Li Zhi, don't be a coward

Chapter 1226
Prince Li Hong passed away, the bells of Tai Chi Palace and East Palace rang loudly, and the rapid and mournful bells echoed in Chang'an City.

Countless common people lit up the lights, but due to the curfew in the city, no one dared to go out, and neighbors asked each other why, but they didn't know.

Li Qinzai bowed in the direction of the East Palace bedroom and did not get up for a long time.

The mood is very sad, and it seems that it is a little bit sad to say that he is sad. After all, his friendship with Li Hong cannot be said to be deep, and he has only met a few times in these years.

Maybe it's more of a pity that an obviously excellent heir to the empire passed away suddenly, leaving his parents and brothers crying for him.

Li Qinzai suddenly remembered, as if he had never said goodbye to Li Hong.

I always thought that his illness could last for a long time, and I always thought that we would see each other again next time, so every parting was so understated.

Only now did Li Qinzai suddenly realize that every farewell in his life was caught off guard, and God would not leave people with a farewell ceremony.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Qinzai straightened up.

When he turned around, his red eyes became cold again, calmly watching Pei Juxian's body not far away, and the faces of courtiers and dignitaries farther away.

More and more courtiers gathered outside the East Palace. They all stood thirty feet away, as if there was an invisible abyss in front of them, and if they stepped forward, their bodies would be smashed to pieces.

No one dared to step forward, Pei Juxian's body was lying alone on the ground, no one was willing to be the next negative teaching material, people were already very convinced that Li Qinzai really dared to kill people, no matter what this person's status was, in his eyes he was a general dead people.

The bells in the palace were ringing continuously, and the courtiers knelt in the distance, facing the direction of the East Palace and crying loudly.

Li Qinzai watched them cry calmly, how many of them were genuinely grieved, and how many of them were pretending, Li Qinzai didn't know and didn't care.

His duty tonight is to guard the palace gate and not allow anyone to approach.

As for grief, leave it to silent digestion after no one is there.

Soon, white banners were hung on the towers of Taiji Palace and East Palace, and all the lanterns were replaced with white skins. In the middle of the night, a group of monks hurried towards the East Palace. After careful inspection, Li Qinzai let the group of monks into the East Palace sideways.

The monks and Taoists came to perform rituals. The crown prince passed away and the whole country mourned.

A group of palace people came out of the palace gate one by one, each holding a white plain belt in their hands, and distributed it to the Qianniu guards on duty outside the palace gate and the courtiers in the distance.

Li Qinzai tied the plain belt around his waist and helmet to show that his courtiers were mourning. Looking around, there was a vast expanse of whiteness.

The courtiers also tied plain belts, knelt in the dust and continued to cry.

Waiting until dawn, Qianniuwei Captain Liu Zhensheng came to take over, Li Qinzai yawned, explained a few words with a tired expression, then turned around and entered the East Palace.

The East Palace was already covered in plains, and the cries from the sleeping hall could be heard from afar, and Li Qinzai seemed to be able to feel the deep sorrow in the hall.

After regaining his composure, Li Qinzai went to the sleeping hall alone, and saw Li Zhi and Empress Wu supporting each other, a coffin was parked in the middle of the hall, and Li Hong's body had been buried in the coffin.

There are memorial tablets and offerings on the incense table. There are many Taoist priests sitting cross-legged in the hall, and many monks are kneeling in the open space outside the hall. The monks and Taoists are reciting scriptures respectively.

Li Zhi and Empress Wu were crying so hard that they were about to faint, Li Qinzai stepped forward slowly, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the crown prince has passed away. Your Majesty mourns."

Li Zhi looked at him with tears in his eyes, and cried loudly: "Jingchu, my Hong'er...he's gone!"

"It was I who harmed him. If I hadn't devoted myself to the war in the east this year, ordered him to supervise the country, and entrusted all the government affairs to him, Hong'er would not have died of illness due to overwork and died young... It was all my fault !Knowing that he was weak since he was a child, but still entrusting him with state affairs, it’s me who deserves to be damned!”

Li Qinzai sighed: "Your Majesty, don't blame yourself, everything is destiny, and His Majesty's fate has nothing to do with His Majesty."

Li Zhi shook his head, turned his head and looked at the prince's coffin, crying loudly.

Li Qinzai stood aside silently, with his head bowed.

After a long time, Li Zhi finally calmed down a little, wiped his tears and said: "Hong'er's funeral will be handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Zongren Temple. Jingchu has worked hard on guarding the palace, so let's find a place in the East Palace to rest for a while. I still need You worked hard for a few days."

"I have no excuses for my duty, and I also want to do my best for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Zhi paused, and suddenly asked: "I heard that you shot and killed the uncle of the Crown Princess outside the palace gate?"

Li Qinzai said calmly: "Yes, the uncle of the Crown Prince Concubine Pei Juxian ignored the minister's repeated warnings and insisted on breaking into the palace, saying that he wanted to visit His Highness the Crown Prince. Your Majesty should know that last night was a sensitive moment, especially inside and outside the palace. Order Qianniuwei to shoot and kill Pei Juxian."

"If you feel that I have done something wrong, Your Majesty, please punish me."

Li Zhi's expression quickly cooled down, and he said in a deep voice: "Jing Chu did nothing wrong. I temporarily ordered you to take charge of the imperial guards, and I was protecting against these people who don't know the rules and are domineering. When the prince was critically ill last night, he dared to Stirring up right and wrong outside the palace gate, you deserve to be killed!"

"Hedong Pei's family...huh!" Li Zhi snorted coldly.

Li Qinzai was very at ease in his heart, he knew that Li Zhi would definitely stand by his side, after all, Pei Juxian's behavior last night could be said to be very bad, if he dared to break into the palace under such circumstances, he was obviously trying to die, and he deserved it.

Li Zhi quickly put the matter behind him, staring at the coffin in the hall, his expression became sad again.

Li Qinzai bowed silently towards the coffin, and then quietly exited the hall.

Let the palace people find a remote palace, Li Qinzai, who had not slept all night, lay down without taking off his armor, and soon fell asleep.

It was already afternoon when he woke up, Li Qinzai got up, adjusted his armor, and walked out of the hall.

At this time, there were many more people in the East Palace, including courtiers from three provinces and six ministries, royal family members, and some envoys from foreign countries.

After obtaining Li Zhi's permission, people entered the East Palace to express their condolences, and there was another burst of weeping, mixed with Buddhist scriptures chanted by monks and Taoists, and Li Qinzai's mood became sour again.

Among the mourners, Li Qinzai saw his father Li Siwen.

Li Siwen was also dressed in plain clothes, with beam crowns wrapped around plain belts, and silently mixed in the crowd, crying or worshiping as the officials of the Ministry of Rites sang and drank.

After the condolences, the courtiers had to keep watch for the prince.

Not everyone can guard the spirit. According to the rules, at least officials of the fourth rank and above in Beijing are eligible to stay in the East Palace.

Li Siwen is the Minister of the Ministry of Officials and a third-rank official, so he is naturally qualified to stay in the East Palace.

The cumbersome and lengthy funeral continued, with endless crying and kneeling, and the living were tortured to the point of death.

It wasn't until the evening when the officials were dining in the porch of the East Palace that Li Qinzai had a chance to see Li Siwen who came out to breathe.

Li Siwen didn't look good when he saw Li Qinzai, he stared at him and said, "I heard that you killed the uncle of the Crown Princess, a member of the Pei clan of Hedong?"

(End of this chapter)