Chapter 42: The Death of the Nation

The remnant sun is like blood, the fallen leaves are scattered, and most of the vendors in the lively Hefang Street during the day have closed their stalls, which seems a little deserted. Zhen Fu, the head of the household department, rode in a carriage and passed through Hefang Street to prepare to return home. Around Zhen Fu's carriage, there were twenty-four guards with swords on horseback, led by two guards, playing the official card of evasion.

Not far ahead, a team of happy relatives greeted them, blowing and blowing, coming head-on. The bridegroom at the front is dressed in a wedding dress and wearing red flowers, and rides on a tall horse. Behind him were his retinue carrying dozens of large red boxes, and the drummers surrounding the procession, blocking the entire street.

Zhen Fu's carriage stopped, and the two guards carrying the evasive sign galloped forward, ready to let the welcoming team get out of the way. The guards with knives on the side of Zhen Fu's carriage surrounded Zhen Fu's carriage in the innermost. One of the guards said to the other on the horse: "It's really an evil sect, how can there be a happy event at dusk?" ”

Before the words fell, the windows facing the street on both sides of their heads suddenly opened. Cold arrows poured down like a torrential rain with the sound of the wind, horses neighed, carriages rolled on their sides, and most of the guards who were ambushed were shot off their horses. In the shops on both sides, many people with machetes poured out, and the team of the groom officials in front of them also shouted in unison and rushed over with weapons.

The leader of the guards who was responsible for escorting Zhen Fu, although he was seriously injured, still blew the whistle for help, and for a while, the sharp and poignant whistle resounded throughout the street.

The news of Zhen Fu's death was soon reported by Pegasus to the Yangyuan Water Pavilion in the palace, where Empress Dowager Xu, Qian Hongzuo, and Hoopoe Nan were eating together.

Empress Dowager Xu specially arranged this meal in order to deepen the non-existent relationship between Qian Hongzuo and Hoopoe Nan. But when the news of Zhen Fu's assassination was hurriedly reported by the panicked chamberlain, the Empress Dowager Xu, who had always been quiet, slammed down the table in front of her. The food was scattered all over the floor, and the plates and bowls were shattered.

The twenty-four guards who followed Zhen Fu were all killed, and when the Assassins were outnumbered by them and most of them were wounded, they fought to the death, not allowing the Assassins to cut off Zhen Fu's head, but what they saved with their lives was only Zhen Fu's entire corpse.

When the news came back to Zhen's mansion, Mrs. Zhen fainted and fell to the ground, and after many days of fear, she finally completely collapsed at this moment.

Because it was a homicide case, the bodies of Zhen Fu and all the guards were carried to the Yamen room of the Criminal Department for an injury examination. The next day, the family was notified to collect the body.

The family members who go to collect the corpse, regardless of dignity or inferiority, according to folk tradition, need to walk to the morgue. The coffin could not be pulled home by a horse-drawn carriage, but carried all the way back by a person to show respect and guidance for the deceased.

The coffin was just bought, there were no mourning clothes, Zhen Jinshu just wore a set of white clothes as mourning clothes. Her mother fell ill in bed, there was no male at home, her family had no relatives in Hangzhou, and she had nothing to rely on, so she could only take several domestic servants by herself, supported by a maid, and walked to the yamen of the criminal department in a drowsy manner.

She didn't know how to face her father's remains, she didn't know how to deal with her father's funeral, and she didn't even know if she could go to the yamen of the criminal department, so she fell halfway. She couldn't even cry, she just felt like the world was spinning.

Suddenly, a girl in white chased after her from behind, she held a big box in her hand, bowed down to Zhen Jinshu and said: "Little maid Xiang'er, on the order of the old lady, brought the master's shroud, and the old lady ordered to let the master work in the criminal department, change it for the master and then go back to the house." ”

Zhen Jinshu didn't understand what was going on, the little maid who claimed to be Xiang'er had already handed the shroud box to a manservant, and she stepped forward and hugged Zhen Jinshu.

It wasn't until this moment, in a drowsy manner, that Zhen Jinshu recognized that the little maid in white was Xie Xiangcun in disguise, holding Xie Xiangcun's hand holding him, leaning on his shoulder, Zhen Jinshu's tears flowed down, and he couldn't cry.

Xie Xiangcun hugged her tightly to prevent her from falling, and tears were rolling down, after a while, Xie Xiangcun wiped away her tears and said: "Miss, everything in the family is now supported by you, you must take care of yourself!" ”

Zhen Jinshu choked up and said, "Okay." ”

Xie Xiangcun supported her and continued to move forward.

With Xie Xiangcun's support, Zhen Jinshu seemed to walk more smoothly, and his mind gradually cleared up. He asked quietly, "Did ...... 'Madame' send you?" The "lady" asked by Zhen Jinshu in this sentence refers to the Empress Dowager Xu.

Xie Xiangcun said briefly: "I'm afraid that Miss will have another accident and come here secretly." ”

Hearing that Xie Xiangcun was not sent by the Queen Mother and the Holy Lord, Zhen Jinshu stopped asking, walked forward silently, and held Xie Xiangcun's hand harder and harder. At this moment, Zhen Jinshu's arrival of Xie Xiangcun is no longer enough to describe it as grateful.

When I came to the Yamen Workshop of the Criminal Department, there was already a cry inside, all of them were the family members of the guards who came to receive the corpse, from the gray-haired old man to the baby still in the mother's arms, crying heartbreakingly, crying painfully. The corpses were carried out of the room covered with a white cloth, which was covered with blood.

Because Zhen Fu was an important minister of the imperial court, his body was parked in a separate small room, Zhen Jinshu and his party stopped outside the door, Xie Xiangcun said to Zhen Jinshu: "Miss, I'll take someone in to have a look, you wait here first." ”

Several male servants entered with Xie Xiangcun, and the maids who came with them helped Zhen Jinshu and others outside. As soon as a few people entered the house, there was a cry from inside the house. Zhen Jinshu's heart was as if it had been torn apart, her face was pale, and she hurriedly squatted on the ground under the whirlwind, and the maid patted her back, lest she faint.

After a while, a manservant walked out and said to Zhen Jinshu: "The master's neck was almost cut off by a knife. Miss Xiang'er was sewing for him, and he told Miss not to go in at this moment. ”

Zhen Jinshu closed her eyes, she hated that she was useless, hated why she wasn't a man, and hated that she didn't even dare to walk into this room. But she finally followed Xie Xiangcun's words.

After a while, the male servants came out one after another, shuttled and fetched water in, saying that Miss Xiang'er was cleaning the body of the master. After a while, he came out again and told Zhen Jinshu that the master's shroud had been worn. But Zhen Fu's body was still not carried out. A manservant came out to tell Zhen Jinshu that Miss Xiang'er was grooming the master. The male servants who were originally rough and leafy were extremely meticulous today, and reported to Zhen Jinshu from time to time about the situation in the room. Zhen Jinshu knows: It is not them who are meticulous, but Xie Xiangcun, who commands them.

Finally, the manservants came out and opened the lid of the coffin, Zhen Jinshu and the maid knelt by the coffin, Bai Juan covered Zhen Fu's body with all her body, Xie Xiangcun hugged her head, and the others raised their feet and gently placed Zhen Fu in the coffin. Zhen Jinshu kowtowed and kowtowed.

Xie Xiangcun instructed the manservant to close the coffin lid, slowly lifted the coffin, and then walked to Zhen Jinshu's side and said, "Miss, I'll help you, protect the coffin, let's take the master home." The master went very peacefully, and I believe that he will definitely be able to return to the Pure Land. At the end of the sentence, tears were already rolling in his eyes, but he forcibly held them back.

Everything was busy but not chaotic, in an orderly manner, Zhen Jinshu, supported by Xie Xiangcun, walked with the coffin. When Zhen Jinshu returned, she found that many ordinary people were also like herself, dressed in white, kneeling on the side of the road, kowtowing to her father's coffin.

When everyone returned to the door of Zhen's mansion, Xie Xiangcun let go of Zhen Jinshu's hand and said, "Miss, I'm going back, you must take care." The old man died for the country, the man of Wu Yueguo will not let him hate Jiuquan!!"

Zhen Jinshu nodded tearfully and said, "Thank you." ”

Xie Xiangcun bowed to the coffin again, and then turned away. The figure is fast, and it disappears without a trace in a moment.