allonlinenovel Chapter 86 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 18
Chapter 86 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 18
With such a little bundle of joy at home, Xiao Yao didn't even have time to be sad.
On New Year's Day, he even arrogantly appeared at the emperor's banquet with his little boy dressed in bright red, which made the emperor glare at him. He, without a care in the world, grinned foolishly at the emperor with his little boy, which made the emperor laugh in anger.
With the New Year over, spring seemed to be just around the corner, and Xiao Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
Winter is tough, but patients might recover after winter.
But things in this world never change according to human will.
As the first spring thunder rumbled and the first spring rain nourished the earth, cries of wailing echoed from the Crown Prince's residence.
The white cloth that had been prepared beforehand was hung in the East Palace. The gentle Crown Prince eventually left this world when all things were growing.
Hearing the bells ringing from the palace, Xiao Yao was suddenly jolted awake from his dream, his expression panicked.
He stumbled out of bed, picked up the child from the wet nurse's arms who was still unaware of what was happening, and rode his horse toward the Crown Prince's residence.
Before his death, the crown prince did not request an audience with his father or his only grandson; he simply lay quietly as if asleep.
When Xiao Yao and Ling Yi arrived at the East Palace, they saw their brothers kneeling quietly outside the Crown Prince's room with the Princess Consort.
Their father stood there blankly in front of the house, not allowing even a person with an umbrella to approach.
According to etiquette, even if a son dies, the emperor should wait in the palace for the Ministry of Rites to handle the crown prince's funeral arrangements.
But when he appeared at the Eastern Palace, no official dared to challenge the patience of the emperor who had lost his beloved son.
So he stood there blankly outside his son's room, as if recalling his eldest son's dashing and spirited appearance in his youth.
In an instant, Xiao Yao was startled to sense the approaching old age emanating from him.
Xiao Yao placed An Ge'er on the ground, took his hand, and headed towards the door: "Father, I've brought An Ge'er back."
His soft voice startled the emperor awake.
The emperor, soaked to the bone by the rain, looked down at the pitiful child with red eyes and gently patted his head: "Ange'er, go see your grandfather off."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Ninth Brother, you go too."
Before his death, the eldest brother entrusted his only bloodline to the ninth brother, which shows that he trusted him greatly.
After all, even his father, the emperor, had not earned him such trust.
The emperor felt a chill creep into his heart, unsure whether it was due to the unnoticed estrangement that had grown between him and the crown prince, or the uproar that followed the crown prince's death.
He turned his head coldly and looked at his burly sons kneeling in the yard, soaked to the bone. What thoughts were hidden behind their sorrowful faces?
Did they want him to die young like the Crown Prince, or did they want his other brothers to go with the Crown Prince as well?
Under the emperor's indifferent gaze, the princes lowered their heads one by one, so that the ruler could no longer see their expressions.
They were just a little disappointed that they hadn't thought of taking Ange'er to live in their mansion.
If they did that, they might become the only princes to enter the Crown Prince's bedroom and prepare his body for burial.
This was unique among the princes, representing the emperor's trust and also capable of winning over the hearts of the crown prince's confidants. What a pity.
Xiao Yao walked into the Crown Prince's bedchamber in a daze. Looking at the Crown Prince lying quietly on the bed, he said to An Ge'er after a while, "An Ge'er, don't be afraid. Birth, old age, sickness and death are common occurrences."
This child will be the last pillar of the eldest brother's lineage, and all the women and servants in the Eastern Palace will be under his protection.
At this moment, saying things like "the prince is asleep" to coax a child is no longer appropriate for him; he needs to learn to grow up.
The time he spent in Prince Rui's mansion must have been the most carefree period of his life.
Watching Ange'er respectfully kowtow to the Crown Prince, Xiao Yao took his hand and led him to the outer room while the others were preparing to change the Crown Prince's clothes, handing him over to his mother.
The woman, who had recently lost her husband, looked blank, her eyes dulled from crying.
Xiao Yao paused for a moment, then couldn't help but add, "Take good care of him."
What's the point of dwelling on the past like this?
Xiao Yao said this, but if he were the one who lost his partner now, could he say it so calmly?
So he fell silent again, gave only this one instruction, and then hurriedly returned indoors.
The eldest granddaughter-in-law of the emperor held her trembling son, remained silent for a moment, and then kowtowed heavily in the direction Xiao Yao had left.
The procession includes preparing the body for burial, mourning, and the funeral procession.
Once people leave, the trip becomes so boring.
There are already established rules for how to handle the affairs after the Venerable One's death; his relatives only need to follow the regulations of the Ministry of Rites.
Xiao Yao walked the entire route like a puppet on a string, and returned to his residence listlessly to observe mourning.
When the crown prince died, his brothers all observed a 35-day mourning period, and his grandson observed a 1-year mourning period.
Tormented by the funeral, Xiao Yao just wanted to sleep and see his older brother in his dreams, asking him if the other world was cold.
Ling Yi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Xiao Yao who had fallen asleep without even taking off his clothes. She slowly took off his outer garment and loosened his hair.
After a lengthy funeral procession, Xiao Yao had lost a lot of weight. His once round and childlike face had become angular, as if he had grown up several years in an instant.
Ling Yi looked at his furrowed brows, still furrowed in his sleep, and sighed inwardly.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from afar, then abruptly stopped in front of the door.
Ling Yi closed the bed curtains and stepped out of the room, where she saw Lu An standing at the door with a cold expression.
"What happened?" Ling Yi asked softly as she closed the door.
Lu An glanced around the room and said softly, "The heavy rains in the south during spring washed away the river embankment, which was built under the supervision of the Seventh Prince's maternal uncle."
"Nowadays, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is involved in the dike repair work, but he is embezzling funds for the water repair, causing people to be displaced. His crime is unforgivable."
The Assistant Minister of Revenue was a junior member of the Fifth Prince's maternal family.
This book doesn't refer to the supervisor, but to the Seventh Prince.
The undercurrents caused by the death of the crown prince eventually coalesced into a monstrous wave.
Qin lost his deer, and the world chased it.
The princes, in the prime of their lives, gazed at the throne that had been relinquished by the former crown prince, and finally could not suppress their inner desires.
They're all sons of the emperor; any of them could have taken that position!
As long as there are no other brothers, that position will be yours!
But the ambitious princes forgot that the person sitting on the throne was not only the arbiter of the crown prince position, but also an old man who had lost his eldest son and grandson one after another.
No one knows how he will deal with his eager sons.
But as everyone knows, the first two to jump out will be the least intelligent.
They will become the sacrifices that unveil the grand spectacle.