Chapter 225 Return Home
After the rain, there were puddles of various sizes on the bluestone road of Chang'an Street.
The bird flew down from the eaves and landed at the edge of a puddle. Just as it dipped its sharp beak into the water, it was startled and flew away by the sound of a gong behind it.
A long line of people in mourning appeared at the end of the long street.
The funeral gong leads the way, and the memorial banner guides the soul.
A young man holding a black tablet with gold characters walked slowly towards them, leading a black lacquered coffin carried by sixteen people.
On the right side of the coffin, a young woman followed, holding the coffin lid with her hands, looking sad and pale.
In the houses on both sides of the street, servants who heard the sound of gongs and were crowded at the corner gates, peeking out, caught a glimpse of the eight characters "Spiritual Tablet of the Second Branch Chief of the Ji Family" painted in gold on the tablet, and their pupils trembled.
The Prime Minister who was appointed as the imperial envoy to Hezhou to provide disaster relief and quell the rebellion... is dead?
How is that possible!
They must have opened the door incorrectly.
After closing the door and reopening it, they saw the same scene and the same spirit tablet. They swallowed and looked at each other.
Oh my God!
Ji Xiang is really dead!
After the shock, they ran towards the inner house.
"Master, Madam, something terrible has happened..."
The funeral procession stopped in front of the main gate of the Ji Mansion. Feng Qingsui turned to look at the coffin and stroked the black coffin lid.
"Second Master, we are home."
The door of the Ji Mansion opened, and Shunzi rushed out happily. Just as he was about to warmly welcome his second master back home, a black coffin came into his sight, and his expression froze instantly.
“This, this…”
He took two steps back.
"Second Master... this can't be true, right?"
He looked at Feng Qingsui with horror on his face.
Feng Qingsui lowered his eyes.
"Second Master, he died in the line of duty."
With a "thump", Shunzi fell to his knees.
"Second Master——"
The servants who came rushing over after hearing the noise were horrified and knelt on the ground, crying bitterly when they saw this scene.
"You guys are back? Let me see if you've lost weight or become darker."
Qi led Nanny Fu out from the second gate, her face full of surprise and anticipation.
Seeing the servants kneeling on the ground, crying loudly, he stopped in confusion: "It's a good day, why are you crying?"
When the servants heard this, they cried even louder.
"Woo woo! Madam, the Second Master..."
Qi suddenly looked up and looked towards the door, her face turning pale instantly.
Aunt Fu quickly supported her.
"Why am I dreaming again?"
Qi turned her head and looked at Nanny Fu.
"Changfeng has been gone for more than half a year, why did I dream that he was sent back again?"
Tears instantly burst out of Aunt Fu's eyes.
Qi broke free from her hand and walked towards the gate, saying as she walked, "This dream was too fake. Changqing's name was actually written on the tablet."
She walked straight up to Feng Qingsui, took her hand and said, "Qingsui is here early."
Feng Qingsui called out softly, "Mother."
"Why!"
Qi responded and looked at Yan Chi who was holding the spirit tablet.
"Why are you holding the tablet? Where's Changqing? This dream is so full of mistakes and omissions. This doesn't make sense, and that doesn't make sense..."
Feng Qingsui reached out and hugged her.
"Mother, it was the Second Master who left, not Changfeng."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Qi frowned. "Changqing is in Hezhou, providing disaster relief and suppressing rebellion..."
Feng Qingsui let her go, took out Ji Changqing's jade pendant from his bosom, and choked up, "Mother, after we wiped out all the rebels, we encountered an assassin. Second Master..."
She burst into tears.
Qi took the jade pendant and stared at it for a moment.
Then his body went limp and he fell forward.
"mother!"
The cries of Ji Fu spread throughout the mansions and courtyards of Chang'an Street.
In Xiji Mansion, Ji Hongde did not speak for a long time after listening to the servant's report.
After a moment of silence, He cursed angrily, "I knew it! Qi is a jinx, bringing disaster to all relatives. Whoever marries her will have their family destroyed and their descendants extinct!"
"Feng and her have the same fate, two unlucky stars together. It's all their fault that our Ji family has fallen to this point!"
Ji Hongde sighed deeply.
"That evil creature was ruthless and had offended countless people. Now he's dead, and those who took advantage of his misfortune might not even let us go."
“They dare!”
He's eyebrows were raised.
"Qianqian is the future consort of the Third Prince. Although the incident at Prince Ping's Mansion caused the Third Prince to lose a lot of reputation, there is no prince in the court who can compete with him now."
"We are relatives of the He family. Who dares to touch us?"
Ji Hongde didn't say anything.
There are only four adult princes.
The eldest prince Zhao Bixiang's mother's family was abolished, and he himself was practicing in Anguo Temple, so his future was ruined.
The second prince was born lame and had no chance of ascending the throne.
The fourth prince only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. He would fall asleep as soon as he entered class. The scholars who had taught him all said that he was a piece of rotten wood.
The third prince is indeed a leader among them.
but--
There are seven underage princes. If the emperor chooses one of them and gives him to the new queen to raise, the third prince will be far away from the throne.
The Ji family is now in decline, and he is still counting on the He family for support, so he doesn't want this kind of thing to happen.
"You should visit your parents more often."
He said to He.
"The pomegranates sent from the farm are very good. Please bring some to Qianqian."
He agreed.
He Qianqian was caught off guard when she heard the news that Ji Changqing had died in Hezhou, and she was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth for a long time.
"It seems that the blessings a person can enjoy are limited."
She said to herself.
Ji Changqing held a high position and power at a young age, which meant he was borrowing all the blessings of his second half of life.
But she is just the opposite, all the blessings are in the future.
Their destinies are completely opposite, no wonder they can't be together.
"This is also one of my good fortunes," she thought to herself, "I am destined to be the mother of the country."
However, she couldn't help but frown when she thought of the Third Prince who had not contacted her since he was confined.
What is the Third Prince busy with?
The third prince was not busy with anything.
House arrest meant that he could not attend court, work in the six ministries, or make friends with court officials. He could only stay in the mansion, looking at the familiar pavilions, towers, flowers, plants and trees day after day.
I'm so bored that I'm going crazy.
When he received the news of Ji Changqing's death, he was ecstatic.
He wished he could invite all the opera troupes in the capital to his house to perform for three days and three nights.
While he was happy, he couldn't help but feel annoyed: "If I had known he was a short-lived ghost, I wouldn't have bothered with it."
I got into trouble for nothing.
In Fengyi Palace, Diwu Qingqing, who had asked palace servants to inquire about the news of disaster relief and rebellion suppression in Hezhou every day in order to understand the movements of her disciples, suddenly became gloomy when she learned that Ji Changqing had died in Hezhou.
She immediately sent someone to find the emperor.
The emperor saw her take the initiative for the first time, so he dropped the memorial in his hand and came over.
"What happened?"
He asked with concern.
Fifth, gently and steadily looked into his eyes.
"Did you send someone to kill Ji Changqing?"
The emperor's face suddenly darkened.
"Why do you think so?" he asked Diwu Qingqing. "He is my important official, the one I promoted. Why would I kill him?"
"He is Ji Peizheng's son."
Diwu Qingqing had no expression on her face.
"You can't possibly trust him. You promoted him just to use him, and now you're done using him and kick him to death."
"Don't think so mean of me."
The emperor sighed.
"If I had been wary of him, I wouldn't have chosen him as the top scholar, much less promoted him all the way to become prime minister at such a young age."
"I am sadder than anyone else about losing him."
Diwu said quietly, "You haven't used 'me' for a while."
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