Seeing Huang Qiong, the colleague hurriedly knelt down and said: "Back to the King of England, after receiving your order, I immediately started searching. I just searched through Hulao Pass and only found a pair of good Liuzhou coffins. . Although it is not made of golden nanmu, it is still made of fine oil fir. You also know that the custom-made nanmu coffins of this dynasty belong to the clan, and only the county princes and above are eligible to use them. "
"The rest of the people, with the exception of the Guilin County Prince's Mansion, the others are the Duke of the State and the first-rank officials. They are not allowed to use it unless they are ordered to do so. Hulao Pass is just a military town, with no feudal clans or imperial court. Important minister. There is really no place to look for a nanmu coffin, not even one made of dark wood."
Looking at the heavy coffin in front of him, Huang Qiong knew that this guy really tried his best. A nanmu coffin may not be found in a large state capital, let alone a small Hulao Pass. Even if the wealthy private households have private use for it, who dares to risk the whole family’s head by donating such royal items that can only be used by the clan above the county prince level?
It's pretty good to find such a good Liuzhou coffin. As for the rest, let’s wait until we get to the capital. Huang Qiong nodded slightly and signaled that the burial process would begin. Although the war is now over, it is not completely over yet. Huang Qiong really couldn't give his second brother the etiquette he should have, so he could only keep everything simple.
Prince Jing is wearing a prince's formal attire this time, so the procedure of dressing up can be dispensed with. Although there is no bright yellow quilt for the prince's funeral ceremony, the quilt used by ordinary wealthy households is acceptable for the time being. Moreover, this colleague was very considerate and found a quilt with Buddhist scriptures for salvation embroidered on it.
As for other etiquette, we can only keep everything simple at this time. With the help of the undertaker and a few selected veterans, King Jing was quickly carried into the coffin. When the coffin lid was slowly closed, it also meant that the once all-powerful King Jing had disappeared. All the past events were put into this coffin as the lid was closed.
It's just that although the coffin lid has been closed, King Jing is still far from closing the coffin. How could he, who had once stirred up troubled waters, completely forget all the grudges and grudges he had experienced because of the death of the person involved? King Jing's death is far from an end, it is just a new grudge and a new starting point.
Huang Qiong let out a long sigh as he looked at the closed coffin in front of him. Although it was a fine Liuzhou coffin, it was not the nanmu coffin that a prince should use. Although it is a bit hasty, this is the limit of what I can do now. Zhengzhou's aftermath is just the beginning, and it is far from the end. All he could do now was to prevent King Jing from dying in the wilderness.
After hastily restraining King Jing, Huang Qiong watched silently as one hundred cavalrymen selected by Zhao Wushu loaded the coffin containing King Jing's body into a carriage and drove toward the capital. It wasn't until the group of people disappeared into the east gate of Hulao Pass that they turned around and came to King Jing's camp.
Arriving at King Jing's Khitan-style tent, Huang Qiong could only smile bitterly as he looked at the dozen or so concubines and beauties of various styles that King Jing had brought with him, kneeling in front of him, waiting for his surrender. Although my second brother has temporarily lost his freedom, he still enjoys the enjoyment he deserves.
How could Huang Qiong have any thoughts at the moment to embarrass these women? He just waved his hand and asked someone to send them down to rest first, and strictly ordered no one to harass them. When the army marches to Zhengzhou, they will be sent back to Prince Jing's Mansion together. As for how his second sister-in-law treats these women, that is a family matter of Prince Jing's Mansion, and it is not his turn to worry about it.
Just when Huang Qiong was about to send these warblers away. Liu Hu, who had been following him, stared at a woman in the crowd for a long time. He suddenly walked up to the woman and said in surprise: "Sister-in-law, why are you here? Are you still alive? Didn't they say that about you? ?"
Hearing Liu Hu's "sister-in-law", the woman raised her head and looked at Liu Hu in front of her. After looking at him for a long time, she recognized him and said in surprise: "Uncle, why are you here and wearing such clothes? Brother and sister-in-law." Well, where are your two nephews? Where are they now?"
Liu Hu actually met here his sister-in-law who was snatched away by people from Prince Jing's Mansion. This surprised Huang Qiong. He never expected that Liu Hu's sister-in-law would actually become King Jing's concubine. Afraid of embarrassing Liu Hu's sister-in-law, Huang Qiong asked the escorting sergeant to leave Liu Hu's sister-in-law alone.
Then he walked to Liu Hu, patted Liu Hu on the shoulder and said: "Go, take Madam-in-law to find a tent nearby to talk alone. Just talk about everything. Remember, as long as a person is alive, everything will be fine." Better than anything else? As for other matters, we can discuss them privately after I finish dealing with them here."
After hearing Huang Qiong's instructions and unexpectedly meeting his relatives whom he once thought were no longer alive, Liu Hu, who was already somewhat red-eyed, nodded. Knowing that this was not the place to discuss personal matters, he took his sister-in-law out. As for where to go and what to talk about, that is a matter between two people.
After Liu Hu left, the few eunuchs who stayed in the tent saw that Huang Qiong was the only one left. He was very quick and made Huang Qiong a pot of good tea, and brought over several plates of tangerines, bananas and other fruits. Seeing the fruit brought by the eunuch, Huang Qiong could only shake his head and lament the luxurious life of his second brother.
There is nothing strange about tangerines. This kind of fruit is produced in Huguang, not far from Zhengzhou, and this season is the time to go on the market. On the other hand, bananas are not uncommon in the north in this era. This kind of fruit is not grown in the north and needs to be transported thousands of miles from Lingnan.
In this era, there were no trains or airplanes. Transportation from Lingnan to the Central Plains relied entirely on manpower and water transportation. This plate of bananas may not look like much, but in fact it may be worth thousands of dollars. It has been fifteen years since I came to this era, but this is not only the first time I have eaten this banana, it is also the first time I have even seen it. Even if it was Huang Qiong, he couldn't help but pick one up and taste it.
Huang Qiong peeled a banana, chewed it slowly, and pondered for a moment. Let people command the envoys in the capital, and ask Su Changshi, the general from Hulao Pass, and Fan Jian to find him. The rebels have disarmed and Zhengzhou has been recovered. Discussions on the aftermath of the aftermath must begin now.
However, before the messenger could leave, Commander Yudu, who had been busy disarming the rebels, arrived first. Seeing Huang Qiong, the commander in the capital was about to speak. Huang Qiong pointed to the tea brought by the eunuch, but waved his hand and said: "Don't be anxious now, drink some tea and eat some fruit to moisten your throat."
Smelling the aroma of tea, Mr. Yu, who has always been steady. But he couldn't wait to pick up the bowl, and after tasting it carefully, he nodded slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I haven't been able to taste this frighteningly fragrant tea from Guilin County Prince's Palace for a long time. Speaking of which, Your Majesty said It’s a joke, the general is not good at anything except reading and drinking tea.”
"It's just that although this frighteningly fragrant tea is good, the price is a bit expensive. Even for low-grade tea, one tael costs more than a hundred guan. If you want to buy some high-quality tea, one tael costs 500 guan. . Although the general is a third-grade military attache and the salary given by the court is not small, he really can't afford it. If he tastes this high-quality tea every day, the whole family will have to drink the northwest wind."
"I will buy some low-grade tea every year and be satisfied with drinking it occasionally. I really can't afford to drink such a frightening one-tael or two worth of high-quality tea today. Even these years, It's just that before being transferred to the commander of the Xiaoqi Camp, I drank it once in the palace when I was playing the prelude. Thinking about it, the lingering fragrance is still in my mouth."
Looking at Commander Yu Du shaking his head, Huang Qiong smiled dumbly. After all, it was a civil service job that was changed to a military position, but the civility in his heart has not completely changed. Drinking tea and reading are both elegant things that literati like. Among the military attachés, eight out of ten did not have this interest. No matter how good the tea leaves are when they get them, they are probably just peonies.
Not to mention those military officers who were proficient in writing, their own taste in tea was limited to the difference between tea foam and tea leaves. No matter how much, I’m afraid I won’t understand it. His mother didn’t like tea tasting, so she naturally didn’t teach him how to appreciate tea leaves. As for his previous life, Huang Qiong, like those urban fashionable young people, preferred exotic things like coffee.
However, the words of the commander in the capital made Huang Qiong somewhat clear. Although this man is in charge of one of the four most elite battalions in Da Qi, his official status is still good. At least he didn't commit corruption or deduct military pay. Otherwise, how could he, who handles millions of dollars every year, not be able to afford this tea?
What's more, there are plenty of people who like him. As long as he nods, there are probably not a few people who want to give him this kind of tea. He could only buy a few taels of high-quality tea, which is enough to show that this person is fairly honest as an official. Thinking about it, he can organize the Xiaoqi camp like a piece of iron, but a corrupt official like that would never be able to do it.
Huang Qiong smiled dumbly after seeing that the commander of the capital really liked him. After peeling a banana with my own hands and handing it to him, he told the two eunuchs behind him: "How many more of this kind of tea do you have here? I will give it to Mr. Yu in a moment. As the saying goes, red powder is given to a beautiful woman and a sword. As a gift to a hero, these tea leaves are considered well-deserved for Sir Yu."
After saying that, looking at what Commander Yu Du was about to say, Huang Qiong waved his hand and said: "Master Yu, if you like to accept it, just accept it. Even if these tea leaves are worth thousands of gold, only those who appreciate them can appreciate their value. I will give it to you." The king doesn't like tea, so it would be a pity to leave it here like a cow chewing peonies. As for the palace, there must be no shortage of tea like this."
"Besides, I gave you a few taels of tea as a gift. Is it possible that there are still people who want to bribe you? If all the commanders of the majestic Xiaoqi camp can be bribed with just a few taels of tea, how can my father dare to be the governor of the country? But Sir, please don’t let these tea leaves trick you into thinking, I can’t afford too much.”
After Huang Qiong finished speaking, Mr. Yu thought for a moment and did not continue to refuse. Instead, he said to Huang Qiong: "Your Majesty, this time our army captured a total of more than 35,000 rebels and more than 310 high-ranking military attaches. Among them, 3,000 were from the Zhengzhou Guards, and 100 were ninth-grade military attaches or above. Thirty people. The rest were recruited by King Jing from his bodyguards or privately."
"There are also thirty-two people including the Zhengzhou magistrate, general magistrates, ninth-rank or above civil servants under Zhengzhou, and officials affiliated with Zheng-Bian Military Preparation Road. There are also officials, rebellious scholars, and so-called masters. A total of 116 people. More than 100 siege equipment such as crossbows and rams were also confiscated in the rebel camp. Now it is found that these equipment belong to the original Zhengzhou Guards."
"We seized 1,600 taels of gold, 11,100 taels of silver, and more than 300,000 taels of coin. In addition, there were more than 10,000 pieces of brocade, silk, and silk. There were 2,000 war horses, all of which were fine Khitan horses. . There are also more than ten brothel girls who were brought privately by the military envoy from Zhengzhou. Now I would like to ask His Majesty the King of England how to dispose of these materials."
