The state funeral ceremony lasted until midnight. In addition to the ministers, Mu Sheng and other members of the royal family had to stay to keep vigil for the late emperor.
At this time, Mu Sheng looked at a woman in the clan crowd. He called Yang Jin to give secret instructions, and Yang Jin immediately took the order and left.
Mu Sheng then excused himself and went to the apse, where he saw his sister Princess Qinghe, whom he had not seen for a long time.
When Princess Qinghe saw the emperor entering the palace, she hurriedly stood up to greet the emperor. Mu Sheng hurriedly stepped forward to support her and said, "Sister, you don't have to be like this."
When Princess Qinghe saw Mu Sheng, she had mixed feelings for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, I, ah, I really don't know whether I should be happy or sad at this moment. My mother has a spirit in heaven to see you inherit the throne, and she can also close her eyes. ”
Mu Sheng nodded silently and said, "Well, after I officially ascend the throne, I will honor my mother as the Queen Mother."
Hearing this, Princess Qinghe looked solemn and said, "Your Majesty, I want to ask you something. After taking the title, can you not let my mother's coffin be buried with the late emperor?"
Mu Sheng was silent for a while, then shook his head slightly and said: "No, I know you always have hatred for the late emperor in your heart, but now his family has passed away. Furthermore, if the mother has the title, she cannot be buried separately. According to the ancestral system, the mother He must be buried with the late emperor."
Princess Qinghe sighed when she heard this, but stopped talking.
Mu Sheng knew what she wanted to say. She didn't want her mother to be buried with the enemy who killed her father. However, her half-brother was now the supreme emperor. In order to strengthen the legitimacy of his succession, he had to fight for his own. The biological mother was given the title of Empress Dowager and was buried with the late Emperor as his empress to prove the legitimacy of his succession.
Mu Sheng sighed: "Sister, you may not know that this is not something I can decide. In fact, the late emperor left a legacy before his death, naming several concubines he cared about most during his lifetime to be buried with him, including us. My mother, Mrs. Zhao, so to speak, the late emperor and his family cared about their mother very much, whether I inherited the throne or not. This is something I only found out after I presided over the funeral. In this case, I might as well let my mother She was buried with the late emperor as the late emperor's empress."
Princess Qinghe laughed strangely and said: "Even if he dies, he is not willing to let my mother go. He is really the best man in the world..."
When Mu Sheng heard the words, he smiled bitterly in his heart and pretended not to hear it. If these words were spread, it would be disrespectful. If it were handed over to the Tingwei to discuss the crime, Princess Qinghe would be deprived of her clan status at the very least.
At this time, Princess Qinghe suddenly retched several times, and Mu Sheng noticed that his sister's belly was slightly bulging, which was obviously pregnant.
Just as Mu Sheng was about to open his mouth to call the imperial doctor, Princess Qinghe took his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to, I won't be in the way."
Princess Qinghe still had a worried look on her face when she saw Mu Sheng, and a warm current surged in her heart. Although she rarely interacted with Mu Sheng, at this moment she felt that although Mu Sheng was the emperor, he was also her only relative in this world.
At this time, Yang Jin, who was guarding outside the apse door, did not receive any explicit instructions from Mu Sheng, but he immediately secretly ordered the palace servants to bring a bowl of white fungus soup to the princess.
Princess Qinghe took a sip of white fungus soup and said, "Your Majesty, I have a heartfelt request."
Mu Sheng said quickly: "Sister, please tell me, as long as it is within my ability, I can do anything."
Hearing this, Princess Qinghe waved her hands and said: "Your Majesty, it's serious. I just miss my unborn child. If the birth goes smoothly, I hope your Majesty can give my child a name."
Mu Sheng happily agreed: "Of course, sister, don't worry."
Mu Sheng asked: "By the way, sister, all the clan members are accompanied by their family members, why don't you see your brother-in-law?"
Princess Qinghe sighed and said: "Hey, forget about your brother-in-law. Our Li family was too close to Young Master Zhuo. You also know this. When An Guojun was supervising the country, he took the opportunity to transfer Li Li to Lan I became a county official in Shanjun, and he was promoted and demoted secretly. He could only come back a few times a year. I originally thought that when the child was born, I would go to Lanshan County to be with him."
Mu Sheng patted his chest and said, "Sister, I will take care of this matter. He will be able to return to Qingyang to reunite with his sister soon."
Unexpectedly, Princess Qinghe poured cold water on her and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't like it, it's better not to transfer your brother-in-law back. I'm afraid Huo Xiangguo may have a misunderstanding."
After hearing this, Mu Sheng was slightly startled and said: "What my sister said is that now is not the time, let's talk about it later..."
Of course he understood what Princess Qinghe meant. What did he want to do by transferring a military commander who was close to him back to the capital? What position can be arranged for him? Huo Xiangguo is not deaf or blind. It's okay for civil servants, but the transfer of generals is too sensitive. Now that Huo Xiangguo has exclusive power, a single move can affect the whole body.
The two siblings chatted for a long time. Mu Sheng glanced at the clock and said, "It's getting late. My sister will rest here. I'm going to keep vigil for the late emperor."
Princess Qinghe also stood up and said: "Me too..."
Mu Sheng quickly turned around and pushed Princess Qinghe back to her original position, and said in a serious tone: "Sister, this is my order. You are pregnant now, so you don't have to keep vigil for the late emperor."
Princess Qinghe said: "But if someone talks about it... it is not good after all."
Mu Sheng snorted coldly and said: "Who dares to chew his tongue? Who dares to say something wrong about you, sister, behind your back? If you dare to say that, I will pull out his tongue alive."
Seeing this, Princess Qinghe smiled bitterly and had no choice but to stay here. She felt particularly warm in her heart for the special care given to her younger brother.
Mu Sheng stood up and went to the main hall to continue the vigil. With just a look, Yang Jin immediately understood and arranged for manpower to focus on guarding Princess Qinghe.
Mu Sheng listened to the sacrificial wizard chanting sutras around the coffin, and he couldn't help but think of all the past events with the late emperor. In fact, the late emperor was sincere to him among the other princes, except not wanting to pass the throne to him. Not bad, he couldn't help but shed a tear from the corner of his eyes when he thought about this. After getting along for a long time, there will still be some friendship. Humans are not grass and trees, and how can they be ruthless.
The next morning, they kept vigil all night. The royal family members and those who presided over the ceremony all looked tired. Only Mu Sheng was a monk. He could just sit there and meditate for a week, and he would be fine. Besides, he was a powerful monk. The old monster.
Mu Chen saw that everyone was tired, so he let them go down to rest. He stayed by the coffin alone and stared at the tablet of the late Emperor Zhaowu, the third emperor of Jin Dynasty, in a daze.
At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps behind him, and a guard came forward to report: "Your Majesty, someone broke into the palace outside the palace, and the person claimed to be the seventh son of the late emperor, Young Master Zhe."
Mu Sheng pondered for a while and said, "Have you verified his identity?"
The guard nodded and said: "Your Majesty, I have inspected his identity plate and it is indeed a royal thing."
Mu Sheng nodded slightly and said, "Well, let him come in."
"No!" After saying this, the guard turned and left.
Just after a cup of tea, a person came to the door of the main hall. The palace guard raised his spear vigilantly to block the way of the person. He saw that the person had nothing. He was dressed in short clothes and white mourning clothes. Although his face was delicate, it could be concealed. There is a trace of nobility in his body that most people cannot pretend to be unless they were born into the royal family.
When he saw the guards blocking the way, he calmly took out a gold medal from his arms and said: "I am the third emperor of the Jin Dynasty, the seventh son, Young Master Zhe. I am here specially for the funeral today."
After hearing this, the guards looked at each other, but still had no intention of letting him go. After hearing this, Mu Sheng turned around and looked him up and down, then waved his hand and asked the guards to let him in. He was also a member of the clan and had not been expelled, so he was qualified. To pay homage in front of the late emperor's spirit.
Although Young Master Zhe was dressed in martial arts, Mu Sheng secretly observed that he actually had the strength to cultivate at the level of a Heavenly Master. It is indeed extraordinary that he could cultivate to such a level at his age. This Young Master Zhe was the one who was sent to the mountain to practice Taoism by the late emperor in the early years. The prince had long since withdrawn from the fight for the right to inherit the throne, and now he was alone.
After Prince Zhe entered the palace, he first went to Mu Sheng, bowed slightly and said, "My lord, I would like to pay my respects to the new king."
Mu Sheng said in a low tone: "Seventh brother, there is no need to be too polite. Go and pay homage to our father!"
Young Master Zhe nodded silently, then knelt down in front of the late emperor's memorial tablet and kowtowed a few times. He took some incense sticks from the side and solemnly offered them to the late emperor's memorial tablet. Then he knelt down and stared blankly at the tablet.
After a long silence, Young Master Zhe said slowly: "Father, please open your eyes and see who is coming to see you. That day you agreed to Master to take me up the mountain to practice Taoism. For twenty years, you have not seen your son." Looking at you, I didn't understand why you wanted to drive me away before, but now I understand. You are afraid that I will get involved in the whirlpool and ruin my destiny of pursuing the Tao. Now I understand your painstaking efforts."
After saying this, Gongzi Zhe kowtowed heavily to the tablet, then stood up and touched the tablet of the late emperor.
Young Master Zhe turned around and saluted Mu Sheng and said, "Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty. I just came to see my father today, and I will go back soon."
Mu Sheng nodded and said, "Seventh brother, why don't you stay a few more days before leaving? Wait until after the funeral of our father and the emperor."
Young Master Zhe shook his head slightly and refused: "Thank you for your Majesty's request to stay. I have already overstepped my bounds. I have already committed a serious crime by breaking into the palace without obeying the imperial edict. How dare I have the nerve to stay here and ask Your Majesty to punish me."
Mu Sheng stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, saying: "We are all one family, there is no need to be so outspoken. I will absolve you of your sin. Seventh Brother, please give me some face. Just stay. Traveling thousands of miles away is special." It’s not easy, I think my father and his family also want you to stay with him and accompany him on his last journey.”
Hearing this, Young Master Zhe felt a warm feeling in his heart, and he felt a sudden affection for this younger brother whom he had never met before. However, he still did not forget the difference between a monarch and his subjects. He immediately bowed and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your filial piety."
Hearing this, Mu Sheng nodded slightly and said, "Seventh brother, please take a seat. How about you and I chatting about home affairs?"
Young Master Zhe said: "Thank you for your support, Your Majesty. I dare not accept my order."
After Mu Sheng had a deep chat with Young Master Zhe, he found out that Young Master Zhe was actually a direct disciple of Lingxuan Sect. However, thinking about it, cultivating to the Heavenly Master realm at such a young age is indeed considered to be an extraordinary talent. Of course, with someone like him, There is no comparison with the monks who were upgraded to old monsters by others. This was due to chance. Young Master Zhe actually cultivated it bit by bit on his own.
After chatting with Prince Zhe for a long time, Mu Sheng arranged for him to temporarily live in the palace until the late emperor was officially buried in the imperial mausoleum.
