The so-called Imperial Ancestral Temple is of course not the one outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City of Beijing—that Imperial Ancestral Temple has been burned down by Li Zicheng’s people!
However, when Zhu Cihong fled from Beijing, he still had people pack up all the ancestral tablets in the Ancestral Temple. After arriving at Haisha Island, we found a small separate courtyard outside the palace and set up a temporary temple. Li Jizhou, the former director of the East Palace Pharmacy, was also appointed as the eunuch of the Shrine Palace, responsible for guarding the ancestral tablets.
When Zhu Cihong left the palace and arrived at the gate of the temporary ancestral temple, Li Jizhou was also dressed neatly and knelt there with two young eunuchs to greet him.
Seeing Li Jizhou, Zhu Cixiang strode forward to him, leaned down and asked in a low voice: "Are you ready for what I asked you?"
Li Jizhou said: "Okay, okay, I have done everything the prince told me to do!"
"good!"
Zhu Cixi straightened up and strode into the temporary temple, followed by Wu Sanmei.
The lights inside the Ancestral Temple are brightly lit, and the ancestral tablets are neatly placed on the altar table. Zhu Cixiang did not kneel after entering, but stood there with his arms folded in a grand manner.
Wu Sanmei on the side knelt down obediently, and then she noticed that Zhu Cixiang was standing, so she reminded her in a low voice: "Master Qiansui, aren't you going to kneel down?"
"Kneel?" Zhu Cixiang snorted, "Kneel for what? Ever since Zhu Laosi, no one has been decent!"
ah?
What are these words?
Wu Sanmei was stunned! Zhu Laosi should be Emperor Cheng Zuwen, right? That's the ancestor! Is there anyone who talks about their ancestors like that?
Zhu Cixiang's tone suddenly became extremely majestic, and he said in a reprimanding tone: "You have trapped all the good kings of Sai and raised them like pigs! You can replace the nine kings of Sai with the nine-sided city... Got it? If King Liao and King Ning are still there, can the Tatars rise up? Why should the emperor guard the country? What nonsense! It is clear that the emperor is guarding the nine-sided country!"
What's going on? Wu Sanmei looked at Zhu Cixi blankly, and a rumor she heard somewhere appeared in her mind - the prince was possessed by Emperor Gao, the great ancestor!
Zhu Cixiang stopped talking. He just stood there with his arms folded, looking directly at a pile of tablets. Nothing seemed right.
Wu Sanmei, this stupid girl, didn't want to pay homage to her ancestors anymore. She simply turned around and knelt down in front of Zhu Cixiang. She looked at her man stupidly, feeling very anxious in her heart.
I don’t know how long it took, but the outside of the Ancestral Temple became more and more noisy. It seemed that many soldiers of the new army who had received orders to overcome difficulties had gathered outside the Ancestral Temple.
Zhu Cixiang, who was standing like an iron tower, suddenly stepped forward and walked to the memorial tablet of Emperor Taizu Gao in the center of the altar table. Then he stretched out his hand and took out a stack of cloth from behind the tablet. Then he turned around and said to Silly Baitian Wu Sanmei: "Third sister, stand up and take this."
what is this?
Wu Sanmei quickly put her palms on the floor and stood up. Because she had been kneeling for a long time, Sanmei felt that her legs and feet were sore, but she didn't care so much and limped over and took the cloth.
"Qiantai Master, what is this?" Wu Sanmei asked.
"This is the battle flag of my palace," Zhu Cihong said. "It was given by Emperor Taizu Gao! Third sister, unfold the battle flag!"
"Oh." Wu Sanmei quickly unfolded the battle flag, held it in her hand, and took a closer look. It turned out to be a red flag with seven black characters on it: Emperor Taizu Gao is reincarnated!
Zhu Cixiang turned to look out the window at this time. The sky seemed to be getting a little brighter, and the noise outside the Ancestral Temple was getting louder. He turned back again, looked at Wu Sanmei and said: "Third sister, turn the battle flag over, with the side with the words facing out, and then raise it high above your head."
Wu Sanmei hurriedly followed Zhu Cixiang's instructions and raised a flag above her head that read "The Rebirth of Emperor Taizu Gao".
"Okay!" Zhu Cihong said, "Follow me out. Be careful not to fall when you walk."
"I know it."
Zhu Cixiang turned around and strode out, first out of the house and then out of the yard. There was already a sea of people outside, most of them were soldiers of the new army who had overcome difficulties in red shirts, and there were also some court officials and nobles who were attracted by the noise.
Emperor Chongzhen actually came, but instead of wearing the emperor's clothes, he put on common people's clothes. There were Queen Zhou, Wei Xuanshi, Wu Xuanshi and Cao Huachun around him, all of whom had already disguised themselves, so no one noticed him.
"Master Chitose is out!"
"Master Chitose is out!"
"See Chitose Master..."
Some people had already seen Zhu Cixiang, and they all shouted to pay homage to him.
A table and a chair had been moved out by Li Jizhou and several young eunuchs, and were placed outside the gate of the Ancestral Temple. Zhu Cixiang asked Wu Sanmei to get on the table, and then held up the flag of "The Rebirth of Emperor Taizu Gao". Zhu Cixi himself stood on the chair and shouted loudly to the soldiers paying homage below: "No courtesy, please speak calmly!"
Several loud-voiced edicts immediately spread his words. The people who had been kneeling stood up one after another and looked up at Zhu Cihong and the flag behind him.
It was still very dark at this time, and people standing farther away could not see clearly the words on the flag. Only those standing in front of Zhu Cixi could see it clearly, and they were all stunned at the moment.
Zhu Cixiang spoke again and said loudly: "Emperor Taizu Gao has just appeared and gave me a battle flag! It is this flag of 'Emperor Taizu Gao is reincarnated'! Hold this battle flag high, and I will be invincible!"
Gentlemen, follow me and kill the Tatars! "
The edict officials repeated Zhu Cihong's words loudly and over and over again without missing a word, so that everyone outside the Ancestral Temple could hear the general idea.
Everyone knows that Emperor Taizu Gao appeared and gave Zhu Cihong a battle flag with the seven words "Emperor Taizu Gao is reincarnated" written on it...
Is this true?
The people gathered outside the temporary Ancestral Temple all thought about it... The Crown Prince is indeed a bit miraculous! He was just a child raised in a deep palace, and I didn't hear how powerful he was. But how many great things have been accomplished from March to now?
Taizu must be more than capable of dreaming about this! It should be that Emperor Taizu Gao is possessed... That's why there is a "Rebirth of Emperor Taizu Gao" flag!
Of course, not everyone was deceived by Zhu Cixiang. Emperor Chongzhen had a rare moment of enlightenment this time, and he had already seen through Zhu Cixiang's pretense. But before he could stand up and expose Zhu Cixiang's face, someone had already taken the lead in cheering.
"Emperor Taizu Gao is reincarnated! The Ming Dynasty is invincible! The Ming Dynasty is victorious!"
Then more people cheered.
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious! The Ming Dynasty will be victorious...kill the Tatars!"
Outside the Ancestral Temple, there was a buzz and everyone cheered.
Only Emperor Chongzhen was shaking with anger, but it was impossible for him to expose Zhu Cihong, because no matter what he said, no one would hear him.
Outside the Ancestral Temple, there were only cheers!
Seeing the excitement in front of him, Zhu Cixiang was finally satisfied, nodded, and loudly ordered: "Lead the horse! I want to personally lead the heroes who have overcome the difficulties to kill the Tatars!"
Then send an order to all the generals to go to the ferry dock to listen to the order! "
"Here!"
...
"Report to Prince Zhang Jing that the pontoon bridge has been repaired and the army can cross the river at any time!"
Niu Lu Zhangjing, a member of the Zhenghuang Banner Han Army, knelt on one knee in front of Geng Zhongming, who was ashen-faced, and Duolong, the first warrior in Manchuria, and reported on the repair of the pontoon bridge. Because Yu Daren led his troops and ran away, Duolong did not ask anyone to demolish it. Instead of replacing the pontoon bridge, let the pontoon bridge be repaired. The soldiers of the Han army under the Zhenghuang Banner worked hard for two or three hours, and it was not until the sky became dim and bright that the bridge was finally repaired.
Although the bridge has been repaired, sneak attacks no longer exist. The treacherous Ming army guarding the bridge must have reported the news of the arrival of the Qing heavenly troops to Emperor Chongzhen and Zhu Cixiang.
Coupled with the delay in repairing the bridge, Emperor Chongzhen and Zhu Cixiang must have boarded the ship and set sail long ago!
No matter how powerful the heavenly soldiers of the Qing Dynasty are, they are still on land! Out of the sea, they were no match for the Ming Dynasty naval pirates.
When he thought that Chongzhen and Zhu Cixiang must have escaped, not only did he miss, but he also lost more than two hundred Zhenghuang Banner Han troops, the No. 1 Warrior in Manchuria became even more angry, and ordered with a livid face: "Cross the river! Attack the city of Dagukou... After the city is broken, I will kill them all, old and young, no matter how old they are!"
"Scum!"
The Manchu warriors surrounding Duolong and Zhang Jing of the Zhenghuang Banner Han Army all responded loudly. Massacre of a city to vent their anger or to shock them was very common in Manchurian soldiers' campaigns, and they had long been accustomed to it.
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