After Chongzhen ascended the throne, out of consideration for dealing with eunuchs, the authority of the eunuchs was greatly weakened.
All the guards, tax supervisors, mine supervisors, etc. who were sent to various places were recalled.
For a time, the once-famous eunuchs all turned back into real slaves.
All the horses and horses in the palace were in silence, and many people sighed, thinking that they would never see the light of day again.
However, in less than half a year, Chongzhen's temperament changed drastically and he gradually relaxed his control over the eunuchs.
Although the eunuchs are still unable to go to various places to exert power, they can now leave the palace and intervene in various affairs in the capital.
Among them, matters such as supervising the major gates of the capital and verifying the number of troops and military pay all fell into the hands of the eunuchs.
In this case, Douzhijian, who had no one to pay attention to, suddenly became enthusiastic.
Because Duzhijian originally had the responsibilities of being in charge of travel, customs clearance, reconnaissance, and the advance guard for the emperor's travels.
As the governor of the capital, Huang Jing's opportunities to enter and leave the imperial city suddenly increased.
He would go to various city gates to replace tokens of defense for the eunuchs and garrison guards.
Early that morning, Huang Jing got up early, ate a few mouthfuls of food, and then left the palace, preparing to go to Guangqumen.
The world outside the palace is no different from before. Visible decay makes people feel bad.
It's just that Huang Jing of Dusi cannot sit in a sedan chair or ride a horse. No matter where he goes, he can only walk.
If it weren't for the fact that there were two young eunuchs accompanying him and wearing eunuch official robes, he would have looked no different from ordinary passers-by.
Now there are beggars even outside the palace.
The guarding General Jinyi saw it, but pretended not to see it and did not drive him away.
It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t handle it.
Because there are too many beggars in the capital.
Anyway, as long as these beggars don't get close to the palace, the generals in brocade clothes won't bother to do anything more.
But this made Huang Jing feel very insecure.
He is just an ordinary eunuch, unlike those big guys who are surrounded by people and heavily guarded when traveling.
If someone robs you, you won't be able to defend yourself.
But he had the Guanfang Seal in his arms, which he couldn't ignore. So as he walked, his eyes had to be alert everywhere.
If someone is really up to something evil, he...
But he was about to shout.
Then he saw a beggar leading a child, looking at him cautiously, and approaching him cautiously.
Huang Jing couldn't help but swallowed his saliva and planned to ask a young eunuch to come forward.
If this beggar really wants to charge forward, at least the little eunuch can stop him.
Before he could speak, he heard a familiar accent.
"San'er, is that you?"
Huang Jing looked in shock and saw the beggar looking at him blankly, his eyes full of tears.
But the face is so gaudy that it’s hard to tell what it looks like. There was a stench all over his body, his bare feet stepped on the ground, and his fingernails were full of black mud.
"you……"
The beggar jumped forward two steps, frightened Huang Jing to the point of turning around and running away.
But the beggar just lifted his messy hair, revealing a complete face.
"San'er, don't you recognize me? I'm your second brother!"
Huang Jing was shocked and looked carefully. This time there was no hair blocking him, and he finally recognized the outline of his facial features.
This was a big deal, but Huang Jing rushed over.
"Second brother, you are really the second brother!"
That beggar is naturally Huang Wei.
Huang Wei was so happy to finally see his younger brother, who was white and fat.
Fortunately, I still remember my mission.
He stretched out his hand to grab Huang Jing, but looked at his dirty hands and retracted in embarrassment.
Seeing all this in Huang Jing's eyes, he mistakenly thought that Huang Wei had low self-esteem.
Huang Jing's tears fell down.
"Second brother, how did you end up like this?"
Huang Wei didn't answer, but pulled the child next to him and cursed: "You bastard, what are you doing standing still? Call me uncle."
The child was not very old, and he also got dirty following Huang Wei. Only one pair of eyes is very bright and lovable.
"uncle……"
Huang Jing couldn't believe it.
"This...is this my nephew? Second brother, you got a wife at that time, why didn't we know?"
Huang Wei grinned, his teeth full of yellow.
"We don't know how to tell you."
As he spoke, his face turned sour.
"It's useless to say anything, everything is gone. Your sister-in-law is gone, and our family is gone. Your nephew and I are almost gone."
Huang Jing had not seen his relatives for many years, but now he saw them looking like this. He was really anxious.
"What's going on? I heard there were riots and bandits in my hometown a few years ago, and I was worried about you. I even asked someone to inquire, and they said there was no one alive in the village. I was so worried that I couldn't sleep well."
When he said this, Huang Wei immediately burst into tears.
"They're all dead, they're all dead. The gangsters rushed into the village, killing people when they saw them and robbing money when they saw them. Your sister-in-law and I took the baby and ran and ran, but your sister-in-law still didn't run out."
When he cried, Huang Jing also cried.
"Brother, where have you been these days?"
Huang Wei sniffed and blew his snot on his sleeves.
"Begging for food everywhere, no matter where you go. Until now, I have been asking all the way until I found you."
Looking at the appearance of his brother and nephew, Huang Jing was relieved.
"Brother, just wait, I will find you a place to stay."
"Don't, don't, don't..."
Huang Wei quickly stopped him.
"I know it's not easy for you in there, so I can't drag you down."
Huang Jing was anxious.
"What are you talking about? You are my brother. Even if I don't care about you, what will my nephew do?"
Speaking of Huang Ping, Huang Wei seemed to have just remembered.
"By the way, I've been waiting here for so many days just for this kid."
He pulled Huang Ping in front of him, his face full of reluctance.
"In this world, there is no way to live outside. I am so cruel that I will cut this kid off. San'er, let's see if you can think of a way to let this kid go in and make a living?"
Upon hearing what Huang Wei did, Huang Jing stamped his feet and shouted.
"Brother! Why are you so confused? Our family is just like this. How will we organize the incense in the future?"
Huang Wei was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head, but he still said: "People are starving to death, so why do you care so much? It doesn't matter if I die, but it is the meat that fell from my body after all. San'er, brother, please Please, give your nephew a way to survive."
Huang Ping didn't seem to understand and cried softly. But Huang Jing heard all the growling sounds in his stomach.
"Hey, what a sin!"
But those who entered the palace no longer thought about the future and became particularly close to their family members.
Seeing the miserable state of Huang Wei and his son, Huang Jing gritted his teeth, took out two taels of silver from his arms, and stuffed it into Huang Wei's hand.
"Brother, I have some errands to run, so I can't delay. You can take this little money first and take your nephew to eat something. Tomorrow, you guys will come here early tomorrow morning. I'll take care of the rest."
Huang Wei was in tears.
"San'er, don't be embarrassed. If it doesn't work, we will go beg for food. There are many rich people in Beijing, so we will never die of hunger."
Huang Jing was in a state of confusion.
"What are you talking about? Listen to me. Come over here tomorrow morning, right here."
Huang Wei was suppressed by his momentum and had no choice but to nod.
Huang Wei quickly wiped away his tears, reached out and rubbed his nephew carelessly before taking the two young eunuchs to do things.
He turned back three times and looked at Huang Wei and his son who were huddled on the side of the road, looking longingly at him. He wished he could finish his errands immediately and return to the palace.
With something on his mind, Huang Jing did not dare to delay. He ran through three city gates in one breath, changed the new gates, and hurriedly returned to the palace.
Huang Jing went back to his residence first, took out all the 100 taels of silver he had saved over the years, and then went to find Pan Chi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies.
In any era, human affairs are always a big deal.
In the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch management of the inner court was in the hands of the ceremonial supervisor.
However, Huang Jingjian could not see the chief officials such as Chief of Ceremony Zhangyin and Bingbi. Besides, it’s just a matter for a little eunuch, so there’s no need to go to the big boss.
Pan Chi, the boss, can make the decision with one word.
Huang Jing pulled Pan Chi to a quiet place, offered him benefits and explained the reason.
Pan Chi couldn't help but laugh and said: "Okay, we thought you, Huang Zhang, were an iron rooster. You are risking your life for your own family."
Huang Jing burst into tears.
"Hey, we are all people without roots. The most unsightly thing is that our family members suffer."
Pan Chi also felt compassion after saying this, and the gift of one hundred taels was not light.
Especially since the person giving the gift was of equal status to him, it satisfied Pan Chi's vanity.
"Well, let's go there with you tomorrow morning."
Huang Jing was overjoyed, bowed and thanked him again.
"Eunuch Pan, you are a great kindness and kindness, I will remember it. When you have time later, you must give me face and have a few drinks."
Pan Chi laughed heartily.
"You're welcome, you're welcome. That's settled then."
Huang Jing was thinking about his brother and nephew and couldn't sleep well all night.
At dawn the next day, he couldn't help but get up. The palace hadn't opened yet, so he had to wander back and forth in his residence.
After finally reaching the hour, he hurried to find Pan Chi.
Pan Chi accepted the benefits, but he kept his word. The two of them met and arrived outside the palace gate.
Sure enough, Huang Wei and Huang Ping had been waiting eagerly.
"Pan Gong, this is my nephew. He comes from a poor family and is sensible."
Huang Jing signaled to Huang Ping to be smarter.
Huang Ping quickly knelt down and banged his head several times.
"Greetings, sir."
When had Pan Chi ever received such a gift?
He immediately grinned and helped the child up first.
"Ouch, you are such a sensible person. Come on, follow us. When you enter, your eyes should be bright, but don't get into trouble, you know?"
Huang Ping didn't know whether he understood or not, but he nodded anyway.
He also knew that he was separated from his father, and his big eyes kept looking at Huang Wei.
Huang Wei tried hard not to cry and waved to him again.
"My son, go ahead. Once you're inside, you'll serve the noble man well and don't dare to invite disaster, do you understand?"
Huang Ping's mouth flattened, but he still couldn't hold it back.
"father!"
Huang Wei didn't dare to look at it and turned his head.
"Go ahead and be nice."
Huang Jing gave Huang Wei ten taels of silver.
"Brother, you need to find a place first. Later I will find a place for you to eat. Stop running around."
Huang Wei didn't want it and pushed back.
"You gave me all the money, what are you going to do? There's still a lot of the money you gave me yesterday, it's enough for me to spend."
Huang Jing just refused to comply, so he gave the money to Huang Wei anyway.
The next time he can leave the palace will be five days later. With these ten taels of silver, Huang Wei would not beg for food.
People coming and going outside the palace gate are not a place to stay for a long time.
Huang Jing took Huang Ping's hand, said goodbye to Huang Wei, and followed Pan Chi into the palace.
Huang Ping looked back as he walked, tears flowing more and more, but he was very obedient and did not yell.
Eventually, the palace gate separated the inside and outside, and the world was never the same from then on.
