Chapter 16: Chongzhen Died
Zhang Biwu had another idea in his mind. Even if he said it was Chongzhen's blood edict, how many people believed it? The most important thing was to become the target of public criticism! With Zhang Biwu's weak strength, he could not handle it.
But I have to put away the blood edict first and ignore so much. If I can use it in the future, I will use it again!
Indeed, when the anti-Qing tide in the south of the Yangtze River rose, Zhang Biwu went east to Fengyang to sacrifice to the imperial tomb and even issued a bloody edict. He did receive great support and forced the Qing Dynasty into a dilemma. Of course, all this is a later story, and it will be discussed in detail later.
Chongzhen finally asked: "The last thing I ask you two is my son, the prince and the two kings. I hope you must rescue them to a safe place! I don't ask my son to inherit the country and rule the world. I just want them to live a peaceful life like a civilian, which is enough! This is my request as a father! Not an emperor's request!"
Chongzhen said that tears were hanging on both cheeks, and his eyes were filled with earnest begging. As the Lord of the Nine Five, he had never been begging people like today? It was just that as a father, he let go of his identity and dignity to beg for people.
Of course, Zhang Biwu had to agree to Chongzhen's final request. After all, he had a crush on Chongzhen. Even though Chongzhen repeatedly harmed Zhang Biwu, Lu Xiangsheng agreed faster than Zhang Biwu. Zhang Biwu finally agreed.
Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "You two go! Leave here as soon as possible! Don't let the thieves know that you are here! Especially you, Zhang Biwu, you have surrendered to Li Zicheng, and you have not accepted his order to come to Beijing. If you appear here, the thieves will not let you go! You must preserve your strength and fight against the Tartars! The world will be left to you!"
Zhang Biwu finally bent down and bowed, and he never knelt down and bowed again. Only Lu Xiangsheng was kneeling down and bowed, full of tears. After all, Lu Xiangsheng was deeply influenced by the idea of loyalty to the emperor, and he was in pain!
Chongzhen waved his hand to Lu Xiangsheng and said, "Let's go! Lu Xiangsheng, if you are loyal to me, you will assist Zhang Biwu well. Eliminate the Tartars and never let the beautiful mountains and rivers fall into the hands of the Hu people!"
Lu Xiangsheng nodded firmly, he would do it. Chongzhen smiled at Lu Xiangsheng, waved his hand again, and signaled Lu Xiangsheng to leave here quickly.
Zhang Biwu said to Lu Xiangsheng: "Let's go!" Lu Xiangsheng understood, and he looked at Chongzhen for the last time. Chongzhen waved his hand to him and told them to go quickly to save the prince and the two kings.
Zhang Biwu and Lu Xiangsheng left quickly, and Yao Dongzhao was still waiting for them! There were also many people who helped them leave the palace.
As soon as Zhang Biwu saw Huang Qi, he pulled him to the other side and whispered: "You have to keep your mouth shut! You can't say that it was the Princess Kunxing that I saved! If you say anything, it's not my brother! Even if it's the folks who are spreading me as bad as a villain or a bad method, I wish that Princess Kunxing would live a miserable life, petty and narrow-mindedness, and you can't tell me the truth!"
"Ah!" Huang Qi looked at Zhang Biwu in surprise, very puzzled. Zhang Biwu! Can you not have such a good person? And your kindness will be treated as a donkey's liver being ruined!!! Why bother!!!
Of course, Zhang Biwu knew what Huang Qi was thinking. He smiled bitterly and said seriously: "Zhengrit, good brother! You can promise me! Because only if I am a bad person can you highlight Zhou Shixian's goodness! Princess Kunxing and Zhou Shixian can live happily together! This is also a trivial thing I did for Princess Kunxing! I will repay her kindness! It's good that I will cut it off from now on!"
"Oh!" Huang Qi nodded and said, "Guoxiong! You are such a good person! Okay! Don't worry! What I promised you will do! I will keep my mouth shut!"
Zhang Biwu nodded with peace of mind, and at the same time he looked at Coal Mountain. He knew that Chongzhen should have started hanging, so he sighed, helpless! History cannot be changed, Chongzhen finally hanged himself at a crooked locust tree in Shouhuangting, Coal Mountain...
Shouhuangting Pavilion in Coal Mountain. Chongzhen ordered Wang Chengen: "You engrave the following words on this tree - 'In addition to this will, there is still a bloody edict."
Wang Chengen already understood what Chongzhen meant. Chongzhen did this after Zhang Biwu showed his will so that everyone in the world would think it was true and did not doubt Zhang Biwu.
Even if the corpse was discovered by a thief, at least some people saw these words, they knew that the emperor had a blood edict! As long as they knew, someone would spread it. After all, there was no airtight wall in the world.
Wang Chengen began to engrave letters on the crooked locust tree, as Chongzhen ordered, engraved: "In addition to this will, there is still a bloody edict."
After seeing this, Chongzhen nodded with satisfaction and said with relief: "Let go! Let go of everything! It's so relaxing!"
Chongzhen finally looked at the beautiful and spectacular mountains with sincerity. He suppressed the written will, but the will read it: "Since I ascended the throne for 17 years, the thief has been approaching the capital. Although I am not virtuous and despised, I am all the faults of all the ministers. I have no face to see my ancestors underground. I will go to my crown to cover my face. Let the thief split my body and not hurt the people alone."
Chongzhen came to the crooked locust tree, raised his head and looked at it. Chongzhen was very quiet, he seemed very peaceful, he smiled, and laughed happily. He let go, everything was let go, he was too tired for seventeen years, and now he can finally take a break! Leave everything to others! Let others do it!
Others say that death is terrible, but at this moment, Chongzhen let go, and he felt that death was a kind of relief. He smiled, and he walked towards the slut with a smile.
Wang Chengen only heard Chongzhen's last words: "I'll leave it to you! Zhang Biwu!" Wang Chengen couldn't help but look at the place where Zhang Biwu went away, although he couldn't see it. Wang Chengen turned around and watched Chongzhen put his head in the rope with his own eyes. He immediately knelt down and shouted: "The Emperor of the Great Travel is here!"
"The Emperor of the Great Travels starts!" This sad cry shook the Coal Mountain, as if it was about to shake the Coal Mountain. The Shouhuang Palace in the north was like an old man who had experienced vicissitudes. He looked at Chongzhen's hanging with tears and sadly as a once great and glorious dynasty heading towards the end of the world.
When Wang Chengen saw that Chongzhen was dead, he stuck out his tongue and looked like he was patient on his face. When Chongzhen cut off his last breath, he was thinking that he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and would die like an emperor. He must not look like a mortal hanged himself in pain and stick out his tongue to die.
However, Chongzhen still had a painful expression on his face. Although it was not very obvious, it was just strange that he still had a smile on his face. What was he laughing at?
Wang Chengen knew that Chongzhen thought he could be relieved that he had handed over the world to Zhang Biwu. It was this feeling that made Chongzhen smile on his face, but the suffocation pain made his smile distorted.
Wang Chengen looked into the magnificent mountains and rivers again and said, "Zhang Biwu, you can't let the emperor down before his death! I'll leave the country to you! You must keep the country of our Han people well! If you can burn incense to the emperor on March 19th in the future, and you can still save the prince and the two kings from spending your life safely, you, Zhang Biwu, will finally live up to the Ming Dynasty!"
When Wang Chengen said this, his eyes were full of tears. He knew that time was coming. Wang Chengen said to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I am here to accompany you! I will serve you well underground!" As soon as he finished speaking, he hanged himself on a smaller tree next to him.
Let’s turn back to Zhang Biwu’s side now.
Zhang Biwu must leave Beijing first, so as not to be discovered, he will be in trouble, and it will be more difficult to save the prince and the two kings in the future. His advice to Lu Xiangsheng and others is that the prince and the two kings who have already arrived at the Zhou royal palace, and no one can save it so easily!
After all, Li Zicheng was closely monitoring it, and it was difficult to get close to it. The entire Zhou Mansion could not even fly in. Do you still want to save it?
Zhang Biwu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Yao Dong told the truth that he would not kill the prince and the two kings after Li Zicheng was defeated in Shanhaiguan. Li Zicheng would rather let them go. Then he would save them!
Lu Xiangsheng was surprised when he heard this. He was half-believing and half-doubted, and then he thought that although Li Zicheng was a thief, he was just a hero among the thieves. Even if he captured the prince and the two kings, he would not kill them in order to win people's hearts. For this reason, Lu Xiangsheng also recognized Zhang Biwu's opinion and decided to wait until Li Zicheng was defeated in Shanhaiguan, he would rescue the prince and the two kings.
Lu Xiangsheng's choice was correct, and later facts also proved that Li Zicheng did not kill the prince and the two kings.
Li Zicheng moved into the Forbidden City, but could not find Chongzhen. He panicked and issued a strict order to search the whole city, even if he searched the entire Beijing city, Chongzhen wanted to see the corpse and the living people!
The order was given, and Li Yan, who was responsible for the Qing Palace and the search for Chongzhen, was of course busy, but Li Yan was very scared, afraid that he would let Zhang Biwu into Beijing and Zhang Biwu rescue Chongzhen, so he would be sorry for Li Zicheng. It was not the work of a loyal minister, but Zhang Biwu would not have broken his trust, right? In addition, when he saw Zhang Biwu, he did not find suspicious things. Chongzhen should not have been taken out by Zhang Biwu.
On March 21, Chongzhen's body was found, and Li Zicheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Zicheng looked at Chongzhen's will and sighed. Chongzhen was not bad, a pity! His defeat was also due to God's will! Heaven would destroy Ming Dynasty, and no matter how hard it was, it would not be saved.
Someone secretly told Li Zicheng that the crooked neck tree that Chongzhen hanged had engraved with "In addition to this will, there will be a bloody edict" on it.
Chapter completed!