(I said I wouldn't read the book review section anymore, but I still couldn't resist reading it. Then, I smiled. There was one review that was really interesting. When Sigu Jian's sword was about to pierce the Emperor's chest … Then, when the chapter comes out today, I know everyone will twist my ears and kill me under the name of me digging a hole and not filling it. They will use their saliva to say that I am unkind.
Recently, I have often thought about a problem. Things like techniques still have a need to exist … So, I will continue to work hard, accept it with an open mind, and resolutely not change. A hundred years.
PS: I am indeed very tired. I don't have a cold and didn't read the semi-finals …
I will once again enter the state of Wu Zhu. Although book reviews cannot affect my train of thought, they can affect my mood, and I am a rolling writer who needs a happy mood. In the near future, there will be many reviews that should have been highlighted but have not been able to become popular. Please forgive me, everyone.
This book is still long. I will try to finish it before the end of the year.)
…
…
The end of summer in the seventh year of the Qing calendar was a bit hotter than usual. The first autumn rain had yet to arrive. The layers of summer heat in March all accumulated in the residential houses and streets. The wind could not disperse it, making Jingdou feel like it was in a quilt at the head of a kang.
After the residents of Jingdou woke up in the morning, they would feel their bodies covered in a thick layer of sweat. After a bit of grooming, they would sweat again after leaving the house. After a day, it made people feel their bodies were incomparably sticky and uncomfortable.
The cicadas, on the other hand, were happy and cried out with all their might. However, they did not scream themselves hoarse like in previous years' late summer and early autumn. On the contrary, there was a kind of high-pitched sound that had energy to spare. The sound of cicadas rose and fell among the green trees inside and outside Jingdou, disturbing people's sleepiness and laughing at their embarrassment.
A green bamboo pole suddenly parted the leaves and accurately pierced a certain spot on the tree trunk. The cicada that had been singing loudly only felt its vision go white. It felt as if its face had been covered in a layer of something and could no longer open its mouth. In a moment of desperation, it wanted to use its tentacles to pull it away. Unexpectedly, even its tentacles were covered and it could no longer struggle free. It could only sigh in its heart, thinking that it was indeed too early to be complacent.
A little eunuch proudly looked at the tree and pulled back the soft bamboo pole. He plucked the cicada that was tied up by the gluten and threw it into the big cloth bag beside him. He was about to continue when he caught a glimpse of the person sitting on a bamboo chair beside the courtyard wall, enjoying the shade. He hurriedly ran over and whispered something into the person's ear. Then he opened the cloth bag and showed it to the person as if he was showing off his achievement.
The eunuch on the reclining bamboo chair was Hong Zhu. He slanted a glance and made a sound of acknowledgement, indicating that he understood. After thinking for a bit, he furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, "How many times have I said it? If I wanted you to stick wings, you had to stick them on the cicadas' heads … How many did you manage to stick after such a long time? When the Empress Dowager wakes up, are you going to receive the flogging yourself? "
The little eunuch quickly begged for forgiveness and led the dozen or so other eunuchs under the tree in a daze to continue sticking cicadas.
Hong Zhu half leaned on the bamboo chair and narrowed his eyes at the little eunuch's figure. For some reason, he thought of the situation when he first entered the Palace. There were a lot of trees in the Royal Palace, so there were more cicadas. Particularly this summer, it had been too hot and had persisted until this month. The nobles in the Palace were already annoyed by the chirping of these cicadas. Fortunately, Hong Zhu had thought of this idea and sent a few groups of little eunuchs to each Palace to stick cicadas.
No wonder the Emperor and empress both liked him. It was rare to see such a careful and considerate servant.
Hong Zhu forced a smile and thought that this method was taught to him by Sir Fan junior. Sir Fan junior should be at Dong Mountain right now. He wondered how the Emperor's worship to heaven was progressing.
The Qing Emperor had left the capital to worship heaven. He did not follow the ancestral tradition of having the Crown Prince oversee the country. Instead, he had invited the Empress Dowager to lead the ceremony. The political atmosphere contained in this was very clear. The people in the Royal Palace carefully waited for the day the Emperor returned to the capital. Everyone was panicked. All kinds of small news spread again and again. The empress dowager had led the ceremony, but the Eastern Palace had long lost power. There was not a single noble in the rear palace who came out to take the lead. The peace within the Palace walls could not help but show a kind of panic.
Hong Zhu was an exception in this panic. He had originally wanted to stay in the Eastern Palace to serve the empress and Crown Prince. For some reason, the empress dowager had moved him to Hanguang Palace. Half a year ago, the Eastern Palace had caught fire. Everyone in the Royal Palace knew that the eunuchs and serving girls in the Eastern Palace and Guangxin Palace had all mysteriously died. Although no one dared to discuss this matter, they felt a bit more respect and distance toward Hong Zhu, the only survivor.
Everyone had died. Eunuch Hong was still alive. This matter was terrifying in itself.
Hong Zhu stood. His heart was a bit dim. Yes, he was a servant, but he was a loyal and affectionate servant. Thus, at this moment, in the Palace, he didn't know what to do. Looking at the dispirited Eastern Palace, he actually felt a bit sad.
He walked toward Hanguang Palace with his body slightly bent. He was young, but he was beginning to have the old Eunuch Hong's smell of a dead person.
… …
The soldiers of the 13 city gate guards forced themselves to be alert in the summer heat. They carefully examined the documents of the people entering the capital. The Jingdou Garrison raised their guard in the Yuantai Camp. The thousands of imperial soldiers guarding the Royal Palace stood high on the palace walls and used suspicious gazes to examine everything beneath their feet.
The entire defense power of Jingdou was controlled by the hands of these three groups of soldiers. In such a strange and quiet situation, the slightest carelessness could cause great chaos.
None of the three sides dared to relax at all. With the Great Prince in the lead, they forcefully suppressed everyone's disloyal thoughts and movements.
The common people of Jingdou were not as nervous as the officials and soldiers. In such hot weather, the wealthy people of the Qing Kingdom did not want to stay at home and endure the heat. Instead, they were used to hiding in shady teahouses. They drank inexpensive cold tea and enjoyed the large leaf fans produced by the palace treasury. They talked about recent events in court and the gossip of their neighbors.
For the people of Jingdou, the Royal Palace and their neighbors did not seem to be much different.
The cicadas cried out loudly in the trees outside the teahouse. A few even blindly stopped on the green banner outside the teahouse and painted the large "tea" into "tu." These hissing cries just happened to cover up the discussions of the busybodies in the teahouse.
They were discussing the matter of the Emperor's sacrifice to heaven. The news had spread for many months. Everyone under heaven knew that the Emperor had made up his mind to depose the heir. However, the Crown Prince's behavior these two years was benevolent and steady. It was very different from how he had been in the past. So, the officials and common people were all muttering in their hearts. Why did the Emperor depose the heir?
Not many people dared to ask this to his face, but there were always people who dared to talk about it behind his back. Overall, the people of Jingdou had enough sympathy and comfort for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Perhaps it was because people had a spiritual need to sympathize with the weak, or perhaps, as common people, they always wished for the world to be more peaceful and did not want to create too many disturbances because of deposing the heir.
Of course, the people of Jingdou, including the civil officials in court, had not thought that the storm at the turn of the summer and autumn of the seventh year of the Qing calendar would, in a way no one had expected, roll through like thunder and sweep up everyone and all of Jingdou's land.
…
…
With a whoosh, a strong wind rose without warning through the wide streets of Jingdou and the densely packed residences. It passed through and swept past. The wind came too suddenly. It blew off the hats of the sleepy peddlers who had set up fruit stalls and had their heads down, revealing a pair of muddled eyes. It blew the fruit peels all over the street and the cicadas on the green banners outside the tea houses could no longer stay and fell to the ground with a clatter.
The word "tea" became "tea."
The customers sitting by the railings of the tea houses looked out curiously. They felt depressed in their hearts. It had already been stuffy for three months. Was a timely autumn rain finally going to fall?
Then, they saw that the originally blue sky was suddenly covered by layers of cumulonimbus clouds surging in from the southeast. It was as if a large cover had been added to the sky above Jingdou. The shade enveloped the city walls and the people within.
The clouds twisted and rolled endlessly like countless huge dragons in formation. Occasionally, strands of cloud would be pulled out. It looked very terrifying. Such thick black clouds were a sign of the heavy rain that was about to follow. Looking at the clouds, this heavy rain would probably be unusually fierce.
The customers were not shocked. On the contrary, they were happy. They thought to themselves that the heavens were finally willing to clear up the world.
With a crack of thunder, the rain finally came crashing down. The people on the street all moved out of the way. The customers upstairs narrowed their eyes and happily admired the rain that they hadn't seen in a long time, as well as the unique beauty that seeped out of the wet courtyard.
The rain was not particularly heavy, but it was particularly cold. In a moment, the customers began to feel a chill. They couldn't help but be surprised. They thought to themselves that in the past, the autumn rain had only come down. There had to be three showers before it could completely dispel the summer heat. Why was the rain so cold this year?
Given the knowledge of the people of this era, they did not know that a dozen days ago, the largest hurricane of the summer had risen on the surface of the East Sea. This hurricane charged straight toward Dong Mountain and dropped countless drops of rain on the ground 50 li from the coast. Its momentum did not decrease. It continued to carry with it the evaporating water vapor and humidity from the sea as it headed straight into the heart of the Qing Kingdom.
This hurricane was very interesting. Along the way, it didn't cause much damage. However, it brought an immediate cooling rain to the Qing Kingdom, which had been sweltering for a long time.
The customers rubbed their hands and drank their hot tea, silently cursing the heavens for being too strange. No one had brought umbrellas when they left the house. It was impossible for them to bring unlined clothing. They could only forcefully endure the chills in the building.
"What happened?" someone suddenly asked curiously as he gazed in the direction of the city gate.
Hearing these words, the lively people all gathered around the railings of the tea house and looked in the direction of the city gate. Separated by layers of rain and mist, they couldn't see clearly what had happened. They could only faintly feel a wave of noise and the panic of the soldiers. The four city gates of Jingdou were all guarded by the soldiers of the 13 city guards. The military was always strictly guarded. It was rare for such a situation to occur. All of the customers were curious.
Naturally, it was not an army coming to attack the city. First of all, regardless of how absurd the thought itself was, even if an army did attack the gates of Jingdou, the garrison on the perimeter would be the first to meet the enemy. The watchmen the city gate guards had set up in the corner towers would also sound the alarm at the first instant.
The clip-clop of horse hooves broke through the rain on the long street. The sound was urgent.
The customers focused their gazes and saw a handsome horse galloping quickly toward the city gate. There was only one horse. Everyone understood that there must be an urgent message coming into the city from somewhere. They all relaxed.
Seeing the white foam at the corners of the horse's mouth and the dust-covered and haggard appearance of the rider, everyone's hearts tightened again. They all wondered if something had gone wrong at the border.
The rain continued to fall. The exhausted horse gathered the last of its strength and galloped desperately against the wind and rain. On the horse, the serious-looking rider in tattered clothes did not care about the life or death of his steed. He ruthlessly waved the whip in his hand and urged the horse on. Maintaining the fastest speed, he crossed the long street under the tea house, splashing up a path of rain as he charged toward the Royal Palace.
Fortunately, the rain had arrived first and chased the pedestrians and peddlers to the eaves on the side of the street. Otherwise, with the rider's reckless galloping, who knew how many people he would have run over and killed.
The customers watched as the man and the horse disappeared into the rain and disappeared at the end of the street. They couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, digesting the tense silence from before. They looked at each other, wondering what had happened in the court.
"He was wearing a white scarf …" a slightly older customer suddenly said in a trembling voice.
The tea house became even quieter. Although the people of Jingdou who were born later had not experienced the great battles when the Qing Kingdom was expanding its borders, they had heard that in the most tragic of the three Northern expeditions, the Qing army had lost tens of thousands of people. The rider who had sent the message thousands of li away had also been wearing a white scarf.
"The rider who sent the message was …" someone asked with confusion. "Didn't Governor Yan just win?"
"It was a fast horse from the army." The older customer had clearly been in the army. His voice was still trembling. For the messenger to be wearing a white scarf, something big must have happened.
The chatter in the teahouse suddenly stopped. Everyone, including the waiters and the shopkeeper, fell into silence. Everyone stood quietly by the railing and looked at the street in the heavy rain, secretly praying that nothing would happen to their country.
…
…
"It's here again!"
In the tea house, a young man cried out in panic and helplessness. At this time, there was no longer any restlessness at the city gate. There was only sternness and wariness. However, the second rider came even faster than the first. Like a streak of smoke, it quickly flew past the tea house.
This rider was not wearing armor. He was only wearing a deep black robe. He held the reins with one hand and kicked quickly with both feet. His face was covered in black water stains from the rain.
His left arm, which was holding the border, was also tied with a white scarf, while his right hand was holding something that looked like a token. He directly rushed through the city gate, crossed the long street, and similarly sped in the direction of the imperial palace.
The people in the tea house looked with hopeful gazes at the customer who knew the court well. They hoped to hear some good news from his mouth.
The old customer's face was deathly pale. He muttered, "It's … it's the Overwatch Council."
…
…
After some more time, a third thousand-li messenger rider once again forced his way through the gates guarded by the 13 city gate guards and stepped onto the rainy street below the tea house. This rider was just like the previous one. He was also in a sorry state. It seemed that traveling thousands of li, changing horses without changing people, and using the fastest speed to send a message to Jingdou was a very tiring task.
The rider did not feel it was tiring. He only knew that if he couldn't send this shocking news to the Palace as quickly as possible, the Qing Kingdom would probably have major problems.
The rain washed over the rider's sun-scorched and cracked face and struck into his blood-red eyes. However, it could not stop his speed. The horse sped through the long street toward the Royal Palace.
There was still a white scarf on his left arm.
The customers in the tea house had become numb from the repeated shocks. They all opened their mouths but couldn't say anything. Although they didn't know which side of the court this third rider represented, they knew that the news these three riders brought to Jingdou was certainly the same. Receiving confirmation from all three sides, then a disaster would certainly happen to the Qing Kingdom.
There was a deathly silence in the tea house. Everyone lowered their heads. The old customer's face was deathly pale. Trembling, he sat down. His vision darkened, and he fainted to the ground.
Everyone quickly went forward to help. No one noticed that the rain outside the tea house had lessened slightly. Although the rain was light, the chill had arrived. The cicadas, who had been swaggering around a moment ago, finally began to feel the irresistibility of fate, began to feel the impermanence of life, began to feel the desolation of autumn, and began to burn their own lives. In the streets and alleys of the capital, they incessantly chanted their last words.
"Hiss … hiss … dead … dead …"
…
All of Jingdou began to sink into an unknown fear and bewilderment. People didn't know what had happened. In the evening, they heard the bell in the corner tower of the Royal Palace slowly and startlingly strike against the background of the red dusk after the rain.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
In the depths of the Palace, there were many people in the spacious Taiji Palace, but it was absolutely silent. The empress dowager of the Qing Kingdom, who was temporarily in charge of state affairs, had already walked out from behind the curtain of beads. Her phoenix robe was solemn and dignified.
The empress dowager stood coldly in front of the dragon chair. Her right hand was supported by Eunuch Hou. Hong Zhu stood to the side with brush and ink. He saw clearly the empress dowager's hand trembling endlessly in Eunuch Hou's.
Kneeling below the Palace were three extremely exhausted reporters. The rain on their bodies had soaked the luxurious blankets. However, they still knelt with their heads lowered, not daring to make a sound. They were terrified that they, the unlucky crows, would ultimately destroy the fortune of this Palace that had stood proudly in the world for 30 years.
The empress dowager glanced coldly at the three of them. Gritting her teeth, she coldly scolded, "What are you crying about?"
After these words were said, the mournful and crying concubines in the Palace forcefully stopped their tears. However, they could not wipe away the terror and fear on their faces.
With Eunuch Hou's support, the empress dowager sat on a chair beside the dragon chair and said, "Immediately close the Palace. Prince Heqing will be in charge of the Royal Palace guards. Those who disobey will be executed."
"Yes."
The Princes all responded. The Great Prince, with hot tears in his eyes, raised his head and glanced at his grandmother with surprise. He felt the heavy burden on his body. However, his emotions were unusually agitated. He had no way of understanding what the empress dowager's edict meant.
The empress dowager continued, "Summon the scholars Hu and Su into the Palace."
"Yes."
"Summon the Commander of the City Gate Department, Zhang San, into the Palace."
"Yes."
"Immediately close the city gates. Without my orders, do not open them."
"Yes."
"The Dingzhou army has delayed by offering prisoners of war. Order Ye Zhong to return within two days. The frontier is strained. The affairs of the state should be the most important."
"Yes."
The empress dowager's brows suddenly furrowed. Although she had been calm the entire time, she still felt her head begin to buzz. She gently rubbed her temples and thought for a moment before saying, "Summon King Jing, Minister of Revenue Fan Jian, and Qin … Heng into the Palace."
"Yes."
In the end, the empress dowager coldly said, "Have the empress and the Crown Prince move to Hanguang Palace. Lady Ning and Yi Guipin also come. Bring the Third Prince's child."
The Great Prince lowered his head. His heart tightened. He knew that his grandmother still did not trust him. In his sorrowful emotions, he did not want to fuss over these things.
It was already dusk. The bells outside had stopped ringing. The candlelight in Taiji Palace flickered. It looked bleak and uneasy. The true controller of the Qing Kingdom, the old empress dowager, suddenly coughed. A complicated emotion flashed through her eyes. Lightly, she said, "Have the internal court invite the Eldest Princess and Princess Chen to temporarily stay in the Palace. Fan Xian's pregnant concubine will also enter the Palace."
"Yes …"
The empress dowager had not paid attention to matters for a long time. However, each of her edicts was clearly aimed at people's hearts. She was trying to cut off Jingdou from the outside world in the shortest amount of time and control those who could cause unrest within the Royal Palace.
Suddenly, a childless concubine cried out wildly, "Fan Xian assassinated the Emperor! The empress dowager wants to confiscate his entire family. How can he let his family enter the Palace? "
After these words were said, the entire Palace fell silent. The empress dowager looked coldly at the concubine like she was looking at a dead person. Slowly, she said, "Drag her away and bury her."
A few guards and eunuchs went forward and dragged the concubine, who had already sunk into a crazed state. No one knew if they would bury this pitiful person in the mud under the flowering tree in the Palace.
The empress dowager swept her gaze coldly over everyone in the Palace and said in an icy voice, "Watch your mouths and brains. Don't forget, there is still a lot of empty space in the Palace."
Sorrow rose in everyone's hearts, but they didn't say anything. The sorrow and confusion in their hearts were the same as this concubine's. However, they were not crazy, so they didn't speak.
"Where is Chen Pingping? Why hasn't he entered the Palace? "the empress dowager asked with an icy expression.
Hong Zhu put down the brush in his hand and met the empress dowager's questioning gaze. In a trembling voice, he said, "After Director Chen was poisoned, he returned to Chen Garden to be treated by the royal doctors. I'm afraid … he still doesn't know …"
The empress dowager's gaze turned cold. She gritted her teeth and said in a great rage, "Send an edict to this old dog. Tell him that if he doesn't enter the capital, mother and son will all die!"
…
…
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