Chapter 337: The Queen Mother's Scheme
The person kneeling was none other than Wei Zaode, the owner of the house.
"Your Majesty, I am honored to meet you!" said Wei Zaode.
"Get up, Lord Wei!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"I dare not!" said Wei Zaode.
"I'll occupy your house temporarily for a few days and return it to you after a few days!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"No need. As long as Your Highness likes this house, I am willing to offer it to you with both hands." Wei Zaode said with a flattering look on his face.
"All I need is a house from you? Do I look like someone who is short of money?" Zhao Xiaofei asked back sternly.
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to help His Majesty out of trouble! Since His Majesty doesn't need me, I will take my leave." Wei Zaode said hurriedly.
"Sir Wei, why are you kneeling in front of me to please me? I remember that Sir Wei is a man of great integrity and looks down on people like me who try to curry favor with the rich and powerful. By the way, even my concubine is the one you wanted to marry before. If you hadn't despised her, it wouldn't be my turn to marry her! I have to thank you, Sir Wei! Thank you for making the marriage between me and the concubine possible!" Zhao Xiaofei said with a sinister smile.
Wei Zaode was afraid that Zhao Xiaofei would bring up this matter. He had fought with the prince for a woman, and in the end, the prince lost. If he hadn't despised her for being sick and afraid of infecting him, he might have married her. Zhao Xiaofei brought it up now, was he asking for revenge?
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I am a sinner who deserves to die! Please have mercy on me! Your Highness, my whole family has been murdered, and I am the only one left. Please have mercy on me, Your Highness, please have mercy on me!" Wei Zaode said while kowtowing.
"Would I bother with a villain like you? Since you survived the disaster, there is no need for me to bother with you. If it weren't for you, would I be able to be with my concubine? If you have committed a crime, I will work with the Ministry of Justice to put you in jail. Even behead you! If you haven't committed any serious crime, just be an ordinary person! But you will never be an official again in this life." Zhao Xiaofei said.
Zhao Xiaofei's words, especially the last one, made Wei Zaode feel like he was sinking into an ice cellar. What was he after? It was nothing but an official position! With an official position comes money, but now he has lost his wife and son. His daughter is now a broken flower and will definitely not be able to get married. What do you want him to do?
Wei Zaode had taken great courage to kneel here today. He had thought that with the Empress Dowager's arrival, those former officials in the capital would likely be reinstated. After all, the country was in chaos, and talent was dwindling. Even if they weren't appointed to the capital, being transferred to a provincial post would be a good option.
But who knew that the Queen Mother would actually arrest those ministers directly, and one of them was killed on the spot, which made him extremely panicked.
He was trying to think of ways to become an official again, and he happened to hear someone say that Prince Li would be returning to Beijing in a few days. So he decided to find him, thinking that since he had once been the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, it shouldn't be difficult for him to become an official, right?
But when Zhao Xiaofei saw him, he made it clear: You have no chance of becoming an official!
Li Sihong paused and glanced at Wei Zaode. The gentle and refined Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty in her memory had now become a little old man. She lamented that life is like a dream, and a wrong step can lead to a completely different life.
She was not embarrassed to see Wei Zaode, but only lamented her fate. She originally thought she would marry this man as a concubine, but ended up marrying a hero who saved the day.
When Wei Zaode saw the current side princess, he also sighed inwardly. Perhaps his fate had already been determined, and no matter what he did, it would be in vain.
Zhao Xiaofei saw Wei Zaode and thought to himself: According to history, wouldn't this guy's entire family have died? It seems that I have changed history and brought him back to life. Since God is so kind to him, let's spare his life and let him live as a commoner!
The day after tomorrow, Zhao Xiaofei went to Chongzhen’s new tomb early in the morning with civil and military officials.
Today, Zhao Xiaofei asked the servants to prepare breakfast early. He and Princess Zhaoren ate until they were full and could not eat anymore.
Zhaoren complained, "Why do I have to eat so much?"
"I've been busy all day and haven't had time to eat! This is a sacrifice to your father, there's nothing to complain about. Eat quickly and leave quickly after you're done!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
So he and Princess Zhaoren ate their fill and rode in a sedan chair to the new mausoleum.
Everyone wore plain clothes and had white cloth wrapped around their heads. The Ministry of Rites lined up according to their rank, and Zhao Xiaofei lined up behind Ni Yuanlu.
As a family member, Zhaoren was placed in another group. That group consisted of members of the imperial clan, descendants of the Zhu family who were already five generations apart.
Kneel three times and kowtow nine times, burn incense, offer sacrifices, recite prayers, and then play music.
This set of procedures made Zhao Xiaofei extremely tired!
By the afternoon, when basically all the processes were completed, everyone felt relieved.
It was fine for the other officials to breathe a sigh of relief, but Zhao Xiaofei was left behind.
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: What does that mean? Isn't everyone done yet? I can't go home yet.
Wang Erxi came over and said, "Just now, the court officials were paying homage to the late emperor. Later, the family will pay homage to the late emperor. As the son-in-law, you should stay!"
"Got it! I'll be there right away!" Zhao Xiaofei impatiently sent Wang Erxi away and went to find Zhaoren himself.
Zhaoren was also tired after a day of waiting. Fortunately, her husband was with her.
Afterwards, Zhu Cijiong offered sacrifices to the late emperor again, followed by the Zhu family's descendants.
There were more fake tears than real ones. Even Princess Zhaoren didn't shed a single tear. She still hadn't forgotten how she'd been stabbed!
By the time the ceremony was over, it was almost dark. The Empress Dowager announced that everyone could go back and rest. Only Zhao Xiaofei was kept back by the Empress Dowager.
Wang Erxi said, "The Queen Mother invites you!"
"Erxi, what does the Queen Mother mean? Everyone else is leaving, why should I stay?" Zhao Xiaofei's question made sense.
According to regulations, only the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were left to keep watch. No one else was required to stay, and the ministers all went back to rest, citing the need for court affairs the next day.
Wang Erxi: "Your Highness! The Queen Mother said she has something to tell you."
"Your Majesty, I greet the Queen Mother! Please rest early for the sake of the Ming Dynasty." Zhao Xiaofei said to the Queen Mother Zhou.
"Get up, I have something to tell you." said Queen Mother Zhou.
"Just tell me what the Empress Dowager has to say!" Zhao Xiaofei said with a grin.
"You are a prince now and a meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty. There are some secrets you still need to know!" said Empress Dowager Zhou.
Zhao Xiaofei was thinking, what's going on? Is there some secret you have to tell me?
"Please tell your Majesty!" Zhao Xiaofei said with a bow.
"Come with me to the tomb. This secret can only be told inside." said Queen Mother Zhou.
"Empress Dowager! Let's not go inside! I'm timid to go into the underground palace so late at night. Just tell me what's the matter!" Zhao Xiaofei looked at the deep underground palace and didn't dare to go in.
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