Chapter 59 Pay homage to Xiaoling
If it is said that the momentum caused by the surging waves of resistance in various places made the former officials in Beijing feel uneasy and anxious, and even began to secretly try to manage their way out, then in the Jiangnan area, this feeling is more direct. And strong.In particular, the anti-Qing forces in the suburbs of Nanjing, headed by Ruichang Wang Zhu Yilei, saw that other places had long raised banners and started to work vigorously, but they were forced to stay in a latent state, and they felt really anxious.Therefore, after the Spring Festival in the third year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, that is, the first year of King Lu Jianguo, they tried to attack Nanjing twice on the 12th and 18th of the first lunar month.Unexpectedly, Hong Chengchou found out that the secret was not secret, and he mobilized troops and horses in advance to make arrangements. As a result, the uprising quickly failed, and many troops were lost.In this way, Zhu Yile and others were eager to get in touch with the rebels in eastern Zhejiang even more urgently.As a result, under their repeated urging, Yu Huai, Shen Shizhu, and Liu Jingting finally decided to set off southward for eastern Zhejiang.
However, due to such a serious situation, it is even more difficult to obtain the customs clearance document from the governor's office.Although they have Huang Shu's relationship that can be used, they must never let the other party know about this secret plot, so it took a little scheming.As a result, when the three friends managed to get out of Nanjing city one after another, got together at a secret location in the suburbs, and set off on the road, it was already the end of February.
Now, the three of them dressed up as merchants, straddled their hired donkeys, and walked slowly on the official road going east.The donkey driver and Yu Huai's follower, Ah Wei, followed behind with their luggage.Originally, from Nanjing to the east of Zhejiang, you can go by water and land, but for the sake of convenience, most people go to Danyang in the east first, and then take a boat from there to follow the Grand Canal.This time, the three friends did the same.It's just that the defense that Huang Shu obtained for them was limited to travel within the suburbs of the city, and outside this range, it was no longer effective.Therefore, they don't have much to go today, they only need to arrive at Linggu Temple before dark and find a monk's room to rest.As for what to do next, we have to wait for the people there to help them figure out a solution for them.
The sun overhead slanted down from the west, and it was already afternoon.Although the large-scale war in the south of the Yangtze River and even the whole country is far from over, and even the Nanjing area, which became the base camp of the Qing army, is still lurking in a crisis that may erupt at any time, but after all, it is the time of spring to return to the earth.The snow of last winter has melted away long ago; the willow trees lined up along the roadside are spewing new green; the wind that has become humid is blowing lightly and tightly on the pedestrians, but there is still a slight chill.However, on the flat and fertile field stretching out just to the south of the official road, there are already hard-working farmers starting to drive water and plow the fields.The shiny, freshly turned fertile soil attracts flocks of birds, who are constantly circling up and down, chirping for worms and leftover grains... But this is just a kind of Scenery, there is another scene, that is, the two uprisings of the rebels in the first month, although they have been brutally suppressed, but the search and arrest operation of the Qing army has not yet ended, so some unkempt faces can still be seen from time to time along the way. , The rebels with broken hands and feet, ranging from three to five people, as many as a dozen or so, were tied up one by one, and were escorted by the Qing army.It was the latter situation that made the three friends who were charged with the secret mission both secretly terrified and a little nervous, and when they recalled the days and nights they spent waiting for the rebels to attack the city a while ago, they felt even more agitated. It's a pity that it was so heavy that no one was in the mood to enjoy the scenery or talk. They just lowered their heads and walked silently. They didn't stop until they reached the huge Xiaoling Memorial Archway standing beside the road.
The reason why they took the risk to come to Xiaoling when they were in a hurry and dangerous, was because this place buried the founding king of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and his queen Ma Shi.For more than two hundred years, it has been a symbol of the great achievements of the Ming Dynasty and enjoys a high status in the hearts of the subjects.If we say that today, with the capture of Beijing by the Peasant Army, the entry of the Qing Dynasty into the Central Plains, and the incomparably powerful Ming Dynasty has become a fragmented old dream, then the Xiaoling Mausoleum, with its immortal glory, is always involved. , Warmed the hearts of the lonely ministers and evil sons, and made them strongly think that as long as they were as brave and unyielding as their ancestors, they would surely be able to create a miracle of revitalizing Ming Dynasty.Therefore, when they were still planning to go south, the three friends had already agreed that once outside the city, no matter what, they would go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay their respects and pay homage, to offer the loyalty of the ministers of the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time pray to the spirit of the Emperor Taizu to bless them The trip went smoothly and safely, and returned successfully...
Now, they have left the official road, passed under the huge archway, and came to the stone tablet engraved with the six characters "Officials of various divisions dismounted".What is displayed in front of you is an extremely wide Shinto, extending straight to the northwest, with towering ancient cypresses and long pines hugging on both sides, and the gloomy posture makes the atmosphere of the Shinto extremely solemn.In the distance hundreds of steps away, there stands a single-eave Xieshan-top gatehouse with red walls and yellow tiles, which is naturally the main entrance of the mausoleum - the Dajinmen.Since the Xiaoling Mausoleum belongs to the solemn and sacred royal forbidden area, in order to ensure the absolute tranquility of the mausoleum and prevent external disturbances and damage, a red imperial wall winding for more than forty miles was built on the boundary of the mausoleum to separate it from the outside world. Come on, and in the cemetery, heavy troops have been set up for a long time to be closely guarded.In the past, not to mention ordinary people, even noble gentry such as Yu Huai and Shen Shizhu were not allowed to enter without special approval.As for whether the situation has changed in the current era, it is unknown.Therefore, when the three friends dismounted from their donkeys in front of the Dismounting Stone Stele, handed over their luggage to Ah Wei and the donkey driver who accompanied them, and then walked along the Shinto path with incense and candle offerings. I was also a little timid. Although I found that there were two other stone tablets standing beside the Shinto, one was the tablet of Shenlie Mountain, and the other was the tablet of the forbidden covenant erected during the Chongzhen period, but I didn't bother to take a closer look.
Gradually, they finally felt that something was wrong again.Because logically, if they blatantly walked on the way of the gods like them, they would definitely attract the attention of the Shouling Military Academy and come out to stop the interrogation.However, after walking a long distance, the surrounding area was always quiet and empty. Of course, none of the soldiers in armor and armed with knives and guns showed their faces, and even the servants in charge of daily chores in the cemetery were not seen.On the contrary, they found that the huge Shinto path was spread in the east and west, and it was full of mud and water, and there were many yellowish-brown horse dung mixed in it.In addition, it is the pine cones, cypress seeds, broken branches and fallen leaves that have been left over from last autumn.
"Well, judging from the situation for a while, it is obvious that the gates here have been completely relaxed, and it is not what it used to be! The only thing is that this Shinto is a solemn and solemn place, and it should be cleaned every day to keep it clean and tidy. Now it has become like this, no matter how you say it, it is too blasphemous and cannot be tolerated!" Yu Huai chose a clean place to settle down, feeling a little relieved that he was not interrogated, but at the same time quite Out of dissatisfaction, he couldn't help turning his head and asking:
"Didn't you hear that the King of Yu, the Tartar, once came here to pay respects after he entered Liudu? Why did he become like this in only half a year?"
Shen Shizhu snorted: "What the Tartars are doing is nothing more than pretending to win the hearts of the people in Liudu! If they really have this kind of respect, they should go back to the outside of the pass honestly. Such actions like now, the devil will Trust him!"
"As far as I know," Liu Jingting said from behind, "The King of Yu soon used the excuse of eliminating the guards of the seventy-two guards outside the gates of Chaoyang and Taiping, as well as the officers, soldiers and servants guarding Xiaoling. Until now , this place is actually untouched!"
"But, isn't there still Hong Hengjiu? Could it be that he has no heart at all, and left the mausoleum of the former emperor indifferent?" Yu Huai still felt incomprehensible.
"Hong Hengjiu? How dare he have the guts!" Shen Shizhu said contemptuously, "Now that he has recognized the prisoner as his father, what he is most afraid of right now is that he will be told by his godfather that he still has an old relationship with Daming, and the ties are severed; Emperor Taizu's In-Heaven Spirit stared at him all the time, making him sleepless and terrified, and died of panic! At this moment, in his heart, he just wished he could destroy the Xiaoling Mausoleum immediately!"
Yu Huai stopped talking.Thinking of how the mausoleum of the founding king of the country was so ruined, and those former officials of the Ming Dynasty who had been favored by the country but defected to the enemy and worked for tigers were so devoid of conscience, he felt extremely annoyed, and his heart became heavier .Shen and Liu must be the same.But there is no way to express this kind of thinking at the moment.So the three friends followed each other silently until they reached the Golden Gate.
When they were still far away, they saw that the main entrance of the cemetery with three tall gates, and the six vermilion doors inlaid with copper nails were all closed tightly, but they knew that on those doors, As usual, there are small doors for ordinary entry and exit.Now when I came to the front, I found that it was indeed the case. On the gate on the left, a small rectangular door was opened a crack.Seeing this situation, the three friends didn't dare to make a mistake, so they raised their hands and knocked on the small door a few times.At first, there was no reaction from inside the door, until I knocked hard again, only to hear a few coughs coming from inside, and then, the crack in the door widened, revealing the thin body of an old man.
"How many are..." The old man arched his back, looked them up and down suspiciously, and asked.In the shadow of the door, his wrinkled face was filled with a color that was neither gray nor blue.
"Oh," Yu Huai hastily cupped his hands in salute, and introduced himself, "I'm a merchant passing by. I've heard about the reputation of the Xiaoling Mausoleum for a long time, but I haven't had the chance to pay my respects. Today, I passed by the place of the venerable. I specially prepared incense candles to offer fruit. I don't know why. Do you wish?"
The old man couldn't figure out their identities at first, and he was a little bit surprised, but when he heard what Yu Huai said, his wrinkled face suddenly sank, he shook his head, and said coldly: "Guest officer, please don't worry." Did you misunderstand? This place is Xiaoling, not Qinhuai River or Mochou Lake! As usual, idlers are not allowed to enter. Please go back!" After finishing speaking, she wanted to turn around and close the door.
"Hey, old man, stay away!" Yu Huai stretched out his hand to press the door, and explained again, "We are all businessmen who are responsible, and we just want to go in and have a look, pay our respects, and go after we're done, so as not to damage the garden." A blade of grass, a stone in it!"
Unexpectedly, the old man still shook his head: "Don't talk too much, if you don't make it, you won't make it!"
"We also know that this is the royal forbidden area," Shen Shizhu said from the sidelines, "so I didn't dare to have such delusional thoughts in the past. It's just that today... I hope it will be accommodated!"
He probably saw that Yu Huai had hit a wall, so when he said this, he already used a pleading tone.Unexpectedly, the old man became annoyed when he heard this, "What happened today?" He stomped his feet vigorously, his eyes widened angrily, "That's right, Daming is dead now! But here is still The Azusa Palace of Emperor Taizu and Madam Ma! Emperor Taizu, remember? Even Baylor of the Qing Dynasty will come here to worship! Let me tell you, as long as my old bones are still there, you bird people Don't even think about stepping into this gate!" After finishing speaking, he wanted to close the door again.
"Oh, old man, please calm down!" Seeing that the momentum was wrong, Liu Jingting, who was standing by the side, quickly stepped in and pressed his body against the door, "Hey, old man, please calm down!" After standing firmly in the door, he said again He said, under the thick and short eyebrows, almost every pockmark was flashing a cute smile, "This brother doesn't mean that. He means that even now, in this big Liudu, only here is still my place. In the Pure Land of Ming Dynasty, even if you can enter and stand for a while, it is a blessing for three lives! Naturally, this matter still needs to be agreed by the old man. If this wish can be fulfilled, the three of you will be very grateful!"
Seeing Liu Jingting stepping in through the door almost forcefully, Yu Huai couldn't help feeling a little worried, fearing that he would anger the old man even more.When I heard him say "rebellious" words such as "Great Bright Pure Land", I couldn't help feeling tense in my heart, and thought in horror: "It's a pity that this pockmark is still an old man, why is he so open-minded in speaking?" The door has been pushed open, and the situation inside can be glimpsed somewhat.Yu Huai took a quick glance and found that there was no one else in the dark doorway, only in the yard beyond the end stood a magnificent building like a stele pavilion, which was clearly concave and convex under the sunlight.
"Hey, why are you so unreasonable, old man!" Shen Shizhu suddenly yelled from the side, "Emperor Taizu belongs to everyone, not you alone! Come on, I sincerely want to worship him, why do you old man hold the door so hard, why don't you let us in?"
Yu Huai was startled, and quickly turned around, only to find that the old man's face had changed.For a while, he didn't say anything, but there was something gloomy and unpredictable hidden in the eyes that looked at them one by one.
In this way, the three friends suddenly became a little guilty.Because if those words just now were caught by the other party and reported to the Qing soldiers, they would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and walk away.Yu Huai was alert by nature, seeing that the momentum was wrong, he immediately cupped his hands and said:
"Since Dad is in trouble, it's okay not to go in later! There were so many disturbances and collisions just now, I hope Dad will forgive me!"
After finishing speaking, he winked at Shen and Liu, turned around and left.At this point, Shen and Liu probably knew that there was no hope of entering the garden. Although their expressions were still a little disconcerted, they had no choice but to follow behind.
"Hey, stop!" After they walked six or seven steps, the old man suddenly shouted from behind.
Seeing the three friends stop instinctively, he shouted again, "Come back!"
Yu Huai looked at Liu Jingting, intending to stop him with winks, but the pockmark turned around decisively and strode back.Seeing him like this, Yu and Shen had no choice but to hesitate and follow him.
"I don't know the old man's call, what advice do you have?" Liu Jingting asked respectfully.
The old man didn't answer right away, he seemed to be weighing something, but he finally sighed, waved his hand and said:
"The three guest officers are all impatient little old men, and they wronged good people with good intentions! In fact, if this is the case, it doesn't matter if you let the three come in, but today... oh, forget it, if you want it, you should come back Bar!"
At first, the three friends heard his sincere words, but they couldn't help feeling hopeful again when they were surprised. But what they got in the end was still the same sentence, and suddenly they looked at each other in blank dismay.Shen Shizhu rolled his eyes, then took a step forward, took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, and said, "Could it be that there are other people in the garden, and it's not convenient for me to make the decision? Then this little hard-earned money is really not a respect, just annoyed." The old man will help with one or two." He said, and handed it over.
Unexpectedly, the old man pushed his hand suddenly, and said angrily: "Little old man definitely doesn't mean that!" Afterwards, his eyes turned red, and his mouth began to twitch.In the end, without turning his face away, he said in a hoarse voice: "I'm not going to lie to you three. If you were sincere to the three of you on weekdays, the old man would have let you in. Only today is not possible. It's all because of today." A group of soldiers came from the garden, led by Gu Shan'ezhen, who wanted to enter the garden to hunt. The little old man wanted to stop him, but his superiors ordered him to let him in. Gu Shan'ezhen was still there Leave a message to ask Xiaolao to guard the door and not let outsiders in. If there is any disobedience, they will be killed, and even Xiaolao will be punished. Xiaolao has lived long enough, and it is not a pity to die. The three of you put it in, but if he saw it, your life would be lost. Therefore, please go back, you three!"
The old man whispered sadly, tears streaming down his face.The three friends were dumbfounded.After a long while, Yu Huai asked suspiciously: "Hunting? How can you still hunt in the garden?"
The old man nodded: "The ground in this garden was originally extremely vast. As early as when it was built, a hundred thousand pines and cypresses were planted, and thousands of sika deer were also raised. After two or three hundred years, due to poor management, although it is far from enough This number, but there are always thousands of them. In August last year, when he learned about it somehow, a group of friends came to the door, set up a fence in the garden to release dogs, walked horses and shot arrows, yelling, Rampage. When he shot down the deer, he immediately peeled, roasted and boiled in the garden, held banquets and drank wine, and did not eat until dark. He was shy and shy at first, but later he became more aggressive when he saw no one dared to control him. It takes ten days to half a month, and it will come once. Up to now, he has killed more than one hundred deer in the garden. If this continues, there may not be a single one left..."
Hearing the old man's explanation, before Yu Huai and Liu Jingting could react, Shen Shizhu was already shaking all over.I saw him clenching his fists, staring and asking:
"How come no one dares to take care of such lawless things? Ah, why no one dares to take care of them?"
The old man glanced at him, and sighed: "They are vicious, and when they enter the door, they talk about ugly things in their heads: whoever dares to report to the superior will kill his whole family! All the managers have their own children in the garden, whoever dares to be a tiger?" Stroking beards on the head? On the contrary, we strictly ordered our subordinates to keep silent. What’s more, when those people come, they must order the door to be closed, and outsiders can’t easily detect it. Another thing is that they are all Manchurians, even if they report to Jiangning Mansion , I’m afraid there’s nothing he can do about it—ah, if the country always perishes, then the tomb of the ancestors should be dragged down and suffer humiliation!”
Yu Huai and Liu Jingting looked at each other, it was only then that they understood why the other party refused to let him into the garden, and what happened in the garden.Indeed, as the old man said: All these heinous crimes happened because of the death of the country.And to stop and punish this crime, the only way is to follow the example of Emperor Taizu back then, fight with indomitable desperation, and drive out the conquerors!Although neither of them spoke, but relying on the exchange of eyes, they both obviously understood this kind of thought, so in an instant, the eyes of both of them shone brightly.
"Thank you for your advice!" Yu Huai turned his head, cupped his hands on his chest, and saluted the old man, "Since that's the case, I won't go in. But since I came here sincerely today, I should pay my respects and salute as a token of respect." The zeal of reverence is what I saw. Just now, I saw that inside the gate, in front of the stele pavilion, there seemed to be no one there. Embarrass the old man!"
"Yes, I will never embarrass my husband again!" Shen and Liu also begged together.
The old man hesitated at first, but the earnestness and sincerity of the three friends obviously moved him.Finally, he nodded and said: "In that case, no matter what, the three of you will come with the old man. However, you must only pay respects in front of the stele pavilion, and let the old man take care of the three of you!"
When the three friends heard this, they were overjoyed immediately, so they agreed repeatedly, followed each other, passed through the long gate like a city gate, and entered the cemetery.
Although they had heard people admire it long ago, this Xiaoling Mausoleum is backed by Zhongshan Mountain, reaches Linggu Temple in the east, and connects to the city wall of Nanjing in the west, with an extremely large area.However, it is only after entering here that the three friends can fully appreciate its breadth and magnificence.Looking up, you can see rolling hills and lush forests.The broad Shinto path continues to extend from the foot, and after passing the stele pavilion, it turns west.With the giant statues carved into lions, xiezhi, camels, elephants, unicorns, horses, etc. standing opposite each other on the side of the road, as well as the towering Huabiao and the magnificent star gate, they can tell that this divine way is extremely long. .After winding west for a mile, it turned north again, then turned northeast again, and finally disappeared behind a hill.It is estimated that the dome-shaped building with a tall and bright building behind the hill is the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu and Empress Ma.The three friends wanted to confirm it with their own eyes because they heard that the lawless Qing soldiers broke into this place to hunt wantonly.However, perhaps because the cemetery is too big, and there are many trees, and the hills are undulating, they were eager to find it.What's more, it was almost evening, and the setting sun in the west was casting its last rays on the vast and boundless land, and also on the sacred cemetery of the founding king of the Ming Dynasty, so that the one hundred thousand pines and cypresses standing silently, Mount Everest, Dulongfu and Meihua Mountain, Huabiao, Lingxingmen and Stone Statues all seem to be burning, and they are dyed with a reddish golden color.This magnificent and fantastic color attracted their attention and reminded them of the illustrious prestige and glorious years of the Ming Dynasty; at the same time, it also reminded them of the irreversible loss of the mountains and rivers of the motherland just like the beautiful sunset in front of them. Decline and sinking.Perhaps it was this double feeling that gripped the three friends standing shoulder to shoulder, so that for a long time they forgot to go hunting for the poachers, and just stared blankly, filled with horror. And miserable, unable to say a word...
However, this kind of worry that was pressing down on my heart like a rock was finally broken.Because the old man was already screaming anxiously.They hurriedly turned around, walked back to the stele pavilion, spread out the incense candles and fruits they brought with them, then straightened their clothes, and faced the two-foot-seven-foot-tall "Taizu Gaodi's Divine Merit and Sacred Virtue" erected by Emperor Chengzu in front of them. Monument", silently praying for a long time-expressing sorrowful repentance for being forced to shave one's head, and placing deep expectations on the future journey, and then, according to the highest regulations of kneeling three times and knocking nine times, saluting again and again go……
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