Corrupt official in the Red Chamber

Chapter 602 Entering the Tomb
Bells rang in the capital.

And the bell kept ringing, a full three thousand times.

This was the death knell for the Queen Mother.

After officials at all levels heard the bell, they knew that the queen in the palace had passed away.

So people of some rank immediately put on mourning clothes overnight and hurried into the palace with their families.

At this time, the palace had turned into a sea of ​​white, and all yellow and gold things were covered by white.

Now Mrs. Wang's body has been placed in the coffin and placed in the main hall of Longshou Palace.

The first to arrive were Jia Rui's confidants, Shen Wence, Jia Yucun, and Xu Biao.

When the three of them saw Jia Rui, Jia Rui had cried so much that he was paralyzed and couldn't get up from the bed.

Jia Rui's parents died when he was young, and it was only through the hard work of Jia Dairu and Mrs. Wang that he grew up.

After Jia Rui traveled through time, Mrs. Wang's love for him made Jia Rui feel like home, and he regarded Mrs. Wang as his own grandmother.

Therefore, the death of Mrs. Wang this time was a very big blow to Jia Rui.

"Your Majesty, the dragon body is more important." Shen Wence continued meticulously.

Jia Rui looked at the few confidants below, and the sadness on his face became even bigger.

"The old lady has never enjoyed any blessings in her life. As soon as I came to the throne, I originally wanted to serve you quietly, but I didn't expect that my son wanted to support me but he refused to be kissed."

After saying this, Jia Rui started crying again. He didn't know how many times he had cried today, and his eye circles had become red.

This is the first time Jia Rui has vented like this since he traveled to this world.

The ministers below didn't know what to do when they saw Jia Rui like this.

After a long time, Jia Rui reluctantly held back his tears.

"How is the emperor's tomb?"

Xu Biao, who was in charge of this matter, immediately knelt down.

"Back to the emperor, the underground palace has been completed, but the superstructure has only just begun."

Jia Rui sat up from the bed tiredly, and Lao Li, who was waiting on the side, hurried over to support Jia Rui.

"Then do you think it's feasible to let the Queen enter the underground palace now?"

After hearing this, several ministers below looked at each other, and finally Shen Wence came out and said: "The underground palace is the main building of the mausoleum. Now that the underground palace is completed, it is completely possible for the Queen to enter the underground palace first, and then the enshrinement ceremony will be held after the mausoleum is completely completed. ”

After Jia Rui heard this, he nodded with satisfaction, "I feel uneasy, so I will stay away from the court for seven days."

"According to the order."

"I will entrust Shen Aiqing with the Queen's funeral arrangements."

"The minister obeys the order."

After finishing, Jia Rui waved his hand tiredly, and several ministers respectfully withdrew.

After they left, Jia Rui said to Lao Li who was waiting on him: "From today on, all the family members of officials above the fifth rank will come morning and evening to pay homage to the Queen and keep vigil for the Queen."

"All entertainment is prohibited, and weddings and funerals are prohibited." Jia Rui added.

"The slaves obey the order."

Following Jia Rui's decree, the entire capital began to quiet down, all weddings and funerals were cancelled, and all theaters, teahouses, etc. were closed.

Even the brothels had to be shut down.

Let's put it this way, all projects that have anything to do with entertainment have been stopped.

The family members of the ministers also began to tirelessly enter the palace twice a day to keep vigil for the Queen. Of course, the Jia family is indispensable for all this. As royal relatives, their etiquette is naturally more complicated.

They were led by Jia Mu in the morning. Later, all the ladies of high rank followed Jia Mu and entered the palace before dawn.

I kowtowed to the queen here, and then knelt on both sides for nearly an hour before I was able to exit.

Of course, compared to Jia Rui's concubines, they are already considered good.

Before dawn, several of Jia Rui's concubines began to kneel there to keep vigil for the queen.

I waited until sunset before I could get up and go out to have a rest.

Among the women who came with Jia Mu, Wang Xifeng was the most active. She did not go out to rest with Jia Mu and others, but knelt there like Jia Rui's concubines, from morning to evening.

Regarding this, people outside did not say anything. Everyone thought that Wang Xifeng was flattering the emperor.

Even Jia Mu thought that Wang Xifeng was doing something for the Rongguo Mansion, so she valued Wang Xifeng even more.

However, the concubines present had known all this for a long time, so they did not reject Wang Xifeng.

Brother Ying even pulled Wang Xifeng to his place several times during breaks and had meals with her.

In this way, the queen stayed in Longshou Palace for twenty-one days, and then came out of the palace and entered the underground palace surrounded by Jia Rui and other civil and military officials.

Of course, the etiquette this time was simple and not as large-scale and grand as the Feng'an Ceremony.

During the period between the death of the Queen and her entry into the underground palace, Jia Dairu never showed up.

Regarding this, officials inside and outside the court had speculations - the emperor's health was also not good.

After the Queen's body was put into the underground palace, the palace felt relaxed and all the white cloths were put away.

The people have also begun to relax, and various entertainment industries have begun to flourish again.

Jia Rui was actually aware of this, but he had no choice. Just because the Queen passed away, he couldn't stop people from having entertainment or getting married for a year and a half.

Although the lives of ordinary people have returned to normal, the same cannot be said for officials at all levels.

They must observe mourning for the queen for eighty-one days according to the etiquette of courtiers.

During these eighty-one days, all officials and people with titles are prohibited from entertainment, as well as weddings and funerals.

Even the Jia royal family was specially ordered by Jia Rui not to eat meat or have sex with women during this period. He said he was praying for the queen.

…………

Mrs. Wang, who was in Rongguo Mansion, was in her room at this time, frowning.

Jia Lian has been back for some time, and her first plan was ruined by Wang Xifeng, which made Mrs. Wang very unhappy.

But she had nothing to do with Wang Xifeng, except to stare at Jia Lian again.

"Madam, there's news from the other side."

Mrs. Wang heard a crisp voice ringing in her ears.

She finally recovered and looked to the side, only to see Caixia standing respectfully beside her.

"What happened over there?"

"Go back to my wife, the eldest man can't help but feel lonely. He drinks and gets drunk every day, and he never stops having sex with women."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang's eyes lit up at first, but she quickly lowered her head.

She had always set her sights on Jia Lian before, but now that she thinks about it, it is simply stupid. If she were to get rid of Jia She and let her husband Jia Zheng directly inherit the title of Rongguo Mansion, wouldn't it be more worry-free?

However, Jia She alone would not necessarily allow the emperor to move the imperial family immediately. If Jia Lian was added to the family, the imperial family would be finished, and the title of Duke Rong would definitely fall on his husband-in-law.

(End of this chapter)