Xue Xiang died a few days ago. He didn't even have the strength to get up and sit in a wheelchair, so he could only lie down on the bed.
Lao Xue has four sons. Now he is seriously ill and naturally comes to the bedside to take care of them. However, only the youngest, Xue Xuan, was in front of the bed. The other three who were serving as officials might not have received the news yet.
Xue Xiang's eyelids moved slightly and he slowly opened his eyes. Hearing a wailing sound, he lowered his eyes and saw that it was Xue Xuan. He couldn't help but continue to exert his strength and said with all his strength: "Shut up! Crying and crying makes me upset."
"Dad! Are you awake?" Xue Xuan's face was filled with surprise when he saw his father open his eyes.
"Shut up!"
"Yes, yes, yes, kid, shut up, shut up." Don't say it was his father who told him to shut up. As long as his father gets better, he can be mute for the rest of his life.
Xue Xiang ignored the son in front of him, raised his eyes to look at Han Du, and said feebly: "Han Du."
"The boy is here." Han Du stepped forward quickly and held Xue Xiang's withered hand in his hands. The originally broad palm now felt no weight in Han Du's hand, let alone any strength. It was as if what Han Du was holding was not a living hand, but a piece of dead meat.
"I'm going to die. You have to pick up the academy whether you want to pick it up or not." Although Xue Xiang spoke clearly, it was as if only his lips and eyes could move. Even his breathing was so weak that no one could notice it. arrive.
Han Du nodded heavily, "Don't worry, sir, the academy cannot be defeated in my hands."
Seeing that Han Du finally took over the academy in person, Xue Xiang immediately showed relief. Then the eyes began to become cloudy and the eyelids slowly closed.
Han Du felt that Xue Xiang's hands were getting colder and colder, and his heart moved. He stood up and motioned for the imperial doctor on the side to come forward.
The imperial doctor stepped forward and took pulses on Xue Xiang's wrist and neck, and then used his fingers to feel his nose. He stood up, shook his head at Han Du, and said in a low voice: "Master, the old Ministry of Industry... has gone!"
"Dad..." Xue Xuan was very sad when he heard this. He immediately knelt down and cried bitterly on Xue Xiang.
Han Du sighed and shook his head, "Send someone into the palace immediately and inform the emperor."
Generally speaking, only when an important official of the imperial court dies due to illness will the emperor be specifically reported.
Xue Xiang has retired and returned to his hometown, and is no longer considered a member of the imperial court. However, he had guarded the academy for many years and gained great prestige and was admired by people all over the world. Han Du's move was not wrong.
When Zhu Biao heard the news, he immediately put down his government affairs and rushed to the academy as soon as possible. Not only him, but the queen Han Jingyun also came.
When she was in the academy, Xue Xiang did not discriminate against her because she was a woman. Instead, he valued her more and helped her answer questions and point out problems many times.
Therefore, Han Jingyun respects Xue Xiang very much, just like an elder who treats her well.
Zhu Biao came, took one last look at Xue Xiang, and then comforted Xue Xuan with a few words. Then he ordered: "Order the Ministry of Rites to choose a beautiful posthumous title and a lavish burial with excellent standards."
Zhu Biao didn't think about Xue Xiang's posthumous name for a while, so he simply gave it to the Ministry of Rites. Anyway, the Ministry of Rites has to ask for his consent in the end. If the Ministry of Rites is dissatisfied, he can respond at any time.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Xue Xiang had no way to thank him, so he had to pay his father's debt to his son. Xue Xuan quickly thanked him on his father's behalf.
Xue Xiang had just passed away, and in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible to move at this time. If you want to move, you have to wait at least seven days.
Han Du directly ordered someone to build a mourning hall in the academy, allowing Xue Xiang to stay here temporarily and wait until seven days before moving back to Xue Mansion.
During these seven days, the students from the academy spontaneously came to see him one by one, wearing silk clothes.
When seven days passed, Han Du personally carried the coffin and sent Xue Xiang home.
The Ministry of Rites also determined Xue Xiang's posthumous title, Wenzhong.
Zhu Biao was still satisfied with this posthumous title, so he had no objection and directly issued an order to give Xue Xiang the posthumous title Wenzhong.
From then on, Xue Xiang could be officially called Xue Wenzhonggong.
Although Xue Xiang cannot be like Lao Zhu, he can rest for seven or forty-nine days. But because of his status as Duke Xue Wenzhong, he can rest for twenty-one days.
In the past, Han Du didn't understand why he had to stay for so many days. But after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, I realized that this was not only a requirement of etiquette, but also a limitation of the inconvenient transportation in this era. Take the Xue family as an example. Xue Xiang's eldest son and second son are all serving as officials. Even when Xue Xiang was lying in bed, he had already sent someone to notify them. But if they want to come back, it will take them a month. In this little time, I can only catch up with Xue Xiang for the last time.
Han Du was busy with Xue Xiang's posthumous affairs from beginning to end, and met Xue Xiang's eldest son Xue Kai and second son Xue Neng. Seeing that the two of them were in great grief, Han Du couldn't help but stepped forward, patted their shoulders and said: "Don't worry, I will find an official position for you in Beijing after three years of Ding You. From now on, you can stay in Beijing." A family reunion.”
After your parents die, as a son, no matter how big an official you are, you have to go home and live in Dingyou for three years. This was an iron rule in the Ming Dynasty. Unless the emperor ordered to seize love, no one could make an exception.
Xue Kai is a counselor from the fourth rank, while Xue Neng is only from the sixth rank. With Han Du's current status, it was completely effortless to find a position for the two of them in the capital. But after so long since Han Du came back, Xue Xiang didn't even mention a word.
Han Du didn't know why Xue Xiang didn't speak to him, but now that Xue Xiang had passed away, it was appropriate to take care of his two sons.
Xue Kai is older than Han Du and is over fifty years old this year. Facing the death of his father, although he knew that life, old age, illness and death were inevitable, he could not help but grieve and his eyes became red from crying.
He bowed his hands to Han Du and said, "Thank you very much for the kindness of Lord Zhen Guo. However, my father once said that once he dies, we two brothers will take this opportunity to resign. Ding You, the two brothers, expressed his kindness. People can only live up to it.”
"I want you to resign?" Han Du glanced at Xue Xiang's coffin in surprise, wondering what the old man was thinking.
An ordinary person would wish that his descendants could be princes for generations to come, but Xue Xiang just wanted his two sons to resign.
However, considering that Xue Xiang was unwilling to speak to him and move his two sons to the capital to serve as officials, maybe Xue Xiang was not optimistic about his two sons becoming officials.
"Okay..." Now that Xue Xiang had made arrangements, Han Du couldn't rush in and change things, so he had no choice but to nod to the two of them and said: "No matter what happens to you in the future, you can come to me. Don't be too strong, and don't be too good-looking, otherwise it will be difficult to live a comfortable life. Your father has been strong and good-looking all his life, do you think he lives a comfortable life?"
There are some things that Han Du can't say clearly. But he was worried that because of their good reputation, they would not come to him for help when encountering difficulties, so he had to mention it in a vague way.
Xue Kai and Xue Neng fell silent immediately. Although they respected their father very much as a person, if they wanted to say that his father was comfortable, they secretly shook their heads.
Knowing that Han Du's words were sincere, Xue Kai quickly replied gratefully: "Thank you so much, Lord Marquis. If I have any difficulties, I will definitely come to ask for help from Lord Marquis."
"Don't have any scruples, this is what you should do." Han Du encouraged the two of them again before leaving the matter of Xue Xiang's funeral to them.
On the day when Xue Xiang was laid to rest, Fang Xiaoru and Wang Yuanji, as well as officials and students from the academy, all came to see him off. Countless people dressed in silk clothes came to kneel to see him off, and the crowd stretched for miles.
This year, in addition to Xue Xiang's death, two other people died of illness. One is Emperor Yuan Shun, the current obedient king Togu Si Timur; the other is the former King of Goryeo and the current King Yongle.
However, the deaths of these two people did not cause any waves in the capital at all. After receiving the news, Zhu Biao felt greatly relieved. After instructing the Ministry of Rites to bury it according to the regulations, he ignored it.
However, Han Du went to the palace to see Zhu Biao and suggested that the Ming Dynasty take this opportunity to obtain the two men's credentials to merge the grasslands and Korea into the Ming Dynasty.
This was the best time. Although the two people died, it did not prevent Ming from producing the credential. As long as the jade seals of the two people are stamped and the two people are dead, the only right to interpret the authenticity of the credential lies with the Ming Dynasty. If the credential is not true, it is true.
Zhu Biao instantly understood the importance of this matter. It can be said that both of them were the last kings of Beiyuan and Goryeo. If the grasslands and Goryeo were included in the Ming Dynasty in their names, then the Ming Dynasty would get the most important rightful name. .
No matter how we divide and rule the grasslands and Goryeo in the future, we will have the most fundamental basis to rely on.
But after all, this matter was a bit disgraceful. Zhu Biao had always been kind, so he was a little hesitant.
Han Du didn't care about that and led people directly into Prince Gongshun's palace and asked Tianbaonu to hand over Togu Si Timur's seal. Tianbaonu didn't dare to resist at all and handed the things to Han Du obediently.
Han Du took the seal and asked someone to make a certificate of credence with Timur's handwriting overnight, and asked Tianbaonu to present it to Zhu Biao in person.
Seeing Tianbaonu tremblingly present the letter of credence and saying that it was written by his father himself, Zhu Biao knew that Han Du had handled the matter perfectly.
So, sighing secretly, Zhu Biao accepted the last certificate of credence of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and asked Tianbaonu to succeed the King of Gong. He also increased his salary by five thousand dan, granted him ten thousand taels of gold, one thousand pieces of silk and satin, and various other rare things. There are countless treasures.
Tianbaonu was overjoyed when he heard this, and the fearful look on his face disappeared in an instant. He quickly knelt down to Zhu Biao and said, "Tianbaonu thanks the emperor for his kindness. Long live my emperor, long live the emperor~"
If he had known that a letter of credence could bring so many benefits, Tianbaonu himself would have asked his father to write the letter of credence in his own hand. How could Han Du be kept busy for so long?
Later, when the King of Goryeo was seriously ill, he did not need to be reminded by his son. The King of Goryeo himself wrote the certifying document subscribing Goryeo to the Ming Dynasty, and sent his son to the palace. After his death, Zhu Biao also allowed his son to inherit the title of King Yongle, and there was no shortage of rewards.
