"Young Master, I'm lucky to have fulfilled my duty and brought the golden lock. I also caught the best doctor Fan from our Guobei County. Now I can treat Qingmei girl."
Not long after, Tieshan rode a fast horse back and forth and returned to Lanruo Temple.
But when he found Li Xiuyuan, he saw Li Xiuyuan standing in the courtyard of the Zen room, with his hands behind his hands, looking calmly at the sky.
After hearing Tieshan's voice, Li Xiuyuan came back to his senses and took a look: "There is no need for treatment anymore, Qingmei is dead."
"Dead?" Tieshan was also stunned.
"Dead, he died half an hour ago." Li Xiuyuan shook his head helplessly.
There is a certain distance between Lanruo Temple and Guobei County. Even if we come back and forth, it won't help even if we invite the doctor.
Doctor Fan shook his head slightly at this moment and said: "I just told you that the woman's heart was penetrated by the Buddhist incense and the blood was flowing. When I arrived, the blood was all gone, so there was no way she could be saved."
"Young Master, what should we do now?" Tieshan asked.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Of course we have to prepare for the funeral of Miss Qingmei. You first take Doctor Fan to help a guard heal his hand, and then take two people back to Guobei County to buy a good coffin, incense candles, paper money and so on.
We also need to prepare... There is also one more thing to do. Go and mobilize a hundred cavalry from my Li family's servants, and ask them to prepare axes and steel knives. I will mobilize them tomorrow."
Tieshan said with some confusion, "Young master, I'm afraid the master will disagree if we send out a hundred cavalry."
One hundred riders in Guobei County is a very large force. Although the Li family has far more power than this, they rarely mobilize on such a large scale.
"If my father doesn't agree, just say that I have urgent needs. I believe my father will understand. He will go back as soon as possible and try to get these two things done within today." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Yes, eldest young master, the younger one will do it right now."
Tieshan agreed and took Dr. Fan to treat others first, then quickly left Lanruo Temple and rode a fast horse back to Guobei County. Of course, he did not forget to hand the golden lock to Li Xiuyuan during the process.
Looking at the brocade box in his hand, Li Xiuyuan's eyes showed sadness.
He sighed softly, turned around and walked into the Zen room.
In the Zen room at this moment, the maid Xiaodie was holding a basin of water and wiping the blood of the dead Qingmei's body. At the same time, she changed into dry clothes and dressed up so that Qingmei would be clean after she left.
Not a trace of filth.
At first glance, if it weren't for the pale face without a trace of blood, Li Xiuyuan would have thought that Qingmei was sleeping soundly at this time and was not dead.
"Li, Mr. Li."
When Xiaodie saw Li Xiuyuan come in, she immediately bowed. Her eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that she had cried very sadly just now.
Li Xiuyuan nodded, walked to Qingmei's body and opened the brocade box in his hand.
Inside the brocade box is a pair of exquisite longevity locks made of pure gold. The reverse side of this longevity golden lock is engraved with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water, but the front side is engraved with the three characters Li Xiuyuan, which represents whoever wears it.
This longevity lock means that she is Li Xiuyuan's woman and will never be separated from her in all eternity.
Li Xiuyuan took out the golden lock and brought it to Qingmei's body.
With a slight click, the mechanism on the longevity golden lock was triggered. This golden lock would never be removed without brute force.
"Don't worry, Miss Qingmei, I, Li Xiuyuan, will definitely do what I promised you." Li Xiuyuan said seriously.
After saying that, he looked at Xiaodie who was waiting aside and said: "Xiaodie, you will follow me from now on. I will take you back to Li Mansion. From now on, you will be my personal maid and I will take good care of you."
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Xiaodie was moved when she heard this. Her nose felt sore but she couldn't help crying: "Slave, I thank Mr. Li for your kindness."
"There is no need to call me Mr. Li anymore. Let's formally pay our respects in front of Miss Qingmei. From now on, you will call me Young Master." Li Xiuyuan said.
"My servant pays homage to the young master."
Xiaodie knelt down in front of Li Xiuyuan with a pop and kowtowed.
This bow means that from today on, Xiaodie is no longer Qingmei's maid, but Li Xiuyuan's maid. It also means that she is no longer alone. She will have her own home and her own life.
's destination.
"Get up. After you kneel today, you are not allowed to kneel again. Our Li family doesn't have so many rules." Li Xiuyuan helped him up.
"Slave, thank you, Master." Xiaodie stood up and saluted.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Continue to sort out Miss Qingmei's remains. I have already ordered my servants to prepare for the funeral. Soon, Miss Qingmei will be buried."
Xiaodie nodded.
Around dusk, Tieshan took people to Lanruo Temple again.
There are a hundred horsemen, all of them are men with swords and axes hanging on their waists. They are all strong and strong. They don't look like farmers or ruffians, but like well-trained soldiers.
At the same time, several carts and horses also brought a heavy coffin from Guobei County, and also prepared many incense candles, paper money, as well as wreaths and white satin.
After some arrangement.
A mourning hall has been set up in the Zen courtyard, the coffin is in place, and the body of Qingmei girl has also been placed in the coffin.
"Young master, if the burial is tomorrow morning, the coffin will be sealed today." A coffin bearer came over and said respectfully.
Li Xiuyuan stood in the mourning hall, looking at the coffin in front of the coffin and feeling slightly distracted.
He came to his senses only after hearing the sound.
"Seal the coffin now so that Miss Qingmei can rest in peace as soon as possible so as not to be disturbed again," Li Xiuyuan said.
According to normal funeral customs, the coffin should be sealed after everyone has paid their respects, and then carried to the cemetery for burial.
However, Miss Qingmei is a woman who was born in a brothel. Now she has no father or mother. She has no relatives to come to worship, so she can only keep everything simple.
"Yes, young master." The coffin bearer responded and said, "Young master has given orders to seal the coffin now."
Several craftsmen responded and sealed the coffin. From then on, the yin and yang were separated and no longer related.
"The hundred knights that the eldest young master wanted are waiting outside Lanruo Temple. The younger one was afraid of the inconvenience of being crowded in the temple, so he didn't let them all come over." At this time, Tieshan came over and whispered.
Li Xiuyuan said: "Let them go to Lanruo Temple to rest for a day. I have some instructions before they are buried tomorrow." After saying that, he looked in the direction of the Main Hall and asked, "Are the monks in Lanruo Temple still chanting sutras so far?
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"Yes, I have never heard the sound of chanting sutras before."
"Do you know what scripture it is?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
"It seems to be a scripture that can save the dead. I've heard about it when I was a kid attending funerals before," Tieshan said.
Li Xiuyuan nodded: "Donate five hundred taels of silver to Lanruo Temple later."
"Little one, I've written it down."
"You all should disperse, I will keep vigil for Miss Qingmei." Li Xiuyuan said.
Tieshan responded and asked some irrelevant people to leave quickly.
Immediately, only Li Xiuyuan was left in the monastery, as well as Xiaodie, who was wearing hemp and mourning, kneeling in front of the memorial tablet and burning paper money.
Silently speaking to each other, they both silently kept vigil for Qingmei.
In the second half of the night, the wind picked up. The cool breeze blew up and picked up the ashes in the brazier, forming a vortex in the air. Then it disappeared into the dark night, and the burning candle flame also followed the wind.
It swings as if it might go out at any moment.
"Master, Master, is the lady back?" Xiaodie asked hurriedly.
"No, it's just a gust of wind, not green plum." Li Xiuyuan said calmly.
With his delicate mind, standing here at this moment, there would be no ghosts. If there were, he would like to see if he could meet the soul of Qingmei girl.