The situation in the capital city of Jianye was just as Duan Canghai had guessed. The Black Knife Battalion was transferred to the capital to defend the imperial city, while the Yulin Battalion that originally defended the imperial city was transferred out of the capital and stationed fifteen miles north of the city.
Martial law began to be enforced in the city that night.
Even in border towns, martial law will not be enforced easily unless there is a critical moment. Not to mention the capital of an empire, martial law will herald that earth-shattering events will happen.
The Black Knife Battalion guards the imperial city, while the gates outside Jianye City are guarded by the Tiger God Battalion. In addition, the Tiger God Battalion also mobilizes part of its troops to coordinate with the Kyoto government officials to patrol the streets and alleys of the capital.
For Jianye City, such a solemn atmosphere has not appeared for many years.
On the day of Jinyi Hou Qijing's funeral, martial law was still in place in the city. Not many officials from the capital came to see him off, but the people in the streets he passed spontaneously mourned silently on both sides of the road.
According to the status of Jinyi Hou Qijing and his contribution to the empire, the scene of the funeral procession seemed a bit shabby.
Qi Jing's burial place is located on the bank of Zhongshan Mountain east of the capital. There is a vast mausoleum here called the "Zhongling Mausoleum". The founder of the Chu Kingdom specially ordered this "Zhongling Mausoleum" to be built. It is a supreme honor to bury loyal ministers and generals who have made great contributions to the empire to be sent to the "Zhongling Mausoleum" for burial after their death.
Qi Jing is the pillar of Da Chu, so he naturally has a place in Zhongling.
It would take a day's walk from the capital to reach Zhongling, and it would take at least three days before and after the burial. As Qi Jing's eldest son, it was inevitable that Yang Ning would lead the funeral procession.
The Third Old Master also went with the team this time, but neither the Fifth Master nor the Sixth Master showed up.
When the team set off from Jinyihou Mansion, the number of people was not too large, only about two hundred people. However, as they went to the east gate, there were more people following the team, and most of them were people from the capital who had respect for Qi Jing. , when they arrived at the east gate, there were nearly a thousand people in the team, meandering like a long dragon.
Although the capital was under martial law and all the gates were closed, when the team came to the east gate, it immediately opened. Every few steps on both sides was an armored soldier standing solemnly with a spear. When the team passed by, the soldiers on both sides were They all knelt down with spears in hand to show their condolences to this famous general of the empire.
Yang Ning saw it and knew in his heart that Qi Jing had an extraordinary status in the hearts of Chu soldiers.
The east gate was not far ahead. Yang Ning saw a large group of people gathering in the dark under the gate. When the team approached, a large group of people quickly came over.
The first man was wearing black armor and was tall. He was less than forty years old. When he walked, he walked with the steps of a dragon and a tiger. He looked majestic and looked like a good man.
Manager Qiu raised his hand and signaled the team to stop. The man in black armor walked forward quickly, suddenly fell to his knees, took off his helmet, and all the soldiers behind him also knelt down. At the same time, After taking off his helmet and putting it aside, he kowtowed to Qi Jing's coffin together with the man in black armor.
Manager Qiu had already moved closer to Yang Ning and whispered: "Your Majesty, this is Commander Xue Lingfeng, commander of the Tiger God Camp, Commander Xue, an old subordinate of the general."
Before the funeral, Gu Qinghan had already taught Yang Ning in detail the various etiquettes he would encounter on the way. Yang Ning remembered it in his heart and knew that he should step forward to return the favor at this time.
Accompanied by Manager Qiu, he stepped forward, only to see Xue Lingfeng's expression was solemn, her eyes were slightly red, and she was kowtowing. At this time, her forehead was split and blood was flowing out.
"Commander Xue, please get up quickly, please get up quickly!" General Manager Qiu stepped forward to support Xue Lingfeng, "The commander-in-chief knows his thoughts and will definitely comfort him."
Yang Ning had already saluted Xue Lingfeng and all the soldiers. Xue Lingfeng stood up and walked up to Yang Ning without looking at Manager Xue. He was tall and taller than Yang Ning. Looking at Yang Ning, he pondered for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty, I was once a subordinate of the general. The general's kindness to me will never be forgotten in this life. If you have any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me. As long as you can, you will never dare to decline!"
Yang Ning cupped his hands and said: "Xue...Uncle Xue, my father...my father has passed away. I will have to trouble Uncle Xue a lot in the future. My nephew, I would like to thank you in advance!"
There was a hint of surprise in Xue Lingfeng's eyes, as if she was surprised that Yang Ning could be so decent. There was a hint of relief in her eyes. She nodded slightly, without saying a word, stepped aside, got out of the way, and said in a deep voice: " Send off the general!" He knelt on one knee again, and all the soldiers on the city side knelt down, looking dignified and solemn.
Manager Qiu was about to let the team start again when he heard a voice from behind: "Wait a minute!" The voice was loud, and then the sound of horse hooves was heard. Everyone turned around, only to see that the crowd behind them had already moved out of the way, and soon they were Several people were riding Pegasus. Yang Ning looked over and saw that one of them was wearing a light yellow brocade robe, a crown on his head, and a long beard. When he got close, he had already turned over and dismounted.
"It's King Huainan!" Manager Qiu lost his voice and said, "Your Majesty, quickly... go and greet King Huainan."
Yang Ning was startled. Although he didn't know much about the Chu State's system, he knew that the king was much higher than the marquis. He didn't want a Huainan king to suddenly appear at this moment.
The King of Huainan was in his early forties, with a noble temperament. After dismounting, he quickly rushed to the large carriage pulling the coffin. When he got to the coffin, he suddenly fell on the coffin, tears instantly flowed out, and he said sadly: "The way of heaven" It’s unfair, you, the heroic Marquis of Jinyi, have been invincible on the battlefield for half your life, but now... Now your soul has returned to Jiuquan, the pillars of my great Chu have collapsed, and my heart is like a knife...!"
The funeral procession was already sad. At this time, King Huainan cried loudly, and many people also burst into tears. Even the kneeling soldiers on both sides raised their hands to wipe away their tears.
Yang Ning was stunned for a moment, wondering who the King of Huainan was. Judging from his sincerity, he seemed to be really sad about Qi Jing's passing, and his appeal was also very strong. But why did Gu Qinghan never mention this King of Huainan? I have never seen King Huainan go to Jinyihou Mansion to worship.
King Huainan looked sad and suddenly took two steps back and was about to kneel down. Manager Qiu was already at his side and hurriedly stopped him, saying: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't do it, you can't do it, this... this is not in line with etiquette!" "
King Huainan said: "Why can't I do it? Just because I am a prince, I can't kneel down and worship the Marquis of Jinyi? The Marquis of Jinyi has made great contributions to our great Chu. The peace and prosperity of our great Chu country are all due to the blood of the Marquis of Jinyi and countless soldiers." Yes, not to mention that by kneeling down, I am exchanging my life for Marquis Jin Yi, and I will never give up." He pushed Manager Qiu away and actually knelt down.
At this time, I heard whispers from all around, and many people had admiration on their faces.
King Huainan kowtowed several times in succession before being helped up. He turned around and saw Yang Ning standing aside. He walked over, reached out and took Yang Ning's hand, and said gently: "Is this the Prince of Jinyi?"
Manager Qiu hurriedly said: "Exactly!" He winked at Yang Ning, and Yang Ning said: "Qining has met the prince!" He tried to kneel down, but King Huainan stopped him and said: "No need, my prince. I just came here to see Jin Yihou off for the last time, I can’t let him leave in a deserted way.”
His words didn't sound inappropriate, but Yang Ning vaguely felt that there was something in them. She secretly thought that the number of people attending the funeral today was not small. Many people were worshiping on the roadside along the way. Although it could not be said to be extremely lively, but it was In fact, it is not enough to be deserted.
The King of Huainan said that he would not let Marquis Jinyi leave in a deserted manner. There was something strange in his words.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard again, and then a high-pitched voice said: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, the Holy One has a decree, the Holy One has a decree!"
He saw a few fast horses galloping towards him. When Yang Ning saw this, he thought that these people really knew how to choose the right time. When the Jinyi Marquis Mansion was holding a funeral, no one was seen, either from the King of Huainan or in the palace. Now the funeral procession has to be Out of the city, the king of Huainan and the emperor's orders were delayed.
"Hey, that's Eunuch Fan from the palace!" When Manager Qiu saw the visitor, he hurriedly said to Yang Ning, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Fan is the Chief Supervisor of Ceremonies."
Eunuch Fan was nearly fifty years old, slightly chubby, but had a kind face and his eyes seemed to be narrowed. When he came closer, Yang Ning discovered that Eunuch Fan was born with a pair of small eyes.
Behind Eunuch Fan were four or five attendant eunuchs. When he saw King Huainan standing next to him, Eunuch Fan suddenly smiled and bowed forward: "I've met the prince!"
The King of Huainan said calmly: "Eunuch Fan arrived in time. If he had been a moment later, Jinyihou would have left the city. If he could catch up with the Holy Master's will at the last moment, Jinyihou Quanxia would be relieved if he knew about it."
Yang Ning was a little surprised when he heard that his tone was full of sarcasm. She thought to herself that the King of Huainan was really courageous. He actually mocked the emperor in front of the eunuch, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, but she didn't know that he already had resentment towards the emperor. I still have to hold on to the injustice for Jin Yihou.
Eunuch Fan was still smiling and said: "Marquis Jinyi is a great hero of Chu. Your Majesty will never forget Marquis Jinyi." After coughing, he said in a high voice: "Your Majesty has a decree, and Prince Jinyi will accept it!"
Yang Ning had never seen such a scene, and Gu Qinghan had not expected that the emperor's decree would be issued at this time, so Yang Ning really didn't know what the rules were for receiving the decree.
Seeing that Yang Ning was a little stunned, Eunuch Fan smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you don't need to think too much. This is not the palace. There is no need to bother. Just kneel down and receive the order."
Yang Ning was furious, thinking that it was really not easy to get along in this era. The prince he was pretending to be now had a noble status, but not long after, he was kneeling back and forth for three days, and even his knees were fucking unbearable. Live, but at this time, under the gaze of everyone, there is nothing you can do.
However, I thought that this time the imperial edict came, there should be some rewards. The Jinyihou Mansion was a little tight on money. The tax money from Jiangling had not been delivered for a long time. Gu Qinghan was still worried about money in the past two days. , if the palace gives a reward at this time, it will be a timely rain, which can solve the immediate urgent needs of Jinyihou Mansion.
Before Eunuch Fan read out the imperial edict, he heard the sound of horse hoofbeats. Only then did Yang Ning realize that King Huainan had already left on horseback with his men.
"Blessed by heaven...!" Eunuch Fan opened the imperial edict and read it out. Yang Ning didn't care about those gorgeous words, but he concentrated on wanting to know how many rewards the palace could give. He just listened to Eunuch Fan like a monk chanting sutras. , chattering for a long time, first praising Qi Jing's achievements, and then expressing the sorrow of the world for Qi Jing's passing. They chattered for a long time, and when Eunuch Fan received the imperial edict, he did not hear a word of reward.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. The whole country is saddened by the death of Marquis Jinyi. You should also take care of your health." Eunuch Fan rolled up the imperial edict and sent it over. Yang Ning took it and then stood up, cursing secretly in his heart: "Sad, sad , I am so sad for your mother, such a big court, such a great hero and general passed away, and an imperial edict is all nonsense, without any real thing, this is the real sadness."
He was annoyed, but couldn't show it. Just as he was about to thank him, he suddenly noticed a pair of eyes behind Eunuch Fan staring at his face. He looked over and saw several other eunuchs behind Eunuch Fan lowering their heads, except for one. The eunuch raised his head slightly, his eyes scanning his face.
Yang Ning was just thinking about why this damn eunuch was so ignorant of the rules. When he saw the man's face, he was startled at first, and then his heart dropped.