Lin Ze carried Hu Hai on his back and headed all the way to Xianyang Palace with a firm goal. From a distance, he saw that there were several times more guards at the entrance of the palace than before, and he immediately understood the purpose of doing so.
When he approached the palace gate, Lin Ze's true energy began to flow, and his anger sank in his Dantian. He shouted loudly: "Master Hu Hai has returned to the palace, please open the palace door quickly."
The commander of the Imperial Guards on duty responded quickly: "Master Hu Hai, please come down first and verify your identity before leaving."
Lin Ze followed his words and fell from the air, standing at the entrance of Xianyang Palace. Xianyang Palace was no better than Chang'an City, so he didn't dare to break in, especially at such a sensitive moment.
At this time, Hu Hai had already woken up. Hearing the words of the commander on duty, he struggled down from behind Lin Ze, walked around Lin Ze, strode towards the palace gate, and said loudly: "Don't you know me, Mr. Mo Feier?"
The commander on duty has been stationed at the palace gate all year round. He didn't know Hu Hai who often visited Xianyang Palace, so he hurriedly opened the palace gate and saluted: "I will finally pay my respects to Mr. Hu Hai."
Hu Hai endured his heartache and pointed at him and asked: "Tell me, my son, is it true that my father has passed away?"
The commander on duty looked sad, cupped his hands and replied: "Please express my condolences, Sir."
When Hu Hai heard this, although he did not faint again, he took two steps back as if struck by lightning.
Lin Ze stepped forward to support Hu Hai and said: "Master, the top priority now is to see His Majesty for the last time, and then deal with His Majesty's funeral affairs. You can't fall down easily."
After hearing this, Hu Hai took a deep breath, calmed down and said to the commander on duty: "Where is the father's spiritual center?"
The commander on duty said quickly: "Your Majesty's favorite place is the Yangxin Hall. I will take the young master there right away."
Hu Hai waved his hand and said: "No need, I will go there myself." After saying that, he walked towards the Yangxin Hall with a determined look on his face.
Lin Ze followed closely behind him, shouting: "Master Hu Hai has returned to the palace, everyone should leave." The voice spread far away, and all the guards, eunuchs and maids who heard it stopped and saluted.
Was Lin Ze shouting so hard just to get rid of the people blocking the road? Of course not, but for Hu Hai who had just returned to Chang'an, the more people knew about it, the better.
Lin Ze's voice was indeed very loud. Before they reached the door of the Yangxin Hall, Li Si and others in the Yangxin Hall heard it and couldn't help but look outside the hall.
Zhao Gaogeng looked at the commander of the Imperial Guard next to him with a surprised look on his face and asked: "Master Hu Hai received the news so quickly and rushed back from Shu?"
The commander was equally astonished and replied: "It stands to reason that the messenger sent by the last general should not have arrived in Shu yet, and Master Hu Hai should not have received the news yet."
Without waiting for the civil and military officials to guess, Hu Hai had appeared at the door of the hall. Looking at the golden nanmu coffin placed in the center of the hall, he staggered over and knelt in front of the coffin to worship. His voice was choked with sobs and he said: "My son, I pay homage to my father."
Seeing that Hu Hai was really back, Li Si and Zhao Gao saluted Hu Hai first and said, "I pay my respects to Mr. Hu Hai. Please express my condolences."
However, Hu Hai just lay on the ground, his body shaking, and tears pouring out like a bursting dam.
Lin Ze knelt next to Hu Hai and kowtowed three times to the coffin respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lin Ze, pays my respects."
Then he got up and took the incense handed to him by Feng Chang's subordinates. He bowed again and placed the incense in the cauldron.
After this series of things were done, Lin Ze forcibly pulled Hu Hai up from the ground, bowed to him and said, "Master, please host the ceremony." This ceremony naturally refers to the funeral.
Then he bowed his hands to Feng Chang who was standing next to him and said, "Master Feng Chang, please change the young master's clothes and arrange for someone to assist the young master in hosting the ceremony."
Feng Chang didn't answer for a moment and looked at Li Si and Zhao Gao with questioning eyes.
At this moment, an official could not hold back his anger and jumped out and said: "Wait a minute, logically speaking, it is more appropriate for the eldest son to preside over the ceremony. Now that Mr. Fusu has not returned yet, Mr. Hu Hai is the youngest son, so it is not appropriate for him to preside over the ceremony, right?"
Lin Ze looked at the official who objected and said: "I don't agree with what this gentleman said. If Mr. Fusu doesn't return to Chang'an for a long time, will His Majesty's gift be delayed forever? You have been deeply favored by the emperor, so
Is this how to serve His Majesty?"
The official asked, "Who are you?"
Lin Ze replied calmly: "Lin Ze, the right admiral of Xia Shu, does this lord have any advice?"
The official snorted coldly: "As a local official, he left his post without permission and tried to interfere with the court ceremony. I don't know what to say."
Lin Ze sneered: "May I ask what position you hold? The Prime Minister and Lord Tingwei are both here to take care of His Majesty's funeral affairs. Don't they have anything to do? Are they also absent from their posts without permission?"
The official was immediately speechless.
Lin Ze then looked at the other officials in the palace: "I believe that the top priority is to allow His Majesty to be buried in the Lishan Mausoleum with dignity. Since Young Master Hu Hai is present, as His Majesty's legitimate son, he is also qualified to preside over the ceremony. What do you think, sir?"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone responded: "Yes, we are deeply favored by the emperor. Of course we cannot just watch His Majesty suffer. It is most important that he be buried in the Lishan Mausoleum as soon as possible."
Then some people joined in, accounting for about one-third of the hall.
The smile on Lin Ze's lips flashed away. He had been in business for many years, and Hu Hai was not alone in the court, so naturally there were people who would respond.
Lin Ze saluted Li Si and Zhao Gao again: "I wonder what the Prime Minister and Lord Tingwei think?"
Zhao Gao was the first to speak: "It has only been three days since His Majesty's death, and the imperial messenger has not yet arrived in Shu. I wonder where Mr. Hu Hai got the news and rushed to Chang'an so early?"
Lin Ze cupped his hands and replied: "Reporting to Lord Tingwei, on the day of your Majesty's death, the young master felt uncomfortable all over and felt uneasy. He felt that something had changed greatly in Chang'an, so he immediately took his bodyguard with him and hurried on the starry night. Only when he arrived in Chang'an did he know that it was
His Majesty has passed away. Speaking of which, it can be considered a coincidence."
Zhao Gao nodded and said, "Father and son are connected by blood. No wonder Master Hu Hai came back so quickly." After speaking, he winked at Li Si and said, "I thought Master Hu Hai could host the ceremony. What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Li Si saw Zhao Gao winking at him, and immediately understood the profound meaning, and said: "Master Hu Hai's filial piety is touching, and I also thought he could host the ceremony. Sir Chang, please let someone arrange it."
Feng Chang then raised his hands to Hu Hai and said, "Master Hu Hai, please come with me."
Lin Ze hurriedly stepped forward to help Hu Hai and left, but his heart was filled with joy: he had obtained the first title, and now even if Fusu rushed back to Chang'an, Hu Hai would still be the one to host the ceremony.
During the ceremony, if Hu Hai performs outstandingly, he can easily win the support of some people in Chang'an City.
If Fusu had not rushed back to Chang'an, Hu Hai would have received more support. As the saying goes, only by taking one step first can one step forward.