March 19 of the 17th year of Chongzhen

In the early morning, the sky was gray, and not a single living creature flew by. The wind carried the sand and dust, which was suffocating.

This sandstorm, which began on the first day of the first lunar month, once again looted the capital with impunity, casting a gray shadow on the magnificent Forbidden City. It was as if the dust of history had been swept by the wind and fell to the ground with a 'flutter'.

There was a dead silence......

Is the world so quiet?

It was long past the time of the morning court, and there was still an empty space in front of the noon gate, but there was a person on the bell tower, and I saw him brushing the hammer pendulum, rubbing it gently, and then pulling it open......

What he is about to ring is the Jingyang Bell, which has been ringing for more than 200 years, and now it has become a death knell for him, because he can't escape the fate of history after all.

Then lower the line of sight, from the central axis of the noon gate to the north, due north is the Huangji Gate; The east head is the Wenhua Palace; The Wenhua Palace is in the north, is the renamed Duanben Palace, which is the palace after the prince's wedding, and the places that can be seen are all empty.

The future owner of this palace, along with his two other younger brothers, had been sent out of the palace last night to hide, but something went wrong halfway. is also helpless, in the days of war and chaos, who can take care of whom? Even relatives can't be relied on.

And it was the owner of the palace who went wrong......

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Zhu Cihong seemed to have a long dream, in which a group of children sang songs:

"God, you are old, deaf and blind; God, you're old, you can't see people and you can't hear words. ”

"Those who kill people and set fires enjoy the glory, and those who eat vegetarians and read the scriptures are starved and killed; Those who kill people and set fires enjoy all the glory, and those who eat vegetarians and read the scriptures are starved and killed. ”

"God, you can't be the sky, you're collapsing! God, you can't be a sky, you can't be a day,"

"You're collapsed! You're collapsed! You're collapsed! ”

Zhu Cihong felt very strange, how could there be such a strange ballad? He was about to go up and ask, but the group of children suddenly dispersed, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

The aftermath is still there, and there seems to be an echo around the empty area, which makes people even more panicked. Zhu Cihong stood there, walking back and forth several times, and all that came into his eyes was a miserable whiteness, as if the group of children just now was just his visual and auditory hallucinations.

"Hey, anyone......"

"Where is this ......?"

"Talk......"

No one in the world responded, as if he was an orphan abandoned by the universe, and he felt very uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"The thieves are coming!"

Zhu Cihong in the dream suddenly shook the mountain, he screamed, trembled violently, and woke up instantly. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a beam above my head, which was completely different from the scene in my dream.

"Where am I?" He thought he was asking loudly, but his consciousness remained in his dream.

"Your Highness, you're finally awake!" The eunuch beside him cried with joy, but immediately realized that something was wrong and wiped away his tears.

Zhu Cihong turned his head to look at him, an unfamiliar face, but not the appearance of a child in a dream, although he was crying, he could clearly see that there was panic in his eyes.

Why is he panicking?

"Your Highness, let's get out quickly, the thieves are about to come in!"

Zhu Cihong Shenyuan has not yet returned to his place, and subconsciously he is only selectively interpreting the words he heard, he understands 'go out', so his lips move: "Where to go?" ”

"Go to the ...... of the country"

Before the eunuch could finish the last few words, a low, whimpering bell sounded in the distance...... It was the mournful sound of Jingyang Bell, one by one, which shook people's hearts.

Zhu Cihong suddenly felt that his heart was being pinched hard, and his heart hurt instantly, and he hurriedly covered his heart with his hand.

"Your Majesty!" The unfamiliar face wiped away his tears, and now he burst into tears......

"Your Majesty, slaves and maids should die, slaves and maids should be damned!"

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March 29,

In the past ten days, the Forbidden City has been miserable and bitter, and after the strong wind, it has ushered in a torrential rain, and the day and night friendship has never stopped, and it seems that God is also angry. The cold rain washed over and over again the dusty earth, but it could not wash away the filth, but instead became muddy.

There are exceptions, the scenery of the Paozi River is very different from the city, the so-called not far from the city dust, Hong Ran has a different sky. In the east corner of Chongwen Gate, there is a water, the east and west are also the embankment, the shore is also the garden pavilion, the embankment is also the forest, the water is also the reed, and the reed is also the fish and birds.

There is the Lu Gong Ancestral Hall in the east of the Baozi River, there is also the Tribute Courtyard in the north, during the scientific examination in the spring and autumn seasons, the students all love to go to the temple near the Baozi River to beg for a wish, in order to seek high school, it is to incense and prosperous.

This year is not the year of the imperial examination, Lu Gong Ancestral Hall from the beginning of spring to the present, the incense has faded a lot, and the turbulence of the times is even more deserted. But it can't be said that this is a safe place, but because there has always been a hidden worry.

On the day the Dashun army entered the city, that is, the day of the prince's disappearance, in the past ten days, various rumors of the 'whereabouts of the prince' have spread wildly in the capital, and the people believe it at first glance. It's just that it didn't take long for the rumors that 'the prince has died in the chaos' to spread the rumor, and it was difficult to distinguish the truth from the fake for a while.

However, Li Zicheng has never given up looking for the prince, but the problems he is facing now are much more troublesome than those facing the prince. And when the news of the death of the 'crown prince' came, he was still a little shaken in his heart, but he still ordered his subordinates to try their best to find it, and instructed him to 'see people in life, and corpses in death.' ’

The best way to eliminate one rumor is, of course, to replace it with another rumor, and this kind of trick is not difficult for 'Zhu Cihong'. Hiding his identity is the first problem he has to face at the moment, but the next thing is the tricky, he must leave as soon as possible.

These are the same ten days,

'Zhu Cihong' experienced the most difficult ten days of his life, it was a hellish torment, worrying about his fate all the time, deducing all kinds of possibilities, although he looked calm on the surface, in fact, his heart was on the verge of collapse.

So much so that after going through this unbelievable experience, he didn't have time to think about it at all, what about the unbelievable, could he still return 'Zhu Cihong' now?

In fact, it doesn't matter whether there is a memory of the original owner or not, he knows better than anyone now about the various historical contexts of the years of A and B. When the butterfly's wings are already spread, it indicates that the initial deduction has begun to be fulfilled.

And the turning point of fate was that he found Feng Yuanyang's contact person who stayed in the capital, and for this reason, the strings that had been tense for the past few days could finally be relaxed.

Feng Yuanyang, the governor of Tianjin, was the last road left by Chongzhen to himself, and now it has become a way for Zhu Cihong to dig out of thousands of thorns, dozens of ships, more than 100 subordinates are waiting in Tongzhou at this time. It's just that before leaving Beijing, there is still one thing...... Before the number was determined, Zhu Cihong was also uneasy in his heart, which was an unknown variable in his deduction.

There is also a pool in the Lu Gong Ancestral Hall, and a lot of trees are planted on the embankment, and the appearance of spring can still be seen here, but at this moment, Zhu Cihong is not in the mood to appreciate it.

The eunuch Wang Chaogui hurriedly ran in from outside, and there was a young man behind him, this person was the contact, Feng Yuanyang's son, who was originally a hundred households in Jinyiwei. Both of them were dressed as civilians, in tattered clothes, almost unclothed, and their heads were also messy, and they looked like they hadn't taken care of them for many days. Of course, in today's situation, it is natural that the more worn it is, the safer it is.

When Zhu Cihong saw the two of them coming, he hurriedly greeted them, and asked directly without waiting for him to speak, "How is it?" Have you contacted the Wu family? ”

Wang Chaogui gasped, and his throat was about to dry out, but he couldn't care about it: "It's connected!" It's the old housekeeper of his Wu family, it's just ...... Pretty bad. ”

Wang Chaogui swallowed his saliva with annoyance, and said: "I am still one step late with Feng Baihu, Old Man Wu and that Chen Yuanyuan have been robbed by Liu Zongmin's thieves in the Dashun army!" ”

Before the words fell, his expression was already indignant, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Liu Zongmin also occupied Chen Yuanyuan, it's shameless!" ”

Although it was expected, it didn't go well so that Zhu Cihong was a little disappointed: "It's a pity that it's a step late, it's a pity that it's ......."

After thinking about it, he asked, "By the way, Feng Baihu, what can you do to rescue these two people?" ”

Feng Baihu frowned, and after thinking for a long time, he said cautiously: "It's difficult...... Not to mention anything else, these two should be separated, Liu Zongmin now lives in Tieshi Hutong, Chen Yuanyuan is set there, and Old Man Wu still doesn't know where he is being taken? ”

Zhu Cihong lowered his eyes and pondered, thinking that the time was too short, and he was afraid that he would not have time to make detailed arrangements...... It's better to think about letting them mess up first, and give me some time.

Thinking about it, he said: "Liu Zongmin is responsible for torture, Li Zicheng wants to use Wu Xiang to recruit Wu Sangui, no matter what, the two of them will not arrange him elsewhere, and they will definitely arrange for strict supervision nearby, so Bacheng may also be in Tieshi Hutong." ”

Feng Baihu frowned when he heard this, and said: "If it is in one place, then you can think of some way, the only trouble is that now the Guozhang Mansion must be heavily guarded, and it may not be easy to carry out the rescue." ”

"Do one thing first, try to spread rumors, saying that Li Yan is extremely dissatisfied with Liu Zongmin's torture and salary is too strict, and he has killed too many people, which has caused the foundation of Dashun to be difficult to consolidate; He also said that Li Yan planned to replace Niu Jinxing and be the second leader of Dashun, so ...... Let him be suspicious of each other first, and it is best to kill Li Yan by taking advantage of this, so that we can take advantage of it. ”

Feng Baihu was stunned for a moment, his face was full of doubts, and said, "Li Yan? Why him? ”

"Hmph," Zhu Cihong snorted lightly and said, "Liu Zongmin is not worried, he is reckless, but this Li Yan is a capable person, but he is a great threat." It is estimated that he is already on his way to Tianjin at this time, and he must ask Li Zicheng to summon him back, otherwise...... Your father's ships and the sworn soldiers are not easy to hide, and he will surely see the clues. ”

Feng Baihu looked surprised when he heard this, and said, "How did Your Highness know that Li Yan would go to Tianjin?" To be honest, he was a little skeptical.

"Beijing is occupied, will Tianjin be far away? Sending Li Yan was preparing for the south...... Besides, what is the situation in Tianjin today, do you not know? ”

"Uh......" Feng Baihu blushed when he heard this, of course he knew what the situation was in Tianjin, the second day after the Dashun army entered Beijing, the Tianjin City Tower erected the banner of 'God bless Minshun', and even the small people's books 'Minshun' were posted on the households. In fact, on the 19th, the soldiers prepared Daoyuan Yuzong and the general soldier Lou Guangxian were already ready to 'welcome the surrender' and prepared to open the door to welcome the king.

As soon as he thought of Yuan Yuzong Feng Baihu, he hated it so much, but he had a heavy responsibility in front of him, and he couldn't take care of his father's side, so he thought about it and asked again: "What's next?" And what? ”

"Wait! When they are in a mess, it's time for you and me to act. As for the garrison, there is no need to worry too much, first, Tianfu is a private house, not a military fortress; Second, the Dashun army is a group of bandits, if they can all strictly abide by military discipline, today's situation will not occur. ”

Feng Baihu understood it at one point: "The subordinates know what to do!" ”

"Also," Zhu Cihong thought for a moment and continued: "Let the Wu family select one or two messengers who act steadily, and once the matter is completed, they will immediately go out of Beijing to report to Wu Sangui." Presumably, on the day Wu Xiang was arrested, the Wu family had already sent someone to report the news, and this time it must be fast! Faster! Otherwise, the situation will be even more difficult in the future. ”

Feng Baihu frowned, a little puzzled: "What His Highness ordered, the ministers should do their best, but there are some things that I don't understand, and I hope His Highness will solve his doubts." ”

"What don't you understand?"

"I remember that at the beginning of March, the first emperor ordered Wu Sangui to enter the king of Jingqin, if calculated according to the footsteps, the road from Beijing to Shanhaiguan is more than enough in six or seven days, how can he arrive in Beijing before the nineteenth, but why has it not arrived in more than ten days? Or is he ...... Deliberately delayed with the intention of surrendering? If so, what is the point of rescuing his family? ”

"Hey......" Zhu Cihong sighed secretly, this is simply the death of the Ming Dynasty, and it has nothing to do with anyone.

"The first emperor issued an edict to let Wu Sangui give up Ning Yuan to enter King Jingqin, the Wu family has been deeply cultivated in Liaodong for many years, not only about the Ning army, but also a large area of land, giving up Ning Yuan is equivalent to giving up the interests of the family, how to think about it. Besides, the army has withdrawn, and the people naturally have to follow together, and the number must be hundreds of thousands, if it is calculated as a day of marching fifty miles, on the day the Beijing division fell, Wu Sangui's huge team would only go to Fengrun at most, and there were still hundreds of miles away from the Beijing division, so it was naturally too late. ”

"I see," Feng Baihu couldn't help but sigh, and said: "This also makes sense, presumably Wu Sangui received the news of the fall of Jingshi and the death of the first emperor and then returned the same way, and then Li Zicheng sent someone to recruit An, and brought tens of thousands of taels of silver, he should not refuse, and he can return to Jingshi to reunite with his family after handing over Shanhaiguan." After Wu Xiang was arrested, the Wu family sent someone to report the news in the past two days, so that they might be able to meet halfway. ”

"That's right, once you know that your family has been tortured, especially your concubine has been occupied, Wu Sangui will have a feeling of being deceived, and he will not give up, maybe he will return to Shanhaiguan immediately, and kill the people who persuaded him to surrender."

"I understand the humble duty thoroughly, hey......" Feng Baihu looked helpless and said: "No matter how chaotic the Jingshi is, Shanhaiguan can't be chaotic, and there is still a wolf outside the pass." ”

When Zhu Cihong heard this, he couldn't help sighing in his heart, you only understand half of it......

"I'll arrange it," Feng Baihu added.

Despite this, Zhu Cihong was not at all sure in his heart, and it seemed that a crossing did not bring him any advantage. Now, he only felt as if he was walking on the edge of a cliff, and he could fall and break his bones at any moment.

Then what did God arrange this crossing for?