Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Empress Chen sat on the Arhat bed and said with a smile: "Concubine Yuan loves her brother deeply, but you kid still doesn't appreciate it."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Eldest sister is also very worried. Should Cong still be cautious and insincere in the Queen Mother's place? Who do you think the Queen Mother is?"

Empress Chen rolled her eyes at him: "You guys are so glib and talkative. If I blame you, you're like a chicken with a weak belly."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "It is precisely because the queen mother is as broad-minded and generous as the virtuous, that Cong dares to speak out boldly and express his feelings many times."

"Okay, no more gossiping. I called you here today to remind you that you must not be so complacent these days that you capsize your boat in the gutter." Queen Chen said.

Jia Cong felt a chill in his heart and said, "But the Queen Mother..."

Empress Chen nodded and said: "It's only been a few days. Now the forces from all sides are ready to move. It is the time of great change. You, the admiral in robes, must not remain ignorant."

Jia Cong's face became solemn, and he bowed and said: "Don't worry, queen, the child will be in danger. Don't rely on him not to come, just rely on me to be ready. Don't rely on him not to attack, just rely on me to have something that cannot be attacked."

Empress Chen touched her palms and said: "Okay! You are a true general!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother. Although Cong is a little on guard, he doesn't know where the enemy will come from. Please give me advice, Queen Mother." Jia Cong said.

Empress Chen smiled lightly and said, "Don't you think the Queen Mother's illness is a coincidence?"

Jia Cong was stunned and said: "Although it is a coincidence, at the Queen Mother's age, it is not surprising to get sick anytime. Besides, it was really hot the past few days. Cong had to put several basins of ice cream at home before he could fall asleep."

Empress Chen shook her head and smiled: "You are too naive. The Queen Mother is different from ordinary people. She has dedicated people to take care of her food and daily life. How can she easily suffer from heat stroke and become ill? I'm afraid it's intentional."

Jia Cong was horrified. There was only one person who could arrange the life and death of the Queen Mother at will...

Empress Chen suppressed her smile and said solemnly: "You should know the seriousness of this matter, and you must not reveal it to others lightly after you return."

Jia Cong nodded hurriedly and said: "Don't worry, queen. However, although the child may not understand this truth, there are always princes, eunuchs, doctors, etc. who are familiar with palace affairs who can figure it out. They..."

Empress Chen waved her hands and said: "Those who are related to this matter will pretend not to know, and those who have nothing to do with it will not dare to talk nonsense and bring disaster on themselves."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true."

"So based on this, there should be some variables before and after the Queen Mother's death. Just be careful and don't take it lightly. You must know that arrogant soldiers will be defeated." Queen Chen said.

"My child understands that he must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and suppress all rebellion with the force of a lion fighting a rabbit."

Queen Chen's eyes drifted to the sky, and she sighed quietly: "This time I still don't know who is the lion and who is the rabbit."

Jia Cong's heart sank, even the resourceful queen was so unsure, which showed how bad the situation was, so he said in a deep voice: "With the child here, the queen will be safe."

Empress Chen smiled, nodded and said: "Okay, it will be more comfortable to sleep with you as my mother. Unlike Lao Shi, who knows how to get into trouble and won't let me worry."

Jia Cong shamelessly accepted it and said proudly: "In terms of martial arts and military strategy, Brother Chi and I are on par. In terms of calm temperament, my child is slightly better."

Empress Chen sneered, covered her mouth and rolled her eyes at him, and spat: "You have such a calm temperament that you can't help praising. Go away now, and stop asking for cheap things from me."

Jia Cong laughed, bowed and said, "My child, please leave."
-
On the sixth day of June, Emperor Xifeng ordered the Ministry of Rites:

"The Empress Dowager passed away on the fifth day of the sixth lunar month. According to the Holy Emperor's decree: 'The Empress Dowager has been in charge of internal affairs for many years, her virtues have been shown, and the palace has been transformed into a royal palace. I am deeply saddened by her sudden death, and it is appropriate to build the inner palace for 20 years. One day to show your respect.

I have accepted Ci's decree and asked for the posthumous title to be given to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The posthumous title is: "Xiaoyi, respectful, Kangyu, Ciren, Duanhuiyou, Mujing, Tianguang, Shengxian, Queen". The ceremony should be held, and your department will inspect it carefully and discuss it quickly. "

The current minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lin Ruhai, and other officials of the Ministry of Rites hurriedly discussed the funeral ceremony of the Queen Mother, asked the military aircraft for instructions, reported to the emperor, and issued an edict to the world:
All noble houses are not allowed to have banquets and music for one year, and common people are not allowed to get married in three months.

All civil and military officials, clan members, nobles, and imperial edicts were sent to the imperial court to follow the order and obey the nobility system.

Since Jia Cong had a title and was an admiral in royal robes, he naturally led the three eldest wives and escorted the old lady, Mrs. Xing, and Mrs. Wang to the court for sacrifices every day.

Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao are of low rank and are not qualified to enter the palace to guard the system.

Jia Cong originally thought that the funeral rituals for the Empress Dowager would be the same when they passed away, but after asking Pang Chao, he learned that they differed from person to person.

According to the rules, when the empress dowager dies, the emperor cuts off her hair and dresses her up, eats three meals a day, and the princes and ministers take turns crying twice a day; within twenty-seven days, marriages and music are stopped, soldiers and civilians take off their crowns and tassels, and women are ordered to decorate them. This is also That's it.

Unexpectedly, perhaps because she was not a direct descendant, in order to show her benevolence and filial piety, the Queen Mother's funeral ceremony was upgraded to the point where no banquets and music were allowed for one year, and the common people were not allowed to get married for three months.

Jia Cong secretly cursed, how could a dead old woman bring trouble to the world like this?

Because of this edict, countless noble families in Beijing were forced to disband their theater troupes to show their loyalty and filial piety.

There is nothing we can do if we don't disband. Not only are we not allowed to sing operas for a year, but we are also not allowed to practice exercises. As the saying goes, if you don't practice for a day, you won't be a student. What's more, after a year of unfamiliarity, your voice has changed and your muscles and bones have become hardened. What else can you sing?
I had no choice but to disband and use it as a little girl, which is not mentioned for another time.

In the Ancining Palace of the Empress Dowager's Zi Palace, several banquets were set up in the main hall. Jian Danyi was placed outside the door on the right side. From the prince to the Qingqi Commandery, the princesses, princesses, wives, etc. gathered together. Emperor Xifeng led the crowd. The rituals such as service, first sacrifice, main sacrifice, and first sacrifice are the same as those of a major funeral.

Four days later, the officials who came on duty took off their crowns and tassels and wore plain clothes. On the fifth day, the edict was issued, and all the civil and military officials came to the office and knelt down three times and bowed nine times. They listened to the announcement of the edict and offered condolences.

Weeping day and night for three days, we wear white cloth. Both the soldiers and civilians, men and women, wear plain clothes. The officials and the people stayed and fasted for twenty-seven days. Temples and temples each ring bells with thirty thousand pestles.

Use blue seal for text transfer, red seal for title copy, and blue seal for edicts. Jia Cong had never been aware of this complicated etiquette, and he was too lazy to stand around and mourn like the officials. He used his identity as the commander of the Jinyi Guards to wander around, euphemistically saying that he was patrolling the palace and supervising officials.

Now that he is in charge of debt collection, which censor dares to control him.

Everyone went to the court every day to perform sacrifices and returned after the ceremony. For twenty-one days in a row, everyone was exhausted.

On this last day of mourning in the palace, Jia Cong led everyone into the palace to observe the mourning as usual.

Arriving in front of Jiyan Hall, Jia Cong whispered: "Yan'er, Sister Bao, and Qi'er, it's the last day. If you can't bear it, don't force yourself. I would have known about it and found a place for you to rest. "

Ruyi glared at him: "The Queen Mother has treated me the best since she was a child. I want to send her off to the old lady's home safely. Don't tell me about these little tricks of cheating and cheating."

Baochai and Daiyu also knew etiquette well, so they both smiled and shook their heads, saying: "It's okay, we are fine, you can go take care of the old lady and the others." They declined Jia Cong's "kindness".

"Okay, forget it because I put my hot face on the cold buttocks of the three of you. I don't appreciate it." Jia Cong said angrily.

The three girls blushed, glanced around hurriedly, and whispered in a low voice: "Don't let me know what bastard words you said during the National Filial Piety Ceremony."

Jia Cong smiled dryly and said: "Isn't this a metaphor? You are busy with me patrolling." After that, he walked away, looking around with a "sad" look on his face.

Walking to the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I saw hundreds of officials, all dressed in plain clothes, standing neatly and mourning, kneeling down, standing up, and crying from time to time.

It rained heavily the day before, and some unlucky ones happened to stand in a puddle of water. There was no way to adjust their position. After a few rounds, the lower body was completely wet and dirty, which was very embarrassing.

Fortunately, the weather is hot. If it is cold winter weather, it will freeze to death.

Jia Cong saw the sad faces of the officials in the corner, and felt secretly happy in his heart. Suddenly he heard someone calling, but it was Dai Quan.

"The Queen Mother has passed away. The Prime Minister has worked hard these days." Jia Cong walked over and cupped his hands.

Dai Quan waved his hand and said: "Isn't this the responsibility of our slaves? Don't take it seriously." He glanced around and said softly: "Brother, come with me."

Jia Cong's heart moved, and he hurriedly followed Dai Quan to find a small room in the three back halls of Cining Palace to talk.

This place is very secluded and no one comes, so it's a good time for secret discussions.

"Brother, the Queen Mother is going to have a funeral tomorrow. You should be more careful. The Emperor will call you to see her later after paying homage." Dai Quan whispered.

Jia Cong was slightly shuddered and said: "Please let me know from the manager, Cong doesn't quite understand."

Dai Quan said: "According to the rules, the Empress Dowager is going to be buried. The Emperor will personally support the coffin and escort the Zi Palace to Xiaoci County. He can only return to the capital after being placed in the underground palace of the Imperial Mausoleum."

A bright light flashed in Jia Cong's eyes, and he recalled the map around Shenjing in his mind. Xiaoci County is in the eastern suburbs, about seventy or eighty miles away from Shenjing, where the imperial mausoleum is located.

Although the distance is not far, if it is an elite unit, it can arrive in one day. If it is a funeral procession of the Queen Mother, it will take more than ten days one way. In addition, Zi Palace will have to park in Xiaoci County for several days, and the round trip will take a month.

"What the manager means is that His Majesty will not be in Beijing for a month in the future?" Jia Cong said solemnly.

Dai Quan nodded and said: "Exactly. I am a smart man, and I am also in charge of the Royal Guards. I should know that there are undercurrents now, and we must be on guard. Your Majesty will see you later for this reason."

"Your Majesty, would you like me to accompany you?" Jia Cong asked.

Dai Quan shook his head: "On the contrary, we guess that the emperor will let you guard the capital."

Jia Cong frowned and said: "Now the Beijing army is in the hands of Marquis Wu. If there is an accident, if your Majesty makes a mistake, wouldn't it be a disaster for the sky to collapse and the earth to collapse?"

Dai Quan smiled slightly: "My loyalty and filial piety are commendable, but that's all. The emperor has been in the imperial court for more than ten years and has loyal ministers to assist him. I don't have to worry. Just guarding the capital is a great achievement."

Jia Cong suddenly realized that Dai Quan was probably referring to the fact that Jinshang had already infiltrated the Beijing army, and that all military power in the Beijing camp might not be in the hands of Tu Fei and others.

This is a completely normal thing. With today's methods, if you can't keep a few people together for so many years, why should you be an emperor?
However, this matter was extremely sensitive, and Jia Cong did not dare to discuss it in depth. He only said: "Cong just acts according to the order."

"In addition, according to the system, some clan members, nobles and family members must accompany the funeral.

In our opinion, Madam Rongguo has been too sad and worried these days. In addition, she is old and bedridden, so there is no need to go.

Princess Ruyi felt so grieved by the Queen Mother's kindness that she was ill and could not make the trip. Your two ladies have to stay at home to attend to the illness of the Dowager Madam, so they cannot go. "Dai Quan said.

Jia Cong nodded, knowing that Dai Quan's move must have deep meaning. If he didn't go, it would be safer for Ruyi, Baochai and Daiyu to stay with him.

Yin cupped his hands and said, "Cong thanks me for taking care of me. I'll say hello to Prince Zhongxin later, tell him he's sick, take care of me, and send someone else."

"Our family also keeps talking like this because of the friendship between you and my brother. It's almost time, come with me to see Your Majesty in the Yangxin Hall." Dai Quan stood up and said with a smile.

"General Manager Dai is so affectionate and kind, and it's hard to repay Cong with his death." Jia Cong said "gratefully".

"Hey, I'm saying too much. Whatever we say and do, we are all working for the emperor, so there is no difference between us." Dai Quan said with a smile.

"That's what the manager said." Jia Cong responded with a smile and went with him to see the driver. (End of chapter)