, Cai Jiuyi looked at each other, set up Hong Chengchou on the left and right, and left, but with a bang, the door of the lobby was knocked open by Qi Qi, and many horses rushed in and surrounded the four of them. "Let's go!" Hong Chengchou shouted. Cai Jiuyi and *** knew that it was difficult to rescue the handsome, so they each threw out a hidden weapon, and when the Qing soldiers were in chaos, they jumped out of the lobby and escaped on the roof. The Qing soldiers forced the two with knives again and tied them together. Hong Chengchou opened his eyes and saw that it was Xia Chengde who was the leader, turned his head to the side, and was silent. Qiu Min scolded: "Xia Zhugou, as a Ming official, you don't want to serve the court, but you sell the country to seek glory!" Lord Hong treats you well, but you sacrifice the city to harm the lord, so you are not afraid of leaving an infamy for eternity? ”

"It's better to be infamous than to die!" Xia Chengde smiled coldly and pushed the two to see Dolgon. Dolgon drank the order and said with a smile: "I have heard of Mr. Hong's name for a long time, and I am eager to see it, and it is a blessing to meet in Songshan today." Mr. Wang, regardless of past suspicions, allows me to ask for advice day and night. ”

Hong Chengchou closed his eyes and said: "The general of the defeated army, the minister who humiliates the country, just waiting for death, how can he ask for it!" ”

Fan Wencheng persuaded: "My prince has been longing for Mr. for a long time, and he wants to plan together, Mr. must not be obsessed and miss the opportunity to show his mind again." ”

Hong Chengchou said: "Domon Yayi, Hong only knows that there is death, but he doesn't know that there is a fall, so why bother talking!" ”

Fan Wencheng wanted to persuade again, but Dolgon waved his hand to stop him. Duoduo and Hauge were furious and drew their swords to kill Hong Chengchou, and Dolgon shouted: "Your Majesty's secret decree is to invite Mr. Hong to Shengjing, do you want to resist the decree?" The two withdrew from the tent, furious, and killed the captured Qiu Minyang, Cao Bianjiao, and Wang Tingchen.

In Shengjing City, there are 100 towers and palaces, which are the Qing Dynasty Palace, which has been operated by Nurhachi and Huang Taiji for more than ten years. There is a Taoist temple on the east side of Fujin Gate, enshrines the three officials of heaven, earth and water, commonly known as the Sanguan Temple, the incense is still not broken, but because it is close to the Daqing Gate and the Chongzheng Palace, the ordinary good men and women are not allowed to trespass. A new grass house was erected in front of the temple, surrounded by heavy security, and Hong Chengchou was detained here. Huang Taiji was very polite to him, and he served wine and food regularly every day, and he could walk freely in the grass house. Hong Chengchou knew that there were people watching him day and night, and it was impossible to commit suicide and martyrdom, and he deeply regretted that he never committed suicide when Songshan fell, and ended up being humiliated as a prisoner. On the way to Shengjing, he thought about committing suicide, but the Qing soldiers gave him a car with a felt tent, in front of him were the soldiers who were driving the car, and the Niu Lu Ezhen who was sitting on the left and right was guarding, and he couldn't get it. When I arrived in Shengjing, I lived in a soft grass house, and it was impossible to commit suicide by hitting a wall, so I had to go on a hunger strike to repay Jun's kindness. Huang Taiji also calmed down, and still ordered people to bring good wine and food every day, although he removed it unchanged every time.

Two days later, Hong Chengchou was sitting alone in Mougin, and the sergeant guarding the door came to report: "The three generals Geng Zhongming, Kong Youde, and Shang Kexi have come to visit your lordship. ”

After a while, the three of them came in, and Geng Zhongming said: "I have heard Mr. Hong's name for a long time, and I have not been able to meet, and I often regret it. I heard that Mr. came to Shengjing, and I came to visit him today to talk about quenching my thirst. ”

Hong Chengchou heard the implicit ridicule in this person's words, and sneered at each other: "If you have become a prisoner of Nanguan Chu, how dare you have the prince of Lao Daqing condescending to drive in vain?" ”

Kong Youde said: "Why does Lord Hong have to speak spicy and aggressive? Virtuous and adult were both ministers, and adults were in dire straits, how could we be indifferent and watch from the wall, without a trace of the same feelings? We want to bless the Lord together with adults, share the glory and wealth, and hope to be able to appreciate this painstaking heart. ”

Hong Chengchou laughed a few times and said: "Prince Kong said that he and Buyu are both courtiers of the Ming Dynasty, and the past is like smoke, which makes people feel like they are in a different world. is in prison, the prince can come to visit, no matter what happens, Hong is also grateful. Glory and wealth, there are a few people in the world who don't want to. The so-called bustle of the world is all for profit, for thousands of years, how many people can not be disturbed by the turmoil of this world? It's just that a gentleman loves money and takes it in the right way, betraying the court, and failing the emperor's grace, is it not possible to do it? Death by starvation is a small matter, but loss of festival is a big matter. As a descendant of the sage Miao, Prince Kong disregarded the safety and disgrace of the country, committed himself to a foreign race, and took refuge in Yidi. ”

Kong Youde's face was ashamed, and he was speechless. Shang Kexi, who was standing behind without saying a word, was still unwilling, and walked forward and said: "The three of us have a negative Daming, but why doesn't Daming have a negative impact on us?" In today's Ming Dynasty, traitors are in power, and eunuchs are rampant. Regardless of success or failure, a word can make you a high-ranking official, and it can make you ruined and ruined, and destroy the nine clans. There are kings like this, courtiers are like this, Lord Hong is empty of talents to help the world, and there is no time to display his ambitions, isn't it a pity. We have been ordered to persuade your lordship, and there is no need to conceal it. Life and death, honor and disgrace, all in the hands of adults. Think twice so that you don't regret it. ”

Hong Chengchou smiled and said bitterly: "A gentleman is in the world, and if he is good, he will help the world, and if he is poor, he will be good alone. After that, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, and did not answer.

Just after noon, Hong Chengchou lay on the bed, hungry like a frog, and the sergeant reported that Fan Zhangjing asked to see him. Hong Chengchou just turned over and sat up, Fan Wencheng was dressed in civilian clothes and stepped into the house. Hong Chengchou asked: "Fan Zhangjing deigned to descend to the light, what do you have to say?" ”

Fan Wencheng heard the madness in his words, and said with a smile: "Where is there any teaching, students are specially here to ask for advice." ”

"The generals of the defeated army are poor, and the captured soldiers are exhausted, how can they ask for advice?"

"I am a talented person, and when I meet a two-list jinshi like Mr. Hong, how can I let go of the opportunity to ask for questions. Mr. Zao Wen is proficient in history, and the students are shallow, and he has always been unable to figure out a person. ”

"Who?"

"Guan Zhong."

"How?"

"Guan Zhong initially served Gongzi Jiao, sniped Gongzi Xiaobai halfway through the ambush, an arrow hit his clothes and belt hook, Xiaobai feinted to die and escaped, and later became the monarch of Qi State, captured Guan Zhong, but regardless of the previous suspicions, worship him as the Xiangguo, and finally to the princes of Jiuhe, a Kuang world, the achievement of hegemony, the two of them will go down in history through the ages. Mr. thinks Guan Zhong is like a person? ”

"A generation of famous faces, a genius of the world."

"The answer from the gentleman is not the question asked by the student. What the student said was that he followed the monarch Xiaobai after serving Gongzi in the past, is it tiring of his virtues? ”

Hong Chengchou pondered for a moment and replied: "Guan Zhong's friend Bao Shuya said that Guan Zhong is not afraid of death, but afraid that his talents will not be able to be displayed. In this respect, he is not worthy of himself. ”

"Yes, Guan Zhong is guilty of the heinous crime of killing the king, and he can still be tolerated by Duke Huan, Mr. Guo and my lord do not have a grudge for shooting hooks, why are they so embarrassed?"

“……”

"Guan Zhong chooses the master and achieves meritorious deeds, and later generations not only accuse him of having bad integrity, but also flaunt his talents, inspire him with his merits, and do things like Guan Zhong, the saints are no different, and future generations can't ask for it. Today, the decayed wood of the Ming Dynasty is difficult to support, and the traces of defeat are fully revealed. My lord is sage, the fortune of the country is prosperous, and the great cause of unification is just around the corner. Those who know the times are handsome, and good birds choose trees to perch, why should Mr. be obsessed with illusory names and hesitate? ”

"......" Hong Chengchou's face suddenly became extremely pale, his face was full of exhaustion and pain, and a few words leaked out from between his teeth: "Don't fall, can't fall!" He raised his hand to dust off his sleeve and said, "Looking at the Central Plains from afar, there are many cities outside the barren smoke. I want to think that year, the flowers cover the willow household, and the phoenix tower dragon pavilion. Long live the pearls in front of the mountain, and the sheng song is composed in the Penghu Palace. Up to now, the iron ride is full of suburbs, and the wind and dust are evil! Where are the soldiers? Anointing! Where is the people? Fill the ravines! Sigh that the rivers and mountains are the same, and there are few villages! When will you please raise the Rui Brigade and cross the Qinghe Luo ...... with a whip" Fan Wencheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, it was another "Man Jianghong" by Yue Fei, although it was written impassionedly, but after all, it was illusory and delusional, and it was just a matter of comfort.

In Yongfu Palace, Huang Taiji opened his eyes and saw Concubine Zhuang sitting on the edge of the big bed and turning over, Concubine Zhuang smiled faintly: "Your Majesty, Fan Zhangjing has been waiting for a long time." ”

"Is Hong Chengchou willing to surrender?"

Fan Wencheng bowed and said, "He still won't descend." ”

"Oh? He has been on hunger strike for nearly three days, how does he look? Huang Taiji was a little anxious.

"Still talking and laughing, no different from ordinary people. The minister didn't have any good plans for a while. ”

"If I don't end up like that Zhang Chun back then, won't my hard work be in vain?"

"Your Majesty doesn't have to worry, according to the minister's observation, Hong Chengchou has no intention of dying."

"How does Zhang Jing know?"

"When the minister went to the grass house, Hong Chengchou was still dressed and spotless. During the conversation, dust fell on the sleeve of his coat, and he waved it away. How can you not spare your life if you cherish your clothes so much? ”

Huang Taiji nodded and said: "This is very true, it is appropriate to be kind to him, as long as he surrenders as soon as possible, there is no need to be stingy with his belongings and utensils." ”

Fan Wencheng said: "Your Majesty, if this matter is done in a hurry, Hong Chengchou would rather fight to the death, and the matter will become a stalemate, and it will be difficult to maneuver." In the past few days, the pain of his defeat and death is strong, and his mind is still in Songshan and Jinzhou, and it is reasonable that it is not easy to persuade, but the minister thinks that Hong Chengchou is definitely not Zhang Chun, and he can live in the Sanguan Temple for ten years! ”

Huang Taiji frowned and said, "I have to let God decide." "I was angry and regretful.

Concubine Zhuang said: "Persuasion and other two methods are inevitably stupid." ”

"What do you do?" Huang Taiji asked casually.

Concubine Zhuang said: "The concubine thinks that the more empty it is, the more difficult it will be for Your Majesty to get her wish." Hong Chengchou is different from Zhang Chun, Zhang Chun adheres to the discipline for ten years, and worships He Shuo in Beijing on the first day of every month, and Hong Chengchou easily begs for death, which is why he has no lasting heart. Judging from this alone, the two have been sentenced, just like a widow who remarried to her husband's family, always looking for death and life at the beginning, thinking about keeping chastity, and waiting until she tasted the joy of fish and water again, but left her ex-husband's kindness behind. Hong Chengchou is so hard, but he is also self-respecting and cherishes his feathers. In front of His Majesty, he should be even more so, otherwise he will inevitably be looked down upon. The concubine thought that if he wanted to be obedient, he must be given a step down. ”

"What steps?"

Concubine Zhuang saw that Huang Taiji was a little suspicious, and smiled: "Teach him to see through the floating name." The concubine wanted to meet Hong Chengchou to see what kind of person he was, and knowing where his demons were, she had a way to pry open his mouth. ”

"See through the name?" Fan Wencheng couldn't help but nod and said, "Niangniang's words hit the nail on the head. The Confucian scholars of the Ming Dynasty were taught to read the books of Confucius and Mencius, but after reading them, they read them to death, talking about their hearts, talking about their reputations, and they did not have much practicality. If Niangniang can break through her fame, Hong Chengchou will naturally have the ambition to survive. ”

Huang Taiji said happily: "If you can succeed, I will definitely reward you!" ”

The grass house, the evening breeze, the sunset, the wild goose. The voice is sad, and the fight is cold. Hong Chengchou stood alone in the middle of the grass house with his hands on his back, watching the red light of the grass house through the sunset, listening to the long song of the wild geese returning to the south in the sky, and couldn't help but drip two tears. Dusk, another difficult twilight. Suddenly, the door knocker was lightly buckled, and the person said tactfully: "Lord Hong, the meal is here." ”

Hong Chengchou faintly listened to the sound of the rustling, like the sound of the skirt, and then quietly, as if he was waiting for himself to clean up the food box after eating, he sneered and said: "Now that the meal is ready, you should retreat, you don't have to serve here." No one answered, Hong Chengchou said in a daze: "Why don't you leave?" When I turned around, I couldn't help but be shocked, I was no longer the sergeant who delivered the meal, but a beautiful woman from the south, with long hair like clouds, piled up high, eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, fair complexion, slightly flushed with a hint of red, a pair of small and moist red lips, like open and closed, the pink neck was slender and delicate, he seemed to have felt that the tentacles were slightly cold, and said in surprise: "You, you are from Jiangnan?" How did you come to the remote northern frontier? ”

"The slave is called Xiaoyu, who grew up in Jiangnan, and then lived in Gyeonggi and was trafficked here."

Jiangnan, apricot blossoms, spring rain, plum forest, green bamboo, river water...... Hong Chengchou's heart instantly weaved a beautiful and ethereal picture, he didn't dare to think about it anymore, and asked, "What are you doing here?" ”

"The slave boiled ginseng lotus seed soup and gave it to the adult. The Qing people knew that the slave and the adult belonged to the same hometown in the south of the Yangtze River, and specially ordered the slave family to serve the adult's food and drink to comfort the adult's longing for the homeland. This lotus seed soup must have been drunk for many years! The slave has been away from his hometown for many years, and he has been away from his hometown for a long time, and when he heard that the adult was dedicated to martyrdom, he admired it in his heart and wanted to see the majesty. ”

Watching Xiao Yu open the delicate mahogany lacquer box with her slender hand, take out a small and delicate blue and white porcelain bowl, and hold a small bowl of lotus seed soup, Hong Chengchou's heart hurt inexplicably, it seemed to be a wound for many years, just healed and torn open, he thought of the south: a young woman with deep boudoir, white hair and high hall, her mother is over seventy years old this year, I don't know how her body is? Wife and children...... Alas! Poor and uncertain riverside bones, like a person in a deep dream. Hong Chengchou didn't dare to think about it anymore, and he might not have the opportunity to meet for half of his life. He stared at Xiao Yu, feeling a little like his own Mrs. Ru---- the beautiful concubine who was accepted when he returned to Beijing in fine clothes, he couldn't help but arouse his tenderness, shook his head and said: "Yingying upstairs girl, Jiaojiao is the window." Moths and moths are red and pink, and they are slender and have no hands. Most girls in Jiangnan paint their nails with cardamom, but why are your nails white? ”

"Wandering in a foreign land, your heart is like ashes, how dare you have extravagant hopes? My lord, drink some lotus seed soup, it's about to get cold. Xiaoyu's eyes flickered, and in the midst of the grief, people couldn't hide their anticipation.

"Where is there a lotus seed stew with ginseng? It's a bit luxurious. Hong Chengchou sniffed the bowl, then put it down, and sighed: "Jiangnan can pick lotus, lotus leaves He Tiantian." Picking lotus in Nantang autumn, lotus over the head. A bowl of lotus seed soup, how much hometown love! Jiangnan, Jiangnan can only be revisited in dreams. With that, tears flowed down my eyes.

Xiao Yu sighed: "Many soldiers of the Ming Dynasty surrendered to the Qing people, all of them are high-ranking officials, why don't you surrender?" The dead are gone, and the living are not good. In the future, the families of adults will have to live a miserable life of washing their faces with tears! ”

Hong Chengchou shook his head and said: "I read the book of sages and sages, I know the weight of the word loyalty, and I am known by the emperor, how can I stigmatize myself and live up to the emperor's grace?" Besides, my family is all in the gate, if I surrender, won't I lose their lives? How can I mistake my whole family because of me? ”

Xiaoyu persuaded: "The ancients said: Daxing does not care about the details, and the big gifts do not give up. If the adults surrender to the Qing Dynasty, they can calm down the war as soon as possible and stop the war, and the people will have less pain of displacement and mourning, which is really a great merit. For the sake of the common people in the world, it is far better than only contributing to Emperor Chongzhen, how can it be said to be a self-stigmatizing festival? If the adults are worried that once they are cleared, the family will have a worry about their lives, and the slaves have a plan, I don't know if it is feasible? ”

"Tell me about it!"

"Adults can say surrender to the Qing people, and they can say to the Ming people to stay."

"What does that mean?"

"The Qing people and the Ming Dynasty are constantly fighting, from the courtiers, down to the people, there are complaints, adults can take the opportunity to advocate peace, mediate, help the two countries to make peace, and eliminate the scourge of war, if the peace is successful, is it not a merit, who in the world does not respect your painstaking efforts? How could the Ming Dynasty investigate the crime of losing the city and destroying the adult's family? ”

Hong Chengchou said in frustration: "I thought you had some clever plan, but it turned out to be nothing more than that." Hong is willing to be a peace envoy, how can the Qing people agree? You're too immature. ”

"It's not too early, it's time for the slave to go." Xiao Yu smiled brightly, packed up the food box and left. Hong Chengchou followed the door and looked at it for a long, long time......

At night, Hong Chengchou was completely sleepy, and a bamboo flute in the distance was playing in a low voice, crying like a complaint, bringing his thoughts to the distant Jiangnan...... Hong Chengchou paced in the middle of the house, the galaxy was brilliant, the moon was like water, and the sound of the flute floated and swirled in the vast field and the vast night sky. In late autumn, the weather turned cold. The night wind is tight, blowing into the grass, and its sound is whining. The wisps of flute sound were intermittent, playing a soft song of Wu. The green bamboo on the green mountain, the green water under the stone bridge, the plum rain like mist and smoke, the rice wine like mash, the song boat painting boat of the Qinhuai River, the sound of silk and bamboo in the song boat painting boat, and the jade people playing the flute and drumming the kite, seem to be close to the distance, looming. In this nocturne, I heard "Folding Willows", who can't afford to love the hometown? "Your Majesty! When he died, he reported to the king, and the ministers did not forget! But I can't die, so I have to live with a shame. From then on, he was born as a man from another world, and died as a ghost in a foreign land. Hong Chengchou faced south, kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face.