[These chapters have been difficult to write recently, and I can’t always make up for them...]

It was just after the fifth watch, and there was already a faint light in the sky.

A Dragon Guard School official held the ceremonial command knife on his waist and trotted up the steps of Taihe Gate from the side.

After stepping onto the high steps, he first glanced at the 2,500 Dragon Guards who were gathering in the night. When he saw the shadowy figures, he couldn't see clearly. Then he quickly walked to Zhou Mo in the center and bowed slightly.

Said: "Lord Chang Shi, everything has been arranged."

Zhou Mo, who looked tired, looked away from Jinshui Bridge Square, rubbed the corners of his dry eyes and asked, "Is there anything unusual?"

"Nothing unusual was seen."

"That's good."

Zhou Mo resisted the urge to yawn, raised his hand and patted the general on the shoulder, and said: "Song Qianhu, from now on I will completely rely on you and Li's brothers."

"Don't worry, Chang Shi, the general will definitely guard the prince's carriage!"

Zhou Mo nodded with satisfaction at Song Qianhu's categorical guarantee. Song Qianhu was the nephew of Princess Zhongshun, and he was able to join the Dragon Guard because of his connections with the palace.

It's a pity that the prince didn't attach much importance to this relationship at the beginning, otherwise the other party wouldn't be just a small Qianhu.

After trying his best to help the prince, Song Qianhu said a few words. Zhou Mo looked at the time and said, "It's time for the prince to get up. I'll go over and take a look first - if there's any trouble here, whether it's good or bad, remember

We must report it to the prince as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Zhou Changshi - Zhou Changshi walks slowly."

After watching Zhou Mo disappear behind the Gate of Supreme Harmony, Song Qianhu straightened his back and returned to the vicinity of Jinshui Bridge.

His team is in the second battalion from the left. It is said to be a battalion, but in fact it only has more than a hundred people. In the Dragon Guard, Qianhu only has an official position, not the actual number of troops leading the troops. At this time, he is already under the guidance of Deputy Qianhu.

The columns have been lined up, and clothing, weapons and ammunition are being inspected according to regulations.

Seeing that Song Qianhu had returned, the deputy hurriedly stepped forward and made a simple report.

Hearing that none of his officers and soldiers were absent, Song Qianhu nodded first, and then ordered: "Pass the order, all officers should be armed with live ammunition to be ready."

"this……"

The thousands of households looked troubled when they heard this. The Dragon Guards were no different from other places. They were guarding the important area of ​​the palace. In order to avoid the accident of passing through the palace, according to the rules, the bullets were separated from the guns and the bullets were temporarily loaded when necessary.

If there is an important occasion, you need to be even more cautious.

Song Qianhu glared and shouted: "If you are told to give orders, just give them, what about this and that?!"

That Qianhu had no choice but to obey the order obediently and summoned the officers in the team to convey Song Qianhu's order.

Although this battalion only had more than a hundred people, officers accounted for almost one-third. When they heard that they were going to be armed with live ammunition, many people had strange expressions on their faces, but no one raised any questions.

Only one householder complained: "I heard that the three major battalions have begun to issue continuous muskets. As long as the bolt is not pulled, the gun will not be loaded. Unlike old antiques like us, we have to worry about loading the bullet."

This was obviously not the first time that everyone had complained about this matter. After hearing these hundreds of households taking the lead, they started talking about it.

"Yes, we are the Dragon Guards. Logically speaking, we should be the first to install this volley of muskets, but why did we end up being adopted by our stepmother?"

"What can the three major battalions do outside the city? Isn't it just a waste of money to give them the muskets?"

"If you want me to say..."

"alright!"

At this time, there was a scolding from outside the circle, but Song Qianhu saw everyone talking and thought he was dissatisfied with his order, so he quietly came over to hear what was going on, but it turned out that he was complaining about the volley of guns again.

thing.

He immediately shouted low and said angrily: "When did this get so noisy? Isn't it just a volley of muskets? I'll mention it to the superiors later and promise to let the head of the second battalion on the left wing change his uniform.

Is it finally done?"

The leading few households immediately began to flatter themselves when they heard this. It was not until Song Qianhu got tired of hearing this that he told them to get out, and then everyone dispersed.

the other side.

Zhou Mo finally woke up King Zhongshun from his sweet dream. The master and servant hurriedly put on their mourning clothes and rushed to Fengtian Hall - the Emperor's coffin was originally laid in Renshou Hall, but was temporarily transferred to Fengtian Hall yesterday.

, so that it can be more convenient during the funeral.

At that time, the sky was getting brighter and dozens of large cars were parked in the square near the gate.

When passing by, King Zhongshun subconsciously looked for his carriage, but unexpectedly found that right behind his carriage, Jiao Shun was sitting astride the shaft of a carriage, holding the reins and asking the driver beside him something.

"Is that the Prince's bicycle frame?"

King Zhongshun raised his finger and pointed at Jiao Shun and said, "What does Jiao Changqing mean? Does he want to drive the car for the prince himself?"

"this……"

Zhou Mo was also a little confused when he saw this scene, so he asked King Zhongshun to go to the nearby area later and came back shortly to report: "It's escorting the car, not driving it. I heard that it was the Queen and Concubine Wu who were worried, so they specially ordered

Got his name."

"I said so."

King Zhongshun nodded slightly and looked happy. Although Jiao Changqing was not as important as the prince, if something unexpected happened, he could still be used as a small bargaining chip.

However, looking at Jiao Shun's majestic figure and thinking that his own carriage was not far away from the prince's carriage, he couldn't help but worry, and whispered in a low voice: "This will not make me sing the king of assassination."

Shall I kill you?"

"My lord, you are worrying too much."

Zhou Mo said with a smile: "Nowadays, life and death depends on firearms. If he dares to show off his bravery, he will be asking for death."

King Zhongshun thought the same. Those brave men in the play were a joke in the age of firearms. Moreover, Jiao Shun was not a well-known warrior, but a civil servant who was born as a domestic slave.

He immediately ignored it and led Zhou Mo into the Fengtian Hall.

And at the same time.

Mrs. Wang and Xue Baochai, also mixed in with a group of relatives and married women, came to the front of the motorcade and started to take a walk.

Their task is to help the concubines out of Fengtian Palace and then get on their respective luan chariots. If they go wrong, it will not only be a joke.

So everyone, under the guidance of the palace maid, walked around seven or eight times, noted down their respective points, and then was brought back to the side hall.

On the way, she bumped into Jiao Shun rushing to Fengtian Temple. When she saw him from a distance, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but stepped down.

Xue Baochai was following behind with her head lowered, but when she saw Mrs. Wang stopping and looking into the distance, she quickly stopped her feet and looked along, but she met Jiao Shun's eyes.

Baochai looked at him calmly for a moment, then lowered his head and gently pushed Mrs. Wang's arm.

Only then did Mrs. Wang react and stepped forward hurriedly.

After returning to the side hall, she had nothing to say and asked: "Bao Yatou, what did you mean when you said he asked someone to deliver a message yesterday?"

Xue Baochai glanced at Mrs. Wang and said calmly: "It's not too late to discuss it when we see the empress."

Although the daughter-in-law's attitude here is still cold, it is already a big improvement for Mrs. Wang.

At the moment, she was preparing to continue her efforts, but she didn't expect that a fierce quarrel suddenly broke out.

Looking around, it was Mrs. Zhou's wife who was arguing with someone.

But it turned out that the Zhou family was Concubine Rong's natal family. This time, all the concubines and above were allowed to declare to accompany her, except the Zhou family.

This week, Madam was already feeling anxious and aggrieved, but she happened to encounter someone deliberately saying something negative and yang-yang, and a quarrel suddenly broke out.

When Mrs. Wang thought of her daughter's situation, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad. She sighed: "I really don't know what taboo this Concubine Rong has committed. I heard that she only appeared in the mourning hall once in many days. Now she is not even dead."

No one knows how to survive.”

"What does this have to do with us?"

Xue Baochai replied calmly, "Madam, you'd better care about the present first."

Although Mrs. Wang encountered a soft nail inexplicably, she thought about it for the same reason. It was impossible for Concubine Rong to have any interaction with her family. Instead of caring about her life and death, it was better to think more about her own current situation.

So I watched my nose and heart with my eyes and no longer paid attention to the excitement in the Zhou family.

In fact, the excitement didn't last long. The two parties were separated, and the one who started the trouble was severely reprimanded. Mrs. Zhou was even dragged out of the side hall by several palace maids, and she was taken to an unknown location.

.

Around Chen time, the buzzing sound of nine floor-length trombones was heard, shaking the surrounding area. The ladies hurriedly walked out of the side hall according to the order, and knelt down on the right side of the royal road.

Mrs. Wang and other relatives who had reported their names went straight to the mourning hall in the main hall under the guidance of the palace maid. After entering the hall, they walked around against the wall and stood behind their mother-in-law with their hands down.

Compared to the large number of concubines, there were surprisingly few men on the opposite side. Apart from the prince and King Zhongshun, there were only two pavilion elders, the Minister of Rites, and Mr. Jiao present - of course, if those without eggs were included,

That's a lot.

Seeing that everyone was in their respective places, King Zhongshun stepped forward to ask for instructions from the Queen Mother, then stood in front of the memorial tablet without any hesitation, pulled out the eulogy he had prepared long ago, and began to recite it in a rhythmic tone.

During this period, everyone was sobbing softly. When the memorial was finished, the crying suddenly became louder. The ministers and wives outside also echoed, and the sound of crying inside and outside the palace was loud.

At this time, Mrs. Wang and Xue Baochai hurriedly followed the previous drill and knelt down beside Concubine Xiande, holding her on the left and right.

"The auspicious time has come, let's raise the coffin~!"

Following a shout from the Minister of Rites, thirty-two young eunuchs rushed forward and slowly lifted the huge golden nanmu coffin.

At the same time, the high-ranking concubines led by the empress reached out to grab the coffin with heartbreaking heart, as if they were trying to block the car at all costs, but in the end they failed due to the "desperate" efforts of the mother's family to block it.

It wasn't until the coffin was carried out of the door that the concubines, who were shouting hoarsely, stopped and walked out with help from the left and right while crying.

Jiao Shun also got a similar job, but he was too tall. Compared with the eight-year-old prince, the so-called support was like an eagle catching a chick.

King Zhongshun saw this from the side and couldn't help but secretly despise: How can an eight-year-old prince rule the world?

He was blowing and crying all the way.

The coffin went through the main entrance of the Royal Road, while the casual funeral carriage went through another route. It wasn't until they came to the square in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony that the two gradually merged. At the same time, there were 2,500 white people merging.

Dragon Guard officers and soldiers wearing white armor.

"Your Majesty."

Zhou Mo quietly came closer, took over the eunuch who was supporting King Zhongshun, and whispered in a low voice: "The person escorting the prince's carriage is indeed someone from Song Qianhu."

King Zhongshun's last worry suddenly disappeared.

How the funeral procession left the palace, how it left the city, and how it rushed to the imperial mausoleum in the western suburbs will not be discussed in detail.

But when he finally got on the carriage safely, Xue Baochai saw that apart from himself and Mrs. Wang, there was only one person waiting in the carriage with Qin in his arms, so he immediately said to Jia Yuanchun: "Your Majesty, Master Jiao asked Third Sister to send a message yesterday.

We must follow the Queen’s carriage closely.”

Jia Yuanchun was asking his mother to greet her. After hearing this, he immediately became solemn and asked, "Besides, what else did he say?"

Baochai shook his head: "The third sister said this is the only thing."

Jia Yuanchun couldn't help but murmur when he heard this, and frowned: "This should be a reminder to us, but why did he take such a roundabout way? It should be easier for my third sister to see me recently than it is to see you."

"this……"

Mrs. Wang glanced at Baochai subconsciously. She thought that this might be Jiao Shun deliberately showing favor to Baochai, but it was difficult to clarify this matter with her daughter, so she said vaguely: "Maybe he has other considerations.

.”

Jia Yuanchun nodded thoughtfully, and immediately took the piano and handed it to the coachman.

After Baoqin carefully walked around to the front, Yuanchun asked again: "A few days ago, my mother sent a message saying that the matter has been settled, but I don't know how Master Jiao responded? And when are you going to come forward?"

"this……"

Mrs. Wang couldn't help but glance at Baochai again, and then said: "Chang Qing didn't elaborate, but he will definitely help. Otherwise, he wouldn't go out of his way to remind us."

Yuanchun was obviously not satisfied with this evasive answer, so he simply asked: "Did mother promise anything?"

"this……"

Just as Mrs. Wang was about to look at Xue Baochai again, she was given a sideways glance by Baochai. She quickly withdrew her gaze and said firmly: "Don't worry, he will definitely not sit idly by and ignore it!"

My mother still refused to speak clearly, but her attitude was very firm.

Yuanchun hesitated for a moment and then stopped asking further.

Along the way, her carriage followed the carriage of the Queen and Concubine Wu, but she never noticed anything unusual.

However, Yuanchun didn't find it strange. After all, it was the Emperor's funeral. If he really wanted to do it, he should do it on the way back to the city after the funeral.

Sure enough, after a series of tedious funerals, when the large troop of nearly 10,000 people returned the same way, the convoy had an accident.

First, a dowager's carriage broke its axle for some reason, and happened to be catching up on a narrow road. The carriage behind had to go around it cautiously. This delay inevitably caused some disconnection between the front and rear.

After Empress Pian and Concubine Wu's carriage went around, it suddenly sped up for some unknown reason, leaving the large army behind at the sight of it.

Jia Yuanchun kept Jiao Shun's advice in mind and when he saw this, he quickly urged the coachman to catch up.
Chapter completed!