Chapter 131 The Honorable Marquis's Arrangement

Because of Sun Taifu's sudden passing, Marquis Zheng, who hadn't planned on entering Yingdu, had to detour there.

However, this time was different from the last time.

Last time, he had deliberately suppressed his speed, and to a certain extent, he was being "welcomed" and "eagerly awaited."

This time, he only brought Sword Saint and Chen Daxia with him, without even bringing his personal guards or riding his Pixiu. He entered the city directly with Xu Wenzu and his guards, who were riding Pixiu beasts.

Zheng Fan knew the Sun family's mansion like the back of his hand.

At this time,

on both sides of the mansion gate, servants with white cloths tied around their waists and black gauze on their shoulders were hanging white lanterns.

Outside, many stewards from wealthy families were also inquiring about the news.

After all, the official mourning hadn't started yet, so only those with extremely close relationships would come to take a look at this time, under the pretense of "family members" helping with the preparations for the funeral.

Xu Wenzu dismounted from his Pixiu beast.

His stature was too clear and too conspicuous.

The servants at the door immediately knelt down, and a steward knelt down in front of Xu Wenzu. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the man standing behind Xu Wenzu, who wasn't wearing black armor but was dressed in black brocade. His mouth opened again.

He recognized the Marquis of Pingxi, so he was caught off guard.

"Go, go, go!"

Xu Wenzu directly pushed the steward aside and walked in, Zheng Fan followed closely behind.

Inside the mansion, servants were making preparations for the funeral. Xu Wenzu and Zheng Fan went straight to the back house.

Before they even entered the back house, they heard crying coming from inside.

It was Sun Liang's crying.

"Father... Father..."

The calls came one after another.

It wasn't emotional, it was just wailing. The vocabulary wasn't rich, and there was no cadence, but it made people feel his grief at this moment.

The second son of the Sun family was actually quite ordinary. His position as the Yingdu Transport Envoy couldn't have been maintained without his father's support behind him. He might have been directly beheaded by the Prince of Jingnan to serve as a warning during the Chu campaign for delaying logistics.

But Sun Liang had one advantage: he was steadfast.

Among the masses of living beings, those who think they are clever are countless, but those who know their own shortcomings are few;

Sun Liang belonged to the latter.

Xu Wenzu walked over, and the Sun family relatives around him were somewhat surprised and fearful, but after someone took the lead, they all knelt down and saluted Xu Wenzu.

Sun Liang also turned his head, his face covered in snot and tears.

"Lord Xu... Lord Xu."

Sun Liang staggered to his feet, preparing to salute, but Xu Wenzu forcibly helped him up.

Inside,

in the newly arranged mourning hall, there was a coffin.

With the Sun family's status, Sun Youdao would naturally have prepared these things for himself long ago. Once he passed away, he could lie directly in it without delaying his reincarnation.

"Condolences," Xu Wenzu comforted.

Sun Liang nodded, grabbing Xu Wenzu tightly with both hands.

Then,

he looked at the person standing behind Xu Wenzu,

his body trembled slightly,

and he immediately knelt down to salute Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan also reached out to help him up and said,

"The incense altar hasn't been set up yet, so there's no rush to offer incense and return the salute. It's too noisy here, let these people go down for now. This Marquis wants to be alone with you and Taifu for a while."

This was a very inhumane request.

The beginning of a funeral was naturally chaotic, but who would dare to dislike the noise?

But the Marquis of Pingxi's status was different. To a certain extent, his words represented the rules.

Moreover, after losing Sun Youdao, the Sun family's prestige had declined too much, and they no longer had the qualification to argue or fight for it.

In other words, although Sun Taifu had retired and didn't care much about court affairs, as long as he was still alive, even if he was lying in bed in a coma, the Sun family's reputation was still there.

The goodwill that was maintained on Sun Taifu alone, among the Yan court, the Jin people, and the officials and dignitaries of Yingdu, was still there;

But when people leave, the tea cools.

It can't be said that everything disappeared in an instant,

but it was ultimately different.

Sun Liang immediately ordered his relatives and servants in the inner house to leave. Soon, the mourning hall became quiet. Sun Liang himself also left to tidy himself up.

This was the etiquette for receiving guests, and also the etiquette for holding a funeral. Earlier, it was because his father had just passed away and the official mourning hadn't started yet, so he could express his emotions freely and cry. But when the mourning guests came to the door, as the head of the family, as the filial son, he had to receive them and return the salute solemnly.

At this time,

in front of the mourning hall, only Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan, and Sword Saint, who was standing a little further away, were left.

Xu Wenzu took a deep breath, tears in the corners of his eyes, and his body staggered slightly.

Zheng Fan reached out and grabbed Xu Wenzu's hand.

Xu Wenzu's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at the mourning hall again, exerting force with his palm twice in succession.

Was this your arrangement?

Did you have Sun Youdao killed?

It must be said,

Fatty Xu suffered from the same symptoms as the previous Yingdu Prefect Mao Mingcai, which was the aftereffect of everything being under the control of the Marquis of Pingxi.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain this matter.

You, Zheng Fan, were passing through Yingdu today,

and Sun Youdao suddenly became happy, and then he passed away?

Zheng Fan shook his head slightly.

This matter,

really had nothing to do with him or the Marquis's mansion.

Xu Wenzu looked at Zheng Fan's eyes seriously, and finally, he let out a long sigh.

After a while, Sun Liang returned. Xu Wenzu took the initiative to walk over and said,

"This official will write a memorial to the court. In addition, this official will lead the funeral arrangements."

This was grace, and also honor.

Generally, only when a true elder statesman passed away would the court specially appoint a high-ranking official to oversee the funeral.

Yingdu was too far from Yanjing. By the time the memorial was sent and approved, it would be too late. Xu Wenzu's move was considered a preemptive strike, but it also represented the court's recognition of Sun Youdao's achievements in his life.

In the entire Yingdu, the person with the highest status was Prefect Xu Wenzu. His leadership of the funeral arrangements was the highest specification.

Next, the court would send down grace and honor, granting Sun Taifu a dignified passing. At the same time, Sun Liang would be promoted.

Of course, as a former official of the Cheng Kingdom, Sun Youdao was most worried about his posthumous reputation. Moreover, Sun Liang, the next generation of the Sun family, didn't have the ability to carry the banner. The dignity and honor of his father could only be sought with the help of outsiders.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Therefore,

Sun Liang took three steps back,

and kowtowed three times to Xu Wenzu in a very formal and solemn manner.

As a son, he should do so.

Xu Wenzu shifted half his body, accepting half of the salute, then patted Sun Liang on the shoulder and returned to the Prefect's mansion first. He would come again tomorrow.

At the entrance of the mourning hall, only Zheng Fan and Sun Liang were left.

"Liang thanks the Marquis on behalf of my father."

After Sun Liang got up, he kowtowed to Zheng Fan again.

It was well known that the person had an imperial order to go to the capital, and it had also been confirmed that he wouldn't enter Yingdu. Now that he had come, it must be for his father.

This was also a kindness.

"Get up,"

Zheng Fan raised his hand and took the initiative to enter the mourning hall.

Sun Liang got up and followed behind.

Sun Youdao's remains were lying in the coffin, having already been tidied up.

He was wearing the official uniform bestowed by the Dayan court after he was granted the title of Taifu.

"The clothes can be changed, changed to the official uniform of the Da Cheng Kingdom. I saw in Shishan that there was a side specially left empty in the mausoleum of the late Emperor;

It is said that it was specially reserved for Taifu.

This is a good story of ruler and subject, and it should be fulfilled."

Sun Liang was overjoyed, and then he solemnly saluted Zheng Fan again.

Only Zheng Fan could say these words, and only Zheng Fan could give this instruction.

Because he was a Dayan meritorious Marquis, a super-grade existence;

Even Xu Wenzu couldn't issue such a request to fulfill his wish.

Zheng Fan didn't look at Sun Liang, but leaned to the side of the coffin, placing one hand on the edge of the coffin.

The last time he saw Sun Youdao last winter, Sun Youdao was still quite energetic. Now, once a person passed away, he really took his energy and spirit with him;

The old man was unnaturally thin, a bit like skin and bones.

"Is there wine?" Zheng Fan asked, "I want to have another drink with Taifu."

"Please wait a moment, Marquis."

Sun Liang turned and left again,

Zheng Fan leaned against the coffin, continuing to look at the old man lying inside.

At this moment, he had a feeling that the old man would sit up again in the next moment and play a joke on him.

In fact,

Zheng Fan and Sun Youdao didn't have any life-or-death friendship,

but sometimes there was just a feeling of heroes cherishing each other.

Moreover, the old man's departure also marked the last nail being hammered into the coffin of the former Da Cheng Kingdom.

The old man became famous very late, but he met Situ Lei at the most opportune time;

From Situ Lei's hidden residence to Zhennan Pass, he supported Situ Lei step by step to achieve an imperial career.

In fact,

Zheng Fan, as a person involved in the military at that time, although he went south to Qian and didn't attack Jin in that three-kingdom war, he could clearly feel the attitude of the Yan high command, or Old Tian, towards the Situ family that was completely different from their attitude towards the Helian and Wenren families.

They really looked down on the Helian and Wenren families;

Since they dared to take the initiative to provoke,

Fine,

then they would directly beat you to death, destroy you to death!

But towards the Situ family,

You could understand it as Dayan having gone through a great war at that time, with great losses, and needing to slow down, but this, when associated with the later Chu campaign, which was forcibly promoted under such national distress and popular exhaustion, could be known that the high command of Yan, at that time, really didn't think they couldn't continue fighting.

It was purely because the Situ family, under the leadership of Situ Lei, was different from the other two families in the Three Jin.

It would be very difficult to take advantage of the remaining power of destroying the Two Jin to destroy the Situ family in one fell swoop.

In the end,

the only thing that could make your opponent respect you was your own strength.

Moreover, in the subsequent battles, the Yingdu area provided too much support for the Dayan army's logistics. This was... its foundation.

Sun Youdao helped Situ Lei establish the most powerful "Cheng Kingdom" in history.

It was a pity,

that it collapsed too suddenly.

Fate makes fools of people; such is the will of heaven.

However, these were not the reasons why Zheng Fan cherished the hero. After all, he had indirectly or directly chopped down two Chu pillar-of-state ministers. Seeing the so-called pillars of state for a long time, killing them many times, there was nothing strange about it.

Sun Youdao's withdrawal, that kind of truly waving his sleeves, letting go of his obsessions, choosing the most rational ending, and choosing a guilt-free ending, was what Zheng Fan admired and resonated with the most.

To a certain extent, it really coincided with Marquis Zheng's idea of spending all his wealth and opening an inn after he couldn't live his life anymore.

In this life, ah,

the more you've taken,

in the end,

the harder it is to let go.

After a short while,

cries and shouts came from outside again.

A servant came in carrying a wine pot and wine cups, his eyes were red, and he was holding back his sobs.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Fan asked.

Where was Sun Liang?

"Replying to the Marquis, the old madam followed the master," the servant said, "The young master has gone to see the old madam."

The old madam was Sun Youdao's old concubine.

Sun Youdao had left,

after she helped Sun Youdao to tidy up his remains, she also swallowed gold.

Before she left,

she said a sentence to the family members around her:

"The master can't be alone down there, I have to go down to serve him."

This was martyrdom;

Moreover, it wasn't forced martyrdom, it was a voluntary pursuit.

The reason was simple,

Sun Liang

didn't have the courage or the guts to do such a thing as forced martyrdom.

Before long,

Sun Liang returned. He was crying again, but when he walked into the mourning hall and looked at Zheng Fan, he forced out a smile.

According to the current fashion,

if a husband passed away and his wife took the initiative to follow him in death, it was a very honorable thing, meaning that the family style was very good, a family of etiquette.

But Sun Liang smiled and then covered his eyes with his hands again, crying.

His biological mother had passed away early, and that old concubine was actually like his mother.

"Marquis, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you can cry."

Sun Liang simply sat on the ground and began to wail again.

Two relatives had passed away in one day, and they were still close relatives. He really couldn't bear it. Only this kind of wailing could allow the grief in his heart to be released a little.

Zheng Fan poured a cup of wine and placed it on the coffin lid. Then, he poured a cup for himself,

and said,

"You are a smart person. Gou Moli also said that you are an extremely smart person, ha."

Zheng Fan drank this cup;

He didn't add more wine,

but continued to be silent,

Sun Liang continued to wail.

Sword Saint stood outside for a long time, and finally, he walked in.

After taking a look at Sun Youdao's remains,

Sword Saint drew his sword and saluted.

Then, he retreated.

Seeing this, Sun Liang hurriedly knelt down properly and returned the salute to Sword Saint.

At this time,

someone outside announced.

Sun Liang got up and left again.

He was a filial son,

and the Marquis of Pingxi was also here,

he was indeed busy, but he had to be busy.

Before long,

Sun Liang returned and said to Zheng Fan,

"Marquis, someone from the Prince's Mansion has come to ask for an audience."

"See this Marquis?"

"Yes, Prince Cheng wants to ask the Marquis to lift the ban on him so that he can come to pay respects to my father."

Ever since he was slapped left and right one after another, that Prince's Mansion had truly become completely like a quail.

Zheng Fan nodded.

"Thank you, Marquis."

Sun Liang got up again and went out to pass on the message.

Then,

Sun Liang walked back in, his forehead was already sweating, it was a cold sweat.

The mental blow, coupled with the repeated running around in the mansion, was really a bit unbearable.

Then,

Sun Liang knelt there again,

Zheng Fan still leaned against the coffin.

Sword Saint had already left early.

So,

in the mourning hall,

one was standing, one was kneeling, and one was lying down;

Zheng Fan didn't speak, Sun Liang didn't speak, and the one lying in the coffin couldn't speak even more.

But in Zheng Fan's ears, it was as if he was constantly hearing Sun Youdao nagging and nagging back and forth.

"Your father is really annoying," Zheng Fan said.

"Ah..." Sun Liang.

"I've never seen your father so annoying, really," Zheng Fan said again.

"Er..." Sun Liang.

Sun Liang really didn't dare to answer this.

Refute?

He didn't dare.

Yes, he, Sun Liang, was a coward, and he knew his own cowardice.

Therefore, he didn't dare to make any response to the Marquis of Pingxi's "crazy words" in front of his father's mourning hall.

But Marquis Zheng kept picking his ears, looking impatient.

This wasn't Zheng Fan pretending to be a ghost,

but he really heard Sun Taifu talking non-stop.

This was the true smart person, silence speaks louder than words.

"Okay, okay, this Marquis knows, knows."

"..." Sun Liang.

Sun Liang was horrified,

could it be that

Marquis Zheng really had the ability to communicate with ghosts and gods?

Perhaps he had just lost both of his parents and was a little dazed, or perhaps he had been frightened by Marquis Zheng leading troops into his home, or perhaps his own brain was really a bit stupid,

he actually asked,

"Marquis, what did my father say?"

Marquis Zheng sighed,

and said,

"Where's your brother?"

"Replying to the Marquis, my brother has always been confined in the inner courtyard of the house. My father gave a death order that he is not allowed to go out for the rest of his life."

This order was given in front of Marquis Zheng back then.

Zheng Fan nodded,

and said,

"The old man is gone, let your brother come out and kowtow to the old man, fulfill his duty as a son."

"This..."

Sun Liang was overjoyed and kowtowed to Zheng Fan again,

and said,

"Thank you, Marquis, for your kindness, thank you, Marquis, for your kindness. Liang will go call my brother!"

Sun Liang had always known that his brother Sun Ying was the true wise man who inherited his father's mantle. He was just an add-on, but he had never been jealous or dissatisfied.

Right now, he was sincerely happy for his brother.

The order issued by his father, no one in the Sun family dared to disobey, but the Marquis of Pingxi's order could.

Before long,

Sun Liang carried Sun Ying, who was wearing mourning clothes, over.

Because Zheng Fan had said earlier that he wanted it to be quiet, he didn't let the servants carry him in.

After placing his brother on the ground,

Sun Liang simply sat down on the ground, gasping for breath, his lips dry and his face pale.

"Father... Father..."

Sun Ying put his hands forward and cried loudly, looking at the coffin in the mourning hall.

He had never complained about his father confining him. He knew even more clearly what his father had paid for because of his own affairs. It was a lifetime of reputation!

His father could have completely escaped from the vortex and lived out his life as a surviving official of the Da Cheng Kingdom, but for his sake, he boarded the Marquis of Pingxi's ship.

Zheng Fan smiled,

turned his head,

looked at Sun Youdao in the coffin,

and pointed to Sun Ying, who was kneeling below,

and said,

"Are you satisfied now? Your son, I've let him out for you."

Sun Liang was dumbfounded;

Sun Ying continued to cry and beat his chest. Obviously, he had already guessed it.

"Sun Ying," Zheng Fan called out.

Sun Ying bit his lip hard, silenced himself, his lips bleeding,

and then,

lowered his head and pressed his forehead against the blue bricks.

"Ying... is here."

"Can this Marquis trust you?"

Sun Ying immediately raised his head,

looked at Zheng Fan,

and said,

"Ying will never betray the Marquis in this life."

Because,

his life,

his future that should have been blocked,

was what his father exchanged with his life!

Sun Youdao didn't die early, didn't die late, but waited until the day Zheng Fan passed through Yingdu to die;

Was this a coincidence?

Only a ghost would believe that it was a coincidence!

If he really couldn't move an inch and was on his last breath, how could he ask Xu Wenzu to leave a chair for him in the pavilion?

So,

when Marquis Zheng stood by the coffin,

the sound he heard in his ears

was all the dead Sun Youdao nagging non-stop,

He said:

his second son was stupid and couldn't support this family;

He said,

his eldest son was disabled, and was already unfortunate, and he couldn't bear to confine him for the rest of his life;

He said,

his Sun family, only this eldest son was like him, had strategies and schemes, and could be used;

He also said,

in this world,

besides you, Marquis Zheng, no one dared to use him.

Marquis,

just use him, just use him,

if you don't use him,

I, this old man, will die for you to see!

Ah,

I almost forgot,

I'm already dead,

I've already died,

I've already died as a show of respect!

What is a smart person?

In the first half of his life, he assisted the emperor in starting a business;

In his twilight years, he assisted his second son in supporting the family;

In his waning years, he, who might not be able to survive this winter, could still seek a future for his eldest son.

Anyway, he wouldn't live long, so it was better to seek the value of his death.

He died, making Zheng Fan have to use Sun Ying, and also helping Zheng Fan to confirm Sun Ying's loyalty;

If Sun Ying wasn't loyal, it would be in vain for his father to die. With this shackle, the Marquis of Pingxi could use his eldest son with peace of mind, and his eldest son could exert his talent to the greatest extent.

Ha,

one could only sigh: the hearts of parents everywhere are the same.

Zheng Fan reached out,

and said,

"Incense."

Sun Liang, who was already out of his mind, woke up as if from a dream, and immediately got up and handed the incense to Zheng Fan, and also placed an incense burner on the offering table in front of him.

Zheng Fan lit the incense on the candle,

and walked to the front of the offering table, facing the coffin.

The incense was curling,

it seemed that he saw Sun Youdao standing by the coffin, showing him an old fox-like smile.

Marquis Zheng shook his head,

inserted the incense into the incense burner,

smiled too,

turned around,

while walking down the steps,

waved his hand,

and cursed back:

"You old thing."

——————

I had something to do during the day, which affected my rest, so there will be only one update tonight. I'll try to write more tomorrow. Well, actually this chapter is almost 6k words.

Good night, hug everyone tight!