Chapter 323: The Queen Mother Returns to Beijing
"Since the Queen Mother wants to return to Beijing, then let her go back! We shouldn't stop her!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
Upon receiving the news about Princess Kunxing in Nanjing, Zhao Xiaofei didn't hesitate. The Imperial Guards, through the imperial physician, had reported that Empress Dowager Zhou's health was deteriorating. If she visited the capital and saw Chongzhen's tomb, she would likely collapse if she relaxed. Death would be near.
Zhao Xiaofei also studied medicine. This person's mental strength is a miraculous thing. Some people are dying of illness, but a certain obsession keeps them alive for a long time. Such cases are countless. So when Zhao Xiaofei learned that the Empress Dowager was ill and desperately wanted to return to the capital to see Chongzhen's tomb, he agreed without hesitation. He felt that this time, his mother-in-law would not cause any trouble.
Wang Erxi has been busy with the Empress Dowager's travel these days. The Nanjing Shipping Company is preparing ships and mobilizing the best sailors to prepare for the Empress Dowager's journey north.
"Eunuch Wang, this is a letter from over there. Please pass it to the Queen Mother." A palace maid handed a letter to Wang Erxi.
"Go down! The Queen Mother will reward you handsomely! You can also go back to your hometown." Wang Erxi said.
"Thank you, eunuch!" the palace maid replied with a smile, then turned and left.
Wang Erxi looked at the palace maid going away and winked at a young eunuch beside him. The young eunuch immediately understood and followed.
Wang Erxi said coldly in a low voice: "You shouldn't have accepted this job! You dare to come back after accepting it? You have no brains!"
The young eunuch followed the maid out of the palace gate and came to the door of a clothing store. The maid went in and the young eunuch followed.
As soon as the maid entered the room, she said, "Mother! Let's go back to our hometown!"
A woman turned around and smiled, but the maid was shocked. The woman was not her mother at all. Then the young eunuch came in.
The maid immediately understood what was going on. She said in panic, "What are you going to do?"
The young eunuch sneered and said, "What? What do you think we can do? Hahaha!"
"Please let me go! I won't say anything! Really!" the maid said in fear. Her voice was trembling.
The young eunuch showed a cold look and said, "Have a safe journey, young lady. Don't blame our family!"
"Ah!" The palace maid was killed by a knife.
Zhou Shuai and Mao Jiu spent their days in the capital clearing away the ruins. Dead bodies and ruined houses were everywhere. Even the former Prince Consort's residence had long since been razed to the ground.
Those officials who were lucky enough to survive lined up every day to give gifts to Marshal Zhou’s residence.
Of course, they had nothing to offer. Anything of value had been plundered by Li Zicheng and the Jianlu. Not much was left for them, and many officials had their entire families murdered. They came to General Zhou to complain, saying that certain officials had persecuted their families when the Jianlu arrived.
Zhou Shuai now lives in Wei Zaode's home. Only Wei Zaode and his daughter remain. When Li Zicheng arrived, he was arrested. He was ordered to pay money, and he gave away all his savings, still in debt. He scraped together the money to save his life, but just days after returning home, his son was captured, and Liu Zongmin forced him to raise more money to redeem him.
But where did Wei Zaode have the money? He could only watch his son being arrested and tortured. Fearing his son's death, he went to Liu Zongmin and offered his daughter to him as a concubine. Only then did Liu Zongmin agree to release his son.
But when his daughter was sent away and his son was sent back, he found that his son was already unconscious. He sought help from many doctors, including Hu Xian who stayed in the capital, but none of them could save his son.
Hu Xian said, "Unless Prince Li and his brother are here, your son will surely die within ten days."
Wei Zaode was struck by lightning when he heard this. He recalled the time when he and Zhao Xiaofei fought over a woman. Back then, he was the Prime Minister and had never looked down on Zhao Xiaofei. But now, he was second only to the emperor. How could he help him save his son? Besides, he was in Chengdu and couldn't make it in time.
In the end, Wei Zaode could only watch his son gradually become thinner in bed, until he was left with only skin and bones.
As expected, within ten days, Wei Zaode's son died in despair, and his wife also hanged herself.
When Li Zicheng withdrew from the capital, his own daughter was abandoned in Liu Zongmin's mansion. Wei Zaode took his daughter back with tears in his eyes.
General Zhou knew about the conflict between Zhao Xiaofei and Wei Zaode, so he set up his general's residence in Wei Zaode's home to humiliate Wei Zaode.
In the original history, all of Wei Zaode's sons had a bad ending, and Wei Zaode even died from a fractured skull.
Perhaps it was Zhao Xiaofei who took Chen Yuanyuan, the princess, and the queen away, and history changed. Wei Zaode was not dead, but appeared in front of Zhou Shuai alive and well.
"Lord Wei, what's the matter?" General Zhou asked Wei Zaode, who had a bald head.
Wei Zaode smiled a flattering smile and said, "We have long awaited the army's recapture of the capital. Now that the capital has been recaptured, peace is slowly returning to the four seas. When will the emperor return to the capital?"
"Hey! Lord Wei! Is this what you are worried about? You are a traitor who surrendered to the rebels and then defected to the Jianlu. Look at you, you have shaved your hair, and you still have the nerve to ask these questions here?" said General Zhou.
"General Zhou, many of our officials who stayed in Beijing endured humiliation in order to gather intelligence! Please understand this, General!" Wei Zaode put his status extremely low when he spoke today.
"Let's wait until the prince comes! Everything must be arranged by the prince!" said Zhou Shuai.
General Zhou had no idea what to do with these officials. If he had his way, he could just kill them all. There were plenty of scholars out there who wanted to be officials. Kill one group, and there would be ten more waiting in line.
Zhao Xiaofei wanted to kill as few people as possible, so he had to be careful with the officials in Beijing. Those who committed crimes could be killed. Those who didn't, who were generally just greedy for official positions, could be spared.
A few days later, Zhao Xiaofei's telegram finally arrived, instructing all officials in Beijing to change their clothes and prepare to welcome the Empress Dowager back to Beijing in ten days.
All the former Ming officials seemed to see hope and told each other about the news. Some even borrowed hair from opera troupes and glued it on their own hair.
Some even borrowed money from everywhere to buy gifts. General Zhou didn't understand why they did this. You've been plundered so much by Li Zicheng and the Jianlu, and you're still borrowing money from everywhere. Aren't you living a normal life?
At the Nanjing dock, Wang Erxi knelt on the pier and said, "The auspicious time has arrived, Your Majesty, please come aboard!"
Empress Dowager Zhou glanced back at Nanjing City and said, "Let's go! I hope my son can enjoy eternal peace and prosperity!"
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