Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 576: Farewell to His Majesty the Khan!

After entering the winter month, Gyeonggi Province has seen several heavy snowfalls.

Although the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital are almost the most skilled doctors in the entire dynasty, if it was just an illness, it would be easy to deal with, but the old saint is not sick...

These days, Jia Cong basically stayed in the Huangji Palace except for going home at night.

The imperial physician has explained to Jia Cong once again that the old man is now relying on his tenacious willpower to persevere, just to wait for Prince Jing Liu Yi to return.

"In the early years, the saint fought in many battles and led the troops in person. It was common for him to get injured, and he consumed more blood and essence than an ordinary person. If not for this, he could have lived to be eighty."

Military generals often have short lives, but that doesn't mean they are prone to die on the battlefield.

Rather, it means that military generals fought in the battlefields in their early years, and the physical defects they suffered in their early years will be more terrible than diseases when they get older.

Emperor Zhaowu, the mighty emperor who once drank from the vast sea, still could not escape the fate of a warrior.

The cold winter is gradually eroding the old man's last bit of vitality.

As the New Year approaches, the old man spends more and more time in a coma.

It has been more than a month since Jia Cong returned to Beijing, and Master She has not shown up yet.

Not only did his family not know where he had gone, even the emperor and Crown Prince Liu Hong were unclear.

All we know is that he was summoned to the Huangji Palace, and then left the capital with red eyes, accompanied by the old man's personal guard, Yulinlang.

There is no doubt that the only order that could have made Duke Rong, Jia She, and Marquis Jia En behave like this was from the old man.

"I hope my dad can finish his work and come back soon, otherwise...sigh~"

Jia Cong sat outside the palace gate, feeling the cold wind, looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky and sighing repeatedly.

If a mountain collapses, others may cry fake tears, but my dad will probably cry himself to death.

"My father is my father. Among all the civil and military officials in the court, only Lord She treats my grandfather as his father."

Liu Hong envied his grandfather very much. As the old man fell into coma more and more times, those old generals who had retired to the second line even had to walk into the palace on crutches, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons.

They stubbornly insisted on guarding outside the Huangji Palace, trying to use evil spirit to block the invasion of death.

He persuaded them, Jia Cong persuaded them, even if the emperor himself persuaded them, these old generals and veterans would still stand their last shift for their monarch.

After a long stalemate, Jia Cong finally opened the door of the Huangji Palace and pulled the old generals into the palace.

Put out wine and meat and light the fire.

The old generals drank "wantonly" and "fought" in the hall, happily discussing their past glory and reminiscing about the days when they were young and followed the old man in battles all over the country.

Perhaps the excitement brought by the old coach and veterans aroused the old man's vitality. In this way, the old man woke up and slept, and survived the winter month.

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the Huangji Palace finally welcomed the arrival of Prince Jing Liu Yi, who was far away in the Japanese island.

The elders of the royal family, the cabinet, the Grand Marshal's Office, and the heads of the six ministries and five temples were all waiting in the main hall of the Huangji Palace.

The originally strong and robust Liu Yi no longer had the majestic appearance of the great general Wang. His face and hands were covered with frostbite, his hair and beard were disheveled, and his eyes were red.

The emperor asked him to wash and change his clothes, and he went to the side hall, looking back every step of the way.

He was the best fighter of Emperor Zhaowu's son, and he didn't want his father to see him in such a miserable state.

After Liu Yi quickly washed up and changed into new clothes, he used ointment to cover the frostbite on his face, barely maintaining his heroic appearance.

"Mr. Sun, use the needle!"

"Fourth..."

The emperor placed his hand on Liu Yi's shoulder and shook his head sadly.

"Second brother, the emperor has been able to hold on until now just to wait for you to come back. He... couldn't hold on any longer!"

Human life is limited. The imperial physician has said many times that the old man was only relying on his tenacious willpower to cling to his last breath.

He suddenly woke up last night and learned that Liu Yi only had one day left to return, so he gave a firm order to the imperial physician to use a secret method.

He wanted to have a good sleep and get enough energy to have a good chat with his children, grandchildren and ministers.

……

The snowstorm that had been blowing for days stopped.

The moment the old man opened his eyes, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed a little.

A little sunlight broke through the clouds and fell onto the earth.

"My son is back..."

The princes and grandchildren in the bedroom were about to cry, but were scared back by Liu Yi's eyes, which were full of grief and murderous intent.

The great Khan, Emperor Zhaowu, who had been strong all his life, hated to see people crying the most!

He held the old man's skinny and aged hand and forced a smile: "My son has not brought shame to you. He first destroyed Goryeo and then Japan, and demonstrated the great majesty of our Great Xia Dynasty!"

"Good good!"

The old man really liked to hear these and praised them three times in a row.

He waved to the emperor again: "Fourth, Thirteenth..."

When the emperor and Liu Ke came closer, the old saint placed their hands on the back of Liu Yi's hands and patted them three times.

"You are brothers. Brothers working together can break iron. After I leave, you brothers should guard this country together!"

Speaking of the word "brothers", a trace of sadness seemed to flash across the old saint's cloudy eyes.

He originally had many children, but in the end he could only say "brothers are united" to the three people in front of him.

Liu Ke was the first one who couldn't hold back his tears and secretly wiped away his tears with his sleeves.

The three of them nodded in agreement, and the emperor said, "I will remember what my father said. My second brother is brave and should be like a sharp sword, cutting through thorns and expanding the territory for our dynasty. My thirteenth brother has the ability to solve cases, so I plan to have him serve in the Ministry of Justice, patrol the country, and monitor lawlessness."

With the emperor's words, Liu Yi and Liu Ke naturally expressed their opinions to the old saint who was on his deathbed.

"In my life, I like to lead troops to fight. Wherever Fourth Brother wants to fight, I will point my sword there."

"Me too, I'll do whatever Fourth Brother tells me to do!"

The three brothers held hands and swore an oath, with determination in their eyes.

The old saint could certainly tell that the expressions and words of the three men were sincere and they were not lying to him.

No matter what the future holds, at least we are brothers now, and that is enough!
"Hong'er..."

After taking care of my son, it’s time to worry about my grandson.

Just as the prince stepped forward, the old man waved to Jia Cong again: "Cong boy, come here too."

"Grandpa Huang..."

"saint……"

"It looks like it!"

The old man put Liu Hong and Jia Cong's hands together and looked at them carefully.

"In the beginning, Daishan and I were like you two brothers. I once told Madam that compared with my brothers, Daishan was more like my real brother..."

Except for Prince Ji Liu Huai, all the other old royal relatives in the palace looked unhappy.

When Liu Huai saw the expressions of these people, he just sneered in his heart.

Although he was young at that time, he remembered clearly how fierce the battle for the throne was.

Compared with those brothers who killed their brothers and those fence-sitters, isn't Jia Daishan, who can take the blame for his brother, a real brother?
"After I die, General Huwei will be handed over to Cong boy to take care of. Royal cat, royal cat, how can we live without a cat?"

"Yulin Lang will be incorporated into the Sixth Army of the Eastern Palace from now on..."

"Hong'er, don't learn from your father. Look at his belly. He's almost as big as a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy. Even if you don't go to the battlefield, you should go out and walk around more often..."

"Xiao Wu... Brother Shuo..."

Liu Shuo did not have the fortitude of his father, uncles, and brothers, and he had long since cried silently, with tears soaking his sleeves.

The old man rubbed his head with his hands, asked him to come closer, and whispered in his ear: "My dear grandson, Grandpa left a gift for you. It's with your royal grandmother... In the future, you should practice more with Master Wu, otherwise you will not be able to beat your wife..."

"Ahem~ Seventeenth brother, seventeenth brother!"

When the cough sounded, everyone in the bedroom felt their hearts in their throats.

Liu Huai stepped forward quickly and shook the old man's outstretched hand.

"Third brother, I'm here, I'm here!"

The old saint's face quickly turned red and his eyes became extremely sharp.

He seemed to have used up his last bit of strength, staring at Liu Huai: "Remember my words, whoever dares to break the rules I set, you will kill him for me!"

Bang~
Someone was frightened by these murderous words and accidentally bumped into the decorations in the hall.

But at this time, everyone had no time to care about these things, because the old man finally finished explaining the last thing. His face, which had been unusually red, quickly turned pale and his eyes became unfocused.

"How can I say that I have no clothes, but I share the same robe with you..."

"Who says I have no clothes? I share my robes with you. When the king raises his army, I will sharpen my spears. I share the same hatred with you..."

The old saint suddenly shouted excitedly: "Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!"

The old generals and veterans who rushed into the bedroom pushed aside the royal relatives kneeling in the hall, stood in neat rows, pointed their swords at the sky, and shouted in unison: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

pat~
The hand that once wielded a knife to drink the blood of the enemy and used a pen to bring peace to the people was ultimately unable to resist the fate of heaven and fell on the bed.

Wow…

The old generals who had originally stood with their chests straight and their swords drawn to the sky, all knelt down and cried out in grief.

"We respectfully send His Majesty the Khan to heaven!"

"Respectfully send Emperor Zhaowu to heaven!"

"Saint, slow down, wait for me brothers!"

……

Dang Dang Dang...

The Jingyang Bell rang for exactly eighty-one times.

At 1:00 p.m. on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the twelfth year of Yuanyou, Tian Khan, Emperor Zhaowu, died in the Huangji Hall of Longshou Palace.

At the moment the Jingyang Bell rang, countless people dressed in mourning and walked out of their homes holding incense and candles.

The whole capital city was filled with weeping. Regardless of the cold snow, everyone knelt down in the direction of the Dragon Head Palace to respectfully send off their saint.

Jia Cong walked out of the hall in a daze, and a blood-red color appeared in front of his eyes.

"Lao Zhang, Lao Zhang..."

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Duke of England Zhang Yue suddenly fall down.

Niu Jizong wanted to help, but he was already exhausted after guarding the Dragon Head Palace for several days, and both of them fell heavily to the ground.

The eunuchs and palace servants on the side were still paralyzed with fear, but Jia Cong put away the sadness in his heart, called the big general who was kneeling on the ground to come over, and carried the unconscious Duke of Ying Zhang Yue, who was vomiting blood and unconscious, and the old generals who were too sad to go to the side hall.

The men in the army no longer shed tears.

They will just suppress their sadness deep in their hearts and endure it silently until they can no longer bear it.

Less than half an hour after the saint passed away, Duke Yingguo Zhang Yue followed his king and left!

The Jingyang Bell rang again, and the forty-nine sounds made the capital city seem even more desolate.

He encouraged and supported himself to send the old generals and veterans back home. When night fell and there were no outsiders around him, Jia Cong sat alone in a side hall of the Dragon Head Palace, wiping away tears silently.

He still remembers the old saint rubbing his head and saying that he looked very much like his grandfather.

He still remembered that the old man took him to the imperial mausoleum to read Taizu's golden book and testament, saying that he was gifted with wisdom by God, and if he did not become a hero in troubled times, he would be a capable minister in peaceful times.

He still remembered that Liu Hong secretly told him that the old man was certain that he was a good omen for the Celestial Empire just because he was Jia Daishan's grandson, and repeatedly told the emperor not to be suspicious...

The big cat pushed open the palace door, lay down beside Jia Cong, and rubbed his legs while whimpering.

"The saint has passed away, my grandfather has passed away!"

How many people were really crying in front of the main hall?
The Duke of England vomited blood and followed the old emperor to die. Marshal Niu is still in a coma. Several old coaches and generals were so sad that they couldn't even get out of bed.

Jia Cong felt very irritated by the crying sounds in front of the palace.

He never shed a tear outside, but helped the already comatose prince deal with the national mourning.

The emperor finally couldn't hold on when the old man passed away.

The emperor, who was already ill, was forcibly carried back to the bedroom by Prince Jing, who ordered the imperial physician to force-feed him medicine and handed him over to the care of Empress Dowager Cao.

In today's national mourning, apart from the Ministry of Rites, all major matters are handled by Prince Jing Liu Yi, Prince Zhongshun Liu Ke, and Jia Cong.

When Jia Cong walked out of the side hall again, it was already dawn. Daiyu, dressed in mourning clothes, came forward and secretly handed him a letter.

"It was sent from the Imperial Mausoleum in Western Jing. Uncle Seven said that Dad wanted me to give it to you personally."

Daiyu's hands were unusually cold. She had entered the palace yesterday and stayed in the Cining Palace with several royal princesses to accompany the empress dowager.

Jia Cong pulled him into a side hall and asked a palace servant to bring him some porridge.

"Eat more. You'll be busy today."

His tone seemed no different from usual, but Daiyu and Jia Cong grew up together, so it was obvious that he was just pretending.

The old man treats him as his own grandson, so doesn't he treat the old man as his own grandfather?
"You should eat something too. You must not have had time last night..."

Jia Cong obediently put a piece of cake into his mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it.

Daiyu opened her mouth but in the end did not say anything to persuade her. She just silently picked up a piece of cake and ate it in small bites.

The letter was written by his father Jia She himself. It did not contain much content, but it was enough to shock the entire court.

The former King Zhongxin Liu Heng died. When the news of the old man's death reached the imperial mausoleum, Master She took action personally.

It turned out that the old man had already arranged for his father Jia She to leave the capital and wait for news at the imperial mausoleum.

"The Saint has really been worrying about the empire his entire life. Even if it was his most beloved youngest son, as long as he posed the slightest threat to the peace of the empire, he would help His Majesty deal with him before he died!"

This is why Master She did not appear in the Huangji Palace, because the emperor would not trust any other minister to do this matter except him.

Only Jia She, who was both a subject and a son, dared to kill Liu Heng without hesitation when he received the news of his death.

Jia Cong handed the letter to Daiyu, picked up the bowl on the table and swallowed the hot porridge in the bowl in big gulps.

Daiyu finished reading the letter in shock, but soon calmed down her anxiety and threw the letter into the stove. She waited until the letter paper was burned out before she said to Jia Cong, "Father is the person the old man trusts the most. Only when he handles the mausoleum affairs can the old man feel at ease."

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)