The heroine Jiangshan

Chapter 164 Song Guogong Zhao Xuan

Gu Che was still troubled for a while, but only later realized that Zhao Xuan didn't have the heart to worry about this.

He's busy with more important things.

Funeral!
Zhao Xuan's father Song Guogong has been ill in bed since he was injured in the Chunshou Rebellion.Not only did his injury not gradually heal over time, but it got worse.

If it wasn't for the news that Zhao Xuan appeared in the southeast reinforcements a few months ago, maybe he wouldn't be able to survive now.

On the night of Zhao Xuan's return to Beijing, regardless of his body, which had been severely injured in battles for months, he rushed to his father's bed to pay his respects as soon as he returned to the mansion.

The father and son have never had any emotional exchanges, and they get along with each other, faintly unfamiliar.

Song Guogong couldn't even remember the last time he took a serious look at his son's appearance.

Of course he valued his only son, and he didn't treat Zhao Xuan badly since he was a child.

But apart from asking someone to take care of Zhao Xuan's health and illness, and teaching Zhao Xuan how to read and write, he hardly had much communication with Zhao Xuan.

Song Guogong didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. Didn't his father, grandfather, and grandparents teach his descendants this way for generations?

It is precisely because Zhao Xuan is the eldest son that he has stricter requirements on Zhao Xuan.Those concubines, Song Guogong was more indulgent, and they dared to act coquettishly in front of his father.

But Xuan'er... Has he ever acted like a baby in front of him?

Song Guogong couldn't remember.

Although both father and son clearly felt the estrangement from each other, at the moment Zhao Xuan came to his hospital bed, those things were no longer important.

"Father!"

Zhao Xuan knelt on the head of the bed, holding his father's right hand tightly with both hands.

These big palms with thick bones were also able to pull a three-stone bow, and they were also able to turn the stone wheels in the martial arts field at home.

My father liked to practice martial arts very much.

Zhao Xuan suddenly recalled when he was very young.

Because he was born weak, his father was very dissatisfied with him, Zhao Xuan understood.

He couldn't pester his father for morning exercises, play around, or even go out normally like his younger brothers.

Many mornings, he was held by his nanny and went to the martial arts field to greet his father.

My father at that time was really young, with strong muscles, sweating in the winter, and he was very majestic when shooting arrows.

Although his father often didn't even look at him, and just nodded casually to indicate that he could go, Zhao Xuan still admired such a father in his heart.

He raised his head and watched the morning sun outline the tall outline of his father's figure.My father is so tall, as tall as to cover the sun.

And at this moment, lying on the bed panting for breath, is this man with gray beard and hair, skinny and sallow, with only bones and veins left on the back of his hands, still his father Song Guogong?

"Xuan'er..."

Before he could say two words, Duke Song coughed violently again.

The serving concubines hurriedly patted his back for him.

"Xuan'er, you... are fine..."

Song Guogong mustered all his strength, struggled for a long time, and finally grabbed Zhao Xuan's arm and sat up.

"In the future, the Duke's Mansion..."

"We, the Zhao family."

"It's up to you..."

"rely on you……"

Song Guogong's eye sockets were sunken, but at this moment there was a frightening light in his eyes.

Zhao Xuan met his father's scorching gaze, but his heart was cold.

An ominous feeling rose up from the soles of his feet, making his scalp numb.

"Father, take a good rest..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Duke Song coughed crazily again, until the bed shook.

Ji's concubines rushed to pour medicine into him, but none of it could get in, and it all leaked from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Xuan also panicked, and subconsciously stretched out his hand to catch the medicine dripping from his father's mouth, but his palm turned out to be bright red!
Blood froth kept gushing out of Song Guogong's mouth, and he fell sideways.

The doctor rushing over, the weeping woman, the servant girl running around the room...

Zhao Xuan covered his heart with one hand, and watched all this dumbly.Lowering his head, he stared at the pool of blood on his palm in a daze, his mind buzzing.

"My son! The Duke is calling you!"

Somebody pushed and shoved him to the bed again.

Song Guogong was speechless and just stared at him.

"Father... I..."

"Leave the Zhao family to me."

When he spoke these words with difficulty, he saw his father's expression suddenly relax, the light in his eyes began to fade, and his eyelids slowly closed.

"Hurry up and bury it!"

"Are they all dead people? Shrouds! Shoes! Hurry up!"

The woman's scream would sound harsh in normal times, but at this time, no one would blame her again.

Everyone is in a hurry to dress the Duke before he dies.

Zhao Xuan still didn't move.

Suddenly, he staggered back a few steps, gasping for breath, turned around and left the room.

"My lord, where are you going?"

"Sir!"

Regardless of the shouts from the servants behind him, he quickly walked towards a certain direction in the mansion without stopping.The servants caught up and were pushed away by him, and continued walking, walking...

The martial arts arena at night is empty and clean, only the sound of the wind blowing.

The servants who finally caught up with their master watched helplessly as their prince walked to the weapon rack in the corner of the martial arts arena and picked up the bow and arrow.

He struggled to draw the bow, put on the arrow, and fired at the distant target covered by the night.

He was very tired, and couldn't remember when he had rested, but his mind was as clear and cold as if it had been washed with water.

One arrow, another arrow.

The sound of tuk tuk did not hit the target, did it?Maybe it's the bush next to it, maybe it's the wall...

His archery skills were not good, and the target could not be seen clearly.

But he kept on shooting, and kept on shooting until there were no more arrows in the quiver at hand.

The servants were frightened by Shizi's abnormal behavior, and wanted to persuade him, but they didn't know how to persuade him, so they had to guard him silently.

My arms are so numb.

The chest also hurts, ah, the wound on the neck is also starting to hurt, that damned Destiny believer... It seems, what kind of elder is it?That's what the captive congregation said, let's check again tomorrow...

I can't stand my legs...

"Sir!"

The servants exclaimed, seeing Zhao Xuan fell to the ground with a puff.

It's noisy, can you please be quiet?

Zhao Xuan really wanted to yell at them, but he didn't have the strength to speak anymore.

The last trace of physical strength was also tossed away by him.

The moonlight is very pale tonight, but the stars are twinkling and twinkling, and the long Milky Way seems to be pouring down from the sky.

Zhao Xuan thought of the exotic legend that Yun Ruochen told him.

It is said that in some distant tribes, there are wise men who say that for every death on the ground, there will be one more star in the sky.

The stars all over the sky are actually the souls of people.

Zhao Xuan liked this legend very much, and thought it was more interesting than going to the Hall of Yama and drinking Mengpo soup after someone died.

Father, have you become a star in the sky?
Starlight gradually blurred in his silent tears.

A funeral is a very troublesome thing, no, it should be said to be a series of very troublesome things.

Even if ordinary rich families hold funerals, all the busy things will be gone, let alone Song Guogong, a duke's family.

Moreover, Duke Song is not comparable to ordinary Dukes.

The Zhao family is a royal family from the former dynasty, a family from the southeast.

The life and death of Song Guogong is related to the interests of the wealthy families in the southeast?
If the funeral is held in a grand manner, it may exceed the limit, or cause royal suspicion.

If it is too shabby, people will lose confidence in the Zhao family, and many small families that are attached to the Duke of Song's mansion may turn to others.

There are also elders, relatives and friends in the clan who have their own opinions, some want to do this, some want to do that, and they almost fought in the ancestral hall.

These all require the mediation of General Manager Zhao Xuan.

He is already the only male in Duke Song's lineage, if he doesn't show up, who can show up?
When Yun Ruochen and Gu Che went to visit Zhao Xuan together, they planned to help Zhao Xuan deal with all these trivial matters.Zhao Xuan is not good at mundane affairs, they are afraid that he will be deceived by servants and relatives, and they are also afraid that he will be tired.

Unexpectedly, they met a long-lost person in the Zhao family, and this person is currently in charge of all matters related to the funeral of the Zhao family.

Chu Qingbo.

The son of the governor of Southeast Water Transport, Chu Qingbo is a world-renowned talent.

Chu Qingbo's group of candidates who went to Beijing to rush for the exam caught up with the Chunshou rebellion. They failed in the Chunwei exam last year and were once trapped in the capital by the rebels.

Now that the rebellion has just ended, the court has not yet decided when to reopen the exam.

Generally speaking, there is one Enke for the new emperor's ascension to the throne, but this year is probably too late, and the exam should not start until next spring.

After all, there are still many places where the rebels have not been completely wiped out, and local law and order have not yet been restored. The officials are busy enough for a while, and they must not care about Chunwei.

Since last year, Chu Qingbo has been living in a separate courtyard in the capital.

Over the past few days, after several literary conferences, his reputation has grown. Even Yun Ruochen, who had just returned to Beijing, heard people around him mention this "talent like a banished fairy".

Yes, Chu Qingbo is still as handsome, even more...beautiful than before.

Yun Ruochen was not used to using the word "beautiful" to describe men, but it was perfect for Chu Qingbo.

She thought that what the ancients said "beautiful as Song Yu" should be used to describe Chu Qingbo.

She first thanked Chu Qingbo for spreading the reputation of "benevolence" for her father before the first emperor's spring hunting last year, although they all knew that it was a private transaction between each other.

The Chu family and the Zhao family are still so close.

Just seeing that Chu Qingbo put so much effort into helping Zhao Xuan with the funeral, and the Zhao family seemed to have no objections, one knew that the friendship between these two families was not that simple.

The interests of the powerful clans in the southeast were linked, and even the late emperor could not break up their power.

Now that they have replaced the benevolent new king, they are even less shy.

Or, is this also a kind of provocation, to show the unity of the wealthy clan in the southeast by taking advantage of the power of the imperial court being weakened by the turmoil?

Yun Ruochen once again realized that there was a subtle sense of opposition between her and Zhao Xuan's respective positions.

But when facing Zhao Xuan, Yun Ruochen didn't think about these things.

Seeing Zhao Xuan in plain clothes standing in the main hall of the mourning hall to welcome the guests, with a mournful face but meticulous etiquette, Yun Ruochen was relieved a lot.

Zhao Xuan was stronger than he imagined.

He must be able to prop up the Zhao family by himself!
In the next few months, the Zhao family was preoccupied with the funeral, ignoring the ups and downs in Beijing.

Even Yun Ruochen's canonization ceremony, Zhao Xuan was not able to attend, because at that time he had already set off to support the spirit and went back to the southeast Zhao family's ancestral grave, and he would not return until half a year later.

The suppression of the rebellion does not mean that the world will be peaceful.

The imperial court is busy hunting down the remnants of the party, dealing with the rebels, appeasing the people, and organizing the resumption of production.This is still what it should be, and more factions are taking advantage of this opportunity to grab territory, official positions, and meritorious service overtly and secretly...

The emperor was busy canonizing his beloved daughter as a princess, so he probably didn't take the opportunity to remind his officials not to treat him like a clay puppet.

"I have a good temper, but I also have my own ideas, don't try to make me empty!"

Yun Ruochen understood his father's mood of "working hard to gain a sense of existence", so he didn't dissuade his father from giving himself a title.

She must support her father.

Although he is the ninety-five-year-old who stands above ten thousand people, it is pitiful to say that, except for his daughter, almost no one supports him wholeheartedly.

The same goes for Mr. Gu Ge, whom he regards as his father.

Gu Ge is not out of selfishness.However, as the chief assistant of the cabinet of the head of the hundred officials, he originally represented the interests of the officials more.The most fundamental interest of the officials is actually to divide the imperial power.

The less power the emperor had, the more power the officials had.

They have suffered enough from the powerful first emperor, how could they allow the appearance of a second powerful emperor?Giving the emperor a small right, such as canonizing a princess, is already their bottom line.

For other government affairs, the emperor, you old man, just watch over them, and we will take care of the world for you!
"They are all bullying my father."

In the depths of Chonghua Palace, Yun Ruochen let out a faint sigh.

Ye Shenyan, who was standing beside her, listened quietly to her pouring out her thoughts without saying a word.

"Shen Yan, this time listening to Yulou, you have to take good care of yourself."

Yun Ruochen got up, took out three ancient books from the bookshelf, and handed them to Ye Shenyan.

"This is your homework within a year. I can't be around to guide you. You should think about it by yourself first. You can come back to the palace after a few months. Ask me if you don't understand anything."

Ye Shenyan has basically learned the most basic content of spells, and now he needs to learn more.

Yun Ruochen lived in the inner palace, so it's not easy to keep Ye Shenyan with him all the time.Do you want him to be a eunuch?
Ye Shenyan said it would be the best choice for Yulou to practice with Nie Shen and Ye Cong again.

After the princess becomes an adult or gets married, she can live alone outside the palace, and in a few years... she will take him back.

Ye Shenyan's heart was astringent, he didn't want to leave his princess, but now he is not strong enough.

When he returns to Tingyu Building, he will try his best to train himself!
In the summer of the first year of Yongjia, Yun Ruochen spent his 12th birthday in a low-key way.

Despite this, he still received many important gifts from the royal relatives.

She asked Ji Jianing to specially select all the gold and jade jewelry, and was going to choose the spiritual acupoint to store the magic weapon.

Ji Jianing stayed in Chonghua Palace in the name of a court lady and became her personal maid, and quickly adapted to the life in the palace and the strict private training given to her by "Princess Master".

Gu Che didn't have much chance to enter the palace, and the emperor had no plan to reopen the school to let his daughter go to school, so he lost his job as a companion.

He could only stay outside the palace, thinking about the girl silently, while coping with his grandfather's forced marriage.

When winter was coming, Zhao Xuan came back from the southeast.

In the next month, the imperial court decreed that the eldest son Zhao Xuan should be the Duke of Song.

(End of this chapter)