Starting in Saarhu, it is a bit difficult to make a comeback.

Chapter 219 The assassination of Li Xianzhong (please subscribe for monthly tickets)

The most famous singers in the late Ming Dynasty were the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai". Of these eight, the most famous was naturally Chen Yuanyuan.

After all, Wu Sangui's "beautiful woman becomes a beauty in anger" has made her synonymous with beauty being a disaster.

Next is Liu Rushi. Her marriage with Qian Qianyi, an old man and his wife, was also a sensation.

Qian Qianyi formally welcomed Liu Rushi in with an eight-carry sedan, which was completely inconsistent with the etiquette of the time.

Generally, there is no ceremony at all for taking a concubine, and it is mostly done secretly.

However, Liu Rushi was determined to never leave Qian Qianyi. When Qian Qianyi was in trouble, he made various efforts to rescue him from the prison!

The most admirable thing is her integrity. After Qian Qianyi surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Liu Rushi refused to follow him to Beijing and constantly persuaded him to rebel against the Qing Dynasty.

After Qian Qianyi surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he actually only stayed in the capital for three months before resigning. Since then, he has been secretly funding the anti-Qing Dynasty, and participated in the planning of former Ming generals on many occasions.

Including his student Zheng Chenggong's counterattack on Nanjing, Qian Qianyi also participated in the planning!

The ranking of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai is quite controversial, but from the perspective of national justice, Liu Rushi deserves to be ranked first among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.

Although Liu Rushi was only 13 years old at this time, Li Xianzhong decided to take the risk to meet her out of curiosity.

In order to entertain Li Xianzhong well, Wang Shiming gave up his own courtyard on the bank of Slender West Lake as Li Xianzhong's foothold in Yangzhou.

This place is naturally heavily guarded, and Zhang Zhiji's men are responsible for the security work outside the courtyard.

Li Xianzhong's own escort battalion is responsible for the security of the other courtyard. In addition, there are Jin Yiwei and secret guards from the Intelligence Department, which can be said to be fortified everywhere.

After all, there is now such a thing as a fire gun. Although Li Xianzhong himself has good skills, he can't stop it when he encounters a fire gun.

Now that he was in Yangzhou, he naturally didn't dare to be careless.

Although they were close to the south of the Yangtze River, the cold wind in Yangzhou in November was still biting. Li Xianzhong, who was a little drunk at first, suddenly sobered up a lot when the cool breeze blew.

Under the guidance of a group of guards, he passed through the rockery and flowing water in the garden and finally arrived at his destination tonight.

The three gilded characters "Zangzhen Pavilion" are still shining brightly under the light of the lantern!

Li Xianzhong immediately felt the warmth when he entered the Cangzhen Pavilion. Although the wind was biting outside, the charcoal fire made this place a real warm pavilion.

Soon the sound of pipa reached Li Xianzhong's ears.

However, unlike the melodious music played by ordinary brothels, Liu Rushi's pipa was very urgent, and seemed to have the momentum of a thousand troops fighting.

Although Li Xianzhong was not very proficient in music, he also knew that what Liu Rushi was playing was the ancient song "Ambush from Flying Daggers".

Li Xianzhong said: "I originally thought that Jiangnan women would like graceful songs such as "Spring River Flowers and Moonlight Night", but I didn't expect that the girl is different!"

At this time Liu Rushi stood up holding the pipa and saluted Li Xianzhong.

Liu Rushi was wearing a blue brocade robe. Although it was not as gorgeous as what most brothel women wore, it was still somewhat elegant.

However, Li Xianzhong was somewhat disappointed after seeing her face.

It's not that Liu Rushi isn't beautiful.

Although she still looks a little green at 13 years old, her exquisite facial features and a pair of clear and bright eyes make her definitely a beauty.

It's just that Li Xianzhong can be regarded as a veteran in this field now. He has come into contact with many beautiful women. To be honest, Liu Rushi is not too impressed by him.

The main reason is that it is difficult to live up to the prestigious reputation. The title of "the first of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" is too great.

But soon Li Xianzhong felt something different about Liu Rushi.

Liu Rushi said: "Your Majesty was born in a general in Liaodong. The slave family thought that Your Majesty liked the Golden Horse and Iron Horse, but they didn't want Your Majesty to like "Spring River Flowers and Moonlight Night"!"

It seemed that Liu Ru regarded himself as a big boss.

The customs in Jiangnan have always been like this. The consumption of the Qinhuai River is not low. Most of the people who can go there for a long time are the children of the rich families in Jiangnan.

These people's marriages are based on family background. Even if they don't like their first wives, they don't dare to offend their natal families.

Even if it is the top star of the Qinhuai River, its best destination is to be spotted by those arty literati who like to show off poetry and prose, and redeem themselves as a concubine.

Naturally, Li Xianzhong could not let Liu Rushi look down upon him.

He said: "Mr. Ruoxu's single article is the most comprehensive among Tang Dynasty works. Although I am not familiar with writing, I have still heard of it!"

"The sky over the river is a color without any dust, and there is only a single moon in the bright sky. Who first sees the moon by the river, and when does the moon shine on people at the first time? Life has been endless from generation to generation, and the moon over the river looks the same year after year. I don't know who the moon over the river is waiting for, but I see the Yangtze River sending water. .”

In the eyes of the Jiangnan gentry, Li Xianzhong, the king of Liaodong County, was just a warrior.

Liu Rushi never expected that the prince in front of him was not only handsome, but could also discuss poetry with him.

Liu Rushi suddenly became interested and said, "There is also a song called "Spring River with Flowers and Moonlight Night" here in my house. I wonder if the prince has heard it?"

"The river is flat at dusk, and the spring flowers are in full bloom. The moon is gone by the waves, but the stars are brought by the tide!"

This song "Moonlight Night on the Spring River" was written by Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. It was not widely circulated. Liu Rushi wanted to deliberately make things difficult for Li Xianzhong.

Unexpectedly, Li Xianzhong said: "The world only knows about Yang Guang's bad deeds, but they don't know that his poetry is the highest among kings in the past; I am afraid that only Empress Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty is among them!"

"In my opinion, this song "Spring River with Flowers and Moonlight Night" is ingeniously conceived and unique. It is no worse than Zhang Ruoxu's."

"If I remember correctly, Yang Guang's "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night" has two songs in total, and this is just one of them."

"The other song is: The night dew contains the scent of flowers, and the moonlight shines on the spring pool. A wandering girl meets the Han River, and the Xiangchuan River is worth two concubines."

At this time, Liu Rushi looked at Li Xianzhong in disbelief.

Although the Li family in Liaodong is a general, it is still a big family after all. It is not surprising that Li Xianzhong knows some Tang poetry and Song lyrics.

However, Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty had a very poor reputation, and his poems were even more unpopular.

Not to mention Li Xianzhong, even some arty Jiangnan literati may not know it!

Li Xianzhong not only knows the first poem, but can also respond to the second poem. This only shows that he really likes Yang Guang's poems.

He is definitely not a martial artist!

Liu Rushi said: "Since the prince likes Yang Guang's poems, he should have heard this "Xing Jiangdu Poems"."

"If you can't go back if you want, it will be a spring. The birds sing to persuade people to drink, and the plum blossoms laugh to kill people." After Liu Rushi said this poem, Li Xianzhong's face darkened, and he said with some displeasure: "This poem is Yang Guang did it when he was trapped in Yangzhou, and now I am sending my troops to Yangzhou, is this girl cursing me?"

Not only was Liu Rushi not afraid, but he said righteously: "The prince helped the emperor to do evil, provoked a war, and forced Emperor Chongzhen to death. It was a big mistake!"

At this time, Li Xianzhong only felt that his head was dizzy, and he said: "There is something wrong with this incense!"

Then he fainted!

Liu Rushi pushed Li Xianzhong and said softly: "My lord, are you okay?"

Seeing that Li Xianzhong didn't respond, she pulled out her golden hairpin!

He said to Li Xianzhong who was in a coma: "Your Majesty, Liu Yin has no choice but to kill you alone to save the people in the south of the Yangtze River. Only the next life can make up for the debt I owe you!"

After saying that, the golden hairpin in her hand was pierced into Li Xianzhong's neck!

At this moment, Li Xianzhong suddenly opened his eyes, quickly grabbed Liu Rushi's gold hairpin with one hand, and pushed him to the ground!

Li Xianzhong cursed: "You actually dare to assassinate me and risk your life?"

Then the guards outside the house rushed in.

Li Xianzhong waved his hand and said: "I'm fine with you, just put out the incense!"

At this time, Li Xianzhong pulled out a silver needle from his neck and said: "You are very smart. You did not open the window for ventilation, but allowed yourself to be close to the window to arouse my suspicion."

"I don't carry any refreshing herbs on my body, so I smell something unusual."

"I guess you must have developed a certain resistance to this incense by smelling it for a long time, so you can ensure that you faint later than me!"

The reason why Li Xianzhong knew this was because the Intelligence Department also used similar methods to train agents.

By placing yourself in the same environment as your target, you can ensure that you charm the other person while still staying awake!

Li Xianzhong was from a family of Chinese medicine practitioners in his previous life, so his sense of smell was still more sensitive than ordinary people. As soon as he entered the room, he felt that the sandalwood here seemed to have a little more smell than usual.

When Liu Rushi wasn't paying attention, he inserted a silver needle into his Fengchi point to ensure that he could stay awake for a long time.

Just in case, he even bit the tip of his tongue!

Looking at the surprised Liu Rushi, he said, "Even if you don't tell me, I know which Jiangnan gentry sent you to assassinate this king?"

"Let me guess whether it's the Fushe or the Donglin Party?"

In his previous life, he was still very interested in the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, so he knew the details of Liu Rushi very well.

Liu Rushi was originally a singing prostitute and was good at painting and poetry.

When she first married Yunjian Xiaolian, she became her concubine and studied poetry from Xiaolian. He was later abandoned and traveled between Wu and Yue.

She was once interested in Chen Zilong, who was from Songjiang Prefecture in Nanzhili. Wang Shiming said that she was from Songjiang. It was obvious that Liu Rushi should be with Chen Zilong at this time.

And Chen Zilong is one of the main members of Fushe.

Seeing Liu Rushi bowing his head and saying nothing, Li Xianzhong said: "Chen Zilong's wife Zhang Ru is from a wealthy family in Jiangnan. He absolutely does not dare to accept you. He is just using you!"

Liu Rushi looked at Li Xianzhong in surprise and said, "How could the prince know this?"

Li Xianzhong said with some pride: "Chen Zilong's poems are quite good, and his abacus is very accurate. It's a pity that he met me."

"Did he tell you that if it fails, you will say that Huizhou merchant Wang Shiming instigated you to do it? In this case, I will be angry with Huizhou merchants, and they will all oppose me to implement the 'Hongguang New Deal'!"

"These aristocratic families have a lot of wealth, but they never pay taxes. The taxes have to be borne by the common people. As time goes by, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

“The people can’t survive anymore, so won’t they rebel?”

Liu Rushi said: "This little girl doesn't understand these great principles that the prince said."

"But God has his way. The prince supported King Fu and rebelled, causing chaos in the world. This is a great sin!"

Li Xianzhong said with a smile: "Back then, Emperor Zhu Di's 'Feng Tian Jingnan' was a rebellion. Today, Emperor Hongguang has the edict of Lord Wanli, and the Queen Mother Zhang Yan personally identified it and confirmed it to be Lord Wanli's will!"

"The king has been ordered to fight against rebellion, so how can he talk about rebellion?"

"The king does not need your confession to arrest someone!"

Then he said to the guard: "Songjiang Chen Zilong wants to assassinate my king. The crime cannot be forgiven. I have sent an order to arrest Chen Zilong. I will choose a day for Ling Chi!"

"God is merciful, so I will not punish his nine tribes; there is no need to interrogate, and I will directly annihilate the three tribes!"

Liu Rushi said: "Your Majesty, you are so loud. Jiangnan is not under your rule now, right?"

Li Xianzhong shrugged and said: "My Liaodong Navy has already occupied Chongming, just let them capture Songjiang and capture the rebels!"

Then he said in front of Liu Rushi: "Fushe is suspected of murdering my king, and Cui Wensheng, the Nanjing garrison eunuch, is ordered to immediately ban Fushe and arrest its main members!"

Seeing Liu Rushi's surprised expression, Li Xianzhong smiled and said, "Don't you believe that the eunuchs and officials from the six ministries left behind in Nanjing will listen to my orders?"

"Let's make a bet. If they refuse to carry out my order to ban the Society and arrest its main members, then I will release you. I will just pretend that this assassination never happened."

"But if they carry out my order, you will come out and testify that Chen Zilong is the mastermind behind this assassination!"

Liu Rushi thought for a while, even if Li Xianzhong deceived her, she would have nothing to lose.

Anyway, she was going to eliminate thieves for the country this time. Since the assassination failed, she was already ready to kill him!

A few days later, the Liaodong Navy sailed up the river from Chongming and appeared on the Zhenjiang River.

Several 1800-ton giant ships used the shipboard 18-pound Hongyi cannon to bombard the Jingkou Fort indiscriminately.

Hundreds of giant cannons roared at the same time, and the huge power of the explosive shells caused obvious vibrations in Zhenjiang City miles away.

In just one stick of incense, the indestructible Jingkou Fort and thirty Hongyi cannons were all destroyed.

Two days later, this Liaodong Navy appeared on the Nanjing River!

The people in Nanjing were all amazed when they saw these huge masts and sails!

The naval warships originally stationed in Nanjing did not dare to meet the enemy at all, and had already arrived in the Caishiji area to the west of Nanjing.

The euphemistic name is: Prevent the Liaodong Army from crossing the river from Caishiji!

At this time, Li Xianzhong sent someone to deliver his order.

He did not ask the city of Nanjing to surrender directly. He only explained that Fushe Chen Zilong sent people to assassinate him in Yangzhou and asked Nanjing to ban Fushe and arrest its main members.

Obviously Chen Zilong has angered Li Xianzhong, and he is going to take action against Fushe!

Although Fushe formed an alliance with the Donglin Party, they had no one they could speak to in the Sixth Department of Nanjing.

Li Xianzhong wants the Donglin Party to cut ties with the Fushe Party to clear up the relationship!

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(End of this chapter)