The short-lived ghost of the Xie family has lived a long life

Jingping, ten years.

Early winter.

At two o'clock in the morning, Xie Erli had just walked out of the study door. Zhu Qing hurried into the courtyard and whispered a few words in his ear. Xie Erli's expression changed drastically.

The master and servant went straight to the back door.

When he went out, a black carriage stopped at the door. Xie Erli straightened his clothes, held Zhu Qing's hand, and got into the carriage.

The driver of the car took a deep look at Zhu Qing and drove away.

Zhu Qing sighed in his heart.

Is this the first time?

It seems to have started since the master entered the cabinet, once every six months.

That man always comes late at night, and he doesn't know where he is taking the master. If the third master and little master Pei are still in the capital, he will probably take them to the boat on the Yongding River.

Zhu Qing shook his head.

Third Master and Little Master Pei have been gone for 11 years. Why do they still think of these old almanacs?
……

in the carriage.

After thanking Erli and saluting, he said: "Your Majesty, do you want to play chess with me today, or do you want me to read for you?"

The middle-aged emperor said calmly: "No need, I will take you somewhere."

When Xie Erli heard this voice, he asked worriedly: "Your Majesty's voice is a little hoarse, but he has caught the wind and cold?"

"I haven't slept well recently. I go to bed at three o'clock and wake up at four o'clock."

Jingping Emperor Zhao Yishi said: "Dr. Xiao Pei checked my pulse and said it's fine. You don't have to worry."

Xie Erli said: "The affairs of the court cannot be separated from your Majesty. Please take good care of your dragon body."

Zhao Yishi waved his hand: "The King of Hell wants you to die at the third watch, but he will not stay until the fifth watch. Everything has its destiny."

Xie Erli looked at the haggard emperor in front of him, his words stuck in his throat.

He has personally experienced three generations of kings, and has seen countless wise and wise kings in history books. No king can compare to the one in front of him. He is not lustful, not greedy for money, and is dedicated to state affairs.

These are truly the ten years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the most peaceful and peaceful for the country and the people. There have been a lot less beggars in the forty-nine cities.

It's just that everything is too much.

The exhaustion of state affairs has greatly consumed His Majesty's mind. In the past year, his health has become worse day by day.

……

The carriage stopped in front of a house.

Xie Erli got out of the car and looked up, his heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was the other courtyard where Yan San lived together.

This villa originally belonged to Pei Mingting. After they left, the villa became the prince's private residence and was always guarded by guards.

Sometimes Pei Yu and his wife missed their son too much, so they would come to take a look at him from a distance.

The red door opened with a creak.

"Thank you, sir, come with me for a walk!"

"Yes!"

The familiar house, familiar paths, both sides of the bluestone road were clean and tidy, there wasn't a single weed, it seemed like it was still the way it was when they lived there.

"I have never let outsiders come here, and you are the first one."

"It's the honor of the minister."

Xie Erli followed the emperor anxiously and stepped into the study.

The furnishings of the study are completely different from before. It looks like a small royal study. Even the charcoal basin in the corner is carved with dragon patterns, which is very exquisite.

Zhao Yishi sat down in front of the desk.

Make some tea.

Amidst the aroma of tea, Zhao Yishi suddenly looked at a white wall and said lightly:
"I will work and rest here one day in mid-January, and sleep in the courtyard where your third son and Ming Ting used to live."

Xie Erli was shocked.

"Master Xie, do you know what I am always thinking about when I am here?"

"Your Majesty, can't you guess it?"

Zhao Yishi stroked the beard on his lips, "I often think about how I can be a good emperor so that the people can be at peace and the world can be at peace."

Xie Erli said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the sea is clear, the river is clear, the time is harmonious and the year is prosperous, you have done it."

Zhao Yishi chuckled and looked away from the white wall, "Chengyu and the others, do you have any news?"

Xie Erli's heartbeat suddenly increased.

He joined the Ministry of Rites as a doctor, a minister, and a minister, and finally became the youngest cabinet minister in China. There were countless opportunities for the monarch and his ministers to meet, but they never mentioned the third child of his family.

The words "the third child, Xie Zhifei, Xie Chengyu, Xie Fifty" are taboo words among their monarchs and ministers.

Xie Erli originally thought that if he became emperor, Lao San and Ming Ting would be able to come back.

Unexpectedly, on the contrary, there were only a few words handed back to him, but as soon as he took the position, there were only things.

The first is the Taiwan mushroom from Mount Wutai;

Next came porcelain from Jingdezhen;
and then...

The only thing that remains unchanged is that there are always one or two Buddhist scriptures mixed in among these things.

Six years ago, the words in the Buddhist scriptures changed significantly, and Xie Erli knew at a glance that they were written by children.

Their calligraphy has been good from the beginning, and over the past six years, they have become somewhat of a master calligrapher;
The writing on the Pei family's end is like a dog crawling. It was the same six years ago, and it is still the same six years later, with no progress at all.

But even so, Uncle Pei treated her like a baby and slept with her under the pillow.

Gradually, he and Uncle Pei realized something: the only person Lao San and Ming Ting were avoiding was the person in front of them.

Xie Erli shook his head, "There is no news at all, and I don't know whether he is alive or dead."

Zhao Yishi took a deep look at Xie Erli and said, "I dreamed of the two of them last night. One was angry and the other was coaxing."

Xie Erli responded carefully: "The two of them are always noisy and noisy when they are together."

Zhao Yishi sighed: "It's good to be noisy, but it won't be too deserted."

Xie Erli didn't know how to answer the question, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhao Yishi looked at him and asked: "Master Xie, do you know why emperors have lived in deep palaces throughout the ages? To see me, you have to pass through many palace gates."

"Only in the deep palace can you protect Your Majesty."

"It's a bit shallow. Only in the deep mountains can knights calm down and practice peerless martial arts; Taoist monks can only cultivate themselves by hiding in no one's place."

Zhao Yishi looked out the window with bright eyes.

"And the emperor is in the deep palace because he has to live a lonely life so that he can secure his position."

He looked at Xie Erli's somewhat pale face and suddenly smiled.

"Thank you, sir. Such a prosperous time is worth it to me."

"Your Majesty is an eternal wise king and a generation of saints..."

When Xie Erli wanted to praise him again, from the corner of his eye he saw the emperor closing his eyes and saying calmly: "Go ahead!" "My lord, please leave."

Xie Erli stood up, bowed, and bowed out.

As he closed the door, he couldn't help but raise his eyelids——

I saw the emperor wearing a mysterious robe and sitting in the grand master's chair. The lights were bright and the study was as warm as spring, but Xie Erli felt as if he was sitting in the dark and in the cold wind.

Couldn't be more lonely.

……

On the way back home, Xie Erli thought about the emperor's words over and over again, always feeling uneasy.

He went back to his room and lay down next to Zhu, holding him in his arms, his heart still uneasy.

Three days in a row, every day.

On the fourth day, it started to snow heavily. Xie Erli drank a bowl of soothing soup and went to bed early to rest.

Unexpectedly, he was sleeping until midnight when he suddenly heard a thunder, which scared him so much that he sat upright from the bed.

Zhu was also awakened and murmured: "It's snowing and thundering, it's not a good sign!"

Xie Erli thought for a while, "I'll write a letter to my elder brother tomorrow and ask him to help..."

Before they finished speaking, a bell rang into their ears.

Zhu was shocked and grabbed the man's arm, "Uncle, what is this sound?"

Xie Erli said nothing, and two lines of hot tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

For a long time, he struggled to bite out three words.

"Mountain! Tomb! Collapse!"

……

Jingping ten years.

November 24, the second ugly moment.

The death knell belonging to Emperor Jingping rang. He died in the imperial study. When he fell, he still held a memorial in his hand.

was 35 years old.

No one could believe that the emperor in his prime would pass away so suddenly, but Zhao Yishi himself seemed to have expected this day.

Three days ago, he selected four ministers to take care of the young prince's life.

Cabinet Xie is one of them.

The bad news spread, and there was a lot of crying in and outside the palace.

The whole city of Sijiucheng is under martial law.

At dawn, Zi Gong with golden nanmu was carried into the palace.

The chamberlain Wang Yin and a group of old chamberlains cleaned the emperor's body, changed his clothes, and carried the body into the Zi Palace.

The young prince was in mourning and vigil.

Xie Erli, who was not only the cabinet, the Minister of Rites, but also the Minister of Life, was hastily summoned to the palace to preside over the funeral.

The other three ministers who cared about life also came one after another.

Things were arranged in an orderly manner one by one. On the second day, the four ministers took their first bite of hot rice.

Xie Erli had no appetite, so he only drank a bowl of hot soup and then went to see the prince in the mourning hall.

The prince had just turned nine and was currently curled up in the arms of the chamberlain. His head was like a chicken pecking at rice, and he was dozing off, completely unaware of the heavy burden that was about to fall on his shoulders.

After thanking him, he lit some incense, kowtowed, took the white paper from the chamberlain, and threw it into the brazier.

In the flickering firelight, he heard a small "click".

What is this sound?
Before he could recover, there was another "click".

This time he heard it clearly, as if something was cracking.

Xie Erli was so shocked that his hair stood on end.

At this time, the prince, who was awakened by the clicking sound, suddenly stretched out his hand, pointed at the black Zi Palace in front of him, and said softly:
"Look, my father's coffin...is cracked!"

Xie Erli was so frightened that he fell to the ground.

Soul fly away!

(End of the article)

----

As I typed the last word, my mind went blank.

This story was inspired by the movie "The Embalmer" and the Korean drama "The Organizer", as well as the death of my grandmother.

My grandma was a very capable person during her lifetime. When she died and was put in the coffin, I was thinking——

What was she like when she was young?

Is there anything unforgettable in her life?
Did she ever have someone she loved or someone she hated?
What does she regret the most?

I started to conceive it in January 2022, started writing it in April, and have been writing it until now.

This is the most serious book I have ever written, and also the most tiring.

During this period, I experienced two new coronavirus infections, experienced my father's rescue, and experienced three of the most important choices in life. I was mentally and physically exhausted and couldn't bear it.

I would like to thank my daughter here. Every time I collapsed, she would find a way to cheer me up and encourage me.

This book can be written well because she gave me endless strength and help.

Thanks to my editor's garbled speech and my readers' calmness, I often harass them when writing is painful.

Thank you also to those of you who are chasing books.

Your monthly votes, rewards, messages, encouragement, and persistence are the biggest motivations for me to write a book.

The ending of the book, just like Yan Sanhe's name, was actually set before the beginning of the book, and it is also the last twist.

Some people will like this ending, some will criticize it, it’s up to the beholder and the wise to do whatever they want.

I'm very sorry that there are no extra chapters in this book. The main reason is that I am tired and can't write, and I can't come up with new ideas, because Hua Hao Yue Yue is mostly the same.

Then don't waste each other's time, it's best to end it abruptly.

Finally, I would like to say that I put [-]% of my thoughts into every character in the book, except for two characters that were not designed well.

One is Han Xu and the other is the second master of Xie Mansion.

This was originally a very tense emotional line, but as I kept reading, I found that their fit with the main line was too low.

I can't draw a separate line for them, which will slow down the pace of the story, which is a pity for them.

There is a bug in the timeline of the book. Let me wait for a while and find time to correct it.

This journey has truly come to an end here. Thank you readers for your waiting and companionship. I wish you good health and prosperity. I also wish my motherland the vast mountains and rivers, the peace and prosperity of the country and the people.

We'll see you next book! (End of chapter)