Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 110 Wei Zhongxian hangs a branch

Just when Qian Jiazheng was granted the title of Yuanshi because of his impeachment of Wei Zhongxian, and his life embarked on a new path, Wei Zhongxian, who had just been out of Beijing for six days, came to the end of his life.

North Zhili, Hejian Prefecture, Fucheng County.

It is only two counties away from Suning County, Wei Zhongxian's hometown.

After Wei Zhongxian left Beijing on November 1, he took a thousand men and horses and 40 carts of property to this place on November 6.

Chaoyong received the order on November 3 and went out of the capital to pursue him that day, finally catching up with Wei Zhongxian at Nanguan in Fucheng County.

"Mr. Factory, how can we go so fast?"

"Let me catch up for a while!"

Chao Chaoyong complained as he caught up with Wei Zhongxian in the dust.

Wei Zhongxian ignored his complaints. After seeing Chaoyong, he had a bad premonition.

The reason why he has been traveling so fast these days is to reach Fengyang as soon as possible and settle down there——

Unexpectedly, an accident occurred halfway through.

Feeling panic in his heart under strong pressure, Wei Zhongxian said to Wang Chaoyong:

"What happened in Jingli?"

"If you are not in charge of the house, why are you chasing me out of the capital?"

It is customary for the dynasty to carry edicts with them, but it is inconvenient to announce them in public. Otherwise, Wei Zhongxian's thousand warriors would probably have robbed their property and collapsed.

So he winked at Wei Zhongxian and entered the room to talk.

Just as he was thinking about how to speak, Chaoyong heard a burst of music coming from outside, which was extremely sad and desolate:
"Listening to the first update, the drum is beating, and my heart is upset."

"I remember how extravagant the night banquet was back then..."

"It's so desolate, it's better to die!"

Hearing that it was a popular folk tune "Hanging Branches", Wang Chaoyong felt that the lyrics were not very good and too desolate.

Wei Zhongxian felt sad in his heart and said to the emperor:
"You heard it!"

“That’s what happened to me along the way.”

"There are people singing "Hanging Branches" near my hometown, urging me to hang branches myself, let alone other places."

"I'm worried that if I walk slower, some righteous people will take action, and I won't be able to reach Fengyang in this life."

It was only after I left the capital that I realized how bad my reputation was, and it was nothing like what was praised in various places.

Wei Zhongxian was anxious all the way and led a thousand warriors to rush all the way. In just six days, they arrived at Fucheng County——

He was worried that if he stayed, the thousand warriors under his command would collapse. Without their protection, there would be assassination by righteous men.

Wang Chaoyong also felt desolate as he looked at Wei Zhongxian. When he left the capital, he felt that the emperor was being harsh in ordering Wei Zhongxian's death so quickly. Hearing that people near Wei Zhongxian's hometown were urging him to die quickly, the emperor felt that Wei Zhongxian's ability to leave a complete body was an indication of the emperor's tolerance.

This made him equally vigilant, feeling that he should be less visible in the future, lest he, Wei Zhongxian's confidant, be pushed to death in the future.

Thinking like this, he thought it would be a good idea to go to Zhangjiakou to manage the imperial shop. There are few people I know there, so there should be no one urging him to die.

Thinking about where he would go in the future, Chaoyong felt that it was still not safe. After returning to Beijing, he planned to ask the emperor to change his name and live under a different identity.

The two of them had their own thoughts and were speechless for a while.

After being silent for a while, listening to the music playing outside repeatedly, Wei Zhongxian said:

"Just tell me if you have anything to say!"

"If Your Majesty is not willing to spare my life, I will kill myself."

"Anyway, I won't live long when we get to Fengyang!"

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian had accepted his fate, and thinking that the thousand warriors outside were also exhausted and incapable of causing trouble, the dynasty said:

"After the factory owner left Beijing, His Majesty ordered people to search the residence of Lady Feng Sheng."

"Before I left Beijing, I heard that Wang Wenzheng reported the pregnancy of the palace maid."

"Xu Yingyuan was also ordered to be executed by His Majesty because he was suspected of making Concubine Zhuang angry to death."

"Now that the factory master's rebellion has been revealed, Your Majesty asked the factory master to kill himself and leave his body intact." When Wei Zhongxian heard this edict, he immediately burst into tears, knowing that his life was finally over.

After leaving the capital, there were enemies everywhere, and even the thousand warriors under him were unsettled. What ability did he have to resist?
What's more, the dynasty's attitude showed that he and his sworn brother Wang Tiqian had surrendered to the emperor. Even if I want to contact the eunuchs to cause rebellion, I'm afraid no one will listen to me——

Those palace eunuchs and court ministers probably wanted him to die more than the emperor. How could they listen to him again?

At this moment, he couldn't help but regret in his heart. If he had known better, he would not have done those things, and maybe he could have died a good death.

But now, it was too late for him to regret it. The emperor found out about his rebellion and would definitely not keep him. Others also hoped that he would die soon in order to distance themselves from the treason case.

For him, the best option was to commit suicide in accordance with the emperor's decree, otherwise he would be taken back to Beijing for questioning, and there would be even more cruel punishments.

Thinking of the people he had tortured to death, Wei Zhongxian didn't want to end up in that fate, so he immediately took off his belt and hung himself from a tree.

Chaoyong didn't expect him to be so straightforward. He didn't even have time to state the terms of persuasion, so he hurriedly grabbed him and said:

"Don't be anxious, Mr. Factory. Your Majesty has ordered you to write down your crimes so that you can be convicted of treason cases."

"For the sake of your service to the late emperor, I will give you a place among the 100 households of the late emperor's mausoleum guard, so that your family can inherit it."

"If the one thousand warriors and forty carts of property can be successfully escorted back to the capital, I will give you a quota of one thousand hereditary households and one hundred hereditary households overseas to build new health centers overseas."

"The factory owner has arranged the funeral arrangements, and it's not too late to settle the matter himself."

When Wei Zhongxian heard that the emperor had given such generous conditions, his desire for survival aroused in his heart, and he said tremblingly:
"And me?"

"Your Majesty, can you spare my life?"

Wang Chaoyong did not answer after hearing the words, and Wei Zhongxian's newly ignited hope fell again.

However, he still did not give up hope completely and kept his eyes on Dynasty. He hoped that the emperor would have the conditions to spare his life so that he could survive.

Chaoyong felt uncomfortable being looked at by Wei Zhongxian. After a while, he said under Wei Zhongxian's expectant eyes:
"Your Majesty is magnanimous. If the factory owner had not rebelled, he might have been able to save his life."

"But now that the rebellion has happened, your Majesty can keep you, but no one else can keep you!"

"The factory owner should follow His Majesty's instructions and confess the crime of treason!"

This made Wei Zhongxian feel even more regretful, feeling that his attempted rebellion was a complete fool. After crying for a while, I thought of my favorite nephew Wei Liangqing again and said:
"How is Liangqing doing?"

"I want him to be the hereditary guardian of hundreds of households."

Chaoyong shook his head and said:

"Ning Guogong knows too many people, and his life cannot be spared."

"What's more, there must be an explanation for the rebellion. If your rebellion succeeds, who is most likely to become the emperor?"

"So Mr. Ning Guo should not think about the life of Mr. Ning Guo."

"His Majesty also specifically ordered you to change the names of other famous Wei family members, otherwise it will be difficult to stay."

When he heard that his nephew Wei Liangqing was going to hell with him, Wei Zhongxian felt even more regretful. He felt that he should not have obtained the title of Ning Guogong for him and implicated him in this matter.

Now that the emperor clearly wanted to execute Wei Liangqing and asked him to change the names of other Wei family members, Wei Zhongxian knew that except for Wei Liangqing, most of the other Wei family members could survive——

The emperor would not feel threatened by those young and old, otherwise he would not specifically ask him to change his name, which would be unnecessary.

Wei Zhongxian was even more relieved when he heard that Chaoyong mentioned that Xu Yingyuan, Wang Guotai, and Tu Wenfu also had younger brothers and nephews who were granted overseas hereditary status. Knowing that the emperor's promise can be fulfilled with a high probability. Otherwise, the eunuchs around him will be unstable.

Wei Zhongxian is illiterate in literature and science, and he cannot write charges himself. So he summoned his confidant Li Chaoqin, who was always with him, and asked him to confess the crime of treason according to the instructions of the dynasty.

He changed the names of Wei Liangdong, Wei Pengyi and others, left his last words, and hanged himself immediately.

After Li Chaoqin finished writing, he felt that he was too involved in the conspiracy case and would definitely not be spared. Like Wei Zhongxian, he hung himself from a tree.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Wang Chaoyong felt sad for Wei Zhongxian's fate, but also a little grateful that things went so smoothly. He knew that after the errand was completed, he had been freed from the crime, his life could be saved, and he might also be rich.

Let Wu Guoan, the accompanying Jinyi Guard Qianhu, examine the body and report the news to the capital. The dynasty summoned Wei Zhongxian's servant Ding Liushi'er and others to take over a thousand warriors as head masters and brought them back to the capital to resume their duties.

　"Northern Strategy of the Ming Dynasty" Wei Zhongxian hanged himself:

　　When the Ministry of War heard the order, it sent Wu Guoan, a thousand households, to twist Wei Zhongxian's way to Xindian, twenty miles away from Fucheng County. Li Yongzhen sent a report secretly, so he inevitably arrived in the county late and stayed at Youke Jian's house. At that time, there was a scholar named Bai from the capital who sang in the outer chamber for the fifth time. It reflected his great power in the past and his desolation today. He made sarcastic remarks. The loyal and virtuous people heard this and became more dejected, so they hanged themselves to death together with Li Chaoqin.

　　"A Dream of Red Mansions" has some allusions to Wei Zhongxian. Those who are interested can listen to "Hao Ge·Jie" (Li Gang Guofeng 2020). The meaning of "Hanging Branches" is probably similar to this.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)