The first day of the first month of the third year of Chongzhen, the New Year's Day. This day is the day of pilgrimage, and all the civil and military officials in Beijing worship the emperor in the Huangji Hall and offer New Year's blessings to the emperor and the empire.

As is customary, this ceremony is prepared before dawn. At midnight (3-5 a.m.), hundreds of officials gathered outside the noon gate. When the drums on the noon gate sounded, the officials began to line up. At about 5-7 a.m., the drums on the noon gate were beating again, and the officials began to enter through the noon gate. There are five gates at noon gate, the middle door is the "imperial road", only the emperor can walk, the two doors next to it are the guards on duty, the general and others walk, the two doors on the edge are called the left door, the right door, the civil official goes left, the military attache goes right.

After the officials entered the noon gate, they had to line up according to their grades in the south of Jinshui Bridge and wait for the arrival of the emperor. When the emperor is about to arrive, someone will sound the whip, and then the ministers will start to cross the bridge, and after crossing the bridge, they will line up on both sides of the imperial road in the order of Wenzuo and Wuwu to welcome the emperor.

The emperor's seat is in the imperial hall, and after the emperor sits on the throne, the whip is sounded again, and the officials of the Honglu Temple shout: "Enter the class", and the officials enter the imperial road in turn, and bow five times and bow to the emperor.

Due to the large number of people and the complexity of the ceremony, this pilgrimage ceremony often takes a day to complete. The officials attended the ceremony before dawn and could not go home until it was almost dark, and there was no food to eat in the middle, and after standing down for ten hours, the officials were dizzy with hunger. Even at the end of the show, because everyone was in a hurry to go home, the crowd rushed, and there was a stampede. During the New Year's Day meeting in the 11th year of Zhengde, the 56-year-old general Zhao Lang was physically exhausted, fainted to the ground, and was trampled to death by the crowded crowd.

This year's New Year's Day is the autumn of the country's many difficulties, the day before yesterday and the Houjin army retreated from the city of Beijing, the countryside outside Beijing, many surrounding cities are in the military occupation of the Houjin army, in this dangerous situation, the ceremony of the Zhaohe is much simplified.

The nineteen-year-old Emperor Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne of the Imperial Palace, with a solemn and resolute look on his face, looking down on the hundreds of civil and military officials under His Royal Highness, and accepting their worship.

Chongzhen saw that among the officials arranged by His Royal Highness step by step, the leaders were Han Yi, the first assistant of the cabinet, Li Biao, the second assistant, Zhou Tingru, Qian Longxi, and Cheng Jiming, the cabinet ministers, as well as Wang Yongguang, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, Bi Ziyan, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, Li Tengfang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Liang Tingdong, the secretary of the Ministry of War, Han Jisi, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Nan Juyi, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry. The cabinet and central ministries represented by these people were the political team of the Chongzhen Dynasty, and they assisted the emperor in governing more than 100 million people in the country. In the emperor's heart, how much he hopes that in this new year, the monarch and the ministers will work together, work hard, strengthen the captives outside, and secure the world internally, so as to realize his grand ambition of Zhongxing Daming, but is the world really as the emperor wishes?

Chongzhen set his eyes on Han Yi, the first assistant of the cabinet, he was Yuan Chonghuan's teacher when he was a jinshi, and this time he changed his own life, Yuan Chonghuan's responsibility was very important, and he Han Yi, as a teacher, also got rid of it. Chongzhen has already made a decision in his heart, and he will remove Han Yi from the position of first assistant after the year, and the candidate to replace Han Yi is the second assistant Li Biao. At this time, what Chongzhen never imagined was that this was only the beginning of his 17 years in power.

In addition, there is another thing that worries Chongzhen even more, that is, the chaotic soldiers in King Qin's army.

In the first year of Chongzhen (1628), the imperial court reformed the post station and streamlined it. Li Zicheng, a Yinchuan post officer, was dismissed due to the loss of official documents and returned to his hometown in Mizhi, Shaanxi Province unemployed. In the winter of the same year, Li Zicheng was sued by the creditor to the Mizhi County Ya because he did not repay his debts, and the county ordered Yan Zibin to parade him in a flail on the street. After being released, Li Zicheng killed the creditor Ai Zhao, and then because his wife Han Jin'er committed adultery with a man named Gai Hu'er in the village, Li Zicheng killed his wife again, so he was saddled with two life lawsuits. In order to escape punishment, he and his nephew Li Guo went to Ganzhou, Gansu Province to join the army in February of the second year of Chongzhen (1629).

At that time, Yang Zhaoji served as the commander-in-chief of Ganzhou, and Wang Guozhi served as a general. After Li Zicheng joined the army, he was appreciated by the kingdom and was soon promoted to general general. In the winter of the second year of Chongzhen (1629), the change of Jisi, the Houjin invaded Beijing, and the imperial court urgently transferred the Quartet army to Beijing to defend and fight. Li Zicheng's unit marched to Beijing with the general kingdom, passing through Jinxian (now Yuzhong, Gansu), because of the arrears of military salaries, Li Zicheng killed the general kingdom and the local county order, and began his career as a rogue.

Why is this Li Zicheng so fierce? Pull a knife to kill people at every turn? Because he is a party member! These fierce ethnic groups pull knives to kill people at every turn, do they have a sense of déjà vu?

Li Zicheng's distant ancestor Li Jiqian, a native of the Pingxia Department of the Dangxiang clan, was born in Li Jiqian Village, and was the grandfather of Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty. He was wounded by an arrow during a battle with the Song army, and his wounds worsened and he died. Later, Li Yuanhao was proclaimed emperor, and Li Jiqian was called Taizu.

Li Zicheng was born in the 34th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, that is, in August 1606 A.D. in Li Jiqian Village, 200 miles west of the Mizhi River in Shaanxi, and the locals also called Li Jiqian Village, or Lijia Station. The people in the village have passed it down from generation to generation, and the people who live here are all descendants of Li Jiqian. Soon after Li Zicheng was born, his grandfather Li Hai was forced to move to Changyuan Village (now Hengshan County) in the former rice and fat land to live, so people say that Li Zicheng was "born in Li Jiqian Village and grew up in Changyuan Village." ”

When Li Zicheng established the Dashun Dynasty, he also regarded Li Jiqian as the Taizu, that is, the Dashun Dynasty he established was regarded as the successor dynasty of the Western Xia Dynasty.

In addition, this time Houjin invaded, and Shanxi Governor Geng Ruqi and the chief military officer Zhang Hongwei led 5,000 soldiers to Beijing Qinwang. For these guest soldiers, the imperial court has a strict logistics system, the troops must rush to the designated place according to the requirements, on the day of arrival, no food is allowed, and the next day in the demarcated defense area to set up a barracks, logistics supplies will be delivered.

Geng Ruqi's troops were the first to be asked to defend Tongzhou, and the day after they arrived there, they were reassigned to Changping, and as soon as they arrived in Changping, they were reassigned to Liangxiang, that is, from the east of Beijing to the north, and then to the southwest, Beijing is so big, these 5,000 people circled around the city of Beijing for most of the time in a few days. This kind of transfer is actually very easy to understand, mainly according to the change of the enemy's situation, adjust their position at any time.

The problem is that because their defense area has not been determined, the logistics have not been sent to them. The soldiers worked hard, but they couldn't eat, and they were running on an empty stomach, so naturally the more they ran, the more angry they became. Three days later, there was finally a great chaos in the army, "noisy and plundering", they no longer paid attention to the orders of the commander, but went to the people to loot property and food.

According to the "Suikou Chronicle", at first the soldiers only plundered along the Shandong area, and Emperor Chongzhen soon got the news, was furious, hated Geng Ruqi and Zhang Honggong for failing to restrain the soldiers, and ordered them to be arrested. The governor and the lord were arrested, and the five thousand sergeants had no leader, and fearing punishment, they dispersed in a panic and rushed all the way back to the junction of Shaanxi and Shanxi.

So the rebels led by Li Zicheng came out to combine with these Shanxi rebels, and gathered more than 10,000 people in ten and a half days, pushing Yingxiang as the leader, calling the king of Chuang, and turning to Shanxi and Henan.

Fourteen years later, these rebellious armies led by Li Zicheng invaded Beijing and destroyed the Ming Dynasty.

In the Kunning Palace, the female officials set up the queen's throne, displaying the incense case, the guard of honor, and the female music equal to the east and west sides of the Dan Majesty and the Danqi, and the eighteen-year-old Ming Empress Zhou's music wearing the crown of the Nine Dragons and the Four Phoenixes ascended to the throne. The phoenix crown she wears on her head is woven into a round crown with lacquered bamboo silk, the surface is covered with jade yarn, the crown is decorated with a golden dragon and a golden phoenix, the upper part of the crown is paved with forty pieces of Ruyi cloud with emerald inlaid pearls, and the bottom is decorated with 12 large bead flowers, 12 small bead flowers (floating branch flowers), the bottom of the crown is a cuikou circle along the outside, and there are 12 pearl gems and 12 jade flowers and cui dian, and the tori is inlaid with a gold mouth ring for a week. The front end of the temples at the back of the phoenix crown is like an oval, gradually closing back, three on the left and right, embedded in the mouth of the golden iron dragon, each of which is decorated with a golden dragon, a green cloud, a pearl, etc. The side of the sideburns facing down is decorated with beads and dripping beads.

The queen's delicate face is decorated with exquisite four phoenix crowns, dignified, noble, elegant, virtuous, and an eighteen-year-old girl is the mother of the world.

The fate team composed of concubines and concubines first worships the queen in the east and west of the middle way, and then, among the wives and relatives of the court nobles and high-ranking officials, the ordained women worship in the north direction of the east and west Danqi. The women who wore the crown and the veil first bowed together, and then divided into several classes, entered the congratulatory note and praised it.

"All the women will give a bill." After the salute, Queen Zhou gave a reward according to the etiquette.

"History of the Ming Dynasty • Food and Goods II": "One ingot of banknote, one stone of rice; one tael of gold, ten stones; One tael of silver, two stones. "A bill is a pend, that is, half a tael of silver. This queen has always been industrious and virtuous, and never gives rewards indiscriminately.

In Shunyi City, forty miles northeast of Beijing, in the guerrilla general's mansion, inside the Hanging Flower Gate, Yang Ming was running and exercising early in the morning.

Singing and shouting the obscene running and gymnastics song in English, Yang Ming ran out of breath, last night's upheaval consumed a lot of physical energy, and he got up early this morning, and his sleep was too short and his body had not recovered.

In the verandah to the west, dozens of women lined up in two columns, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they were all wearing their most decent and beautiful clothes, peach and willow green, and the warblers and swallows were in a row, and all their eyes followed Yang Ming who was running in circles.

In the verandah in front of the main house, Xu Ying and Xiao Yu stood side by side, and behind them stood Ruhua, Yingmei and Yu Dai.

In the last lap, Yang Ming dragged his heavy steps to the front of the verandah, took the hot towel offered by Yu Dai and wiped the sweat on his head.

"Damn, I'm so tired......" Yang Ming gasped and said.

Xiao Ying's face was slightly red, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he subconsciously glanced at Xu Ying on the right, but saw Xu Ying with spring on her face, looking at Yang Ming with a pair of peach blossom eyes, with a little love and pity in her eyes.

"Yu Dai, quickly serve the general to enter the house to change clothes, and come out to receive congratulations in a while." Xu Ying instructed Yu Dai. It can be seen from her tone and expression that she is very satisfied with Yu Dai's attentive service.

After entering the main house, Yang Ming took off his sweat-soaked T-shirt, and Yu Dai immediately wrung up a hot towel from the hot water in the copper basin to wipe the sweat on his chest and vest for him.

Yang Ming looked at Yu Dai who bowed her head to serve, and saw that her face was thinly and evenly smeared with delicate lead powder, her vermilion lip gloss was fresh and tender, the bruises on her forehead had dissipated, her long eyelashes were fluttering, and her nails were painted with impatiens red and her slender hands were rubbing hot towels on her body, the strength was not light or heavy, making people feel warm and warm, and it was indescribably comfortable.

After changing the towel twice, Yu Dai dried Yang Ming's body, and was about to get up to get clothes to serve, but Yang Ming reached out and gently hugged her.

Yu Dai's body trembled, and she did not struggle or dodge.

"General, don't catch a cold." Yu Dai's face was pressed against Yang Ming's chest, "Let the slave go and get the clothes for the general to change." ”

The neatly folded clothes were picked up, Yang Ming raised his arm, Yu Dai first put on a cashmere sweatshirt for him, and put a newly cut crimson hakama pleated robe on the outside, as for the trousers, Yang Ming is still used to wearing the outdoor brand of cold pants he brought.

Dozens of women lined up in several rows under the steps of the verandah of the main house, ready to greet the general and the young grandmothers for the New Year. Looking at the queue of women under the steps, Yang Ming couldn't help but think of the scene when the women lined up for a physical examination that day, and turned his head to look at Xiao Yu on the left, but saw that Xiao Yu also turned his head to look over, his eyes were facing each other, Xiao Yu's eyes were shining, and a touch of red flew on his face.

"The slaves and maids congratulate the general and the young grandmother on a good New Year's Day, it is appropriate to enter the New Year, be harmonious, wish will be achieved, everything will be achieved, and everything will go well!"

The women at the foot of the stairs chanted New Year's greetings and knelt down in unison.

"Get up." Xu Ying nodded, "It's appropriate to enter the New Year, and you must abide by your duties and work diligently......"

"Grandma Xie's New Year's teachings." The women stood up in thanks.

"Half a tael of silver per person." Xu Ying said lightly.

"Why do you only reward half a tael?" Yang Ming asked Xu Ying quietly. The first time he received this kind of New Year's greeting, he felt very novel, and felt that it seemed that he should reward more, at least make up a whole number.

Xu Ying didn't answer, just gave Yang Ming a gentle smile.

She knew that at this moment, in the city of Beijing, forty miles away, the master of the Kunning Palace was rewarding the court women according to the rules of etiquette, and the diligent and thrifty and virtuous queen never gave rewards indiscriminately.

"General, Mr. Liu and Master Ding, they are still waiting outside." Xu Ying said to Yang Ming, "Is it okay for the slave family to accompany the general?" ”

"Mr. Liu and Ding Yousan?" Yang Ming asked strangely, "What are they doing here?" ”

"Naturally, I'm here to congratulate the general on the New Year." Xu Ying looked at Yang Ming with a smile.

"Oh......" Yang Ming was a little surprised, "this...... Not necessarily, right? Why do you want to talk about these politenesses? ”

"Hurry up and get out, so as not to keep them waiting." Xu Ying didn't explain much.

"Oh, good. Shall I go with you? What about Xiao Xi? Yang Ming asked Xu Ying.

"The general should have gone out alone." Xu Ying's smile was a little cold, "It's just that the slave family is in charge of the general's affairs in this mansion......"

Outside the Chuihua Gate, Liu Bixian, the master of the shogunate, stood on the left side of the steps with his secretary and servants, and Ding Yousan stood on the right side of the steps with several high-ranking officers, waiting to congratulate the general on the New Year.

The heavy chessboard door opened, and Yang Ming, who was wearing a crimson hakama pleated robe, and Xu Ying, who was wearing a red armor, walked out back and forth.

"Mr. Liu......" Yang Ming was about to go down the steps, but Xu Ying secretly stopped him.

"The subordinates congratulate the general on a good New Year's Day, it is appropriate to enter the New Year, the spring Shaojie is prosperous, Vientiane is renewed, the harvest year is Rui, and the talents are recruited." Liu Bixian took a step forward, bowed and sang, and the clerks behind him also bowed and saluted.

Immediately afterwards, Ding You's third-class officer knelt on the ground, hugged his fists and congratulated: "Congratulations to the general on New Year's Day, it is appropriate to enter the New Year, purple gas comes from the east, the lucky stars shine high, the early opening of the Jieyin, and the success of the martial arts." ”

"Huh...... Okay, everyone......" Yang Ming couldn't think of anything to respond for a while.

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Ding, don't be polite." Xu Ying smiled and said, "It is better to enter the New Year, and we should be more united, easy for everyone to do, fulfill our duties, and prosper together." ”

"Yes!" The crowd at the bottom of the stairs sang in unison. Liu Bixian smiled and glanced at Xu Ying with some approval.

Returning from Chuihua Gate, Xu Ying was speechless all the way, looking thoughtful. She seemed to see that the seventeen-year-old boy, after ascending the throne, treated the cabinet and ministers with great courtesy, he called the ministers Mr. instead of his name, and every time he was in court, he would give tea, soup, wine and rice to the imperial food. He set up a brocade pier in the palace, and the ministers and ministers all sat and talked to the emperor to discuss things, and even talked secretly about the maintenance of the machine.

She seemed to see that at the beginning of the young man's ascension to the throne, he had sent a eunuch to send a recital to the cabinet, asking for a revision of the cabinet's vote (handling opinions), and the cabinet minister Liu Hongxun angrily reprimanded the eunuch: "What vote to change?" What a young and ignorant emperor. ”

Xu Ying looked at Yang Ming beside him, he was not a few years older than the young emperor, his face always seemed to be careless, and he probably only thought of those young and beautiful women. Xu Ying's heart sank, she secretly clenched the Tian Huangshi seal in her sleeve, this seal was given to her by Yang Ming the day after entering the city, and her name was engraved on the seal "Feng Qing Yueying".

In the flower hall of the west wing, on the big table of Huanghuali, goose fat rolls, pork steamed buns, Jiang rice cakes, yellow millet dumplings, pickled chicken and bacon, dregs and wind fish, deer and rabbit breasts, pine hazelnut lotus qing, peach and apricot melon kernels, chestnut jujube branch rounds, hawthorn cake Geng cake, Baizigang pomegranate, Qiubo pear, Pingpo fruit, lion orange and phoenix orange, orange bayberry and other foods are placed on the whole table. Yang Ming sat on the front seat, Xu Ying and Xiao Yu accompanied him left and right, Yu Dai, Ruhua, and Yingmei stood beside him, and placed the plates and spoons neatly to prepare the first meal of the new year.

On the stool next to the table, a woman in a light-colored bichimono sits with her head bowed, holding her lute, and her task is to serve the piano for the New Year's feast.

Cailan pressed the note with her left hand, plucked the strings with her right hand, and the pearl-like music poured out from her fingertips, but it was the song "Half a Pot of Yarn".

Yang Ming looked up at the woman playing the piano in surprise, but saw that the woman's lowered eyebrows and eyes were also raised, the corners of her eyes were slightly twitched, and then they drooped, and the corners of the woman's mouth revealed two small dimples.