Seeing that the emperor was silent, Song Xiance respectfully bowed and asked: "The ministers are busy, and what they play may not be proper, what is Your Majesty's holy will?"

Li Zicheng said: "What you two played made my heart brighten. Tomorrow, the ministers will perform a ceremony at the Huangji Gate as originally planned, and the enthronement on the sixth day of the first lunar month will also be prepared as originally planned. The news of the Manchurian Qing soldiers must not be leaked a word. Wait until Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi come back tomorrow to see what the situation is in Shanhaiguan and then make a plan. Why don't you bring Liu Tichun into the palace and show it to my face?"

Song Xiance said: "Although Your Majesty sent Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi to Shanhaiguan to recruit Wu Sangui, the ministers were worried that Wu Sangui would use the strategy of delaying the army to wait for the movement of Manchuria, so he ordered General Liu Tichun to find out whether Wu Sangui had the sincerity to surrender, and also to find out Wu Sangui's actual troops. After Liu Tichun arrived in Tongzhou, he immediately sent many fine works into Shanhaiguan to spy on various military information. He also sent a Tangbao team to Zunhua and Sanhe, and once he found out any news, he would report it to Tongzhou by Tangma day and night. ”

"Dolgon is recruiting the Eight Banners and preparing to invade the south, which is the news from Shanhaiguan City. Liu Tichun estimated that important news would come today or tonight, so after meeting his ministers and others, he hurried back to Tongzhou. ”

"Ningyuan has been occupied by Manchuria, how can the city of Shanhaiguan know the movements of Shenyang?"

Song Xiance bowed and said: "The original famous general of Liaodong and the chief military officer Zu Dashou lived in Ningyuan and guarded Jinzhou. Hong Chengchou was captured and captured in Songshan, he surrendered in poverty, no longer led troops, and was treated favorably by Manchuria, and the Manchurians were named Enyang. Zu Dashou's uncle and brothers, Zu Da Congee and Zu Dale, were originally the chief military officers of the Ming Dynasty, and now they are both in Shenyang and are supported by Manchuria. There was also a group of generals in the ancestral family who surrendered to Manchuria, and they are still heavily used today. ”

"Therefore, there are important movements in Shenyang, and it is easy to know the news in Ningyuan, and it is easy to spread it from Ningyuan to Shanhaiguan. It is not easy for our side to send meticulous work to Liaodong and Shenyang, not only because the investigation along the way is very strict, but also the distance is far away. This news that Dolgon was recruiting the Eight Banners was obtained from the army of Wu Sangui in Shanhaiguan. ”

Li Zicheng asked: "Will Wu Sangui surrender to Manchuria and call the soldiers a prisoner at Shanhaiguan?"

Song Xiance said: "What the ministers are worried about is this matter, and they will be able to judge it clearly within a day or two." ”

Li Yan continued: "In Weichen's humble opinion, Wu Sangui is currently riding on the wall and watching, and he may not surrender to Manchuria. If, as in previous years, the Qing troops entered the Great Wall from the Central Association or the Western Association, coerced Beijing, and fought a decisive battle with our army on the outskirts of Beijing, the most beneficial thing for Wu Sangui would be to not surrender to us and not to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and to reap the benefits of the fishermen. ”

Li Zicheng said: "Wu Sangui's family is in Beijing, and he is a hostage, can he be an enemy of me regardless of the life and death of his family?"

Song Xiance replied: "Personnel are complicated, and some people sometimes have a certain idea, and they will ignore the life and death of their families. ”

Li Yan added: "If Chu and Han fight each other, they have been fighting each other in Xingyang for a long time. Liu Bang's parents were both obtained by Xiang Yu as hostages. One day, Xiang Yu put Liu Bang's father on a high case, and told Liu Bang: If you don't surrender today, I will cook your Lao Tzu in a cauldron. Liu Bang replied: We used to be brothers, and my Laozi is your Laozi. If you must cook my Lao Tzu, please give me a cup of broth. ”

In Yichen's view, if Wu Sangui wants to use the power of Manchuria to restore the Ming Dynasty, he can establish a legacy through the ages, and will be written in the annals of history as a loyal minister, and the descendants of wealth and nobility will be the same as the country. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both, and at this time, he will not care about the life of his family and resist not surrendering. Song Junshi said to his ministers yesterday that we should consider many things to prevent Wu Sangui from making a desperate gamble regardless of the life and death of his family. The military advisor was worried, and Weichen agreed. ”

Li Zicheng nodded, and said with a heavy expression: "What you are thinking about is very true. Do not mention what you have said to me today, lest the government and the opposition be shocked and disrupt the enthronement ceremony. If there is any new news from Shanhaiguan, we will immediately decide on countermeasures. In short, I have made up my mind, and I will never raise carbuncles for Wu Sangui. ”

After Song Xiance and Li Yan withdrew, Li Zicheng continued to sit on the dragon chair in the Xinuan Pavilion of the Wuying Palace, silently pondering, like pressing a stone in his heart. The palace maids came in gently, some brought fragrant tea, some came in to add incense, and two palace maids obeyed his instructions and took the positive copy book written by Fei Zhen'e in the past few days, put it in a vermilion lacquer gold box, and put it on the imperial case beside him. But all this went unnoticed by him. The palace ladies had never seen the new emperor look so unhappy, and everyone was apprehensive, exchanged glances with each other, withdrew gently, and quietly stood outside the window waiting for the call.

Although Li Zicheng secretly hoped that tonight or early tomorrow morning, he would persuade Dingxibo Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi to return from Shanhaiguan and bring back Wu Sangui's envoy and submit the surrender table, but he was worried that Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi would bring back the bad news that Wu Sangui would resist and not surrender. If Wu Sangui dared not surrender, he must have known that the Manchurian soldiers were about to invade the south. Li Zicheng pondered it repeatedly, and even more thought that the judgment of the two military advisors was very reasonable, and he himself was too careless about the possible invasion of the Manchurian soldiers after entering Beijing, and he also thought too little about Wu Sangui's daring to refuse to surrender.

Li Zicheng was an experienced commander, and as soon as his mind turned to the seriousness of the situation, he immediately considered a bold strategy for using troops, first defeating Wu Sangui with all his might, and then leaving a small number of men and horses to guard the Shanhaiguan, and the army returned to Beijing in the starry night, rested and replenished, and waited for work to fight a decisive battle with Dolgon in the suburbs of Beijing. Thinking like this, he seemed to be once again immediately high and commanding the battle, with thousands of horses galloping in front of him and the sound of killing in his ears.

The important day of the fourth day of the fourth month of April began with the heavy drum beat of the Xuanwu Gate Tower.

Last night, Li Zicheng made him understand the corruption of the military discipline of the Dashun army in Beijing because of Wang Changshun's outspoken words in the palace, and listened to Song Xiance and Li Yan secretly play the worrying Manchurian movements and Wu Sangui's military situation that may resist and not surrender, and the excitement and cheerfulness after arriving in Beijing suddenly cooled most of the time, and he was left to wait for Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi to bring back some news from Shanhaiguan.

Because he was upset, for the first time, he asked Concubine Dou to stay alone in the East Nuan Pavilion of the Renzhi Palace, and not to come to the West Nuan Pavilion to stay with the royal couch. This incident surprised the palace maids, and Dou Meiyi was also shocked in her heart. There is no word for love in her thoughts, but in the past ten days, she has been deeply favored by the new emperor, which makes her infinitely grateful to Dade, and relies on the favor of the emperor Dashun for the happiness of her own life and the glory and wealth of her parents' family.

She knows very well that there is now a Fei Zhen'e in Shouning Palace, who is not worse than her in appearance, but more tender than her in age; The emperor pampered her alone, a special room and a special night, every night on the royal couch like glue, oh my God, why did she stay alone in the East Warm Pavilion tonight, as if she had entered the cold palace?

She quietly asked a few palace maids who were waiting in the Wuying Palace. However, when the ministers were in front of the palace and discussing affairs, they had always strictly forbidden the palace maids to eavesdrop outside the window, so only two palace maids said that they had taken Fei Zhen'e's recent imitation book from Shouning Palace at the emperor's behest and put it on the imperial case, which aroused Dou Niangniang's attention, and she suddenly understood in her heart: "Ah, it turns out that the emperor's heart has moved to Fei Zhen'e's body!"

Although she was very favored in the past ten days, she also knew that the emperor had not forgotten Fei Zhen'e in his heart. She guessed that the emperor would probably wait until after the enthronement ceremony was held, and on the one hand, he would officially seal her and choose Fei Zhen'e by his side. Although she once thought that men mostly like the new and hate the old, and the emperor's favor is like morning dew, which does not last long, unlike the poor couples who can share weal and woe and turn themselves in and grow old together, but she didn't expect that the emperor would not wait to hold an enthronement ceremony, and suddenly snubbed her for Fei Zhen'e.

She is a fully mature woman, and since she came to the dormitory of the Ninji Palace, she has enjoyed a married life that she could not dream of or understand before. Every night she rests on the emperor's sturdy left arm, and the emperor's right hand often caresses her delicate and smooth skin repeatedly. Because the emperor is about to win the world, the so-called three-foot sword of wind and dust, Sheji is dressed in a garment, and the palm of his right hand is calloused by the hilt of the sword.

When the calluses on the emperor's palms caressed her delicate and smooth skin, she felt particularly comfortable, and at the same time made her feel infinite reverence for the emperor's Henghe martial arts. But the thick arm that she used as a pillow tonight was suddenly gone, and the big calloused hand that caressed her was suddenly gone. She slept alone in an empty bed, tossing and turning in front of the dim palace lamp, and it was difficult to sleep. She secretly cried on the pillow, and secretly sighed in her heart: Life is really like a dream of Nanke.

She likes to read history books on weekdays, and knows that there have been many tragedies caused by jealousy and jealousy among the concubines in the court in the past dynasties, and she also knows the tragedies of the palace in the Ming Dynasty. She once aspired to be a virtuous concubine with women's virtues, and she was never jealous. But can Fei Zhen'e do the same? She didn't want to think about it, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

Although she was dizzy from a night of insomnia, she still got up as usual. When the emperor got up, she had already freshened up and dressed up under the service of the palace maids, and was about to go to Xinuan Pavilion to greet the emperor.

Wang Ruifen gently lifted the curtain and came in, bowed to her, and whispered like a silver bell: "Slave and maid are waiting for good morning Niangniang!"

Dou Meiyi whispered: "Sister Ruifen......"

Wang Ruifen immediately knelt down: "Please don't call the slave like this, the slave is going to die!"

Dou Meiyi pulled her up and whispered, "There is no second person in this room, I may as well call you sister." I asked you, did the emperor sleep well last night?"

"The slave maid just asked the palace people who were on duty at the night in the Xinuan Pavilion, and it is said that the emperor made an exception last night, and he had a restless sleep all night, as if he had something important on his mind, and sometimes sighed. ”

"Did you think of Fei Zhen'e?"

"I don't think so, Niangniang's beauty is no less than Fei Zhen'e, the emperor is kind to Niangniang, and he will never move his sacred heart to Fei Zhen'e. He must have had a major state affair to worry about, and he was so troubled last night. ”

"The enthronement ceremony will be held soon, in addition to missing Fei Zhen'e, what other troubles are there?"

"The slave maid remembers that today is Fei Zhen'e's birthday, and when the mother asks the emperor for peace, she may wish to ask for a birthday gift for the people of Fei Palace, or listen to the tone of the emperor. ”

Concubine Dou nodded and agreed to this method. Before Li Zicheng went to worship in front of the Wuying Palace, with the melodious sound of silver bells and the sound of bows and shoes walking on the brick floor, she walked into the Xinuan Pavilion with a light body, saluted the emperor, and asked by the way: "I heard that today is Fei Zhen'e's birthday, and the concubine respectfully asks for the holy decree to reward her?"

"Ah, today is her seventeenth birthday, eighteen, you and Wang Ruifen will consider it, reward her with a four-color gift, and send it to the palace maid. By the way, I will summon me in two days, today and tomorrow. ”

Dou Meiyi couldn't help but be secretly surprised, didn't dare to ask more, and said in her heart: "Oh my God, the thing that should come has really come!"

Li Zicheng finished worshipping the heavens, and just sat down in the Xinuan Pavilion of Wuying Palace, Li Shuangxi immediately came in and knelt down in front of him. Zi Cheng first looked at the look on his face, waved his hand to avoid the two palace maids who came in to offer tea and incense, and quickly asked, "Double happiness, what's the urgency?"

Shuangxi said: "Just now, an official came from the Military Division's Office, saying that Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong had arrived in Tongzhou at the second watch last night, rested in Tongzhou for a night, and could go to Beijing this morning. The military advisor wants his sons to ask Your Majesty, when will you summon the two Chincha lords today?"

"Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong came back from Shanhaiwei, did Wu Sangui have an envoy with him?"

"Erchen once asked the officials of the Military Division's Office, and he said no. Only the entourage brought with them came back. ”

"Have you ever brought Wu Sangui's surrender letter or letter?"

"The officials from the Military Division's Mansion don't know, and they don't seem to have brought it back. However, I heard that Wu Sangui had agreed to surrender, and now he is still negotiating with the generals of Guanning, so as to ensure that everyone is unanimous on the matter of surrender and avoid future troubles. ”

Li Zicheng's face showed a hint of relief, but the smile suddenly disappeared, and he said to himself alertly in his heart: "This is obviously a delaying strategy!"

He immediately said to Shuangxi: "At the second quarter of the hour, I summoned Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong in the Wenhua Palace, and told Prime Minister Niu Cheng and the two military advisors that they would all go to the Wenhua Palace. Do you have anything else to do?"