In the back garden of the Chengguo Palace.
Because it was the mourning period, everyone in the family was frugal and simple. Although it was a banquet, it was actually mostly cold dishes, with only a few hot dishes, mostly vegetarian, and no alcohol.
After everyone sat down, Zhu Yi apologized.
"During the mourning period in the mansion, I have been slow to treat a few uncles. Please forgive me."
Seeing this, Chen Mao waved his hands and said: "What are you talking about? We have been friends with Duke Cheng Guo for many years. Now during the mourning period, we are also extremely grieved. At this moment, there is another
A good banquet is also a meal that is not satisfying to the taste."
After the words fell, Jiao Jing and Ren Li also echoed, with a look of sadness on their faces.
Zhu Yi was stunned for a moment. For some reason, her eyes were red. She raised her cup of tea and said.
"The world is in a hot and cold world, and human relationships are cold and warm. True friendship can only be seen in times of adversity. My uncle is kind and righteous. My nephew uses tea instead of wine to honor his uncles on behalf of my father."
Chen Mao and others also raised glasses to each other. After drinking, Chen Mao asked with concern.
"I heard what the young prince said, but some people are not discerning and think that the title of the Duke of Chengdu is always uncertain, so they are looking down on the young prince?"
To say that the title has not yet been decided is actually putting it mildly.
In fact, the emperor allowed Zhu Yi to be buried, but in terms of funeral regulations, he was only willing to give Zhu Yong the rites of Duke Zhu Yong. This is already a very obvious signal.
The issue of etiquette is a very serious issue. Zhu Yong's death is not only related to himself, but also to the Duke Chengguo.
As a duke with great military exploits, his funeral was downgraded, which basically meant that the title of Duke Cheng Guo would also be downgraded accordingly.
As for whether to be demoted to a marquis or an earl, it depends on the subsequent game in the court and the emperor's discretion.
Moreover, even if it is a downgraded attack seal, it may be difficult to obtain it in a short period of time.
The reason why Zhu Yong was demoted after his death was because of the crime of defeat.
The court now only allows burial, but does not explicitly pardon the crime. Therefore, if you want to get the title, you must either strive to ensure that Zhu Yong is not guilty, or you have to wait for a chance to be pardoned.
The former is basically hopeless. When the War of Oara just ended, Zhu Yi ran away for so long, and many nobles came forward to intercede, but the court refused to give in, let alone now.
As for the latter, you need to be patient.
There is nothing worthy of amnesty at the moment. The only time when sins may be pardoned is when the East Palace leaves the pavilion to study.
But, that will have to be at least several years later.
So in fact, Zhu Yi organized Zhu Yong's funeral, which actually made the situation of the Chengguo Palace even worse.
In the past, although people were panicked, there was no final conclusion, but now, the future is basically certain, and there must be many people who are willing to take advantage of the high and despise the low.
When this matter was mentioned, Zhu Yi's face became a little unhappy. He sighed and said.
"Shibo, there is no need to put it so euphemistically. My nephew knows the situation that Duke Cheng Guo is facing now. I am afraid that my ancestral family will not be able to keep it when it comes to my nephew."
As he spoke, Zhu Yi's face showed a burst of anger and resentment, and he said.
"It's pitiful that my father was loyal to the country all his life and died in battle, but he was accused of being a mourner and humiliating the country. After his death, he couldn't be buried with his name. Now, there are still young people talking nonsense in front of his old man's funeral. He only hates his nephew.
Being incompetent, I can only swallow my anger and disgrace my ancestors' honor."
By the end of her words, Zhu Yi's tone was filled with guilt, and her eyes were getting redder.
Seeing how excited he was, Chen Mao exchanged glances with the two people opposite him. Immediately, with a gentle smile on his face, he asked Zhu Yi.
"Logically speaking, I shouldn't make random inquiries, but after all, I have been friends with your father for generations. I deeply regret the current situation. In terms of court affairs, I cannot protect myself, and I may not be able to help the government.
"
"However, I can never sit back and watch others bully my nephew at will. I wonder if my nephew said that someone made nonsense in front of the grave of Duke Chengguo, but was he referring to Wang Wen?"
Zhu Yi calmed down and opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't speak.
Seeing this, Chen Mao continued: "My nephew, don't be surprised. We heard a few words vaguely outside the mourning hall just now, so we asked this question. If my nephew feels it's hard to say it, just don't say it."
The words seemed a bit distant. Zhu Yi was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and said.
"Shibo has misunderstood. You and my father are family friends. How can my nephew be unreasonable? However, Wang Wen is a confidant of the emperor and a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Now he has great power in the court. He came to show off his power in front of my father's soul. My nephew
Just keep silent and endure it. If you tell the uncle, I'm afraid it will bring trouble to the uncle, that's all."
Chen Mao sighed, but his face became gentler and he said.
"My nephew is too worried. I and Wang Wen are not very good at dealing with each other. The ministers in the court are afraid of him, but we and other nobles are not afraid of him. What happened, you can tell me directly, but you can't
Whatever happens to him, I can also find a few nobles to jointly write a book for him and let him have a taste."
At this time, Ren Li also nodded and said: "That's right. We have a noble title, and he is the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. What can he do to us?"
So, Zhu Yi hesitated, sighed, and said.
"Thank you very much, uncles. But, alas, speaking of it, it's actually not a big deal. After my father died in the war, my nephew has been trying to think of ways to clear his name and get his title back, but to no avail."
"So my nephew was confused for a moment, and he had a weird idea. He thought of taking advantage of the palace draft to send his mother's cousin to the palace to please the emperor, and maybe there would be a turn for the better."
"But later, rumors spread in the capital. When His Majesty found out about this, he summoned my nephew to the palace and gave him a severe scolding. He said that my nephew had evil intentions and was trying to gain a fortune, which had brought disgrace to his ancestors."
"Then, the emperor directly crossed out the cousin from the list and asked the nephew to go back to his hometown to think about his mistakes. The next day, the palace issued a decree to let the nephew go to Yao'erling for burial."
Chen Mao and others exchanged looks, as if that was indeed the case.
They had already made guesses about the inside story of Zhu Yi sending Wang's daughter into the palace and later the emperor summoning him, but they had never been able to confirm it.
Now it was finally confirmed that what they had guessed was correct. The relationship between the Chengguo Palace and the Emperor was completely broken down on this matter.
As the initiator of the rumors, Chen Mao frowned without revealing anything on his face.
"This cannot be said to be your fault. In the final analysis, you just wanted to avenge your father. Although the method was inappropriate, His Majesty's reprimand and such a decree were a bit excessive."
Regarding this comment, Zhu Yi was silent for a moment and did not continue, but continued.
"My nephew thought that this matter should be over here, but unexpectedly, after my nephew returned to Beijing, many ministers in the court knew about it and were very contemptuous of my nephew. Wang Wen just died in front of the funeral
, which is to warn my nephew to stay safe and be grateful for God’s grace, and to ridicule his secretive things in words.”
"In the past, I would have let it go, but in front of my father's funeral, alas..."
Zhu Yi's expression was complicated, and she couldn't help but punch the table, and her breathing became a little heavy.
After a moment, he sighed and said.
"Actually, Wang Wen is not alone. A few days ago, when Yu Shaobao and Chen Zongxian came to pay their respects, they also mentioned this matter, but they were not so straightforward. My nephew was also angry for a moment, and just now
…”
After hearing the whole story, Chen Mao thought thoughtfully.
"It turns out that Yu Shaobao, Chen Zongxian, and Wang Tianguan are all close ministers of the emperor. Rumors have been circulating in the past few days. They will inevitably ask the emperor more questions. With their status, the emperor will not hide anything from them.
Looking at them, it's just that Wang Jianzhai's words are a bit unpleasant to listen to, but those rotten civil servants have always been like this, so don't worry about it."
Zhu Yi looked sad and said: "Having said that, such a thing now not only offends the emperor, but also offends these civil servants. I'm afraid that in the future... Oh, let's not talk about this. Several uncles just said,
I need my nephew to help me with something, what is it?"
This chapter has been completed!