OBS Chapter 448 Confusion and Danger
Chapter 448 Confusion and Danger
On the twelfth day after Concubine Zhen's death, the other palace had made all preparations for sending off the coffin.
Wang Xifeng asked Concubine Xu: "Do we have to wait until the 27th?"
Concubine Xu blinked and said, "No."
The two looked at each other, smiled knowingly, and went to ask the emperor for permission together, saying tactfully: Even if a lot of ice is used, the hot summer weather will make the concubine's body smell. It is better to send it to Xiaoci County as soon as possible and bury it as soon as possible.
The Supreme One immediately nodded and said "OK".
So, at 1:00 am the next day, the funeral procession, escorted personally by General Guo Chongben, left the palace in a mighty procession and headed for Xiaoci County.
This road is neither far nor near.
Both sides had already arranged for the pick-up and drop-off, so the team walked and rested at a very good pace, and following the shadow of the sundial at 3:30 pm, they delivered Concubine Zhen's coffin to the mourning hall that had been set up locally.
The coffin will be worshipped here for another eight days. The ministers and ladies have also arrived as scheduled and will mourn for another eight days.
Three days and twenty-one days later, the coffin was sent to the imperial mausoleum.
Along the way, Concubine Xu and Wang Xifeng each sat in their own sedan chair.
During one of the breaks, Wang Xifeng heard a strange noise outside, so she quietly opened a slit in the curtain on the window and saw a small group of people quietly leaving outside.
With her eyebrows slightly raised, she whispered through the curtain that Jing Quan should go and ask Guo Chongben directly.
At one point Jing Quan came back and whispered, "Just as the Imperial Concubine expected, they were the people who took Prince Su to the Lishan Palace to be imprisoned."
After a pause, he continued, "Their leader is the Imperial Guards officer named Fan Tongshou, who persuaded Long Jinwei to surrender that night with his words."
Wang Xifeng seemed to be thinking: "Are they also traveling with the Dragon Guards who were persuaded to surrender by him?"
Jing Quan looked at the silhouette of the woman in the window curtain, his eyes lit up slightly: "Yes. The Imperial Concubine is right."
Wang Xifeng sighed softly, "The Duke of Qi's mansion is finished."
Jing Quan was silent.
Jing Li came over at some point and whispered, "Xiangyang Marquis' Mansion..."
"The third son of the Qi family is quite smart. He stopped at the brink of death and made meritorious contributions. It depends on whether his eldest brother is a smart man."
Wang Xifeng sighed softly, leaned back in the carriage, and counted with her fingers, "Four kings and eight dukes, one Nanfu, don't even think about recovering in twenty years.
"The Northern Prince has been too involved in the Southern Palace's funeral. I estimate that in a few days, the Supreme Lord and the Emperor will find a way to deprive him of his authority to assist in the administration.
"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has been implicated by the old lady, and it's over.
“Now it’s another Duke of Qi’s Mansion.
"I remember that among that group of people, there was also a young master from the Duke of Liguo's Mansion, who followed closely behind the third son of the Qi family.
"Oh, and the head of the Dragon Guards, the Prince of Qing...
“The Emperor may not punish them, but the titles of these three families will definitely not be preserved.
“Needless to say, the Rongning and Ning mansions have already fallen into decline.
“It’s only been a few days…
"It's so fast..."
Wang Xifeng sighed long and softly, and the sound of her sigh was faintly carried by the wind into the ears of Guo Chongben, who was pretending to be an inspector and "happened" to be near her.
General Guo glanced at the sedan chair and walked slowly over, letting his horse follow its reins.
When the funeral procession arrived at the destination, Guo Chongben arranged the security and went to Huai'en Hall, the temporary palace outside the imperial mausoleum, to report. He subconsciously went to Wang Xifeng's residence first.
When I was waiting outside, I suddenly woke up and couldn't help regretting: How could I be so confused about etiquette? Shouldn't I go see Concubine Xu first? !
But Wang Xifeng had already come out, listened to his arrangement with a smile, praised it for being thorough, and then gave him the most appropriate opportunity:
"The imperial concubine is tired, so there is no need to bother you, General. I will report back to the imperial concubine later when I pay my respects to her."
Guo Chongben breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him sincerely, then wiped the sweat off his face and walked out.
As soon as he left, someone knocked on the palace, also asking to see Concubine Wang.
Wang Xifeng was surprised: "See me? Which relative is here?"
"No. It's Mrs. Jia, the dowager lady of Rongguo Mansion, and her two daughters-in-law." The palace servant who delivered the message felt it was entirely appropriate.
After all, the second daughter-in-law of the Jia family is Concubine Wang’s aunt.
Unexpectedly, Wang Xifeng stood up and went in without saying a word.
An'er, who stayed outside, was full of anger: "The Imperial Concubine got up at Chou hour and set out at Yin hour. She had a hard journey and just after she finished washing up, she arranged everything for the funeral.
"Now I am so tired that my old illness is about to flare up. Why don't you stop these so-called relatives who are blind and trying to get close to me on my behalf? Do you still think it's natural?
"Since when did the funeral of the Concubine Dowager become an occasion for these people to curry favor with each other? Do you still want the dignity of the royal family?"
The palace servant was so frightened that he fell to his knees: "This slave deserves death, this slave deserves death!"
"Take this rude and unruly person away and give him a slap in the face!" An'er had him dragged away and gave him a strict order:
"If you are here to discuss matters concerning the funeral procession, please come forward.
"Any other idle chatter will be stopped!
"Your Majesty is so busy that she can't even handle it. How can she have time for these social events?"
Wang Xifeng inside asked Chunnuan to come out and pass on a message: "Since someone has come to bother me, I'm sure there won't be anyone who will bother the imperial concubine.
"Pass the order down, these people are not allowed to disturb Concubine Xu!
"It's so hot, and I can't eat or rest well on the way. If I get sick from exhaustion, how can I explain it to the Lord and the Queen Mother?"
An'er glared at the palace servants and said, "Did you hear everything? Why don't you call the imperial physician in to check the pulse of the Concubine Tai?"
The palace servants and eunuchs in the temporary palace were beaten up and finally quieted down.
Jia Mu and others returned to their own residences in disgrace.
As luck would have it, the Rong Mansion rented an official's ancestral temple here as a place to rest. Because the yard was large, they only rented the east yard, while the west yard was rented by the dowager and concubines of the Prince of Beijing's Mansion.
Originally, the two families had agreed to go in and out together so that they could take care of each other.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the coffin of Concubine Zhen arrived, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of Rong Mansion could not wait to go and ask to see the imperial concubine alone.
But he came back disappointed and quietly went into the east courtyard to rest.
When the Queen Mother of Prince Beijing heard this, she sneered and immediately ordered someone to call the Young Concubine over and told her bluntly:
"The old lady in their family is getting old and her mind is getting more and more confused. She really does things without any rules or regulations.
“Others may not know the cause of Zhen’s death, but we and the Jia family know it very well.
"Instead of keeping a low profile, they actually dared to try to get close to the imperial concubine. This is a way to a quick death."
The concubine nodded immediately: "Yes. Before my daughter-in-law came, the prince reminded her very much, telling her to be quiet and steady, and just listen to her mother's instructions. After finishing this vigil, she should return to the capital as soon as possible."
Seeing that her daughter-in-law was sensible, Concubine Beijing breathed a sigh of relief and ordered her, “From now on, stay in the yard and don’t go anywhere else.
"Outsiders may think our family is powerful, but in fact, we are in a precarious situation now. We can't afford any more trouble.
"When I get back, I'm going to be sick for a while, so you stay at home and take care of me. Don't go anywhere except your mother's house!"
The concubine was obedient: "Yes, daughters-in-law always listen to their mother."