Chapter 141: Burial

One day before.

Liu Mingxian’s grand funeral.

In the grand mansion of the Liu family, everyone was dressed in white mourning clothes.

Countless segments of white silk hung above the blue brick and gray tile roofs, like pairs of mourning couplets, extending into the deep recesses of the grand mansion.

Outside the spirit hall, Liu Mingxian's forty-plus concubines knelt before the hall, wailing loudly. They had cried for who knows how long, their tears dried up, their throats hoarse.

Inside the spirit hall, Liu Gun, Liu Ge Lao, wearing gray clothes and a gray robe, sat silently on the grand master's chair beside the coffin, gazing at the Liu family members outside the hall who were wearing hemp and mourning.

His expression was calm, as if watching an unrelated drama.

At this time, the announcer servant outside the door drawled, "Jing Wang Fu Jing Fei Madam arrives."

Liu Gun's expression finally showed some ripple.

His gaze swept over the crowd of prostrate mourners, through the courtyard, looking toward the long and dim corridor opposite.

Jing Fei, supported by Chun Rong Momo, walked into the spirit hall. With a thud, she knelt on the ground, crying uncontrollably, "Father."

Several black-clothed attendants slowly closed the spirit hall’s eight red-lacquered grand doors, leading Chun Rong Momo away, leaving only father and daughter.

Liu Ge Lao did not help Jing Fei up, but slowly stood up, facing the coffin with his back to Jing Fei. "You are no longer a member of the Liu family. Why have you come back?"

Jing Fei crawled forward on her knees, kneeling at Liu Ge Lao's feet and pleading, "Father, I grew up here since I was small, I am your own flesh and blood, how am I not a member of the Liu family?"

Liu Ge Lao clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the coffin in the spirit hall. "Since you became pregnant with Jing Wang's son, and had someone divine it was a boy, you weren't even willing to return to the Liu family's grand mansion. Since you were so determined to only be Jing Wang Fei and not a member of the Liu family, why have you turned back?"

Jing Fei pleaded, "Father, it's not that I didn't want to come back, it's that grandfather only had Liu Mingxian, this grandson, in his heart. Every time I returned to the Liu family's grand mansion, he never once looked at me properly. Why would I come back?"

Liu Ge Lao said, "You brothers and sisters grew up here since you were small. Your elder brother went to Yuanjue Temple to completely sever worldly ties. Your third sister was unfortunate and died young. Now your second brother has also been harmed by the eunuch party..."

Jing Fei was silent.

Liu Ge Lao gently waved his sleeve, and said desolate, "Do you still remember what this room is called?"

Jing Fei hesitated a bit, "Tongxin Hall."

Liu Ge Lao said, "This Tongxin Hall was built in the autumn of the 12th year of Houde. At that time, the Liu family transported back eight towering golden nanmu wood pillars from the South Sea. They precisely represented the eight brothers and sisters of the Liu family back then. The Liu family has a family precept: brothers and relatives are not allowed to harm each other. This is what I taught you all since you were small. But you all forgot."

Jing Fei sobbed, "Father, I remember."

Liu Ge Lao asked, "You once met with the Secret Intelligence Department. At that time you said your second brother wanted to scheme for the firearms from the Crafts Bureau. Do you want me to continue?"

Jing Fei's face changed. She turned back to look for Chun Rong's position, but remembered the black-clothed attendants had taken Chun Rong away.

Jing Fei suddenly turned her head, looking at Liu Ge Lao and firmly said, "Father, second brother harmed my child. He also sent people to kill Liu Shiyu, who was elder sister's only flesh and blood. Ah. It was he who first wanted to harm me."

Liu Ge Lao said calmly, "The current situation of the Liu family is all because I did not teach you all well. Go back. The Liu family is about to be destroyed. Go back to Jing Wang Fu and be your Wang Fei. You and I, father and daughter, from today on, sever our grace and righteousness. To avoid implicating you."

Jing Fei crawled forward on her knees, prostrating at Liu Ge Lao's feet and sobbing, "Father, don't say that. I'm not going back. Do you still remember? When I was small, you took me outside the mansion to fly kites, you took me outing, you took me to attend literary gatherings, you taught meqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting... That year when I was twelve, you joked that when I grew up I would become a kite and fly to someone else's home. I said as long as you held the string, I would fly back to your side."

Liu Ge Lao smiled, "After I cut off your silver, you went out and found that the people from the Liu family no longer cared about you. Only then did you miss the good of the Liu family again?"

Jing Fei's face gradually calmed down. She let go of Liu Ge Lao's leg. "Father, daughter knows she was wrong. This time, daughter will listen to all your instructions, and absolutely will not outwardly agree but inwardly oppose."

Liu Ge Lao returned to the grand master's chair and sat down. He sighed, "You need to remember, the Liu family is not your Liu family or my Liu family, it is the Liu family of thousands of people. You and I are just accompanying this great ship of the Liu family for a short journey. The Liu family has talents generation after generation. Just like ghosts escorting it. If the heads of the Liu family generation after generation do not understand this matter, the Liu family also cannot accumulate this thousand-autumn foundation."

Jing Fei asked, "What does father want to do this time?"

Liu Ge Lao's expression flickered uncertainly in the candlelight of the spirit hall. "Once you start, there's no turning back the arrow. I want to finish the matter your second brother left unfinished."

Jing Fei trembled slightly. "Second brother was bold and reckless. Why does father also follow him and mess around?"

Liu Ge Lao sighed, "He left this mess. I have to clean it up for him. I cannot turn back. I will send a maidservant to your side. At a crucial time, you need to cooperate with her to do one thing."

Jing Fei pressed, "What does father want me to do?"

Liu Ge Lao said lightly, "If I don't tell you to ask, then don't ask. You will know at that time."

Jing Fei struggled for a long time, then crawled on her knees in front of Liu Ge Lao. "Father, I am willing to help you, just after the matter succeeds..."

Liu Ge Lao's eyes were profound. He gently stroked Jing Fei's cheek. "Dad now only has you, this one daughter, by his side. In the future, this world, this Liu family, will all be yours and your child's. This time, the Liu family was forced by your second brother to make a heavy bet."

Jing Fei slowly stood up, wiped the tears from her cheek, and said in a calm tone, "I should still be able to give birth to offspring for Wang Ye. But Wang Ye still has one son, Zhu Yunxi. Father, I need one promise."

Liu Ge Lao laughed, "This is my Liu family's child, crying and sobbing like what? You soon won't need to worry about Zhu Yunxi anymore. Perhaps in a few days you will receive news. Yun Fei and your second brother colluded, her child will also be eliminated together, and it will also vent your anger."

Jing Fei's mouth hooked up slightly.

At this time, Liu Ge Lao's words shifted, "Tell me about that little apprentice from Taiping Medical Hall, the one you promised two thousand taels of silver to buy your second brother's life, Chen Ji!"

Jing Fei was startled a bit. "Why is father asking about him?"

Liu Ge Lao didn't answer.

Jing Fei thought for a moment. "This person is quick-witted. It was he who discovered that the cup second brother gave me had a problem. Later, I schemed to frame him, but I don't know how he saw through it. I also lost an Eastern pearl you gave me."

Liu Ge Lao slowly said, "Later you sent people to various pawnshops to find that Eastern pearl. What was the result?"

Jing Fei shook her head. "We didn't see that Eastern pearl. It should still be in his hands."

Liu Ge Lao laughed once. "This child can indeed stay calm. So the previous Eastern pearl wasn't taken to exchange for money. Thinking about it, the one who sabotaged my Liu family's matter should be him. Who would have thought that such a person is just a medical hall apprentice... Come!"

Several black-clothed attendants opened the eight red-lacquered grand doors. Liu Ge Lao said to Jing Fei, "You go back first."

Jing Fei hesitated a bit, but finally stood up and left. "Daughter withdraws first."

After she was outside the Liu family's grand mansion, Chun Rong came up to support her by the carriage. Jing Fei, however, fiercely slapped Chun Rong on the wrist with her raised hand. "Inside-out thing."

Chun Rong timidly lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.

Inside the spirit hall, Liu Ge Lao sat on the grand master's chair and did not stand up. He just said coldly to a black-clothed attendant, "Tell Feng Mister that before the seventh day, the old man wants Chen Ji and the head of the Golden Pig person back to be buried with the old man."

"Grandfather, what about the World Son and County Princess?!"

"I want them alive, bring them back."

At this moment, Chen Ji was walking on the coal slag road of the small town. On both sides of the road, there were sounds of drunken finger-guessing games, calls to prostitutes, and dice shaking. No one at all noticed him.

But he suddenly discovered that when buying and selling things in this small town, they used branches of wooden chips, not copper coins or silver. If you didn't have these wooden chips, even silver was useless.

Like this, outsiders entering the small town couldn't move an inch.

Chen Ji stood in front of the medical hall silently observing. He had originally planned to swaggeringly buy medicine for Bai Li, but now he had silver but couldn't spend it.

He could only wait for the medical hall to close and then go steal.

Just at this time, a group of people and horses came into the small town from outside. Leading them was a middle-aged man wearing a green shirt. Behind him were dozens of riders with cold faces, black-clothed followers.

On both sides of the road, the soldiers who saw this group of people and horses immediately stopped their sounds and respectfully stood on both sides of the street with their hands hanging down, "Feng Mister."

"Feng Mister, good evening."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, turned and followed behind this team of people and horses.

Feng Mister's eyes did not look to the side. He rode his horse to a wineshop. Inside, a group of soldiers were drinking.

Feng Mister casually pointed, and immediately a black-clothed follower behind him leaped off his horse, grabbed a soldier from the wineshop by the hair, and dragged him out.

The other soldiers seeing this successively stood up, but they dared to be angry but not speak.

Feng Mister sat on his horse and casually said, "Li Deputy General, what time is it now? You still have the mood to drink wine?"

Li Deputy General hurriedly crawled up from the ground. "Reporting to Feng Mister, the search team has already gone out. There is temporarily still no news."

Feng Mister smiled, "I'm not satisfied with this answer."

As his words fell, the black-clothed follower drew his knife and chopped. Li Deputy General's head fell to the ground.

Feng Mister pointed at another soldier inside the wineshop and said, "From now on you will be in charge of this place. And first, don't drink wine. Seal up the entire military town. Search house by house. Arrest all suspicious persons."

That soldier hesitated, "Feng Mister, our military town is strictly defended..."

Feng Mister laughed again, "We've searched outside for a day and haven't found anyone. Since they're not outside, then they're definitely inside. Why has the person changed? Still someone who only knows how to babble. Change another one to speak to me."

The next moment, a black-clothed follower rushed up, swinging his knife and chopping. Another head rolled on the ground.

Fresh blood splashed the entire wineshop scarlet.

One soldier wiped a handful of blood from his face, suddenly threw the wine bowl on the ground, and knelt on one knee on the porcelain pieces. "Feng Mister, this subordinate is willing to take on this heavy responsibility. Before the time, I will turn the military town upside down. If I don't find the person, this subordinate will bring my head to see you."

Feng Mister became interested in this person. He threw a stack of white paper portraits onto this person's face. "Very good, I like ambitious people. The old master also likes ambitious people. Go handle the matters. The person on the portrait, kill without mercy."

The soldier took the portrait and unfolded it. On it was clearly a slender young man.