The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 767: Long Yu's Death
Inside the Yangxin Hall.

"Your Majesty..."

Xia Shouzhong cried out the grief of dozens of people alone.

Concubine Wu, who was five or six steps away from the dragon bed, looked at Emperor Wanlong, who had just breathed his last, on the dragon bed with lingering fear.

Did you see it?
Can you see...

This question echoed in Concubine Wu's mind.

She had just reached this position when the dying emperor seemed to have something to say.

However, the emperor, who was exhausted, could no longer utter a word and made a strange "ho ho" sound from his throat.

It was this strange cry that made Concubine Wu think of the embarrassment of being hit in the throat by Zhang Yunyi last night.

The Emperor never...

For a moment, Concubine Wu felt her cheeks burning.

Just at this moment, the emperor's pupils suddenly dilated, his expression became distracted, his neck tilted, and he died.

Could it be that this was also within Zhang Yunyi's calculations?

Thinking of this, Concubine Wu couldn't help but shudder.

At this time, because of Xia Shouzhong's crying, there was a commotion outside the hall.

Only then did Xia Shouzhong realize that his crying had alarmed the palace servants guarding outside the palace.

He turned around and saw Concubine Wu trembling slightly. He wiped her tears and comforted her: "Don't be sad, Your Majesty. His Majesty will be able to rest in peace when he sees you coming back. Your Majesty's outfit is not suitable for others to see. Go back and change your clothes while there is chaos, and then come back to see His Majesty off!"

Only then did Concubine Wu remember that she was still wearing the attire of a palace maid. If she were seen by someone with ulterior motives, there would be more trouble.

She quickly put aside the inappropriate thoughts, lowered her head, pulled the scarf, and covered half of her face.

"Your Majesty will pretend to be the maid who will report it later."

Xia Shouzhong walked quickly to the palace door, took a deep breath, opened the palace door and said, "Your Majesty has passed away. Quick! Go to the palaces and report to the Queen and the others!"

……

"bang bang bang..."

The dull bell sound echoed in the Forbidden City.

Empress Zhou, concubines from various palaces, royal relatives, and ministers who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news knelt inside and outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Seeing Concubine Wu arriving late, Xia Shouzhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Unlike modern times, in ancient times, preparing funeral ceremonies in advance was considered a good omen.

In addition, good coffins are hard to find, so anyone who can afford it will prepare them in advance.

The emperor's condition had been anticipated and the funeral had been prepared in advance, so there was no need to rush or panic.

The concubines needed to stay by their side, and all the ministers, royal relatives, cried for a while, then moved to the side hall and began to discuss the subsequent matters.

As the emperor's brother-in-law and the chief official of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhou Xianzu took it upon himself to issue orders.

Prince Zhongshun suddenly interrupted, "Duke Wei is a close minister to your majesty. He hasn't received the news yet. If we discuss it here, won't it cause gossip? In my opinion, it's better to invite him here first and then talk."

The country cannot be without a king for a day, and the new king cannot delay in ascending the throne.

The prince is still in his infancy. Even though Zhou Xianzu is not strong enough to convince the people and cannot have the final say, his power will probably reach a higher level.

But Zhou Xianzu became hostile to him, and he was worried that he would be the first to be hit, so he wanted to find a tall man to take the lead.

Not to mention that Zhang Yun逸 was a duke, just as the minister in charge of the inner court, he was indispensable for the funeral ceremony.

King Zhongshun's proposal was reasonable and immediately attracted everyone's support.

Zhou Xianzu had not thought of this, but at this moment, the old and the new were taking over, and it was undoubtedly the time to establish his prestige. Therefore, he deliberately ignored Zhang Yunyi's existence.

Seeing that everyone agreed, he also knew that it was impossible to do anything. He frowned slightly, turned to look at King Zhongshun, and said with a smile: "Since the prince said so, then I would trouble the prince to go there in person!"

Prince Zhongshun flicked his sleeves and said self-deprecatingly, "I have no real job now. I am just an idle prince. In addition, His Majesty has left a will that the royal family should be cautious in their words and deeds and not interfere in the affairs of the court. Now that His Majesty has just left, Minister Zhou can't let me go against the will of the emperor, right? It's better to choose someone more virtuous and capable!"

Seeing that Prince Zhongshun looked as if it had nothing to do with him, Zhou Xianzu had no choice but to turn his head and look at Gu Dashou: "Lord Gu..."

"I am old, and His Majesty has passed away. The Ministry of Rites is also busy with the funeral rites, so I am really unable to get away..."

Zhou Xianzu named several people in succession, and all the ministers who had just agreed with him tried to refuse.

Although everyone was unaware that the rewarded camp almost mutinied yesterday, the fact that the rewarded soldiers had set up camp near the hot spring villa could not be hidden from everyone.

Considering that Zhang Yunyi has been working from home recently, although we cannot say that he has ulterior motives, we are at least worried.

If we invite him to the palace at this time and handle it improperly, not only will we never get a return visit, but we will also be held accountable if trouble arises.

Although everyone has their own ulterior motives, they see through it but don't say it out loud.

Zhou Xianzu was also very clear about this. Otherwise, if it was really just to report a death, he would not have to trouble Prince Zhongshun and Gu Dashou to make the trip.

He looked around, and suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, right! Where is Minister Jia?"

Gu Dashou replied, "Minister Jia just sent someone to report that your Majesty had passed away. He was deeply saddened and broke his leg in his haste to come. He has already asked the imperial physician to treat him."

Compared with these people, Jia Yucun, as the Minister of War, obviously had more speculations.

His relationship with Zhang Yun逸 is particularly sensitive.

Therefore, when he heard the bell, he became suspicious and thought about it. In order to avoid getting into trouble, he made a prompt decision and broke his leg directly, and immediately sent someone to make a statement.

Regardless of whether the situation is really as Jia Yucun said, since the imperial physician has been invited, even if he is pretending, the broken leg cannot be fake.

Even if he is really taken away at this time, it will only increase the variables.

As the emperor's uncle, Zhou Xianzu was obviously even less willing to take the risk.

Seeing his hesitation, King Zhongshun said indifferently: "Minister Zhou is both a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel and the emperor's uncle. He has a noble status. I think it would be most appropriate for you to make the trip."

"Yeah!"

"Minister Zhou and Duke Wei have been friends for many years, so it would be safest for you to go."

"Yes! We can't delay His Majesty's funeral. As the saying goes, those who are capable should do more work. Minister Zhou is the uncle of the emperor, so he should share the worries of the queen and the prince."

They are all thousand-year-old foxes. Zhou Xianzu gave orders from the very beginning. How many people can't see his thoughts?

Even though he had no intention of competing with him, he was still worried that the hot potato would fall on his head.

Suddenly, everyone spoke in unison and put Zhou Xianzu on the spot.

He was about to refuse subconsciously, but then he heard Gu Dashou say, "Duke Wei has always been diligent in government affairs. He has been working from home recently. I'm afraid he is physically inconvenient. If that's the case, Minister Zhou will make the decision based on the circumstances. What do you think?"

Zhou Xianzu straightened his back unconsciously after hearing this, and said calmly, "Old Gu, you are too kind. Since none of you are willing to endure this hardship, then I will naturally take on the responsibility!"

On the one hand, the current situation is very good, but the prince is young and people’s hearts are unstable.

If, by any chance, Zhang Yun逸 made a misjudgment due to concealing the news of the emperor's death, it would be too late to regret.

Faced with unanimous opinions, as the uncle of the future emperor, he did not want any unexpected changes to happen, even for his own sake.

On the other hand, he was able to withstand the pressure when everyone else retreated, which made him stand out.

With Gu Dashou's words, even if he failed to invite him, it would be Zhang Yun逸 himself who was guilty. If he could invite him, it would be him, Zhou Xianzu, who bravely explored the dragon's den and the tiger's lair alone, which not only demonstrated his courage to take on things, but also his ability to do things.

It can be said that it can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, and it can advance and retreat freely.

……

(End of this chapter)