There are rules in the palace. Even if you are not on duty, you are not allowed to wander around at will. For example, try not to get close to the Forbidden City area. That area is either some military ministers discussing matters in the previous court, or it is the territory of the emperor, queen, concubines, princes and princesses.
Except for the Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace, almost all other parts of the Imperial City are occupied by the twenty-four yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These places are more casual. As long as you don't go to the inner chambers of those yamen, you can wander around at will. The masters in the palace I won’t come here with nothing to do.
Chunxiang and Chang Yu walked around the imperial city. The weather was extremely cold. The two of them were tightly wrapped in cotton clothes and still shaking. Occasionally they met people who were eunuchs and maids in a hurry. After all, it was such a cold day. No one should stay in the room when not on duty.
"Why aren't there any guards patrolling?" Chang Yu asked with some confusion. He now wanted to meet those Ouchi masters and Jin Yiwei. This curiosity started from the day he traveled through time.
"This is not the inner palace, and it's daytime. There are very few patrols, but it's not none, look at that." Chunxiang said and pointed towards the sky.
Chang Yu looked along and saw several figures standing on the wall of the Forbidden City. He couldn't see clearly in the sunlight: "Is that the Jin Yiwei?"
Chunxiang smiled and looked at Chang Yu who shook his head helplessly: "The Emperor's personal army has a total of 26 guards, and the Jin Yiwei is only one of them. Although they are all bodyguards, they each perform their own duties, such as the Jin Yiwei, guard of honor, and arrest. , prison. Flag-bearing guards, holding flags and drums, guarding. Prefectural army vanguard, commanding young soldiers (substitutes). Jinwu, Yulin and other nineteen guards are in charge of guarding and patrolling. Teng Xiang and other four guards are in charge of escorting and escorting."
"Wow, you know so much" Chang Yu couldn't help but nod in praise.
Chunxiang smiled slightly: "So you can't see the Jinyiwei here. They are not responsible for patrolling the imperial city." He put away his smile and looked around, frowning and said: "Why do you always miss the Jinyiwei? They are not Good job."
"Of course I know this," Chang Yu chuckled, "I'm just curious. I think their clothes are nice and cool."
"Cool?" Chunxiang looked up at the sky and tightened his clothes: "This day is already cool enough."
The two chatted softly while walking along the palace wall towards the north, because except for Shangshan Prison, almost all the twenty-four yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were there, that is, the Xuanwu Gate of the Imperial Palace (later changed to avoid Emperor Kangxi Xuan Ye's name). Shenwumen) to the north.
"Well, over there is the Yin Shou Prison, over there is the Middle Study Room, the Royal Horse Prison... and further north is the Ritual Supervisor of the largest Yamen of our Ministry of Internal Affairs. Let's not go over there. I can't afford to offend you there. , you might get beaten if you take one more look..."
Chunxiang acted as a tour guide for Chang Yu as he walked, talking nonstop, but Chang Yu's eyes were looking at the low mound to the west. He knew that this mound was dug out of the sea, and now The Long Live Mountain belongs to the imperial garden outside the palace, but what he knows better is that two months later, Zhu Youjian, the last orthodox emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen Emperor, hanged himself here and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed.
He also knew that after the Tatars entered the customs, Shunzhi changed Long live Mountain to Jingshan, which was later known as Jingshan Park.
Chang Yu stopped here, staring at the top of the mountain, trying to find the crooked-neck tree, and suddenly there were waves in his heart: Can I stop this, can I change everything.
But it's absolutely impossible right now, because he's just a little eunuch! Not to mention that he didn't have a golden finger, even Chongzhen didn't believe it. There were countless examples of the Ming Dynasty being tricked by eunuchs for hundreds of years, and Chongzhen was also the one who particularly hated the eunuchs who interfered with politics. This is really a damn irony.
In a daze, Chang Yu continued to follow Chunxiang's tour guide, and slowly found that the eunuchs and maids around him were all excited. After all, this was the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the base of eunuchs and maids.
There are so many, Chang Yu couldn't help but sigh. He had read some information before that showed that there were more than 10,000 eunuchs in the palace and more than 8,000 maids in the palace. They were the largest group in the palace. Now it seems that even if it is not at its peak, there are not many less.
"Chunxiang, can we go for a walk in the Imperial Garden?" Chang Yu was still thinking about this crooked-neck tree, after all, he had never been there in later generations.
"Of course you can. It's cold now and the royal family doesn't like to leave the house. Even if they want to get some fresh air, they can only walk in the imperial garden inside the palace. Come on, let's go shopping," Chunxiang said and walked forward.
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the north wind howled, and the so-called imperial garden was not much to see. The trees were withered, the grass was in patches, and there were patches of snow. It was not even as good as any small town park in the south in later generations.
Chang Yu had no intention of looking at the scenery, and was focused on climbing high to find the painful crooked-necked tree.
Next to several towering rocks, a thick crooked tree came into view. Chang Yu quickly stepped forward and touched the trunk of the tree, feeling endless emotions in his heart but unable to express a word.
I didn't expect to really see you, Chang Yu thought silently in his heart. He knew that this tree was destroyed after the Tatars entered the palace. In order to commemorate Emperor Ming, later generations secretly planted a dead tree on the same spot until it was planted in the 1930s. One tree is the one that future generations see now. Of course, there are various miraculous legends in it.
"Are you okay? Why are you touching the tree?" Chunxiang didn't understand.
What I am touching is the backbone of Ming Dynasty. Chang Yu knew that Chunxiang could not understand, so he stopped talking and turned around to continue climbing.
"Quick, quick, move away, push away." At this moment, Chunxiang suddenly said quietly and urgently.
Chang Yu turned around and was about to ask questions, but he saw a group of people coming up the mountainside, including eunuchs and palace maids. Before he could see the situation clearly, Chunxiang pulled him to the side of the mountain road.
"Lower your head!" Chang Yu just wanted to look, but Chunxiang scolded him in a low voice and quickly lowered his head.
"What's going on?" Chang Yu asked in a low voice.
"Stop talking, the princess is here"
Princess, Chang Yu was startled. He knew that Emperor Chongzhen had six daughters, but it was said that four of them died in infancy, leaving only two, Changping and Zhaoping.
Zhaoping is only five or six years old now. It is impossible for her to come out to have fun in this cold weather. Could it be that she is Princess Changping?
Chang Yu was immediately excited. Chang Ping was the poor princess whose arm was cut off. Whenever he read that period of history, he always felt extremely distressed. He always imagined that if he could travel through the past, he would risk his life to save her!
Now that he has really traveled through time, can he save her? Chang Yu couldn't contain his excitement and couldn't help but glance sideways.
But he saw a little girl wearing fur clothes, thin figure and pale face walking slowly with a sad look on her face, surrounded by several palace maids and eunuchs.
Chang Yu has seen many beauties in later generations, but Princess Changping's natural beauty and frowning expression were like a sharp blade that stabbed Chang Yu's heart: I want to save her.
With just a hasty glance, Chang Yu made up his mind, but Chang Ping didn't even look at him, leaving only a vague scent. After all, no princess would pay attention to a eunuch.
Why is she so depressed? This smart girl has a heart that is concerned about the country and the people. She is not sad because her wedding has been postponed due to the war.
Yes, she was originally betrothed to a little-known Zhou Shixian, but it had to be postponed because of the constant pressure of the bandit army. Of course, in the end, he still married Zhou Shixian under the assignment of the Tatar Emperor, and died of depression a year later. He is always less than eighteen years old.
I don't want you to die! Chang Yu looked at the frail figure and secretly made up his mind. Regardless of whether he fell in love at first sight or had sympathy that had been accumulated for a long time, she would protect this girl.
Chunxiang kept urging him to leave the Imperial Garden quickly.
Chang Yu followed him thoughtfully with a heavy face.
He only knew a little about this period of history. If his memory was correct, Li Zicheng captured Xi'an and marched to Yan'an, Hanzhong, and Yulin. The Ming army was completely defeated. Zhang Xianzhong was also pressing hard in the south, winning battles one after another. More importantly, he did not go out. After a few days of intrusion, the bandit would proclaim himself emperor in Xi'an and call him Dashun, and then send his army northward. The capital was destroyed, Emperor Ming was destroyed, and China was destroyed.
Are a group of bandits and robbers worthy of being called emperor? Chang Yu snorted inwardly.
But these are the overall situation, and time is too tight. He knows that there is nothing he can do to change the situation, at least for the time being. The only thing now is to protect himself.