No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 584: The rebels must be suppressed, Wei's daughter is in Xun [asking for monthly tickets! ]

Luoyang, Qinghuafang.

There are fewer visitors and carriages at the gate of Prince Wei's palace these days.

During the Lantern Festival a few days ago, although there was still a lot of people outside the mansion, there were no longer as many carriages and horses as before.

It seems like something is missing.

Most well-informed people in the capital city know recently that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, who recently lost his beloved son, has been staying at home for the time being.

No guests could see him when he visited.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, in addition to the banquet and wine given by the saints in the palace, the Lantern Festival dinner in the Prince of Wei's mansion was also held without any disturbance. Some direct relatives gathered together, ate, and then dispersed in a hurry.

It was a rare time of calmness and low-keyness in all these years, which was very different from the Wei family's previous style of liking to display grand occasions, eat from dishes arranged in rows, and ride on horses and horses.

However, not many people in the capital discussed it, and the smart people all ignored it tacitly and happily entered into the festive atmosphere.

In this thousand-year-old ancient capital located in the center of the world, let alone individuals, even the joys and sorrows of a prominent family in the current dynasty cannot compare to the festive mood of thousands of lights.

The fire tree and the silver flowers are closed, and the iron lock of the star bridge is opened.

Throughout the Lantern Festival holiday, Luoyang City, the capital of Wei Zhou, was still ablaze with bright lights at the night market and bustling with people from all walks of life in the tall buildings.

Pearls, silks, fireworks, and green willows.

Welcome the third year of Tianyou.

……

"My Lord, it's time to eat."

In the evening, the temple was dark.

A sturdy man with a square face and a black robe walked quickly to the entrance of the sacrificial hall with small steps and bowed respectfully towards the dark door.

The two maids behind him, each holding a food box and a water bottle or porcelain pot, lowered their heads and dared not look around.

This family ancestral hall has become a forbidden place known to everyone in the Prince of Wei's palace.

Apart from the routine morning court sessions or meetings in the palace, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei spends most of his time in this sacrificial hall whenever he is in the palace.

Two days ago, even a young princess who was previously very much loved and spoiled by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, mischievously ran in and shouted loudly for her father... was driven out, and her mother was also implicated and confined to her house and had her silver deducted.

No one dares to bring bad luck to you anymore.

The square-faced sturdy man raised his eyes slightly and saw a pearwood armchair placed near the door in the ancestral hall filled with Wei family tablets.

A dark figure in a loose python robe sat on a chair, with his hands on the armrests, one elbow raised to support his chin, as if facing the sky outside the door, the sky with the setting sun like blood and the sunset returning home.

Wei Jisi watched intently and said nothing.

The sturdy man with a square face waved his hand behind him, signaling the two maids holding the boxes to follow.

He turned and walked to the corridor outside the shrine, where there was a long sandalwood table.

There are four such sandalwood long tables, all thick and wide, occupying most of the corridor and blocking the road. Some are placed directly in the open air courtyard.

The square-faced sturdy man came to the long sandalwood table with a maid holding a box.

The long table was piled high with books, papers and scrolls.

He bent down, picked up a small book that he had accidentally kicked to the ground, dusted it off, and put it on the table.

During this time, the square-faced sturdy man caught sight of some words in the small note.

[The east wind blows thousands of flowers into the night... It blows down stars like rain... The road is filled with the fragrance of BMWs and carved carriages... The sound of phoenix flutes moves, the light of jade pots turns, and fish and dragons dance all night...]

Judging from the signature and seal, this memorial came from the Xunyang Palace far away in Jiangzhou.

The square-faced sturdy man had heard of this Lantern Festival poem. In the past two days, some concubines and female relatives in the palace had recited it privately. It was a certain fashion trend in the city that had spread in.

Although the Lantern Festival in Luoyang has passed for several days, this Lantern Festival poem has become popular.

I heard that this Lantern Festival poem was written by Ouyang Lianghan, a newly promoted scholar of Xiuwen Academy and Sima of Jiangzhou. Many young ladies in Luoyang City like it now. In the brothels of Jiaofangsi, where there are music and flutes every night, there are all kinds of courtesans singing and playing...

The square-faced burly man who was a close confidant of the King of Wei was of course aware of the troubles that Ouyang Lianghan had brought to the Wei family.

Over at the Liang Wang Mansion next door, it was heard that His Royal Highness the Liang Wang had directly ordered that the young men and women in the mansion were not allowed to recite this poem.

There is no such rule in the Prince of Wei's Mansion where he lives, because His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei has been staying in the sacrificial hall these days and has not been taking care of the affairs of the mansion.

In fact, some attitudes are not convenient to express. The square-faced strong man also thinks that this Lantern Festival poem is really well done. He is a warrior, and he can feel the beauty of the artistic conception after reading a few sentences silently. Some art does not distinguish between elegance and vulgarity...

The sturdy man with a square face put away the small folder, put it back on the table, and tidied the tabletop; the maids holding the boxes placed the hot food boxes and water bottles on the empty space on the long sandalwood table, lowered their heads and left one after another.

In the dim courtyard corridor, there were long sandalwood tables piled with silk-bound books, various memorials, secret reports from the royal palace, and some secret letters from local officials.

On the table there is also the seal of the King of Wei, a tiger talisman with peeling lacquer, lacquer pills from Mount Zhongnan, and a white dragon ball found by a Taoist priest in the North Sea...

Among them was a string of white jade Buddhist beads awarded by the saint of the time. Wei Jisi would carry it with him every time he went to the Imperial City Square to inspect the Great Zhou Songde Tianshu. At this moment, it was also casually thrown on the table.

Of course, the square-faced burly man didn't dare to touch these things. He took two steps back, stood silently at the door with his hands hanging down, and didn't urge anyone.

Prince Wei Jisi seemed to have moved his entire study here, and it seemed that he usually handled official business inside and outside the palace in this corridor.

At some point in the sacrificial hall, Wei Jisi, who was absent-minded with his chin in his hand, suddenly stood up.

He had taken off his mourning clothes, but still had a gray-white cloth strip tied around his arm. He paced around the hall, silently burning incense at each tablet.

As a prince of the current dynasty, with the special permission of the empress, he actually did not need to continue wearing mourning clothes such as "zhansui" or "qisui" after the death of his own children. On the contrary, it was somewhat against etiquette to continue wearing them.

However, the Wei family's ancestral home was in Bingzhou, and the ministers in Luoyang were not clear about the local funeral customs there, so they did not reprimand the palace censor for meddling in other people's business.

After all, everyone can understand the pain of losing a child.

Wei Jisi walked to the last tablet.

The spirit tablet of Wei Shaoqi.

Wei Jisi looked quietly at the newly delivered urn on the table.

"Your Highness, at the foot of the Great Buddha in Xingzi Square that day... the female officials counted the corpse afterwards and found that the Third Young Master's body was incomplete and all his clothes were burnt... it was really indecent."

The square-faced burly man continued to explain in a low voice:
"Besides, it's too long to transport the ashes back to the capital, so it's not suitable for preservation. With the consent of Princess Anhui, Rong Zhen and other female officials directly burned the ashes..." Wei Jisi reached out and wiped the dust off the spirit tablet without saying a word.

The square-faced man clasped his fists again, staring and sobbing: "My Lord, it's time to eat, you can't starve..."

Wei Jisi lowered his head and put his handkerchief into his sleeve, then suddenly asked, "Where is Wei Anhui? She came to deliver Shaoqi's ashes during the day, why didn't she come?"

The square-faced man was stunned: "His Royal Highness Prince Liang made a temporary decision to let Princess Anhui stay in Xunyang City."

Wei Jisi chuckled and said, "My brother, you still care about your nephew. I thought he, as an uncle, would do nothing and not care about anything. Well, it would be fine if he could do something..."

The square-faced sturdy man suddenly looked embarrassed, clasped his fists and lowered his head. He didn't dare to say a word about the exchange between the two kings.

Wei Jisi asked without turning his head:

"Wei Wu, where are the eldest and second eldest brothers?"

The square-faced man named Wei Wu whispered:
"Your Highness, the eldest son is on his way back... The second son, upon learning of this, was so sad that he couldn't sleep. He asked on the spot if he could go directly south to Jiangzhou to investigate the injustice of his brother instead of heading north to the capital..."

Wei Jisi waved his hands expressionlessly:
"I hope everyone has this intention, let them do their job and don't make any moves.

"What's the point of going over now? We should clearly tell the Xunyang Palace, Xiang Palace and the Baoli faction that our Wei family has sent anyone?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wei Wu frowned and said:
"Your Highness, those remnants of the Tiannan underworld are damnable. We have already dispatched personnel to Jiangnan to assist the Supervisory Council in investigating the case. We must catch those traitors one by one and avenge the Third and Sixth Young Masters."

"Tiannan Jianghu rebels?" Wei Jisi lowered his eyes and wiped his palms: "How can there be so many rebels, and it's such a coincidence that they kill our people."

"What the prince means is..."

"What can I mean? Your Majesty's meaning is what I mean. Everything should be based on the overall situation, right?"

Wei Jisi walked out of the sacrificial hall, opened the food box, slowly picked up a piece of food and stuffed it into his mouth. He had a blank expression on his face, as if the food was tasteless.

The square-faced sturdy man glanced at the gray cloth on Wei Jisi's shoulders and said cautiously:
"Your Highness, His Royal Highness Prince Liang said that this white cloth should be taken off. Wearing it again is not in accordance with etiquette and will easily lead to gossips from those old stubborn people. Moreover, the Saint will think that you are ignoring the overall situation and being petty. His Royal Highness Prince Liang said that at least you can't wear it to court anymore..."

Wei Jisi suddenly turned around and said, "Do you also think that I am just mourning for Shaoqi and Shaoxuan?"

"Um...Your Majesty..." Wei Wu was stuck.

Wei Jisi smiled, pointed at the circle of ancestral tablets behind him, and clapped his hands with a smile:
"Go and tell my brother that I am not only wearing this white cloth for Shaoqi and Shaoxuan, but also for the entire Wei family... If we keep waiting like this, won't we all be forced to come in?"

This prince in python robes, who had the same surname as the emperor and held the most power in the Great Zhou, opened his arms, spun half a circle on the spot, looked at the Wei family ancestral temple, and asked with a strange look on his face:

"Why not let me come in earlier now?"

Wei Wu lowered his head and remained silent.

Wei Jisi put his hands behind his back and looked at the sunset in the distant sky.

There was silence inside and outside the temple. On the corridor, the prince in a python robe with gray and white cloth tied to his arms turned his head to the south. At some point, he murmured to himself:

"You say, the daughter of the Wei family can't just watch all the men of the Wei family die, right? The saints and the officials of the court said that they must wipe out the rebels in the Tiannan Jianghu... Oh, we can wipe them out at any time. We really can't not wipe them out. Look, they only catch people from our Wei family and kill them!"

……

Jiangzhou, morning.

The weather is calm and sunny.

When Ouyang Rong rushed to Xunyang Grottoes, he saw Rong Zhen standing by the water looking at the river boats.

The petite girl wore a mandarin duck jade hairpin on her head, and her wide palace skirt fluttered in the river breeze, as if it would be blown away at any time.

Ouyang Rong stepped forward and greeted him, and Rong Zhen glanced at him sideways.

Ouyang Rong looked around and suddenly found Princess Anhui there.

"Hey, why hasn't this princess left yet? Didn't Wei Shaoqi's body get sent away? Why doesn't she go back with him?"

"I don't know... Maybe Lin Cheng's body is still in Xunyang. It seems that this princess is engaged to Lin Cheng. This time she came to visit Senior Song and ask him to mourn."

Ouyang Rong glanced at Princess Anhui who was talking softly to Nanny Song not far away, and saw that the old woman who used to be rigid and stern with rolled eyes was now a little more amiable in front of the princess. It was not known what they said, but Nanny Song even reached out and patted the back of Wei Anhui's hand.

He nodded calmly: "I see, Senior Song doesn't seem to be that sad anymore. When it comes to persuading people, the princess is better than me."

In his heart, he frowned slightly. A few days ago, he heard from Dalang that Princess Anhui was about to leave. Ouyang Rong was thinking that it would be okay to ask Dalang to send a gift... But why is she not leaving now? Is she playing a joke on them?

Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment and asked with concern:
"Brother Lin is gone, but the engagement is still there? The princess even came to comfort Deputy Supervisor Song. She is really kind-hearted."

"Princess Anhui is indeed kind-hearted, unlike Wei Shaoqi." Rong Zhenzhen's expression turned serious, "However, this is not a reason to allow Prince Xunyang to harass her every day. You should take care of that matter, Ouyang Lianghan."

Ouyang Rong glanced at Rong Zhen's serious attitude and smiled, "Yes, I will take care of it."

Rong Zhen looked at the Buddhist beads in his hand and asked softly:

"Did you really write that Lantern Festival poem called Qingyu'an? Didn't Xunyang Palace want to make you famous?"

"Let me correct you. It was that guy from the royal palace who did it." Ouyang Rong emphasized.

"Aren't you all alone? You're trying to scare me when the whole world knows about it, even though I don't usually pay attention to such romantic things." Rong Zhen's face was stern, and his eyebrows were raised: "And the last time I went to your house, the women in the family seemed to call you this. Don't treat me like a fool."

"I dare not." Ouyang Rong explained seriously:
"But Er Ya explains that in the old days, people called handsome men 'Tan Lang', and later people used 'Tan Lang' to refer to husbands or lovers... I may be the real Tan Lang, and that counselor in the palace is just called Tan Lang."

"You are flattering yourself, even though what you said is only half true."

"Ms. Rong, you are too kind."

"I meant the second half." Rong Zhen said unhappily, and pointed at the mandarin duck jade hairpin on her head:

"Hey, Ouyang Lianghan, this hairpin is famous, did you know that? When I was leaving the city today, I saw many young ladies wearing it. I almost thought it was given by you. After asking, I found out that it was the little princess of Xunyang Palace who liked it."

"How can I be so idle? Hey, I didn't expect that we met a dishonest merchant. It turns out that this hairpin can be bought. But I never thought that the little princess would also guess lantern riddles. But it's normal when you think about it. This princess is more talented than me. I am just a little clever."

Ouyang Rong said with admiration.

Rong Zhen stared at his face for a while, then looked away and said to him with his hands behind his back: "Why do I always feel that you are the smartest?"

"Ms. Rong, can you please praise me a little more?"

Ouyang Rong covered his mouth and coughed, and after a while he took the initiative to talk about the wanted traitors in the Tiannan Jianghu. He glanced at Princess Anhui who seemed to have noticed him not far away, and walked over...

(End of this chapter)