Death of Nong Zishi
Nong Zishi was forcibly "invited" away by Wang Mengzi and others. After he came back, the resentment in his chest not only did not dissipate, but became more and more intense.
After returning to the mansion, he walked straight into the study without even changing out of his official uniform, and picked up his pen and dipped it in ink.
Do these people really think they can cover up everything? Ridiculous!
"A fool, a fool! A pest to the nation!"
He cursed in a low voice and his pen moved like a knife. He was going to submit another memorial, not only to impeach Niu Zhuang for his evil deeds, but also to point out the growing arrogance of the entire noble group.
When he was writing to the point of anger, he felt a dryness in his throat. He picked up the cup of tea that had already gone cold on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
The cold tea went down my throat, just suppressing a bit of the heat.
Suddenly, a tearing pain came from the abdomen.
Nong Zishi groaned, and the pen fell to the ground, leaving the ink all over the memorial. He covered his abdomen, and cold sweat instantly seeped out of his forehead.
No! That cup of tea, this case involving a noble...
Someone wants to kill him?
He can't die here, he must at least see His Majesty before he dies!
"Someone come! Prepare the sedan chair! Take Madam Chen and enter the palace immediately!" He gave the order in a hoarse voice, suppressing the urge to vomit.
The night was deep and the palace gates had already been closed.
Nong Zishi's sedan arrived at the palace gate. The guards on duty recognized the deputy prime minister, but still tried to stop him according to the law: "Prime Minister Nong, the palace gate is closed. If you have anything to say, please wait until tomorrow..."
"Get out of the way!" Nong Zishi lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. Under the palace lantern, his face was as pale as paper, with a dark red streak at the corner of his mouth. He didn't have much time left.
"I have a matter of grave importance, and must see the Emperor! Go and spread the word immediately!"
The guard looked embarrassed, his eyes swept over the blood at the corner of his mouth, and his feet seemed to have taken root.
This person was from Mingzhou and had deep ties to Niu Zhuang's clan. He had already decided to delay. "Minister Nong, it's not that I don't want to, it's just that the palace rules are very strict. Why don't you return home first and wait until tomorrow..."
Nong Zishi was extremely anxious. The pain in his abdomen became more and more severe. The fishy and sweet feeling in his throat could no longer be suppressed. With a "puff", a mouthful of black blood splattered on the stone steps of the palace gate, which was shocking.
Just as the stalemate was about to begin, the sound of carriages and horses came from afar.
It was Ning Lingyao.
"What's the commotion?" Ning Lingyao frowned and got out of the car. She saw Nong Zishi, who was vomiting blood and exhausted, and the guards who were at a loss, and her heart sank.
What happened that made the Minister of Agriculture so embarrassed?
"Minister Farmer! What's wrong with you?"
"Your Highness...Your Highness..." When Nong Zishi saw her, he felt like he had seen a glimmer of hope. He struggled to salute her, but was held back by Ning Lingyao.
"No need to say more! Come on, follow me into the palace!" Ning Lingyao made a prompt decision, ignored the guards, personally supported Nong Zishi, ordered people to take the frightened Chen, broke into the palace gate, and ran straight to Ning Lingyi's bedroom.
At this moment, no palace rules are more important than human life.
When he arrived outside the bedroom, the eunuch hurriedly came forward with an embarrassed look on his face: "Your Highness, His Majesty has been overworked recently and has not slept well. He just finally fell asleep. Is it possible..."
"Get out of the way!" Ning Lingyao didn't care about much at the moment. She pushed the eunuch aside and rushed in. "Royal sister, Royal sister, wake up! Something big has happened!"
Ning Lingyi was startled awake, put on her clothes and sat up. When she saw Nong Zishi being helped in by Ning Lingyao, she instantly woke up: "Prime Minister Nong, what's wrong with you? Quickly call the imperial physician!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Nong Zishi pushed away Ning Lingyao's support, struggled to kneel on the ground, and pointed at Chen who was trembling behind him.
He could feel his life slipping away rapidly, and every breath tasted of blood.
"I'm afraid it's no use... This person is Chen, the victim of the Mingzhou injustice case... She has something to say to Your Majesty..."
The blind old woman, Chen, could not see, but when she heard Nong Zishi's voice, she fell to her knees and cried out, "Your Majesty! Twenty years ago, it was me who buried Princess Zhaoyang! Your Majesty, you allowed me to live, but now, my daughter Shengnan has been murdered. Your Majesty, are you still willing to help me..."
Princess Zhaoyang, the grace of burying her daughter, her daughter was murdered...
Ning Lingyi looked at the miserable old woman in front of her, as if she saw the figure of her sister Zhaoyang jumping into the river twenty years ago. She was deeply saddened. She had been the emperor for ten years. Why was the world in such a state?
How come these poor people still have no way to seek justice?
She quickly stepped forward, wanting to help Nong Zishi up, but saw his body soften and he could no longer hold on and fell backwards. Ning Lingyi hurriedly hugged him, and her hands were cold.
"Imperial Physician! Where is the imperial physician?" Her voice was filled with unprecedented panic.
The Minister of Agriculture cannot die! The court needs this backbone, and she also needs this honest friend.
Nong Zishi lay in her arms, breathing weakly, but his eyes fixed on her. He asked, "Your Majesty, I just want to ask you one question: do you still have the people of the world in your heart?"
Ning Lingyi looked at his dying appearance, thinking of his decades of uprightness in pleading for the people, and tears instantly blurred her vision: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not have one? Where is the imperial physician, imperial physician!"
"That's good..." Nong Zishi smiled a smile that seemed both relieved and sad. He grabbed Ning Lingyi's wrist with all his strength, "Your Majesty, do you know what the common people are? In the eyes of those nobles, they are not human, but cattle and horses, grass! They have mouths, but can't speak; they have eyes, but can't see the sky; they have hands and feet, but they struggle in the mire, unable to seek justice!"
He coughed, and the black blood that came out stained Ning Lingyi's sleeves red. "But Your Majesty, are the people just going to be bullied? They are wrong! The power of the people far exceeds heaven and earth! Today, I risk my life to persuade you to deal with Niu Zhuang because the people still have a last glimmer of hope in you, and are willing to look at this bright blue sky. If one day, even this hope is gone, the people will no longer have Your Majesty in their hearts..."
Ning Lingyi was filled with grief and stopped him: "Don't say anything more, Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician! Minister Nong, you will be fine, Minister Nong..."
"Your Majesty, I must say..."
"You became the emperor, and you were close to your ministers. Your ministers were close to their families. As a result, the people became increasingly distant from Your Majesty..."
"I'm afraid that Your Majesty is also defending Niu Zhuang in his heart, thinking that his crime is not so serious. After all, Niu Zhuang is your close confidant... Your Majesty may also feel that he was simply deceived and his crime is not limited to this..."
He spit out a few more mouthfuls of black blood, his voice growing weaker. "But if Your Majesty is reluctant to punish Niu Zhuang today, there will be tens of millions of Chen Shengnans tomorrow. If Your Majesty argues for Niu Zhuang even a little, it will give tens of millions of Zhao Yuanwai opportunities..."
"When that day comes, what difference will there be between this Xin Dynasty, this Taichu era, and the Guangqi era of the Southern Dynasty?"
"Don't say anything more, I will definitely punish Niu Zhuang severely! I will never tolerate him..." Ning Lingyi hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face, her heart aching.
"Who hurt you? Was it Niu Zhuang?"
Nong Zishi shook his head with difficulty.
Although military officers and nobles may commit evil deeds, they may not have such vicious minds and courage.
"The one who killed me... is someone else..."
"Who is it? Tell me who it is!" Ning Lingyi asked. A few vague shadows passed through her mind, but she didn't dare to think too much.
Nong Zishi looked at her with a complicated expression and uttered only a few words: "Your Majesty doesn't want to know..."
Let this secret be buried with him. Telling it out will only make His Majesty more embarrassed and the court more turbulent.
He felt his strength rapidly draining away and he was about to die.
He used up his last bit of strength, tightly grasped Ning Lingyi's sleeve, and warned him intermittently: "Your Majesty, I am about to die. Besides the people, there is one more thing..."
"Although Tuoba Hong is the emperor's husband, he is not of our race and his heart must be different. For the sake of the world, he must be killed in the future. He must not be allowed to stay any longer. A wolf will always be a wolf..."
Ning Lingyi's eyes flickered with hesitation when she heard this. Tuoba Hong... after all...
Nong Zishi saw her hesitation, and the last spark of fire in her heart was about to go out.
Your Majesty, at this point, can't you cut off your personal feelings?
"Your Majesty, don't you understand? Since you ascended the throne, you must forsake selfish desires... Today's love is tomorrow's trouble!"
"Your Majesty, please remember this for the world and kill him...to prevent the emperor from causing chaos in the future and the country from losing control!"
Ning Lingyi's mind was still in a state of confusion, but Nong Zishi's hand that was holding Ning Lingyi's sleeve had loosened and dropped heavily.
"Zi Shi! Agricultural Prime Minister!"
Ning Lingyi hugged his still warm body and burst into tears.
She hadn't agreed to his request yet! She hadn't had the time to tell him that she had heard him and was willing to deal with Niu Zhuang...
How could he just leave like that?
*
The next day, news spread throughout the capital that Nong Zishi had died suddenly after returning home from drinking with Wang Mengzi and others the previous night, suspected to have died of poisoning.
Wang Mengzi, Niu Zhuang and other Mingzhou nobles were shocked when they heard the news.
Although they parted ways with Nong Zishi yesterday on bad terms, they had absolutely no intention of harming him! Who was it? Who was trying to kill someone with someone else's knife?
“How could it be?! The Minister of Agriculture…” Niu Zhuang’s face turned pale and he spoke incoherently.
Although he was annoyed by Nong Zishi's relentless pressure, he also respected him as a person and never thought of taking his life.
"Hurry into the palace! Meet His Majesty!" Wang Mengzi made a prompt decision, his heart already cold.
Nong Zishi died at this critical moment, and they can't explain it even if they have a mouth full of words! We must clarify this to His Majesty immediately!
Ning Lingyi stopped attending court for one day and met with this group of old subordinates who were in a state of constant fear in a side hall of Minyou Palace.
As soon as everyone entered the hall, they all knelt down, banged their heads on the ground, and cried loudly.
Only Your Majesty can save them now!
"Your Majesty! Niu Zhuang is guilty, and we admit it! But we would never dare to kill the Minister of Agriculture!"
"Your Majesty! We are loyal to you, heaven and earth bear witness to our loyalty! How could we possibly do such a heinous act!"
"Someone must have framed us to sow discord between Your Majesty and us, Your Majesty!"
Ning Lingyi sat high up on it, looking expressionlessly at the group of old brothers who had followed him from Mingzhou and fought their way through mountains of blood and gore.
They used to be her sharpest sword and strongest shield, but now they may have become termites that corrode the country.
The Minister of Agriculture died. The man who had obtained countless money and food for her and helped her pacify the world, who had no children, no relatives or friends, died, and was poisoned to death!
Until his death, he was thinking of her and the people.
But he died.
Before she could figure out how to protect him and fulfill his posthumous reputation, he died after only staying with her until the tenth year of Taichu. When Prime Minister Wang passed away, he was already seventy years old, but Prime Minister Nong was not even fifty years old.
He has nothing, he asks for nothing, he is only for her, for this world.
She was silent for a long time, until her crying gradually subsided, then she spoke, her voice as cold as ice: "Niu Zhuang."
Niu Zhuang trembled all over and fell to the ground, not daring to look up: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is here..."
"Kill without mercy."
The three light words sounded like thunder in everyone's ears.
Your Majesty actually wants to kill Niu Zhuang?!
"Your Majesty!" Wang Mengzi burst into tears, knelt down a few steps, hugged Ning Lingyi's legs, and begged sadly.
He couldn't just watch his brother die.
"Your Majesty! No! Niu Zhuang was wrong. He didn't control his subordinates well and was confused! But his crime doesn't deserve the death penalty! Your Majesty! Think about it, three thousand brothers followed you out of Mingzhou, and now there are only a few of us left! Your Majesty, please consider the brothers who died, and consider that Niu Zhuang risked his life for you, and spare his life! Your Majesty!"
Others also knelt and crawled in front of Ning Lingyi, crying and complaining about the affection they had in the past and their past contributions.
Only Niu Zhuang stood there, motionless, with tears streaming down his face.
He knew that His Majesty was going to use him as a scapegoat, for Nong Zishi and also for...
Ning Lingyi lowered her head and looked at Wang Mengzi's tearful face, remembering that year when he came to the capital in mourning and brought the head of the King of Western Qiang to tell her the good news.
Look at this group of people in front of me. This one saved the emperor, that one helped him kill countless corrupt officials. Which one of them is not loyal? Which one of them is not brave?
But she was hard-hearted.
With a fierce kick, she knocked Wang Mengzi to the ground, pointed at him and asked, "I pity him? Who will pity Chen Shengnan who was abused to death? Who will pity the innocent husband who drowned in the river?"
She stood up and swept her gaze over every noble standing on the ground, her eyes sharp as a knife. "What were you back then? Refugees who couldn't make a living! I was the one who brought you along, gave you a way to survive, and gave you the opportunity to make great achievements! But what about you now? Now that you have high positions and generous salaries, and have earned the title of nobility, you've turned your knives on the people just like you did back then?"
"You think your life is more valuable than the lives of the people, right?"
"I tell you! Under this glorious blue sky, your lives are no more precious than those of any other common people! You all deserve to die for committing evil and killing people!"
"We deserve to die! We are guilty!" Everyone kowtowed and cried.
Wang Mengzi was kicked to the ground. Listening to Ning Lingyi's harsh rebuke, he felt heartbroken and completely hopeless.
He had been loyal to Ning Lingyi for over twenty years, yet had he ever been subjected to such insults? Could it be that the affection they once had for each other was completely gone from His Majesty's heart?
He drew the sword from his waist, placed it across his neck, tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty! I'm sorry for you! I'm sorry for the deceased Minister of Agriculture! I'm even more sorry for the elders of Mingzhou! I'll go first!"
Since Your Majesty doesn't believe it, he will die to prove his will!
"Sir, you can't do that!"
"Brother Mengzi!"
When everyone saw this, they were terrified and rushed forward to stop it. The hall suddenly became chaotic.
"Wang Mengzi!" Ning Lingyi was furious upon seeing this. He had actually threatened to commit suicide!
"Are you pushing me?"
Wang Mengzi wanted to say no, but his throat was blocked by tears and saliva, and he couldn't say anything.
If we talk about pain, how can it not be painful? Being misunderstood by the monarch is more painful than being hacked by a knife or an axe!
At this moment of chaos, Ding Guinan, who was kneeling behind, suddenly took out a yellowed letter from his arms with trembling hands.
He held it in his hands as if it were a priceless treasure, tears streaming down his face. He choked with sobs and read out each word with tears streaming down his face: "What Your Majesty said in the letter back then..."
"The words 'die for me' are heartbreaking to read. I do not wish to see those who die, but rather to see those who survive. I bravely fight to protect my life, not to die. I have tasted the bitterness of war, but only pray that from now on, I will never again witness the flames of war. Please break the enemy's formation for me, and also protect yourself for me."
At this point, Ding Guinan was already sobbing uncontrollably. He raised his head and looked at Ning Lingyi, who was also crying on the dragon throne, and cried out, "Your Majesty, General! Why did it come to this? Why did it come to this?"
"Your Majesty asked us to live back then, so why would you, General, beg for death before Your Majesty?"
"Isn't Your Majesty heartbroken over the General's death? Is the General really forcing Your Majesty into this?"
All the nobles, including Wang Mengzi who was about to commit suicide with his sword, could no longer bear it, dropped their weapons and burst into tears.
Ning Lingyi looked at the ministers weeping at her feet, and at the letter she had written herself. Nong Zishi's dying words of advice were still ringing in her ears, and the blood and tears of Chen's mother and daughter seemed to be right before her eyes...
Why is this vast country and this supreme position so heavy, so heavy that it makes people breathless, so heavy that it grinds all affection into powder?
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