The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

Chapter 436 Narrowing the Scope

"Duan Chengkang, come back."

"Duan Chengkang, come back."

"Duan Chengkang, come back."

Outside the city, Duan Jingzong, the long-absent Duan family elder, was coughing profusely, his face pale. Next to him was Lu, dressed in plain clothes. Her face was also pale, bare of makeup, and she looked much older.

"Has my son Chengkang returned home?"

Duan Jingzong suppressed his cough, and the strong wind made his thin clothes rustle.

"Duan Chengkang is back home!"

A servant in white clothes shouted, and then a box was carried out behind him.

Inside was the armor that Duan Chengkang once wore, as well as the weapon Zhenshi Qiankun Ji that General Luo had given him, which was held by another person.

Outside the city, in addition to the people from the Marquis' Mansion, many of Kang Ge'er's former friends also arrived.

Among them, Shao Wanqi cried the most sadly.

The elegant young man, the dream lover of the girls in the capital, was now crying and being supported by his servants.

There were some people watching around. They didn't have any emotions at first, but when they saw him like this, they couldn't help but feel touched and shed tears.

"I heard that this young general was only in his twenties and died young."

Shao Wanqi heard a lot of noisy sounds, but could hear nothing.

His tears and snot fell together, uncontrollably.

"Master, Master, you are not feeling well to begin with. Let's go back."

The one who was supporting him was a servant who had followed him for many years. Seeing the young master crying so sadly, his face was already covered with tears.

"No, we agreed before that when he returns triumphantly, we will meet him outside Wuli Pavilion for a drink."

Shao Wanqi burst into tears, "I never thought that the body would not be returned... The coldness, the coldness penetrates my heart, woo..."

He was dressed in white and was crying so hard that he couldn't stand up. There was a group of men with red eyes around him.

Unexpectedly, Cui Jie, who had many conflicts with them in the past, was also among them. Over the years, he had grown into a man with a somewhat gloomy complexion.

He clenched his fists and watched silently as the Marquis touched the armor and a stream of blood spurted on it, causing the servants around him to fall into chaos.

Duan Jingzong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and signaled to his servants that he was fine.

As copper coins and paper flutter in the sky, a shout leads the lost souls home.

"Duan Chengkang is back home!"

Gongs were beating all the way, and the mournful music reached the ears of heaven.

Today is the first day of the funeral. After General Duan’s armor was sent back to Marquis Duan’s Mansion and placed in the inky black coffin in the main hall.

Duan Jingzong dressed in mourning clothes and went to the palace to report the death to His Majesty.

After the court session, the Emperor of Chu waited in the palace. When he saw the bloodstains on Duan Jingzong's chest, he couldn't help but worry whether this man could survive.

"My dear, please take care of yourself."

The King of Chu only said this one sentence, and then ordered Eunuch Zhao to bring the funeral supplies that had been prepared long ago and go to express condolences on his behalf.

Duan Jingzong thanked the emperor for his grace and returned home with Eunuch Zhao.

Because there was no corpse, the funeral became simple.

"So this is how my funeral will be held after I die."

Looking at the "bustling" Marquis' Mansion, Kang Ge'er, who was hiding in the dark, was secretly watching while eating a sesame cake.

On the other side, Old Xuan, who was also munching on a sesame cake, squatted there. He looked up and then continued eating without paying any attention.

"You're the first one to live to see your own funeral."

"Hey, it's true."

After Kang Ge'er finished eating, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth and hands.

"Have you finished eating? If you're done, we have to go back."

It has been a month since they left. Coincidentally, they were able to reach the capital so quickly. They have one person to thank.

Cheng Xi.

That’s right, it was Master Cheng, Cheng Xi, who once taught Kang Ge’er.

He was appointed as the magistrate of Linjiang County in Nanyang. Later, with his own ability, he developed that remote and impoverished county, reclaimed wasteland for cultivation, built ditches, and diverted water for irrigation. He then gradually developed commerce and increased the flow of people.

Things seemed to be getting better and better, but something happened halfway.

Cheng Xi secretly investigated with the help of people in the Marquis' Mansion and found out that the person who picked the peaches was the Fifth Prince's man. The Fifth Prince was in great power now and it was not easy to offend him.

Fortunately, due to the relationship with the Marquis' Mansion, the other party did not act too ruthlessly and transferred Cheng Xi to Xiyang Shanzhong.

When he arrived in central Shaanxi, the help from the Marquisate was even greater.

Upon learning that he had arrived here, Shen Xianli, his in-law, sent a letter, and the officials here did not dare to make things difficult for him.

Shen Xianli was already the county magistrate at that time. Those of lower rank than him did not dare to offend him, and those of the same rank also wanted to make friends with him.

Cheng Xi is good at dealing with people, so he feels like a fish in water here.

Soon, the higher-ups were transferred away, and he was promoted faster and faster, and soon became Tongzhi.

I stayed in this position for three years.

In his position as Tongzhi, he had an important task, which was to manage letters coming to the border from all over the country.

He had a messenger log in his study, and the sources of these letters were crucial during the war.

Any letter destined for Yumen must pass through the Shaanxi-central corridor.

During the investigation, Kang Ge'er and his team found the whole place in central Shaanxi.

Time and life.

Kang Ge'er's good luck is like cheating, making it impossible for Xuan Lao and others to disobey.

After getting the target narrowed down from Cheng Xi, they went all the way back to the capital to investigate.

In fact, the main area is in the capital, but just in case, they divided into several groups to investigate.

Kang Ge'er, Xuan Lao and some others went straight back to the capital. According to Kang Ge'er's intuition, the person behind the scenes must be in the capital.

And those members of the royal family are particularly suspicious.

Now that he has a target range, Kang Ge'er focuses on it.

It must be said that he was lucky, because among the many letters sent between the capital and the border, he was able to screen out several key targets.

"I've finished eating. The dough for this pancake is over-baked and not tasty. The steamed buns in Shaanxi are still better."

At the end, he also gave some comments.

"How about you publish a book called The Cuisine of Great Chu?"

"I think it's okay, old man. Hey, you think I should..."

The two of them walked away talking, and Kang Ge'er looked back reluctantly.

According to ritual regulations, the body can be kept for five days.

During these five days, many people came and went, all of them were guests who came to pay their respects.

Kang Ge'er had no children, so it was his sister and brother who burned paper in front of the coffin.

Sister Qiong was kneeling on a mat wearing a white scarf and mourning clothes.

Ji Ge'er is a very small boy. He kneels beside his sister and does whatever his sister does.