Originally, Huang Qiong wanted to go to Situ Huanshuang's place and accompany Situ Huanshuang and Cai to have breakfast. Just after hearing the mention of it by the maid in Situ Huanshuang's palace, neither of them got up. Although Huang Qiong didn't go in, her face was smiling like a spring breeze. He knew that at this point, although it might not completely resolve the knot between the two women, it would eventually develop in a good direction.
After transferring to Duan Jin's palace, and having breakfast with their mother and son, Huang Qiong slowly went to Wende Palace. According to the rules of three days for one morning and five days for one morning, tomorrow will be the day to wake up again. There are still some issues in the Wende Hall that need to be resolved before the morning. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong touched her nose and felt a headache. He didn't know whether the old man would go to court tomorrow.
He wanted to listen to Xuexuan, but he hesitated and stopped. After wandering outside the Wende Hall for a long time, Huang Qiong gave up the idea of listening to Xuexuan's question about the old man and turned around and walked into the Wende Hall. But he just sat down on the chair, grabbed a few booklets and was about to approve them. However, an eunuch hurriedly ran in, knelt down and kowtowed and reported that Concubine De's old father had gone.
Concubine De is now outside the Wende Hall, asking Huang Qiong to leave the palace for the funeral. After hearing the news, Huang Qiong took a sip from the tea bowl and calmed down to think about it. According to the rules of the imperial court, once a concubine enters the palace and is promoted as a concubine, the relationship between her and her parents is that of a monarch and a minister. When a parent dies, the daughter and the children are not allowed to go home to attend the funeral. Because as a king, you cannot attend the funeral of your ministers.
However, the old man went there at this time, and a big stone was moved away for the old man and himself. The old man who had been his protégé and former official for a long time finally passed away. His son Ding You stayed in mourning for three years, which meant that the largest party among civil servants collapsed. When I return to court three years later, even if I give it to them then, what will happen if I get another level? What if you become a second-grade bachelor?
When they come back three years later, will the court be the same as when they left? At this time, Concubine De's request to leave the palace was probably more about mourning the passing of an era. I have to use De Fei to go fishing, and I can't just slap a sweet date. Moreover, this concubine is now lowering her body to beg her. I am afraid that her slap yesterday also made this arrogant woman understand the situation to some extent.
Huang Qiong stood up and thought about it for a moment. Although others may have taken a step back, at this time, it was not time for me to pursue them fiercely. Sometimes, some face is still given. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong told Concubine De that she could leave the palace for one day and return to the palace before dark. However, they are not allowed to ride in the custom-made twelve-person sedan, and they are not allowed to send people to clear the way or form a team. This time they are only allowed to travel in light vehicles to their parents' home.
However, as a grandson, the king of Song, who was born from a concubine, could stay at the funeral until the funeral, but he was not allowed to cry in mourning or wear filial piety. Upon hearing Huang Qiong's order, the eunuch who reported the report hurriedly ran out to deliver the message. After making an exception and agreeing to Concubine De's return to her parents' home for the funeral, Huang Qiong, who sat back at the desk, picked up a booklet and was about to approve it when she picked up the pen. But he suddenly stopped writing and his mind started spinning rapidly.
After pondering for a long time, Huang Qiong put down the pen in his hand, stood up and told him to go to Concubine De's parents' house to express condolences in person. However, they still have to prepare the funeral arrangements, decorate the mourning hall, and make funeral arrangements to relatives and friends in Beijing. Although the old man has been on the sickbed for a long time. Almost everyone in the capital knows that the old man has run out of energy, and it will be a matter of time sooner or later.
But after all, they just left early this morning. Even if everything is ready, they still need to be arranged. Now, if I go, I will affect others' manipulation. So after Huang Qiong gave the order, he didn't rush there immediately. It was not until noon that Huang Qiong slowly left the palace and rushed to Concubine De's natal home, a veteran of three dynasties, whose disciples and former officials were all over the world.
Although she hates Concubine De very much, she also hates the King of Song she gave birth to. But Huang Qiong knew that his performance in this matter was an important test for whether he could pass the exam. Because of this matter, I have to show enough magnanimity. Show to the people of the world that except for officials who are corrupt and pervert the law, they can tolerate everyone, including former opponents who were enemies of themselves.
That is to say, he must have what the people in the world require of an emperor who can tolerate the world. Can’t the Holy Emperor sit down in the hall? Therefore, even if he hates De Fei's family. But the veteran's qualifications and the fact that his disciples and former officials were all over the civil service forced him to make a statement on this matter. At least under the current circumstances, it is necessary to stabilize the minds of the civil servants of the dynasty.
This is the so-called issue of mind, and it is also a matter of attitude. However, Huang Qiong, who was used to keeping a low profile, did not bring many people with him when he went there, let alone any ostentation about the prince Luan Jia or anything like that. He took only a few personal eunuchs and guards and left the palace on horseback. Under the guidance of a eunuch who had gone there to deliver the imperial edict, he rushed to Concubine De's natal residence, which was adjacent to the imperial city.
The arrival of Huang Qiong caused Concubine De's family to be in chaos. Concubine De's eldest brother, the chief minister of Sinong Temple, hurriedly took his family out of the house to greet her. Seeing that Concubine De's family was full, as well as the old master, disciples, disciples, and old officials in Beijing, they knelt in front of him in a dark place. Huang Qiong was very dissatisfied, but it didn't show anything on his face.
After raising his head and signaling the people kneeling on the ground to get up, Huang Qiong entered the mansion carefully accompanied by Concubine De's eldest brother. At this time, this mansion with huge regulations was already covered with white tents everywhere. The servants in the mansion were going back and forth to decorate the mourning hall. As for the old man over there, he has completed the burial arrangements and the coffin has been placed in the main room of the mourning hall.
Looking at the old man in front of him, he saw the nanmu coffin that the emperor had long rewarded. Huang Qiong ignored it and saw Concubine De with a deep expression after she came in. He took the eunuch next to him and lit a stick of incense. He held the incense with an extremely serious expression and bowed lightly three times before inserting the incense into the incense burner with his own hands. After Huang Qiong turned around after the filial son responded, he found that among the people who came to express condolences, his grandson, the King of Song, was not seen.
He frowned, faced Concubine De's eldest brother with his hands behind his back, and said in a calm tone: "Except for the filial sons and grandsons of the old man, who are serving as officials, have they all fallen now? What do you think, there are a lot of people missing? Listen, I He said that the old man has five sons and six daughters, and dozens of grandchildren. Even if some of his nephews and nephews are working abroad and may not be able to come back soon, there are still so few people."
De Fei's eldest brother couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Huang Qiong's words. After glancing at the descendants wearing filial piety behind them, they immediately understood that there was something in this man's words, and the meaning behind them was who he was asking. His face turned pale and he said hurriedly: "Your Highness, according to the laws of the imperial court, the King of Song is the master and we are the ministers. Although we are relatives of the grandson, there are still distinctions between monarch and minister."
Regarding his words, Huang Qiong said calmly: "Although we are divided into monarchs and ministers, the blood relationship cannot be eliminated. What's more, this old man is his direct maternal grandfather in terms of seniority. Even if he has a foreign name, he can't be ignored. He is also his closest relative and elder. If I remember correctly, I had already given an order to King Song before I came here, asking him to come and watch the old man’s grave, but where is he now?”
After Huang Qiong said these words, the face of Concubine De's eldest brother instantly became extremely ugly. Huang Qiong's words can be said to have touched a sore spot for him and even the Manfu people. When the old man was dying, he sent someone to the Song Dynasty Palace to inform him about the grandson whom the old man valued most when he was alive. This is the last trip to see off the old man who has been planning for him since he was granted the title of Duke of Jin Dynasty.
As a result, the person who reported the news did not even enter the Song Palace. The chief eunuch of the Song Dynasty's palace came out directly to tell the messenger that the Song Dynasty King had rested. No matter what happens, wait until tomorrow. When the old man died, he sent someone to report the news to the King of Song. But this time, not even the eunuch in charge was seen. At dawn today, he sent his son to report the news in person for the third time.
After waiting for nearly an hour, I finally met King Song, but I only got an extremely impatient answer. The King of Song told his cousin that he was busy now and would go over to see his grandfather off when the funeral was held. Since the cousin couldn't invite him, he could only invite him to the palace for a while to see if he could get Empress Dowager De to come back to express her condolences.
But as soon as the cousin said his words, King Song told him impatiently. The concubines in the palace had strict rules for leaving the palace, and whether they could leave the palace had to ask for permission. Today's emperor in the palace basically doesn't care about anything, and that bitch is in charge of everything. If you ask him to be accommodating, wouldn't it mean that you have to come to your door and be humiliated by him? The old man's death was inevitable, so there was no use looking for his mother and concubine.
King Song's attitude almost made his cousin angry to death. Thinking about his grandson, he loved this grandson the most when he was alive. Before he became seriously ill, he and his father used their prestige among civil servants to make plans for his grandson. And when his grandfather, who loved him the most, passed away, the grandson of King Song had such an attitude. How could it not make people extremely heartbroken?
The helpless cousin could only return disappointed. After receiving Huang Qiong's decree, he sent someone to the Song Dynasty's palace again, but there was still no emotion. Even after reading out the imperial edict and notifying the King of Song that Concubine De had returned to her natal home to express condolences, the King of Song just said that he knew it, and there was no further news. But the person who reported the news this time accidentally discovered that there were many red marks on King Song's face.
Until now, my nephew, whom my old man loves the most and who even has several of his own grandchildren, has not come to take a look at his grandfather. How could he say these things in front of the prince? The King of Song was incompetent and no matter how ungrateful he was, he was still his direct nephew. I will definitely not do anything that involves extinguishing relatives for the sake of justice.
It's just that his expression changed drastically, even though it was only a moment. But Huang Qiong could still see that brief expression clearly. Huang Qiong turned around and looked at the old man's coffin without speaking for a long time. After a long time, he said: "In this case, I don't want to say anything more, so I will accept my condolences. It's not good for me to stay here for a long time. I will go back to the palace now. There will be an imperial decree coming down later."
After that, Huang Qiong took another look at the nanmu coffin, sighed softly, and turned around to leave. He stayed in the mourning hall for a full hour, but did not say a word to Concubine De during the whole process. And Concubine De's face has always been ugly since he came in. Especially after a young eunuch beside Concubine De hurried back and whispered something in her ear, Concubine De's face became even more ugly.
Huang Qiong did not return to the palace immediately after leaving Concubine De's natal home. He went there first and rewarded Liu Chang's house to Liu Chang, who is still the magistrate of Jiazhou. There were some days when he didn't see Zhang Qiaoer, who was pregnant now, and he felt a little missing in his heart. When he arrived at the small but classic house, Huang Qiong left the eunuch and guards outside to wait for him, and Huang Qiong went in by himself.
