart. Stir together into a mess.Every second is a torment, and only when I look at the ghost next to An Anran, who closes his eyes and rests, can he temporarily calm down.

It will always pass, it will always pass.Xizhao grasped the hem of his clothes, thinking silently in his heart.

And the father-in-laws in charge of the ceremonies here are in a mess.Memorials and battle reports keep pouring in like a tide:

"Guangqumen's strong enemy is hard to retreat. Yuan Dushi has been hit by arrows, and Guan Ning's cavalry has lost hundreds!"

"General Hou's army is defeated, and only General Man Gui is left in Deshengmen!"

"Urgent report! General Mangui is injured, and Deshengmen is in critical condition!"

Everyone is constantly busy with hands and feet, and there is no time to calm down and be afraid.Zhou Xi was walking forward with a heap of folders that almost covered his eyes, and accidentally kicked the leg of the chair, and the memorials scattered all over the floor with a whimper.

"What did you do, you little bastard!" The older eunuch on the side scolded.

"Pick up the little ones right away, clean up right away..." Zhou Xi replied, lying on the ground and frantically sorting the memorials together.

"After tidying up, hurry up and send it to the emperor! What a waste of time!"

"Yes, yes!" Zhou Xi, who had straightened out the paperwork, hurriedly got up, not even having time to straighten his crooked hat, and trotted all the way towards the Qianqing Palace.

As soon as he entered the hall, a fat middle-aged eunuch with big eyes and flat face rushed forward to take the memorial from Zhou Xi, turned around and walked quickly into the hall.Zhou Xi remembered that this person was the big celebrity in front of the emperor, the eunuch Wang Chengen, the supervisor of ceremonies and Bingbi.For a moment, Zhou Xi caught sight of the Eunuch Wang in front of his back, and amidst the splendor and splendor, sat a man in a yellow robe, holding a pen in his right hand, carefully reviewing the memorial on the table.But it only took a moment before he heard a scolding voice: "Waiters are waiting, don't stay!" Then, he was pushed out of the door by the guard.Zhou Xi was feeling a little regretful, when suddenly a burst of gunfire broke out in the distance, Zhou Xi's heart trembled, and he subconsciously covered his head with his hands, the trace of regret was instantly dissipated by the fear in his heart.

four

This day is extremely long for the people in this palace.The fear and anxiety in my heart rose and fell with the sound of gunfire a few miles away. Every time the gap between the gunfire will make people gradually ignite a little expectation for the end of the war, and the next time the gunfire bursts, This expectation will be extinguished in an instant until there is only a wisp of green smoke left.In this way, it went round and round, until the evening, when the sun began to fade away, the artillery fire finally gradually subsided.

A young eunuch staggered into the courtyard on the west side of Qianqing Palace, and pushed open the door of the main room with a bang, so startled that everyone in charge of ceremonies stopped what they were doing and looked straight at him.

"Retire! Retreat! Jin Jun retreat!"

"Is this true??" Eunuch Li dropped the memorial in his hand and hurried forward to ask.

"How dare you lie to your father-in-laws about such a big event! The Jin army really retreated! We won the battle!"

"Great!" "God bless!" "Blessed."

The supervisors all breathed a sigh of relief, clasped their palms and clenched their fists, all beaming with joy.Zhou Xi clutched his chest and breathed heavily, as if he was grabbing a life-saving rope when he was about to fall off a cliff, his legs went limp, and he sat on the ground and couldn't get up.

At the same time, Xizhao also heard the news, and ran back to Uncle Gui's residence three steps at a time, and told Uncle Gui about the retreat of the Jin army.

"If it's as you said, it's really all right! It's all right!" Xi Zhao looked happy, and hurriedly ran to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and knelt down, clasped his palms and kept chanting Amitabha and Bodhisattva's blessings.Seeing Xizhao's devout look, Uncle Gui smiled and shook his head, bowed his waist, took out three incense sticks from the cabinet, walked slowly to the candle in front of the Buddha statue, lit them, shook them, and handed them to Xizhao.Xi Zhao smiled and took the incense, bowed respectfully, and carefully inserted it into the incense burner.

"By the way, Uncle Ghost, do you know how to count?" Xi Zhao inserted the incense, bowed a few more times, and then stood up, "Listening to your words, I always feel that you can detect a lot of mysteries, this time too, you are so calm , is it calculated that nothing will happen this time?"

"Hey." Uncle Gui waved his hand, turned around and sat down on the low rattan chair again, "How can an old man predict the secrets of heaven, but he is over sixty years old and is about to die, so everything can be taken lightly."

"Don't say that." Xi Zhao also pulled a chair, moved it to Uncle Gui and sat down next to him, "A while ago you said that Da Ming's life was not exhausted, and you said it so definitely, could it be a lie? If you know how to count, Also teach me, so that the younger generation can also have a glimpse of the secrets and explore the future."

Uncle Gui waved his hands again, but didn't answer, just leaned on the back of the chair, closed his eyes and meditated.Seeing that Uncle Gui should not answer, Xi Zhao moved the chair closer, "Uncle Gui, please teach me..."

After begging several times, Uncle Gui finally half-opened his eyes, sighed slightly, and said quietly: "Don't say I don't know how to count, even if I do, what will my little brother learn to do? Peeping at the secrets of the sky and the future, it's against the sky." It is something that cannot be forced by humans. What's more..." Ghost Uncle stopped in the middle of speaking, and stopped speaking.Xizhao was puzzled, and was about to ask a question, but Uncle Gui continued: "What's more, if you want to know the future, what can you do? If you want to have a pure heart, you should know less."