Wang Dehua has taken over the Sili palm print from Wei Zhongxian's henchman Wang Tiqian for seven years, but in the past seven years, he has never seen Chongzhen so sad and crying so bitterly, the terrible howl made him a little panicked, turned around and looked around, most of those eunuchs and palace maids were standing with bated breath outside the curtain and under the eaves, and a few timid ones had already knelt on the ground and trembled. A few steps away, Ma Yuancheng, the new eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, stood with red eyes and shrugged his shoulders from crying.

"Are you a dead man, why don't you send a letter to the ladies quickly!"

was kicked by Wang Dehua, Ma Yuancheng came to his senses, rubbed his waist with one hand, and ran away in promise. This Ma Yuancheng is the eunuch who took over from the incompetent imperial eunuch Zhao Quan last month, and he has been working as an errand in Shangyin Prison before, and he can be regarded as an old man who has gone through two dynasties, but in front of Wang Dehua, he doesn't dare to put a fart, and he is as well-behaved as he wants.

Drove away Ma Yuancheng, and several little eunuchs from Shang Shan Jian walked over with vermilion lacquer food boxes, and saw Wang Dehua from a distance, and the eunuchs led by him hurriedly saluted: "Ancestor..."

"Silence!" Wang Dehua pointed to the temple door behind him and scolded: "Are you tired of it?" Dare to come at this time! ”

The eunuch was stunned for a moment, and replied: "In the past, it was this time to pass the meal, no mistake!" ”

Wang Dehua glared at him: "If you can fucking eat a few bites of food from the Pope, our family will reward you heavily!" ”

"That's a small part...... the eunuch didn't know what had happened, his eyebrows smiled, and he was about to thank him, when two tall eunuchs carried a bright yellow shoulder, galloped up, followed by Ma Yuancheng and a few palace maids, running out of breath.

Wang Dehua hurriedly grabbed it, and the first-class shoulders were stable, and he hurriedly came over to give a salute, and carefully reported: "Long live the lord, the queen mother is here." ”

The hall was silent, and Queen Zhou said with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, the concubine is here......"

There was still no sound in the hall, and the eunuchs and palace maids were stunned, Wang Dehua couldn't help but want to enter the palace to take a look, and reported in a low voice again: "Long live the lord, the queen mother is here." ”

Chongzhen's weak voice came from the hall, "The queen goes back, I don't want to see anyone, I only want to see the ancestors and ancestors." ”

Hearing this, Queen Zhou trembled and said in astonishment: "What, the emperor wants to see the ancestors and ancestors?" "I was uneasy, for fear that my husband would be too sad and make a bad happening.

Chongzhen in the hall saw that there was no movement outside, and said impatiently: "Go, go!" I'm quiet! ”

Hearing her husband's crying voice, Queen Zhou's heart was sour, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Will the concubine send lunch in and then go?" ”

"Hahaha..."

Chongzhen in the hall smiled bitterly, "Where do I still have the heart to eat, how can I swallow it?" I want to go to the Fengxian Hall to bow to my ancestors, and I have to ask for sin! I am an unfilial descendant! After speaking, he pushed the door out of the hall by himself, and did not look at Queen Zhou, let alone take the chariot, and walked to the Fengxian Palace.

When Empress Zhou saw it, she was busy following on foot, and Wang Dehua and other eunuchs also hurriedly followed. There was silence along the way.

After Chongzhen entered the Fengxian Palace, he knelt in front of the ancestral god and cried, and his sadness was a little more than in the Wenhua Hall before.

"Take care, Your Majesty!"

No trespass without a decree, Queen Zhou followed to kneel outside the Fengxian Palace, did not dare to go in to consol, tears passed on the Zhi Tian, Yuan Erfei, the prince and Yong, Ding two kings rushed together.

After Concubine Tian and the crown prince arrived, everyone knelt outside the palace gate and advised the emperor to think of the common people in the world, and not to be too sad and damage the Holy Body.

Many of the eunuchs and palace maids who accompanied them saw that the queen, the concubine, the prince and the two little kings were crying sadly, and they all sobbed with red eyes, and there was a cry inside and outside the Fengxian Palace.

"Your Majesty—"

An old hoarse shout came, and everyone turned their heads to look, but it was Concubine Liu who came. Concubine Liu is eighty years old, and among the concubines of the first dynasty, she is the oldest and the most respectful. Chongzhen lost his mother when he was young and was raised by her for a long time. There was no queen mother in the Chongzhen and Tianqi dynasties, and the jade seal of the queen mother in the palace was in charge of Concubine Liu.

When Empress Zhou saw Concubine Liu coming, she hurriedly got up and said, "Old Ancestor, why did you alarm your old man?" ”

"O Queen! I'm not old and confused, my legs and feet can still move, I heard Concubine Tian say that the ancestral tomb was burned by thieves, the emperor was so angry that he cried, and he didn't eat a bite of rice, I, I feel distressed! Concubine Liu had red circles in her eyes, stepped forward with a dragon head cane, and patted the door tremblingly: "Your Majesty, the ancestors and ancestors are all watching you here, they know your heart, and they still want you to take this breath for them!" How can you do without eating or drinking? Emperor Taizu Gao's Daming Dynasty still depends on you! ”

Queen Zhou seemed to be a little complaining when she heard the words, and she was a little annoyed in her heart, she glanced at Tian Guifei, and was a little grateful for her well-behaved and clever, and secretly blamed her for making her own decisions. was thinking about how to tell the difference, but heard Chongzhen shout in a hoarse voice: "Hand towels." Hurriedly took the soaked hand towel from Ma Yuancheng's hand, gently pushed open a corner of the door, and handed it over. Chongzhen wiped his face before ordering everyone to enter the hall.

After everyone saluted in front of the ancestral god, Chongzhen Hao sighed, stroked the prince's head and choked up: "The ancestors have never changed in the past three hundred years. Since the beginning of my reign, I have respected the heavens and ancestors, been diligent in government and loved the people, and have not lost morality. I didn't expect that the thieves were so rampant and difficult to control, and the disaster became more and more intense, until the ancestral tomb was destroyed and Zhongdu fell, how can I be worthy of my ancestors and ancestors! ”

He forcibly suppressed his crying, closed his eyes and was silent for a while, and then said: "You don't need to be comforted, I know in my heart, I won't mess around without thinking, I must take the head of the thief and dedicate it to the Taimiao, comfort the spirit of the ancestors in the sky, and wash away this strange shame!" ”

Concubine Liu sighed and wept: "Child! It's hard for you. ”

Chongzhen said sadly: "The old ancestors are all children with thin virtue and little ability, and they have not received a good foundation for their ancestors. Grandmaster Shen ruled by inaction back then, and there were few things at home, how reassuring it was to be an emperor! When it came to Sun Tzu, he added so many disasters and disasters, which was really a bit at a loss, so that the ancestors could not live in peace, and they were ashamed and landless! ”

"You grew up with my watch, and it's not easy to clean up this mess left to you by Sect God and your father and brother! You have to do a good job, and ZTE can be hopeful. ”

Concubine Liu said, she couldn't help hiding her face and crying, Tian Guifei stepped forward to help her, and persuaded: "Ancestor, isn't the emperor a good one, if your old man is sad again, won't you provoke him again?" None of us juniors agreed! ”

"I was sad to see that the emperor had lost weight again."

"Oops! Ancestor, have you forgotten that Liu Bei didn't ride a horse for a long time, his spleen and flesh were revived, he did nothing, and he cried with emotion? The emperor has reduced some of it, which is the proof of the state affairs and the promisingness of ZTE! ”

Under the persuasion of everyone, Chongzhen was in a better mood, and after sending Concubine Liu away, he did not leave anyone to accompany him to dinner. Lunch has become simple because of the reduction of consumption, only four dishes and one soup, and there is no meat, Chongzhen has pain in his heart, this lunch is very difficult, not only can not eat any taste, eat two bites, and then think of the ancestral tomb was burned, sorrow comes from it, tears fall, throwing into the chopsticks, the heart is like numbness, and have to take care of the etiquette of the king, hold back the grief and anger to eat.

In this way, intermittently, after eating for half an hour, Chongzhen tore off the sky blue napkin, waved away everyone, and wanted to rest on the imperial couch in the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, but he felt that his chest was bored, and he did not have the slightest sleep, and sat alone and pondered for a long time.

"The proposed decree is that Hong Chengchou will quickly march into the army, encircle and suppress the eastward rogues, and must not be appeased. Zhu Dadian, the governor of Shandong, Cao Yun, and the governor of Lu, Feng, Huai, and Yang, moved the town of Fengyang, and restored the imperial tomb. With the horse Duwei Ran Xing, let the generation go to the temple to pay tribute to the two ancestors. ”

Chongzhen said a few wills in one breath, and then let out a long breath and ordered: "The thieves are not peaceful, and they are shocked by the mausoleum, I want to move out of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, clean up the wooden house next to the Wenhua Palace, and go there to live and meditate, and save my guilt." When it was not a ceremony, I wore black clothes on weekdays to manage the government, reduced food and entertainment, and shared joys and sorrows with the soldiers until the day of Kou Ping. ”

Hearing this will, Wang Dehua was shocked and hurriedly stopped: "Long live what the Lord said is to save sorrow? I can't help it! That wooden house can't make a fire, it's freezing ...... this day" Before he finished speaking, he saw Chongzhen's eyes sweeping sharply, and he was so frightened that he stopped talking and changed his words: "Yes, yes, the slave and maid will go down and prepare." ”

The province lives in the northwest corner of the Wenhua Palace, but it is not attached to the main hall, isolated on all sides, like a volley of the attic, far away from the world. The foundation of the roof is laid with thick logs, three feet above the ground. The wooden house has been idle for a long time, and has not been used for many years, the railings and wooden steps are full of dust, cobwebs are hung in front of the eaves and windows, and there are wild grass growing along the south road in front of the house. No matter in terms of scale and decoration, it is very different from the Wenhua Palace, and it looks more and more short and cold, making people think that the magnificent palace has such a dilapidated place.

Wang Dehua ordered people to clean up the provincial residence overnight, and tightly plugged the gaps that were ventilated. Early the next morning, Chongzhen stepped into the provincial residence, kowtowed respectfully to the Jade Emperor, sat upright with his eyes closed, meditated, and thought about how to make an edict for himself, and how to speak out for the ancestors and ancestors as soon as possible

Hong Chengchou's life is not easy, since the army out of Tongguan, the officers and troops have been constantly in the air, the thieves are divided into several groups of east and west, gathering and scattering, the officers and troops of various departments are slow, the grain and grass are difficult to continue, and it is difficult to quickly suppress them. The longer it dragged on, the more difficult it was for him to report to the imperial court that the "June Thief" strategy would work.

In October, Ai Wannian, Liu Chenggong, Liu Guozhen, and guerrilla Wang Xi, the deputy commander-in-chief of Gushan, pursued the thief army Lao Hui with 3,000 people in Xiangle Town, Ningzhou, and were ambushed and surrounded, Ai Wannian and Liu Guozhen were killed, Liu Chenggong and Wang Ximing were seriously injured, and more than 1,000 officers and soldiers died.

When the news came, Hong Chengchou was shocked and did not dare to pursue the light army, so he ordered all the armies to stand by in place in case they were broken by the thief army.

In November, Cao Wenzhao, who had been reappointed from the Yansui General Army to the Aid and Suppression General Army, was furious when he heard that Ai Wannian had been killed, and asked Hong Chengchou to send troops to avenge Ai Wannian.

Cao Wenzhao is a famous general in the northwest of the Ming Dynasty, known for his bravery, outstanding achievements, never had a defeat, the thief army often fled when he heard the name, and said that "there is a Cao in the army, and the thief is afraid to hear it." ”

Hong Chengchou was overjoyed and immediately agreed, but he said that there were no soldiers to give to Cao Wenzhao, and he only promised to be the queen of his palace, so Cao Wenzhao led 3,000 men and horses to the battle.

On December 28th, Cao Wenzhao's troops encountered 80,000 thieves in Zhenning Hutou Town with the thief army Lao Huihui, Jiutiao Longguo Dacheng, Guotianxing, and Cao Cao Luo Rucai, Cao Wenzhao fought hard to kill, chasing and killing the thief army for more than 30 miles, and suddenly the thief army ambushed all around, surrounded Cao Wenzhao's army, and in the fierce battle, his pawns were captured, shouting: "The general save me!" Then someone in the thief army recognized him and said, "This is General Cao." ”

As soon as he heard that Cao Wenzhao was here, the thief army rushed up and surrounded him. Cao Wenzhao clashed left and right, stabbing dozens of people, turning for several miles, but the thief army came like a tide, Cao Wenzhao couldn't get out, and finally killed himself.

Hong Chengchou, who was defeated and lost generals one after another, did not dare to report the death of Cao Wenzhao to the imperial court, but ordered all armies to celebrate the New Year on the spot, and then join forces to encircle the thieves after the year. But just after the Lantern Festival, the news of the destruction of the Fengyang Emperor's Mausoleum came, and the frightened Hong Chengchou no longer dared to stand still, and hurriedly urged the army to divide and rush into the encirclement and suppression.

Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong divided their troops and left, Zhang Xianzhong went deep into the Jianghuai, and Gao Yingxiang went northwest to return to Germany, and after meeting with Luo Rucai and Hui Deng, he took advantage of the false killing to return to Shaanxi. Hong Chengchou was shocked, seeing that he couldn't catch up, he quickly flew and sent an urgent document to Sun Chuanting, the governor of Shaanxi, to intercept him along the road

In Guangde Town, Weihui Prefecture, Henan, Shi Dayong led 30,000 soldiers to wear linen and wear filial piety to look at Zhending from afar, and lamented, "Return my General Cao!" ”

After thirteen cannon shots, Cao Bianjiao, the commander of the cavalry guard of the new army in Liaodong, led 6,000 cavalry to attack Zhangde.