Although Uncle Wang Guo was the Queen Mother's elder brother, he was not qualified to enter the harem casually. He asked the eunuch to inform him at least ten times before finally getting permission.
There were not many people in the Cining Palace, and the wives had disappeared. There were only less than ten eunuchs and palace maids inside and outside. Wang Cuilian was still there, kneeling in front of the queen mother’s couch and crying. It seemed that it had been a long time.
Uncle Wang Guo was dissatisfied. His relatives were kept outside, but a neighbor could enter the palace at any time. The Queen Mother's actions were not fair, but he did not show it. I'm dying, the queen mother, you can't stay, let's go together, go as soon as possible, go to Luoyang, if you can't do it, go back to your hometown, the Wang family is rich now..."
Empress Dowager Cining smiled bitterly and said, "My silly brother, if Da Chu is dead, what's the use of more money?"
Uncle Wang Guo froze for a while, "Our family really can't help. Staying in the capital is also causing chaos for the court."
Empress Dowager Cining said solemnly, "You didn't go to the minister to talk nonsense, did you?"
Uncle Wang Guo hesitated and shook his head.
The Empress Dowager Cining sighed: "Your Majesty's eyesight is better. I also hope that someone in the Wang family can help His Majesty. Now it seems that this is just my wishful thinking. Go back and tell your father that I am the Empress Dowager of Da Chu. If His Majesty is not there, I have to Stay and defend the city together with the minister."
After a short pause, the Empress Dowager Cining said again: "The palace is my home, I'm not going anywhere, I'd rather die in it."
"But... but..."
"If you have the heart, stay with me and show your Majesty and the people of the world that although the Wang family is not talented, they all have a loyal heart. If you are afraid of death - I will write a decree to let you out of the city. Don't go to Luoyang, just go back to your hometown and continue farming, just treat the capital as a dream, I have never found you, and you have never really been here."
Uncle Wang Guo kept kowtowing, he was afraid of death, and the whole family was afraid of death, but when the queen mother said such a thing, he could no longer mention the matter of leaving the capital, so he could only reply: "If the queen mother doesn't leave, none of the Wang family will leave."
Empress Dowager Cining sighed, "Go back and bring your family into the palace."
Uncle Wang Guo kowtowed and exited the room, only feeling his legs were weak, he whispered to himself, "There is still a chance, I can't persuade the queen mother, father can."
In the hall, the Empress Dowager Cining said to Wang Cuilian, "You are not a foreign relative. You don't need to abide by these rules, don't cry, go back and take your son and leave Beijing with the Queen."
"The Queen Mother..." Wang Cuilian wanted to speak again, but the Queen Mother Ci Ning waved her hand impatiently, and she had to stand up and step back.
The Empress Dowager Cining ordered people to light the lamps, both inside and outside the house, as if it were a Chinese New Year.
Near midnight, the queen and others came to see her again. The Queen Mother Ci Ning ordered the female officials to block the door and not allow anyone to come in. The two princes were no exception. They told everyone not to bring cumbersome things, and there was no need to say goodbye when they moved to the palace.
After midnight, the Wang family all came. There were dozens of close and distant relatives. Most of them entered the harem for the first time, but they were not in the mood to enjoy the scenery, so they all knelt down and cried.
Empress Dowager Ci Ning personally helped her father up, and knelt down herself, "My daughter is not filial, and the old father suffers."
Uncle Wang Guo knelt on the ground and said to his father, "Dad, you persuade the queen mother..."
With snot and tears on his face, Father Wang turned around and kicked his son, then helped his daughter up, and said loudly, "I understand what the Queen Mother means, the Wang family has ascended to the sky in one step, how many people see it in their eyes and hate it in their hearts. We can no longer let them say that we are greedy for life and fear of death, we stay, we all stay, and when it is necessary, we all go to defend the city, we can’t take guns and guns, and we can always do it with all our strength to move things.”
Uncle Wang Guo looked at his father in astonishment and forgot to even cry. At home, the old man just nodded, but didn't say these words.
Empress Dowager Cining was both moved and sad, and was about to speak when Father Wang turned to his children and said, "Don't cry, and don't feel unfair, what kind of life have we lived in these past few years? If you can’t dream, this is because God has eyes, let us finish the good days of a lifetime ahead of time, and the rest are hard days, and there is nothing to give up.”
The Wang family just kowtowed.
The Empress Dowager Cining said, "The Wang family can't be defeated because of me. I ask my father to choose a few children and grandchildren. I will hand them over to the queen, and they will take refuge in Beijing."
Father Wang looked around, the whole family was looking at him eagerly, hoping to be selected, but he also came out of grief, ruthless, stomping his feet, "Don't say I'm unfair, the third son's son is the youngest, and He was born in the capital, and the good days are not over yet—that's him."
Uncle Wang Guo cried: "Dad, the queen mother said it was 'several children and grandchildren'..."
"Stop talking nonsense, if the Wang family has this life, the incense will naturally continue. If it doesn't have this life, it's useless for the whole family to leave Beijing."
Empress Dowager Cining knelt down to her father again, "Daughter thanks father for fulfilling."
The youngest child of the Wang family was sent to Qiuxin Palace, and the Queen Mother Ci Ning ordered her mother to follow, but the woman was unwilling to leave her husband and family, saying, "Is there still no one to take care of the child by the Queen's side? I stay, our father is right, The good days are over, it's our life."
Empress Dowager Cining left her family in the palace, prepared wine and meat, piled gold, silver and jewelry on the ground, playing with everyone.
At the fourth watch, the queen and others left the palace and were ordered not to come to say goodbye. They gathered together and kowtowed in the direction of the Cining Palace.
Not long after, the palace maid announced that Wang Cuilian was here again. She did not leave, but handed over her son to the eunuch who left the palace and came to see the queen mother herself.
Empress Dowager Ci Ning refused to persuade her, and stayed in the palace, chatting with several female relatives, and recalling few past events.
After dawn, the Empress Dowager Cining was finally sleepy and fell asleep on the couch. Wang Cuilian took care of her herself.
There were so many people in the palace that they could not all leave with the queen. Most of them stayed and waited for the next arrangement. The two empress dowagers didn’t care. Liu Jie, the supervisor of the middle division, was busier than usual. The second and third batches of personnel and the items to be brought.
He doesn't plan to leave himself, he wants to live and die with the palace. In fact, he is also one of the most calm people in the palace. He is still in good order, and no one can fault him. Some people want to please him in exchange for a place in the capital. Seeing him Then gave up.
A day passed, and until evening, Liu Jie finally got free, ordered a table of wine and food, and ordered someone to invite Duke Jing.
Jing Yao is Liu Jie's old boss. The two have known each other for a long time, and they have always been superiors and subordinates. It was not until a few years ago that they reversed. The relationship was not harmonious, but there was no deep hatred. Liu Jie personally greeted him and invited Jing Yao to take a seat. Cup said: "Please drink this cup full."
Jing Yao was not polite, and made a gesture of invitation, and then drank it all.
After Liu Jie drank, he ordered two more cups, and then said, "I have something I want to ask Duke Jing."
"Now that you are the supervisor of the Central Division, you don't need to say please." Jing Yao said.
Liu Jie smiled, "Does Duke Jing have anything to tell His Majesty?"
Jing Yao understood the meaning of this question. If he said yes, he would be included in the second batch of leaving Beijing. If not, he would have to stay in the capital.
Jing Yao picked up the wine glass, did not invite each other, drank a glass by himself, and replied, "No."
"Happy." Liu Jie toasted three more cups.
Jing Yao refused to come and asked, "Why doesn't Duke Liu want to see His Majesty?"
Liu Jie said with a smile: "Like Duke Jing, I have nothing to do to see Your Majesty. Since it is of no use to His Majesty, I should stay. To be honest, when I followed His Majesty on a hunting tour, I was thinking, try not to do so in the future. Before leaving the capital, it is best to die in the palace."
Jing Yao laughed, the two exchanged cups, and the more they talked, the closer they became.
After three rounds of drinking, Liu Jieping retired from serving the eunuch, already half drunk, and said, "It is a rule in the palace that you can't talk too much until you die, but today I want to ask, what did Duke Jing find out for the Cining Palace? ?"
Jing Yao smiled and said, "Is Duke Liu also curious?"
"certainly."
"You really want to know?"
"The last wish before death, I know it must be related to the death of Si Di. We have all served Si Di. If Si Di is still there, he will be a good emperor, and there will not be so many civil strife in Da Chu. Perhaps it will not be invaded by foreign enemies, and even the capital cannot be preserved."
Jing Yao put away his smile, his face looked old, "Rule is a rule, even if the Great Chu dies, the rules will continue. I have told the Queen Mother Ci Ning everything I know. How the Queen Mother handles it is her business, but Secrets will never come out of my mouth."
Liu Jie laughed, "Jinggong is right, I'm still not qualified to be the supervisor of the Central Division."
Jing Yao drank another glass of wine, "But there is something I can tell you."
"What's up?"
"Si Di is not as good as His Majesty today, far worse. If Si Di is here, he may have a more harmonious relationship with the ministers, and there may not be so many civil strife, but Si Di can't afford big things, and he has no foresight and insight. Facing a strong enemy, Da Chu will be unprepared, let alone have a chance to survive."
Jing Yao knew a lot of the truth, and what he said was very authoritative. Liu Jie also drank a glass of wine and said, "Like the minister, I hope that everything is safe, and I hope that there will be a legacy of eternal life. After a long time, I have regarded hope as a fact. I thought that there would never be trouble. Duke Jing is right, although His Majesty is a bit... But he is the only one who can bear such a crisis. It is up to His Majesty whether the Chu survives or not. Just fine."
"Two half-dead old eunuchs actually talk about the emperor behind their backs. It's really breaking the rules and should be punished."
"Should be punished!"
The two drank one cup after another until they fainted.
The next morning, Liu Jie woke up, only to feel that his head was sinking like a mountain, Jing Yao was gone, and he didn't know if he had left or someone else had carried him away. Continue to perform the duties of the Central Division Supervisor.
Nearly noon, an eunuch came to announce: "The prime minister has an invitation at the Qinzheng Hall."
Liu Jie knew that it was time to come.
There were more ministers in the Qinzheng Palace than usual. Zhuo Ruhe saw Liu Jie without being polite, and said directly: "Xiaozhou City and Mancang City have all fallen, and the enemy army is moving south rapidly, and will soon arrive in Beijing. The Frontier Rebels can’t be stopped, and there will be another group of people evacuated from the palace, and then the city gates and palace gates will be closed and will never be opened again.”