Unlike Qiu Yilan or what everyone thought, General Ruan walked very quietly.
Because the old man was seriously ill and could not speak or move at all. Therefore, when Ruan Qingyan and others were accompanying him, they would go up and check his pulse every once in a while to confirm whether he was alive or dead.
Then in the middle of the night, Ruan Qingyan discovered that the body temperature of the skinny body lying in the brocade quilt was still there, but his chest had calmed down.
When Dr. Qi arrived, it was already freezing cold even though it was summer.
"Ruan Hanlin, please express your condolences." When the old doctor Qi came, he knew it was just a formality. As expected, there was no need for him anymore when he met with old general Ruan. He comforted Ruan Qingyan and left.
At this time, Ruan Ciyi couldn't help but burst into tears. The eldest daughter of the Ruan family had a hard life. She had been pampered in Jinxiu Duili for nearly twenty years. She just came out of the cabinet and her grandfather was defeated in the war. Her husband was implicated and was demoted. About ten years later, my younger brother finally got me back to the capital, and it was time to say goodbye to my grandfather.
When she cried, Qiu Yilan, who was also a female family member, also had red eyes. The two cousins sat on the steps in front of the couch and sobbed, telling them how kind and amiable General Ruan was and how attached they were to him.
Ruan Qingyan had been sitting there blankly since he noticed that General Ruan was gone. Such a smart person could not say a word.
There was only one left, Fang Nongyan, who had been the county magistrate for more than ten years. Seeing this situation, he quickly ordered someone to come in and take care of him. He also sent someone to notify Ling Zui—because General Ruan would definitely leave in the next two days, and it was not appropriate to have outsiders at home at this time. , so although Ling Zui helped prepare things during the day, he said goodbye and went back to Jingchuan Hou Mansion at night.
Because Ruan Qingyan was so distraught that he could not ignore the matter, and Fang Nongyan was not familiar with the general's mansion, and secondly, it was his grandson-in-law who could not make the decision. Therefore, when Ling Zui arrived in a hurry, the Ruan family was in chaos.
Ling Zui didn't have the heart to scold him, so he found a few stewards of the Ruan family and told them to listen to the arrangements of the people he brought, and he rushed to the backyard to visit.
Seeing that Ruan Qingyan and others were so distracted, I couldn't help but comfort them, but in the end I realized that it was useless to say anything at this point. So he took care of himself, drove everyone out first, took the people in, wiped the body of General Ruan, took the shroud prepared long ago, put it on, and then carried it into the coffin and placed it...
Fortunately, he was known as a dandy and a debaucher in the capital. After all, he grew up in a large family and had participated in several red and white events in his life. He knew the general process and scene; and the stewards of Jingchuan Marquis Mansion were assisting him. , before dawn, the mourning hall is always decorated.
By this time, almost all the messengers had been dispatched to each family. At dawn, the gate of the square was opened, and people began to come to express their condolences one after another.
It's just because the Ruan family has been in decline for a long time, and Ruan Qingyan has never been married, and most of the guests coming in and out are male guests - because Qiu Hong and his wife are getting married, and although Qiu Mengmin is lower in seniority than General Ruan, he has a higher title, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't come in person. . Princess Yang had to make a trip in person, but she had nothing to say to the Ruan family and Qiu Yilan. After that, she walked away—until Qiu Nie came to visit with her sisters, Ruan Ciyi and Qiu Yilan Someone from Lancai expressed condolences: "Princess Princess and Miss Ruan, please express your condolences. The spirit of the old general in heaven cannot bear to see you two grieving like this."
"Sister Qiu and Qian'er are here?" Qiu Yilan's mood at this moment is definitely not as simple as Ruan Qingyan and Ruan Ciyi's sadness, but in terms of complexity, it is definitely unmatched by anyone - the one who never really said a word until his death. As an old man, even if he is lingering on the bed, living is a kind of protection... She has enjoyed such care in her past life and this life, and she has not been able to repay Yi Er for such care in her previous life...
In her previous life, she wanted to cry and vent countless times, but the tide of corpses and the arduous struggle... By the time she had time to cry, her heart had already been polished into stone.
This almost instinctive self-control has even been passed down to this life.
Tears fell one after another, but I couldn't feel the sadness flowing away. Instead, I felt more and more desolate.
She was chatting with Qiubo and Swing, but she was at a loss as to what she was talking about.
I don't know how long it took, but the swing screamed. Qiu Yilan slowly turned her head to follow the sound, and saw Ruan Ciyi holding the handkerchief and falling into Dong Ran's arms with a pale face!
"The eldest lady seems to have fainted from grief!" Dong Ran's face didn't look good either, "What should I do?"
"Hurry up and help your cousin lie down in the room for a while and make a bowl of honey water!" Qiu Yilan took a deep breath and ordered.
Dong Ran responded and called the two ladies in to help Ruan Ciyi's maid Su Xin help her lie down. He also told Qiu Yilan: "Princess, please take care of yourself!"
"I understand." Qiu Yilan smiled miserably, "Go and look at your cousin."
Dong Ran hesitated for a moment, but then said: "Qiu Ran will pass in a while."
Everyone knows this well - although Ruan Qingyan should pay more attention to Ruan Ciyi in terms of blood relationship, but perhaps because he met Qiu Yilan first and Qiu Yilan is his sister, Ruan Qingyan has always taken care of him as Qiu Yilan. Lan takes priority. As Ruan Qingyan's confidant, Dong Ran is of course more concerned about Qiu Yilan.
At this moment, of course, no one was uninterested in saying that the servants of the Ruan family were not as close to Miss Ruan as they were to Qiu Yilan.
After a brief silence, Qiu Bo resumed her words of persuasion, with Zhu Qian standing by to help her sister. Although the two sisters were talking about the same clichés of persuading people to express their condolences, their eloquent words could also convey some of their thoughts - At this moment, there was the sound of kicking footsteps outside. As the curtain was lifted, Fang Zijun came in and took a look. Without saluting or saying hello, he asked loudly: "Where is my aunt?"
Qiu Yilan didn't like him to begin with, but seeing his rudeness now made her feel even more disgusted, so she just wiped her tears and ignored him.
Qiu Bo and Zhu Qian didn't know Fang Zijun, so they didn't know who he was asking, so naturally they couldn't answer. However, Dong Ran straightened up slightly and said to him: "Young Master Fang, your aunt has gone home to change her clothes."
"Oh." When Fang Zijun got the answer, he didn't seem to want to stay with Qiu Yilan any longer, so he swung the curtain and ran away again.
After he left, Dong Ran explained: "There are few people in the house. When the maid came here just now, she saw that my uncle was taking care of the things ahead with Mr. Ling and had no time to take care of Young Master Fang. After all, Young Master Fang is young. "Xiao, if he knew that his aunt was so sad that he fainted, he would feel uneasy, so it is better to tell him that the eldest lady has gone home."
Qiu Yilan's mind was not on these matters at all now, and she said casually: "It's not a big deal, just send him away."
Qiu Bo and Zhu Qian heard that this tone was wrong. They thought Fang Zijun had never been here before, but they still chose words of comfort.
After a while, other female guests came.
This time the female guest surprised everyone, because it was actually Xue Sun, the eldest lady of the Xue family, who came with her daughter Xue Nongqing.
Although Qiu Yilan is now bothering the Xue family, Ruan Qingyan is always Xue Chang's disciple, and Ruan Ciyi faints in the room again, so she has to deal with it - Xue Sun saw that she was the only one here with the woman, and asked where Ruan Ciyi was. , expressed his condolences very sadly, and finally said: "Before we came here, Qing'er's grandfather asked us to ask, do you have any difficulties that require our family to help? After all, for such a big thing, you guys We are all young, so don’t be polite if you need anything!”
Xue Nongqing, the sixth grandson of the Xue family, has a fair face, bright apricot eyes, curved eyebrows and cherry lips, and is pretty with an innocent look. She looked at Qiu Yilan sympathetically and took over her mother's words: "Yes, my grandfather also said that he would ask for a posthumous title for General Ruan..."
Before she could finish her words, Mrs. Xue Sun pulled her back. Xue Sun's expression was not very good, but she still forced a smile and explained: "Qing'er and her grandfather meant this. After all, General Ruan also spent his whole life in the military. Even back then... But Qing'er and her grandfather can't decide this matter, it still depends on the Tian family's wishes... I hope you don't tell anyone first."
Qiu Yilan and others naturally agreed.
Mrs. Xue Sun took Xue Nongqing into the house to see Ruan Ciyi again, and then left.
After she left, Qiu Bo and Swing saw that it was getting late. After all, they only came here because Qiu Nie and Ruan Qingyan knew each other. It was impossible to spend the night at the General's Mansion, so they left.
Ruan Ciyi had just rested in the evening, her face was still a little sallow, but she insisted on coming to watch the vigil. Because Qiu Yilan was her granddaughter and she was young, everyone persuaded her to lie down in the back for a while.
Later, Qiu Yilan asked Dongran: "Do you think Xue Xiang is going to ask for a posthumous title from my grandfather... is it true or not?"
Dongran was the most trusted and well-established among Ruan Qingyan's maids. She pondered for a moment and said: "Originally, when an old minister dies, it is common practice for the heavenly family to reward some honors as a sign of grace. But, the old general..."
Queen Mother Gu was extremely furious at that disastrous defeat! General Ruan has been neglected for so many years and has not contributed much to the country or the court... Why should he enjoy the posthumous title
"Perhaps it's true." Qiu Yilan had another opinion, "The Ding and Yang families are fighting to the death, and now Prime Minister Xue has been dragged into the water. I think the neutral party is eager to do something to distract the attention of the government and the opposition. Looking for some breathing space?”
Dongran thought: "You mean?"
"After my grandfather was defeated in the war, it was Empress Dowager Gu who dealt with it." Qiu Yilan narrowed her eyes, "Empress Jiang has always been willing to play against Empress Dowager Gu; as for Xue Xiang, he needs to calm down Ding Qingyan for seducing Yang Yoshi and refusing to take responsibility, causing Yang Yoshi to commit suicide. Due to the turmoil in the Ding Mansion, and my cousin is Xue Xiang's disciple, Xue Xiang has a reputation for standing up for his disciple - thinking about it this way, there is still a possibility that my grandfather will be granted the posthumous title. "
Dong Ran thought for a while and said, "This sounds like a good thing."
"I'm afraid that my cousin will be dragged into Xue Xiang's troubles." Qiu Yilan naturally knew the meaning of her words, "But no matter what Xue Xiang does through the death of his grandfather, my cousin will always return to Laizhou to observe his filial piety. ” In this way, you can avoid the storm in front of you.
Dong Ran thought about it too.
Back at Green Rose Garden, Qiu Yilan slept for half the night. Although she was still very sleepy, she was afraid that Ruan Ciyi couldn't bear it, so she got up in a daze to replace her.
Ruan Ciyi saw that she couldn't open her eyes and refused to agree: "It's my turn to guard her, so you can go on to sleep."
"My eldest cousin just traveled a long distance a few days ago and she fainted during the day. Let me take over for a while. There may be a female guest coming tomorrow, and you have to come out to greet her." Qiu Yilan asked Qiu Ran to drag her away. She went to bed - although Ruan Ciyi was in the prime of life, she had been relegated to a higher position for more than ten years and lost three children in succession. After this shock, her body was really not comparable to that of the underage Qiu Yilan.
However, Qiu Yilan sent Ruan Ciyi away, and she couldn't hold on for long, so she fell into Dongran's arms to catch up on her sleep.
During this time, she seemed to hear something moving outside - she woke up near dawn and asked casually: "Someone was talking outside before?"
"The young master of the Fang family came to ask the eldest lady. The servants outside coaxed him away." Dongran said.
Qiu Yilan was a little surprised: "Why are you letting him run outside so late?"
"I think my uncle was tired and didn't go to see him. He wanted to see his parents." Dongran said.
Qiu Yilan didn't care much about this nominal nephew, but she still said: "It's better to give the servants around him a beating. Many houses in the general's mansion are so dilapidated that no one can enter. There are also several ponds in the mansion." . Don't let him run into trouble."
Dongran nodded: "My servant will talk to you later."
As it turned out, nothing happened to the General's Mansion because of Fang Zijun—it was the Fang family. At noon the next day, Qiu Ran lifted the curtain with a pale face and told Ruan Ciyi and Qiu Yilan: "The Fang family sent their servants to look for the uncle and the eldest lady. Aunt Yan had a miscarriage. It is said that she ate the cakes that the young master sent back last night."
Ruan Ciyi was shocked: "How could this happen?!"
After Qiu Yilan was stunned, she didn't think it was strange. She thought to herself: "It's not that that boy can't do such a thing. It's just that he was pretending to be well-behaved in front of his cousin. How could he do it so directly?" Looking at the shock, Ruan Ciyi was filled with anger, and her heart skipped a beat, "Could it be that you want to drag this eldest cousin into trouble, right?"