Wang Chengen knew that the tragedy of the country was coming, and the city fell within a day or two, so he couldn't help but cry on the ground, but he didn't know what words to comfort the emperor.

Several of the more prominent eunuchs in the Ganqing Palace have come to their eyes because of the tragedy of the country, and they are very concerned about the conversation between Wang Chengen and the emperor, and they stand outside the window with bated breath. At this time, I heard the master and slave sitting on the dragon chair, the other kneeling on the ground, whimpering relatively, some of them secretly wiped their tears, and some walked away gently, crying elsewhere.

After a while, Chongzhen ordered Wang Chengen to stand up and asked, "Is there a way to send an edict to Wu Sangui and urge him to fire the cavalry to save the Jingshi?"

Wang Chengen hesitated for a moment, bowed down and said: "The military department has no way to send the emperor's edict, please allow the slave to go to the factory to discuss with the ministers at this moment, and give a generous reward of silver, no matter what, tonight send a loyal and daring person to die, release him from the city, go to Yongping and Shanhaiguan, and send the emperor's edict to Wu Sangui's army." ”

Chongzhen knew that even if his edict could be sent, it would be in a hurry, but even if there was only a glimmer of hope, he would never give up. He looked at Wang Chengen, rolled out tears, and said in a choked voice: "You go quickly!"

Since learning the news that Li Zicheng's army had crossed the Xuanfu, the Ganqing Palace followed Chongzhen's edict every day at noon and evening, and the emperor no longer played music during meals, and the dishes were reduced to only a dozen or so, which was called the withdrawal of music and reduced meals. Today, Beijing has been besieged, and there have been several bursts of artillery in Xizhimen and Fuchengmen, so Chongzhen's dinner today is even more unpalatable. But he was worried that Li Zicheng's men and horses would start to storm the city tonight, and he needed to barely eat to maintain his strength and cope with the emergency.

There are two elderly concubines in the palace, who once raised the young Chongzhen. In order not to frighten them, the empress did not allow the palace maids and eunuchs to tell them the news of Li Zicheng's siege of Beijing. According to the habit of the past, every day when the emperor had dinner, the two concubines sent two palace maids from their respective palaces to hold two vermilion lacquer dragon food boxes, each containing two exquisite side dishes that the emperor liked to eat, and sent them to the Ganqing Palace to show that they cared about the emperor's diet. These two concubines live in two adjacent palaces, so every day the four palace maids of the two palaces always meet together to deliver side dishes.

Due to the emperor's decree to reduce the meal, the dishes sent from the imperial dining room tonight are less than one-third of the usual, but they can be regarded as full of color, fragrance and taste. Helplessly, Chongzhen only thought that the tragedy of the destruction of the country and the annihilation of the clan was coming, as the saying goes, no matter what kind of delicacies in the world, there is only the taste of soil in the mouth. When the food boxes of the two concubines were delivered, he stood up from the royal chair as usual and said, "Thank you for the mercy of the two concubines." ”

In order to try to comfort the concubines, they tasted half of the four side dishes they were sent, and unconsciously rolled out tears, and the four palace maids who delivered the dishes were suddenly startled and looked at each other. Wei Qinghui hurriedly glanced at them, and according to the usual practice, Wei Qinghui ordered the two palace maids to pour the concubines' side dishes into other bowls, and put the original four kiln porcelain bowls back into the food box.

Wei Qinghui personally sent the four palace maids out of the Rijing Gate, and whispered: "Four sisters, tonight is busy in the Qing Palace, I can't leave the emperor's side, please play the two concubines on my behalf, the emperor eats very well today, the two concubines sent four delicious things, the emperor ate most of them, and the rest was given to the people to eat, and the people of the Qing Palace thanked the two concubines for their kindness." ”

A palace maid asked: "Sister Qinghui, the thieves are besieging the city, can Wu Sangui's rescuers come?"

"I heard that Wu Sangui's Qin Wang Bing had passed Yongping the day before yesterday and was heading to Beijing. The emperor issued another edict and urged Wu Sangui to hurry up, do the two concubines know that the thieves are besieging the city?"

"The people and eunuchs of our two palaces have been ordered by the queen to not besiege the city by thieves, and they have revealed a trace of rumors in front of the concubines, so the concubines still don't know. ”

Wei Qinghui nodded with tears in her eyes, and asked again: "There were two cannons today, didn't the two concubines hear it?"

The maid replied, "The two concubines were playing chess, and they were taken aback and asked what was going on. We didn't know how to react, and it happened that Sister Wu Wanrong of Kunning Palace came to greet the two concubines on the order of the queen, saying that it was a drill held by the Shenji Battalion outside Xicheng to test firearms. The two concubines relaxed and continued to play chess. ”

Wei Qinghui choked up and said: "The two concubines are close to their sixtieth birthday, and they have lived in the palace for decades, so they would never have expected the National Games to be so dangerous. ”

A palace maid took Wei Qinghui's hand and asked in a trembling whisper, "Sister Qinghui, in case something is bad......

Wei Qinghui said: "At that time, the ambitious Duren sisters will be with me, and we would rather die than be insulted." ”

Emperor Chongzhen hastily had dinner, rinsed his mouth, returned to Yangdezhai behind the Ganqing Palace to rest, and waited for the eunuchs and palace maids to eat and then follow him to the Fengxian Hall to cry and worship the ancestral gods. He heard the eunuch report around him today, and in the past two or three days, the palace maids and eunuchs have been rumoring that they have heard a loud noise in the temple in the middle of the night, and there seems to be footsteps walking out of the temple.

He also heard that there had been a sigh of hatred in the middle of the night in the Bongxian Hall for several days, and sometimes there was a sound of footsteps. He was very attentive to this kind of unlucky superstitious news, so the eunuchs in charge of the Qing Palace and the left and right elders often played this kind of news to him. Every time he heard the eunuch's recital, his heart was shaken, and although he did not say anything, he sometimes sighed in despair in his heart: "This is the image of the dead country... Statue of the Lost Country......"

Chongzhen inherited the throne at the age of seventeen, and in the years after his accession to the throne, he worked diligently every day, determined to be a master of the Ming Dynasty. As the Son of Heaven who was ordered by Heaven and represented the people of Heaven, he got up every day on five watches as usual, freshened up the crown belt under the service of the palace maids, burned incense and worshiped the sky on the opening pier of the Ganqing Palace, prayed for the peace of the country and the people, and then took the chariot to the court, and the busy life began early in the morning.

In the second year of his ascension to the throne, he ordered a learned and calligrapher-friendly eunuch Gao Shiming to write a plaque of respecting the heavens and the ancestors and hang it in the middle of the main hall of the Ganqing Palace. These four words have never been used by other emperors before, and it is he who came up with these four words after repeated deliberation to show his way of being a king.

In his opinion, all things are born in nature, heaven is selfless, and if you can respect the sky, you can love the people, so it is natural to be a prince of Yao Shun and respect the sky. As for Fazu, it is to show that he wants to emulate the founding emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Dazu and Chengzu, these two emperors are called Erzu and are the examples he aspires to follow. The emperors of all generations after Chengzu were called Liezong, and he did not intend to follow them, but only respected them out of ethical thoughts.

In recent years, due to the deterioration of the country's fortunes, his vigor has diminished, and the idea of superstitious ghosts and gods has increased day by day, and the number of times he goes to the Fengxian Hall to kneel in front of the gods of the second ancestor has also increased every year. The more frustrated the state affairs, the more pessimistic and desperate he was, the more indignant and sad he was, the more he thought of Fengxian Hall and knelt in front of the gods of Taizu and Chengzu and wept bitterly.

He is not a person with a weak character, and he does not go to the Fengxian Hall to ask for the blessing of his ancestors, as the old saying goes, begging for the soul to dry bones. He had infinite distress and endless sad words, and he could neither speak explicitly to the courtiers nor confide in the concubines, but could only cry bitterly to the gods of the two founding ancestors. Although he did not speak when he wept bitterly, to avoid being heard by the palace maids and eunuchs, his rushing tears and touching sobs were his heartfelt outpouring.

Since the day before yesterday, the general of Juyong Guan and the eunuch of the supervising army surrendered to Li Zicheng, the Changping mutiny and the gentry surrendered, and thousands of Beijing battalion soldiers were dispersed without a fight in Shahe, and Wu Sangui could not rescue the troops, Chongzhen understood that the situation of the country had been formed, and he pretended to be calm on the surface, but he was very scared in his heart. Today, Li Zicheng has surrounded Beijing, he knows that the city is only in the future, and he fell into despair even more, and said to himself in his heart: "I have endured for 17 years, but I have ended up today." ”

When such a country is about to die, even if there is no abnormal situation in the Fengxian Palace, he will also go to the Fengxian Palace to weep bitterly, not to mention that for several nights, the eunuchs who are waiting in the Fengxian Hall hear the sound of sighing and pausing in the main hall at the third watch in the middle of the night; and an old eunuch saw a tall figure walking in the candlelight, which made the old eunuch suddenly frightened, screamed, and sat down outside the palace.

Chongzhen thought that the country passed down by his ancestors was going to die in his hands, and he had no face to see his ancestors after his death. He suddenly walked wildly in the warm pavilion, let out a sound of hatred again and again, and muttered to himself: "I have no face to see my ancestors, and I have no face to see my ancestors......"

At this time, the eunuchs and palace maids had already finished their dinner in a hurry, because they all knew that the situation was very urgent and the emperor was in a very bad mood, so everyone was sad and panicked. Several eunuchs and palace maids who often served by the emperor's side came to the outside of the main hall of the Ganqing Palace, waiting with bated breath, and did not dare to enter the warm pavilion.

Chongzhen sat down in the dragon chair dejectedly, picked up the teacup, and took a sip of warm tea, intending to calm his mind down, but suddenly thought of the useless courtiers, and couldn't help but be full of resentment. In the past, ministers of all sizes, in addition to presenting various state affairs in the court every day, also had to ask for a summons and talk about things. Today, the capital is besieged, and the country is dying, why did no one in the Manchu Dynasty ask for a call and offer a strategy?

He suddenly thought of Wu Sangui's visit to King Qin, and felt even more annoyed, when the imperial court learned that Li Zicheng had broken Taiyuan, someone suggested that Wu Sangui enter the customs and return to Beijing. Wang Yongji, the governor of Jiliao, also came from Yongping Mansion to play a secret performance, and strongly advocated the transfer of Wu Sangui back to save the Beijing division in order to consolidate the foundation of the country. At that time, he had already agreed to crown Wu Sangui as Ping Xibo, counting on Wu Sangui to pacify the thieves from the west.

However, many of the courtiers fiercely obstructed, saying that not an inch of the ancestral territory could be lost, and reproaching the abandonment of the land outside the customs was a bad idea. Later, because the situation became increasingly urgent, the courtiers agreed to summon King Wu Sangui Qin, but they also said that the people of Liaodong were all the emperor's people, and all the people in Ningyuan must be brought into the pass, so they would inevitably miss the opportunity.

He hated that the court was full of mediocre ministers, and there was no one who had the knowledge and courage to take responsibility for the country. Thinking of this, he was furious, smashed a teacup in his hand to the ground, and scolded: "The ministers have mistaken the country and lost their lives, and they all deserve to die!"

Wu Xiang, the eunuch in charge of the Ganqing Palace, was in front of the palace, and when he heard the sound, he hurried in, knelt on the ground, and did not dare to ask, just waiting for orders. At this moment, Wei Qinghui also came in and knelt on the ground.

Chongzhen looked at them and whispered, "Pass the decree and go to the Fengxian Hall immediately." ”

The eunuch in charge asked, "Do you want to be prepared?"

"Don't be prepared, go on foot. ”

The eunuch in charge hurriedly went out of the main hall of the Ganqing Palace, arranged for some of the eunuchs to go to the Fengxian Palace, and some stayed in the palace. Wei Qinghui also left the emperor and hurried to gather the palace maids together, and ordered some of the palace maids to stay, and some of them to hurry up and prepare to wait with them.

When the eunuchs and palace maids were preparing, Chongzhen wept silently and said to himself in his heart: "The city is broken, and this is obviously the last time I will go to Fengxian Palace." ”

When he thought of the tragedy of the country, he couldn't help but think of the queen and Concubine Yuan, as well as a few minor children, his heart was sad, his nose was sore, and tears poured out. Empress Zhou was elected as Princess Xin at the age of sixteen, and it was Empress Daqi Zhang, who was now Empress Yi'an, who presided over the important event of choosing a concubine for King Xin. Among the many alternative girls from good families, King Xin and Queen Zhang both took a fancy to the girl surnamed Zhou, who was really jade-looking, radiant, dignified, gentle and generous.

Empress Zhang asked him in a low voice: "King Xin, what do you think of this girl surnamed Zhou?"

King Xin replied embarrassedly in a low voice: "Please ask the imperial sister-in-law to decide, she is very beautiful, but she has lost a little weight." ”

Empress Zhang smiled slightly and said, "She is only sixteen years old, and she has not yet grown into an adult, and she will not be too thin in two or three years." "The matter of choosing a concubine for King Shin was thus decided.

After another half a year, the Emperor of the Apocalypse died of illness, and thanks to Empress Zhang's proposal, King Xin was welcomed into the palace that night to inherit the throne. At that time, the nursing mother Keshi and Wei Zhongxian abused their power, and the government was disorderly, in order to prevent Xin Wanggong from being assassinated by the Kewei traitorous party when he entered the palace, Princess Xin personally baked a cake with the palace maid and brought it into the palace for King Xin.

When King Xin got on the sedan chair in the courtyard, Concubine Zhou walked to the sedan chair and instructed in a trembling whisper: "Lord Wang, if you are hungry tonight, please keep in mind that you only eat the cakes brought from home, and do not eat the things in the palace." Wait until early tomorrow morning, when you take the throne in the Imperial Palace, and receive the congratulations of hundreds of civil and military officials, everything will be considered fine. ”

Seeing King Xin nodding, she asked with tears in her eyes: "Go to the prince, please don't sleep tonight, and the sword you brought with you will be placed on the table in front of you." The concubine has ordered the four eunuchs who entered the palace with the prince to serve by the prince's side tonight, and after the prince entered the palace, the concubine prayed in front of the gods all night, asking God to bless the prince to ascend the pole safely. ”

These trembling words, as well as the tears flashing in the eyes of Concubine Zhou's bright phoenix when he saw it, deeply shocked his heart, and after seventeen years of memory, it is still fresh in his heart.