Liu Mingzhi came back from his thoughts, folded the letter in his hand and put it into an envelope, and put it into his arms along with the half-strength of copper coins in his hand.
Pretending to wipe the blurry corners of his eyes casually, Liu Mingzhi took a deep breath, looked at Huan'er, who was holding the coffin with pale makeup and red and swollen almond-shaped eyes, and sighed.
Although Tao Ying and Huan'er were nominally master and servant, he could tell that privately they had as much affection as biological sisters.
Think about it, humans are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless?
He had only known Tao Ying for more than two years, and it was already heartbreaking to see Tao Ying turned into a cold corpse, not to mention Huan'er!
His good sister who had been with him day and night for decades suddenly became separated from him overnight. This was like a thunderbolt from the blue, and I am afraid that not many people, male or female, could bear it.
"Huan'er!"
When Huan'er heard Liu Mingzhi's call, she hurriedly wiped the tears on her face and looked at Liu Mingzhi questioningly: "Huh? Sir?
If you need anything, just tell me! "
Liu Mingzhi walked gently to the coffin, holding the edge of the coffin with both hands, looking at the peacefully sleeping beauty with deep and painful eyes and letting out a breath.
"I, the husband, have full authority to arrange Tao Ying's funeral, so you don't have to worry about it anymore!"
Huan'er was startled for a moment, looking at Liu Mingzhi's expression of hesitation as he looked at his lady's calm expression in the coffin.
"Sir, my lady told me in her last words that I should beg you properly.
I hope that sir, in consideration of the friendship between the young lady and you, you will order her body to be buried with him in the imperial mausoleum of the late Emperor Hezong after the funeral.
The young lady said that after all, she was the concubine of the late Emperor Hezong, and it was natural for her to be buried with her late husband after her death.
The slave just showed you the last words that my young lady left for the slave. Didn’t you see clearly?
I will give you another look. "
Liu Mingzhi glanced at Huan'er, who was touching his waist, and raised his hand to stop him.
"No need to take it, I have read everything above.
I agree to all other things, but I will never agree to this request. "
"Huh? But...sir..."
"Well, it's not a problem for Tao Ying to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, but she is not buried in Li Yun... He Zong's mausoleum.
You don't have to worry about this matter, I will handle it with full authority.
If you are not afraid, just talk to your lady.
I'm going back here first, and I will come back as soon as possible after discussing with others the matter of burying Tao Ying.
No one can handle Tao Ying's funeral without my order.
Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed without mercy. "
Feeling the fleeting domineering aura on Liu Mingzhi's body, Huan'er shuddered involuntarily, pursed her lips and nodded timidly.
"Yes, this slave knows."
Liu Mingzhi leaned over and grabbed Tao Ying's cold and stiff jade hand and caressed it for a while, then gently put it back, sighed quietly and left silently out the door.
Huan'er stared blankly at Liu Mingzhi's lonely back. This was the first time she had seen Liu Mingzhi looking so lonely.
Compared with the high-spirited attitude in the house before, it can be said to be a world of difference.
The fifth floor of Penglai Restaurant.
Liu Mingzhi silently stopped in front of the window and looked up at the crescent moon rising quietly on the horizon without saying a word.
A black shadow floated gently into the window and stopped next to Liu Mingzhi.
"Quier meets the young master."
"No gift."
After Suzaku stood up, he habitually leaned against Liu Mingzhi: "Master, are you missing Que'er in such a hurry to come..."
Suzaku spoke with a charming voice, but as soon as he got closer, he noticed that Liu Mingzhi's face was extremely heavy, and he subconsciously stopped.
"Master, did something happen?"
"Quer, the spy who secretly protects Tao Ying is from which Tiangang of your Suzaku Division?"
"He's a brother of Huwei Tiangang, what's wrong?"
"Tao Ying committed suicide by taking poison four days ago! Is this how the troops of the Huwei Department protected her?"
"What? How is this possible?"
"Master, I have seen her body with my own eyes, how can I still fake it?
How wonderful it would be if it were fake! "
Suzaku looked at Liu Mingzhi's silent expression, placed his hands on his lower abdomen and rubbed it constantly: "How could this happen? How could this happen?"
Liu Mingzhi turned his eyes and glanced at Suzaku who was at a loss. He took off his tobacco bag, lit the tobacco, took a deep breath of thick smoke that choked his throat, and spit it out.
"The relationship between master and servant is somewhat of a friendship. Let the spies who secretly protect Tao Ying die with dignity!
Afterwards, they were buried in the name of having died in the line of duty, and the pensions were handed over to their relatives. "
Listening to Liu Mingzhi's emotionless words, Suzaku hurriedly knelt down on one knee: "Young Master, please forgive me. Young Master, please forgive me.
Que'er begged the young master to spare the lives of those brothers. After all, it is the young master...you..."
"You can say whatever you want, no need to be secretive."
Suzaku bit her red lips tightly: "Young Master, that Que'er boldly said it.
Previously, you told Que'er to order the brothers of the Zhuque Division to only protect Sister Tao Ying's safety outside Li's house.
You said that Sister Tao Ying is a woman after all, and the brothers in the Suzaku Division are both men and women, so it would be inconvenient for them to be close for protection.
All she had to do was make sure no spy approached her outside the house.
The brothers were protecting Sister Tao Ying's safety outside the house, and they were blocked by the outer courtyard.
The brothers are not clairvoyant and have good ears. Sister Tao Ying committed suicide by taking poison in her boudoir. How could the brothers know about this?
Even if the brothers were guilty of negligence, their sins would not lead to death.
Please forgive me, young master, and spare the brothers who were protected by Huwei Tiangang to protect Sister Tao Ying! "
As soon as Suzaku's words of pleading fell out, the room was filled with an audible silence.
The dim tobacco in the smoke pot gradually burned out, and the lingering smoke floated away along the window towards the crescent moon in the sky.
There was a crisp snap.
Five bright red fingerprints suddenly swelled up on Liu Mingzhi's cheek.
Suzaku stood up in a hurry, grabbed Liu Mingzhi's wrist, looked at the clear and distinct fingerprints on Liu Mingzhi's face under the moonlight, and shook his head heartbrokenly.
"Master, don't do this.
No one thought that Sister Tao Ying would do such a stupid thing. My condolences! "
"Oh, it turns out I was the one who killed her after all!"
"Master, no one wants Sister Tao Ying to die, but now that things have happened, what can you change even if you blame yourself to death?
You have to look forward! "
"Yes, we have to look forward!
I think if Tao Ying is alive in heaven, she won't be happy to see me looking so decadent, right?
Bird! "
"Master?"
Liu Mingzhi took off a gold medal from his waist and handed it to Suzaku: "Deploy people to secretly investigate Tao Ying's relatives in the world. If they are found, order the local chief official in my name to send someone to escort them to the capital.
If someone doesn't want to, don't force them. "
Zhuque took the token and nodded silently: "Quier understands, does the young master have any other instructions?"
"No, you should do this first!"
"Yes, that brother of the Huwei Tiangang tribe?"
"Two months' fine."
"Thank you, Master. Que'er will take your leave."
The Suzaku came and went even faster. Within a few ups and downs, the beautiful figure disappeared under the bright moonlight.
Withdrawing his gaze to watch Suzaku leave, Liu Mingzhi took out the cherry blossom jade plaque from his arms and stroked it gently for a long time. He raised his hand and put it on his neck before putting the jade plaque into the lapel of his clothes.
After one last glance at the new moon in the sky, Liu Mingzhi closed the window silently.
In front of the House of the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, Liu Mingzhi gently knocked on the door.
"Who?"
"People from the palace."
"Please...please wait!"
After half a stick of incense, in the main hall of Jiang Mansion, Jiang Yuanming put the tea next to Liu Mingzhi with a puzzled expression.
I'm really confused about Young Master Liu's behavior of leaving just in the morning and coming back in the evening.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea."
"Yeah! You sit down too."
"yes."
Liu Mingzhi took a sip of tea and looked at Old Jiang calmly and said, "Old Jiang, after the winter tax, in addition to various fixed expenditures, how much spare silver can be used in the treasury?"
Lao Jiang was stunned for a moment, then reacted in time, stroking his beard and pondering for a while.
"Excluding the silver taels that have been reserved for expenditures in the inner government, the new government, and the northern government, as well as the silver taels in emergency reserves, the idle silver taels are about 3.4 million to 4 million.
Of course, it would be hard to say if there might be war with Tsarist Russia this year.
It may be exhausted, and emergency reserves of money and food may even be activated. "
Liu Mingzhi closed his eyes and calculated silently for a while, then gently put down the tea cup.
"First allocate one million taels of silver to build my imperial mausoleum and accompanying mausoleum."
PS: Regarding Tao Ying's death, the author had no choice but to do it for the sake of plot development and ending.
The author felt extremely uncomfortable writing about such a spiritual woman to death.
But sometimes the settings are just like this, and if they are changed again, they will become specious.
The matter has come to this, I can only add two more chapters tomorrow to soothe your wounded souls.
