The palace of Wei Guogong was covered with pale decorations, and there was a lot of crying inside. A table was placed in front of the mourning hall, with white table clothes hanging on it. On the table were offerings, incense burners, wax stands, and everlasting lamps.
Before the burial, this ever-burning lamp must be guarded day and night and must not be extinguished. It is said that this lamp is the soul of the deceased. Both the corpse and the coffin are taboo to be left in broad daylight for fear of being exposed to the "sun crystal and moonlight"
, and even more afraid of offending the gods of the past.
"Prince Qi came to express his condolences and presented him with a piece of cloth!"
"Master Lu, the envoy of Jinyiwei Town, Lu Chaoyang, came to express his condolences and presented him with a piece of cloth!"
Three people walked up to the mourning hall. The one in the middle was Zhu Gaojie, who was wearing a python pattern. The one on the left was Lu Chaoyang. The one on the right was wearing mourning clothes and a cloak. His true appearance was not visible, but his steps were slightly awkward.
Kneeling in front of the mourning hall was a woman in mourning clothes. She was not very old. She looked like she was in her early twenties. She was at the age when she was as beautiful as a flower. But suddenly, bad news came and she became a little widow.
This woman was Xu Qin's first wife, He Miaolian. She cried so hard that the pear blossoms were covered with rain. When she saw Queen Qi, she stood up and saluted: "The He family of my family has met the prince."
Zhu Gaojiao cupped his hands and said, "My condolences, my cousin Xu Qin. Who would have thought that such a good person would suddenly die young? When I heard the news, I almost fainted and felt deep in my heart."
I feel sad. Alas, I came here today because I wanted to offer incense to my cousin to pay homage to the deceased."
He Miaolian had just stopped crying, and her eyes were red again: "Your Majesty is very affectionate, and I would like to thank you on behalf of my poor husband."
Hearing this, the man in the cloak next to Zhu Gaojie couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"My cousin passed away suddenly, and I am filled with emotions. I have countless words to say to my cousin. I wonder if my cousin can move away. I have some words that I want to say to my cousin alone, although I know that this is a bit powerless.
,but……"
Zhu Gaojie said, "Please, cousin."
He Miaolian hesitated for a moment, but when she thought about the identity of the person in front of her and how she could offend him, she had no choice but to agree: "Then I won't bother the prince anymore."
After saying that, the little cousin left with the mourners in the mourning hall. Only Zhu Gaojie, Lu Chaoyang and the man with disheveled hair were left in front of the mourning hall.
After everyone left, the man finally couldn't help it, pulled off his hood with one hand, and asked: "What the hell does this mean? When did I die?!"
After taking off the cloak, his true appearance was revealed that shocked everyone.
——Xu Qin, Duke of Wei.
Xu Qin offered condolences to Duke Wei?
Do I cry for myself?
What is this?
How come I don't know I'm dead?
Is this reasonable?
The more Xu Qin thought about it, the angrier he became. He stepped forward and kicked the coffin. The coffin tilted slightly and the coffin board slipped down.
The contents in the coffin were quite complete, including comforting silk fabrics, a few embroidery sheets, and inscription flags, etc., which symbolized the standard of the Duke's death, but there was only one thing that was not right.
——The deceased was not in the coffin.
Also, Xu Qin himself is still here jumping around, how could he be lying in the coffin!
"Don't worry, cousin, although you are still alive, in the eyes of everyone, you are already dead." Zhu Gaojie pointed at the coffin with a smile and said, "Even my cousin-in-law thought you were lying in this coffin.
."
Xu Qin frowned and said: "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean I am dead in the eyes of everyone? Then what am I now, am I a ghost?"
Zhu Gaojie smiled and said: "Xu Qin, Duke of Wei, encountered bandits on his way to the capital camp after leaving the city. Unfortunately, he was killed and chopped into pieces with knives. He died miserably. Later, the Jinyi guards traced the traces of Duke Wei, wiped out the bandits, and took back your
The remains of the body were buried in a coffin and sent to the Duke of Wei's residence by the royal guards."
A big question mark appeared on Xu Qin's head, but he quickly realized the deep meaning behind Zhu Gaojie's words.
He followed Zhu Zhanji to rebel, how could he end well?
Do you really think Zhu Di is a living Bodhisattva with great mercy?
"In this way, we have suppressed the rebellion of this boy Zhu Zhanji, and everyone is happy." Zhu Gaojie said, "Speaking of which, cousin, you should be grateful to me. It is not humiliating to give you such a dignified death."
The reputation of the King of Zhongshan has cleared your reputation as a rebel. Cousin, there is no need to thank me. We are all one family, so we should. If you really want to thank me, just do me a favor and die. Wouldn't it save everyone the trouble?
"
Xu Qin gritted his teeth: "Thank you so much!"
Zhu Gaojie said calmly: "Xu Qin, I have given you enough face. If your father Xu Huizu had not been my mother's brother, I would have killed you like a dog. Why would I have spent so much effort? If you were a rebel.
With his identity being put to death, even if His Majesty is so kind, it will be difficult for him to continue the hereditary title of Duke of Wei. The King of Zhongshan has a great reputation and is my grandfather. I don’t want him to be hereditary Duke of Wei in exchange for his lifelong military exploits.
Your position was destroyed at the hands of a rebel like you, so I gave you a decent step down."
At this point, Zhu Gaojie paused and said, "Xu Qin, if you are sensible, then be obedient and die. It's no big deal. After you die, wouldn't it be nice for your son to inherit the title of Duke of Wei?"
This is not only Zhu Gaojie's idea, but also Zhu Di's idea.
Zhu Di was a general, and he sincerely admired Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan who was the first hero in the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, in his early years, his father-in-law, Xu Da, was secretly helping him to dominate the frontiers and control the meritorious army.
Although the King of Zhongshan is gone, the title of Wei Guogong is still there, but Xu Qin ruined it all.
He followed Zhu Zhanji and became a rebel. Zhu Di did not want his grandson's rebellion to spread. Later generations will say that if there is a rebellious grandfather, there will be a rebellious grandson. This family is all rebels, and they are really virtuous in their bones.
Therefore, this matter must be suppressed.
It can be suppressed, but someone must die to maintain the majesty of the imperial power. After all, although few people know about this, it is not that everyone knows about it. If you push it out and kill one person, you will kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!
Xu Qin was lucky enough to compete for this spot.
He is the most suitable "chicken" to kill chickens to scare monkeys.
As long as Xu Qin dies, everyone will be happy. Maybe Xu Qin is not happy, but it doesn't matter.
"That's so well said, so well said." Xu Qin sneered, "My life has been clearly planned by your Zhu family for a long time. You guys are really good at playing."
Zhu Gaojie raised his eyebrows slightly: "So, cousin, you are unwilling to commit suicide?"
Xu Qin really wanted to drag this beast like King Qi to die with him, but after thinking about it, he had no choice but to commit suicide.
The legacy left by the King of Zhongshan cannot be destroyed in his hands. If the title of Wei Guogong is gone, he will not be able to see his ancestors even if he dies.
Besides, there is another most critical problem: he can’t defeat King Qi!
King Qi is well-known for his bravery. The incident of eight hundred cavalry chasing tens of thousands of iron cavalry in Wala in Hulanhu can still make the children of Mobei stop crying, which is enough to prove how capable King Qi is on the battlefield.
Meng.
For a moment, Xu Qin's heart was filled with sadness.
His destiny has been controlled by the Zhu family with invisible thin threads, and every move he makes is dictated by others.
Even death is no exception.
What made him feel even more powerless was that, as King Qi said, committing suicide was his best choice at the moment.
Xu Qin closed his eyes and said with all his strength, "The lineage of Wei Guogong cannot be cut off with me."