Chapter 337 The word "Master"
When Consort Wang's coffin was taken to Xiangguo Temple, the emperor vomited blood and fainted.
Shen Cong was in charge of the funeral arrangements for Consort Wang. Upon seeing the situation, he ordered the imperial physicians to treat the emperor and left some officials in the palace.
The remaining officials and noblewomen followed the coffin to Xiangguo Temple to pay their respects.
Empress Xue said, "His Majesty is unwell. It would be better to leave the eldest prince in the palace to take care of His Majesty. Let Zhao Ning accompany the Noble Consort's coffin to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense."
Princess Zhaoning pursed her lips, instinctively wanting to retort.
She had no desire to go with them to pay respects to the dead.
She had barely opened her mouth, before she could utter a rebuttal, when Empress Xue secretly pinched her and then glared at her.
Princess Zhaoning hissed in pain, angrily turned her body away, but didn't say anything more about not going.
Shen Xu recalled Zhao Wanqing's reminder, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "The Imperial Concubine was buried with the rites due to an Empress, so I should go to Xiangguo Temple with her."
If Father Emperor knew that I didn't go, wouldn't that be...?
Empress Xue was so angry that her chest ached.
Since Consort Wang's death, the words "buried with the rites of an empress" have been like a knife, stabbing her heart every day.
She was clearly the emperor's only lawfully wedded wife and his only empress.
She, the Empress, is still alive and well, yet His Majesty wants that lowly Wang to be buried with the rites due to an Empress. Isn't this a blatant slap in the face to her?
That bitch Wang, while she was alive, would constantly provoke her and annoy her, and even in death she wouldn't let her have peace of mind.
On the first day after the imperial edict was issued, she was so angry that she wanted to confront the emperor, but her younger brother, Duke Xue, persuaded her to stay.
"The person is already dead, and His Majesty is grieving. If Your Highness goes to make a scene now, you will only earn a reputation for being unvirtuous."
Since things have come to this, we might as well be magnanimous. After all, the imperial mausoleum isn't finished yet, and whether we can truly be buried with the empress in the imperial mausoleum in the future is anyone's guess.
The Duke of Xue's words reminded her, and she barely managed to suppress her anger, pretending to be unwell and hiding in the inner palace for a few days.
Hearing his own son, Shen Xu, mention the words "bury him with the rites due to an empress" once again, he couldn't help but feel very displeased.
She glared at Chen Xu secretly before saying, "You child... Your mother knows that you want to pay respects to the spirit of the deceased Consort."
"But right now, your father is unwell, that's the most important thing. Don't you care about your father?"
"I......"
Shen Xu met Empress Xue's gaze, his lips moved slightly, and then he nodded hesitantly.
"Your Majesty is right. I should stay and take care of Father."
Empress Xue was very satisfied with this answer.
Silly child, His Majesty has vomited blood and fallen into a coma. If anything were to happen to him, how could Shenxu, as the only prince, not be by his side?
Empress Xue looked at Shen Cong.
"In that case, I'll leave the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Concubine to you, A-Cong."
Shen Cong's gaze swept over Shen Xu, and he nodded slightly to Empress Xue.
"You're too kind, Your Majesty. This is what A-Cong should do."
Shen Cong led civil and military officials and their wives to Xiangguo Temple.
The Ministry of Rites had already arranged everything at Xiangguo Temple. The coffin was placed in a special courtyard at Xiangguo Temple.
The coffin was placed in the ground, monks chanted sutras and performed rituals, and then officials and noblewomen offered sacrifices. By the time all the ceremonies were completed, it was already getting late.
Officials and their families left one after another.
Wang Tongyun kept the note in her mind and asked the Wang family if she could stay at Xiangguo Temple for a few days to keep the spirit of the deceased Consort company.
The Wang family left behind servants and young men to look after them before departing.
Wang Tongyun couldn't wait to find Li Nanke.
Nangong Qiang sent word that Shen Cong had asked her to meet him at the Sutra Repository.
Li Nanke then went to the Sutra Repository with Wang Tongyun.
Upon entering the Sutra Repository, one is immediately enveloped in a calming sandalwood scent and a rich aroma of ink.
Shen Cong sat by the window, holding a Buddhist scripture in his hand, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had fallen asleep.
He has been busy with the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Concubine these days, and he has lost a lot of weight from the stress.
His already pale face became even more bloodless, somewhat resembling the way Li Nanke looked when he was first brought to the Prince's mansion in his dream.
Li Nanke's heart sank, and he subconsciously took two steps forward, wanting to get a better look.
Could it be that his blood curse has worsened?
Perhaps hearing footsteps, Shen Cong slowly opened his eyes.
His deep, narrow eyes suddenly met a round little face so close to his, and he froze for a moment.
"Little girl?"
"Oh, Ninth Brother, you're awake! Are you alright?"
Li Nanke blinked, still staring intently at his face without moving.
Shen Cong's face inexplicably flushed, and he sat up straight, tilting his head back slightly.
"Me? I'm fine. A young lady shouldn't get so close to a man. Sit back down."
He was going through puberty, and his voice, which was already rough, became even hoarse.
Li Nanke wrinkled his nose dismissively.
"What's wrong? Ninth Brother and I are so close. Are you really okay? You look terrible."
It turns out she was worried about his health.
Shen Cong felt a warmth in his heart, reached out and gently pushed her forehead back, gesturing for her to sit opposite him.
"I've just been too tired these past few days. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Wang Tongyun stepped forward and curtsied.
"Grandfather said that the funeral for my aunt went very smoothly thanks to the prince's thoughtful arrangements. Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
Shen Cong nodded slightly, his expression indifferent.
"I am only acting under imperial orders, there is no need for thanks, you two please sit down."
Li Nanke pulled Wang Tongyun to sit down opposite him, and watched as Shen Cong took out two slips of paper from his pocket.
Then he placed the two slips of paper on the table.
One was given to Li Nanke by Consort Wang when she entered the palace, and the other was taken from Consort Wang's palm by Wang Tongyun.
Wang Tongyun stared in astonishment when she saw the two notes.
"How come there are two notes?"
Li Nanke briefly recounted the events of that day when he entered the palace.
"Things happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to tell you."
Shen Cong said, "I secretly showed this note to Prime Minister Wang. He originally planned to have Wang's family enter the palace to see the Imperial Concubine again the next day."
That very night, however, the imperial concubine's palace caught fire.
Wang Tongyun was unaware of this twist and blurted it out instinctively.
"So the fire in my aunt's palace was an attempt to kill her and silence her?"
Shen Cong remained noncommittal.
With the imperial concubine's note pleading for help, this has clearly become an undeniable fact.
Li Nanke half-lay on the table, picked up the second slip of paper and examined it repeatedly.
The writing on the note had become blurred and illegible after being soaked in water.
She looked at it for a long time, then suddenly said, "Ninth Brother, Tongyun, look, doesn't this character look like the character '师' (shi)?"
Shen Cong and Wang Tongyun both leaned over to look at them.
Wang Tongyun stared at it for a long time, then asked uncertainly, "Is it the character 'Shi'?"
Li Nanke nodded, "I feel it's very similar, what do you think, Ninth Brother?"
Shen Cong said, "It does resemble it, but what can the character 'shi' (師) represent?"
Li Nanke was dejected.
Yes, what can the word "teacher" represent?
"Ninth Brother, didn't you send people to check the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden that night? Did they find anything?"
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