Chapter 257 Hatred breeds courage, shame breeds indignation...
While Li Hongguo received the letter from Huaizhou, Meng Qing also received a letter of death from Dujiawan. The letter was delivered by Meng Chun. After Du Min left Huaizhou last year, Meng Qing's family moved out of the governor's mansion and into the Lady of the County's residence in Luoyang. As for Meng Chun, he held the nominal position of Assistant Magistrate of Huaizhou, but because of Meng Qing, he had secured a real post. Reluctant to give up his position, he did not move to Luoyang with Meng Qing and the others, and continued to live in Hanoi County with his parents, wife, and children.
On this occasion, Meng Chun brought her parents, wife, and children to Luoyang for a short stay while delivering a letter. However, before the luggage on the carriage was even unloaded, Meng Qing told her that the letter was a death notice, which meant that she had to take her family back to Wu County to observe mourning.
"The letter said that your mother fell asleep on the night of the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month, and your eldest brother and sister-in-law found her the next morning. When they found her, her body was already cold." Meng Qing looked at Du Li while holding the letter.
Du Li was taken aback. "The eleventh of the twelfth lunar month?"
Meng Qing looked at it again and said, "That's right, it's the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month."
Du Li calculated in his mind. When Jinshu and Du Min left, they couldn't find a caravan returning to Suzhou, so they entrusted the letter to him. After moving to Luoyang on the tenth of the tenth month, he delivered the letter to Wang's caravan on the eighteenth of the tenth month. The eighteenth of the tenth month was less than two months before the eleventh of the twelfth month, so the caravan definitely couldn't have reached Wu County. In other words, his mother's death wasn't caused by Li Hongguo.
"How did she die? How could she die so suddenly?" Mencius' mother asked. "Now that she's gone, won't you all have to observe mourning? Her third uncle will also have to observe mourning and won't be able to do his job... Oh? Is this a good thing?"
Meng Qing avoided the latter question and said, "According to the letter, he died of old age."
"Sister, are you going back? Wangzhou and Wangchuan are going back too?" Meng Chun asked, sounding quite unhappy. "You won't be back for three years. Father, Mother, should we move back to Wu County for three years? Then we can come to Luoyang with my sister and brother-in-law."
"What are you going back for? Are you giving up your job? The two children are still young, and your parents are getting old. Don't make things difficult for them." Meng Qing stopped him. "The grandchildren only observe a one-year mourning period. After Wangchuan and Wangzhou finish their mourning, if they don't want to stay in Wu County, I will arrange for them to come and find you."
"Okay." Meng Chun obeyed the order.
Meng Qing handed the letter to Du Li, saying, "Go and inform Caiwei and the four children to start packing their things right away. I'll go to the study to write a letter to the third son, and also write a letter of mourning for him to submit to the Ministry of Personnel."
"When are we leaving? Do we have to wait for Lao San to come back?" Du Li asked.
Putting herself in the shoes of a dutiful daughter-in-law, Meng Qing said, "Let's not wait, let's go back first."
Du Li listened to her and immediately instructed the steward to hire an official boat.
Meng Qing went to the study to write a memorial for the father's death. As soon as the ink dried, he immediately sent a servant to deliver it to Minister Yin.
After receiving the report, Minister Yin first went to the palace to inform the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager remained silent for a long time after learning about it.
"Yin Qing, what do you think about this?"
Minister Yin, unsure of the specific question the other party was asking, cautiously replied, "Du Min is currently enjoying immense power, like oil being poured on a raging fire. He is also a thorn in the side of many members of the imperial family and ministers, causing even the Emperor to suffer controversy and lose the support of his ministers. I believe that it is not unreasonable to temporarily back down. Du Min resigned due to mourning for his father, and the land investigation was abandoned. The officials who were united by this matter have lost their target and will inevitably become discordant and divided. This is a good opportunity to eliminate the stubborn local tyrants."
The female sage took these words to heart. “Minister Du is outnumbered and outmatched. He ventured into the enemy’s den alone. I worry every day that he might meet with misfortune. If I lose such a capable and honest official, it would be like losing an arm. Send an order to Minister Du, instructing him to return to his hometown to observe mourning for his mother.”
Minister Yin agreed. Upon returning to his office, he immediately drafted an imperial edict and dispatched a messenger on horseback to Chang'an to deliver the message.
By the time the civil and military officials in the imperial court learned of the news, the official document from the Ministry of Personnel had already been sent out of Luoyang.
Meng Qing and his entourage left Luoyang by boat on the second day of the second lunar month. Du Min received an official document from the Ministry of Personnel on the eighth day of the second lunar month. Upon seeing the words "mourning for parents" on the document, he was so moved that he knelt down and kowtowed three times facing south. Just the night before last, the inn where he was staying caught fire. The fire burned all night, turning the entire inn into ruins. He was fortunate enough to survive because he was restless and unable to sleep that night, and he managed to escape through a broken window when the fire broke out.
The arson that was aimed at him was judged by the Prefect of the Capital to be caused by a drunken postman who lost his lantern. When he fled, there was clearly someone outside the door pulling at the door to prevent him from coming out, but the Prefect of the Capital judged it to be a hallucination caused by fear.
Du Min knew perfectly well that if he continued his investigation in Chang'an, even if one fire didn't kill him, there would be a second and a third.
Holding the official document regarding the mourning period for the deceased, Du Min immediately sent his guards to buy mourning clothes and cloth.
"Third Uncle..." Jinshu rushed in upon hearing the news, "You, why did you send someone to buy mourning clothes? My grandparents have passed away?"
“Your grandmother has passed away. Your second aunt wrote a petition for me to observe the mourning period. The court has granted me permission to resign and observe the mourning period. We will return to Wu County tomorrow.” Du Min took off his official robe and hat, and pulled off the belt from his inner garment to use as a hair tie to tie his hair.
Jinshu was stunned for a moment. He counted the days on his fingers and asked softly, "Third Uncle, did the letter arrive so quickly?"
Du Min was startled. Only then did he realize that something was wrong. He picked up the official document again and found that his mother had died on the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month.
"Your grandmother died on the night of the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month."
Jinshu checked again and found the dates didn't match. He was overjoyed, "It wasn't my mother who did it."
Du Min glared at him. "Speak louder."
Jinshu immediately fell silent. He looked down at his official uniform and began to peel it off as well.
"Third Uncle, when we get back to Wu County, find me a job there. I'm not coming with you when you leave after your mourning period," Jinshu said, making a request. He was afraid of his third uncle and had had enough of living in constant fear. He had escaped the fire the night before last, and the towering flames of that night had become his nightmare. He hadn't dared to sleep for the past two days; even the slightest noise would wake him, and once awake, he couldn't fall back asleep. This feeling of being both exhausted and afraid to sleep drove him to the point of wanting to kill someone with a knife.
“Alright.” Du Min was more than happy to agree. “You can study a bit more and take the Mingjing exam. I’ll put you in the yamen as a warehouse assistant. It’s an easy job guarding the warehouse. After a few years, you can become a clerk, and when you get older, you can become a county magistrate. You can spend your whole life working in the county yamen and live a stable life.”
"I can't concentrate on my studies," Jinshu said, displeased.
"Then you can be a yamen runner." Du Min got angry as soon as he heard this.
"Sure, it's quite impressive to have yamen runners patrolling the streets."
Du Min gave him a disgusted look. "You want to back down as soon as you encounter obstacles? In the future, when your cousins all become high-ranking officials, will you still be content to be a yamen runner?"
"I won't feel resentful if I don't see them." Jinshu had been struggling with this since last October. He envied Wangzhou and Wangchuan, and was unwilling to be inferior to them, so he wanted to stay by Du Min's side to seek his future. But he couldn't endure hardship, nor did he want to endure this kind of hardship. This kind of life made him want to die as soon as he opened his eyes; it was too painful.
After much deliberation, he realized that unless he went to the battlefield and made meritorious contributions, risking his life, he would never be able to compare with Wang Zhou and the others. It was not worth it at all; he would not suffer such a loss. Rather than torment himself, he would rather have more sons, force them to strive for success, and let his sons enjoy the legacy left by his third uncle, while he would enjoy the legacy left by his sons.
"Third Uncle, when my sons grow up, please help them out," Jinshu said, her leg shaking.
Twenty or thirty years from now, Du Min readily agreed: "When that time comes, just bring the child to me, and I will have no objections."
"Sir, the mourning clothes have been purchased," the guard replied from outside the door.
"Bring it in." Du Min put it on immediately and instructed the guards to pack his luggage.
After a stick of incense had burned, Du Min, accompanied by his guards, rode away from the newly arrived post station. Before the officials in Chang'an could react, he changed boats and left the capital with lightning speed, which could be described as a hasty escape.
At the end of February, Du Min arrived in Luoyang and learned that Meng Qing and his party had already left by boat. He submitted his report to the palace and also prepared to return home by boat.
On the eve of his departure, the attendant of the female saint came to summon him. Du Min was on tenterhooks all night and went to the palace to pay homage after the morning court the next day.
"Minister Du, your father has passed away."
Du Min looked puzzled. He carefully said, "I received an official document from the Ministry of Personnel regarding the mourning period for my mother. The letter stated that the person who passed away was my mother."
“Your father also passed away in the first month of the lunar calendar.” The female saint stared at him.
Du Min was taken aback. "My father has also passed away? What happened? Did he also die of old age?"
Seeing the genuine astonishment on his face, the female saint handed him an official document. "This is a letter of greeting from the Prefect of Suzhou. After Zheng Qing took office, he heard the news of your mother's passing. He went to offer his condolences and learned that your father had broken his hip at your mother's funeral and also caught a cold, which was beyond medical help."
"How did he fall? And he broke his hip in one fall." Du Min murmured to himself, tears streaming down his face. "I have been separated from my parents for fourteen years. When we meet again, we are separated by life and death. My poor child has never met my grandparents."
The female saint almost laughed, but she waved her hand to dismiss him, saying, "Minister Du is in mourning for both of you and is eager to return to your hometown to observe the mourning period, so I will not delay your journey any longer."
Du Min bowed deeply and said, "Your subject bids farewell to Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty good health and a long life."
"With both of you in mourning, three years of mourning is enough. I look forward to Minister Du returning to court to serve me." The female sage gave him a legitimate reason to submit a memorial to the throne three years later.
Du Min kowtowed again, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your appreciation. When I return to court, I will certainly serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty."
"Step down."
Du Min kowtowed one last time, handed the memorial back to the female official, and slowly withdrew from the main hall.
Standing outside the palace, Du Min gazed at the green tiles and red eaves as he descended the jade platform step by step. He had painstakingly schemed for over a decade, climbing step by step to this position, only to now have to scramble and crawl away in a pathetic state. The place he had desperately fled from years ago had now become his sanctuary for survival—it was truly absurd and laughable.
As he stepped down the last step, the resentment that Du Min had been deliberately suppressing suddenly ignited. His future, which he had risked his life for, had been cut short in this way. How could he not hate it?
Du Min turned to look at the ornately decorated palace. For power, he had trampled on filial piety and become a beast, yet now power had forced him to become a drowning dog. He had fled the court; were those true beasts now enjoying peace?
Du Min lifted his robes and ascended the steps, returning to the Jade Terrace. "Your subject Du Min requests an audience with Your Majesty."
Why did Minister Du return after leaving?
"I am unwilling to flee in defeat today. I implore Your Majesty not to change the decree. Three years from now, I will return to fight against the parasites that are devouring our country and our people."
The Empress was overjoyed. She rose and descended from the platform, reaching out to help Du Min up. "Minister Du is truly my most trusted minister, the elixir of life for the Tang Dynasty. I will not change my order; I await Minister Du's return to the court to wreak havoc on all sides."
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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.
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