"Mrs. Rong!"
Shi An looked at the lady steadily, his eyes glued to the wound on her arm. He could hardly hide the shock in his heart and blurted out, "Who is it! Who did it?!"
Shi An is now a third-rank military general. When he was young, he served in the Lingnan Army for three years under the command of Rong Xuan.
Of course he still remembered the lady.
The heat in Lingnan was unbearable, and there were many mosquitoes and poisonous insects. Madam Rong would often have people boil some medicinal tea to distribute to the army. He had drunk a lot of Madam's medicinal tea in those days, and Madam Rong also had people make sachets specially for him to hang on his body to prevent poisonous insect bites.
One year, the war was so fierce that even the military doctor died and countless soldiers were killed and wounded. It was Madam Rong who brought her maids and old women to prepare medicine and bandages for them in the military camp without any hesitation.
It was because of this that he saved his life and was able to return to the capital.
Even though so many years have passed, he has not forgotten what happened back then, and he dare not forget it.
The lady looked at the emperor and slowly uttered two words: "It's the late emperor."
"Nonsense!" the emperor was furious. "The last emperor died many years ago."
The lady looked the emperor straight in the eye, neither humble nor arrogant, and said impartially, "It was the late emperor who asked Xue Beiri to interrogate me and asked me to hand over the evidence of his collusion with Nan Huai. I was unwilling to do so. For the past twenty years, I have endured humiliation and lived to this day."
She seized the opportunity and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "The reason why I have pretended to be crazy and stupid and lived until now is because of the people of Zhan Gu City and the 150,000 soldiers of the Lingnan Army. They are waiting to be killed unjustly!"
It turned out to be the late emperor!
The lady had a clear and articulate voice, and every word she spoke was clearly heard by those around her.
The people who were far away and didn't hear clearly would go to ask the people around them, and there would always be someone in the crowd who could "hear clearly" and explain and pass on the message to them in a timely manner.
Everything was arranged perfectly.
The lady said: "The late emperor colluded with Nan Huai, and I am the witness!"
"Back then, the late emperor and King Nanhuai agreed that Nanhuai would pretend to invade the border to lure out King Lingnan and his army. The late emperor then sent people to burn down the ancient city of Zhan and destroy the palace of King Lingnan. Tens of thousands of innocent people in the ancient city of Zhan died in the fire, and no one was spared!"
There was a great noise all around.
Some people also sighed slightly, showing an expression of "as expected".
But many people were shocked and uneasy. Even though they had some vague guesses in their minds before, they never thought that the late emperor could actually do such a thing.
It cannot be said that the late emperor was completely wrong to want to reduce the power of the princes. Even if he unjustly killed the entire family of King Lingnan for this purpose, it can be said that it was the king's method.
If the king wants his subject to die, the subject must die.
However, Ming relied heavily on the vassal kings, but in fact he colluded with the enemy in order to reduce their power. He personally handed the lives of the border guards into the hands of the enemy and even set fire to a city and burned innocent people to death.
Is this what a wise ruler does?
A tyrant is no more than this!
The emperor was furious. He slapped the tea table beside him and stood up suddenly. His face was pale and blue. He pointed at the lady and shouted, "Come here, arrest Xiang."
"Your Majesty!" Shi An stepped forward, stood in front of the Madam, and said with a fist, "Your Majesty, please let Madam Rong explain the whole story in detail! The people of the world need the truth!"
In addition to Shi An, there are also several people in the court who retired early in the past after training in the Lingnan Army and the Pingliang Army.
Even after so many years, they still haven't forgotten their days in the army.
Accidents occurred one after another in Lingnan and Liangzhou. Over the years, they have always been confused. Finally, the day came when they could know the truth, and they all came forward to ask for the life.
emperor:"……"
He stared at the lady.
She looked so weak, why didn't she die? Why!
"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen sneered, "Why don't you let Madam finish her words? Are you...feeling guilty?!"
Chu Yuanchen said meaningfully: "I remember that the late emperor sent you and Mr. Zheng to Lingnan that day."
"Are you not going to rescue people, but to set the fire?"
Emperor: "Chu Yuanchen!"
Twenty years ago, Chu Wuchen was just born, but he spoke so seriously, as if he had experienced it personally, but the emperor did not react for a while.
His angry and frustrated look made many people feel uneasy.
"Your Majesty." Zheng Zhongming cupped his hands and said coldly, "Do you have any evidence to prove what you said?"
"Certificate?" Chu Yuanchen laughed, and laughed recklessly, "Isn't the emperor unwilling to let the lady describe the details of the incident?"
Chu Yuanchen's words almost shut the emperor up. If the emperor did not allow the lady to speak properly, it would mean that he admitted that he had set the fire.
Chu Yuanchen raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at the emperor with a smile, and asked again: "Your Majesty, what do you say?"
In the emperor's eyes, his smile was so vicious, as if it was pushing him into the abyss step by step.
The emperor clenched his fists tightly. An indescribable chill surged from the depths of his heart, and his whole body was cold.
Eliminating the vassal kings is for the sake of the country, but burning the city is not!
If people knew that he was the one who burned down the ancient city of Zhan with his own hands...how would he be portrayed in history books in the future!
Will it highlight his achievements or describe his cruelty in detail? !
These fools will never think about how the great prosperity of the country and the peace and prosperity of the people could have been preserved if the late emperor had not been decisive.
They will not understand the late emperor's painstaking efforts, and will only be obsessed with this point of gain and loss! Being fooled.
The lady didn't wait for the emperor to think it over. She spoke up immediately and said, "The late emperor colluded with Nan Huai. I am the plaintiff and the witness!"
The emperor's shoulders trembled.
Shi An clasped his fists towards her and said, "Please help us solve our doubts, Madam!"
The lady's eyes moved slightly.
"Twenty years ago, in Lingnan, after the prince died in battle, most of the Lingnan army was also destroyed," the lady recounted calmly, "Nan Huai took the opportunity to break through the pass and captured several cities in a row."
"Lingnan immediately asked the court for help, but no reinforcements arrived, so he had to ask King Pingliang for help again."
"We, the widows whose husbands died in battle, put on our armor and went to the battlefield, defending Lingyao Pass to the death and blocking the Nanhuai Army's attack."
Over the past few days, the old lady's long-sealed memories have slowly been restored, especially the memories stained with countless blood and dead souls, which are unforgettable and she dare not forget them.
Twenty years ago, one hundred thousand soldiers of the Lingnan Army were buried in the swamp along with the King of Lingnan, and only a thousand men escaped death.
There are a total of 150,000 soldiers in Lingnan, and the remaining people are needed to guard the border cities.
The prince died, and the princess and the prince also died. There were no survivors in the Lingnan Palace.
The morale of the Lingnan Army was greatly reduced and they were leaderless.
The Lingnan Army, which was originally capable of fighting ten enemies at once, was defeated by the Nanhuai Army, which once broke through the pass and invaded the south.
The lady is the biological mother of Princess Lingnan and the first wife of General Rong Xuan. She is quite prestigious in Lingnan and in the army.
She single-handedly gathered the wives and children of the fallen soldiers and went to the battlefield.
She led the women, children and disabled soldiers of Lingnan and used a series of strategies to stop the Nanhuai army from breaking through the pass and massacring the city.
Since the imperial court refused to help, she sent people to ask for help from King Pingliang, and before the Pingliang army arrived, they had to defend Lingnan to the death.
Not for the sake of great glory, but for the people, for themselves!
The Nanhuai people have suffered setbacks at the hands of the Lingnan Army. Once they break through the pass, they will surely massacre the city.
In Lingnan are their parents, wives and children.
Even if only women and children are left, we must defend to the death.
They held on.
They waited for the Pingliang Army, and Pingliang King Wei Jingyan personally led his troops to help.
Brought relief and food.
The lady was not affected by her turbulent emotions and spoke clearly: "After the Pingliang army arrived to help, they fought a desperate battle with Nanhuai. Pingliang King Wei Jingyan rushed into the capital of Nanhuai, beheaded the King of Nanhuai, and destroyed Nanhuai."
"However, the Pingliang Army also suffered heavy losses in this battle, with only five out of ten surviving."
"When the Pingliang Army was fighting to save the people, where was the imperial reinforcement?"
Some old ministers still remember that when the bad news came about the Lingnan Palace, the late emperor was heartbroken. On his sickbed, he ordered the extermination of Nan Huai to avenge the Lingnan King.
Later, Nanhuai was indeed destroyed, but it was the Pingliang Army that destroyed Nanhuai, not the imperial army that should have arrived in Lingnan earlier.
At that time, they only cared about the destruction of Nanhuai and celebrated throughout the country. No one cared to find out whether it was the Pingliang Army or the Dayong Imperial Guards that destroyed Nanhuai. After all, they were all from Dayong, right?
Until now, the dusty memories have slowly come back to me.
The lady deliberately paused for a moment and sneered, "The reinforcements did not arrive until the battle was over."
"Afterwards, the late emperor took advantage of the fact that Prince Pingliang's army was severely damaged, framed Prince Pingliang for treason, and killed Prince Pingliang's family. The late emperor also took back the vassal state of Liangzhou. This is a situation that is linked together. The late emperor was really good at calculating."
The emperor had a gloomy face.
Shi An seemed to be greatly shocked. Twenty years ago, he had returned to the capital and served as a captain in the Fifth Army Camp.
At that time, he had not yet gained a foothold in the court. He only knew that the previous emperor sent the imperial army to support Lingnan, which was how he suppressed Nanhuai and restored peace to the southern border for twenty years. Could it be that all this was fake? Was it that Wei Jingyan who "raised troops to rebel" who protected the southern border? Was it the widows of these soldiers who fought desperately to resist Nanhuai?
What did the Imperial Guards do?
He asked, "What did the Imperial Guards do?!"
This question lingered in many people's minds, and they couldn't help but listen attentively.
"Imperial Guards?" The lady laughed, her voice full of sarcasm. "The Imperial Guards burned down the ancient city of Zhan, ambushed the King of Lingnan, and took back the fiefdom."
The old lady finished her words in one breath. She seemed to have used up all her strength. She swayed slightly and was about to fall.
She was already an elderly woman in her seventies, and had just been beaten with a stick in the court. She had persisted until now just to redress the grievances of King Lingnan and King Pingliang. Everyone witnessed it all, and their emotions were all aroused.
Someone in the crowd shouted "The heroic spirits are immortal"!
The people were completely outraged.
The emperor felt cold all over, as if he had been pushed into a bottomless abyss and couldn't even get up.
He had never expected a situation like this, and every time he thought it couldn't get any worse, reality would slap him hard in the face.
The emperor swallowed his saliva and said with difficulty: "Xiang, this is just your one-sided statement."
"Your Majesty, I have evidence."
The lady said, "I have more than one letter from the late emperor and Prince Nan Huai as proof."
The old lady smiled. The blood at the corner of her mouth had not yet been wiped clean. The blood looked even more glaring on her old face.
"King Nan Huai knew that the late emperor was a traitor, so he was on guard against the late emperor's moves."
The lady smiled happily and stared at the emperor with her eyes fixed on him: "This matter is so secretive that the late emperor dared not use anyone else's heart, only his confidant, his beloved son..."
When she mentioned her "beloved son", the lady smiled again. She was obviously so weak and looked like she could not even stand steadily, but in the eyes of the emperor, her smile was like a demon crawling out of hell, opening its claws towards him and strangling his throat.
The lady asked back, "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Sheng Xiyan cheered in her heart, the lady was really amazing.
During these twenty years, it was not easy for the lady to hide a letter, and it was impossible for her to hide more. However, the emperor did not know. He must have thought that the lady had other letters in her hands, or even some leverage over him.
The emperor has always loved his reputation and wanted to become the greatest emperor of all time.
In history, there has never been an "eternal emperor" who massacred his own people and ambushed and killed his own soldiers.
If he just wanted to be a tyrant, that would be fine. As the ruler of a country, the emperor could do nothing to him except for a few impeachments from historians. Even if the people talked about him, he could just kill him. However, the emperor wanted to be a wise ruler!
How can a wise ruler be labeled as a cruel and murderous person?
The emperor was afraid...
The emperor's face turned pale, he clenched his fists against his chest, his heart seemed to be jumping out of his chest, and an unprecedented feeling of suffocation filled his nose.
He was scared.
He looked at the determined face of the lady, and he wondered how many letters she had in her hands.
The old lady stood there with a pale face. The emperor prayed for her life thousands of times in his heart, but the old lady still stood there, like a plum blossom in the wind, standing against the wind and refusing to bend.
"I will investigate this matter thoroughly..."
The emperor said this with difficulty.
What he didn't know was that when he said this, many generals and court officials around him showed disappointment.
How many people's eyes flashed with hatred and forbearance?
You can reduce the power of the feudal lords, but why massacre the city? Why kill with your own hands those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the great glory of defending their country?!
Is a thorough investigation enough?
Of course not!
The lady said coldly, "Your Majesty, I don't believe you."
The lady meant that the emperor was just delaying.
The former emperor is the father, the emperor is the son, and the son should not speak of his father's faults.
When the lady struck the drum to report the incident, she was also thinking clearly that the late emperor had passed away, and it was impossible for the emperor to convict him again.
However, she wanted to let everyone in the world know the crimes of the late emperor and his son. Only in this way could she win the hearts of the people and the soldiers.
Let the people of the world see whether a king who kills his meritorious officials and massacres the people is worthy of their loyalty and death.
The emperor's chest hurt even more, as if a strong air was stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down.
What else can he say?
He now just wants to resolve this matter, even if he has to blame it all on the late emperor.
Anyway, the late emperor has already issued an edict of repentance, so it doesn’t matter if he issues another one!
The emperor bit his lip and said with difficulty: "It's the late emperor..."
"In order to reduce the power of the feudal lords, the late emperor made an agreement with the King of Nanhuai to have him feint an attack to lure out the King of Nanling, and then...ambush him in secret."
The emperor's words completely confirmed that the previous emperor had colluded with foreign enemies!
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Lingnan all died at the hands of the late emperor.
The people were outraged.
The emperor continued: "The late emperor only wanted to get rid of Nan Huai, the great threat to his heart, and restore peace to the people of Lingnan..."
The lady sneered: "It was the Pingliang Army that brought peace to Lingnan for twenty years. If Nanhuai had broken through the pass, what awaited us would have been a massacre of the city and the extinction of the clan!"
Zheng Zhongming watched the scene in front of him silently. He thought about it again and again, but finally did not interrupt.
He had accompanied the emperor to Lingnan for "support" back then. If the fire were to burn him, he would surely face backlash.
"...I will write a confession of guilt on behalf of the late emperor, and then go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to apologize." The emperor's spirit and energy had completely dissipated. He now only wanted to solve this matter as soon as possible, "and order the historian to revise the late emperor's daily records..."
He finished his words with difficulty, then looked at the lady, as if asking: Is this okay?
From now on, the only thing that will be left in history of the late emperor is the reputation of cruelty.
The late emperor wanted to be a benevolent ruler, but his son turned him into a tyrant.
The lady shook her head and said, "Change the posthumous title. The late emperor is not worthy of the word 'Min'."
The posthumous title of the late emperor was "Min", which means wise and meritorious, wise and decisive, and clear-headed.
The lady said: "The posthumous title should be changed to 'Li'."
Killing innocent people is called "li"; being tyrannical and cruel is called "li"; being stubborn and rude is called "li"; supporting evil and violating justice is called "li"; being a gossip-teller and causing trouble is called "li"...[1]
The emperor blurted out: "No!"
Lin Shoufu and others were so shocked that their eyes widened, but after thinking for a while, no one spoke in the end.
The late emperor certainly did not deserve the word "sensitive".
Shi An was the first to clasp his fists and said, "Madam Rong is right."
Not only Shi An, but also the soldiers who had been in Lingnan or Liangzhou also requested for orders. The students and the people were even more excited, like boiling water, boiling.
The emperor looked around and felt that he was isolated and helpless.
It seemed as if he was the only one who was struggling to hold on.
He panicked even more, and said with a trembling voice, "I agree."
His words were barely audible and were drowned out by the voices of the people.
He took a deep breath and said in a loud voice: "I agree!"
The late emperor's posthumous title was changed to "Li" from then on, but what about him? How would the world judge him after his death?
He no longer dared to think about it.
The lady was still standing there, and she smiled.
After so many years, she finally waited for this day.
Her suffering was not in vain.
Zheng Zhongming stared at the lady silently, as if he wanted to see the shadow of another person in her face.
"Your Majesty, where is Xiao Shuo?" Zheng Zhongming asked, "Should we let him come to see Madam Rong?"
Zheng Zhongming said this abruptly, and the emperor was stunned and seemed not to hear it clearly.
Not only the emperor, but also the lady raised her eyebrows slightly: Who is Xiao Shuo?
Zheng Zhongming was about to continue, but a young general in the uniform of a lieutenant of the imperial guards rushed over in panic, knelt on one knee in front of the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, Yingling... Yingling has an accident."
The tomb of the former emperor is named Yingling.
His face was filled with fear, and he seemed to have used great self-control to finish this sentence.
The emperor turned his head and looked at him silently, and asked, "What's wrong?"
His voice was unexpectedly calm. After what he had experienced today, he felt that nothing could affect him anymore.
However, he was still disappointed.
The young general was horrified and said, "The Yingling Mausoleum has been destroyed."
emperor:"……"
The lady was surprised, and the officials around her also looked at each other with a change of expression.
The emperor stood there in a daze, seemingly without any reaction. After a few breaths, he slowly blinked his eyes, and his mind went blank.
He trembled his lips and asked softly, "What are you talking about?"
"The Yingling Mausoleum was destroyed!"
"The coffin of the late emperor was dug out."
The emperor's mind finally came back to life, and he finally understood what the young general meant.
"Bold!"
The emperor's eyes were filled with bloodshot. He stumbled down, grabbed the young general's shoulders with both hands, and asked him to speak clearly.
The Yingling Mausoleum is guarded by imperial guards day and night. Even if there are tomb robberies among the people, no one would be so blind as to rob the emperor's mausoleum!
"Thieves broke into the emperor's mausoleum, and the imperial guards were unable to defeat them."
The young general was Sun Mao, the captain of the imperial army guarding the Yingling Mausoleum.
Guarding the emperor's mausoleum is not an easy job. Although it is leisurely, it does not bring much benefits, and you can only eat empty salaries on weekdays.
According to military records, there is a battalion of 3,000 soldiers guarding Yingling Mausoleum. On weekdays, there are at least 1,000 soldiers patrolling and guarding in each shift. In reality, there are less than 1,000 people in this battalion, and there are no more than 200 to 300 people on each shift.
This is the emperor’s tomb!
Even if there was no one guarding it, who would dare to dig it up? Would they still want to save the lives of the nine clans?
Therefore, they usually lived a lax life, and during the New Year, many people took leave without reason and were not in the camp. It was not a big deal at first, but unexpectedly, three days ago, Yingling was attacked, and there were only three to five hundred people. They were well-trained and each of them had the ability to fight ten enemies with one, and they easily broke through the defense of the imperial guards.
Then, they put on the uniforms of the imperial guards and disguised themselves as the imperial guards. On the surface, they deceived the public, but secretly, they spent three days digging up the emperor's tomb.
However, Sun Mao did not dare to say this directly. He could only say, "Your Majesty, it was bandits, more than 10,000 of them, who raided Yingling last night. I defended it with all my might, but there were heavy casualties. It was my incompetence. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
emperor:"……"
Impossible! How is this possible?
How is it possible for such a mob of bandits to do this?!
Moreover, why would the bandits raid the Yingling Mausoleum? It was clearly a thankless task.
As a son of man, can't he even guard his father's tomb?
The emperor's face turned pale and he seemed to faint at any moment. He trembled and asked, "How is Yingling now?"
The emperor's expression was distorted. At this moment, he was much more frightened and panicked than before.
"The thieves set fire to the late emperor's coffin!"
Sun Mao kept his head down.
He was afraid that the emperor would vent all his anger on him.
After he realized he was no match for his opponent, he wanted to escape, but he was caught before he could do so. The thieves didn't kill him, they just tied him up and threw him aside.
He originally thought that those people just wanted to steal the burial objects in the underground palace, and he wondered if he could keep it secret after they left.
Anyway, there are only these imperial guards guarding the Yingling Mausoleum all year round, so no one would dare to tell anyone about such a life-threatening matter. Maybe if they seal the underground palace and make some repairs, they can really keep it secret.
Who could have thought that instead of being buried with the deceased, they dug out the late emperor's coffin and burned it!
Now I can’t hide it anymore!
Sun Mao said in panic: "I led my men to fight desperately, but the enemy was outnumbered and we were still defeated. I thought that someone must come back to report to the emperor so that we would not die with him."