Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Five The Emperor's Mausoleum
Liu Mingzhi came back from his thoughts, folded the letter in his hand and put it into an envelope, and put it into his arms along with the half-strength of copper coins in his hand.
Pretending to casually wipe the blurry corners of his eyes, Liu Mingzhi took a deep breath, looked at Huan'er, who was holding the coffin with pale makeup and red and swollen almond-shaped eyes, and sighed.
Although Tao Ying and Huan'er were nominally master and servant, he could see that privately they had a affection similar to that of biological sisters.
Think about it, humans are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless?
I have only known Tao Ying for more than two years. Facing Tao Ying who turned into a cold corpse is already heartbreaking, let alone Huan'er!
The good sister who has been with him day and night for decades suddenly became separated from him overnight. This is like a bolt from the blue, and I am afraid not many people, regardless of gender, can bear it.
“Huan’er!”
Hearing Liu Mingzhi's call, Huan'er hurriedly wiped the tears on her face and looked at Liu Mingzhi questioningly: "Huh? Sir?
If you need anything, just ask your servants!"
Liu Mingzhi walked gently to the coffin, holding the edge of the coffin with both hands, looking at the peaceful and sound sleeping beauty with deep and sad eyes and letting out a breath.
“I, the husband, have full authority to arrange Tao Ying’s funeral, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore!”
Huan'er was startled for a moment, looking at Liu Mingzhi looking at the calm expression of his young lady in the coffin, with a somewhat hesitant expression on his face.
“Sir, my lady told me in her last words that I should make a good plea to you, Sir.
The lady said that after all, she was the concubine of the late Emperor Hezong, and it was only natural that she should be buried with her late husband after her death.
Slave, I just showed you the last words my lady left for you, did you not read it clearly?
Slave, let me take a look at it again."
Liu Mingzhi glanced at Huan'er, who was touching his waist, and raised his hand to stop him.
“There’s no need to take it, I’ve read everything above.
I agree to all other things, but I will never agree to this request."
“Ah? But... sir...”
“Okay, it’s not a problem for Tao Ying to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, but she cannot be buried in the mausoleum of Li Yun... He Zong.
You don’t have to worry about this matter, I will handle it with full authority.
If you are not afraid, just talk to your lady.
I'm going back here first, and I will come back as soon as possible after discussing with others the matter of burying Tao Ying.
No one can handle Tao Ying's funeral without my order.
Those who disobey the order will be killed without mercy.”
Feeling the fleeting domineering aura on Liu Mingzhi's body, Huan'er shuddered involuntarily, pursed her lips and nodded timidly.
“Yes, I know this.”
Liu Mingzhi leaned over and grabbed Tao Ying's cold and stiff jade hand and caressed it for a while, then gently put it back, sighed quietly and left silently out the door.
Huan'er stared blankly at Liu Mingzhi's lonely back. This was the first time she had seen Liu Mingzhi looking so lonely.
Compared with the high-spirited attitude in the house, it can be said to be a world of difference.
Fifth floor of Penglai Restaurant.
Liu Mingzhi silently stopped in front of the window and looked up at the crescent moon rising quietly in the sky without saying a word.
A black shadow floated gently into the window and stopped next to Liu Mingzhi.
“The bird meets the young master.”
“Without courtesy.”
After getting up, Suzaku had a habit of sticking to Liu Mingzhi: "Master, are you in such a hurry to find Queer, do you miss..."
Zhuque spoke with a charming voice, but as soon as he got closer, he noticed that Liu Mingzhi's face was extremely heavy, and he subconsciously stopped.
“Master, did something happen?”
“Que’er, who is the spy secretly protecting Tao Ying from your Suzaku Division?”
“He’s a brother of Huwei Tiangang, what’s wrong?”
“Tao Ying committed suicide four days ago by taking poison! Is this how the troops of the Huwei Department protected her?”
“What? How is this possible?”
“Master, I have seen her body with my own eyes, how can I fake it?
How great it would be if it were fake!"
Zhuque looked at Liu Mingzhi's calm expression, placed his hands on his lower abdomen and kept rubbing it: "How could this happen? How could this happen?"
Liu Mingzhi turned his eyes and glanced at Suzaku, who was at a loss. He took off his tobacco bag, lit the tobacco, took a heavy puff of thick smoke that choked his throat, and exhaled it.
“There is a certain amount of friendship between master and servant. Let the spies who secretly protect Tao Ying die with dignity!
Afterwards, they were buried in the name of having died in the line of duty, and the pensions were handed over to their relatives.”
Listening to Liu Mingzhi’s emotionless words, Zhuque hurriedly knelt down on one knee: “Young Master, please forgive me, Young Master, please forgive me.
Que'er begged the young master to spare the lives of those brothers. After all, it is the young master... you..."
“You can say whatever you want without being secretive.”
Zhuque bit her red lips tightly and said, "Young Master, that Que'er boldly said it.
Earlier, you told Que'er to send orders to the brothers of the Suzaku Division to only protect Sister Tao Ying's safety outside Li's house.
You said that Sister Tao Ying is a woman after all, and the brothers in the Suzaku Division are both men and women, so it is not convenient for them to be close to each other for protection.
Just make sure no spies approach her outside the house.
The brothers were protecting Sister Tao Ying's safety outside the house, and they were blocked by the outer courtyard.
Brothers are not clairvoyant and have good ears. Sister Tao Ying committed suicide by taking poison in her boudoir. How could the brothers know about this?
Even if brothers are guilty of negligence, their sins will not lead to death.
Master, please forgive me and spare the brothers who protected Sister Tao Ying from the safety of Huwei Tiangang!"
As soon as Suzaku's words of pleading fell out, the room suddenly became so quiet that one could hear pindrops falling.
The dim tobacco in the pot gradually burned out, and the lingering smoke floated away along the window toward the crescent moon in the sky.
A crisp snapping sound.
Liu Mingzhi’s cheek suddenly swelled with five bright red fingerprints.
Zhuque stood up in a hurry, grabbed Liu Mingzhi's wrist, looked at the clear and distinct fingerprints on Liu Mingzhi's face under the moonlight, and shook his head heartbrokenly.
“Master, don’t do this.
No one thought that Sister Tao Ying would do such a stupid thing, please give me my condolences!"
“Alas, it turns out that I was the one who killed her after all!”
“Master, no one wants Sister Tao Ying to die, but now that it has happened, what can you change even if you blame yourself to death?
You have to look forward!”
“Yes, we have to look forward!
I think if Tao Ying is still alive, she won’t be happy to see me looking so decadent, right?
“Master?”
Liu Mingzhi took off a gold medal from his waist and handed it to Suzaku: "Deploy people to secretly investigate Tao Ying's relatives in the world. If they are found, order the local chief official in my name to send someone to escort them to the capital.
If someone doesn’t want to, don’t force him.”
Zhuque took the token and nodded silently: "Quer understands, does the young master have any other instructions?"
“No, you can do this first!”
“Yes, the brother of Huwei Tiangang tribe?”
“Two months’ fine.”
“Thank you very much, young master, I’ll take my leave.”
The Suzaku came and went even faster. Within a few ups and downs, its beautiful shadow disappeared under the bright moonlight.
Looking back at the gaze of Suzaku, Liu Mingzhi took out the cherry blossom jade card from his arms and touched it for a long time. After raising his hand on the neck, he put the jade card into the placket.
After one last glance at the new moon in the sky, Liu Mingzhi closed the window silently.
In front of the house of the Minister of Hubu, Liu Mingzhi gently knocked on the door.
“Who?”
“People in the palace.”
“Please...please wait a moment!”
About half a stick of incense later, in the main hall of Jiang Mansion, Jiang Yuanming put the tea next to Liu Mingzhi with a puzzled expression.
I am really confused about the behavior of Mr. Liu who just left in the morning and came back in the evening.
“Your Majesty, please have some tea.”
“Well! You sit down too.”
"yes."
Liu Mingzhi took a sip of tea and looked at Lao Jiang calmly and said, "Old Jiang, after the winter tax, in addition to various fixed expenses, how much spare silver can the treasury have?"
Old Jiang was stunned for a moment, then he reacted in time, stroking his beard and pondering for a while.
“Excluding the silver taels that have been reserved for expenditures by the Neifu, Xinfu, and Beifu as well as the emergency reserves, the idle silver taels are about 3.4 million to 4 million.
Of course, if there is a possibility of war with Tsarist Russia this year, it’s hard to say.
It may be used up, and emergency reserves of money and food may even be used.”
Liu Mingzhi closed his eyes and calculated silently for a while, then gently put down the tea cup.
“First, allocate one million taels of silver to build my imperial mausoleum and accompanying mausoleum.”
ps: Regarding Tao Ying's death, the author had no choice but to do it. For the development of the plot and the ending, he could only destroy the story with harsh words.
The author felt extremely uncomfortable writing about such a spiritual woman to death.
But sometimes the setting is just like this, and if it is changed again, it will become specious.
The matter has come to this, and I can only add two more chapters tomorrow to soothe your wounded souls.