Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 88: Sacrifice (I)

January 5

In the past few days, the sky over Yingtian has been covered with dark clouds, and sparse rain has fallen from time to time, obviously announcing the arrival of the plum rain season.

People who have lived in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time are generally accustomed to this kind of weather. When it rains heavily, they go out less often, and when it rains lightly, they continue to do what they need to do.

Life has to go on anyway, and your stomach won’t become full just because it rains.

This is true everywhere.

If we really have to find some faults, it's probably that the common people and the powerful have different tolerance levels.

For example, a few miles outside Chaoyang Gate at this moment, a large group of vehicle frames were struggling to move forward in the mud.

The man pulling the carriage seemed to be in good health and didn't seem to notice the cold wind, but the nobles in the carriage kept complaining.

"I don't know what's wrong with those on the tower. There are only about a hundred soldiers. They can just be given some compensation and buried. Why do they want us to participate?"

"Don't complain. Since the people on the tower have asked for it, we have to give them some face."

"I'm not complaining. Can this little bit of rain make me wet? It's not in accordance with etiquette. If the civil officials start trouble, the people on the city wall will suffer in the end."

Zhu Guobi listened to the other people chatting in the car frame, but he didn't say a word.

After that day, everyone blamed Qian Qianyi for the problem, but he had a different opinion.

Of course, he never paid much attention to that insignificant case from beginning to end, and he knew very little about the inside story.

However, he had been in the officialdom for decades, and had raised his own title to the limit without a strong army or military achievements. He was able to make out some things without any evidence.

If it were in the past, he would probably have given these friends of his a few words of advice.

But after Lingbi Hou's inexplicable report that day, he felt that everyone he saw had some connection with the people on the city wall.

After Qian Qianyi arrested Liang Yungou, he was determined not to reveal his true feelings in front of others.

Honestly speaking, Zhu Guobi was indeed a little paranoid, but if we were in his shoes, we would probably make the same choice as him.

Do not underestimate those few words from Lingbi Hou. If the matter had not been reported to the "court", this case would have been a very small matter.

Maybe we can find a few minor officials in the government office to handle the matter properly.

But once it is put on the table, everyone can only treat it as a big deal. Even if Qian Qianyi wants to protect it, he can only be powerless in the face of the evidence.

From this we can see how powerful these few words are.

Having said that, it actually has little to do with Zhu Guobi. After all, no matter what the final outcome of this case is, it is a matter between the civil officials and the prince. How can it have anything to do with him, a nobleman?
But the role played by Lingbi Hou in this matter was too important, so important that Zhu Guobi would never believe that this was a coincidence.

If he thought more deeply, there were nearly a hundred marquises and earls in Yingtian City. How could he guarantee that he would not meet a Lingbi Marquis?
"Master, you seem to be in a bad mood these days. Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, I just keep wondering what tricks the Tartars will come up with," Zhu Guobi said, glancing at the other people, "But Your Highness is wise, and he can still lead us through this difficult time."

"The carriage frame of the Duke of Baoguo's mansion?"

"Yes."

Just as Zhu Guobi was about to say a few more words to express his support for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, a few conversations were heard from outside the car, and it was obvious that they had arrived at the funeral.

But before the car had even stopped, I heard the conversation outside turning into a quarrel.

"How dare you let the master hang such an unlucky thing!"

"His Highness has ordered: No need for gifts, just hang a piece of white cloth to express condolences."

"Can"

"Bring it here."

The driver was about to say a few more words when he heard the voice of his master.

In this case, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only pass several pieces of white cloth into the carriage. "What does he mean by this?!"

"It's a blessing for those soldiers that we can come here, but he... actually wants us to hang this unlucky thing!"

"That's right, how can this be so shameful?!"

"Anyway, no one is forcing us to participate, so we might as well go back."

Several people in the car frame chatted one after another to create the right atmosphere, but after all the talking, no one left, they were just waiting for Zhu Guobi to speak.

How could Old Zhu say anything in this situation? He quickly hung the white cloth around his waist and then crouched down and walked out of the car.

"They died defending Yingtian, so it's not an insult to you to express our condolences."

Upon hearing this, the carriage immediately became quiet, and some people even hit their foreheads accidentally out of surprise.

They had followed when Zhu Guobi left the city to gather the remaining troops that day. Even though Zhu Guobi had not said what to do after gathering enough soldiers, they could guess about 70% of it.

But who would have thought that at this moment he would act like a loyal subject, which made several people feel surprised and dissatisfied.

However, even though they complained in their hearts, without someone to take the lead, they could only express their dissatisfaction through words.

"Sir, please come this way."

As soon as Zhu Guobi got off the carriage, a soldier came to lead the way.

After walking for a while, the number of car frames in front of him gradually decreased, and his vision was no longer obstructed. He could see clearly what was happening around him.

A few dozen feet away from him, a circular earthen platform was built at some point.

Although there were incense tables and three sacrificial animals on the earthen platform, it was no more than half a person's height and no more than a few feet wide. From a distance, it looked like a fat dwarf, which made people want to laugh.

I don’t know where this style was learned from. It’s so out of place and laughable.

However, Zhu Guobi had no mood to complain, as his attention had long been attracted by the densely packed crowd on one side of the platform.

"Why are there so many soldiers?"

"Sir, His Highness said that they are all comrades, and they should come and see you off."

"What if the Tartars attack at this time?"

"It's okay. Don't be fooled by the huge crowd. In fact, Your Highness only allowed one person from each flag."

If there are a thousand people, there will be no limit; if there are ten thousand people, there will be endless space.

At this time, there were nearly 10,000 small flag teams in Yingtian, and one person from each team meant 10,000 soldiers.

If you don't know the details, you might think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has transferred all the soldiers in the city here.

Win people's hearts!

Apart from winning people's hearts, Zhu Guobi really couldn't think of why Zhu Cilang had to make such a big fuss.

At the same time, he really couldn't understand how the man on the city wall could have so many tricks to consolidate his power. Were these all what he was taught in the palace?

"Master, we're here."

Just when Zhu Guobi was puzzled, the soldier stopped.

When he looked forward again, he saw a hastily built road in front of him, with many noble officials and civil servants standing on both sides of the road.

"Uncle! This way!"

Is no one curious about why Lingbi Hou said that?

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(End of this chapter)