When Zhu Hai was halfway on his way south, he met Zhu Xiang's messenger.
Xinling Jun hanged himself and asked the King of Chu to withdraw his troops. Zhu Hai was escorted all the way south.
Such a big thing naturally got heard by the messenger sent by Zhu Xiang, so he came over specially.
Zhu Hai was in a daze all the way. Although he accepted the kindness of the Chu officials along the way, he never stopped and did not respond to any of them. He only took the shortest route and did not go into any towns he encountered along the way.
The scholars of Chu State admired Zhu Hai's loyalty to Lord Xinling and praised his seemingly self-abuse behavior.
They prepared food and supplies and gave them to Zhu Hai when he passed by. They also gave up their original plan to stop Xinling Jun's coffin and cry.
The scholars of the Warring States Period more or less still had some "chivalrous" spirit in their hearts. Although they were eager for fame, they also knew what was important.
When Zhu Hai received the request for an audience from Zhu Xiang's messenger, a crack appeared on his numb expression.
He didn't take a shower or change his clothes during the journey, and the linen clothes he was wearing turned black.
When he heard that the messenger of Duke Xiang of Zhu had arrived, he quickly washed his body with cold water and put on a set of cleaner clothes.
When the messenger sent by Zhu Xiang saw Zhu Hai, Zhu Hai's hair was still dripping with water.
The messenger hurriedly said, "Brave man, please dry your hair first. The weather is quite cold. Don't get sick."
Zhu Hai wiped the water off his head with his sleeve and asked, "Is this really the messenger of Duke Zhu Xiang?"
The messenger took out Zhu Xiang's letter and said sadly, "Yes."
The messenger said, "Brave man, you can read the letter to Lord Xinling."
Zhu Hai smiled sadly and said, "Yes, read it to the master father. You must read it to the master father."
When Zhu Hai left, many scholars sent him incense and candles.
Every night, Zhu Hai would light incense and candles for Xinling Jun.
The Qin State had official post stations for transmitting messages, and other countries also set up similar institutions for the transmission of military reports.
The post station also served as an official inn, providing a place for traveling scholars to stay.
Zhu Hai was allowed to use the post station by the King of Chu and the Lord of Southern Chu. The messenger was not supposed to come to the post station of another country, but he used money and cloth, and the post station clerk turned a blind eye.
The Chu State's management of the movement of common people was relatively loose, and after the civil war, grassroots management was basically paralyzed.
The people sent by the Chu State to guard the coffin of Lord Xinling were very curious when they heard that the visitor was the messenger of Duke Xiang of Zhu.
Unfortunately, the other party refused to communicate with others, so they could only gather together and guess, but they didn't know what Zhu Xianggong wrote to Xinling Jun.
Some people say that Duke Zhu Xiang had just lost his good friend Chunshen Jun, and now another good friend Xinling Jun was also forced to death. I wonder how sad he must have felt.
Zhu Hai had good hearing. After hearing these people's sighs, the expression on his face, which had become a little more lively when he saw the messenger sent by Zhu Xiang, became numb and stiff again.
Zhu Xiang's letters have never been very literary. They are just plain words and even a bit long-winded.
He thought he would read it haltingly, but unexpectedly he read it very smoothly in one breath and could even imagine the tone of Zhu Xiang's voice when he wrote the letter.
Zhu Xiang did not say anything important in the letter. He just cursed the King of Chu for causing trouble again and the King of Wei for not immediately standing up to defend Lord Xinling.
He said that the two allied forces would definitely withdraw before the spring plowing, and asked Xinling Jun to be patient, and if he couldn't bear it anymore, he could come to Southern Qin.
He drew a kind of fruit called lychee, saying that the fruit would quickly lose its flavor if it was away from the branches. He wanted to try to grow it but had no idea. When Xinling Jun came to Southern Qin, he asked Xinling Jun to grow lychees with him.
As Zhu Hai read the letter, he started crying again, having not cried for many days.
He thought, if only Zhu Xianggong's letter had arrived a few days earlier.
If he had come a few days earlier, would the Lord Father have given up the State of Wei and the King of Wei and really gone to Southern Qin to grow litchi with Duke Xiang of Zhu
Zhu Xiang's messenger was next door and heard Zhu Hai crying all night.
The next day, both of them were in good spirits, and Zhu Hai's mood also returned to normal.
He put the letter in his arms and said that when Xinling Jun was buried with him, he would bury the letter with him.
Perhaps it was when reading the letter that the emotions that were deeply suppressed in Zhu Hai's heart were released a little, and Zhu Hai spoke a little more.
He sighed to the messenger about his extravagant hope yesterday: "If only the letter from Duke Xiang of Zhu had arrived earlier, perhaps the Lord Father would have listened to Duke Xiang of Zhu's advice."
However, the messenger did not comfort Zhu Hai.
"When the King of Wei said that because of Xinling Jun, the State of Wei was in danger, how could Xinling Jun have the face to meet the ancestors of the State of Wei? Xinling Jun must die." The messenger said coldly.
The punctuation of his words was strange, and the broken sentences were very short, but there was a magical rhythm in them, which sounded sonorous and powerful.
"As a prince of Wei, it is more embarrassing for the King of Wei to say that he has no face to see his ancestors than to sentence him to death directly." The messenger paused, a self-deprecating sneer appeared on his face, "If the King of Han said this about me, I can only die to show my determination."
The messenger took a deep breath, picked up the bamboo tube, and drank the cold water in it, as if to extinguish the depression in his heart: "It's a pity that I am not as good as Xinling Jun and Chunshen Jun. The King of Wei and the King of Chu at least know their talents, will use them, and will be jealous of them. But the King of Han can't see me at all."
"Excuse me, sir?" Zhu Hai then realized that the messenger might have an unusual identity, and quickly asked.
The messenger said indifferently: "I dare not call you a duke. I am Han Fei, a branch of the Han clan."
In order to try his best to persuade Lord Xinling, Zhu Xiang sent a messenger who turned out to be Han Gongzi Fei.
Han Fei had no way to save his country and knew that Han would be destroyed. After being persuaded by Zhu Xiang, he wanted to "hide in the court" in Qin State, and after the demise of Han State, he would take on the important task of taking care of the royal family of Han State and continuing the incense of Han State.
So Han Fei would not seek death.
Zhu Xiang thought that Han Fei's situation might make Wei Wuji empathize with him and allow Wei Wuji to follow Han Fei's path.
But Zhu Xiang was just a commoner after all, a commoner from two thousand years later, so he didn't know what kind of words would be the sharpest knife to these dignified descendants of the royal family.
The words of the King of Wei spread so widely that it made people wonder why the private words of the King of Wei, who was far away in Daliang, could reach the ears of the scholars of Chu so quickly.
When Han Fei heard what the King of Wei said, he felt sad.
As Master Fei of Han, he knew that Master Wu Ji of Wei was probably doomed to die.
Prince Wu Ji of Wei was different from him.
He was just a side branch of the royal family. Although he could shamelessly call himself "Master Han", he was actually very distantly related to the King of Han.
If he had a bit more shamelessness, he could have cut ties with South Korea, but he was concerned about South Korea and was unwilling to abandon it.
Prince Wuji of Wei was the younger brother of the King of Wei and one of the people closest to him, so he naturally had a heavier responsibility.
The monarch is the "head of the family" of a clan.
Even if the King of Han told Han Fei, a member of a side branch of the royal family, that Han Fei had no face to see his ancestors, Han Fei still committed suicide to show his determination, let alone Wei Wuji
Therefore, as long as Wei Wuji is still Prince Wuji, and still the bright and handsome Lord Xinling, he has no choice but to die.
Zhu Xiang couldn't save him, and no one could save him.
Unless Wei Wuji no longer wants to be Prince Wuji.
But how could Wei Wuji not be Prince Wuji
Zhu Hai was silent for a while after hearing Han Fei's words, and then he smiled: "Yes, a young master is a young master."
His smile didn't seem too depressed, but rather seemed a little relieved.
His master, Gongzi Wuji, could only choose this path. He lamented the death of his master and hoped that he would regret it, which was an insult to his character.
Zhu Hai said: "I didn't expect that Duke Zhu Xiang would send Prince Fei as a messenger."
He really didn't expect it.
The reputation of Han Gongzi Fei had spread to the world, and Zhu Hai knew that Han Fei was a lone and arrogant talent. He did not expect that Han Fei would actually play a small role like a messenger.
Han Fei said: "Duke Zhu Xiang is like my teacher. I dare not disobey my teacher. Besides, I also want to talk to Lord Xinling."
Pity.
Zhu Hai and Han Fei both sighed in their hearts.
Han Fei did not comfort Zhu Hai, but told him that Xinling Jun would die and no one could save him. Zhu Hai felt more relieved than after hearing other people's consolation.
Now that he had met the messenger of Duke Xiang of Zhu, there was no need for him to be feigned courtesy to the people on the road.
Han Fei was not alone in delivering the letter.
Even though he expressed confidence in his ability to travel alone, Zhu Xiang still gave him a team of guards, who also served as guards for Lord Xinling.
Zhu Xiang really hoped that Xinling Jun could go south.
Han Fei first sent someone on horseback to report to Zhu Xiang, and then he and Zhu Hai traveled day and night to escort Xinling Jun south.
Only five days later, Zhu Hai and Han Fei met Zhu Xiang.
In ancient times, the actual control area of the government was very narrow, basically a circle of land near the town, and there was wilderness between the cities.
After the King of Southern Chu moved the Chu people northward, a large piece of wasteland served as a buffer zone between Guangling City and the city of Southern Chu, and troops were stationed only at important checkpoints.
This wasteland does not mean that there is no one living there. There are people, but there is no government to manage it.
Zhu Xiang led a team of cavalry and left Guangling City a hundred miles to meet them, but the Southern Chu Kingdom turned a blind eye and did not make any response.
They didn't dare to react.
"Duke Zhu Xiang." Just by looking at the white hair, Zhu Hai would not mistake him.
When Zhu Hai saw Zhu Xiang, he cried again.
Zhu Xiang did not hold hands with Zhu Hai and look at each other with tears in his eyes. Instead, he hugged the sturdy man in his arms and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work."
Zhu Hai is not only a commoner, but now he is also dirty and smelly.
Zhu Hai seemed at a loss.
But he did not struggle to break free. Instead, he buried his face in Zhu Xiang's shoulder and sobbed even louder.
A tall and strong man curled up in Zhu Xiang's arms like a child, looking very strange.
But Zhu Hai was really tired and didn't care about his image anymore.
Zhu Xiang's hug was just right for him who was tired.
Zhu Xiang patted Zhu Hai on the back, and after Zhu Hai had finished crying, he continued, "I'll change Wu Ji's coffin."
Zhu Hai stood aside with his hands hanging down, allowing Zhu Xiang to open Xinling Jun's coffin.
Although the weather was cool, Xinling Jun's body had already shown signs of decay after more than half a month.
No matter how bright and handsome a person is, he will rot and become infested with worms after death, turning into a pool of foul-smelling corpse water.
Ying Xiaozheng also followed Zhu Xiang to welcome Xinling Jun.
Although he had met Xinling Jun once when he was young, he did not have many memories of him.
Seeing the blue-faced corpse of Lord Xinling and smelling the stench in the coffin, he looked very unhappy.
Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji's expressions remained the same.
Perhaps the couple had seen so many corpses that they had become immune to it.
When Zhu Xiang decided to invite Xinling Jun to Southern Qin, Xue Ji asked the Weaver Girl at home to prepare clothes for Xinling Jun.
When Han Fei sent someone to deliver the letter, Xue Ji ignored Zhu Xiang's obstruction and sewed clothes for Xinling Jun personally day and night, saying that she would give them to Xinling Jun so that Xinling Jun could be buried in the new clothes.
This couple, who were probably the most disregarding of etiquette among the Warring States nobles, were like the undertakers and makeup artists of later generations. They stripped off the old clothes that had become one with the corpse of Xinling Jun, washed the maggots off the corpse with strong liquor, then wrapped Xinling Jun's body in white cloth and put new clothes on him.
The person who hanged himself had an ugly face, so Zhu Xiang used the prepared "paint" to make up Xinling Jun.
Finally, Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji helped Xinling Jun tie up his dry hair and put on a crown before letting Zhu Hai carry Xinling Jun to another coffin.
The bottom of the coffin was covered with orchids and mugwort. After Xinling Jun lay down in it, the stench of corpse was covered up.
Zhu Xiang put some valuables to press down the coffin of Xinling Jun and spread silk on Xinling Jun's body.
Xue Ji picked up a basket of picked peach blossoms and poured them into the coffin.
Zhu Xiang ordered his men to close the coffin while he said, "He once said that peach is the most delicious fruit among all fruits. Now the peach blossoms are blooming in Nanqin. Since there are no peaches, I will reluctantly offer peach blossoms as a sacrifice to him."
There are few kinds of fruits at this time, and peach is one of the most delicious fruits.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many stories related to peaches, which shows how much the nobles loved eating peaches.
Even in myths and legends, the fairy fruits eaten by the gods in heaven must include fairy peaches.
Zhu Hai had never thought that Zhu Xiang would actually send Han Gongzifei as a messenger to persuade the Lord to go south; now he had no idea that Zhu Xiang would do such a thing for the Lord.
Even the closest relatives would be disgusted by the rotting corpse of their loved ones.
Zhu Xiang did not cry so hard that he could not walk like the other scholars who paid tribute to Lord Xinling along the way.
He kept frowning and didn't even shed a few tears.
But Zhu Hai believed that Zhu Xianggong's friendship for the Lord Father was indeed the deepest among all of the Lord Father's friends.
So at the last moment of his life, the Lord Father was still thinking about drinking the last jar of wine with Duke Zhu Xiang.
After Zhu Xiang finished everything, he asked Zhu Hai: "Are you going to guard the tomb of Lord Xinling in the future?"
Zhu Hai nodded: "Yes."
Zhu Xiang said: "When Qin conquers Wei, you will escort Lord Xinling back to his country. So please take care of yourself."
Zhu Hai nodded: "Yes."
He no longer had any feelings about the destruction of the Wei State.
Now that Lord Xinling was dead, how could the State of Wei not be destroyed
He is still alive, so there is no need to dig out his eyeballs and hang them on the city gate of Daliang so that he can see the moment when the Qin army breaks through the city gate of Daliang.
He could go and see it in person, see it with his own eyes, and then carry Xinling Jun's coffin into Daliang with his own hands.
He could even dig up the King of Wei's corpse and throw it to wild dogs to gnaw on.
Xinling Jun would definitely not agree with Zhu Hai's approach. But Xinling Jun was already dead, and Zhu Hai was like a wild beast without a bridle, and no one could stop him.
Zhu Xiang said: "Before the fall of Wei, stay with me. If you want to serve in the army, you can also follow Li Mu."
Zhu Hai had to observe three years of mourning for Xinling Jun and treat him with the most stringent etiquette for treating a "father".
What Zhu Xiang mentioned would have to wait until Zhu Hai completed his mourning period.
When Zhu Xiang returned to Guangling City with Xinling Jun's coffin, every household in Guangling City was in mourning for Xinling Jun.
Guangling County Magistrate Chen Qi was both excited and at a loss.
How could his small city of Guangling become the resting place of Lord Xinling
Even though they knew that Lord Xinling would definitely move his mausoleum back to his hometown of Wei, the people of Guangling City still fought over where Lord Xinling should be buried.
This group of people took out the tombs they had chosen, saying that their own tombs were the most auspicious, and asked Xinling Jun to lie down first.
As the prefect of Wu County, Ying Xiaozheng was forced to serve as a referee for this group of people.
It was a rare occasion that Prince Zheng of Qin encountered a difficult problem.
Ying Xiaozheng was a man who refused to admit defeat. For this matter, he read many books and learned the techniques of geomancy and alchemy in order to determine which cemetery was more suitable for Xinling Jun.
Zhu Xiang looked at Ying Xiaozheng's determination to "never be inferior to others in his life" no matter what the situation was, and could only hold his forehead and sigh.
Although there were cries when Xinling Jun was buried, it was not as sad as when Xinling Jun was buried on his way south. Instead, there was a much more solemn feeling.
Although Guangling City was small, Zhu Xiang was surrounded by many Confucian scholars, and even some were from Wei.
They dug up the ceremonials of the Wei State and found that although the burial of Lord Xinling was simple, the etiquette was not inferior at all.
Zhu Hai was moved by Zhu Xiang again.
Zhu Xiang didn't feel moved at all.
He thought he would cry when he saw Xinling Jun, but when he saw Xinling Jun's face, which was covered with corpse spots and could no longer be seen, Zhu Xiang could not cry.
He just felt depressed, very depressed.
On the first day after the burial, Zhu Xiang built a hut in front of Xinling Jun's tomb, saying that he wanted to spend the seventh day with Xinling Jun again.
Even though the seventh day after Xinling Jun's death had passed long ago, the counting should start from the time when he buried Xinling Jun.
Whatever Zhu Xiang said was the truth, and even Ying Xiaozheng didn't dare to refute it at this moment.
Everyone could see that Zhu Xiang was furious.
Only Xue Ji dared to persuade him: "When you are guarding the spirit of Lord Xinling, you must take good care of yourself and don't get sick."
Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "I won't get sick. I still have you, Zheng'er, and Cheng Jiao to take care of."
Xue Ji said unhappily, "It's me, Zheng Er, and Cheng Jiao who take care of you!"
Zhu Xiang said shyly: "Take care of each other, take care of each other."
Xue Ji left some clothes for Zhu Xiang and asked Zhu Hai to help take care of Zhu Xiang before leaving with the two children.
Zhu Xiang was very courageous.
It happened that the weather was good that night, so he did not go back to his thatched hut to sleep. Instead, he made a bed on the ground in front of Wei Wuji's tomb, which was too simple for his status as a feudal lord.
Zhu Xiang doesn't even eat vegetarian food.
He brought good wine and food, and after paying tribute to Wei Wuji, he drank and ate in front of Wei Wuji's tombstone, muttering that he wanted to eat up all of Wei Wuji's offerings.
Maybe it was because he ate too much, but Zhu Xiang soon fell asleep in front of Wei Wuji's tombstone, holding the wine jar.
Zhu Hai sighed and covered Zhu Xiang with a quilt.
"You Zhu Xiang! You said you came to pay tribute to me, but you actually stole my offerings!"
When Zhu Xiang opened his eyes, Wei Wuji's slightly teasing laughter rang in his ears.
Zhu Xiang said angrily: "I have tried so hard to persuade you not to die many times. This time I even risked sending Han Fei to comfort you. But you still hanged yourself just for a few words from the King of Wei. Are you worthy of me? What's wrong with me eating some of your sacrifices?"
Zhu Xiang saw the handsome young man in front of him.
Wei Wuji's appearance was exactly the same as when he said farewell at Handan.
The man on the street is as beautiful as jade, and the young man is unparalleled in the world.
(End of this chapter)