Da Suining

Chapter 91
Baxi saluted Lu Yu.

Lu Yu saluted Xiang Suining again.

Everyone saluted and stood in the inner hall to talk.

Although the candles were rustling in the inner hall, it was very gloomy because of the coffin.

Another one or two officials came to pay homage. Judging by the Buzi on their bodies, they should be from the third rank.I didn't burn the paper when I entered the inner hall, but just said to Baxi, "Elder Baxi, we have been here, you can remember." After saying that, he ran away.

Baxi went out and went to see her off in person.

According to the time, Eunuch Chang's servant burned the paper money again, perhaps because the burning was not complete, the paper thread floated up and down, and the palm-sized paper thread just fell into Eunuch Chang's coffin. Covering Eunuch Chang's face.

The house slave didn't dare to do anything wrong, and didn't dare to take the paper thread from Eunuch Chang's face.

After Baxi came back, Prime Minister Suining reminded him that he rolled up his sleeves and stretched his arms into the coffin: "How can you let something block your father-in-law's face? How can father-in-law see such a long Huangquan Road?"

With his hand around, he took out the paper money, and everything returned to normal.

People from the Ministry of Rites came to call Baxi and asked him what Eunuch Chang liked before he was alive, and wanted to order some paper goods for Eunuch Chang, such as paper people, paper horses, sedan chairs, beds and so on.

Baxi went to the wing room to talk to the people in the Ministry of Rites.

Xiang Suining signaled Lu Yu to look into the coffin.

Lu Yu was not very happy: "What's so interesting about a dead person?"

"Come here." Xiang Suining called him, "Do you see something unusual here?"

Lu Yu stepped forward in small steps: "What's unusual?"

Xiang Suining clasped his hands together and bowed to Eunuch Chang's coffin, "I'm sorry, Eunuch." She pointed to Eunuch Chang's neck and showed it to Lu Yu, "Are there two strangle marks here?"

"How could there be strangle marks? People say that Eunuch Chang suffered from asthma and suffocated to death." Lu Yu didn't believe it, so he poked his head around and couldn't help but let out a "huh": "It's strange, why is Eunuch Chang's neck sore? There are purple and black strangle marks in it? And two?"

Just now, Baxi brushed the paper thread off Eunuch Chang's face, and accidentally touched Eunuch Chang's clothes, and the bruises on his neck were exposed.

"You are a doctor, what did you think of?"

Lu Yu held his chin: "Although I am a doctor, I have never worked as a clerk, and my ancestors have never been in this industry, but no matter whether I am a doctor or a clerk, there is always something in common. In my opinion, this purple-black strangle mark is Among them, the thin one seems to be left from a rope, and the thick one seems to be left from a ribbon or something, Eunuch Chang..." Lu Yu hesitated to speak.

"You say it."

"I shouldn't have said these things to a girl like you, but if you want to know, then I will tell the truth." Lu Yu cupped his hands and bowed to the coffin: "Eunuch Chang, what an offense." Then he turned to Xiang Suining Explanation: "My father walks in the palace all the year round, and I know a thing or two about the eunuchs' hobbies in the palace. Eunuchs have been cleansed since they were young, and they were required to purify their six faculties, but eunuchs are also human beings, so how can they be pure? At a certain age, eunuchs have needs and have nowhere to vent, so they tend to take unusual paths. For example, there was an eunuch in the palace who wrapped several layers of oilcloth on his head at night, touched himself to vent, and was finally killed alive. Suffocated to death, if the young lady in the same room hadn't overheard his moaning every night and reported it, who would have thought that such a thing would happen? So the strangle marks on Eunuch Chang's neck..."

"Stop talking, it's impossible." Xiang Suining interrupted Lu Yu.

"I just mentioned one of the possibilities, and I didn't mean to insult Chang Gonggong."

"I know your doctor knows far more than us, but judging from the strangle marks, what do you think is the biggest possibility?"

"Strangled."

Xiang Suining nodded.

"You mean that Eunuch Chang was strangled to death?" Lu Yu lowered his voice and said: "Eunuch Chang is the emperor's favorite eunuch, not to mention walking sideways in Qingcheng, no one would dare to offend him, right? Such a popular eunuch , who dares to strangle him to death? Don’t you want to kill him? According to my father, Zhou Sheng, the official of the government office, also came to see him, and he didn’t raise any objections.”

"You also saw the scar."

Lu Yu was silent.

If Eunuch Chang really died by himself, how would the two strangle marks on his neck be explained?

If Eunuch Chang was strangled to death, why did everyone from top to bottom say that he was out of breath and suffocated to death?

The burnt yellow paper in the inner hall was covered with a layer of ashes, and Nana's smoke shrouded Xiang Suining like a layer of mist. She felt that Eunuch Chang's death was not that simple. Baxi came back.

Lu Yu seemed to want to ask him about the strangulation: "You know—"

Xiang Suining grabbed Lu Yu's sleeve in time.

Lu Yu is so smart, he quickly changed his words: "You know we've been here for a while, and it's time to go back. Let's leave."

Xiang Suining was also blessed.

Baxi personally sent the two of them out of the mansion. Just as they walked down the steps, they saw a coachman approaching in a gray-covered carriage. He was about forty years old, wearing a gray shirt, and was dirty.

Xiang Suining was very impressed with him. One was that he had only one eye, and the other eye must have a problem and was covered with a black hood.The second is that the carriage passed by the gate of Changfu, and a bucket of horse manure just slipped from the carriage, and the horse manure was dumped at the gate of Changfu. The stench was so strong that several guards covered their noses.

It was the time of the funeral for Eunuch Chang, and it was obviously not a good omen to make such a pile of horse manure, soupy and smelly, but fortunately Baxi was soft-hearted and did not embarrass the driver, but called The house slave cleaned it up with the sweeper, and then apologized to Xiang Suining: "I'm so sorry, I frightened the girl."

Looking at the Changfu from a distance, it is all plain white.

The people in the Ministry of Rites are very efficient in their work, and they have already sent people to the paper making shop to buy a lot of paper goods. The three-horse-drawn carriage alone is twice as big as an ordinary human carriage, and the workmanship is very high. Exquisite, the hair on the horse's back is distinct, and the tail is just like the real thing.In addition, four fair-faced virgins and two pale-faced virgins were impaled, presumably to serve Eunuch Chang. In addition, countless gold, silver and jewels were pierced.

Mingzhu followed from a distance, seeing this pile of white-headed and white-faced things, she was a little scared, so she couldn't help running a few steps faster, getting closer to Xiang Suining.

Xiang Suining walked side by side with Lu Yu, talking softly.

"Why did you come to your house?" Lu Yu said, "Where's your father?"

"He doesn't want to come."

"I don't know what these old men are thinking, but my father's little third grader refused to come. He only said that he wanted to see the nobles in the palace. He was afraid that he would get overwhelmed by going to Eunuch Chang's place and he would not be able to serve the masters. He also said that he is busy, don’t I know if he is busy or not? Since the day before yesterday, he has been resting in the mansion, playing with birds every day, and his little son’s medicinal materials have been cooked.”

"Then why are you here? Are you afraid that your father will find out?"

"My mother asked me to come."

"Your mother?" Xiang Suining couldn't think of the friendship between Lu Yu's mother and Eunuch Chang.

"Did you forget? Ah Shui has a close relationship with Mr. Chang. Ah Shui is now my mother's maid. She is very sad to learn that Mr. Chang is gone. My mother sees her and misses her filial piety, so let me It's not my father's business." Lu Yu straightened his sleeves and asked Prime Minister Suining: "Just now in Chang's mansion, since you found the unusual strangle marks, why didn't you tell Baxi? It's not that he belongs to Chang's father-in-law. Apprentice, is he like Eunuch Chang's half son? Maybe he knows something inside?"

"When he was picking up paper money just now, he obviously saw strangle marks. He didn't say anything, obviously because he didn't want us to know, so why should we talk too much? Kuang Yong, we don't have a clue now."

Before I knew it, I had reached the street where Liuyunfang was located, and it was still a bustling scene.

The shop of Liuyunfang is not small, and the signboard is conspicuous. Tong Siyue waved a handkerchief and instructed the embroiderers to fold the clothes, and put them gently into a square box, and told a woman who was running errands: "You Go and send it to the Chang Mansion, this is the mourning clothes that Eunuch Chang will wear, after that, if they ask you to help dress, you can help, and the shop will give you half a penny."

The mother-in-law backed away again and again, not even daring to pick up the clothes. Although she worked in Liuyunfang, doing sweeping or occasionally giving away clothes, she always gave them to noble ladies. She has never delivered any dead people, let alone clothed the dead, and she does not have this item in her business. Although she has to support her family, she dare not take this job.

While evading, Xiang Suining and Lu Yu were already in front of them.

"Sister, Mr. Lu." Tong Siyue blessed the two of them, collected their clothes and brought them into the house for tea.

After drinking tea, Tong Siyue unfolded the clothes for them to see.

The fine silk and satin, exquisite embroidery, and the gold thread on the cuffs dazzled the eyes.

It really is a well-made dress.

Liuyunfang has always lived up to expectations.

"It's a pity that my father has been very busy recently. My brother has gone to the south of the Yangtze River to look for goods. My mother is a woman. It's not easy for women to go out, and I don't dare to find others to deliver clothes rashly. I'm afraid something will happen. Right now, women And he refused to give it away, so..." Tong Siyue sighed.

Xiang Suining glanced at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu pretended to drink tea.

"Have you finished your drink yet?" Xiang Suining asked him.

"Okay, okay, send the Buddha to the west, can't I help you?"

"Send it tomorrow, I'll be there too." Xiang Suining walked back, Lu Yu followed her, folded a wicker to make a ring, and tried to put it on Xiang Suining's head. The second time, I missed it, picked it up again and tried it again, but still missed it.

Xiang Suining turned his head back: "Would you like to send clothes tomorrow?"

"Although I have no official status, I am also a person who keeps my word. If I promise you, I will send it."

"Tomorrow you have to dress up as a servant, don't dress like today, you will be found out." Xiang Suining told him.

Xiang Daying was not happy about Xiang Suining's visit to Changfu to pay homage.

Xiang Suining came back with a burst of smoke and fire, and Tang Xiaoniang also asked people to make grapefruit water, so that the women would pour it on her when they saw Xiang Suining, and only said to go to get rid of bad luck. After seeing the mother-in-law, she personally took a water ladle and poured water at the door. Fortunately, there was a bright pearl blocking it, otherwise Suining would be drenched all over.

"Father said it would be bad luck to go to a dead person's house. Mother is kind enough to let you wash it up so that you don't have to do it yourself." Xiangyan looked at Mingzhu's distressed state and proudly held the water ladle.

"Do you smell bad luck on me?" Xiang Suining leaned closer.

Xiang Yan quickly covered her nose: "Yes, yes."

Xiang Suining reached out and hugged Xiang Yan.

"What are you doing?"

"Now that I've hugged you, you also smell unlucky, first pour yourself some grapefruit water. If it works, it's not too late for me to shower again." Xiang Suining swaggered back home with Mingzhu.

Xiang Yan threw the water ladle angrily, and the poor water ladle rolled over in the barrel. A woman scooped up the water and asked, "Third Miss, do you want to pour some grapefruit water for you?"

"What's the use of a piece of grapefruit peel?" Xiang Yan said angrily, "Get me some clothes, I want to change." Xiang Yan lost her temper while standing on the steps, stepped on the water, and slipped out Go far away, like an arrow leaving the string.

The mother-in-law lowered her head and went down carrying the barrel.

Mrs. Xiang called Xiang Suining to ask about Eunuch Chang's funeral in person. After hearing Xiang Suining's description, she pushed aside the red beans in her hand, cleaned her hands and picked up a string of Buddhist beads: "It seems that Eunuch Chang's Things went well and it was decent.”

Xiang Daying opened the curtain and came in with sweat on his forehead and his face was cloudy. Anyway, the weather was always sunny and his face was always cloudy. Xiang Suining had already gotten used to it.

I don't know if Xiang Yan has filed a complaint against him, he shouldn't be so free, he chased after Dong Kua Yuan to criticize Xiang Suining?
Sure enough, Xiang Daying is so idle: "Two doors can't shut you, what are you going to do in a eunuch's mansion? Is there a noble girl in Qingcheng?"

Normally, in this kind of situation, Xiang Suining doesn't need to open his mouth, and Mrs. Xiang can let him down: "What's so fierce? The interrogator is here? If you have such a temper, get out of my place quickly, don't scare my granddaughter."

"Mom, you always spoil her, do you know..."

"I made her go."

"Mother let her go? Why is Mother so confused?"

"It's not the first time I've been confused. You need to make a fuss." Mrs. Xiang rolled her eyes at Xiang Daying: "Speaking of which, in the past two years, you and Eunuch Chang are considered friendly. Why don't you even look at him when he's dead? I heard that those bureaucrats didn’t go to the Chang Gong’s mansion to hold a funeral, and the emperor was angry. Now that the princes have gone, and our prime minister’s mansion doesn’t leave people, isn’t it a joke that we are cold? I don’t think so. There's nothing wrong with going, girl."

"Mother, what do you women know--" After saying this, Xiang Daying also knew that he had made a slip of the tongue, and Mrs. Xiang was really upset: "Then what are you talking about to our women? Go away ,Walk."

After Xiang Daying left, the atmosphere in Dongkuayuan was much better.

Madam Su brought a plate of fried chicken, and served it with a few plates of pickled vegetables, crispy radishes, and green sauerkraut. There is also a small basket.

Madam Xiang personally gave Xiang Suining fried chicken nuggets: "Children love these crispy things, eat more, they must be tired from running."

"Grandmother, I still want to go to Changfu a few times these few days."

"What else are you going to do?"

Xiang Suining didn't dare to mention to her what Eunuch Chang saw strangely, he just said: "Eunuch Dang used to treat me well, but now his house is full of eunuchs, there are always some incomprehensible, I want to go and see if there are any." what can be done."

You are always so kind, just go, your father has me there, if he dares to say no, I will not agree.

(End of this chapter)