After bidding farewell to Li Ran, Confucius got into the carriage and drove to Qufu under the escort of Zilu.
Li Ran, on the other hand, kept watching until the carriage disappeared.
Li Ran returned to the city, and now the city of Yunyi was desolate.
Now that the Marquis of Lu is gone, all the garrisons of Qi and Jin have withdrawn, and the so-called "rebels" have gone their separate ways. Only the original people in the city have not returned yet.
The only things left in sight are those hanging on the top of the city and the offensive and defensive equipment scattered outside the city. It seems that they are the only ones that have witnessed everything in the past.
When Li Ran arrived at his official residence, he first asked the doctor about Ji Le's condition.
These days of medical treatment can be said to be exhausting the dry intestines, trying hard to maintain the life of Ji Le.
Although he has superb medical skills, he cannot change his fate against the odds. Regarding the situation of the festival, he was a little helpless and could only do his best.
Li Ran felt grateful when he saw how much he was working on his beloved wife's illness.
However, when Yi He faced Li Ran's inquiry, he couldn't help but remain silent for a while:
"Young Master, the young lady's illness has already entered her body, and all her internal organs have been damaged, so it may be difficult to cure. If the lady has any unfulfilled wishes, if they can be settled, it will be a relief, or it may be beneficial to her condition... "
When Li Ran heard this, his heart felt cold.
"Could it be that...even Sir, there is nothing you can do?"
Yihe sighed again and didn't reply.
With his mind completely blank, Li Ran came to Ji Le's side. When he saw her, he couldn't help but smile:
"As Le'er wished, Ji Sun is dead, and Zhong Ni has now gone to Qufu. If everything goes well, why don't we go to Qufu together, and then let Fan Li take Guang'er to come to Qufu together, then our family of three will be able to go to Qufu together. We can meet in Qufu! What do you think, madam?"
Ji Le's dull eyes couldn't help but light up with joy from the bottom of his heart:
"If this can be the case, then...it would be really great."
Li Ran couldn't help but feel sad when he saw Ji Le being like this. But in front of Ji Le, he still had to pretend that nothing happened.
…
Confucius also hurriedly and slowly arrived at Qufu. Upon hearing the news, Yang Hu directly welcomed him into the city gate and wanted to take him directly to Ji's mansion. The two sat opposite each other in the carriage.
Confucius smiled slightly and exchanged hands with Yang Hu:
"Congratulations, Brother Yang!"
Yang Hu smiled and shook his head:
"Haha, this matter has not been successful yet, I still need Zhongni to help me!"
"I wonder what Brother Yang has planned next?"
When Yang Hu heard Confucius' question, he couldn't help but be silent for a moment, then raised his head and said:
"Everyone says that Brother Zhongni knows the Zhou rites very well, and he once asked about the rites in the Zhou Dynasty. I believe that Brother Zhongni must be a man full of knowledge, and there are few people in the world who can match him. I invite Brother Zhongni to come here today to see what he can do. Can we find some excuse at Ji Sun Yiru’s funeral..."
Yang Hu lowered his voice for the last sentence, but Confucius heard it clearly.
He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hands and said with a smile:
"Even if Ji Sun Yiru can do it, why can't others do it? How can we repay kindness with kindness? How can we repay kindness with kindness? Qiu is willing to follow this fate!"
After all, Confucius was actually on Lu Zhaogong's side from beginning to end. Now that Lu Zhaogong has passed away, his desire for revenge can be said to be extremely strong.
Besides, this move also had the effect of suppressing the Three Huans and advocating for the official office. Confucius had no reason to refuse this.
Yang Hu took Kong Qiu to Ji Sun Yiru's mourning hall. Ji Sun Yiru was already in the coffin at this moment. When Confucius arrived at this time, it was also close to the day of his burial (literary officials were buried in three days and buried in three months), so all the things he was buried with were piled aside.
After all, Confucius was a man who knew etiquette. Although he was facing Ji Sun Yiru, he still worshiped him respectfully. Together with his disciple Zilu, he personally pierced a straw man as a burial object.
Just when Confucius was about to place the straw man in the mourning hall, he suddenly discovered a piece of bamboo on the side of the mourning hall.
"Huh? Could this piece of 癙璠 be..."
Just because Confucius had entered the palace many times when Lu Zhaogong was still in Qufu, he could tell at a glance that this jade was a palace item.
Confucius remembered it in his heart and remained calm. After the worship, Confucius and Yang Hu came to the secret room together. Confucius told Yang Hu about Yufan.
But Yang Hu still seemed a little unclear.
"That Yufan... was originally Ji Sun Yiru's personal belongings. I wonder what its reputation is?"
"癙璠 is something that princes are buried with. As a member of the Qing clan, Ji's family, if he is buried with him, it is inconsistent with the etiquette. Isn't this right and can he prove his arrogance?"
When Yang Hu heard this, he couldn't help but suddenly realized, and said with a smile:
"Exactly! Exactly! This thing was originally Ji Sun Yiru's favorite thing, and Hu originally planned to use it as a burial object. However, he never expected that there was such a particularity in it! In this case, Then this matter can be widely publicized!"
Confucius thought for a while and then said:
"In addition, when he is buried, he can also arrange for the coffin bearers to walk in the seven steps of an emperor. In this way, everyone will witness Ji's funeral that is not in line with etiquette!"
Yang Hu laughed again when he heard this:
"As expected! As expected! Guan Ziyu didn't deceive me! It's great to ask Zhongni to come and help! Okay, Hu will make arrangements now!"
Yang Hu had full authority to organize the funeral of Ji Sun Yiru, and now that the burial was imminent, those who carried the coffin were also ready. Yang Hu gave them instructions one by one on how to carry the coffin.
However, the Confucian scholars all looked at each other in confusion. Most of them felt that this move was inappropriate, but since the master requested this, they would not raise any objection.
The next day, Yang Hu came to the mourning hall again, staring at the piece of bamboo that had been placed in a conspicuous place in the middle of the hall, thinking about how to bury it in a big way.
Zhong Liang Huai accompanied him and saw that Yang Hu was in a daze facing Yufan. He also heard that the steps of the burial had been changed. Now he saw Yang Hu in this situation again.
Zhong Lianghuai thought about these two things and was shocked.
In a hurry, he didn't allow himself to think too much, so he went straight forward, grabbed Yufan and ran out!
This time, it was completely beyond Yang Hu's expectation.
When he reacted, Zhong Lianghuai had already run out with Yufan. Yang Hu immediately led people to chase him and stopped him at the gate.
Seeing that he could not escape, Zhong Liang raised the 癏璠 high above his head and shouted loudly:
"Yanghu, stay here! Otherwise, I will destroy this thing!"
Just because Zhong Lianghuai was outside the Ji Mansion, his loud shout directly attracted the crowd of onlookers.
When Yang Hu saw this, he did not dare to step forward to argue, so he had to stop and angrily said:
"Zhong Lianghuai! What are you doing?"
At this time, people from Ji's Mansion heard the news and rushed over and surrounded the scene.
Zhongliang Huai raised his head and said:
"As the most trusted steward of the First Lord, you are fully responsible for this funeral. However, you have repeatedly tried to bring injustice to the First Lord. What are your intentions?! Unless you promise in public that you will change your ways, Deny that Zhong will never give in!"
When Yang Hu saw that there were many people around here, he couldn't do anything to Zhong Liang, so he could only swallow his anger and said:
"The bones of the late master are not yet cold. We are all retainers of the Ji family, so we can't mess around! If you have anything to say, just say it!"
"Hmph! Yufan is buried with him, which is the gift of the princes, and there are seven steps of burial, which are the gifts of the emperor! Both of these are inconsistent with the status of the late master, Yang Hu, what do you want to do?!"
Yang Hu took a deep breath.
"Zhong Lianghuai, the late master used to take charge of the emperor's affairs during his lifetime, so why not be buried with the ceremonial rites of a king? Besides, this bamboo is the most beloved thing of the late master, so what's wrong with burying it with him? You clearly do this It’s nonsense!”
Hearing this, Zhong Lianghuai couldn't help but sneered again:
"Hmph! Although the late lord took charge of the emperor's affairs, it was only 'taken on behalf of' after all. As a minister, how could he be buried with the rites of a king?! Zhong is not messing around here, go and ask the Ji Mansion Up and down, if you act like this, how many people will be speechless?"
When the people around heard what Zhong Lianghuai said, they couldn't help but start talking. They all felt that it was wrong for the Ji family to overstep the burial ceremony.
Of course, there are also some people in the Ji clan who feel that it is okay to give the family leader such specifications.
Yang Hu glanced at everyone and knew that if he persisted in this matter, he would be shooting stones in the foot.
So, he had no choice but to burst out laughing on the spot.
When everyone saw this, they couldn't help but look confused. Yang Hu stopped laughing and listened to him say:
"Before the death of the late master, he only hoped that he could be buried with splendor, and Hu just wanted to fulfill the last wish of the late master. But he didn't know that this would be offensive. If Master Zhong hadn't reminded him, Hu would have almost caused a catastrophe. ah!"
"Hmph! Even if the scenery is beautiful, it should be in moderation. How can we be so arrogant?! This is a disaster for my Ji family. If the late master was here, he would not be like this!"
Zhong Lianghuai was neither humble nor arrogant, but he still shouted loudly.