The weather was a little gloomy that day.
A small teahouse beside the official road was packed with people today.
A middle-aged merchant passing by felt thirsty, so he stopped his carriage and planned to go to a teahouse to rest and drink some tea to quench his thirst.
"Sir," the dark-skinned tea shop owner came up to greet him, nodding and bowing, "There is only one seat left. Do you mind sharing the table with others?"
"It's okay." The middle-aged merchant said generously. As he followed the boss inside, he looked around at the various tea drinkers in the tea shop. "Boss, your tea shop is doing good business."
"No, no, it's just that business is better today." The boss led the middle-aged merchant to a table in the corner.
Sitting at the table were a man and two women, all of whom were outstanding in appearance and as pretty as the people in the painting.
The merchant's eyes immediately brightened.
The three tea drinkers in front of him were dressed very simply, wearing plain cloth clothes and no fancy jewelry, except for one or two pieces of silver jewelry.
Even so, it couldn't conceal the noble aura of these three people. They just sat there quietly, and four words popped up in the middle-aged merchant's mind: the best among men.
He suddenly remembered that he had heard people say that there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the capital, and he might accidentally bump into someone who was a nobleman from a marquis' or earl's mansion.
This thought only flashed through his mind. After all, what kind of noble person would appear in a tea stall on the official road?
The middle-aged merchant sat down in the only empty seat, and the boss offered him a cup of fragrant, hot barley tea with a smile on his face.
The middle-aged merchant blew on his tea and asked casually, "Boss, may I ask how far is it from here to the capital? It looks like it's going to rain soon."
He frowned and looked at the gloomy sky outside.
He had a carriage, so he was not afraid of the rain, but on rainy days the roads were muddy and it was inevitably inconvenient to travel.
"It's not far, just five miles." said the boss with a smile.
The middle-aged merchant was stunned.
He saw many tea drinkers stopping here, so he had never thought that this place was so close to the capital. He thought: People in the capital are really particular! "It won't rain today." A graceful and gentle female voice suddenly sounded, with a gentle tone, like a spring breeze blowing through this slightly noisy tea shop.
The middle-aged merchant looked in the direction of the voice and saw the person speaking was the girl in white sitting on his left.
The oval-faced girl had a gentle appearance. She smiled at him and emphasized again: "It won't rain today or tomorrow."
"Second sister, right?"
The last question she asked was to another girl in white on her right. The girl had big black eyes and a pretty face. She nodded without saying a word, seeming a little uneasy.
The middle-aged merchant did not take it seriously, thinking that the little girl was just saying it casually. The next moment, the boss next to him sighed and said, "It's good that it won't rain, otherwise the coffin will get wet."
Coffin?! The middle-aged merchant's eyelids jumped, and his heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he felt that this teahouse had become eerie.
He subconsciously pricked up his ears and heard the tea drinkers in the teahouse talking in groups of three or four. From time to time, words such as "coffin", "paper money", "incense and candles" floated to his ears.
An autumn breeze blew into the tea shop, carrying a few scattered golden fallen leaves, and brushed against the body of the middle-aged traveling merchant.
He only felt cold sweat on the back of his neck, and the chill penetrated into his bones.
He...he...could he have encountered a ghost?!
The middle-aged merchant looked outside the tea shop again. The sky seemed to be even gloomier. Thick clouds piled up in the sky, so heavy that they seemed about to fall down.
On both sides of the official road, more and more people gathered there, including men, women, young and old, with different appearances, but all looking in the same direction.
This scene seemed even more bizarre to the middle-aged merchant.
His neck seemed to be rusty as he slowly turned towards the tea shop again and glanced stiffly at the tea drinkers inside.
His eyes met the "second sister" sitting opposite him.
The girl looked a year or two younger than the girl with the oval face. Her dark eyes were like a deep pool, bottomless and so dark that one dared not look at it closely.
These eyes don't seem to belong to this dirty world.
The middle-aged merchant felt a chill in his heart and didn't even dare to blink. The other party glanced at him, then looked away and talked to the handsome young man in white beside him.
"..."The middle-aged merchant almost fell to his knees.
He obviously hadn't done anything wrong in his life, so how could he be haunted by a ghost? !
Just as he was struggling over whether he should kneel down and beg for mercy, or pretend he knew nothing and see if he could get away with it, he heard an excited shout from outside the teahouse: "Here they come, here they come!"
Men and women on the roadside were all looking forward to it, and countless shouts of varying pitches rose one after another.
In this gloomy weather, the entire official road exuded an inexplicable solemnity.
The middle-aged merchant was stunned, unable to move as if frozen. The tea drinkers around him rushed out of the teahouse, talking in unison:
"It must be Lord Gu's coffin that has arrived."
"Definitely."
"Lord Gu has made great contributions to Dajing. Now he can finally return to his hometown."
"It's not that I don't want to report it, it's just that the time has not come yet..."
“…”
"Lord Gu?" The middle-aged merchant couldn't help but mutter, realizing that something seemed to be wrong.
The boss who was cleaning the table nearby said, "Sir, you may not know this, but today is the day when Mr. Gu's coffin is brought back to the capital."
"Back then, Lord Gu was wrongly accused and his remains were incomplete. Last month, Master Gu went south to Yangzhou to retrieve the remaining remains of Lord Gu. He plans to collect the remains and bury them in the Gu family's ancestral tomb."
"All these people outside are here to welcome Lord Gu back to the capital!"
The boss' tone was filled with regret, and it was hard to hide his admiration.
The middle-aged merchant blinked slowly, and finally reacted completely, blurting out: "Are you talking about the former Dingyuan Marquis Gu Ce?"
The boss also looked outside the teahouse and said quietly, "Which Lord Gu is there in Dajing?"
Once upon a time, when people talked about Lord Dingyuan Marquis Gu, the first person they thought of was Gu Yao, the first generation Marquis Dingyuan who followed Emperor Taizu to establish the Dajing Dynasty, and now it is Gu Ce.
Gu Ce's contributions to Dajing were enough to surpass those of his ancestors, but he was wrongly imprisoned for nine years.
The middle-aged merchant stood up quickly and said excitedly, "I will also go out to greet Lord Gu."
He rushed out of the tea shop, came to the official road, squeezed in the crowd and looked towards the south.
At the end of the official road, white shadows swayed and white flags surged, like snow waves rolling in and getting closer and closer.
"Lord Gu, your soul is back!"
A young man in the crowd shouted in a long voice, and then others also shouted: "Lord Gu, soul return!"
The shouts of the people gradually overlapped and became uniform. The loud and mournful voices seemed to shake even the heaven and earth! Since the abdication in April, the unjust case of Gu Ce, the former Marquis of Dingyuan, spread throughout Dajing along with the news of Prince Kang's abdication.
After King Kang was captured for treason, the three courts held a trial and sentenced him to immediate execution. Afterwards, the emperor issued an edict to tell the truth about Gu Ce's surrender to the enemy. The people only then learned that nine years ago, Gu Ce defeated the Nanyue army with a small force and set an ambush at Shangling, fifteen miles away from Tailing City, killing nearly 20,000 enemies.
Back then, Gu Ce could have driven the Nanyue army out of Dajing's territory and returned in triumph, but King Kang opened the gates of Tailing City for his own selfish reasons, which not only led to the death of all the people in the city at the hands of the Vietnamese army, but also caused Gu Ce to be attacked from all sides and died heroically.
When the truth spread throughout Dajing, the whole country was shocked.
Gu Ce's life was only a short thirty years, but he had outstanding military achievements and extraordinary talents, which were enough to be recorded in history. Whether it was fifteen years ago or nine years ago, he defended the national gate of Yangzhou for Dajing, and defeated the Yue people with a small number of troops without any support.
If it weren't for the selfishness of the late emperor, Yangzhou would not have been defeated nine years ago, and the eldest prince would not have been sent to the Kingdom of Yue as a hostage for eight years.
Gu Ce sacrificed his life for Dajing, but he bore the injustice for nine years and was cursed by the world. It is really a pity.
Precisely because of this, the people had very complicated feelings. They admired and felt guilty towards Gu Ce, and more of a sense of regret: If Gu Ce were still alive, Dajing would have one more divine general who could shock the world.
"Lord Gu, your soul is back!"
Amid the shouts, a handsome young man in a frost-white robe and a hemp rope around his waist came riding a horse, carrying a white banner. The distance was still far, so the crowd couldn't see the young man's features clearly, but they could feel a cold and sad aura emanating from his body.
Behind him were a dozen men also dressed in white, guarding a carriage covered with white cloth, on which was a coffin.
Anyone could guess that this coffin must be Gu Ce's coffin.
The convoy escorting the coffin was getting closer and closer.
The teams on both sides welcoming Gu Ce back to Beijing all spontaneously followed the rear of the motorcade. The team was growing larger and larger, with white banners surging like clouds and paper money being thrown like raindrops. The entire official road was filled with a tragic white...
Suddenly, Gu Yuan, who was carrying the white flag, pulled the reins and the horse stopped in front of the tea shop.
Immediately afterwards, the carriage carrying the coffin behind Gu Yuan also stopped; then, the funeral procession behind the carriage also stopped one after another... time seemed to stand still.
The people on both sides of the street were all confused and looked at each other.
Everyone fell silent, and soon the originally noisy official road became silent.
Two women and one man in white clothes walked slowly out of the crowd beside the official road, went straight to the front of the funeral procession, and blocked the way of Gu Yuan and his group.
The people on the roadside frowned, and someone shouted unhappily: "Hey..."
The next moment, the big-eyed girl in white standing in the front knelt down in front of the coffin and said with red eyes, "The daughter is here to welcome dad home."
Gu Yunzhen on Gu Yanfei's right also knelt down and bowed, while Chu Yi on the other side bowed deeply.
"Niece welcomes uncle home!"
"Chu Yi welcomes Marquis Dingyuan back to the capital on behalf of his father!"
Gu Yuan on horseback also had red eyes and a haggard look on his face. He stared at Gu Yanfei blankly and choked with sobs in a hoarse voice: "Sister, Daddy is back!"
The voices of the few people were not particularly loud, but in such a quiet environment, many people around could hear them clearly.
Of course, the middle-aged merchant recognized Gu Yanfei and the other two as the tea drinkers who had just shared the table with him. He was stunned again and speechless for a moment.
The tea shop owner was so shocked that he cried out, "Second Miss Gu!"
Everyone in the capital city knows about the abilities of the Second Miss Gu. Ever since Gu Ce was rehabilitated, everyone has been sighing that a good father will have a good daughter!
Looking at the brother and sister Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei, someone sighed and said, "Oh, how pitiful! When Lord Gu died in battle, the eldest son Gu and the second daughter Gu were only a few years old. They lost their parents at such a young age..."
"Yes, yes. Like father, like son. Lord Gu is lucky to have these two children to clear his name. He should rest in peace now."
“…”
Amid the discussions of the crowd, the coffin-carrying team continued on their way.
The huge funeral procession continued to move north along the official road, and finally passed through the South City Gate after an incense stick of time.
Behind the city gate, the crowds of people lining the streets to welcome him were even more spectacular. Most of them came to pay their respects to Gu Ce. They threw paper money and burned gold ingots on their own accord. Some even threw handfuls of white chrysanthemums onto the coffin...
There were mourning people all along the way, but there was no need for the imperial guards to clear the way. Those people stood in an orderly manner on both sides of the road, and the coffin-carrying team moved smoothly along the way.
Gu Yuan, Gu Yanfei and their party did not bring the coffin directly back to Gu Mansion, but went to Chengtian Gate first.
The common people who were seeing the coffin off were stopped outside Chengtian Gate by the imperial guards guarding the palace gate. Only the coffin-carrying team passed through Chengtian Gate and reached Wumen Square.
The emperor appeared on the tower of the Meridian Gate, with civil and military officials standing in two rows below him.
Gu Yuan, Gu Yanfei and others first paid their respects to the emperor. The emperor expressed his sorrow for Gu Ce's death, and then turned the topic to business:
"Gu Ce, the former Marquis of Dingyuan, swore to defend Yangzhou to his death. He had outstanding military exploits and made great contributions to the country. Whenever I think of his sacrifice for the country, I feel deeply sad. I hereby posthumously confer the title of Duke of Xin on Gu Ce and enshrine him in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
"The title was inherited by his son Gu Yuan."
After the emperor uttered the last word, all the ministers were in an uproar.
Not only because the emperor conferred the title of the fifth duke on Gu Ce besides the four great dukes, but also because of the honor of "being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple".
Being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple is the highest honor for a minister of a different surname after his death. To obtain this honor, one must have made great contributions to the country. Even the current four dukes may not be qualified.
"On behalf of my late father, I would like to thank the Emperor for his kindness. Long live the Emperor!"
Gu Yuan bowed respectfully to the emperor on the city wall. Gu Yanfei and Gu Yunzhen stood with him and also bowed and expressed their gratitude together.
The emperor gave some more instructions, asking the siblings Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei to bury Gu Ce properly, and then left with the respectful farewell of his ministers.
After the emperor left, the atmosphere around him relaxed.
Some of the civil and military officials left directly, while others came forward to greet Gu Yuan, asking him to express his condolences, and asked about the arrangements for the wake and condolences before leaving.
Soon, the Meridian Gate Square became much emptier, and the strong autumn wind made the white flags flutter.
At this time, Gu Yuan's emotions had stabilized a lot. He turned to Gu Yanfei and smiled, "Yanfei, father and mother can finally be buried together."
Mother has been waiting for father in the Gu family's ancestral tomb for a long time. They can finally be reunited and stay together in the underground.
"Yeah." Gu Yanfei nodded, looking deeply at his brother whom he hadn't seen for two months.
Gu Yunzhen pulled Gu Yanfei's sleeve and whispered, "Yanfei, big brother, look."
She signaled with her eyes to Gu Yanfei and Gu Yuan to look behind them.
In the direction of Chengtian Gate, the Gu clan members, led by the clan leader, were standing outside Chengtian Gate, looking at them with a flattering look on their faces.
Gu Yuan had a blank expression on his face, not even his eyes or eyebrows moved.
In the past, they said that Gu Ce was a traitor and a disgrace to the Gu family, and they did not allow Gu Ce to be buried in the ancestral tomb.
But now, they have to beg.
Gu Ce is now the greatest glory of the Gu family.
"Brother, let's go." Gu Yanfei said in a faint voice.
Gu Yuan nodded, his eyes bright and sharp, and neither the brother nor the sister paid any attention to the Gu family members.
Gu Ce's life was full of vigor, brilliant military achievements, and a bright and glorious future.
And now, he will continue his father's glory! ! (End of Extra 01) (End of this chapter)