Chapter 187 Benefits of Offering Incense

Tong Guogang's coffin arrived in the outskirts of Beijing yesterday. Instead of traveling to the capital overnight, it stayed temporarily at the imperial estate in the outskirts of Beijing. This morning, the imperial son-in-law Shang Zhilong and others set off with the convoy, guarding the convoy and escorting Tong Guogang's coffin back to Beijing.

Outside Desheng Gate, the princes and members of the Tong family did not wait long. Half an hour later, around 10:00 AM, they saw a small black dot appear on the distant official road, heading towards Desheng Gate at a moderate pace.

The convoy carrying Tong Guogang's coffin stopped in front of the city gate. Prince Consort Shang Zhilong dismounted nimbly and strode to the waiting crowd. He first bowed to the eight princes according to etiquette, then greeted Longkodo as a colleague, and nodded slightly to Fahai and Kuadai.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir." After exchanging a few pleasantries with Shang Zhilong, the eldest prince said in a light tone, "Let's take Lord Tong's coffin back to the Tong residence now."

After facing Longkodo's arrogance, the eldest prince did not lash out on the spot, but he was in no mood to deal with the Tong family and just wanted to finish this task as soon as possible to report back.

Shang Zhilong was a man of high emotional intelligence. He had already noticed that the atmosphere was not quite right. At this moment, he did not ask any questions. He just laughed and said a few words to smooth things over. Then he readily did as the eldest prince instructed and made the convoy parked outside Deshengmen start again.

Tong Guogang was Emperor Kangxi's maternal uncle, making him the grand-uncle of the princes. Normally, the princes would wear white when they received Tong Guogang's coffin; even if they didn't wear mourning clothes, they should at least wear a mourning sash as a token.

When they left the palace, the palace servants also prepared mourning sashes for the eight princes. The original plan was for the princes to wear them when Tong Guogang's coffin arrived at Deshengmen, so that the princes could use their status as juniors to welcome Tong Guogang back to the capital and send him home, thus giving the Tong family face.

But now, none of the eight princes are wearing white mourning clothes, nor are they even wearing a single mourning sash.

Longkodo was arrogant and domineering, even in front of the Emperor. The princes were not to be trifled with, nor were they without temper. Although they had not discussed it beforehand, the princes were united in their resistance. They did not wear mourning bands and did not intend to give the Tong family any face. At this moment, they disregarded family etiquette and only considered national etiquette!

As for state etiquette, Tong Guogang, as a Grand Minister, was certainly not qualified to have the princes wear mourning clothes for him. Let alone making the princes observe three months of mourning, wear mourning clothes, and not shave their heads, even making the princes wear a mourning band would be unacceptable to Tong Guogang, because in terms of state etiquette, he was a subject!

After Shang Zhilong dismounted and met the princes, he glanced at them briefly and immediately noticed that none of them were wearing mourning bands. This was unexpected and different from what he had anticipated.

Yesterday, Shang Zhilong was sent by Emperor Kangxi to Beijing to receive Tong Guogang's coffin, and he wore a mourning sash around his waist. Today, Emperor Kangxi sent his princes out of the city to receive the coffin. Given Emperor Kangxi's favor and regard for the Tong family, the princes who came out of the palace should have given the Tong family face.

Things had changed, and Shang Zhilong was somewhat puzzled, but he remained calm and did not show his surprise or confusion. He simply observed the situation secretly while exchanging greetings with the princes, trying to find out what had happened.

Upon discovering the princes' cold attitude, their indifference towards the Tong family, and their particular aversion to Longkodo, Shang Zhilong knew that something unpleasant must have happened between them.

But Shang Zhilong had no intention of getting involved, and simply pretended not to know, acting as if he was completely unaware.

Although Shang Zhilong was a prince consort and thus considered half a member of the royal family, he always practiced self-preservation. When the Tong family and the prince clashed, he felt that both sides were troublesome and he didn't want to get involved with either side, much less mediate.

With the support of Emperor Kangxi, the Tong family had become a behemoth in the court, and the princes were gradually growing up and showing their talents. Neither side was easy to mess with, and Shang Zhilong did not want to get involved and become cannon fodder.

Anyway, the reason they met today was only because they had taken on the same task. Once Tong Guogang's coffin was successfully sent back to the Tong family, the task would be completed perfectly, and the three groups of people would go back to their respective homes. At that time, no matter how much the princes and the Tong family were at odds, it would have nothing to do with him, and the storms they stirred up would not affect him.

After entering the inner city through Desheng Gate, the First Prince, who took over command from Shang Zhilong without hesitation, ordered the convoy to speed up and swiftly drive to the Tong residence.

The eldest prince didn't have that many thoughts. First, he wanted to finish his mission as soon as possible and return to report. Second, he wanted to go to the Tong residence to bring out Orondai and make him appear in front of everyone.

Regardless of how bad the relationship was between Orondai and Tong Guogang, and whether the discord between father and son was common knowledge, the eldest prince, for his own benefit, needed Orondai, Tong Guogang's eldest son and the heir of the main branch of the Tong family, to step forward and take charge when Tong Guogang's coffin was transported back to the Tong family.

On the surface, Tong Guowei was a staunch royalist, supporting only his nephew, Emperor Kangxi, while showing no support for the Crown Prince or any special regard for the First Prince. While Longkodo, the most outstanding member of the second branch of the family, had a good relationship with the First Prince, it couldn't compare to the close bond between Orondai and the First Prince.

From his own perspective, the First Prince certainly didn't want the power of the eldest branch of the Tong family to be suppressed by the second branch, nor did he want the second branch, led by Tong Guowei, to benefit. What he needed was the support of the Tong family; only when Orondai became the head of the Tong family could the Tong family become a member of the First Prince's party.

After speeding up, with the accompanying guards clearing the way, the convoy carrying Tong Guogang's coffin quickly passed through most of the inner city and turned into the alley where the Tong family lived.

When the convoy stopped in the open space in front of the main gate of the Tong residence, Orondai finally made his appearance. He led the servants of the Tong residence to greet everyone and, as the eldest son and heir of Tong Guogang, thanked the eight princes and Shang Zhilong and others who had come out of the city to welcome Tong Guogang's coffin.

Orondai and Tong Guogang had a bad relationship, and Orondai refused to go out of the city to pick up Tong Guogang's coffin. He originally used the excuse of an old injury recurring to stay at home and avoid being idle.

But after the eldest prince sent a few messages through his personal guards, Orondai quickly tidied himself up and rushed to the front gate of the Tong residence to appear before everyone.

The eldest prince exchanged a few words with Orondai, discussed the arrangements, and then decided to open the main gate of the Tong residence to welcome Tong Guogang's coffin through the main entrance.

More than a month after Tong Guogang's death, news of his passing had already reached the capital. The Tong family had naturally made preparations for the funeral long ago. Wreaths, mourning clothes, paper money, and other items were readily available. Once Tong Guogang's coffin was transported in, the mourning hall at the Tong residence could be set up immediately.

Behind the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince pursed his lips and looked up at the main gate of the Tong residence.

The Fourth Prince disliked the Tong family, but he knew that his adoptive mother, Empress Xiaoyi, always missed the time she spent living in the Tong family when she was young.

Although Empress Xiaoyi's relationship with her family faded considerably after entering the palace, and she was later abandoned by the Tong family, she was not entirely without affection for them. Despite harboring resentment towards her family, she also had feelings for them.

The eldest prince was also furious with Longkodo's actions, but considering Orondai's feelings and wanting to save face for him, he frowned slightly and reluctantly said, "Since the Tong family has prepared a mourning hall, I will go in and offer incense to Lord Tong."

Orondai was truly at odds with Tong Guogang and his son, their father-son relationship was completely severed. Upon hearing this, his brows furrowed even more tightly than those of the First Prince, his face full of reluctance. He hesitated and declined, saying, "This...this is not appropriate, after all, you are of noble status."

Today is merely the day Tong Guogang's coffin returns to the capital, not the day of his official funeral. For the eldest prince to come to Tong Guogang's memorial tablet to offer incense at this time is a great sign of respect and dignity for Tong Guogang and the Tong family.

After the eldest prince suggested offering incense to Tong Guogang, the princes following behind him had different expressions. After exchanging glances, they looked at each other, unsure whether they should follow the eldest prince's lead.

The Third Prince was reluctant to offer incense to Tong Guogang. His father only asked them to bring Tong Guogang's coffin back to the capital, not to hold a memorial service for him.

However, the Third Prince was somewhat hesitant and indecisive, and he couldn't make a decision quickly enough to stand up and oppose the First Prince's decision.

The Fourth Prince was somewhat undecided. He disliked Longkodo and had no good feelings towards the Tong family. However, Tong Guogang was, after all, Empress Xiaoyi's uncle. In the early years, when Empress Xiaoyi's health was not failing, Tong Guogang, as the head of the Tong family, had given her a lot of support.

Moreover, death is a serious matter. Tong Guogang sacrificed himself for the country. As the adopted son of Empress Xiaoyi, the Fourth Prince had been favored by Empress Xiaoyi for many years. He could not show too much indifference to the Tong family in public, otherwise it would hurt Empress Xiaoyi's reputation.

The Fifth Prince was dazed and completely out of it. He was lost in thought and didn't even notice what the First Prince had said. Ever since arriving at the Tong family, the Fifth Prince had only been thinking about one thing: when would this mission be completed, and when could they go to the outer city?

It's almost noon, and he's already digested his breakfast, so he's hungry again...

The Seventh Prince frowned slightly. He had pride but no arrogance, and didn't feel wronged to offer incense to Tong Guogang. However, the Seventh Prince didn't want to get too close to the Tong family. The First Prince wanted to win over Orondai in hopes of gaining the Tong family's support, but the Seventh Prince didn't want to get involved and just wanted to stay far away from the Tong family.

The Seventh Prince was born with a disability, with a slight limp in his leg. This congenital defect fundamentally eliminated any possibility of him seizing the throne. Moreover, the Seventh Prince had no such ambition. He had long planned to be a loyal subject and did not intend to get too close to the Eight Banners nobles.

The Eighth Prince remained calm and composed. Even when the First Prince asked him to go inside to offer incense to Tong Guogang, he accepted.

The Eighth Prince's maternal family was of low status, so he didn't want to offend the Tong family. If possible, he would like to cultivate a good relationship and build friendships with the Tong family, but the Eighth Prince was very rational and knew that this possibility was unlikely. After all, there were so many princes under Kangxi's tutelage, and there were many better choices than him.

The Ninth Prince glared at the First Prince. Of all the princes, the Ninth Prince's resentment towards the Tong family was the most intense. Because of Longkodo, the vengeful Ninth Prince now hated the entire Tong family.

Yin'e glanced at the grimacing Ninth Prince, grabbed his hand, and spoke before the Ninth Prince could, "Brother, hurry back!"

Looking up at the eldest prince, Yin'e grinned carefree: "Lord Tong's coffin has been delivered to the Tong residence. Are we done with our mission? Brother, hurry up, we'll go to the outer city together once you come out."