Chapter 447 Burning Incense
There is a wide alley that can accommodate three or four carriages running side by side. The Prince Xiang's Mansion is the one at the very edge. From a distance, it looks very majestic, with green walls and red tiles. There are two large stone lions at the door. The round beads in the lions' mouths seem to be newly added. There are also signs of repairs on the house, but it is still more grand and magnificent than the neighbors on both sides.
It can be seen that the Prince Xiang’s Mansion was once very grand.
Jiang Lianzhu asked Li Niang, "Isn't Prince Xiang's Mansion the best gateway in this alley? Who built it?"
Li Niang said proudly, "Of course it's the best house here. The Xiangwang Mansion was built by our old Xiangwang. Later, when Xiangwang got married and married our Xiangwangfei, he rebuilt it and merged the Xiangwangfei's house into it. The two houses became one, so it's so big."
Jiang Lianzhu was curious, "Oh, what family did Princess Xiang come from?"
"Our Princess Xiang was the only daughter of the former Minister of Works. She was quite skilled at building houses. It was Princess Xiang who proposed merging the two families into one. Later, the former Minister of Works passed away, leaving Princess Xiang alone... It's a good thing he passed away, otherwise, seeing our Xiang Palace go through such a huge change would have been even more heartbreaking."
Li Niang said dejectedly.
Dabao interjected, "Life has its ups and downs, it's normal, there's no need to be sad."
The little adult's tone was so comforting that Li Niang was flattered.
"Yes, King Xiaoxiang is right. Now the suffering has ended and happiness has come." Li Niang wiped her tears.
Lin Ziyi joined in the fun and patted Dabao on the shoulder, "Little Prince Xiang, if you survive a great disaster, you will surely have good fortune in the future. Please protect me, Lin Ziyi, from now on!"
Nanbao was the first to respond, "Okay, Brother Ziyi."
Li Niang couldn't help but say, "Miss, Lin Ziyi is of the same generation as your mother. You should call him uncle, Uncle Ziyi."
Usually, Jiang Lianzhu doesn't care about these things.
Children can call it whatever they like.
Now that Li Niang has formally brought it up, things do seem a bit chaotic. Now that they have arrived in Beijing, they will be people of status and position in the future, so they should learn the rules.
"Yes, call Ziyi uncle from now on." Jiang Lianzhu echoed.
Erbao and Nanbao said in unison, "Okay, Uncle Ziyi."
Lin Ziyi was overjoyed.
He has wanted to be an uncle for a long time.
After talking about the digression, we returned to the Prince Xiang’s mansion.
Houses like these that were confiscated usually became state treasury property and could be used to reward meritorious officials.
In the past few years, there must have been many people who coveted this house, but Emperor Xuan kept it sealed and did not let anyone move in or change the address. This shows that Emperor Xuan still had deep feelings for Prince Xiang.
The carriage soon arrived at the gate of Prince Xiang's mansion, and servants came out to greet them.
These were the rewards given by Emperor Xuan to the people who entered Prince Xiang's mansion in advance to take care of the work.
"Welcome home, masters."
They also set off a string of firecrackers in a lively atmosphere, and people from the neighborhood all came out to watch the fun.
The Lin family also bought several strings of firecrackers to set off together. The sound was deafening and the atmosphere was full of joy.
Then, the carriage drove into the back gate of Prince Xiang's Mansion, and the host and guests entered through the main gate.
The Prince Xiang's Mansion is large, with more than ten courtyards and a back garden. Madam Lin and the others helped move the things to the front yard and then left, saying that they were there to help. There were so many servants in the Prince Xiang's Mansion, and Jiang Lianzhu would not really order them to do any work.
Leave Lin Ziyi behind to help with the heavy work.
Anyway, he couldn't be pulled away.
Mrs. Lin didn't know that Jiang Lianzhu and the others were moving today, so after returning home, she naturally prepared a big gift.
Li Niang was familiar with the Prince Xiang's Mansion. As soon as she returned to the Mansion, Jiang Lianzhu gathered the servants and announced that Li Niang would temporarily serve as the housekeeper of the Mansion, and all the servants had to obey her orders.
Everyone agreed.
Originally, they all tried their best to curry favor with their masters and get a good job.
Now that we have a steward, we can put aside those worries and focus on our own work.
No matter how sharp her head is, it will be of no use. Li Niang is already an elder in the Prince Xiang's Mansion, and no one will be able to surpass her status in the Prince Xiang's Mansion in the future.
Li Niang took Jiang Lianzhu and the others on a tour of the entire Prince Xiang's Mansion, which took them nearly half an hour.
"Our mansion has thirteen courtyards in total. The old Prince Xiang's mansion used to have seven, but it became thirteen after the Princess Xiang's residence was merged. We also have a large back garden and a large clear water pond. The clear water is a very rare spring. The best courtyard is Rongyuan, where Prince Xiang and Princess Xiang live, and Huayuan, where Prince Xiang's wife used to live. Then there are Shangziyuan, Shangmeiyuan, Shanglanyuan, Shangzhuyuan, and Shangjuyuan. They are all in excellent locations and have good room types. From the entrance, there is a circular corridor on the right..."
While Li Niang was introducing, Jiang Lianzhu carefully checked the conditions of the houses in each courtyard.
Basically, it is intact. Some parts are dilapidated and damaged, but they are being repaired. People are also replanting flowers and plants in the back garden, and the water in the pond is also new. There are fish swimming around, rockery and flowing water, and thick trees surrounding it. It is full of vitality and the environment is really good.
Then, they came to the memorial tablet pavilion in the backyard.
Li Niang stopped here and said, "Let's go home. The first thing we should do is to pay homage to our ancestors."
Dabao nodded, "Of course, let's go."
He still has some impression of this place.
During every festival, his parents would bring him here to burn incense.
Dabao was the first to step into the yard, and everyone else followed.
The first thing to do when returning home is to worship the ancestors, burn incense to the spirit tablets of King Xiang and his wife, and tell the ancestors that the descendants are back.
The courtyard is not big. As soon as you enter the door, there is a small courtyard with only a row of main rooms.
In the lobby, there are many ancestral tablets, and the portraits of King Xiang and his wife are placed in the front.
The King of Xiang in the portrait is truly handsome and suave.
Princess Xiang was an extremely gentle woman, with an oval face, big eyes, and a faint smile on her lips, as if she was watching them.
The three children knelt on the cushions and burned incense.
Dabao choked with tears and said, "Father, Mother, my son is home. The injustice of our Xiangwang Mansion has finally been cleared."
The child, who had always been very introverted, burst into tears at this moment.
It seems like I have waited for too long, and finally this day has come.
Too much sadness and grievances were finally released.
Erbao said simply and directly, "My son pays his respects to my father and mother. May they rest in peace in the afterlife."
Nanbao was a little confused. She had no memory at all, so she did whatever her brothers did.
She raised her little face and held up the burning incense, "Nanbao also greets you..."
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