Chapter 142: Funeral in the Marquisate
The person talking outside the door was a maid from the pharmacy who came to deliver medicine. Lu Yin pressed the written letter, waited for the ink to dry, then packed it up and sent it to Zhou's house.
"I will keep the doctor's instructions in mind." Lu Yin took the medicine, thanked the maid who brought it, and closed the door.
"Aunt, please drink the medicine first. There will be many things to do in the mansion later. I'm afraid that the Marquis and the Marquis's wife can't take care of you." Bringing the medicine to Zhou Baili, Lu Yin patiently comforted her.
"His Highness died in the battle to suppress bandits. The funeral should be a grand one. I'm afraid the Marquis and his wife will be busy for a while."
Zhou Baili thought that once Qin Zhuoyan died, the instability around her was removed. Although she felt sad about losing her husband, she was more relieved. She was pregnant and had the Zhou family to take care of her, so what was there to worry about?
"Luyin, take out a box of golden bird's nests later, make two bowls of it and send them to the Marquis and his wife as a token of my appreciation. If there is anything I can do to help, just tell me. Your Highness is their son and also my husband."
Zhou Baili drank the last sip of the medicine and told Lu Yin to convey her thoughts and concerns. If Tan Zhuoyan was not around, then the Marquis and his wife would be her children's support until they grew up, so she had to be good at socializing.
"Yes, I'll do it right away." Lu Yin helped Zhou Baili lie down, lit some calming incense, and waited until everyone fell asleep before leaving.
On the day when Tan Zhuoyan's body was sent back to the capital, white curtains and soul flags were hung inside and outside the Dingbei Marquis' Mansion. While the funeral was still being prepared, cries could be heard from the mansion from time to time, which seemed very desolate in the bleak winter day.
"The funeral will take half a month. Ask the warehouse to buy the items needed according to the list. We can't miss anything and lose face."
With red eyes, Madam Hou handed the purchased cards to the storekeeper. Tan Zhuoyan was her only son, and she wanted to hold a grand funeral for her son even if she had to empty her own dowry. She had been saving money for so many years, and she didn't want to be frugal on this matter.
"Yes, the obituary has been sent to various prefectures in the capital. On the day of the funeral, we will be able to send His Highness off with great fanfare as Madam requested."
The steward felt unhappy holding the purchase cards. He didn't expect that the first big funeral he would handle would be the prince's.
Speaking of her son, the Marquis's wife burst into tears again. She covered her face and sobbed, "Go down, and make sure to take good care of Yan'er's funeral."
The only people who were sad about Tan Zhuoyan's death were the people in the Marquis' Mansion. The common people in the capital and even the noble royal families all looked at the joke of Dingbei Marquis' Mansion. In the capital, there was no shortage of families whose status changed overnight.
The former Zhou Mansion and the current Hou Mansion are both living examples. The truth that everything that rises must fall is eternal.
After all, Qin Zhuoyan died while suppressing bandits, and the people should mourn for him. Who made the Marquis' Mansion act so low-key?
When Tan Zhuoyan's legs were healed, the Dingbei Marquis and his wife couldn't wait to spread the word, telling everyone they met that their son's legs were healed. It was a good thing that Tan Zhuoyan's legs were healed, and it was indeed worth celebrating.
The mistake of Marquis Dingbei and his wife was that they were too complacent. They spread the word that Tan Zhuoyan had been delayed due to a leg disease, and that their child was an extraordinary person who would soar to the sky as soon as the right opportunity presented itself. They were extremely arrogant.
They were so smug, as if Tan Zhuoyan had been given an important position and would soon become a powerful official.
"It is true that the Marquisate did something wrong. They were too happy and ended up in tragedy. If the people in the Marquisate of Dingbei knew how to take things slowly, why would the Marquis of Dingbei die and the whole family become a laughing stock in the capital?"
Teahouses, restaurants, and even the streets and alleys, people were talking about Tan Zhuoyan. Tan Zhuoyan rushed to the battlefield right after her leg disease healed, and it was not an unforeseeable outcome that she would die in battle. The people in the Marquis' Mansion were too anxious and ended up like this.
The Marquis' Mansion is not necessarily that pitiful; the pitiful ones are the soldiers who followed Tan Zhuoyan to suppress the bandits.
"That's right. I came to Your Majesty to volunteer. One useless general exhausted the whole army. The Crown Prince died in battle because he was confused. His death would have been fine. There were a total of 3,000 soldiers heading to Koucheng, and 2,900 of them died."
There was a lot of discussion in the teahouse. Many people shook their heads when they heard the words, and many others felt indignant for the innocent soldiers who died.
"The prince was so anxious to make achievements that he not only lost his own life, but also nearly caused the annihilation of the entire army. It was a sin. This was the first mission that Your Majesty assigned to him, and the prince died before he could accomplish anything at the very beginning. I wonder what Your Majesty feels."
Among those who talked about Tan Zhuoyan, some spoke more tactfully, while others spoke directly.
When it comes to anger, the words of those with a more straightforward temper sound harsh: "In the final analysis, the prince is just conceited, but in fact he is a idiot and a waste. He is not fit to lead the army to fight. It would be fine if he died, but he killed thousands of lives in vain."
Tan Zhuoyan's death caused the Dingbei Marquis's position in the court to become very awkward. As Tan Zhuoyan's father, Dingbei Marquis had to go to the palace to meet the emperor. When the emperor saw Dingbei Marquis, who had just lost his son, it was difficult for him to have a good face.
"The bandits in Koucheng have just been pacified, and there are still many things to deal with. My dear minister, you have just lost your beloved son, so you are naturally very sad. You don't need to attend the morning court until the funeral is completed. My dear minister, please go back to your house first and take good care of your beloved son's funeral."
The emperor hastily comforted Marquis Dingbei with a few words, and his words were perfunctory, and he didn't even give him basic condolences or rewards.
This was indeed the result of Tan Zhuoyan's first expedition. The emperor had to spend a lot of money and effort to appease the families of the soldiers who died in the battle. It was a blessing that the Dingbei Marquis's mansion was not punished. The Dingbei Marquis did not dare to be dissatisfied. He kowtowed to thank the emperor and left the imperial study.
When the news of Qin Zhuoyan's death came, Liu Mingyue ordered someone to take ten taels of silver that night and bought a lot of good meat and vegetables. She asked the kitchen to cook a large table of dishes and invited the servants and guards working in the mansion to have a feast.
The mother and daughter set up a small banquet in the house. Liu Mingyue poured wine and drank it, with the word "happy" almost written on her face.
"I know you are happy, but you should keep a low profile and just be happy in your heart. You showed it too obviously today."
Liu Ruyi accompanied her daughter for dinner. Liu Mingyue drank one glass after another. She knew that she was happy, but after all, it was a matter of death. Liu Ruyi was a little worried that she was too arrogant and might attract attention.
"We were very cautious when we were in Zhou's mansion. Later, my daughter was forced to marry into the Marquis's mansion and had to be very careful. Now that she is finally free, she is just drinking and eating in her own mansion. What is there to be afraid of?"
The wine bought from Zuixianlou was fragrant and strong. It was newly brewed wine, and Liu Mingyue liked it very much.
As for what her mother was worried about, Liu Mingyue didn't care at all. She had been constrained all her life, and she didn't want to trap herself in rules and live cautiously for the rest of her life after living again.
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