Chapter 141: Burial with the Dead

One day earlier.

It was the grand funeral of Liu Mingxian.

At the Liu family’s large residence, everyone wore sackcloth and white.

Countless segments of white silk hung above the blue bricks and gray tiles, like pairs of mourning couplets, extending into the depths of the large residence.

Outside the spirit hall, Liu Mingxian’s forty-plus concubines knelt in front of the hall, wailing loudly. They had cried for so long that their tears had dried and their throats were hoarse.

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

His expression was calm, as if watching a farcical matter that was unrelated to him from the sidelines.

At this moment, the attendant announcing names outside the door drew out his voice: “Jing Wang Fu, Jing Fei Madam arrives.”

Liu Kun’s expression finally rippled.

His gaze crossed over the crowd of prostrating mourners, through the sky well, looking towards the long and dim corridor opposite.

Jing Fei, supported by Chun Rong Momo, walked into the spirit hall and knelt on the ground with a thud, sobbing unable to speak: “Father.”

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

Liu Ge Lao did not help Jing Fei up, but slowly stood up, facing the coffin, his back to Jing Fei: “You are no longer a Liu family person. Why come back?”

Jing Fei crawled forward on her knees, kneeling at Liu Ge Lao’s feet and begging: “Father, I grew up here since I was small, your own flesh and blood, how am I not a Liu family person?”

Liu Ge Lao, with his hands behind his back, gazed at the coffin inside the spirit hall: “Ever since you were pregnant with Jing Wang’s child and had people calculate that it was a boy, you were even unwilling to return to the Liu family’s large residence. Since you were determined to only be Jing Wang Fei and not a Liu family person, why turn back?”

Jing Fei begged: “Father, it’s not that I don’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 large residence, he never once looked at me properly. What was the point of me coming back?”

Liu Ge Lao said: “You brothers and sisters, grew up here since you were small. Your elder brother went to Yuanjue Temple and completely cut off worldly ties. Your third sister died early due to misfortune, and 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 desolately: “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 twelfth year of Thick Virtue. At that time, the Liu family transported back eight roots of tower-like golden nanmu wood as pillars from the South Sea. This precisely represented the eight brothers and sisters of the Liu family then. The Liu family has a family precept: brothers are relatives, and they are not allowed to harm each other. This is what I taught you from a young age. 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 plot against the firearms of the Craftsmanship 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 sternly said: “Father, second brother harmed my child. He also sent people to kill Liu Shiyu, who is elder sister’s only flesh and blood. Ah. It was he who first wanted to harm me.”

Liu Ge Lao calmly said: “The current situation of the Liu family is all my fault for not teaching you 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, will break off our relationship and cut off ties from today onwards, so as not to implicate you.”

Jing Fei crawled forward on her knees, prostrating at Liu Ge Lao’s feet and sobbing: “Father, don’t say this. I won’t go back. Do you still remember? When I was small, you took me outside the residence to fly kites, you took me on spring outings, you took me to attend literary gatherings, you taught me zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting… That year when I was twelve years old, 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 pulled the string, I would fly back to your side.”

Liu Ge Lao smiled: “Now that I have cut off your silver, and the Liu family people outside no longer listen to you, you only then miss the good of the Liu family again?”

Jing Fei’s face gradually calmed down, and 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 not outwardly agree but inwardly oppose.”

Liu Ge Lao returned to the grand master’s chair and sat down, sighing: “You need to remember, the Liu family is not your Liu family or my Liu family. It is the Liu family of thousands and thousands of Liu family people. You and I are on the big ship of the Liu family, and can only accompany it for a short journey. The Liu family has had outstanding people generation after generation. It is nothing but ghosts protecting 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 plan 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. I want to do what 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. There’s no turning back. I will send a maidservant by your side. At a key time, you need to cooperate with her to do one thing.”

Jing Fei pressed on: “What does father want me to do?”

Liu Ge Lao said faintly: “Don’t ask what you are not meant to ask. You will know in due 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, but after the matter succeeds…”

Liu Ge Lao’s eyes were profound. He gently stroked Jing Fei’s cheek: “Your father 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 has been 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 Wang Ye’s heir. But Wang Ye still has one son, Zhu Yunxi. Father, I need a promise.”

Liu Ge Lao laughed: “You are a child of my Liu family, why are you crying and sobbing like this? 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 to vent your anger.”

The corners of Jing Fei’s mouth slightly curved up.

At this moment, Liu Ge Lao’s words turned: “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: “Why does father ask about him?”

Liu Ge Lao did not answer.

Jing Fei thought for a moment: “This person is quick-witted. He even discovered that the cup second brother gave me had a problem. Later, I plotted 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: “Didn’t see that eastern pearl. It should still be in his hand.”

Liu Ge Lao laughed once: “This child can indeed stay calm. Then the previous eastern pearl was not taken to exchange for money. I think the person who ruined my Liu family’s matter should be him. Who would have thought, such a person is only a medical hall apprentice… Come!”

Several black-clothed attendants opened the eight red lacquer doors of the spirit hall. Liu Ge Lao said to Jing Fei: “You go back first.”

Jing Fei hesitated for a moment, but finally stood up and left: “Daughter will withdraw first.”

After leaving the Liu family’s large residence, Chun Rong came up beside the carriage to support her. Jing Fei fiercely raised her wrist and slapped Chun Rong: “You inner and outer traitor!”

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

Inside the spirit hall, Liu Ge Lao sat on the grand master’s chair without standing up, just instructing a black-clothed attendant with a cold expression: “Tell Feng Mister, the old man wants Chen Ji, the golden pig and the human head, back before the seventh day to be buried with the old man.”

“Old grandfather, what about the heir and the county princess?!”

“I want them alive. Bring them back.”

At this moment, Chen Ji was walking on the small town’s coal slag road. On both sides of the road were the sounds of drunk men guessing fingers, pressing prostitutes, and shaking dice. No one noticed him at all.

But he suddenly discovered that when buying and selling things in this small town, they used not copper coins or silver, but wooden chips of branches. Without these wooden chips, even bringing silver was useless.

This way, 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 swagger in and buy medicine for Bai Li directly, but now he had silver and couldn’t spend it.

He could only wait until the medical hall closed and then go steal.

Just at this moment, a group of people and horses entered from outside the small town. Leading them was a middle-aged man wearing a green shirt. Behind him were dozens of riders, all black-clothed followers with stern expressions.

On both sides of the road, when the soldiers saw this group of people, they immediately stopped making noise, standing respectfully on both sides of the streets with their hands hanging: “Feng Mister.”

“Good evening, Feng Mister.”

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

Feng Mister’s eyes did not look sideways. He rode his horse to the front of a tavern. Inside, a group of soldiers was drinking.

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

The other soldiers, upon seeing this, hurriedly stood up, yet dared to be angry but did not speak.

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

Deputy General Li hurriedly climbed up from the ground: “Reporting to Feng Mister, the search and capture teams have already gone out. There is no news yet.”

Feng Mister smiled: “I am not satisfied with this answer.”

As he finished speaking, a black-clothed follower drew his knife and chopped. Deputy General Li’s head fell.

Feng Mister pointed at another soldier inside the tavern and said: “From now on, you will be in charge here, and don’t drink wine for now. Seal the entire military town. Search door to door. Arrest all suspicious persons you encounter.”

That soldier hesitated: “Feng Mister, our military town’s defenses are strict…”

Feng Mister laughed again: “You searched outside for a day and didn’t find the person. Since he’s not outside, then he’s definitely inside. How did I change people? Still just a noisy one. Change someone else to talk to me.”

The next moment, black-clothed followers rushed up, swinging their knives and chopping. Another head rolled on the ground.

Fresh blood splattered the entire tavern, turning it a scarlet mess.

A soldier wiped a handful of blood from his face, suddenly threw the wine bowl on the ground, and knelt on the porcelain pieces: “Feng Mister, this subordinate is willing to take on this heavy responsibility. Before the time limit, 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, and the old master also likes ambitious people. Go handle the matters. The person on the portraits is to be killed without mercy.”

The soldier took the portraits and unfolded them. Above was clearly a thin young man.

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