People on the street were whispering to each other, and among them were some seemingly insignificant people who were quietly spreading the news.
"How pitiful! The Xianning County Lady's husband died suddenly just a few days after returning home."
"How is this possible? Lord Zhang is so young, and he survived all the tortures the county lady inflicted on him before. How could he die this time?"
"You're still mentioning the County Princess. How could she not feel resentment after being demoted from Princess of the Imperial Court to the County Princess?"
"Then who is attending Zhang Xianzhi's funeral?"
"I heard that he was from the Xingyuan Marquis' Mansion. His old lady adopted Master Zhang as her adopted son. I thought Master Zhang had found a backer, but it turned out to be of no avail!"
"Why didn't the county lady hold a funeral for him?"
"I heard that the county lady originally planned to throw the body to feed the dogs, but the old lady of the Marquisate went through great pains to get the body back and buried it as her adopted son."
"This old lady of the Marquis' Mansion is also a powerful figure. I didn't expect that she couldn't even protect Master Zhang."
"That's right, it's because our Great Zhou is ruled by the Li family..."
The funeral procession slowly moved to the intersection and happened to meet the parade of Jinshi scholars. The procession stopped silently to show respect to the Jinshi scholars and let them go first. However, the eye-catching coffin still attracted many eyes.
"Is that the coffin of Hanlin Zhang Xianzhi? How could he pass away?" A surprised voice came from the tall white horse.
A white banner was hung high, with the words "Zhang Gong Xianzhi mourns" written on it, revealing the sorrow of the talented person's untimely death.
These newly-minted scholars were full of ambition and enthusiasm. When they saw Zhang Xianzhi had met with such misfortune, they all dismounted and stepped forward solemnly to bow and pay their respects.
Scholars have always had a sense of shared destiny, and at this moment they feel the same way, and their sense of unity is even stronger.
"Brother Ji Yan, I heard that Lord Zhang has a close relationship with your family. What's going on?" A Jinshi couldn't help but ask curiously.
Xue Jiyan was well prepared. His face was heavy with grief, his voice filled with sorrow: "Master Zhang originally wanted to value peace and maintain harmony between husband and wife, but he failed. My mother is still heartbroken after learning about this..."
Jiang Lun dismounted and patted Xue Jiyan's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't blame yourself too much. The Xingyuan Marquis's family has always been loyal to their country, but the Xianning County Lady was arrogant. Now that we have recovered Brother Xianzhi's remains and buried them properly, it is a blessing in disguise."
When they heard the words "recover the body", the scholars were shocked and some even showed anger on their faces.
"Your Majesty treats scholars with great courtesy, yet this Princess Xianning is so careless about human life. We have studied so hard for ten years to serve the court and assist the country, not to be trampled upon by the powerful."
"That's right! If I'm to be looked down upon like this, I'd rather not hold this position!"
"Everyone, let's go to the Qionglin Courtyard and petition His Majesty to seek justice for Lord Zhang Xianzhi, okay?"
Everyone responded to this proposal.
They ignored the dissuasion of the accompanying officials, jumped on their horses, changed their original direction of travel, and galloped towards Qionglin Courtyard together, determined to seek justice for Zhang Xianzhi.
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