Chapter 584 The rebels must be suppressed; the Wei family has a daughter in Xunyang. [Seeking monthly votes!]
Luoyang, Qinghuafang.
The number of visitors and carriages at the entrance of the Prince of Wei's residence has decreased significantly in recent days.
On the Lantern Festival a few days ago, although the area outside the mansion was still bustling with people, it was no longer as crowded as before.
It seems like something is missing.
Those in the capital who are well-informed know that His Highness Prince Wei, who recently lost his son, has been living a secluded life.
Guests who visited him could not see him.
On the eve of the Lantern Festival, apart from the banquet and wine bestowed by the emperor in the palace, the Lantern Festival dinner at the Prince of Wei's residence was also held without much fanfare. Some direct descendants of the family gathered, ate, and then hurriedly dispersed.
This was a rare quiet and low-key event in recent years, quite different from the Wei family's previous style of enjoying lavish feasts and extravagant banquets with a large entourage.
However, in the capital city and among the common people, not many people discussed it. The wise people tacitly ignored it and happily entered the festive atmosphere.
In this ancient capital city that sits at the heart of the world, the joys and sorrows of even the most prominent families and clans of the time cannot compare to the festive atmosphere of countless homes illuminated by lights.
The fireworks display blends seamlessly with the starry sky and the iron locks of the bridge open.
Throughout the Lantern Festival holiday, Luoyang, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, remained brightly lit at night and bustling with activity in its high-rise buildings.
Jewels and silks, fireworks and willows in full bloom.
We joyfully welcome the third year of Tianyou.
...
"Your Highness, it's time for your meal."
At dusk, a shrine was dark and gloomy.
A burly man with a square face and dressed in black took small steps and quickly walked to the entrance of the ancestral hall, respectfully clasping his hands in greeting towards the dark interior.
The two maids behind him each carried a food box and a water bottle/pot, their heads bowed, not daring to look around.
This family ancestral hall has become a forbidden area known to everyone in the Wei Prince's Mansion.
Aside from attending the routine morning court sessions or meetings at the palace, His Highness Prince Wei spends most of his time in this ancestral hall whenever he is in the Prince's residence.
Two days ago, even a young princess whom His Highness Prince Wei had previously doted on and spoiled was kicked out for mischievously running in and loudly calling for her father. Her mother was also implicated and confined to her quarters with a deduction of her salary.
Fewer and fewer people dared to provoke the bad luck.
The burly man with the square face slightly raised his eyes and saw that in the ancestral hall filled with Wei family memorial tablets, near the entrance, there was a pear wood armchair.
A figure in a wide python robe sat in a chair, his hands resting on the armrests, one elbow propped up on his chin, as if facing the sky outside the door, the sky where the setting sun was like blood and the evening glow was returning home.
Wei Jisi was so engrossed in watching that he didn't say a word.
The burly man with the square face waved his hand behind him, signaling the two maids carrying the box to follow.
He turned and walked to a long sandalwood table placed on the corridor outside the ancestral hall.
There are four such sandalwood long tables, all heavy and wide, occupying most of the space in the corridor and blocking the way. Some are even placed directly in the open courtyard.
A burly man with a square face led a maid carrying a box to the long sandalwood table.
The long table was piled high with books and scrolls.
He bent down, picked up a small booklet he had accidentally kicked from the ground, dusted it off, and placed it on the table.
During this time, the square-faced, burly man's eyes caught sight of some words inside the folded booklet.
The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of blossoms... and blows down stars like rain... precious carriages and carved horses fill the road with fragrance... the sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night...
Judging from the signature and seal, this memorial came from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion in Jiangzhou.
The burly man with the square face had heard of this Lantern Festival poem. In the past two days, some of the concubines and female relatives in the Prince's mansion had privately recited it. It was a kind of fashion trend that had spread from the city.
Although the Lantern Festival in Luoyang has passed for several days, this poem about the Lantern Festival has become very popular.
I've heard that this Lantern Festival poem was written by Ouyang Lianghan, the newly appointed scholar of the Xiuwen Academy and the magistrate of Jiangzhou. Many young women in Luoyang now enjoy it, and in the brothels of the Jiaofangsi, where revelry takes place every night, there's a constant stream of courtesans singing and playing music...
As a burly man with a square face and a close confidant of the King of Wei, he was well aware of the trouble and annoyance that Ouyang Lianghan had brought to the Wei family.
I heard from the Liang Prince's Mansion next door that His Highness the Liang Prince has directly ordered that the sons and women of the mansion are not allowed to recite this poem.
The Prince of Wei's residence did not have this rule, because His Highness the Prince of Wei had been staying in the ancestral hall these days and had not been involved in the affairs of the residence.
Actually, some attitudes are inconvenient to express. Even the burly man with the square face thought this Lantern Festival poem was truly well-written. As a martial artist, he could feel the beauty of its imagery just by silently reading a few lines. Some art transcends the distinction between refined and popular...
The burly man with the square face put away the small folded booklet and placed it back on the table, then tidied the tabletop again; the maids carrying the boxes placed the hot food boxes and water bottles in the empty space cleared on the long sandalwood table, bowed their heads and retreated one after another.
In the dimly lit courtyard corridor, rows of sandalwood tables were piled high with silk-bound books, various memorials, secret reports from the Prince's Palace, and secret letters from local officials.
On the table are also the seal of the King of Wei, a tiger tally with chipped lacquer, lacquer pills from Zhongnan Mountain, and a white dragon pearl that a certain alchemist found in the North Sea...
Among them was a string of white jade prayer beads bestowed by the current emperor, which Wei Jisi would carry with him every time he went to the Imperial City Square to inspect the Great Zhou Songde Tian Shu. At this moment, it was also casually tossed onto the table.
The square-faced, burly man dared not touch these things. He took two steps back and silently stood at the door with his hands at his sides, without urging anyone on.
It seems that Prince Wei Jisi has moved his entire study here. It appears that he usually handles official business inside and outside the mansion in this long corridor.
Inside the ancestral hall, at a certain moment, Wei Jisi, who was resting his chin on his hand and lost in thought, suddenly stood up.
He had removed his mourning clothes, but a grayish-white cloth strip was still tied around his arm. He paced around the hall, silently offering incense to each memorial tablet.
As a prince of the reigning dynasty, and with the special permission of the Empress, he was not required to continue wearing mourning clothes of the "Zhan Cui" or "Qi Cui" type after his son's death; wearing them continuously would actually violate etiquette.
However, since the Wei family's ancestral home was Bingzhou, the officials in Luoyang were unaware of the local funeral customs there, so no imperial censor dared to reprimand them for meddling.
After all, the pain of losing a child is something everyone can understand.
Wei Jisi walked to the last memorial tablet.
The spirit tablet of Wei Shaoqi.
Wei Jisi quietly looked at the newly delivered urn on the table.
“Your Highness, at the foot of the Buddha in Xingzifang that day… the ladies-in-waiting took inventory afterwards and found that the Third Young Master’s body was incomplete and his clothes were completely burned… it was really unseemly.”
The burly man with a square face continued to explain in a low voice:
"Furthermore, the journey back to the capital is long and the ashes are not suitable for preservation. With Princess Anhui's consent, Rongzhen and the other female officials simply had the ashes cremated..."
Wei Jisi reached out and wiped the dust off the memorial tablet, remaining silent.
The burly man with a square face clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes wide and his voice choked with emotion: "Your Highness, it's time for your meal. You can't let yourself go hungry..."
Wei Jisi lowered his head and tucked his handkerchief into his sleeve, then suddenly asked, "Where is Wei Anhui? Why didn't she come when we brought Shaoqi's ashes during the day?"
The burly man with the square face was taken aback: "His Highness Prince Liang has made a last-minute decision to let Princess Anhui stay in Xunyang City."
Wei Jisi chuckled lightly, "So, my brother still cares about his nephew. I thought he, as the uncle, wouldn't do anything and wouldn't care at all. Well, at least he'll make some move..."
The burly man with the square face immediately looked troubled, clasped his hands and lowered his head, not daring to utter a word in the tense exchange between the two kings.
Wei Jisi asked without turning his head:
"Wei Wu, where are the eldest and second eldest brothers?"
The square-faced man named Wei Wu said in a low voice:
"Your Highness, the eldest son is on his way back... The second son, upon learning of this, was overcome with grief and immediately requested permission to forgo his journey north to the capital and instead head directly south to Jiangzhou to investigate his younger brother's wrongful conviction..."
Wei Jisi waved his hand expressionlessly:
"I hope they all have this intention, let them each do their job, and don't make any rash moves."
"What's the point of going there now? Are we just blatantly telling the Prince of Xunyang's Mansion, the Prince of Xiang's Mansion, and the Baoli faction that our Wei family has sent anyone?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wei Wu frowned and said:
"Your Highness, those remnants of the Jianghu in Tiannan truly deserve to die. We have already dispatched manpower to Jiangnan to assist the Supervisory Council in investigating the case. We must drag those traitors out one by one and avenge the Third Young Master and the Sixth Young Master."
“Traitors from the Jianghu in the south?” Wei Jisi lowered his eyes and wiped his palms. “How could there be so many traitors, and by such a coincidence, they’re killing our people?”
"Your Highness means..."
"What could I possibly mean? His Majesty's meaning is exactly what I mean. Everything must be done with the greater good in mind, isn't it? Hehe."
Wei Jisi stepped out of the ancestral hall, opened the food box, slowly picked up a bite of food, and put it in his mouth. He was expressionless, as if the food tasted like nothing at all.
The burly man with a square face glanced at the grayish-white cloth on Wei Jisi's shoulder and said cautiously:
“Your Highness, His Highness Prince Liang says that this white cloth should be taken off. Wearing it any longer is somewhat improper and will easily attract gossip from those old fogies. Moreover, the Emperor will think that you are disregarding the bigger picture and being petty. His Highness Prince Liang says that you should at least not wear it to court anymore…”
Wei Jisi suddenly turned his head: "You also think that I am just mourning Shaoqi and Shaoxuan?"
“Uh… Your Highness…” Wei Wu’s words caught in his throat.
Wei Jisi smiled, pointed to the ancestral tablets arranged around him, and clapped his hands with a smile:
“Go tell your brother that I am not only wearing this white cloth for Shaoqi and Shaoxuan, but also for the entire Wei clan… If we keep waiting like this, won’t we all end up coming in?”
This prince, who shared the same surname as the emperor and wielded the highest power in the Great Zhou Dynasty, spread his arms, spun half a circle on the spot, examined the Wei family ancestral shrine, and asked with a puzzled expression:
"Why can't I come in sooner?"
Wei Wu lowered his head deeply, remaining silent as a cicada in winter.
Wei Jisi put his hands behind his back and gazed at the sunset in the distance.
The ancestral hall was completely silent. A prince in a python robe, his arms bound with greyish-white cloth, stood in the long corridor, turning his head to look south. At that moment, he murmured to himself:
"You tell me, the daughters of the Wei family can't just stand by and watch all the men of the Wei family die, can they? The Emperor and the officials of the court say that we must wipe out the rebels in the southern Jianghu... Ha, wipe them out, we can wipe them out. The rebels in the southern Jianghu must be wiped out at any time. We really can't do without them. Look, they specifically target and kill people from our Wei family!"
...
Jiangzhou, morning.
The weather was fine and sunny.
When Ouyang Rong arrived at Xunyang Grottoes, he saw Rongzhen standing on the riverbank, looking at the riverboat.
The petite young girl wore a pair of mandarin duck jade hairpins, and her wide palace dress fluttered in the river wind, as if it might be blown away at any moment.
Ouyang Rong stepped forward and greeted her, while Rong Zhen glanced at him sideways.
Ouyang Rong looked around and suddenly noticed Princess Anhui's figure there as well.
"Hey, why hasn't this princess left yet? Weren't Wei Shaoqi's remains all sent away? Isn't she going back with him?"
"I don't know... Perhaps Lin Cheng's remains are still in Xunyang. This princess seems to have been engaged to Lin Cheng. She came here to visit Senior Song and offer her condolences."
Ouyang Rong glanced at Princess An Hui, who was speaking softly to Granny Song not far away. He noticed that the usually rigid and stern old woman was much more amiable in front of the princess. Granny Song even patted the back of Wei An Hui's hand while they were talking.
He nodded calmly: "I see. Senior Song doesn't seem too sad. When it comes to persuasion, the princess is better than me."
He frowned slightly. A while ago, he heard from his eldest son that Princess Anhui was leaving soon, and Ouyang Rong was thinking that it wouldn't hurt for his eldest son to send some gifts... But why isn't she leaving now? Is she just playing around with them?
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then asked with concern:
"Brother Lin is gone, but the engagement is still in effect. The princess even came to comfort Vice Supervisor Song; she is truly kind-hearted."
“Princess An Hui is indeed kind-hearted, unlike Wei Shaoqi.” Rong Zhen became serious, his tone very earnest: “However, this is not a reason to let the Prince of Xunyang harass her every day. Ouyang Lianghan, you should still take care of that matter.”
Ouyang Rong glanced at Rong Zhen, who was looking serious, and smiled with narrowed eyes: "Yes, we should take care of it."
Rongzhen looked at the Buddhist prayer beads he was playing with in his hand and asked softly:
"Did you really write that Lantern Festival poem called 'Green Jade Table'? Or was it just that the Prince of Xunyang's mansion wanted to promote you?"
"To correct you, it was made by that young master of the Prince's Mansion," Ouyang Rong emphasized.
“Aren’t you all the same person? The whole world knows this, yet you’re trying to fool me. Although I don’t usually pay much attention to such romantic matters.” Rong Zhen said sternly, her eyebrows raised slightly. “Besides, the last time I visited your home, the women seemed to call you that. Don’t treat me like a fool.”
"I wouldn't dare," Ouyang Rong explained earnestly.
"However, the Erya explains that in the past, people called handsome men 'Tanlang,' and later 'Tanlang' came to be used to refer to a husband or lover... I may be the real Tanlang, while that strategist in the royal palace was just called Tanlang."
"You're really trying to make yourself look good, even though what you said is only half true."
"Ms. Rong, you flatter me."
"I meant the second half," Rong Zhen said irritably, then pointed to the jade hairpin with mandarin ducks on her head.
"Hey, Ouyang Lianghan, this hairpin has become famous, did you know? When I went out of the city today, I saw many young ladies wearing it. I almost thought it was a gift from you. After asking around, I found out that it was favored by the little princess of Xunyang Prince's Mansion."
"I don't have that much free time. Oh, I didn't expect we'd run into a shrewd merchant. So this hairpin is available for purchase. I just never expected that the little princess could also solve riddles. But thinking about it, it's normal. Her literary talent is better than mine. I'm just a little clever."
Ouyang Rong said with a look of admiration.
Rongzhen stared at his face for a while, then looked away and put her hands behind her back to him: "Why do I always feel that you are the smartest one?"
"Could you please say a few less words of praise, Ms. Rong?"
Ouyang Rong coughed, covering his mouth. After a while, he took the initiative to chat about the wanted criminals in the Tiannan Jianghu. He glanced at Princess Anhui, who seemed to have noticed him as well, and walked over...
(End of this chapter)
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