Chongzhen Sunset Song

Chapter 44

?one

"Is your luggage ready?"

"Go back to the emperor, make arrangements, and we can leave tomorrow."

In the evening of early autumn, the cool wind blows, stirring the thin paper on the dragon table.Xizhao closed the window, thought for a moment, and said:

"But your majesty...are you really going to Fengyang?"

Chongzhen stopped the pen, frowned slightly, and looked at the sunset.

"Why, now that things have come to an end, you also want to stop me?"

"Don't dare..." Xi Zhao hurriedly bowed her body, "It's just that this trip is two thousand miles, and it may take a month to go back and forth. The emperor has not been in the palace for so long, if something serious happens, then what to do."

When Chongzhen heard the words, a wry smile crossed the corner of his lips.

"I'm in the palace, so something big happened."

"This..." Xi Zhao was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Don't worry." Chongzhen didn't intend to refute Xizhao. Seeing Xizhao's embarrassment, he changed the conversation, "In terms of government affairs, the cabinet and the chief inspector will take care of themselves. It's only a month away from the palace, so it's okay."

"Yes." Xi Zhao bowed her head and replied without further words.

As the sky was getting dark, the palace lady held candlesticks and lit the gauze lanterns in the South Study Room one by one.After Chongzhen finished his speech, he just picked up the vermilion pen covered with red ink, as if he remembered something, he silently put the pen back on the inkstone.The light is yellow and glittering, and the window paper, which still shows the light of the sky, is as blue as the deep sea, and Chongzhen's eyes, who don't know where to focus, are just like the deep and calm sea surface, with a ray of melancholy dark wandering faintly.

"Tell me, could it be that I was wrong."

"Huh?" Xi Zhao was taken aback.He clearly heard something, but he still dare not be too sure.

"Did I make a mistake..." Chongzhen repeated it again, and before Xizhao could answer, he continued, "I... in the position of emperor, in fact, most of what I do every day is just a choice. The choice is Belief is doubt, reward is punishment, from the piles of memorials, choose what is feasible and which is not feasible. Every time, I have made a choice that I think is right, but after all these years, Ming Dynasty is still in war The country is still riddled with holes." Chongzhen sighed helplessly, paused, and suddenly there was a strong exhaustion in his voice, "One step at a time, it is so difficult, is it really my mistake? Maybe If I don't come to be the emperor, instead, the country will live in peace and the people will live in peace."

Xizhao's heart tightened.The emperor actually said such negative words, half a year has passed, is the emperor's heart still covered in the haze of the imperial mausoleum being dug up?And what is the meaning of saying "not to be the emperor" before leaving...! "No no no! What's wrong with the emperor, the emperor is so diligent in governing the country, how can there be a more wise emperor than the emperor? Your majesty, don't think so!" Xi Zhao was anxious, her head froze, thinking He comforted the emperor, but he was in a panic and couldn't say anything meaningful.

"Don't worry, I'm just talking, don't take it to heart." Seeing Xizhao's eager expression, Chongzhen comforted Xizhao instead, then looked out the window and smiled warmly. "It's getting late, and we have to leave early tomorrow morning, so you should go back early to rest."

two

Xizhao was worried and dawdled for a long time before resigning.When I walked out of the South Study Room, the night had completely fallen, the moon was bright and the stars were bright, and the sunset was walking on the road. Although my heart was still not in a good mood, I finally calmed down a little.Hey, so what about being anxious, such a major event cannot be forgotten in a day or two.I hope that going to Fengyang this time can somewhat comfort the emperor.

Xizhao was thinking to herself, while walking towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, preparing to ask the Imperial Dining Room to prepare some dry food and snacks to take with her on the way.The night was as quiet as water, and there was no wave at all, but as soon as I walked to Yuehua Gate, I heard a soft cry suddenly pierced the silence of the night, and it spread faintly in Xizhao's ears.Xizhao suddenly tightened his scalp, and his fine hairs stood up one by one.Usually this month, the Huamen people come and go, and it is not deserted, but today it is so strangely quiet, except for this cry, there is no one at all, it is impossible... Xizhao took a breath, held her breath, and walked forward quickly Let's go—maybe I encountered a ghost... It's better to get out of here as soon as possible.But the further you walked, the clearer the cry became. When you walked to the Yuehua Gate and listened again, the cry seemed to come from the charcoal fire room in the south.Xi Zhao collected herself and gradually slowed down her pace.Don't scare yourself, the majestic Palace of the Son of Heaven, the center of the Forbidden City, should be the place with the most yang energy, how can there be ghosts?Could it be that someone was accidentally locked in this charcoal fire room and couldn't get out.Thinking about it, Xi Zhao took courage, walked to the door of the charcoal fire room, and knocked lightly on the door.

"anyone there?"

The crying stopped suddenly.Xi Zhao leaned on the door and listened carefully, then asked: "Is anyone inside?"

"The person outside the door... is Eunuch Zhang?" A weak female voice came from the room.

Sure enough, there are people!Between a few words, Xi Zhao faintly felt that the voice seemed somewhat familiar. "It's Zhang Dexiu." He replied to the closed door.

"Brother Xizhao! Help me!" Hearing Xizhao's answer, the people in the room seemed to gain strength all of a sudden, and shouted in a crying voice.

What?Brother Xizhao? !

"Bitao?! Is it Bitao inside?!" Xi Zhao hurriedly knocked on the door to call, but the people in the room didn't answer, and started crying again.It must be Bitao!Not only the voice is similar, but besides Bitao, who else knows my name!Xi Zhao anxiously pushed the door, but didn't open it. He looked around and found that the door was not locked, only a broom was tied across the nose.Xi Zhao pulled out the broom, opened the door and went in, only to see a woman with disheveled hair sitting on the floor in the room, her hands and feet were tied with hemp rope, trembling all over, crying miserably.God is sorry to see you, isn't this exactly Bi Tao!Xi Zhao hurriedly stepped forward to let go of her hands and feet, pulled up her sleeves to wipe her tears, and was about to ask while holding her shoulders, but Bi Tao suddenly shrank back, as if she had been touched by a sore spot, with a painful expression on her face.

"Sister Bi Tao...you are...?" Xi Zhao was also taken aback, and quickly withdrew her arms, trying to help her up, but she didn't know how to do it.Bi Tao kept sobbing and couldn't even say a whole sentence, so Xi Zhao had to accompany her to comfort her and wipe away her tears.After a long while, Bi Tao calmed down a little, and said with a few sobs:

"It's them... They said that I took a fancy to Eunuch Zhang and was favored... They rushed to get close to Eunuch Zhang, flirtatiously, and wanted to climb high..." Bi Tao said, her body was trembling all the time, "They pricked you with needles. I... still pinch me... saying that I go to hang out in Eunuch Zhang's house all day long, that I am a cheap slut that no one wants, and that it is a dream to climb up to Eunuch Zhang..."

Bi Tao spoke incoherently, but Xi Zhao could hear every word clearly.Before seeing the bruises on Bi Tao's hands, she had doubts, but who would have imagined that she would be bullied so badly.She was clearly aware of it, but she still suffered the pain she suffered today, not to mention that the pain was caused by herself.Every time Bitao said something, Xizhao felt a twinge of pain in her heart. After listening to Bitao's crying, Xizhao felt that her internal organs were all entangled in knots, and every slight movement was painful.He had no choice but to hug Bi Tao to his chest, comforting her, and gently stroking her back with his hands, for fear of hurting her if he tried harder.

"Brother Xizhao...I'm not like this..." Bi Tao said, her nose sore, and two tears fell down again.

"I know...I know..." Xi Zhao comforted Bi Tao, while tentatively helping her up, "Don't stay in this ghostly place, leave here first if you have something to say."

three

"Come on, drink some water."

In the sunset room, Bi Tao was leaning on the edge of the bed, her eyes dimmed, staring blankly at the ground in a daze.There were no candles in the charcoal fire room just now, and after returning to the room to turn on the lights, I realized that the pear flower jacket and skirt on Bi Tao's body were in tatters and dirty. Although her hands and face were intact, her cautious movements and pain twitched But his expression clearly showed how many invisible injuries were hidden under this already tattered dress.Suppressing the soreness in her heart, Xi Zhao carefully blew the hot air on the tea water, handed the teacup to Bitao, and forced a smile. "Come on, drink some water to warm up your body." Xi Zhao said softly.Bi Tao took the teacup, but didn't drink it, she held it in her hand, her eyes were still staring at the ground.

"Who on earth did this to my sister?" Xi Zhao also sat down beside her and asked cautiously.

Bi Tao shook her head slightly, but did not answer.But aside from Bi Tao's words, Xi Zhao could probably guess - apart from those maids in Qianqing Palace, who else could Bi Tao hinder.

"Sister, don't worry, I will tell the emperor in the future to thoroughly investigate this matter and give my sister an explanation."

"Don't, don't!" Bitao's eyes suddenly flashed a fright, "If they are punished, I'm afraid I will have no way out..."

"..." Xi Zhao was speechless for a moment, paused for a moment, and then said: "Then what should I do, should I just watch my sister endure bullying all the time?"

Bi Tao didn't answer, but bit her lip and looked at Xi Zhao silently.A pair of apricot eyes have long been swollen into peaches from crying, a tinge of light red, with two crystal tears in their mouths, the tears are about to fall, and the mouth stops talking.Xizhao looked at Bi Tao's eyes, and it seemed that his heart had been born in an instant, and he understood Bi Tao's intentions all at once.A weak woman is alone, what else can she do except to find someone to protect her?A wife is more expensive than a husband, so it is naturally applicable in this palace. If I become Bitao's vegetable householder, no one will dare to bully her.But... hey... Xi Zhao lowered her head and sighed.It's not that I don't have the heart to protect Bitao, but with Bitao, I can't easily walk away in the future; if I don't walk away, I will expose my identity sooner or later, and pretending to be a eunuch is a felony of beheading, let alone I don't want to die , even if he decides to die, how can he involve Bi Tao.

Seeing the sunset, Bitao said nothing, and closed her eyes, staring at the teacup in her hand, thoughtfully.After a long silence, Xi Zhao finally stood up and broke the silence: "I'll figure out what to do about my sister. It's good for my sister to rest here tonight. I'll go to sleep elsewhere." Saying that, Xi Zhao walked towards the door.

Seeing that Xizhao was about to leave, Bi Tao hurriedly put down her teacup, stepped forward a few steps and grabbed Xizhao's sleeve.

"Brother Xizhao!"

Brother Xizhao yelled anxiously, but after Bi Tao finished yelling, she only opened her mouth and said nothing.

"Sister, let's rest today. If you have anything to say, wait until tomorrow..."

"Brother Xizhao... just accept me..."

Bitao murmured, two blushes appeared on her cheeks unexpectedly.But this sentence that sounded like a mosquito, Yu Xizhao was like a golden hammer, which made his heart skip a beat.Seeing Bi Tao's pitiful appearance, Xizhao's heart turned a thousand times, and the words of promise were almost blurted out.But after a while, he still gritted his teeth, calmed down, turned around and faced Bitao, and said seriously, "It's not that my sister doesn't know about me, how will I get out of my body in the future, even I myself If you are not sure, how can you implicate your sister in vain."

"I don't care!" Bi Tao raised her head, with a strange gleam in her eyes, "I've made up my mind a long time ago, even if I want to die with Brother Xizhao, I won't regret it!"

"Hey..." Xi Zhao sighed softly and closed his eyes.Even though there are all kinds of reasons in mind, at this moment, there is no reason to say no to the girl in front of her, who wants to live together and die together.But... think about it again, let's think about it again... Thinking about it, Xi Zhao took out a key from his waist and put it in Bitao's hand:

"Tomorrow I will leave the palace with the emperor, and it will take about a month to return to the palace. This is the key to my room. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay with me first." Xi Zhao dodged Bi Tao's gaze, unable to bear to look Bi Tao's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her tender heart could not be translated into words in the end, she just said "Take care, sister", then turned and left the room.The distraught Xi Zhao didn't notice it, but when she turned around, Bi Tao's eyes that lost their luster were a hundred times dimmer than when she just returned to her room.