Bastard's Counterattack [Rebirth]

When the empress passed away, the civil and military officials in Beijing and the royal clan must abide by the cumbersome etiquette of the funeral, and ordinary people were required to wear plain clothes for three days as usual.

"The empress passed away yesterday." Wearing plain clothes, Rong Kaiji solemnly told the butler: "Old Li, you remind me inside and out, don't break the taboo, the officers and soldiers of the city guards carry knives to supervise and patrol day and night."

"Hey, okay." Li Shun's voice was loud, his hands and feet were quick, he carefully counted the burdens piled up on half the table, and he said cheerfully: "Don't worry, although we are ordinary people, we are living at the root of the imperial city anyway, and the rules can't be wrong , all of them are wearing plain clothes."

"What about in the shop?" Rong Kaiji asked with concern.

"Lao Jiang manages the shop very well. As soon as the news came out yesterday, the bright-colored fabrics from our cloth shop were immediately put into the warehouse, and they will be hung out after a while." Li Shun replied.

"That's good." Rong Kaiji nodded in satisfaction.He kept moving his hands, wrapped a set of snow green and a set of dark blue silk robes into the furskin and tied them up, worrying about the matter, and arranged solemnly, "Let's pack these things into two boxes, one box of clothes, shoes and socks , a box of food and sundries, and send it to brother as soon as possible. Alas, seeing that it’s hot, he only brought a few sets of laundry clothes when he went to the post, and they were all made of thick wool, so he couldn’t wear them.”

"I'll pack up the box this morning, and I'll go to the ferry in the afternoon to find out, and I'll send it to the young master in the morning!" Li Shun said cheerfully.

"Cough, cough, cough~" The seasons change, and it turns warm and cold. Rong Kaiji suffered from a cough. He bent over and coughed for a while before straightening up. He waved to the concerned housekeeper: "I'm fine." He nodded his cloth. Zhuang Xiuniang hurriedly made the robes for her son, and kindly instructed: "Old Li, when you turn around, you can quietly remind Lao Jiang that my brother is no longer the same as before. He is the magistrate in Xizhou, so he must be prudent in his words and deeds. Make it more mature for him, don't be too bright. If you are not sure, you can pay attention to the clothes of the Beijing officials, and it will not be far off."

"That's right!" Li Shun agreed deeply, "I must remind him, the young master is the official of Yizhou's parents, so it's really not good to dress too brightly. Oh, by the way, Mr. Yu sent some copybooks after school yesterday, saying It was conveyed on behalf of his uncle, and they were all sent to Xizhou by boat, so that the young master can enjoy it in his free time."

"Really?" Rong Kaiji smiled and said cheerfully: "Since it's brother and uncle's wish, then don't forget, you must remember to pack it."

"I can't forget, I'll go and pack it now, the bottom of the box is just right." Li Shun did what he said, busy in a gust of wind, the master and the servant happily sorted out the things to be delivered to Rong Youtang.

——As long as the emperor is not dead, as long as life is peaceful and stable, then the death of the empress or other relatives of the emperor has little to do with ordinary people.

When the empress died, the common people would at most discuss a few words about the candidate for the crown prince in private, but they were most concerned about their own firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea.

However, the Queen's death is of great significance to civil and military officials and relatives of the emperor.

After becoming a country, as long as she was not abolished during her lifetime, her funeral is undoubtedly the highest standard.

But Empress Yang's funeral was very regular. Emperor Chengtian had no will, so there was nothing to add. Outsiders looked at the grand ceremony, but insiders with discerning eyes felt murmured.

Since the eldest princess passed away, the palace once again ushered in a funeral, and a string of white lanterns replaced the scarlet.Especially in the Mitai Hall where the corpses were buried, there were solemn and sorrowful mourning music, choked up crying, and people coming and going in linen and filial piety.

Mourning and mourning, the royal family and relatives are busy.Among them, Concubine Han's mother and son were busier than others, but they were in a particularly happy mood, which can be said to be extremely busy.

At the same time, Emperor Chengtian rested again, handed over the affairs of state to his eldest son, and handed over the funeral of his wife to the Ministry of Rites. Naturally, Concubine Han was in charge of the harem.

Inside Qianming Palace

Emperor Chengtian was lying on his back with his eyes closed, the bright yellow silk was covered to his chest, he was wearing pajamas of the same color, his hands were clasped on his abdomen, the backs of his hands were very thin, and the veins were protruding.

"Father?" The eldest prince called softly. He bowed his head and stared at his old and frail father.

"Huh? Ah, what's the matter?" Emperor Chengtian, who seemed to be asleep, opened his cloudy and lifeless eyes like a dream, and turned his head slowly.

The eldest prince hastily knelt down, knelt down in front of the footrest, and reported respectfully: "Father, my son just said: Because the empress is dead, the imperial brother's southward team stopped at the Yunmen Ferry, a thousand miles away from the capital, and he was burning with worry." , fell ill. And according to the etiquette system, the prince is supposed to go to the funeral, but the prince who has divided the fiefdom must be summoned by the imperial decree before he can return to Beijing, my son, please show me."

"What, what ferry?" Emperor Chengtian was confused, his voice was hoarse and weak.

"Yunmen Ferry. After disembarking there, Brother Huang will go overland. If there are no accidents, it is estimated that we will arrive in Guangnan Prefecture in early May." The eldest prince repeated patiently, always telling himself to tighten his face and remain sad .In fact, he was jumping with joy and excitement, and it took all his strength to suppress his ecstasy.

"Oh. Cough, cough, cough..." Emperor Chengtian let out a series of coughing sounds, and the gray-haired old man sank deep into the pile of bright yellow bedding, exuding a strong and weak breath.

"Father? Father, are you alright?" The eldest prince didn't take his eyes off, leaned over and asked with concern, but the secret and dark longing in his bones couldn't be suppressed, screaming and screaming outward, making him anxious and his heart beating like a drum.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty? I beg your condolences, please take care of the dragon's body." Li Deying's eyes were flushed, and he asked for instructions in horror: "Your Highness, should this old slave go to the imperial doctor?"

"Hmm." The eldest prince waved his hand majestically, Li Deying lowered his eyes, and quickly walked outside the screen to order the imperial eunuch to pass on the imperial doctor quickly, but he still returned to the inner room, and loyally guarded the old emperor with Cao Liqun, the commander of the imperial army, and his subordinates.

"I, I'm fine, I can hold on for now." After calming down, Emperor Chengtian raised his skinny right hand, gasping for breath, and asked sadly, "You, you just said that Zexiang had arrived in Guangnan Prefecture safely? Oh, why is he sick again? Is he very sick?"

The eldest prince was stunned, stunned, and thought to himself: What is this mess?When did I ever say that?

tsk~

Father Huang is old, really old, deaf and blind, sick and confused.

Flashlight!

"No—" The eldest prince just opened his mouth to deny and explain, but suddenly closed his mouth, thinking that he had been fascinated by a ghost, and acquiesced by accident, the hand hidden under the sleeve of the wide robe clenched hard, and the knuckles turned white.

"I ask you, is Xiang'er seriously ill? Is he not acclimatized?" Emperor Chengtian asked feebly.

The coveted throne, the Ninth Five-Year Supreme... Ever since the empress died of illness, the eldest prince has raised his eyebrows, was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night.At this moment, his mind was in a turmoil, and his confidence was severely lacking, so he blurted out a compliment: "Father is wise, you really predict things like a god."

"Hey. Pass down the decree to urge the accompanying imperial doctor to take good care of him. Guangnan Prefecture is humid and hot, and it is inevitable that Zexiang will not be acclimatized. What about your nephews? Is the emperor and grandson all right?" Emperor Chengtian said to himself Words, coughing and panting, chattering.

I told a lie at the beginning, and then I had to rack my brains to complete the lie.

The First Prince bit the bullet and replied: "Don't worry, your nephews and nieces are safe, and there is no news of acclimatization."

"Okay, that's good." Emperor Chengtian nodded in relief, and seemed to be a little more sober, and said earnestly: "I have to rest for a while, and you are in charge of the affairs of the court. My son, remember to ask the senior ministers for advice when you encounter problems. They have rich management experience, if you really can't make up your mind, then, come and report to me, understand?"

The eldest prince lowered his head, avoiding his father's gaze, and replied respectfully: "I remember it."

"Well, good, good." Chengtian Emperor's lips were pale, his mouth was half open, and he suddenly coughed violently, his eyes were full of tears, his face was livid, his eyes were straight, and everyone present was terrified. ".

Li Deying knelt down, walked to the dragon bed, and shouted tremblingly: "Your Majesty? What's wrong with you, Your Majesty? Don't scare the old slave!"

The eldest prince's heart was beating wildly, he could hardly breathe, his eyes were wide open and he watched nervously, at a loss what to do.

Fortunately, the imperial doctors were on standby day and night in the side hall, and rushed to the hospital with their medical kits on their backs as soon as the order was given.

"Move faster!"

The eldest prince sternly ordered: "Hurry up and think about it, if your Majesty has something wrong, I will only ask you from the Taitai Hospital!"

"Yes."

"Your Highness, please rest assured, this old man will definitely do his best." The imperial doctor replied tremblingly.

"Eunuch Li?" The eldest prince stood up straight and retreated a foot away from the dragon bed.

"The old slave is here." Li Deying was in a state of desperation, even though he was the head of the inner court, he was only an eunuch and had no right to disobey the prince, so he hurriedly bowed and trotted towards the dragon bed from the corner of his eye, worried about Emperor Chengtian.

The eldest prince stretched the sleeves of his robe slowly, and ordered solemnly: "My Highness has to go to the imperial study to deal with the court affairs. Your Majesty, you will take care of me carefully, and you must not be negligent in the slightest."

"Yes."

"Your Majesty needs to recuperate. If anyone comes to visit, you should be smart and block it appropriately. Don't let the old man worry about you." The eldest prince said again.

"Old slave understands."

"Go ahead." The eldest prince walked away with his chin on one side, his head held high and his chest held high.

half an hour later

Ambergris scented in the exquisite tripod sapphire incense burner, and the room was quiet.

Emperor Chengtian was still lying on his back, but his eyes regained clarity and wisdom, and he said coldly: "See? I may have lived too long and become a disgusting old immortal."

"Your Majesty, calm down." Li Deying also returned to his calm and submissive appearance.

"People's hearts are people's hearts." Emperor Chengtian sighed, and said indifferently: "At the moment of national mourning, let's see how he responds, so as not to complain in the future that I didn't give him a chance."

Li Deying sincerely comforted: "Your Majesty, please rest for a while? His Royal Highness King Qing will definitely bring His Royal Highness to visit you in the evening. When the time comes, His Highness will be so worried when they see you like this."

Emperor Chengtian closed his eyes and didn't say anything, his face was drawn long, obviously disappointed.

When the empress died, the common people in the capital paid more attention to it, but in other provinces, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, and many secluded villages and towns had never even heard of it.

Rong Youtang has been very busy recently. He has grown taller and lost half a circle of weight at the same time. His young body is well-proportioned and straight. After taking off his winter clothes, he put on a thin spring shirt, looking like a jade tree facing the wind, handsome and graceful.

At the foot of Mugui Mountain in Shun County, the sun is shining brightly.

The two sides confronted each other for a whole morning. Rong Youtang was so hot that he was sweating profusely. He was wearing a scarlet magistrate's official uniform embroidered with clouds and wild goose. His appearance was elegant, but his eyes were cold and stern. The entire Mugui Mountain belongs to Xizhou! Master Yuan, did you not see the boundary markers along the way?"

"boundary marker?"

"It was moved artificially, so it cannot be counted!" Yuan Bai, the magistrate of Diaozhou, confronted him tit-for-tat, and retorted confidently: "My lord Rong came to take office for the first time, you don't know, Xizhou is next to Diaozhou, and Shun County is big and small. The banditry has been going on for decades, and the bandits are rampant. The boundary markers have been messed up by them. For example, the piece you mentioned is only half left, crooked, and the inscriptions are vague and unrecognizable. Therefore, Mu Guitie The mine should be jointly owned by Diaozhou and Xizhou.”

Hmph, brazen, messing around, do you want to grab it?

"Master Yuan's words are wrong. Bandits are rampant, but what are they doing to move the boundary markers? Stones can't be chewed and can't be exchanged for money and food." Rong Youtang was unceremonious, sonorous, and decisive: "From ancient times to the present, Mu Gui The mountain belongs to Xizhou completely!"

The two groups of people surrounded their respective prefects, glared at each other, their swords were drawn, and the atmosphere was extremely unfriendly.

Yuan Bai's face was gloomy, and he asked angrily: "So, Mr. Rong is planning to occupy the entire iron mine? Are you going too far?"