After rebirth, I made the princes cry

The Northern Han emperor passed away. The Third Prince and Nanci were both solemn. Although they had been preparing for the return, the approaching death date suddenly made Nanci feel that the death knell was piercing. The sound of the death knell was like hitting the hollow in his heart. The officials of the Northern Han knelt on the ground. Nanci leaned close to Yingshu's ear and whispered, "Two things happened in succession. Why don't we just move to Baoguang Palace?"

Nanci asked in a low voice, but the Third Prince didn't miss a word. Once the Grand Master died, the countdown for their return to the court officially began. In these last few days, of course they would squeeze into the core if they could.

"Left Deputy Envoy, in the past we were not allowed to stay in Baoguang Palace because the concubines of the King of Northern Han often went to Baoguang Palace, but... now the funeral bells have rung, although we don't know which venerable has passed away, but it must be a national mourning, and Baoguang Palace is not the inner court. During the national mourning period, the concubines of the Northern Han court will not chat with foreign officials...any more, right? Besides, the Northern Han court has encountered such a major event, and my fifth brother and I are both envoys. According to etiquette, we should also participate in the condolences. I think it is inappropriate to continue staying in the envoy post."

The guest commander had already cried and recited a eulogy, and took the lead in sending the soul of the great emperor "back to Kunlun Xu". When he heard what the third prince said, he was completely stunned! ! ! What's the explanation? Can't the ringing of the funeral bell directly announce who the subject is dead? Isn't it like this? Isn't the funeral bell equivalent to the conch shell of the Qiang tribe, which only cries when the father is alive and the son is dead? When the funeral bell rings, doesn't it directly mean that the great emperor has passed away?

It's not Ke Cao Ling's fault for being confused. In fact, after the establishment of the Northern Han Dynasty, the ritual system had never been perfected, especially the funeral system. As Jiang Xiongying became more and more obsessed with immortality, he was unwilling to formulate a ritual after his death. He even couldn't stand the word death. Therefore, the national mourning system was not really established at all. It was just that according to the national mourning system established by Northern Zhao, after Jiang Tai ascended the throne, he proposed that when the king passed away, the ordinary funeral ritual of blowing conch shells would no longer be used to mourn, but funeral bells would be used instead. The specific national mourning system is still being formulated.

Ke Cao Ling came here because he knew that Tai Zun would pass away soon. In addition, according to the old custom of the Qiang tribe, if a son dies before his father, no conch shells will be sounded, and of course no funeral knell will be rung. He simply ignored the fact that although Tai Zun was the emperor and father, only the person on the throne could be called the true ruler of a country. Logically, when the emperor passed away, the funeral knell would of course be rung.

In the Qiang people's perception, although the Queen Mother and the Empress have noble status, women are not eligible to enjoy the treatment of state mourning after their death, and the funeral bell cannot toll for a woman.

But even if it was not unreasonable for Ke Cao Ling to make such a guess, after all, the death knell had never been sounded since the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty. When such an unusual thing happened, he immediately believed that the Supreme Emperor had passed away... His reaction was too quick!

The Guest Officer has made two mistakes today, so how can he care about stopping the envoys from moving to the Baoguang Palace? Anyway, it is not something he can decide on. Apart from Your Majesty, only the Grand Chancellor has the right to make the decision.

Yingshu also knew that she couldn't make the decision on her own, so she said, "No matter what, we must first clarify what happened. I believe that the King of Northern Han has no time to meet with foreign ministers at this time, so we should first pay a visit to the Grand Chancellor."

No matter how "unexpected" the death of the Grand Master was, as an envoy of Dayu, there was certainly no need to question Jiang Tai's patricide. However, Yingshu knew that the personnel factions in the envoy station were complicated. Regarding the two major flaws revealed by the guest commander today, there was no fear that they would not be spread outside the envoy station. There would definitely be someone who would take advantage of it. The more chaotic the situation in Northern Han was, the better it would be for Dayu, the Lord of the Palace and her future escape.

White banners were quickly hung in the Baoguang Hall, and the palace maids had all changed into mourning clothes. The envoys were not subjects of the Northern Han Dynasty, so they did not need to mourn for Jiang Xiongying. However, according to etiquette, they had to change into plain clothes. Nowadays, plain clothes are not limited to white. Clothes in the four colors of blue, red, yellow, and black without woven or embroidered patterns are all considered orthodox plain clothes. Plain clothes are actually always available, so there is no need to prepare them separately.

After changing into plain clothes, the Third Prince and Nan Ci first went to visit the Great Shangchen to confirm that the funeral bell was tolling for the Grand Master. The Great Shangchen did not argue about the two's plan to temporarily move to the Baoguang Palace. In fact, Jiang Tai wished that the four envoys would live under his nose, but he had no excuse to force the two princes to give up the envoy post where they had relative freedom of movement and were guarded by many envoy guards, and live in the Weiyang Palace where there was an unpredictable risk of dying in obscure circumstances.

Although Jiang Tai had thought about taking the lives of the two princes of Dongyu from the beginning to the end, the fact that the other party took the initiative to live in Baoguang Palace undoubtedly made Jiang Tai more relieved.

When the death knell sounded, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace was playing chess with Liang Hui.

Liang Hui was surprised. Although he knew that Jiang Xiongying would die soon, he still felt it was sudden. He put down his chess piece immediately and said, "Don't panic, Your Majesty. I will go and inform the Left Deputy Envoy and the Fourth Prince."

The Palace Master was quite calm, "No need. Although Yingshu didn't expect that two things would happen one after the other today, she would not stay outside the palace for long after hearing the death knell. Deputy Liang asked the guards to take off their leather armor and change into plain clothes. Yes, follow me to see Yang Neichen first. We can't act too calm. We should ask him what happened."

When Yingshu and Sikong Yuehu rushed back to Baoguang Palace, everything was in order. Yang Neichen hurried forward to report the "bad news" of the death of the Grand Master. All the palace people of the Northern Han Dynasty had sad looks on their faces. Yingshu also had a solemn expression. She changed into plain clothes and met with the Palace Master and Liang Hui. In a few words, she explained the incident that happened at the post station. Then Sikong Yuehu changed into black pleated white trousers and climbed up the stairs to the central hall.

He did not reveal his true face, but Dianjun did not feel that the person in front of her was any different from the people she was familiar with.

Actually, it’s not accurate to say that I’m familiar with it.

He was gentle and polite to others, and did not seem to be arrogant, but every time she saw him, she was always afraid to talk. She thought she was the only one like this, but Ling Shang Gong felt the same way. When she mentioned Xin Su Jun, her voice was even lower than usual: "When I was in Qianyang Palace in the past, I often saw several princes. The gentlest ones were the Crown Prince and Xin Su Jun. But Xin Su Jun would never take the initiative to talk to the palace maids and eunuchs in Qianyang Palace, even Zhong Nuyi. She had the highest seniority in Qianyang Palace and was very valued by Your Majesty in the past. Jiao Su Jun used to have a rather cold temperament, but he would often take the initiative to chat with Zhong Nuyi when he saw her.

Sometimes the princes were waiting for an audience with His Majesty, and Zhong Nuyi would ask the maids to serve them tea and snacks. The maids had a rough idea of ​​the preferences of several princes, but they were not sure about Xinsujun's preferences. Once, the maid saw that Xinsujun had been waiting for a full hour, but there was still half a cup of tea in front of him, and the cakes had not been touched at all. The maid saw that it was already past meal time, and was really worried that if she did not serve him well, Xinsujun would be thirsty and hungry.

Moreover, Xin Sujun always treated the maidservant in a very gentle manner, so the maidservant did not feel timid, so she stepped forward and asked Xin Sujun if she wanted a cup of hot tea. Xin Sujun said "no need", and the maidservant wanted to ask Xin Sujun if he was not used to drinking Zi Xi Bai, but for some reason, she could not muster up the courage to ask. The maidservant later told Zhong Nuyi about this.

Zhong Nuyi said that the gentleness and courtesy of Xinsu Lord towards others actually meant that strangers should stay away from him. There were actually many palace maids with erratic personalities. Although none of them dared to dream of being chosen as Xinsu Lord's concubine one day, there were still some who dreamed of being favored by Xinsu Lord and asked His Majesty to grant them concubines. Whenever there was a chance, they would come forward to show their courtesy, but later, everyone stopped trying. None of them was scolded. It was unclear why, but in the end, they all felt ashamed of themselves. Not to mention taking the initiative to strike up a conversation, they didn't even dare to approach him any further. "

The prince had a vague idea of ​​the reasons that the palace people could not figure out. He took the initiative to talk to her, but was only met with gentle and polite responses. He was afraid that if he did not know what was best for him, he would be despised.

Dianjun was a little dazed. For a moment she didn't hear clearly what Liang Hui was asking and what Ying Shu was answering. Suddenly, she heard another man's voice.

"As for the maidservant named An Yu, as long as Deputy Envoy Zuo asks, Third Brother will hand over her indenture."

The Palace Master couldn't help but look at Xinsu Master.

He didn't seem to think there was anything abrupt about this proposal. He lowered his eyelids, as if he was aware of the gaze. His eyelashes just moved slightly, which scared away the gaze. Dianjun's heart was pounding, but every beat had nothing to do with joy. She minded this abrupt topic, and she even no longer felt that An Yu was worthy of sympathy.

"Why should I ask this?" Yingshu frowned.

"Before, at the envoy's post, after the left deputy envoy left after questioning, An Yu said something." Sikong Yuehu briefly repeated An Yu's words, selecting the key points: "Third brother will not pay more attention to An Yu. She will certainly not have the opportunity to cause trouble in Jiaosu Prefecture in the future, but it will be difficult for her to get good results. This is probably not what the left deputy envoy wants."

"My pity for her is limited to giving her a chance to live in peace and stability." Ying Shu rejected this abrupt proposal: "Besides, what An Yu said is nothing more than an excuse for her own greed. Some people are not completely heartless and really take ungratefulness for granted. But if they admit their own despicableness, they will feel remorse. She did something ungrateful, but in the end not only did she get nothing, but she was completely trapped in a situation she was unwilling to live in. If she feels remorse, her life will be even more tormented. Even if I take over her indenture, I will not give her the wealth and glory she expects."

"I agree with Yingshu's opinion." Dianjun interrupted, but she didn't know why she interrupted. She turned her face slightly to the side, but wanted to make sure whether Xinsujun was looking at her. She hadn't thought about what to say next...

Sikong Yuehu has ended the topic: "I took it for granted."

He stood up and walked to the other side of the inner hall. On the incense stand half a person's height, there were more than a dozen incense pills in the incense box. He picked up one and identified it as the incense for relieving summer heat and calming the mind. So he sat down in front of the incense stand, took out a black glazed shallow flat stove, buried the small incense charcoal in the incense ashes, and placed the incense pills on the incense cadmium. The fragrance had not yet dissipated so quickly, and he slightly closed his eyes.

The prince seldom came to this inner hall in the past.

But she knew that those incense pills were placed there by Yingshu. Occasionally, Yingshu would meet Madam Wei and other concubines and officials of the Northern Han Dynasty here, so they would burn incense. She had asked for a pill before, but was not used to the slightly astringent aroma. Yingshu said that it was actually a medicinal scent that could relieve heat and calm the mind. Did Xinsujun feel uneasy today? Or did he like this kind of medicinal scent?

Wasn't he concerned about An Yu just now? He clearly saw that Ying Shu had sympathy for An Yu, but he realized that if An Yu didn't repent, he would definitely not get any good results. Was he worried that Ying Shu's kindness was in vain?

Xinsu Jun has always believed that only Yingshu can deal with the complex and unpredictable situation in Northern Han, and among all the women in the world, only Yingshu's talents can be appreciated by him.

Dianjun suddenly felt that the bitter aroma of medicine had drifted from that side to this side, strong and pungent. She could not feel the calming effect at all, and her heart suddenly became depressed and irritable. She could not sit still and urgently needed to go outside to get some fresh air.

As soon as I walked out of the central hall, I saw Jiao Sujun and Gui Sujun being led by Ling Shanggong.

"I'm ashamed. I originally swore to ensure that the Lord of the Palace returns safely, but the situation suddenly changed. It seems that I have to get out of here first. My fifth brother and I won't be staying in Northern Han for long. We are both feeling uneasy. I also want to hear what the Lord of the Palace has to do. As long as we need cooperation, we will spare no effort." The third prince apologized with a face full of shame, and the Lord of the Palace of Shenyuan had to return to the hall that made her upset.

Nanci didn't see Sikong Yuehu at first glance, and asked loudly: "Where is Xinyuehu?"

The tone was quite unfriendly, Liang Hui frowned immediately, even the third prince was surprised, although none of them wanted to be a "deserter", but how could they blame Sikong Yuehu? Speaking of Sikong Yuehu's plan to raid Hanzhong, it really made people's blood boil, and they wanted to stay and make achievements, but the plan needed two women, Dianjun and Zuo Fushi. If you want to blame someone, blame Jiang Tai, who bullies the weak and fears the strong. He is not a man, and only wants to force a weak woman like Dianjun to stay in Northern Han.

Sikong Yuehu had heard the noise. Holding the incense burner, he came over and took his seat. He looked up at Nanci and indicated his "whereabouts" with his actions. He did not hide or avoid, and stayed here all the time.

Dianjun looked at the black-glazed incense burner. She knew that it was an item from the Northern Han Dynasty that Yingshu brought from Jiankang. It should be a pair. The other one was in Yingshu's bedroom, and sometimes she would take it to the pavilion to use. The incense burner was small and easy to carry, but the shape of the incense burner was extremely ordinary. Compared with utensils such as the Boshan incense burner, it was not exquisite at all. There were other incense burners on the incense rack, but Xinsujun picked this one.

She saw the Fifth Prince sitting next to Yingshu very naturally. Yingshu also filled a cup of tea for the Fifth Prince very naturally. When their eyes met hers, she filled her cup again.

Dianjun seemed to feel that he smiled, but also felt that the smile was too forced.

"I already know the plan of surprise attack on Hanzhong in detail. Xinsu Jun is in charge of the plan and it will surely be a great success. However, he did not mention the plan of how to get Dian Jun and Ying Shu out. At this time, the Taizun of Northern Han has passed away. Jiang Tai is willing to kill his father to continue his plan to force Dian Jun to stay. I only want to ask you, Xinsu Jun, are you sure that you have a perfect plan to protect Dian Jun and Ying Shu?!"

"Fifth brother, what you need is not a guarantee, but to know my next strategy, right?" Sikong Yuehu looked at his empty teacup that was obviously "neglected", tapped the tea table twice with his fingers, and said "thank you" to Liang Hui.

"I already have a plan, but it's not something that can be fully explained in just two or three sentences. After all, the Palace Master and the Left Deputy Envoy are the direct participants in the next plan. But right now, the Left Deputy Envoy is needed to execute the first step of the plan. Even though you are worried, don't rush into it. I will give you a detailed explanation later when the Left Deputy Envoy comes back."

Dianjun knew that he could no longer be obsessed with the feelings in his heart at this time.

But she just couldn't help it. She lowered her brows, feeling the sadness in her heart, and didn't pay attention to the first step of the plan formulated by him and implemented by Yingshu.