imperial psychologist

Chapter 395 The So-Called Consolation

In the next three days, when Prince Gong fell ill, Sun Beiji temporarily assumed the position of chief minister of the cabinet, the eldest son supervised the country, and Princess Zhen took care of Prince Gong day and night, never leaving for a moment.

It wasn't until they cleaned up the battlefield that Zhang Shouzhong and the others realized that the battlefield last night was far more than just the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

According to Song Bozong's plan, if Bai Ling and Heng Yuan-jun hadn't disrupted the situation, they could have fought directly without bloodshed.

However, Chen Yicong ran away.

Time was delayed, so several teams in the replaced city defense and imperial guards also noticed the abnormality, which led to a small-scale battle.

For these generals, the imperial court naturally wants to reward them, but the Ministry of Rites is obviously already overwhelmed - the enthronement of the new emperor and the state funeral of Emperor Jianxi are the top priorities now.

And the memorials from various prefectures have been piled up for several days because of the death of Emperor Jianxi, and the cabinet and the chief inspector are rushing to process them.

In the cabinet room, Zhang Shouzhong's face was still bruised and swollen, and his right foot was also in plaster, but he was still busy in his position.

Not long after, Zhang Shouzhong put down the pen in his hand, and said softly, "Mr. Ge, I have already written this appeasement document for Chang Sheng. Come and take a look. If there is no problem, I will get the letter from the Ministry of Rites tonight." If there is any news, we will send someone eight hundred miles to rush it to Jingzhou."

Sun Beiji stood up, walked to Zhang Shouzhong's side, took the document and read it carefully.

The document was very long, imitating Prince Gong's usual tone of hush and warmth.

Zhang Shouzhong added from the side, "In fact, I mainly talked about three things. Qu Xiu participated in the rebellion, the imperial concubine fell from the building, and Mrs. Qu committed suicide by hanging from the ancestral hall and left a letter to sever ties with Qu Xiu."

Sun Beiji put down the paperwork, hesitantly asked, "...does it have to be so detailed?"

"It's not easy to hide this matter." Zhang Shouzhong said in a low voice, "Instead of letting others spread rumors, why don't we tell him the truth directly, so as to appear open and trust him.

"And it's also clearly stated in the letter. We believe that Qu Xiu was expelled from the Qu family first, and his mother's family, the Qu family, is still loyal to my Da Zhou. This is true for the Qu family, but it is even worse for the Chang family. There would be any involvement - he would understand."

Sun Beiji sighed.

"I've already read the posthumous titles proposed by the Ministry of Rites for the noble concubine and the old lady in the afternoon," Sun Beiji said in a low voice, "It's not a big problem."

"That's good." Zhang Shouzhong also felt a little emotional, "Since the noble concubine is so courageous, no matter what status the Ministry of Rites gives, I will support it."

"I'm not lamenting this." Sun Beiji replied.

Zhang Shouzhong was stunned, "The pavilion is always sighing...?"

Sun Beiji thought for a moment, "Look at the imperial concubine, then look at Qu Xiu; look at the princess, then look at the prince..."

Before Sun Beiji finished speaking, Zhang Shouzhong immediately looked back and forth keenly—there were indeed only the two of them left in the room at this moment.

"Elder Ge, be careful with your words."

This scene seems familiar, but the persuasion and the persuaded have switched positions.

Sun Beiji's gaze remained calm, "There are some things I can only talk to you about. Back then when the noble concubine wanted to die, the courtiers were furious; now that the noble concubine is not only dead, she is also carrying King Qi to live with her. The minister praised... Shouzhong, don't you think it's absurd?"

Zhang Shouzhong frowned, and was silent for a moment, "Ge Lao, you should understand the difference. If it weren't for the noble concubine's loyalty, Song Bozong might have brought King Qi to join the Jinren now... that is a national shame!"

"Yes, I understand. But then Song Bozong insisted on going his own way, what is the noble concubine, what is the king Qi? What's the point of posthumous title?"

Sun Beiji shook his head, raised his hand and said, "...Maybe I am really old."

All of a sudden, many words came to Zhang Shouzhong's mind.

Indeed, he had never thought about this matter from the perspective of a noble concubine like Sun Beiji, and he didn't have to—this posthumous title was originally not to comfort the dead, but to appease the living.

For example, Changsheng in the frontier.

But Sun Beiji's words "really old" suddenly made Zhang Shouzhong's nose sore.

Thinking of the night of Emperor Jianxi's funeral, among all the cabinet members, only he and Sun Beiji stood up.

"I'm not going to hide it from Mr. Ge," Zhang Shouzhong lowered his voice, "I always think about the situation where the prince ran away that night... I really think that if you are like this, it's better to go home and cook tea."

Sun Beiji didn't refute, his eyes darkened, "I also... really want to retire and return to my hometown."

"...But God has blessed me, Da Zhou, and the son, the concubine, and you and me." Zhang Shouzhong looked at Sun Beiji, "If the old man is old, with whom can I help the wind and rain? "

Sun Beiji looked at the young man with black hair and long beard nearby—maybe he couldn't be called a young man, after all Zhang Shouzhong was already middle-aged.

But he is indeed very young - he can always see the sparks under the ashes, the morning light at dawn, or a sliver of hope in other desperate situations.

Sun Beiji didn't speak, but shook Zhang Shouzhong's hand vigorously.

There were some words he didn't speak, and he really couldn't speak.

Maybe there will be nothing new in the future...

Who will know.

……

In the middle of the night, Chen Yicong returned to the palace in a carriage.

Because he was so exhausted, he even fell asleep in the car - he spent almost all his time sitting in the cabinet compound these days, and tonight was his first time going home in these few days.

In order to save the time of transporting the memorial, half of the director of rituals also temporarily moved into this courtyard.

The cabinet draws up votes with its left hand, and the inspector of ceremonies approves them with his right hand. If there are any disputes, they will be sent to the inner room for Chen Yicong to review in person.

This matter, the young man did it with trepidation.

Just overnight, without any transition, everyone obeyed him - this feeling not only did not make him feel any pleasure, but made the boy feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Master Zhang told him the day before yesterday that only by staying vigilant and anxious about these matters forever can he be most likely to make the right decisions all the time.

When Chen Yicong returned to the palace, he asked where his mother was, and the servant pointed to Prince Gong's dormitory.

So the boy cheered up, changed his clothes and went to pay his respects.

On the bed, Prince Gong was sleeping, and Shi Zhen was sitting on the edge of the bed, resting with his head resting on the edge of the bed—and even in his sleep, Prince Gong's hand was tightly clasped around Zhen Shi's wrist.

After not seeing each other for a few days, Zhen Shi lost weight. Chen Yicong asked the maid in his father's room, and only then did he know that his mother never left the bed these days almost day and night.

As long as Prince Gong wakes up and sees that Mrs. Zhen is not there, he will be furious and cry continuously. For this reason, Mrs. Zhen has to accompany him all the time, and can only sleep with her clothes on at night.

Hearing this, Chen Yicong suddenly felt angry. He went straight forward, broke away his father's hand that was still clenched in his sleep, and said in a deep voice, "Father, the child has come to greet you!"

　Thanks to Mr. Qiu Ke Fa Tang, Tsing Yi Ah D and Light Mo Wu Hongchen for the monthly tickets~
　　Thank you rquall for your daily reward~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)