This is indeed a bit unreasonable.
Cheng Chi frowned and said thoughtfully, "Besides that, what else did you hear?"
Zhou Shaojin thought about it carefully and said, "I remember that year Bingwu, which is the 29th year of Zhide, my cousin Yi came to see me. I didn't hear anything before that. Suddenly, he said that my second uncle died of a sudden illness and he rushed to Xinglin Hutong." She looked at Cheng Chi with some guilt: "After I came out of Jiuru Lane, I rarely contacted Jiuru Lane. Even if I heard some news occasionally, it was just a few words. I didn't go to pay my respects when my second uncle died. I thought my sister knew about it at the time, so I didn't tell her about it. Later, my sister talked about it, and I realized that my sister also knew about it afterwards. When she went there, my second uncle's coffin had already gone south and returned to Jinling City. You also know that if my sister hadn't been in charge of the Liao family's household, she would not have had any contact with Xinglin Hutong for my sake. Since my second uncle died without her being informed of the funeral, how could she take the initiative to go to the sacrifice? Speaking of which, neither of us sisters burned incense for my second uncle..."
Cheng Chi said nothing, his expression solemn.
Zhou Shaojin hurried to comfort him: "Maybe I'm overthinking. At that time, my sisters and I were in such a bad situation with Jiuru Lane, and my second uncle died suddenly. Maybe everyone was in a panic and didn't take care of it for a while. Cousin Yi was called over because Cheng Zheng was already in Beijing at that time. The cousins still had contact with each other, and he went to Cheng Zheng's house to visit..."
Cheng Chi patted Zhou Shaojin's shoulder soothingly, interrupted her and said, "Let me think about it."
Zhou Shaojin immediately lay obediently in his arms and said nothing more.
But Cheng Chi asked her quickly, "You said that your second uncle passed away without informing your sister. Your sister knew about Xinglin Hutong because she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liao family and was in charge of the household affairs in the capital. In other words, the reason why Xinglin Hutong still maintained contact with your sister was because the Liao family and the Cheng family were old friends. Did you hear your sister mention that when your second uncle passed away, did other Jiangnan families, such as the Shen family and the Fang family, go to pay their respects?"
Zhou Shaojin said, "It was so quiet, there was no movement, that's why I felt it was strange! At that time, the ancestor of the second branch, Cheng Xu, was no longer around, and my second uncle was the oldest elder in Jiuru Lane. Moreover, my second uncle was a top scholar in the imperial examination, and he had been a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy for so many years. It was reasonable for the Cheng family to hold a grand ceremony, but it seemed like no one knew about my uncle's affairs..."
"That means they didn't inform everyone of the death. Even if they did, it was after the seventh day of my uncle's death, when the coffin had been moved south." Cheng Chi said, "You knew about my uncle's death because Cheng Yi happened to be with you. Did Cheng Yi come to say goodbye to you afterwards?"
Zhou Shaojin shook his head: "I just sent my servant to tell me that I really couldn't get away..."
Cheng Chi asked again: "Did he help carry the coffin south?"
"Um!"
"What about Cheng Zheng?" Cheng Chi asked, "You said that Cheng Zheng later studied with my elder brother, and then passed the imperial examinations to become a juren, jinshi, and shujishi. What about him? Did he go to see his second uncle off?"
Cheng Xu was disabled at that time, so Cheng Zheng, the nephew who had always been with Cheng Jing, was regarded by outsiders as Cheng Jing's designated successor. This relationship was even closer than that between him and his biological son.
"I don't know." Zhou Shaojin said dejectedly, "Cheng Yi only brought me a letter saying that there was no one in Xinglin Hutong and he had to help my second uncle with his coffin. As for whether Cheng Zheng went back, he didn't say, and I don't know either."
Cheng Chi sneered and said, "He definitely didn't go back. If he had gone back, it would not be Cheng Yi's turn to take charge of the situation. With Cheng Yi's character, he would definitely take the time to come and say goodbye to you. It was precisely because he really couldn't get away that he didn't come to say goodbye to you, but sent someone to tell you... Look at Cheng Yi, he probably doesn't like Cheng Shi either, but when he came to the capital, he still visited Cheng Shi according to etiquette... Didn't you say that he beat Cheng Xu for you? It shows that he really treats you like a sister..."
After hearing what Cheng Chi said, Zhou Shaojin also felt strange and said, "Yes! He and Cheng Shi were not on good terms at the time, but he didn't want to live with Cheng Gao, so he came to me... I thought he was just helping... No matter how deserted Jiuru Lane is, the death of my second uncle is a big deal, it's impossible that there is not even someone to carry the coffin south!"
She was very upset and said, "I didn't pay enough attention at that time."
"How can you be blamed for this?" Cheng Chi held her in his arms, gently stroking her back, and said, "If it were you, if it were anyone else, after going through something like that, it would be strange if they didn't turn the eldest house upside down. Not to mention that they would be thinking about how to save the Cheng family after returning!"
Zhou Shaojin blushed when Cheng Chi praised her, but then she felt a chill.
She looked up in surprise.
Cheng Chi's face was tense and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Shaojin's heart tightened as he looked at her, "Did something happen?"
Cheng Chi was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "If you remember correctly, the death of Second Uncle should not be simple. Either he offended the emperor, or someone killed him... Big brother didn't ask anything, didn't do anything, and just buried Second Uncle like this! If Second Uncle hadn't given in, could he have become a cabinet minister? Even if Second Uncle was indifferent to fame and fortune, he still hoped that he could be remembered in history, right? If Second Uncle hadn't stayed in the Hanlin Academy, how could Big Brother have had the opportunity to enter the cabinet? After all, he was just standing on the shoulders of the family and took a step forward... But he did this..."
He was more angry than ever!
Zhou Shaojin hurried to help him calm down.
"I'm fine!" Cheng Chi's jaw was tense, but he didn't relax. He said, "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at my elder brother... Maybe he was able to join the cabinet because of this incident!" There was a hint of malice in his words until the end.
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly reminded him: "Uncle's entry into the cabinet was after the new emperor ascended the throne..."
Before he could finish his words, both of them were stunned and looked at each other.
After a while, Zhou Shaojin took a breath and said, "No way? Maybe we are overthinking it!"
"I'm not suspicious at all." Cheng Chi said sternly, "I'm afraid this is the root cause of the Cheng family's troubles!"
"Wait a minute," Zhou Shaojin stroked his forehead and said, "I'm still confused."
They were talking about their second uncle, but somehow they ended up making Cheng Jing the reason why the Cheng family was confiscated and exterminated.
Cheng Chi's thoughts were moving too fast.
She can't keep up.
Cheng Chi also wanted to think about it and said, "In an official family, whether it is a wedding or a birthday, it is a good opportunity for each other to visit each other. As you said, after Cheng Xu passed away, my second uncle was the most senior in the family. My eldest brother was still in the position of Xiao Jiuqing at that time. It was reasonable and emotional to make a big fuss and use the opportunity of the funeral to attract the sympathy of my second uncle's peers, colleagues and close friends, so as to make some efforts to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister. But you see, at my second uncle's funeral, not only was there no imperial decree, but Cheng Yi was also asked to carry the coffin south. So I said that either the second uncle offended the emperor, and the eldest brother did not dare to organize a grand funeral for the second uncle. If the second uncle had not offended someone, the emperor turned a blind eye to it in order to protect this person, and the eldest brother pretended not to know for the sake of his own career and quickly buried the second uncle. "Speaking of this, a cold light flashed in Cheng Chi's eyes, "Learning civil and martial arts, and selling them to the emperor's family. That's just selling art, but it didn't make him sell his life to others, or sell the life of his second uncle who helped him wholeheartedly to others!"
His words were full of dissatisfaction towards Cheng Jing.
Zhou Shaojin was silent.
She also felt that Cheng Jing was wrong.
But that's just selling your skills, not risking your life, which doesn't seem quite right...
"So how the second uncle died is the key!" Cheng Chi said, his tone has become calm and rational, "Falling out with the emperor? What could make him fall out with the emperor? Although the emperor has always regarded the second uncle as a confidant, the second uncle has always put himself in a very positive position. Even if he is a confidant, he is just following the emperor's wishes and playing with him. He does not really regard himself as the emperor's confidant. But it is not right to say that the second uncle is only blindly obedient to the emperor. In the eyes of the second uncle, the common people and the country are what he really cares about.
"The only thing that could cause him and the Emperor to fall out is something like this.
“But my second uncle is not the kind of fool who thinks he can convince the emperor to act according to his wishes with just a few words or a look from the emperor.
"So the possibility of Second Uncle and the Emperor falling out is very small. And Second Uncle has always been valued by the Emperor. Even if there is any offense, the Emperor will not take Second Uncle's life.
"Unless my second uncle is involved in treason, or is colluding with some prince to covet the throne.
"But do you think it's possible?"
Not to mention Cheng Chi, even Zhou Shaojin didn't believe it.
She shook her head.
"Then he must have offended someone." Cheng Chi asked Zhou Shaojin, "In the 29th year of Zhide, the Crown Prince and the eldest grandson were both gone, right? I remember you said that the Fourth Prince succeeded to the throne in October of the 29th year of Zhide. When did the second uncle die?"
Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "It was in early September. I remember that my cousin Yi asked me to go climbing with him during the Double Ninth Festival. I was too lazy to move, so I didn't agree. But I still prepared food for him. But after he was called away, he never came back, and the food was finally given to the maidservants around him..."
The late emperor passed away and the emperor had to observe mourning for 27 days before ascending the throne.
The emperor ascended the throne on October 16th.
Cheng Chi's voice suddenly became unusually low: "The emperor should have been ill by then. Even if Second Uncle had offended someone, who could have made the people around the emperor so fearful?"
The fourth prince!
Zhou Shaojin almost blurted it out.
Cheng Chi's eyes were gloomy, and he said, "At that time, the emperor should have appointed the fourth prince as the crown prince. Second uncle clearly knew that he would inherit the throne, so why did he offend him? Isn't second uncle afraid of bringing disaster to the whole family? What could second uncle do to offend him? Why would he offend him?"
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Dear friends, today’s update!
Updated around 10pm.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: (continue to nag) ask for monthly tickets...
※(To be continued)