Chapter 132 Life is Too Short: "Godfather, let me go in and talk." "Go away, go away, what are you doing causing trouble...?"

"Godfather, shall I go in and talk to you?"

"Go away, go away, what trouble are you causing? Look at your cowardly appearance. If you go in and keep trembling and saying the wrong thing, be careful that His Majesty will be angry."

The death of Songgotu could not be kept from the Emperor. Besides, Songgotu died with the title of First-Class Duke, not with the infamy that was originally expected.

Now the Crown Prince has drafted a memorial, wanting to posthumously confer upon Suo'etu the title of Grand Academician of the Hall of Preserving Harmony and the posthumous name of Zhongxiang, in order to fulfill the bond between the Crown Prince and him.

"Godfather, His Majesty is angry every day. Does it make a difference whether you or I take this memorial in?"

He Mancang was Liang Jiugong's last adopted son, and also the only one still by his side. The others had all left for their own reasons; some went to serve in Yuqing Palace, while others went to serve other concubines in the harem.

In recent years, the Crown Prince's position has become increasingly stable, and serving at the Qianqing Palace is no longer the only popular choice. Kangxi may not have realized the difference, but Liang Jiugong was well aware of it.

As the saying goes, "Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring," and Liang Jiugong's purse is the best judge of whether the Qianqing Palace is hot or not. Since His Majesty fell ill, besides the Crown Prince, only a few princes and nobles have remained as attentive to the Qianqing Palace as ever.

In the story of Prince Zhi, Prince Zhi is better than Prince Cheng. Prince Zhi complains the most to His Majesty but is also the most generous.

Despite the fact that the Prince Zhi's mansion hadn't held any real official positions in recent years and its income was negligible, the amount of silver notes in the purses given to Liang Jiugong was always always more, never less.

The other princes were all similar, but the Fourth Prince was meticulous. Every time he came to the Qianqing Palace, he would carefully observe and examine the people serving the Emperor to see if they were doing their best and if the things they provided were of good quality. If they weren't, these people would always be replaced for various reasons.

The Fifth Prince was not good at saying nice things. Every time he came to the Qianqing Palace, he would go to the Ning Shou Palace first. After going there, he would come over, and when he did, he would not talk about his own Prince's residence, but would talk to the Emperor about the situation of the Ning Shou Palace and the Empress Dowager.

After finishing their conversation, there wasn't much more to say between father and son. Yinqi didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable, so he got up, gave a few more instructions, and left.

The Seventh Prince was in charge of the Ministry of Works. He himself had been in poor legs since childhood. After His Majesty fell ill, he selected several craftsmen who were good at fine work and made many small items that could be used as a backrest or a footrest, and sent them over.

Sometimes he would even privately tell Liang Jiugong what sleeping position was comfortable at night, and how often to turn over to avoid getting sores. These weren't just for show, since most of the time he didn't do these things in front of the Emperor.

The emperor is the Son of Heaven. Even though he is so ill that he needs two people to help him stagger around the house, his pride still cannot tolerate anyone showing him any sympathy or pity in any way. That is the sharpest blade that can destroy him.

“Silly boy, you’re timid and afraid of His Majesty. I found you a job in the Imperial Kitchen before, but you refused. If you want to stay in the Qianqing Palace, talk less and observe more. Don’t try to take my job, understand?”

"Godfather, I'm not..."

"Alright, that's enough. Go to the tea room and see if the ginseng tea for His Majesty is ready. If it is, bring it in in a quarter of an hour."

"Okay, then the son will go ahead first."

He Mancang was an honest boy. If it weren't for the locust plague that left his family without a way to survive, he wouldn't have been sent to the palace to work.

The He family was poor, but they treated their children well. Mancang had suffered hunger since childhood but had never been wronged. After entering the palace, he stood out among the young eunuchs of his generation.

The child was being punished so severely while learning manners and how to serve others that he almost lost his life. Liang Jiugong, who was passing by, saw this and could see that the child's eyes were pure, so he took him in and made him his godson.

Powerful eunuchs in the palace often adopted sons, hoping that when they grew old and died, someone would be there to take care of them in their final days. They didn't need anything grand; they just wanted a piece of land where they could buy a coffin and bury their dead properly.

Even though there weren't many eunuchs who could actually use their godsons, everyone had this habit, and Liang Jiugong naturally followed suit and took in several as well.

After accepting He Mancang as his son, Liang Jiugong refused any offers to become his son or grandson. He was set on this one; he didn't care if his other sons were heartless. As long as he kept this one, he could have a peaceful end.

These days, His Majesty's temper is becoming increasingly unpredictable, and he wouldn't bear to let Mancang go in to get scolded. His old bones can withstand a bit of a beating, and His Majesty wouldn't really take the life of his old servant.

In the past, the Qianqing Palace always had different scents of incense, but now only a faint sandalwood scent and a bittersweet medicinal smell remain.

The winter month was fast approaching, and two heavy snowfalls had occurred in the past few days. For the other people in the palace, it was just a bit cold, but for Emperor Kangxi, it was somewhat difficult to endure.

The chill emanating from his very bones kept Kangxi awake night after night. Liang Jiugong had tried to subtly suggest that he summon his concubines to his bedchamber, but Kangxi shook his head and refused.

Why humiliate yourself in this state? Even if someone comes, they'll only warm your bed. It's better to stay cold; this alternating state of mind is more useful.

"Your Majesty, Lord Suo'etu has left." Liang Jiugong walked in from outside, his footsteps barely audible. "The Crown Prince sent someone to deliver a draft memorial to Your Majesty for your decision."

Soetu is dead. This news made Kangxi's breath catch in his throat. He then raised his chin and gestured for a young eunuch serving in the hall to bring him the memorial, which he then read aloud to him.

After reading the memorial, Kangxi thought that the Crown Prince was trying to win over the court officials by giving Zhongxiang such a posthumous title, showing that he, as the Crown Prince, was kind enough to his subjects, and that even the already fallen Songgotu would be given the dignity he deserved after his death.

Upon seeing Kangxi's reaction, Liang Jiugong knew that the emperor had misunderstood, so he quickly recounted what He Yuzhu, who had come to deliver the memorial, had told him in detail.

"Good job arresting Gerfin. Let them interrogate him properly. These heartless ingrates! Even though Soetu is arrogant to outsiders, didn't he do his best for them? They're all scoundrels."

After recounting the events, Kangxi pondered for a long time before finally uttering a few words of anger, albeit somewhat indistinctly. He neither inquired nor spoke of what posthumous title to bestow upon Suo'etu, for there was no need to dwell on such matters now that things had come to this. This manner of death was sufficiently humiliating for Suo'etu.

Giving Songgotu the posthumous title of "Zhongxiang" is actually a bit of an overstatement. But if we're being really picky, Songgotu isn't entirely unworthy of it.

To risk one's life to serve one's superiors is loyalty; to prioritize the country over one's family is loyalty; to serve in the armor is to assist; to achieve merit in one's duties is to assist. In the first half of his life, Suo'etu assisted Kangxi in capturing Oboi and suppressing the Three Feudatories, which was not without merit. Even if he had his own selfish desires in the second half of his life, he still devoted himself to the Crown Prince's faction.

This posthumous title seems more like the Crown Prince's lingering pity, or even guilt, for the manner of his death. After all, if he hadn't been so ruthless as to throw away this powerful minister back then, his end might not have been so absurd.

When the imperial edict conferring posthumous titles and honors arrived at the Suo residence, the mourning hall and other rites had already been set up.

Algishan was still lying there, half-dead, while Gerfen had already been taken away. When they took Gerfen away, the First Madam chased after them all the way from their courtyard, only to be stopped by Yulang at the gate.

"It's normal for the eldest wife to be overly grieving over Lord Suo's passing. Here are two strong old women to help her back to the mourning hall."

You can cry, but don't cry here. Go cry in Suo'etu's mourning hall. Yu Lang doesn't care why the people left in the Suo family are crying and wailing. Anyone who can cry, kneel in the mourning hall. Cry however you want there.

With such a posthumous title bestowed by the palace, everyone understood what "Crown Prince" and "Emperor" meant, and those who were supposed to come and move around began preparing to come and offer condolences.

The first to arrive were Prince Zhi and Prince Cheng, followed by the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth princes.

Finally, it was Fourth Master's turn. Yu Lang and Fourth Master were in charge of the purse together. Now that Yu Lang had been assigned by the Crown Prince to handle the funeral arrangements, he could only ask Fourth Master for the money needed for the funeral.

Because Yulang was in the middle, the people from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites were particularly confident when they went to see the Fourth Prince. Everyone knew that the Fourth Prince was like a greedy creature, only taking in and never giving out. Since they rarely had such an opportunity, they all made exorbitant demands.

Fourth Master could see right through their little scheme; he was just giving them what they were supposed to give out of respect for Yu Lang.

So when he arrived at the Suo residence with a dark face, he saw that the scene of crying in the mourning hall was a bit strange. He immediately stopped Chang Shun, who was hurrying out. He said that if the Ministry of Revenue gave money for the funeral but did not handle it well, the Fourth Master would be the first to object.

After finding out what had happened, Prince Zhi looked at Yu Lang with disbelief in his eyes. Algishan and Gerfen, one was missing and the other had been arrested, and they even dragged their wives to the mourning hall to wail. How could this person be so ruthless?

Despite the loss, the family members in the mourning hall were crying in a very proper manner, while the monks they had invited were chanting sutras. The guests coming and going to pay their respects were orderly, and without careful observation, one could not really tell that anything was wrong.

Even Yinzhi, who had always disliked Yulang, had to admit that Yulang had truly honed his ability to handle affairs, managing to get all these things done in such a short time.

Yu Lang's job was given to him by the Crown Prince, and Shen Wanqing's job was something she had no choice but to do. Most of the Hesheli family's branch was in the Plain Yellow Banner. Yu Lang had taken on the job of overseeing the funeral arrangements, so who else could he turn to for all the affairs of the family members and women if not Madam Shen?

Shen Wanqing went to the Crown Princess's place to pick up Yi An from the palace. Instead of going directly to the Suo residence, she went to the First-Class Duke's residence to invite Guarjia Shi over.

Changtai and she were the most legitimate maternal relatives of the Hesheli family, and Suo'etu was also Changtai's uncle. Now that Suo'etu's funeral was to be held, Yulang and Shen Wanqing could handle the matter, but Guarjia insisted on coming to oversee things for her.

Shen Wanqing had been worried that Guarjia would refuse, but it turned out that Guarjia was exactly who she was waiting for. As soon as Shen Wanqing explained her purpose, she quickly got up and followed her. She even told her to just assign her tasks and not to be polite or distant.

At first, Shen Wanqing didn't think it was that serious. After all, she had helped her superiors with weddings and funerals in her previous life, and even when she was busy, it was nothing special.

In the past ten years or so, she has attended several funerals. Apart from having to pay more attention to her attire and having to follow more complicated etiquette, there doesn't seem to be much else to it.

It wasn't until she got to do the work herself that Shen Wanqing realized what exhaustion truly meant. She had to manage and oversee every trivial matter, and there couldn't be any mistakes. In fact, the rules for funerals and ceremonies were even more numerous and stricter than those for joyous occasions like weddings.

Everyone feels that the dead are the greatest, and a funeral is the last time a person is in this world. It is the last time he exists in this world, and the last time the living do their best for the deceased. No one wants to appear heartless and ungrateful at this time, especially since the protagonist of this funeral is Suo'etu.

Moreover, while Suo'etu's dignity was preserved, it was only his own dignity. Whether his entire family could settle down peacefully depended entirely on the Crown Prince's word.

Unfortunately, none of the family members are sensible. They are either used to being domineering and confused or have been terrified by the changes in the past few years. No matter what Shen Wanqing says or what the two wives do, they all have a cold and almost expressionless look.

Why is the first thing she says when asked is always "I don't know" or "Don't bother me with this"? If you ask again, she'll say, "Go find so-and-so. I don't know anything about this." Only when she can't avoid it anymore will she reluctantly cooperate with Shen Wanqing.

So angry that Shen Wanqing couldn't even vent her anger, she had a bellyful of words but didn't know where to begin. In that instant, she suddenly felt that her life wasn't so bad after all. If she had transmigrated into such a family back then, she would have preferred to just kill herself and go back.

Because the vigil would also be held at night, Shen Wanqing directly assigned the servants of the Suo family to three shifts. The servants in charge of the kitchen, the servants in charge of receiving guests, and the servants in charge of maintaining the mourning hall were all assigned to their respective shifts, and no one was allowed to switch shifts or change shifts without permission.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has already calculated the date for the funeral, which will be the second day of the twelfth lunar month.

This means there are still more than half a month left for mourning and paying respects. During such a long period, it is essential to clearly define the working hours for everyone, otherwise, it is easy for things to go wrong, or if things go wrong, it will be difficult to find the person in charge.

For this reason, Shen Wanqing specially selected twenty people as logistical backup. If anyone got sick, injured, or had any unexpected situation and needed someone to fill in, someone would be chosen from these twenty people.

In just one day, Shen Wanqing felt utterly exhausted and had no will to live. The first thing she did after getting into the carriage to go home was to slap her own mouth a few times, vowing never to say again that this wasn't too difficult—it was too embarrassing.

Seeing Shen Wanqing's appearance made Yu Lang, who was already slumped in the carriage and couldn't even straighten his back, laugh uncontrollably. Shen Wanqing got angry at his laughter and reached out to pinch Yu Lang's waist hard twice.

"Grandma, take it easy. I'm not a seventeen or eighteen-year-old anymore. What if you pinch me again and hurt me?"

"Pah, who doesn't know that among the Crown Prince's men, you, Lord Yu, are the most vigorous and promising? At thirty, you'll be established. After the New Year, I'll truly be over thirty."

Shen Wanqing's birthday is on the first day of the eleventh lunar month; she just celebrated her thirty-second birthday a few days ago. Yu Lang's birthday is on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month; after the New Year, he will be thirty-one, currently on the cusp of his thirties.

"My birthday is coming up again. How does Grandma plan to celebrate it for me this year?"

"How many tables of food and drink should we prepare? I've already booked the most popular opera troupe in Beijing this year; we'll invite them to our house for a few days of celebration. And..."

“Take Yi’an and Sui Ning to the manor outside the city for a few days. You’ve been busier than ever in the last year or two, and your daughter is starting to distance herself from you.”

Is there anything else?

The sound of the carriage pressing against the snow was particularly clear at night. Yu Lang leaned against his grandmother, listening to the carriage sounds and Shen Wanqing's plans for his birthday celebration. The fatigue and weariness of the day dissipated without him even realizing it.

He opened his eyes and looked up at his wife. In the past year or two, he didn't know if it was because his official position was getting better and better, or because Mrs. Shen's reputation as a shrew was not as good as it used to be. In any case, people started trying to find ways to send him women again.

Some people think that Yu Lang doesn't take a concubine because he's afraid of Shen Wanqing, so they simply prepare a house and a woman for him outside the home. They even say that Yu Lang doesn't need to worry about the expenses of the outer residence or the monthly expenses of the mistress; he only needs to go over and "sit" when he has free time.

Yu Lang would have simply refused and that would have been the end of it; he didn't even bother mentioning it to Shen Wanqing. But today, seeing the funeral being held at Suo'etu's residence—a huge mansion that Suo'etu had earned himself—he was now lying there, completely oblivious, at the mercy of the living, and watching that family of good-for-nothings fight amongst themselves.

Even in the mourning hall, even while they were grieving, they still managed to take a moment to instruct their servants to watch over the storeroom and the courtyard where Suo'etu had lived.

They put it nicely that they were afraid things would get lost in the hustle and bustle of the house during the funeral, but in reality, they were all already planning how to divide the family property after the funeral.

That's just how human nature is, and Yulang couldn't say much more. No one should laugh at someone else's messy situation; who knows, maybe in a few decades their own family won't be much better off.

All Yu Lang could do was tell Shen Wanqing everything. He couldn't control anyone else; he could only protect his own heart.

Shen Wanqing truly didn't know that someone had sent a mistress to Yulang, but she was even more surprised that Yulang had told her about it. Actually, she could have kept quiet; since he hadn't accepted it, she could have just pretended it never happened.

"What's wrong? Something happened at the Suo residence, why is the master so emotional?"

"I don't know, and I can't explain it clearly."

Yu Lang genuinely didn't know. He just felt a strange sense of unreality and fear when he stood at a distance and looked at Shen Wanqing during the day. He couldn't explain what he was afraid of.

"Jiyun, life is so short. I feel like a lifetime isn't enough for me to spend with you. I'm scared just thinking about it. What would I do if I lost you one day?"

Yu Lang wrapped his arms around Shen Wanqing's back, holding her tightly in his embrace. Only when he could no longer see Shen Wanqing's face did he murmur these slightly cheesy words.

"A lifetime isn't enough, how long is a lifetime anyway?"

Shen Wanqing felt the heat of Yu Lang's breath on her ear. She knew Yu Lang loved her, but she never expected him to say such a thing.

"Not enough, not enough." These words sounded even more solemn and moving to Shen Wanqing than "I love you." Perhaps she was too tired, because Shen Wanqing felt her eyes and nose getting a little sore.

After the carriage stopped, Shen Wanqing nudged Yu Lang's back to let him get off first, then she climbed onto his back and said, "Carry me back, I don't want to walk anymore."

The old man carried the old woman on his back and swaggered into the house, leaving the gatekeepers looking at each other in bewilderment.

What's going on? How come other people's funerals turned out like this for our grandparents? The old man doesn't look unhappy at all, so how can he be so happy while organizing a funeral?

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Black Monday! I need a puff of Jiyun and Yugouzi cigarettes to bravely live on. [crying emoji]

A red envelope will be given away in the comments section of this chapter! [Dog head with rose in hand]