"The common people pay their respects to the Lord Shangshu."
As the deafening shout of greeting rang out, Fang Xiaoru's outstretched hand froze in place, and his face became visibly desolate.
Upon seeing this, Chen Kan hurriedly called the Fang brothers to come forward and help the villagers up.
The villagers stood up and looked at Fang Xiaoru with curious eyes, whispering to each other while watching.
"Yuan Sheng!"
Fang Xiaoru's voice came, and Chen Kan hurriedly retreated behind Fang Xiaoru and said, "What are your instructions, teacher?"
Fang Xiaoru opened her mouth, shook her head and said, "Go and cooperate with the Master of the Ministry of Etiquette to bury your wife as soon as possible. Let's go back to Beijing. This old man from this village will not go in."
As soon as these words came out, the Fang brothers immediately looked at each other.
Fang Zhongxian leaned close to Fang Xiaoru's ear and asked softly: "Father, we have finally returned home, why don't we stay a little longer?"
Fang Xiaoru looked around, looked around, or looked cautiously, shook his head, sighed secretly, and didn't say much.
Seeing that Fang Zhongxian wanted to ask more questions, Chen Kan gently tugged on his sleeve, pulled him and walked towards the officials of the Ministry of Rites next to the hearse.
Fang Zhongxian broke free from Chen Kan's hand and asked in a low voice: "Yuansheng, my mother's coffin has returned to her hometown. Why do I feel that my father is not happy?"
Chen Kan paused, looked at the doubtful look on Fang Zhongxian's face, pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "The teacher is naturally happy to return home in fine clothes, but now Xishangfang Village has become Fangjia Village and is no longer the teacher's hometown. ”
Fang Zhongxian frowned, not quite understanding what Chen Kan meant.
Chen Kan thought for a while and continued: "Look at Fangjia Village now. Does it look like a village at all?"
Fang Zhongxian looked in the direction of Chen Kan's finger, and what came into view were rows of blue brick houses.
Most of the villages in the Ming Dynasty were made of adobe and thatched bedding. A family with three mud houses was a wealthy family.
In some places in the north, people dig a cave and live in it.
A village full of tile-roofed houses with blue bricks and white walls. It cannot be said that such a place did not exist in Daming, but it would never appear in a small place like Ninghai.
It just so happened that such a village now appeared in Ninghai.
What this means is actually very clear.
After a moment, Fang Zhongxian looked away, nodded slightly as if he had some understanding, and then stopped worrying about the matter.
There are some things that don’t need to be explained clearly, everyone has eyes.
Why do real big shots not want to return home after becoming famous?
Because turning a blind eye is their greatest kindness to their hometown.
The same goes for Fang Xiaoru.
From the time when the villagers of Fangjia Village knelt down to salute him and called him Lord Shangshu, this place was no longer his hometown.
He is an honest official, but it is impossible to hide the power of a minister.
The people of Fangjia Village used his reputation to make even the county magistrates a little afraid. This is the tradition of the Central Country that one person can ascend to heaven after attaining enlightenment.
Fang Xiaoru chose to turn a blind eye and stay out of the door, leaving room for people in the officialdom.
Otherwise, if the Fang clan members violate national laws, will the local government deal with it or not?
How should I explain it to Fang Xiaoru?
If we don’t deal with it, how can we explain it to the laws and regulations of the country?
All in all, this is a difficult problem with no solution for the time being.
Just like Chen Kan, he has never returned to his ancestral homeland in Fengyang, Huaixi over the years, just because of this.
Chen Kan brought the Fang brothers to the hearse. Officials from the Ministry of Rites were discussing something in low voices with several craftsmen. When he saw Chen Kan bringing the Fang brothers, Zheng Sheng hurriedly saluted.
"I've met the Marquis."
"Master Zheng, there is no need to be polite. I just want to ask, can Mrs. Ning Guo's coffin be buried now?"
Hearing this, Zheng Sheng hesitated and said: "Noon is an auspicious time, and Mrs. Ning Guo's coffin can be buried. But now there is another problem. Ninghai County is located on the coast, and a suitable sealing stone cannot be found at the moment. Moreover, Mr. Fang, Xia Guan and others are not sure whether he will be buried with Mrs. Ning Guo after a hundred years."
Chen Kan frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zheng Sheng looked at the Fang brothers and then whispered into Chen Kan's ear: "If Mr. Fang wants to be buried with Mrs. Ning Guo, this sealing stone cannot be sealed, otherwise the tomb door will not be opened."
"I see!"
A look of understanding appeared on Chen Kan's face.
To put it simply, this sealing stone should have the same meaning as the dragon-breaking stone in the emperor's tomb. It is used to prevent tomb robbers. Once closed, it cannot be opened.
If Fang Xiaoru wants to be buried with the Zheng family, the tomb cannot be sealed now, and it will have to wait until Fang Xiaoru a hundred years later.
"Please, Sir Zheng, please wait for a moment, and I will go and ask."
Hearing this, Zheng Sheng and several men who looked like craftsmen subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be best if Chen Kan asked.
After all, the word "death" is very taboo in this era.
What's more, they are all outsiders, and their status is much lower than Fang Xiaoru. If they ask directly, they will inevitably be charged with disrespecting the superior.
Soon, Chen Kan left and returned.
The news brought them relief again.
Fang Xiaoru was not buried with the Zheng family, which was a labor-saving thing for both the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works.
Otherwise, people from the Ministry of Industry would have to dig a larger tomb next to Zheng's tomb in advance, and the Concierge Department would have to determine the specifications of Fang Xiaoru's tomb again.
More importantly, the manpower must be transferred from the capital.
The manpower and material resources required to dig a tomb for a minister and a first-class lady cannot be compared to re-locating and digging a tomb.
After confirming that there was no problem, the officials of the Ministry of Rites stopped wasting time, looked up at the sky, calculated the auspicious time, and said loudly: "The auspicious time has come, let's bury him!"
Zheng Sheng began to mobilize officials and craftsmen for the funeral, and Chen Kan and the Fang brothers stepped aside.
Now that the rituals have been completed, all etiquette specifications for the funeral have been put in place.
All it takes is strong men to lift Zheng's coffin from the hearse, put it into the tomb that had been dug long ago, and arrange the sealing and plugging stones. Zheng's funeral, which lasted for more than two months, was completed.
"Get ready, get up!"
Not long after, deafening chants were heard next to the hearse, as the strongmen were moving the coffin.
At the same time, the servants and musicians of Taichang Temple also played mourning music again.
The sound of trumpets was combined with mourning music, and the mage sent by Seng Lusi also began to recite obscure scriptures.
The ceremonial officer began to issue orders to the filial sons, asking them to kneel in front of Zheng's coffin to lead the way.
After so long of tossing, everyone was already exhausted, including Chen Kan.
Now that Zheng's coffin is finally about to enter the tomb, a group of filial sons feel reluctance and sadness, as well as confusion and relief.
"The coffin enters the house, the Yin official welcomes it, and the filial son kneels..."
A group of filial sons headed by the Fang brothers and Chen Kan were like puppets on strings, following the etiquette officer's guidance, taking a few steps and kneeling again, and then kneeling again, and each time they knelt to a different object.
Kneel down on the deceased, kneel on the Yin official, kneel on the parade, kneel on the director, and kneel on the Bodhisattva.
After struggling until the middle of the sun, the coffin finally passed through the village and arrived at the tomb hall of the Fang family's ancestral grave in the back mountain.
In addition to the main tomb chamber, Zheng's cemetery also has several side chambers for placing funerary objects.
A group of craftsmen began to put various funerary objects into the ear chamber. As for the coffin, they still had to stay in front of the corridor for a while.
After the burial objects were moved, it was Zheng's coffin's turn.
The filial sons lined up on both sides. The Fang brothers supported Fang Xiaoru, whose eyes were red, and watched quietly as Zheng's coffin was carried into the corridor.
Chen Kan watched Zheng's coffin enter the corridor, and suddenly felt a little empty in his heart. He couldn't tell what he was feeling.
Zheng Sheng arranged for the craftsmen to start sealing the soil, and he himself trotted up to Fang Xiaoru and explained: "Master Fang, we haven't found a suitable stone seal for the time being. We can only arrange for people to transport it from the capital. The lower official can only send Mrs. Ning Guo first." The sealing soil will be added first, and after the sealing stone arrives, the corridor will be backfilled and the inscription will be erected."
Fang Xiaoru pursed her lips, nodded, and said nothing, but her back became more stooped.
Chen Kan walked up to Fang Xiaoru and asked in a low voice: "Teacher, are you really not going to meet your clan members?"
Fang Xiaoru shook her head, broke free from the support of the Fang brothers, and walked slowly toward the entrance of the village, hands behind her back.
Chen Kan took a look at the Fang clan members who were huddled in front of the grave hall and did not dare to approach. He couldn't help but shake his head and trotted to catch up with Fang Xiaoru.
There are people from the imperial court here in the tomb, and they will definitely make Zheng's tomb large and beautiful, so there is no point in Chen Kan continuing to stay here.
And Fang Xiaoru, this old man who has been stubborn all his life, needs comfort and companionship even more at this moment.
There is no need to say any words of condolences and comfort, just follow him and let him know that what he insists on in this life is seen by others.
The master and apprentice returned to the funeral convoy one after another.
"Yuansheng, I need to take a nap. Call me when you are about to return."
Fang Xiaoru got into the carriage and left a few words, then closed the curtain regardless of whether Chen Kan responded.
Chen Kan also climbed onto a carriage, leaned against the shaft and stood in a daze.
Zheng's funeral is over, Fang Xiaoru must return to the court, and he must do what he should do.
I don’t know how far the two Zhu brothers have grown now, where Chang Ning and the others are, and whether Liu Guan has taken the blame from Li Tong over in Yunnan.
After thinking for a long time, Chen Kan felt that his head was in chaos, so he simply leaned on the car's shaft and closed his eyes to rest.
He kept it up and fell asleep.
He was still sleepy-eyed until Xie Zhong pushed him awake and handed him a letter.
"Master Marquis, this is a letter from Liaodong."
Chen Kan rubbed his eyes, took the letter, opened it and read it.
Just looking at it, Chen Kan's face became a little solemn.
The letter came from Liaodong, and it only conveyed one piece of news: Xu Su was dead.
It was Xu Su who Chen Kan arranged for Chen Qia to replace. He died on the grassland. The cause of death is unknown!
