The twenty-third day of the lunar month is a small year, in the city of Beijing, the family is reunited, the incense is toasted, and the king of the stove is congratulated, hoping that he will say good things to heaven and return to the palace to be auspicious. However, in Luheyi on the outskirts of Beijing, there was a group of people gathered there, and they were planning not a good thing, but a rebellion; What they want to bring to the people of the capital is not auspicious, but disaster. This group of people is the stewards of Yang Qilong and Zhong Saburo Xiangtang.

Half a month ago, Yang Qilong suddenly transferred, from the city's Gulou West Street Zhoufu, to Luheyi, as soon as he came, he blocked the intersection, blocked the news, and strictly forbade anyone to enter or leave. Xiao Maozi, the chief eunuch of the Yangxin Palace, and Wang Zhenbang, the eunuch of the Wenhua Palace, were also brought by him. After several days and nights of secret discussions, the plan for the uprising has been largely decided, and Xiao Maozi participated in these secret meetings. grasped the whole situation, and rushed back to the palace to report the news, but he couldn't get out. Besides, what day did the incident take place? He wanted to find out more about it, so he didn't act rashly.

The secret meeting that night was the key and the last big gathering before the event. In the main hall of the second courtyard of Luheyi, the bright candle is burning high, and the fragrance of wine is overflowing. Yang Qilong sat in the center, and the hall masters, strategists, generals, and commanders of the provinces were all around. After three rounds of drinking, Yang Qilong's face was full of red light, and he stood up excitedly, "Everyone, tell you a good news." Wu Sangui has already done it! Geng Jingzhong also took Fan Chengmo, the governor of Fujian, and Shang Zhixin also detained his father Shang Kexi, and jointly negotiated with the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. At this moment, the south of the Xiangjiang River is no longer the world of the Qing Dynasty! ”

The people at the banquet immediately became a sensation, some whispered to each other, some laughed happily, some pondered with wine glasses, and some just smiled, and the atmosphere was very warm and lively.

"We have decided to start an incident," Yang Qilong solemnly announced, "There are a few things that I still need to discuss with you, and I would like to invite Mr. Li, the military advisor, to talk about them." ”

Li Zhuyuan and Yang Qilong sat side by side, and then slowly got up and looked around at everyone; "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to set up a flag to start an incident, and the "country name" is still the Ming Dynasty, and the year name is Guangde. The first day of the first month of next year is the first year of Ming Guangde. Emperor Chongzhen and Emperor Zhaolie, the third prince of Emperor Zhu Cijiong, are the main ones. ”

There was a murmur in the crowd. The hall master from other provinces only knew that there was a third prince of Zhu, but he had never met, Li Zhu understood in his heart, and pointed to Yang Qilong: "Everyone, please see, Yang Qilong, who is in the middle of the high seat, is the third prince of the first emperor." Since the Jiashen Change, the thieves captured Beijing, and after the martyrdom of the first emperor, the third prince changed his name to Yang Qilong for Tao Hui's plan, and it has been more than 30 years. The prince traveled all over the country: in order to restore the Ming Dynasty, he worked hard and exhausted. Now it's finally time for an incident, so from now on, the name should be corrected. ”

Everyone roared up and paid homage to Yang Qilong, who sat upright and received the salute, beaming and complacent. He waved his hand to let everyone return to their seats, and motioned for Li Zhu to continue.

"At the time of the incident, the fire was raised as the number - from the inner court, the Big Buddha Temple, the Miaoying Temple, Wen Daxiangci, the Confucian Temple, Jingshan East, the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, the Tomb of Li Zhuowu, the Great Bell Temple, the Reclining Buddha Temple, the Rotten Face Hutong and the Zhengang Tower, a total of thirteen places, set off cannons and ignited in the middle of the night, and the whole city moved together to attack the Forbidden City."

"To make it easy to identify, we made 20,000 red hats. Fifty-six leaders of the congregation of the eunuch Zhongxiangtang have been sent out in advance. With them as the internal response, we will definitely attack the palace in one fell swoop and seize the center in charge of the world. Now it's time to discuss when it's appropriate. Please all the hall masters and generals express their opinions freely for the third prince to choose. ”

A Shandong Xiangtang hall master with a mustache stood up and shouted loudly: "Hey, what's there to discuss, just do it, do it immediately!" ”

Xiao Maozi was shocked when he heard it, and the news couldn't be sent, if the bandits did it immediately, wouldn't Ouchi suffer again? No, we have to hold them back. After pondering for a while, he stood up, first bowed to Yang Qilong, and then made a big bow in a reunion, stood in the middle and said: "Third prince, military advisors and hall masters, listen to me, you want to talk about the time of this incident." Today is the best, under the small year, how auspicious! ”

Yang Qilong interjected with a smile: "It's good, I'm afraid it's too late." ”

"That's right, but if you miss today, you have to choose another auspicious day. The third prince has been waiting for more than thirty years, and he can't be in a hurry, if he makes a mistake, it will not be good. As he spoke, he wrenched his fingers and calculated: "Twenty-four, twenty-four sweep the house—it's smoky, it's not good." Well, twenty-five, grinding tofu, dry and going around in circles, not going out, it's not good. Twenty-six, to cut the flesh, bloody, no. Twenty-six, killing the stove chicken, it was good, but the golden rooster called Ming, just in response to a clear word, and it can't be called if it is killed. Twenty-eight, put the face hair, hey, look at the big one, pinch a dead pimple, that will work. Twenty-nine, pour rice wine, hey - this is a good day, wine helps heroes to be brave, let go of their hands and feet. Prince, I'll just look at twenty-nine. ”

Yang Qilong listened to him push the days further and further, and he was a little suspicious in his heart, and his face was ugly. Li Zhucheng's mansion is very deep, he is also suspicious of Xiao Maozi, but he is silent, he thinks to himself, it seems that it is not appropriate to openly discuss the time of the incident, fortunately, the soldiers are not tired of deceit, and they can coax this kid on a random date, and they want to advance it, isn't it a word. Thinking of this, he stepped forward, patted Xiao Maozi on the shoulder and said, "Good boy, he has a board and an eye, one set on the left and one on the right, without ambiguity." In my opinion, since it is postponed, it may as well be postponed for two more days. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the palace in the capital was celebrating, let's take it by surprise and act suddenly, boil dumplings in clear water, and tell him Kang Laosan to eat enough! ”

Everyone laughed and applauded, and Xiao Maozi returned to his seat vividly, took a glass of wine and drank it all, waiting for the next step. Li Zhu cleared his throat and was about to speak, when he suddenly saw a guard running in: "Third prince, Wu Yingxiong is here!" Yang Qilong was taken aback, um-

How did Wu Yingxiong get here? It turned out that since the imperial court issued an edict, he had a premonition that the end was coming. Once his father made a move in Yunnan, the emperor would immediately take him down. How could he escape this sudden disaster and return to Yunnan smoothly? At the beginning, he pinned his hopes on Xiao Maozi, wanting to use this double spy to open Yang Qilong's joints and let Zhong Saburo Xiangtang help him get out. But later, Huang Jing of the Internal Affairs Office came to tell him that Xiao Maozi was a spy who had been beaten in with bitter tricks, but Yang Qilong had not found out yet, but took him outside the city to participate in the preparation of the uprising. Although Wu Yingxiong was surprised when he heard this, he didn't take it too seriously. Let Xiao Maozi harm Yang Qilong, it may be good for himself. However, when Huang Jing told him that according to reliable information revealed by the Inner Palace, Huangfu Baozhu had secretly surrendered to Kangxi, which stunned Wu Yingxiong. The Emperor was the most loyal guard of his father, and he held countless secrets in his hands. In addition, he is brave and resourceful, and his martial arts are strong. If he really rebelled, not only would he not be able to escape, but he would also be a great threat to his father. He really couldn't believe that this was the truth, but after thinking about it, he still felt that he would rather kill this person by mistake than stay, so he had to be ruthless and use a cup of poisoned wine to kill Huangfu Baozhu. As a result, there is no one around you who can protect you. In desperation, he had to be cheeky and ask Yang Qilong for help. However, he came today, firstly, he had Wu Sangui's letter to Yang Qilong in his hand, and secondly, he had the bottom of Xiao Maozi. If necessary, this card can be thrown to gain Yang Qilong's trust. Therefore, although he fled in a hurry, he still pretended to be calm and calm, and as soon as he entered the door, he laughed loudly and said, "Ho! It's so lively! The uninvited guest broke into the third prince's incense hall again, and he was offended. ”

Yang Qilong stood up and smiled coldly and said: "Lord Elu does not live in Shihu Hutong to recuperate, but he braves the wind and snow, travels lightly, and comes to this remote town, I don't know what to see. ”

Wu Yingxiong knew that he was mocking, but at this moment, the secret report of his father's incident had arrived, and if he didn't escape, he would be in prison, so he had to hurriedly escape and join Yang Qilong, under the low eaves, he had to bow his head, so he had to laugh and say: "I don't hide it, I came to the door to ask for help in Xiate, I left Shihu Hutong last night, and I got the news this morning, and the house has been copied." This is an extraordinary time, please ask the third prince to be in the same boat with us. ”

"Huh? In the same boat, good wow, although the prince can rest assured to live, the red orchard of the Jade Emperor Temple, you see where it is comfortable, you can live well, but this is just the same boat......"

"Of course, of course, here is a handwritten letter from my father, please see it from the third prince." Lang Tingshu hurriedly opened the baggage and took out Wu Sangui's letter. Yang Qilong opened it and saw that it contained a copy of Wu Sangui's essay on seeking clarity, and the other was a letter to Yang Qilong. The letter said that the Yunnan soldiers were willing to gather under the command of the third prince and fight to the death for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. Yang Qilong didn't believe that Wu Sangui's words were from his heart, but at this moment, the incident was imminent, with Wu Sangui's hundreds of thousands of horses as the backing, and Wu Sangui clearly said that he supported the third prince of Zhu, but Yang Qilong was very needed, so he hurriedly stood up and excitedly said to everyone: "Everyone, Wu Shizi has brought us good news again. Pingxi Bo is willing to lead his subordinates to support my third prince Zhu as the main and plan for a great cause. When everyone heard this, they thundered with joy and applauded. Yang Qilong walked down and grabbed Wu Yingxiong: "Shizi, now you are my distinguished guest here, please sit down." ”

"Slow! I have to pull out a small nail for the third prince. As he spoke, he suddenly turned around, looked at Xiao Maozi with electric eyes, and called out his real name: "Qian Xixin, come out!" ”

Xiao Maozi came over in a panic: "Shizi, what's wrong with you, Xiao Maozi didn't offend you?" ”

"Hmph, don't bother talking. Let me ask you, are you my Wu Yingxiong's person, or the third prince's person, or Kangxi's person? Say! ”

Xiao Maozi understood, he couldn't hide anything more, gritted his teeth, and burst out with a sentence: "The master is the emperor's person, what about you?" ”

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked, and people couldn't believe their ears. This eunuch, who is very popular with Yang Qilong and Li Zhu, how can he be a spy, Yang Qilong's face immediately turned pale, and Wu Yingxiong chased after him: "Good boy, there is a kind!" I ask you, what are you doing here? ”

Xiao Maozi regained his composure and grabbed the topic again: "Hey-I forgot, didn't you send me into Zhong Saburo's meeting?" Since you know that I am the emperor's man, why didn't you expose the bottom as soon as possible, and send me here to harm others? ”

Xiao Maozi's words caused a burst of discussions. Wu Yingxiong opened his mouth and couldn't answer correctly. However, Yang Qilong has already made a ruthless heart, whether Xiao Maozi is Kangxi's person or Wu Yingxiong's person, they are all spies anyway, and he can't let him say it anymore, he shouted: "Wang Zhenbang!" ”

"The minions are waiting here!"

"Drag the little hairy out and bury it!"

"Piercing!"

Two guards stepped forward, set up their little hair, and left. Wang Zhenbang also followed quickly. When he came to the door of the backyard, Xiao Maozi pretended to lift his shoes, grabbed a handful of fine sand in the corner of the wall, put it in the cup, and said to Wang Zhenbang: "Princess, we both came out of the Great Interior, before I die, can you let me take another sip of wine?" ”

"Okay, well, depending on you. Come on, let's be in this hut, and I'll give you a drink to see you off. Hey, you two call a few people, let's dig a pit first, and I'll send Xiao Maozi over later. ”

After Xiao Maozi saw the two guards retreat, Wang Zhenbang brought a pot of wine and a few side dishes. put it on the table, and politely said to Wang Zhenbang: "Princess, I thank you." Xiao Maozi has enjoyed the blessings and sins in this life, and there is nothing to lose. Besides, the old lady has also received the emperor's favor, what else do I expect? As soon as you close your eyes, it's over, it's rare for you and my brother to have a game, and this wine can't just let me drink it, how about we drink two glasses? ”

"No, no, no, you know, I have a heart sickness, and I love to get sick when I drink. Drink it, I'll sit here with you. ”

"Hey - on normal days, you don't drink, brother, I don't force it, today is life and death, although each is its master, but we are also brothers, don't you want to give this face? Come on, come on, brother, I'll fill it for you, please. ”

After two cups in a row, Xiao Maozi's conversation box opened, and he talked nonsense, how to use poison first, stun Ge Chuha, and beat him to death with a teapot; How did he secretly put a double poison in the teapot in Huangsi Village, and blew it amazingly: "Hey, there are the emperor and Master Su standing on the steps, and there are Xiao Weizi and a few internal guards beside him, so many people have their eyes open, and they don't see me putting poison in the pot." ”

"Yo! Little Maozi, will you do tricks? ”

"I'm the grandfather of juggling. Don't hide it from the prince, I have poison on me at all times? Otherwise, dare to break into this Zhong Saburo Xiangtang? Just now, if you hadn't pulled it fast, as long as I walked around the third prince's table, maybe he would have died in front of me. Hey, Princess, today, how are you going to let your brother die? ”

"According to the old rules of Xiangtang, bury alive!"

"Brother Wang, you tell them to dig a bigger hole, it's too small to put it down."

"you, a skinny dry monkey, what do you want such a big hole for?"

"Hmph, I'm sorry, my brother understands the truth that no poison is not a husband. Can you send me and not send me to a place! As he spoke, he grabbed the fine sand from his arms, raised it with his hand, and withdrew it in the wine and vegetables: "See?" In the wine you drank just now, brother, I have put this poison. Brother Wang, you are a little inclusive, Xiao Maozi and I have no choice but to do it! ”

Xiao Maozi said it extremely easily, but when Wang Zhenbang heard it, he was like a thunderbolt. He was stunned and disfigured. Suddenly, he felt a pang of cramping in his heart, and it was getting worse and worse. He knew that his heart was distressed, and maybe the poison under Xiao Maozi also began to attack. The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable the pain became, and the beads of sweat the size of beans on my head fell down.

Xiao Maozi saw that this trick really worked, and he was even more proud, so he wanted to add a few more words, forcing him to let himself escape: "Prince, don't uncle." Otherwise, when they come and drag me to be buried alive, you will take the antidote from me. Hey, what about the antidote? Ah! Not here, at the head of my bed. Let's go, you hurry up and lead me, or it will be too late. Before he finished speaking, he saw Wang Zhenbang's face was blue, his mouth and nose were crooked, and he fell to the ground with a bang, and he died.

As soon as Wang Zhenbang died, Xiao Maozi was surprised and delighted. He couldn't have imagined that his heart was so distressed. Three glasses of old wine, a lot of fear, can kill you. Thinking to himself, if he didn't leave at this time, he bypassed Wang Zhenbang's corpse and went out of the room. From a distance, I saw that several guards were still digging a pit. In the front yard, the lights are brilliant, and the sound of guessing the boxing order is all together. He didn't dare to slack off, slipped into the stable and stole a horse, whipped up and galloped, and went straight to the capital. By the time the guards couldn't stop the report into the middle hall, Xiao Maozi had already disappeared into the night.