nucmednet Chapter 314 It’s hard to guard against domestic thieves
Chapter 314 It’s hard to guard against domestic thieves
After nearly half a year of intensive work, the ancestral mausoleum of the retired emperor and the Shen family was finally completed. Shen Lian, along with his entire family and high-ranking officials, went to attend the old man's burial ceremony.
This was still the result of the Ministry of Works officials taking shortcuts. In order to build the mausoleum of the retired emperor and the imperial ancestral tombs, the Ministry of Works submitted a memorial, which Shen Lian approved. The tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi was demolished, and all the usable materials were moved to Fenghuang.
Shen Lian originally didn't want to build such a luxurious palace, but the entire court objected. People at that time valued filial piety above all else, and Shen Lian couldn't go against their wishes, so he had no choice but to agree.
As for demolishing Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb, he felt no remorse whatsoever. The tomb was useless anyway, so it was a good opportunity to make use of it. It would save him at least several million taels of silver.
The Shen family departed from the capital and boarded a ship in Tianjin. Their plan was to receive the Emperor Emeritus's coffin in Weihaiwei, then travel south along the coastal road, finally disembarking at Dongting Lake along the Yangtze River. From there, they would travel overland to Fenghuang.
Although Shen Lian repeatedly simplified the funeral procession, his guards, along with accompanying officials, palace maids, eunuchs, and others, still numbered over three thousand.
With so many people traveling together, given current transportation conditions, taking the waterway is definitely more convenient. Although it's a bit longer, it's much safer and easier to manage overall.
Shen Lian originally only planned to bring a hundred or so guards, but the entire court was uneasy about it. Left with no other option, he brought a guard of over a thousand men.
It was twenty days later when the magnificent fleet of over fifty large ships arrived at Dongting Lake.
On the shore, officials who had made advance preparations had already prepared a temporary site. The official road to Fenghuang had also been specially widened for this funeral procession.
The docks were packed with people, and soldiers lined the roads. Hundreds of members of the Shen clan, along with a large number of officials, knelt to welcome them at the docks. The spectacle was enormous! Shen Lian couldn't help but shake his head.
But since they had already arrived, they couldn't just rush back! After settling in, Shen Lian met with these clansmen. He didn't know most of them; he had to rely on Shen Daowu's introductions.
With an emperor emerging from the Shen family, the entire clan naturally rose to prominence. In addition to each of the five families receiving noble titles, Shen Lian also bestowed considerable amounts of land and property upon the other clan members.
All education expenses were covered by the royal family, and the royal family was also responsible for supporting the orphaned, widowed, sick, and disabled.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Wang De and Wei San led several old men in to pay their respects to Shen Lian. They had also brought the tomb guards with them to greet the emperor.
"Uncle De, Uncle Wei, please get up quickly!" Shen Lian stood up and prepared to help them up.
"Your Majesty is too kind! Just call us by our names!" Wang De said excitedly as he stood up. They hadn't expected that even as emperor, His Majesty would still be so kind to them.
"We all know the Emperor Emeritus's health. To put it bluntly, it's already quite remarkable that he lived to see His Majesty ascend the throne before passing away. He must be resting in peace with a smile on his face."
"Your Majesty, you needn't be too sad! Please take care of yourself." Wang De was uneducated and incapable of comforting people. It was already quite an achievement for him to say these words, so Shen Lian naturally couldn't take it to heart.
"Okay! Thank you, Uncle De!" Shen Lian nodded.
"Besides welcoming the coffin of the retired emperor and Your Majesty, we also wish to ask for a favor!" Wang De said, bowing.
"We're not strangers, Uncle De, just tell me what's on your mind!"
"Your Majesty, we old folks don't have many days left to live! We hope that after we die, Your Majesty can grant us a piece of land next to the tomb of the Retired Emperor, so that we can follow him in death."
"No problem, Uncle De, I promise you!"
Shen Lian sighed at his father's good fortune in having such a group of loyal subordinates who would follow him to the death. He wondered if he himself would have such good fortune.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Uncle De and the others were extremely excited.
The officials standing by couldn't help but show envy. To be buried in the imperial mausoleum after death! What an immense honor! Countless kings and generals couldn't even receive such a privilege!
Shen Lian also held Uncle De and his family in high esteem. Although he couldn't bestow a title upon them, he would take good care of their descendants.
The emperor's funeral was naturally extremely grand, and Shen Lian and his family stayed in their hometown for almost a month before and after the funeral.
"The Emperor Emeritus is gone! We who are alive must move forward. Dowager Consort, does Yulian have someone she likes? She can't get married for another three years, don't delay her!" On the way back to the capital, Shen Lian looked at his younger sister's pitiful appearance and teased her.
Shen Lian had originally planned to find her a husband within the next two years, but now that the Emperor Emeritus has passed away, he has to put everything aside.
In this era, when parents pass away, children are required to observe a three-year mourning period. The emperor, as the Son of Heaven, can use the heavens instead of the moon. Shen Lian only needs to observe a twenty-seven-day mourning period.
Shen Yulian, on the other hand, would need to observe three years of mourning. She was already seventeen, and in three more years she would be twenty. In this day and age, if one was still unmarried at twenty, one would truly be considered an old maid.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Yu Lian stays in the mansion all day long, how could she possibly have someone she likes! From now on, everything is up to Your Majesty." Consort Huang bowed gratefully.
Now that the old man has passed away, she, a mere concubine, is already extremely grateful to have been granted the title of Imperial Concubine Dowager by the Emperor. She only has this one daughter, and the Emperor has always doted on her, which makes her even more gratified.
"Brother, I..." Shen Lian had always been very kind to this younger sister, so Shen Yulian wasn't very afraid of him.
"Shut up! Your Majesty, it's nothing!" Madam Huang quickly interrupted Shen Yulian. She didn't want her daughter, a dignified princess, to marry a beggar. What would become of the royal family's reputation then!
"No, Mother! I love Shi Jian," Shen Yulian said bravely, raising her head. It turned out that her father was ill and had no time for her, her elder brother doted on her, and her sisters-in-law treated her well. This made Shen Yulian bolder than most girls.
"Shi Jian? So it's Shi Jian, one of the orphans in the manor?" Shen Lian frowned. Although Nie Xiaoqian usually took care of these children, Shen Lian would occasionally go to check on them. He knew their general situation.
It seems my sister has probably spent too much time with these kids and developed feelings for them! I hope she doesn't do anything out of line.
"They're just kids playing around, Your Majesty, don't take it seriously!" Madam Huang hurriedly waved her hand.
"Yu Lian, you like Shi Jian, does he like you?"
“Brother, we are in love! Shi Jian even came to see me before he left, saying that he would come back to marry me after he has made meritorious contributions and received a reward,” Shen Yulian said boldly.
Good heavens! It's true what they say, you can guard against anything, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family! That brat Shi Jian seems to have already stolen my sister's heart!
The thought of his younger sister marrying someone else made Shen Lian feel uneasy, and his expression darkened.