The Story of Leaping from the Dragon Gate

Everyone bowed their heads and turned their backs one after another, quietly wiping away their tears.Song Wei felt as if a barren saline-alkali land had grown in her heart, neither stagnant water nor grass grew.He sat blankly on the ground in front of the bed, and no one came to correct his posture.

Following the sound of hurried footsteps, Dugu Mian appeared at the door.Facing the emperor's eyes, he paused for a moment, and immediately stepped forward and knelt down: "Your Majesty!"

His lips trembled, his eyes were red, and he couldn't say another word.

The emperor stared at him for a while, then turned his head and glanced around again.

Excluding Yinghou and Weihou who failed to come back, there were three Dukes of the State and three Marquis Wu kneeling on the ground.Starting with the highly respected Duke of Ming, the six of them choked with sobs and said in unison: "The ministers and others swear to assist the prince, and dare not not work together and be loyal to each other. We will achieve great success with great plans. Please rest assured, Your Majesty." kowtow.

The emperor withdrew his gaze and landed on his youngest son.

After a long while, Song Wei finally came to his senses, wiped his nose, and said while sobbing: "Father, don't worry, I will definitely...be an emperor well. I promised you, in this life... I will never regret it. "

The emperor showed a slight smile and moved his fingers, as if he wanted to touch his Yao'er for the last time, but after all, he couldn't do what he wanted.When the eyes were closed and the breath stopped, the smile was permanently frozen on the face.

"Father? Father..." Song Wei murmured twice.After staring at the emperor for a while, he called again.I knew in my heart that the emperor was dead, but my mind hadn't twisted the string yet, and I always felt that my father would laugh and praise me again.

Although the rest of the people were sad, they had already prepared for it.The chamberlains waited to bathe and dress the emperor so that the funeral could begin.Seeing that the prince was sitting on the bed for a long time and did not get up, no one dared to disturb him.

Qingyun stepped forward cautiously, and said with tears in his eyes, "Your Highness, Your Majesty has already... ascended to Xianxian, Your Highness... please mourn."

no response.

The eldest grandson Ruchu couldn't stand it anymore, and slowly persuaded: "Your Highness, Your Majesty... Smiling nine springs, dying with no regrets... Your Highness, don't be too sad, and it is definitely not what Your Majesty would like to see."

"I know."

After Song Wei finished speaking, she slowly stood up while supporting the edge of the bed, turned around, and faced the important ministers who were kneeling all over the ground.

Everyone swallowed their grief and cried very restrainedly.Xianhou knelt at the end without even raising his head.He was in Gyeonggi before, and he didn't know about the pregnancy of the Crown Princess.I just found out when I entered the city today, and then I caught up with the emperor to die.At this moment, my heart was full of panic, and I didn't know how to face it.

Song Wei stared at the top of his head, thinking: Mother is gone.Dad is dead.After Dugu also left.But I had to stay, stay and be the emperor.

Tears flowed down his cheeks, and everyone else disappeared in a trance, only the cruel and heartless bastard who refused to look up was left in front of him.

He said softly: "After Dugu, my father is dead."

There should have been another sentence at the end: "Don't leave, okay?" For some reason, it seemed to be sealed by magic, and it was impossible to spit out even when I opened my mouth desperately.

The person in front of him didn't seem to hear, and remained motionless.

So he said again: "After Dugu, my father is dead... my father... is dead..."

Still no response.

Song Wei was suddenly very angry.The anger welled up in his heart, and instantly turned into endless despair and sadness, and he burst into tears with a "wow".

"Wuuu... Dugu... my father, uh, my father is dead... My father is... pissed off by me! He's so pissed off by me... Uh... woo..."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince cried so heartbroken, heartbroken, that he would recite it at any time, and everyone was terrified.Qingyun and Landi took turns to persuade, and the three princes comforted each other, but the crown prince seemed to only recognize Xianhou, and only said that my father was dead, his body was stiff, his eyes were staring, tears poured down, Si torrential, no response to other people's words and actions.

If this continues, there will definitely be problems.Several main characters turned their eyes to Xianhou, but they saw Xianhou raised his head and looked straight at the prince, like a wooden sculpture made of clay.

Cheng Guogong patted Xianhou's arm lightly: "Runze...Runze?"

Dugu stood up abruptly, startled Yu Wengao.

Dugu took two steps forward, approaching Song Wei.Reaching out to touch the back of her neck, Song Wei immediately collapsed and was hugged by him.

"The prince mourns too much, and needs to rest for a while. Chief Qingyun, I will take a small funeral today, and I will invite the prince again in two hours."

Hearing what Xianhou said, Qingyun turned to look at the other three Dukes.Seeing that they all nodded, they replied: "I would like to obey the order of Xianhou."

Dugu Mian walked straight into the Nuan Pavilion with Song Wei in his arms, and put her on the bed.Seeing his face wet with tears, like a kitten abandoned in the rain, he was embarrassed and pitiful.The dark circles under the black eyes, the sharp chin, and the light weight when hugged, all told him how hard it was for this one lying on the bed during this period of pain and suffering.He couldn't believe it, how could he be so cruel in the face of such mournful cries and cries that he wouldn't even give him a look.

For a moment, I don't want to think about anything else, I just want to guard him like this and let him have a good sleep.

Nearly two hours later, Lan Di came in quietly, bringing a bowl of ginseng soup and two filial piety clothes.

Dugu Mian changed his clothes first, then took off Song Wei's outer shirt, and changed them for him one by one.Then he half embraced the man in his arms, pinched his chin, and fed the ginseng soup spoon by spoon.

His timing was quite accurate, Song Wei woke up not long after finishing all this.The whole person was a little dazed, staring at the linen filial piety on his body for a long time before looking up at the person.Both eyes were swollen like dough cakes, and it was very difficult to open them fully, so I couldn't help but stretch out my hands to rub them.Dugu Mian grabbed his wrist to stop, took the handkerchief from Lan Di, and gently wiped away the tears on his face.

"Dukgo."

"Ah."

"My father is dead."

"Ah."

"My dad was so mad at me..."

"That's not the case." Dugu put down the veil, stood two steps away, and sat across from her, "Your Majesty is pleased with His Highness, and he walked away with peace of mind."

"I always quarrel with him and refuse to listen to him..."

"Your Majesty has had more genuinely joyful moments in the past two years than ever before, and several ministers can testify. If the sixth prince does not return, His Majesty will definitely die in regret."

After Song Wei heard this, she lowered her head and seemed to be thinking.After a while, he raised his head and asked, "My father is happy, what about you? Dugu, are you happy?"

Dugu's expression froze.Turning his head slowly, without looking at him again, he said with difficulty: "The king of Yanxi County... is presiding over the funeral ceremony. The crown prince... needs to be mourned and respectful, so let's... let's go."

Song Wei didn't answer his words, and stared directly at the opposite person with two red eyes: "I did what I was most afraid of doing, and I didn't like to do it, but you all wanted me to do it. After Dugu, Why... are you still unhappy?"

Dugu Mian suddenly stood up, took a deep breath, knelt down and saluted: "Your Highness, take care. I will take my leave first."

Get up and leave after speaking.

"and many more!"

Dugu didn't look back: "What else does Your Highness have to say?"

"Where are you going?"

"Your Majesty has passed away, and I am worried that the old father at home will not be able to overcome his grief and must return home to take care of him."

The old Hou Ye Duguchen has an extraordinary relationship with the emperor, and Duguchen's worry is very necessary.

Song Wei heard this, and said: "Then you go back, and bring two imperial doctors back, just in case."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Dugu Mian still didn't turn his head, but he didn't immediately take a step either.

After a dull silence, Song Wei heard him say: "Your Majesty's funeral will take place on the seventh day. During these seven days, the minister and Yihou will be on duty to guard the prince's spirit. Today, there will be Yihou Lao, and the minister will settle down with his father. He will definitely come tomorrow. This will continue until the funeral Bi, the crown prince ascends the throne."

After saying these words, Dugu Mian still stood still, as if waiting for an answer.

Song Wei looked at his back, and felt that it was meaningless to say anything.Slowly crawled off the bed, squinted his eyes and walked forward, like a zombie wandering.Passing by Dugu Mian, passing by, ignoring him.

But Dugu Empress couldn't help but say: "Where is your Highness going?"

"Go keep watch for my father..." Song Wei lost her mind and kept on stepping, as if she was about to trip over the threshold.

Dugu Mian pulled him back.With great force this time, he directly pulled the person into his arms.Looking down, tears had already crawled from the cheeks to the chin at some point.Stretching out his hand to wipe it away, he said in a low voice, "Don't cry... Your Majesty will be sad when he sees it." The words "You still have me" were still unable to come out.I can only let him stick to my chest, and let the hot tears become cold.

Song Wei pushed him away little by little, and finally stepped out of the door by herself.

After Dugu stood there for a long time, he turned around and left the palace to return home.

According to the arrangement agreed upon by the emperor himself, Zongzheng Siqing and the princes before his death, the funeral was carried out on the seventh day after his death, and the funeral was held in the West Palace.Then came the enthronement ceremony of the prince.The coffin was buried in the West Palace for three months, and was buried in the Northern Suburb Imperial Mausoleum after March.

The seven days from the small burial to the big burial are the time for the princes and grandchildren to watch the spirit day and night.The king is the father, the king is like a father to the subjects.Therefore, from the moment the bells and drums announced the funeral, the whole country respected filial piety in the dress of the bereaved father.Of course, it doesn't make sense for everyone to observe filial piety for three years and do nothing.The Xianxi Dynasty also followed the ancient system, replacing the moon with the day, and the officials and common people had to serve the emperor with filial piety for 36 days.After the clothes are released, the wedding and entertainment will be as usual.

As for the princes and grandchildren, of course they have to serve the deadline according to the rules, but there are also many flexibility.For example, the issue of marriage, assuming that the decision is made before the national funeral, or that the age cannot be delayed, or for political reasons, such as marriage and the like, the marriage should be married, and the marriage should be married.Another example is diet, alcohol is definitely not allowed, but meat is not forbidden.Otherwise, Xinhuang has been a vegetarian for three years and died of overwork due to malnutrition. How can he manage everything?

Generally speaking, the etiquette of the Xianxi Dynasty is very humane.In the early stages of her pregnancy, the crown prince's breath was unstable, and she was unable to come to observe her filial piety in person, so Zongzheng Temple sent a complete set of supplies to the prince's mansion, and asked her to congratulate her at home and express her condolences.

Among the important ministers, only the three princes and five princes are qualified to accompany the prince and grandson to guard the spirit for seven days.This fully expresses the trust of the royal family, and it is a great honor.But usually one or two meanings are enough, after all, the emperor is dead, and the court still needs to operate normally.Among the princes, those who are not in good health can't kneel for too long, and really follow the late emperor on the ground.

Song Wei returned to the bedroom, and the Prince of Yanxi had presided over the completion of the preparatory work step by step, and all the items were replaced with funeral rituals.Master Xuanqing and his disciples were reciting the requiem mantra.And the princes and grandchildren have already taken their positions, dressed in sackcloth and filial piety, and performed a round of crying and dancing rituals.

Song Wei stepped forward, without further ado, first helped up the three old men Ming Guogong, Xiang Guogong and Zhaohou, and asked someone to send them down to rest.He nodded again and accepted Cheng Guo's announcement of retirement.Then he knelt and sat beside the coffin, watching Zongzheng Siqing guide the princes and grandchildren to come up one by one to kneel down, cry and pray.He had cried enough before, and now he didn't want to cry anymore, he just wanted to sing an elegy for his father.The lyrics and melody echoed in my head over and over again, but no sound came out of my throat.

He thought, it turned out that he was really sad and sad, and could neither cry nor sing.

Dad left everything behind, but took away the support and shelter of his soul.

From now on, it's really... only me.

Only... myself...

Yihou Wei Guan put his hand on the scabbard and stood five steps away.It is not only to guard the spirit of the emperor, but also to protect the prince personally.A Marquis Wu here represents the family of the eight great heroes, and the posture of the eight major auxiliary ministers is enough to deter anyone who harbors dissenting ideas.

Song Wei thought: I have come to this point, even if I am alone, this time, I have to try hard and be the emperor.

At dusk, Cheng Guogong came again, holding a stack of imperial edicts in his hand.Song Wei took it over to take a look, it was a funeral announcement to the Siyi foreigners, and the crown prince needed to sign and seal it.

The other princes and grandchildren can take turns keeping watch.Only the prince, who has to guard the spirit and manage the government, really doesn't have much time to grieve.

Song Wei signed according to the regulations, and handed it to Lan Di to help seal it. Seeing that Yu Wengao hadn't left, he said, "Why, Master Yuwen wants to stay with my father for a while? Give you a futon?"

Yu Wengao couldn't express that he didn't want to stay with His Majesty's corpse any longer, so he hurriedly said: "When the Siyi and foreign tribes learned of His Majesty's death, they would definitely ask for a kowtow to send him a sacrifice. Whether they agree or not, they should be issued together with the imperial edict."

Song Wei asked: "What did you do in the past?"

"Usually foreign envoys go to the mountain to offer sacrifices during the burial period."

In other words, when the emperor was buried, the foreign envoys went to the emperor's tomb to be buried.Generally, from the death of the emperor to the burial, there are always several months of funeral period in between, just waiting for the funeral people to arrive.

Song Wei thought for a while, then asked, "What did Duke Ming say?"

"My lord Changsun said that the big trip will start in March, and it is early spring, and the bitter cold in the northwest is still there. Besides, the tribute has just ended in autumn, and the back and forth work is not conducive to the peace of the people."

Song Wei nodded: "You all mean that?"

"Exactly. I think His Majesty also intended to set the date of March. It's just... so, the funeral will be lonely, and it doesn't match the merits of His Majesty's life..."

Song Wei understands that the primary reason why the old father appointed three months in advance for burial at such an unembarrassing time is probably to prevent the Tibetan family members from making troubles by hanging filial piety.

"Then tell them not to come. The funeral is as lonely as it gets, and Dad probably doesn't care. It happens to be his [-]th birthday in a year. When the time comes, I will give him a shady life and make it more lively. It’s good to show the merits of a lifetime.”

Yu Wengao felt that the prince's idea was good, agreed, and took the order to leave.

The next day, Xianhou replaced Yihou and stood in the same position, guarding the crown prince.Dugu Mian stood there silently, watching His Highness the Crown Prince sitting cross-legged on the futon, leaning on the emperor's coffin, dealing with all kinds of urgent affairs related to the emperor's death and funeral, in an orderly and calm manner.He can still do business while chatting with the dead emperor.When Zongzheng Siqing appeared and guided the princes and grandchildren to cry and kneel down according to the etiquette, the prince behaved sincerely and solemnly again, which was a model.

Dugu looked at Song Wei in this state, he knew that he should feel relieved and stable, but his heart felt like a deep hole had been dug, bloody and bleak.