The first month of the eighteenth year of Shunzhi was a cold winter.Just after the new year, groups of beggars began to beg along the street as if they had emerged from the ground.These people were crowded under the shophouses and in the ruined temples west of Hademen in Beijing.Families and nests built dilapidated huts and thatched sheds at the base of the city wall, intending to live there for a long time.Fortunately, since the defeat of King Li Chuang, the city of Beijing has suffered repeated military disturbances, with a population of ten to five or six.The inside and outside of Dongzhimen are full of rubble, and some are free, otherwise it would be overcrowded.Most of these people spoke with a Kanto accent, and there were quite a few people from Zhili, Shandong, and Henan. They wore ragged cotton-padded jackets, tied straw ropes around their waists, and begged for food with broken bowls.

However, God is specifically against these refugees.Just after the fifth day, there was a lot of snow again, and it snowed heavily for two days and two nights, until the capital was covered with three feet of snow.Every morning, the soldiers patrolling the city would use carts to pull dozens or hundreds of frozen and hungry refugee corpses lying in the snow to the incarceration field outside the city. On Yongxing Temple Street in the west of the capital city, there is a small inn "Yuepeng Store". The shopkeeper's surname is He, and his name is He Guizhu.There are more than a dozen guest rooms in the backyard of this small shop, which are specially for the candidates to live in when they go to Beijing to take the exam.It's still early to leave the department, and the business is very slow.There are four Eight Immortals tables on the three facades on the street; there is an elegant seat to the north for guests to eat; a long counter to the east of the facade sells wine, meat and sporadic groceries.The guys are all from the countryside, and they have gone back to celebrate the New Year. There is only one boss He and a few apprentices from far away to support the store.In the early morning of the eighth day of the first lunar month, just as the door panel was removed in the store, there was a "plop" and a person fell in.

The owner of the store, He Guizhu, heard the men shouting, quickly put on his pants, pulled on his shoes and ran out.I saw a man lying on the ground, probably in his early twenties, with a tin green linen cap on his head, and a two-foot-long braid. It seemed that his hair hadn't been shaved for more than two months. , gray and not slippery autumn has grown a full inch and a half long.The cotton robe he was wearing seemed to have been shot with a bird's gun, and the torn cotton wool was exposed like rotten suet.Looking at his face, it was yellow and purple like ginger, his eyes were closed tightly, and he was already frozen.He Guizhu couldn't help sighing and said, "It's a crime! This is a common thing, so let's send it to Zuojiazhuang outside the city. Speech, today is really bad luck!"

The guys searched for a broken mat to roll up the dead man, and were about to get a broken door board to carry him away when someone shouted, "Slow down!" When everyone looked back, the person who came out was about thirty years old, wearing a blue satin melon skin hat, a black dog skin maroon silk mandarin jacket, a gray tufted wool robe inside, and a bright face on the millwork-soled woolen boots. Stand firm in the middle of the door.The owner of the store hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "Second Master, this is a poor scholar who froze to death outside the door."

"We'll have to see if he's dead or not." The visitor said as he stepped forward and knelt down, tried his hand under the young man's nose, and then raised his hand to feel his pulse: "He's not dead yet! Make a bowl of ginger soup quickly, no, get some hot wine first!" The men looked at each other and stood still, and He Guizhu hurriedly said: "My lord has already ordered, why don't you hurry up?" Why does He Guizhu listen to this man so much?The man who came out was a Juren, a native of Yangzhou, named Wu Ciyou, a talented man well-known across the country.He came from a wealthy family, and his ancestors had been high officials for several terms.He Guizhu, who opened the shop, used to be his family's servant.During the reign of Chongzhen, there were wars and turmoil, and the old man Wu was afraid that the tree would attract the wind, so he asked his family members to vote for their relatives.He Guizhu's father was born in a family and had no relatives outside. The old man showed kindness and helped him open a small shop locally.When the Qing soldiers entered the pass, Shi Kefa fought against the Qing Dynasty in Yangzhou. After the city was broken, blood flowed into the city.The He family couldn't stay in Yangzhou, so they simply moved to Beijing.This Wu Ciyou was originally a student of Hou Fangyu. After the Qing Dynasty was settled, he obeyed God's will, passed the examination for scholar, and won the Juren.It's just that Mrs. Wu's heart is for Daming, and he vowed not to eat Qingsu, and concentrates behind closed doors at home.This time Wu You went to Beijing to take an exam, and just met He Guizhu again, so he simply stayed in Yuepeng's shop.Even though he doesn't have the title of master and servant now, He Guizhu still respects this young master very much.

At this time, people hurriedly carried the scholar who was about to freeze to death into the store, poured a bowl of hot rice wine down, and after about a quarter of an hour, the young man opened his eyes slightly and then closed them again.Wu Ciyou let out a sigh of relief and said, "Clean up the room below me, let him lie down, and raise him for a few days." He Guizhu couldn't help hesitating: "This young man is troublesome too. He saved someone, but he still needs to take care of him...don't care about him! It doesn't cost me anyway, and I'll just wait for someone from Yangzhou to settle the score." Wu Ciyou saw Boss He After hesitating, he said, "Saving someone's life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Besides, it's not worthwhile to save people without saving their lives." He Guizhu hurriedly said, "Just do as the Lord tells you."

When it was time to light the lamp, the young man finally woke up.Probably due to the effect of two big bowls of hot noodles in chicken and ginger soup, his face turned red, but he was still a little dizzy. Seeing Wu Ciyou holding a lantern and pushing the door in, he struggled to get up.Wu Ciyou hurriedly held him down, and said: "My friend, don't move, just lie down." The young man bent his upper body and kowtowed on the pillow repeatedly: "Grandpa, you saved me! The water flows forever, I don’t thank you for your kindness, I will always smash my bones to repay you!” As he said, a string of tears flowed down his delicate face.

Wu Ciyou pulled up a chair and sat down beside him, and asked with concern: "What's your name? Why did you come to Beijing? How did you end up in this situation?" The young man leaned half on the pillow, sighed and said: " Engong, I am a native of Zhenghuang Banner, Mingzhu, and my ancestors are also descendants of dragons and phoenixes. My father, Niyaha, was a member of Prince Rui Dorgon's tent, and entered the customs from the dragon. Dorgon broke something. My late father was dismissed from office by the company, and he was so angry that he couldn't afford to get sick, and the family fortune fell. He had no choice but to go to Mongolia with his uncle. Uncle Nertai took pity on us and gave us a small piece of cultivated land. Unexpectedly, last autumn, the owner of the Xianghuang Banner Aobai wants to change the land of the Yellow Flag again, saying that in the years when Dorgon encloses the land, the Yellow Flag suffered a loss, and now he wants to get it back, which will cheat us alive! I thought this old thief would always look at his ancestors To save face and leave this place alive, who knew that this old bastard was so heartless that he sent his brother Murima to drive out all the people in our village in a snowy day, and burned the village down... Tragic What!" He wiped away his tears, choked with sobs and said: "Our uncle and nephew went all the way from Rehe to beg for food and entered the customs. In Taiping Town, they met robbers and forced them to join the gang. My father doesn't know whether he is dead or alive. How can I do it?" That kind of thing? I had no choice but to run away. In the end, my uncle was shot to death by an arrow from the robber. I went to Beijing alone and wanted to have a good time with my late father’s colleagues. Offended Oboi, no one dared to take me in. There was no other way, so I had to live on the street and sell calligraphy. Pity me, a clan of hairpin tassels, that ended up like this... These days, the snow has been falling heavily, and my stomach is full of pain. Hungry. If you want to hide from the snow in front of this store, who knows..."

The more Mingzhu talked, the more sad she became, she simply burst into tears, "Grandmother! You are my reborn parents, flesh and blood father and mother! Mingzhu is hard to repay in this life, but in the next life you will be rewarded with great kindness!" Hearing this, Wu Ciyou couldn't help feeling sad, and quickly comforted him: "Mingzhu, don't say anything. These days, how can ordinary people have a good life! There are so many beggars in Beijing these days, and they are all beggars outside the pass. Enclosed homeless people──Do you have any relatives in the capital?"

Mingzhu shook her head and said, "I don't have any relatives anymore, even if I do, it's rare to see them." When Wu Ciyou heard about it, he hurriedly asked, "Then how could it be?" Mingzhu regained her composure and said, "I heard that one of my cousins, Mrs. Sun, is the wet nurse of the third elder brother of the current prince. I met her seven years ago, and then she went to the palace. The palace is strictly guarded. How does it look like it can get in?" Wu Ciyou pondered for a while, and said: "You should stay here first. You are well-versed in literature and ink, and you have a good reputation. You will not worry about not having a chance to get in in the future. If it doesn't work, I will bring you a letter. Go to my father and ask him to find you a bowl of food. My name is Wu Ciyou, from Yangzhou, and I am here waiting for the exam. After the next exam, we will go back to the south."

Mingzhu is a very smart person. Hearing what Wu Ciyou said, she struggled to get off the bed, knocked her head three times on the ground, and said: "There is a blue sky above. If Mingzhu is guilty and forgets the kindness of Brother Wu's life-saving, it will be like this pen." !" As he spoke, he took out a large Xuelang Haohu brush from his sleeve, and snapped it into two pieces with a "click" in the shadow of the lamp. From then on, under the care of Wu Ciyou, Mingzhu lived in Yuepeng's shop and took care of her health.Although the two are full and the other Han, they are both scholars, so they get along very well.During the hearth chat, Mingzhu told Wu Ciyou the reason for the "encirclement" incident: It turned out that before the founding of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Aixinjueluo Nurhachi of Manchuria, in order to compete for the country, once compiled and trained the yellow, white, blue, and red four-banner troops. Later, his son Huang Taiji expanded it to form a regular The Eight Banners are armed with yellow, bordered yellow, true white, bordered white, true blue, bordered blue, true red, and bordered red.After Huang Taiji's death, the six-year-old fourth son, Fulin, ascended the throne in Shengjing (now Shenyang). His uncle, Prince Rui Dorgon, became regent and led the Manchu, Mongolian, and Han banners across the Central Plains. , Unified the country, welcomed Fulin to establish the Qing Dynasty in Beijing, and became the first emperor Shunzhi after the Qing army entered the customs.The Eight Banners force made great military exploits for the establishment of the Qing Dynasty.After Dorgon's downfall, Aobai, the banner owner of the Bordered Yellow Banner, thought that he had suffered a loss when enclosing the land, so he relied on his official position and power to expand the encirclement and to The land that has already been encircled before has been replaced by some better ones, that is to say, "change the encirclement".As a result, disputes broke out among the Eight Banners, and the common people couldn't live a better life. They couldn't grow the land, and they couldn't stay at home. They had to escape from the house with their children and live by begging near the capital.What happened to Mingzhu, and the crowds of refugees in the capital city were all caused by the "changing circles". On this day, Wu Ciyou and Mingzhu were talking about the past and the present with great interest.The two were talking affectionately, when the cotton curtain was lifted, He Guizhu walked in and said in a low voice: "Second Master, just now the eunuch Wang, the head inspector of the Thirteenth Yamen, came to drink and said that there were rumors that Lord Shunzhi had passed away!" "The emperor has passed away!" The news spread like wildfire, and spread all over the city of Beijing through restaurants, teahouses, theaters and other lively places where people gather.But before the decree is issued, people can only hide and watch quietly, looking for close friends to make gestures like this: "The emperor is only twenty-four years old, so young, how could he die so well?" "Hey, people have good and bad times, who can say for sure? For example, if you take off your shoes tonight, you can guarantee that you will put them on in the morning?" "Don't talk nonsense! I heard that it was because of Madam Dong that the emperor died of lovesickness! You forgot, what is the name of that painter in Jiangsu called Chen? Yes, Chen Luoyun drew a small picture for Madam Dong. Like, one guy rewards 10,000 taels of silver───Hey! Have you seen so many treasures in your life?───As long as you are lucky, it’s really easy to get paid!」 "You like to walk away when you talk. I heard that the emperor summoned Mr. Sukesaha five or six days ago! Don't you have something strange?" "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh back, back, back up, it's none of your business!" No matter what the common people say, one thing is clear: from the eighth day of the first lunar month, all the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have changed into plain clothes, and there is a long line of dark sedan chairs beside the horse pavilion outside the Meridian Gate.Those little eunuchs who like to carry quail cages to teahouses have not been here since Chinese New Year.These abnormal incidents aroused suspicion among the citizens of Beijing.Some old Beijingers had seen the scene of Emperor Wanli's death and funeral, and they couldn't help being surprised when they saw that the royal family was acting so sneakily, but they just kept silent. Wu Ciyou is a bookworm, and because of the cold weather, he doesn't go out, but just sits by the stove and reads.Mingzhu was a young man with a temper, and when he was in better health, he struggled to walk outside.On this day, he turned to the east of Zhengyang Gate to watch the excitement, and he saw the six green woolen sedan chairs standing out in front of a long row of sedan chairs, the snow on them was half a foot thick.After inquiring quietly, I found out that since the third day of the Lunar New Year, Prince Jieshu, Sony Lao Zhongtang, Ye Bilong, Sukesaha, Obai, and Hong Jinglue entered the palace to pay their respects, and they never came out again. The family members use food boxes to send them in.Mingzhu was staring dazedly, when suddenly she felt someone pat her back lightly, when she looked back, she saw a handsome young man holding a knife on his waist under the snowy light, looking at him with a smile. "You are... ah! Brother!" After hesitating for a moment, Mingzhu opened her arms in surprise and rushed forward. He immediately recognized that the person standing in front of him was the only son of the third elder brother's wet nurse, Sun Shi. He said goodbye Five-year cousin Wei Dongting. I haven't seen him for five years, and Wei Dongting has turned out to be a handsome man. He is wearing a tunic collar men's uniform embroidered with Jiang Ya Hai Hai, a foot-long red tassel hanging from a wide-backed waist knife, and a brand new lake crepe black. Riding boots under trousers.Seeing his attire, Mingzhu couldn't help feeling downcast in comparison. Mingzhu took Wei Dongting's hand, just looked up and down, and asked after a while: "Cousin, after five years of separation, you are very different from before. Are you still working in Chengde Huangzhuang?" Wei Dongting said with a smile: "I also just came to Beijing. Last year, my mother entrusted a lot of favors to transfer me out, and now I am working as an idler in the patrol office. My mother said that I am young, and I have to practice for several years before I can contribute to the emperor!" Mingzhu couldn't help lowering her head when she heard this, and sighed: "Brother, I'm miserable! Now my family is ruined, my future is difficult, my fate is bad, what can I do! Cough, this life is really boring." Wei Dongting didn't wait for him to finish complaining, he tugged on his sleeve and said, "Let's go, let's get together at Hexian Building, you don't need to be sad if you come here very well. There will be a big event soon, if you can't say it, you will be kind again division!" Mingzhu asked, "Where did you say that?" Wei Dongting smiled and said, "There's no reason to make fun of you with these things?" He looked around, lowered his voice and said, "Brother, Lord Shunzhi has passed away!" Mingzhu knew that the mother of this cousin Wei Dongting was the nanny in front of Lord Shunzhi.Although this third elder brother did not have a crown prince, he was deeply loved by Emperor Shunzhi.The news brought by Wei Dongting is consistent with the widely spread rumors. It seems that the death of Emperor Shunzhi is not a rumor.So, is the Emperor Shunzhi really dead?