Chapter 56 Leaving the Palace

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  The update is a bit late, sorry.

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  "King Chengen, come quickly!"

  In the vast and empty Hall of Supreme Harmony, only Chongzhen was left alone.

  Empress Zhang left early in the morning, and several imperial consorts and Princesses Shao of Ren and Chang of Ping also followed her.

  In the late afternoon, Empress Zhou and Consort Yuan, as well as Prince Ding, all left together. When Chongzhen returned from court, only he was left alone in the Qianqing Palace, solitary and isolated.

  Normally, he was also used to working alone in his office and didn't like being disturbed.

  But now is different from the past, today during his routine duties, he received a secret report that Changping was lost and Zuling was burned. The enemy army will arrive in one or two days, great disaster is about to befall, and the calamity extends to ancestors, making Chongzhen self-reproachful and losing confidence entirely.

  At this time, his mind was already in great disorder, but thinking that Li Guo had already gone out of the city to meet the enemy, and there were many officials guarding each gate, he couldn't help but have some illusions.

  At a summons, Wang Cheng'en hastily came forward and knelt down, waiting for Chongzhen's instructions.

  "We urgently summoned the troops from Guan Ning to rush to the rescue, has the imperial edict been sent out?"

  "Your Majesty, I have already sent someone to deliver it to Wu Sangui's army overnight, but please forgive me for speaking bluntly... Wu Sangui may not make it in time."

  "Nonsense!" Chongzhen angrily said: "The Wu army is very close to the capital, and the whole army will arrive in ten days. The capital can't be defended for even ten days?"

  According to Wang Chengen's intelligence, it was impossible to hold on for even one day. However, Chongzhen had become deranged and he also did not dare to speak again. In the grand hall, only Chongzhen muttered to himself: "I will wait for him, the Wu family has received the country's grace for generations, all the people have received the country's grace for generations, I have not lost virtue, since my accession to the throne, I have been diligent and industrious, without any fault towards the people and the ministers... Therefore, Wu Sangui will definitely come, he will definitely come!"

  In the end, Chongzhen lowered his head and leaned against the purple sandalwood imperial desk in front of him. The desk was cluttered with memorials and reports from all over the country... If it were usual times, Chongzhen should still be spirited and busy reviewing these documents.

  National affairs are like this, and indeed there is nothing that can be more annoying for this emperor.

  As Chongzhen slowly closed his bloodshot eyes, Wang Cheng'en bowed his head and wept softly, saying: "Yes, Your Majesty... he will definitely come, Wu Sangui has received the country's kindness, he will definitely come!"

  ……

  ……

  At the same time, all the inner guards of the East Palace also gathered. At this moment, the capital was already in great chaos, and the Imperial Guards guarding the imperial city had begun to flee. In a day or two, not one of the Imperial Guards would be left.

  Inside the Forbidden City, there were still one or two thousand people left, among whom a considerable number would make their last stand under the leadership of the Grand Eunuch.

  The troops stormed into the city and attacked the Forbidden City, but they only fought a few small battles with a group of eunuchs. To say the least, it was a joke that wasn't funny at all.

  Looking at the figures around him, Zhu Ciwen also felt a sense of emotion in his heart.

  After months of operation, I don't know how much hardship he has endured, and even the robbery at home has been done. The crown prince of a country is probably not more miserable than him?

  It has come to this after all the effort; it has finally resulted in the current situation in front of us.

  If it weren't for the spirit of living as if every day were one's last, by now, a powerless and influence-less crown prince like Da Ming would have nothing to do but wait for death!

  "I have seen Master!"

  The cloud board above the Xuanwu Gate struck three times, and the crowd waiting had been solemn. Under the lamp shadow, only Wang Chengen hurried over, saw Zhu Ciyan and bowed his head: "Report to Young Master, the Emperor has fallen asleep."

  "Haven't you advised him?"

  "The slave did not speak directly, but merely said that Li Guozhen was useless and Wu Sangui would certainly not arrive, but the emperor listened to it with great anger and scolded the slave for talking nonsense."

  Wang Chengen still had tears in the corners of his eyes, but his tone was very calm: "Young master, the emperor will definitely not leave. The emperor's only thought is that as the son of heaven, he has a responsibility to guard the country and cannot just walk away when disaster strikes... The emperor's mind is made up, fortunately, the two empresses and princesses have already left the palace, I advise you, young master, and the other princes not to wait any longer, hurry up and leave now!"

  Although it was expected, Zhu Cihong couldn't help but feel a little sad.

  No matter how hard Chongzhen tried, could he still change the fate of being hanged at Coal Hill?

  He looked at Yong Wang and the fifth son of the emperor, Zhu Ci Huan, who had been waiting by his side and were still shivering with fear... The two confused young men were also staring at him, their eyes wide with worry. It was a chilly spring night, and both princes were dressed thinly; having cried twice already, they didn't know what to do after bidding farewell to Zhou Hou.

  They were all born of Tian Guifei, although Empress Dowager Zhou treated them with kindness, but also did not send them away in the first batch. At this moment, they probably didn't know what to feel either.

  "Alas, you've all heard it!" In the midst of haste, Zhu Ciyan also made a decisive decision. His low and powerful voice was directed at the crowd: "The Emperor has decided to stay and guard, but the capital may not necessarily be defended. Our retreat to the south is also a strategy... It's settled then, let's go!"

  At this midnight, the strong wind howled, and in the grand hall of the imperial palace, the sound of the wind was mournful and desolate. Added to this were the faint sounds of weeping that seemed to come from nowhere in the depths of the palace, enough to rend one's heart asunder!

  "Get out of here quickly!" Wang Chengen's face changed greatly, and he shouted: "Don't come back after you leave, the slaves will serve the emperor on his ascension to heaven, and absolutely will not be humiliated by bandits!"

  In the past few days, Wang Cheng'en not only inspected the defense situation in the city but also prepared a large amount of firewood around the Qianqing Palace. Once the enemy entered the palace, they could immediately set it on fire.

  However, Zhu Ciyan knew that the emperor and his ministers did not die in the great fire. At this time, looking at the determined expression of the eunuch, he wanted to speak but had nothing to say.

  At this moment, he took a deep breath and shouted: "Let's go!"

  Although the number of people and luggage was minimized, the procession moving towards the palace at midnight was still very cumbersome. Under the clear light of the night moon, it looked like a long snake winding and crawling.

  Two battalions of cavalry with over 200 men, several eunuchs who served as attendants to the princes also had over a hundred people, and as many gold, silver, valuables, antiques, calligraphy and paintings as they could carry... If they didn't bring them now, they would only be left for Li Zicheng and the Eastern Barbarians.

  The team was originally concentrated in the Wenhua Hall, and after leaving the main hall, all the cavalry and more than a dozen large carts gathered near the Donghua Gate, carrying and lifting things onto the carts. Everyone was sweating profusely... After leaving the Donghua Gate, they crossed the Golden Water Bridge and continued eastward. Although everyone's face was still tense, they looked relieved.

  Although I haven't left the city yet, being able to leave that deep and grand palace which is like a living tomb, who wouldn't feel a sudden lightness in their heart...

  Riding at the forefront was Ren Shang, an officer who was down-to-earth but possessed extraordinary marksmanship skills. His eyes gleamed with a sharp light, earning him the nickname "Old Tiger" among his comrades. With his exceptional eyesight, this skilled military officer led his troops of thirty-seven men in a vanguard formation, arriving at Dong'an Gate while the rear troops were still at the East Flourishing Gate.

  "Who is it?" Ren Shang, who was riding at the front of the team, saw the figure rushing out of the city gate first. Because the team was about to leave the city, the imperial guards guarding the palace had already dispersed, leaving only a hundred or so eunuchs near the East Peace Gate, which was not enough to be used. They had also been driven away earlier. At this time, the city gate was wide open, and under the clear moonlight, only one horse rushed over, arriving at the city gate without stopping.

  He didn't answer the approaching person, Ren Shang raised his hand to hold the bow, and had already quickly placed the arrow on the bow... but soon, he recognized who the comer was, his heart sank, and he hastily put down the bow and arrow, patted the horse and went forward to greet him.

  That man was Wei Xun, his whole body was lying on the horse, but there were three iron arrows inserted in his back, and half of his face was also blackened by gunpowder. It was clear that he had not only been shot by an arrow, but also had traces of being hit by a firearm.

  Ren Shang stepped forward, his face sinking as he helped lift Wei Xun off the horse... In these six months, regardless of whether they were officials or soldiers, they had lived and eaten together, competing with each other while also supporting one another. Especially during long-distance marches and camping in the wilderness, they had to help each other out in order to succeed. Now, seeing Wei Xun in this state, the officials and soldiers present were both shocked and enraged, with many already beginning to curse and shout.

  "Don't make a fuss..." Wei Xun's face only had a relaxed smile, as he saw Zhu Ciwen rush over with the news, and he struggled to get up.

  "Don't move." Zhu Ciwen pressed him down and asked, "What's going on? Where is Wei Yue?"

  "Wei's troops were following behind, but even though they had more men, they were afraid of encountering bandits on the road, so they didn't arrive as quickly as I did with my light armor and swift horse."

  Wei Xun hastily told Wei Yue to stop speaking, his eyes also revealing a sense of urgency. He turned to Zhu Ciyan and said: "Young master must leave quickly, the bandits don't know how they caught wind of it, but they've gathered their elite cavalry and are rushing towards the capital! I disguised myself as a light rider and rushed here, encountering several groups of bandit riders along the way. Fortunately, I'm familiar with the roads and was able to detour around them, which is why I made it here... Young master, hurry up, we can't delay any longer!"

  Wei Xun was barely holding on to his last breath, struggling to get here. Originally, he had been sprinting for over a dozen hours, and with the severe injuries he sustained, now that the task was complete, his nerves relaxed, and he could no longer hold on. By the time he finished speaking, he was already in a state of collapse.

  "Alright, alright, don't worry!" Wei Xuan was covered in bloodstains, but Zhu Ciyan didn't seem to notice at all. His voice trembling, he replied, then simply held him in his arms, not caring that the sweat, grime and blood on Wei Xuan's body were staining his own clothes beyond recognition.

  Ren Shang took another step forward, closed Wei Xun's eyes and said in a low voice: "Brother Wei Xun, I will kill more bandits to avenge you."

  "It's not a burglar..." Zhu Ciwen stood up, gently laying Wei Xun flat... He had already calmed down, and in the darkness, his eyes still emitted a frightening cold light. He said: "He must have entered through the Yongyi Gate to save time, after entering the city, he might have said something, then the guards shot him with arrows, which is why he was injured to this extent."

  Wei Xun is a very righteous person, so there are not many friends in the capital camp. At this time, they came into the city and were injured like this. Just now, Zhu Ciyan also saw that he wanted to speak but stopped.

  Looking at the arrows on his body again, they were all used by the Imperial Guards. The answer was obvious.

  "These despicable thieves, I'd like to kill them all...” Zhu Ciwen said coldly: "Let's go, the news that Wei brothers risked their lives to send us can't be delayed any longer!"