A month ago, when Li Zicheng was still in Shanxi, someone in the court suggested that the emperor move to Nanjing to avoid thieves and then try to recover. Some people in the court were in favor and some were against, so that the emperor could not make up his mind. Empress Zhou and Empress Yi'an also knew about this matter through their respective palace eunuchs.

Empress Yi'an was in favor of moving the capital to Nanjing, but she was the widow of the Apocalypse, so it was inconvenient for her to express her views. One day, he came to talk to Zhou Hou for an excuse, retreated left and right, and quietly asked Zhou Hou to try to persuade the emperor to move the capital to Nanjing. Later, Chongzhen came to Kunning Palace in a depressed mood, and accidentally mentioned that Li Zicheng had led 500,000 horses into Shanxi, and the prefectures and counties had surrendered, and he didn't feel a long sigh. Zhou Hou took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, we still have a ...... in the south."

Chongzhen glared at that time, and was so frightened that Zhou Hou didn't dare to say any more. Since that incident, I have only heard in the palace that Li Zicheng's men and horses continue to come to Beijing, and the situation is getting worse day by day, and the catastrophe of destroying the country is almost day by day. After the week, he was sad day and night, and it was difficult to sleep and eat, but he didn't dare to ask the emperor for a word. She often thinks that poor and lowly couples in the people can discuss things together, but they are partial to the royal family, and they are not allowed to say a word about national affairs as a queen.

She thought bitterly and repeatedly, although she did not read as much as Empress Yi'an, she also had a slight understanding of the history of the rise and fall of the past dynasties. She also heard that Hong Wuye likes to kill people so much, and sometimes listens to Queen Ma's advice. She is cautious, always wants to be a virtuous queen, and never asks about the government, but when it comes to the survival of the country, how can she not care?

She once couldn't help but say half a sentence, and was reprimanded by the emperor's stern eyes, and she was not allowed to finish her words. If the emperor could listen to her advice and flee to Nanjing a month ago, he would not sit back and wait for the thieves to come, and the country would perish and the whole family would perish.

She had ten thousand words to say now, but she thought that her sons had not yet grown up, and that the princess was only fifteen years old, and that she had already chosen a concubine, and had not yet been married, could she not meet her children before she died?

Chongzhen ordered the eunuchs to go separately to call the crown prince, King Yong, and King Ding to come quickly, and said to the queen: "Without further ado, you are the lord of the six palaces, you must set an example for the concubines, and go back to your bedroom to hang yourself quickly." ”

Zhou Hou said: "Your Majesty, don't rush me, I will never insult your Zhu family, let me wait for a while." I can't see the princesses anymore, and I'm dying to see my three sons. ”

When the queen said this, she couldn't help but hide her face with her sleeves and wept bitterly. At this time, Wei Qinghui and some of the queen's personal palace maids such as Wu Wanrong had already entered the side hall, and they heard the queen say that she could not see the two princesses before she died, but the words of asking to see the prince and the two kings, every word shook their hearts. The first one cried out loud, and then they all began to cry, and they all knelt in front of the queen and wept loudly. Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs standing outside the door all whimpered and cried.

Zhou Hou was still just in tears, trying her best to endure and refuse to cry, in order not to make the emperor cry so much that he mishandled the big things. At this time, she could no longer bear it anymore and wept bitterly.

Chongzhen was also extremely sad, in a cry, looking at the queen, there was nothing to say, and he couldn't help whimpering. He knew that the queen refused to die immediately, not because she was greedy for life and afraid of death, but because she wanted to wait to see her three sons. After whimpering for a while, he wiped his tears with the sleeve of his robe again, and said to the queen: "The inner city will be broken, you should die quickly." I am about to commit suicide and die in the community, and our husband and wife meet underground. ”

Zhou Hou suddenly held back her tears, and a sentence erupted from her heart: "Your Majesty, yes, just look at my sons, and I will die immediately." But there is one sentence I want to say, I have been married to you for seventeen years, and I dare not say a word about state affairs, if you have listened to my words, why now?"

Chongzhen understood that she was talking about fleeing to Nanjing, and whimpered and said, "It was the ministers who made a mistake, and now it is too late to regret it." You'd better die quickly! If you die, I'll die, and we'll meet underground soon!"

Zhou Hou didn't immediately get up and go to the palace to commit suicide, thinking that he was going to say goodbye to the prince and the second king, and thinking that he couldn't see the two biological princesses when he was dying, he cried even more. Seeing this, Chongzhen regretted that he had not made up his mind to flee to Nanjing, and couldn't help crying.

Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs inside and outside the main hall of Kunning Palace all cried bitterly. There was a palace maid who entered the side hall and fainted to the ground, and Wu Wanrong pinched her with her fingernails and helped her up from the ground.

Chongzhen cried a few times, immediately held back, and ordered a palace maid to rush to Ciqing Palace, pay tribute to Empress Yi'an, ask her to commit suicide, and said: "You play Empress Yi'an, the emperor and the empress will commit suicide and die in Sheji." Now that the catastrophe of the country is coming, the emperor asked her to commit suicide by hanging herself, which will not damage the dignity of her ancestors. ”

At this time, the crown prince, Yongwang and Dingsan were all summoned to the side hall of Kunning Palace. Zhou Hou was holding the fifteen-year-old prince in one hand and the eleven-year-old King Ding in the other, and she couldn't bear to leave them, crying even more painfully. King Yong was thirteen years old, and his biological mother, Emperor Tian's concubine, died of illness a year and a half ago. Zhou Hou was his mother-in-law, and he treated him as his own, and he now stood by the queen's side and wept bitterly. The queen pulled King Yong again with the hand that had taken King Ding, and cried loudly in tears.

Chongzhen urged the queen and said: "Now that the matter has come to this, it is useless to cry. Kill yourself, don't be too late. ”

He said to a palace maid: "Quickly go and send a decree to urge Yuan Niangniang to commit suicide, urge Princess Changping to commit suicide, let's die quickly, don't delay until the thieves come in, and destroy the ancestor's national body." ”

At this time, from the Xuanwu Gate, there was the sound of the drum and the cloud board of the report, and I knew that the fourth watch was halfway through, and it was not far from the fifth watch. Behind the Kunning Palace is the Imperial Garden and the Qin'an Palace, and then there is the Xuanwu Gate. On the left and right of the Xuanwu Gate, close to the row houses in the Forbidden City, commonly known as the Langxia Family, live some eunuchs of lower status. At this time, one or two rooster cries came from the house under the corridor, mixed with the sound of the cloud board.

As soon as the queen heard the rooster's crow, she said bitterly in her heart: "Alas, the two daughters will never see each other again!"

She let go of the hands of the crown prince and King Yong, stood up resolutely, and said to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, the concubine will take the first step and wait for the holy car on the road to the underworld. ”

Although she is no longer afraid of death, and she no longer cherishes the glory and wealth of being a queen, she is very sad that she is so unfortunate and encounters the tragedy of destroying the country and the family. When she left, she was still unwilling, and looked at her three sons with tearful eyes, at the emperor who was about to commit suicide and martyrdom, and at the same time thought of her two daughters, and sighed deeply. She had been sleeping and eating for two days and two nights, and she was very tired, and her feet were too small, and she was wearing bow shoes, and she had just taken two steps when she suddenly had a heel fight. Fortunately, Wu Wanrong had already stood up from the ground and quickly helped her up.

Chongzhen watched the queen walk out of the side hall surrounded by a group of palace maids, and was once again full of grief, and said to the prince and the second king in a sad voice: "The queen mother is going to say goodbye to you forever." You send your mother back to the dormitory, come back quickly, I have something to say!"

Because the fifth watch is approaching, Chongzhen knows that his time is running out. Thinking that he was about to kill people in the palace, he felt that he was not energetic enough, and ordered the palace maids: "Bring the wine!

The palace maids immediately brought the wine, but they didn't have time to prepare the side dishes in a hurry. Chongzhen couldn't wait, and commanded sharply: "Pour wine!"

A maid of the palace poured a cup full of gold, put it on a rectangular silver platter, and placed it in front of him. He took his glass and drank it down, and said, "Pour the wine!"

Although the imperial wine brewed in the palace, Changchun Dew, is not very powerful, but he drank more than ten glasses in a row, he has never drunk so vigorously in his life, and he is already drunk. When he drank again and again, his demeanor was generous and composed, as if he had forgotten about life. The palace maids and eunuchs standing on the left and right saw his unusual aura, and their eyes were red, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look up, for fear that he would swing his sword and kill people after he was drunk, and then kill himself. However, Chongzhen just borrowed wine to drown his sorrows and increase his courage, so he knew very well in his heart.

He stopped drinking and commanded one of the eunuchs, "Tell the master!"

The master of the palace is the crown prince. The crown prince immediately came to the side hall, and King Yong and King Ding also came, kneeling before him. The prince swallowed hard and said: "Back to my father, my sons and daughters have already sent my mother back to the palace." ”

"Did you kill yourself?"

The prince cried and replied: "The queen mother is about to commit suicide, and the palace ladies are preparing for her." ”

"Is your queen mother still crying?"

The queen mother just sighed deeply and stopped crying. ”

"Good, good. As a queen, she should be martyred. ”

He listened to the main hall of Kunning Palace, and sure enough, he couldn't hear the queen's cry, and then said: "The thieves are about to attack the inner city, the sooner the better." ”

At this time, the queen was indeed calm, and when the crown prince and the second king wept and kowtowed to leave, she sighed and ordered a little eunuch to tie a white practice to the painting beam of the palace for her with the help of the palace maids, and set up a stool for stepping on her feet. In the dormitory, outside the window and in the main hall of Kunning Palace, many palace maids stood silently and very silently.

Wu Wanrong waved away the little eunuch, knelt down in front of the queen, and said in a trembling whisper: "Qi Yu Niangniang, Bai Lian has been tied." ”

The queen did not get up immediately, and commanded softly: "Quickly bring a needle and thread, and ask for white silk thread." ”

Wu Wanrong didn't know what the queen wanted for a needle, so she had to give instructions to the palace maid kneeling behind her. Soon, the palace maids got the needle and thread, Wu Wanrong caught the needle and thread, her fingers trembled slightly, and she asked on her back: "Niangniang, what is the use of needlework?"

It turned out that Zhou Hou was only thirty-three years old this year, thinking that he was born with outstanding beauty, his skin was smooth and white, which could be called a jade body, and he was worried that the body of the thief would be humiliated after entering the palace, so before hanging himself, he ordered an elderly palace maid who was usually a skilled woman to kneel on the ground and sew the opening of the dress with silk thread.

When this palace maid was in tears, flustered, and hurriedly sewed a dead dress, Zhou Hou was not thinking about her own death, but worried about the life and death of the crown prince and the second king. She wanted to know how the emperor arranged for his three sons to escape from the palace, and tried to listen to what was going on in the side hall. But the emperor's voice was not high, so she couldn't hear clearly. She sighed again, looked at the palace maid kneeling on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Don't tremble your hands, hurry up and sew!"

The old palace maid, who was skilled in needlework, trembled even more violently, and her fingers were pricked twice in a row. Wu Wanrong saw it in her eyes, took the needle and thread, shed tears while flying the needle and thread, and quickly sewed the queen's placket and skirt to death.

The queen said to Wu Wanrong: "Call all the palace people to come!"

Immediately, more than thirty palace maids knelt in front of her. She wiped away her tears with her head: "I am the current queen, the mother of a country, and I should be martyred with the emperor." You are innocent and can not die. When the day dawns, you will escape from the palace from the Xuanwu Gate. Although the country is poor, there are still a lot of gold, silver and jewelry in this Kunning Palace, and you can take the jewelry out of the palace at will. Wu Wanrong, please help me quickly. ”

Wu Wanrong quickly helped the queen get up from the chair and walked to the place where she was hanging. She tried her best to stay calm, but she trembled slightly, her legs were paralyzed, and she couldn't help but rely on Wu Wanrong's support and move forward slowly. She was about to die in an instant, but her heart was still worried about her husband and son, and she sighed as she walked forward, and said to herself faintly: "Your Majesty, the crown prince and the two kings of Yong and Ding, if you don't send them out of the palace, it's too late!"

In the side hall, the crown prince and the two kings of Yong and Ding had already stood up from the ground and stood in front of their father, waiting for the edict. Chongzhen suddenly noticed the royal robes and hats worn by his three sons, and was taken aback, and said in a reproachful tone: "When is it, you are still dressed like this?"

Then he glanced at a group of palace maids and eunuchs standing in the side hall, and said, "Why don't you hurry up and find old clothes and hats to change for the master!

Everyone hurriedly found three sets of worn clothes of the little eunuchs, and the two palace maids changed them for the prince, and the palace maids changed them for the second king. Chongzhen thought that the palace maids were moving too slowly, so he tied the prince's clothes with trembling hands, and choked up while tying them.

"Son, you are still the prince tonight, and you will be a common man after dawn. Escape from the palace and live among the people, you have to be incognito, and you must not reveal the identity of the prince. When you see an old person, you call your grandfather, when you see a middle-aged person, you call your uncle or uncle, and when you see someone who is the same age as you, you call your brother. ”

"My son, you must understand that as soon as you leave the palace, you are a common man, a homeless person, and you are more pitiful than a homeless common people. You have to be very careful, save your life, your father is about to die in Sheji. Your mother has already gone before me......"

When Chongzhen personally took care of the crown prince's clothes and hats, the clothes and hats of the two kings of Yong and Ding were also changed by the palace maids. At this moment of parting from life and death, he took the prince's hand and wanted to say two words, but there was a burst of grief, and he was so choked that he couldn't say a word, only tears.

The queen was supported by Wu Wanrong and walked to the place where Bai Lian was hung from the beam. She finally looked at the palace maids who served her faithfully in the Kunning Palace with tears in her eyes, and seemed to have a sad goodbye. Except for Wu Wanrong, all the palace maids knelt on the ground to see off the queen, not daring to look up. Zhou Hou was supported by Wu Wanrong, climbed on the red lacquer and gold painting stool, grabbed Bai Lian hanging from the painting beam with both hands, and suddenly thought that he would not be able to see the two princesses again when he was dying, and sighed hatefully.

Wu Wanrong asked, "Niangniang, what else do you have to say to the slave?"

Zhou Hou poked her head into Bai Lianhuan, her face was pale, she grabbed Bai Lian with both hands, and said to Wu Wanrong in an unusually calm voice: "I'm leaving." You went to Qi to play the emperor, saying that the palace had already led the purpose of the palace to hang himself, and he went to Huangquan to meet the holy car first. ”

After finishing speaking, he kicked the stool, but did not move. Wu Wanrong quickly moved the stool away, and at the same time, Zhou Hou let go of his hands, and his body swung in the air, no longer moving. The palace maids looked up and wept bitterly together, and the eunuchs outside the window also cried.