Running from the Ganqing Gate to the Xihua Gate, you should generally go west first, turn to the south to the inner right gate, pass through the back right gate, then pass through the middle right gate, and finally pass through the Xuanzhi Gate, and have to turn to the southeast, cross the Jinshui River Bridge between the Huangji Gate and the Wumen Gate, in order to go west to run out of the Guiji Gate, bypass the front of the Wuying Gate to the Xihua Gate.

If you go this way, you have to go up to the high platform three times, and then go down the high platform. Although the palace maids are not very particular about binding their feet, they still wrap their feet after all, and if they stagger to this road to go outside Xihua Gate, they must have sore feet, weak legs, and can't run before they reach Xihua Gate. In addition, if the palace maids ran to the front yard of the Huangji Gate and encountered thieves entering the noon gate, wouldn't they throw themselves into the tiger's mouth?

Therefore, Wei Qinghui took everyone to the west from the front of the inner right gate, walked out of the Longzong Gate, and then went all the way to the south, and then crossed a Jinshui Bridge between the red wall of the Wuying Hall and the Chonglou, bypassed the Jinshui River in the south of the Wuying Gate, and then ran out of the Xihua Gate. Walking this road, you can not only avoid going up and down the high platform three times, but even if the enemy soldiers enter the palace from the noon gate, they will not meet head-on. Wei Qinghui chose this route for everyone in the boiling harem and the panic of the crowd, which shows that she is worthy of being the housekeeper beside Emperor Chongzhen, and has the highest prestige among thousands of palace maids.

The system in the palace of the Ming Dynasty was very strict, unlike the palace maids of the Tang and Song dynasties who could go to court with them. The scope of their activities is limited to the inner palace, and never to the outer court. The three major halls, the Wenhua Hall and the Wuying Palace, are all within the scope of the outer courts. In the past few days, Wei Qinghui has not only thought that she will set herself on fire with the emperor, but also often thinks that she will lead the palace maids to run out of Xihua Gate and commit suicide by throwing herself into the water.

Although she lived in the harem and had never been to the vast forbidden area south of the Ganqing Palace where palace maids were not allowed to go, because she was always paying attention, she knew that the three major halls and the Huangji Gate were all built on a pedestal more than a zhang high from the ground. She knew very well that the emperor went to the Wuying Palace to summon the courtiers from the courtyard of the Ganqing Palace, and did not take the side door built on the high pedestal on the right side of the three major halls, but turned right out of the Ganqing Gate, and went straight to the south through the Longzong Gate, she also knew that not far from the Wuying Palace was the Xihua Gate, and the Xihua Gate was a wide and deep moat. For three days, she had been thinking about the possibility of leading a group of palace maids and sisters to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the moat, so she had already considered this path to Xihuamen.

When she started to set off from Ganqingmen, Wei Qinghui held Wu Wanrong and Fei Zhen'e's hands tightly, but because there were many people traveling with her, the situation was very chaotic, so Wei Qinghui had to stop from time to time and greet everyone, so as not to leave someone behind and someone go the wrong way. Because Wu Wanrong is the head of the palace maids of Kunning Palace, she has a particularly close relationship with the palace maids of several palaces such as Chenggan Palace, Yikun Palace, the Prince's Zhongcui Palace, and the Princess's Shouning Palace, so she can't stop from time to time to take care of these sisters. Walking out of the Longzong Gate, not far from the Baoning Gate, Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong and Fei Zhen'e were no longer hand in hand.

When she let go of the hands of the Fei Gong people, she said very affectionately: "Zhen'e, we are all people who have received the special grace of the emperor, you joined me when you cast the moat, and we also held hands on the Huangquan Road." ”

The so-called "receiving the emperor's special favor" is not understood by anyone among the palace maids, and Wu Wanrong only knows a little. Fei Zhen'e's heart was shocked, but she didn't make a sound. She followed the back of the Wei palace people and continued to walk forward, and when she reached the halfway point, she suddenly said with hatred in her heart: "I am deeply favored by the emperor, and I can't repay it, so I am unwilling to die by throwing myself into the river in vain." ”

Then her pace began to slow down, and many palace maids she knew passed her, and she continued to walk forward with everyone, but her heart was even more hesitant, and her steps were even slower. In the blink of an eye, the distance between her and Wei Qinghui widened, and the distance between her and Wu Wanrong also widened.

When a large group of palace maids rushed by in a panic from the south side of the Jinshui River in front of Wuying's gate, the sky was already bright. More than a dozen eunuchs came out of the Guiji Gate, and while fleeing towards the Xihua Gate, they said to the palace maids: "You run away, the thieves have already entered the noon gate!"

When the palace ladies heard the news, many of them suddenly weakened their legs, and some of them grabbed the pine trees and couldn't walk. Wei Qinghui called and urged again, and led everyone to Xihuamen to continue running.

The eunuchs guarding the Xihua Gate had already fled, and more than a dozen eunuchs who had escaped from the noon gate also rushed out of the Xihua Gate and ran west across the stone bridge. Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong both arrived outside the Xihua Gate and stood there waiting for everyone. Two or three hundred palace maids came, but they didn't see Fei Zhen'e running out of Xihua Gate. After waiting for a while, Wei Qinghui ran back to the Xihua Gate, looked at the empty courtyard and shouted three times, but no one answered.

She heard many voices in the courtyard inside the noon gate, but she didn't know where Fei Zhen'e had gone by mistake. She loves Fei Zhen'e, cares about Fei Zhen'e, and is deeply afraid that Fei Zhen'e will fall into the hands of thieves. I couldn't hear Fei Zhen'e's answer, and my heart was so anxious that I almost burst into tears. After taking a few more steps forward, she shouted twice at the small courtyard of the Nanxun Temple: "Zhen'e, Zhen'e!"

Wu Wanke suddenly ran over, grabbed Wei Qinghui, and said hurriedly: "Qinghui, don't call anymore, if you delay any longer, you will miss a big deal!"

Wei Qinghui was ruthless, and followed Wu Wanrong to turn around and run out of Xihuamen again. She rolled out tears of sadness and resentment as she ran, and couldn't help but say to Wu Wanrong: "I really didn't expect that Fei Zhen'e was a person who was greedy for life and afraid of death, didn't remember the emperor's grace, and was willing to lose his temper at the hands of thieves!"

When Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong returned to Xihua Gate, the two or three hundred palace maids were waiting for them in a panic, but it could be seen that many people were no longer as generous and determined to die without regrets as when they set off from Ganqingmen. At this time, the voice of a person with a Shaanxi accent came from the Guiji Gate, as if a thief was asking the eunuch he met about the road in the palace loudly.

Wei Qinghui glanced at Wu Wanrong, and then shouted to the palace maids: "Sisters, the thieves have arrived, come with me with ambition!"

She ran to the river and jumped into the water, and Wu Wanrong jumped into the water second. Immediately after, there were about thirty palace maids who jumped into the water, most of them were people from the Ganqing Palace and the Kunning Palace. But nine out of ten palace maids refused to throw themselves into the water, and fled for their lives in panic. Most of them ran across the stone bridge and ran towards South and North Long Streets. Some palace maids vaguely remembered where they lived in the capital with fellow villagers or relatives, and when they asked for directions, the residents knew that the Forbidden City had fallen and that the emperor had escaped from the palace before dawn. The other part of the palace maids had nowhere to go, so they had to retreat to the Xihua Gate, follow the original path and run back to their palace, resigned to fate.

Soon after the deaths of Wei Qinghui and Wu Wanrong, the soldiers in charge of the Qing Palace led by Li Guo occupied the entire Forbidden City and sent troops to guard the four gates of the Forbidden City. The Wuying Hall and the Renzhi Hall behind it were booked as the temporary places where the Dashun Emperor was stationed, and a team of soldiers and eunuchs were specially sent to clean up and sort out various furnishings. The water drop place of the palace maids is close to the Wuying Palace. Before the arrival of the new emperor's holy car, more than 30 corpses were salvaged. In the afternoon, according to the traditional method in the palace, the body was sent to the palace for cremation.

It is already after the Guyu Festival, the tender green and new yellow willow silk on the moat bank hangs low as in previous years, swaying gently in the breeze, the birds chirp as in the spring of previous years, the carefree swallows still fly with their wings, and some whisper among the willow branches.

After the fourth watch, the imperial camp pro-army and civil and military officials stationed in Diaoyutai all rose up. Eat a full meal before dawn, pack your bags, and stand ready to enter the city. Li Zicheng also had breakfast in advance, sitting in the warm pavilion of the main hall of the palace, waiting for a report on the situation in the inner city. Because of his excitement, he was always thinking about all kinds of problems, sometimes big problems, and sometimes small problems.

At this moment, Li Shuangxi opened the curtain and came in, knelt down and said, "Father, the gates of the city have been opened!"

Li Zicheng stood up and said, "Is it really as the military advisor has predicted, does the Marquis already know?"

He had already given the order, and An Min's 3,000 cavalry began to divide into the city. The first to enter the city from Zhengyang Gate was a thousand cavalry, and he himself had to enter the city soon. ”

"Is there a fire in the Forbidden City?"

"There was no fire in the Forbidden City, only two fires in the southeast corner of the inner city, which people said were inside the Chongwen Gate. ”

Li Zicheng sat down and said, "Ah, Chongzhen didn't self-immolate?" and then asked, "Did the Qing court people led by your eldest brother set off?"

"I have already set off, and my uncle and the deputy military division will go with him. Shuangxi looked up at his father-in-law with a spring breeze on his face, and said, "Song Junshi and Prime Minister Niu Cheng will come to the palace in a while and accompany the saint into the city." ”

Li Zicheng nodded slightly. Although he loves his adopted son Shuangxi very much, he is usually influenced by the traditional thinking of a strict father and loving mother, and his attitude towards Shuangxi is always very serious. At this moment, because he was about to drive into the city, he was excited in his heart, and he was unusual, and suddenly smiled at Shuangxi and asked: "Zhu Yuanzhang went to Huangjue Temple to be a little monk because he had no way to live." Later, Huangjue Temple was also so poor that he had no food to eat, so he went to serve as a soldier under Guo Zixing. Do you know this story?"

"Erchen has heard people talk about Zhu Hongwu's small background and knows his story of becoming a monk. ”

"Double happiness, Zhu Yuanzhang started as a soldier, was born and died, went through a lot of hardships, and spent fifteen years to finally seize the world and establish the Ming Dynasty. It's been 15 years since I started the uprising, do you think it's a coincidence? ”

Shuangxi hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Long live my father!"

Li Zicheng was complacent at this time, and then said: "Zhu Yuanzhang has experienced a hundred battles, expelled Hu Yuan, established the Ming Dynasty, and his achievements far exceeded that of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. It's a pity that the Ming Dynasty died in less than 300 years, only 260 years. I will never be like this in the Great Shun Dynasty. ”

Shuangxi said: "Of course, the Great Shun Dynasty is the unification of all ages. ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Since ancient times, there has been no immortal country; although the Zhou Dynasty has been around for 800 years, after King Ping moved eastward, after two generations, Zhou Tianzi had a vain name, which is very sad. I only hope that the Great Shun Dynasty can enjoy the country for 400 years. ”

Li Zicheng immediately walked out of the warm pavilion and came to the main hall, where he sat and waited in the south. Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance walked in respectfully, and were about to kneel down and kowtow, when Li Zicheng waved his hand to stop: "Do you want to drive?"

Niu Jinxing bowed down and said, "The ministers are here to invite the emperor to drive." ”

At this time, three cannons rang out outside the gate of the palace, followed by a burst of drums. Li Zicheng was accompanied by Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance on the left and right, and a group of personal generals walked out of the palace. As he walked out, he asked Song Xiance, who was walking a little further on the right, "Li Guo went to the Qing Palace, can he find Chongzhen's body?"

Song Xiance replied in a low voice: "Li Guo has already reported that Pegasus has come twice, Empress Zhou has committed suicide, and Chongzhen does not know his whereabouts." ”

"Did you flee during the night?"

"They are looking all over the Forbidden City, and Wu Ruyi has also sent people to search for them all over the Imperial City. The minister was worried that he had escaped from the palace last night and hid among the people, waiting for an opportunity to escape from the city. The stakes are so high that his whereabouts must be found today. ”

Li Zicheng's heart sank, and he instructed Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance in a stern tone: "If he hides among the people, he must post a notice widely: Anyone who dares to hide Chongzhen will be beheaded by the whole family; if there is one who offers Chongzhen, he will receive a reward of ten thousand gold, and he will be rewarded to high-ranking officials!"

Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance echoed in unison: "Obey!"

Li Zicheng as the emperor of Dashun, along the road guard, from the outside of the city slowly, looking at the open Fucheng Gate, Xizhi Gate, do not enter the city, but continue to go north, and then turn the northwest corner to the east, to the Desheng Gate. The soldiers of the Dashun army guarding the city gate knelt on both sides of the avenue to greet them. Starting from the street outside the gate of the urn city to the street along the way after entering the city, it has been hurriedly cleaned by the soldiers and civilians, and the incense cases on both sides of the street have also been put out.

Seeing Li Zicheng's yellow umbrella coming to him, Liu Zongmin hurriedly hugged his fists on the horse and bowed down, and said in a loud voice: "Minister Liu Zongmin, lead the civil and military officials, and welcome the holy driver!"

Li Zicheng said softly: "Qing led hundreds of civil and military officials into the palace with him!"

Liu Zongmin said in a loud voice: "Obey!" Immediately, Liu Zongmin pulled his horse to the center of the street, walked in front of the yellow umbrella, and followed the holy car.

After the two lines of civil servants and military generals who greeted the holy car, there were more than 300 people who knelt on the ground to greet them. They had already dismounted, and as soon as they saw the yellow umbrella, they quickly knelt down and fell to the ground. Li Zicheng saw that this group of people kneeling on the ground to greet them were all in python robes and jade belts, and their crowns and uniforms were neat, but they seemed to be slightly different from the civil official crowns and uniforms of the Ming Dynasty, and the most special thing was that these people were bare on their chins and lips, and they had no beards.

He was about to ask left and right, when he suddenly saw Du Xun raise his head from the ground, and said in a loud voice: "The slave minister Du Xun played the saint, Wang Dehuagong, the former court celebrant and the minister, led the twelve eunuchs and twenty-four yamen and the big and small ministers, and Cao Hua Chungong, the governor of Dongchang, led the ministers at all levels of Dongchang, and there were also the ministers of the prison army who surrendered in Datong, Xuanfu, and Juyongguan, a total of 312 members, came to kneel to welcome the holy car. ”

As soon as Li Zicheng heard that they were all ministers of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Ma asked, "Who is Wang Dehua?"

Wang Dehua raised his head and said in fear: "The minister is Wang Dehua." ”

Li Zicheng asked again: "You are the head of the ministers of the Ming Dynasty and a confidant of Chongzhen." Now Chongzhen's whereabouts are unknown, do you know where he fled?"

"Last night, the minister was in Fuchengmen, not in the palace. I only heard that there was chaos in the palace, but I don't know where Emperor Chongzhen fled. ”

"Chongzhen escapes from the palace, and there must be ministers with him. Do you know which of the ministers was following him?"

Wang Dehua replied: "There are seven eunuchs in the eunuch of the celebrant and the eunuch, one of whom is weak and sick, and has been on leave at home for a long time. Five of the six Bingbi eunuchs came to kneel with the ministers today to welcome the holy car, and only one Wang Chengen was by the side of the emperor Chongzhen every day, and he was quite favored and trusted, and he would meet the holy car in the future today, and I heard that he escaped from the palace with the emperor Chongzhen before dawn. ”

Li Zicheng didn't ask anymore and said: "Start! The newly surrendered ministers, those who have positions will follow behind, and those who have no positions will go home and wait for their fate!"

Chuanxuan Palace then shouted: "Let's go!"