"Cut off the worn clothes, put on the bamboo stick, and set it up at the time of mourning. All the guests expressed their condolences," said Yuan Xiuwen.
Since the Han Dynasty, the burial period has varied. The period from the collection of the body to the official burial can range from two to three months to one year at most. Especially since the end of the Western Han Dynasty, there has been a trend of stopping funerals and not burying them. There are many reasons for this.
For example, there are taboos on the time, choosing an auspicious place, the family is too poor to attend to funerals, etc.
However, Gao Jing, the captain of the northern part of Shu County, was not buried after his death. This is another common case, that is, he died in a foreign country and was unable to be buried in time due to social problems.
Now that his son Gao Rou has come all the way, this long-delayed funeral can finally begin in the presence of the filial son.
Lai Min, who had already planned it, changed into plain clothes, and Lu Yi, as the boy, accompanied him to Gaofu to express his condolences. He only arrived for a while, and saw several famous powerful men in Shu County one after another, and several people nodded.
After giving a signal, he stood aside with a solemn expression. The chaotic and silent scene was like a rehearsal for a bigger funeral later.
No matter what he had in mind when he came, Lai Min still admired Gao Rou, a filial son. After all, not everyone could brave the wars along the way and come thousands of miles to attend the funeral. Looking at the young man with a sad look on his face, dressed in poor linen
, sitting numbly on his knees in front of the coffin, Lai Min couldn't help but sigh softly, and came to his side without saying a word.
Although Gao Rou never raised his head, he was still aware of the movements of the people around him. Seeing that he didn't just say goodbye and leave like other people did, he couldn't help but feel a little more moved.
Not long after, the head of the pavilion shouted loudly: "The son of Zhou Mu has arrived."
When Lai Min was slightly startled, he saw Liu Hao slowly walking into the memorial hall with somewhat frivolous steps. He came to express his condolences on behalf of his father Liu Yan. He made a memorial speech in public and presented the funeral money and silk.
After the courtesy, Liu Hao said a few words of comfort to Gao Rou who stood up to greet him, but his eyes glanced at Lai Min from time to time: "You are so filial and filial, and you have trekked here regardless of the dangers of the mountain and thieves. I really feel sorry for you."
I admire you very much.”
Although Gao Rou looked sad, when he raised his eyes to look at Liu Hao, he responded calmly: "Is there a father and a son in the world who don't meet each other? Even though the land of Shu is thousands of miles away and difficult and dangerous, a son of man has to go."
"Wild beasts do no harm, and mountains and rivers cannot block it. The Classic of Filial Piety says that mourning will cause mourning, and offering sacrifices will cause the superior to be strict and not arrogant, and the subordinates will not be disorderly. Isn't that what we are talking about?" Lai Min suddenly said loudly.
Everyone present did not know the meaning of Lai Min's words, and they all followed the words and praised Gao Rou's filial piety for coming all the way. Gao Rou waved her hands repeatedly, looking a little panicked, as if she didn't want to use this to gain fame. Everyone also knew the occasion, but
After a few light discussions, they continued to busy themselves with their own affairs. Only Liu Hao's face was a little confused. Although Lai Min's words were not clear, he still took it in consciously.
Because the next sentence Lai Min just said was that if you are arrogant when you are above, you will perish, and if you are chaotic for the bottom, you will be punished. This is clearly a warning to Liu Hao.
There was a strange color in Gao Rou's eyes. After looking at the two people with interest, she excused herself and left to receive other guests.
Lai Min let the other party stare at him fiercely. After Gao Rou excused himself and left, he took a step forward towards Liu Hao, as if he had something to say. Unexpectedly, Liu Hao stopped looking at him, turned around and walked aside.
It seemed that he wanted to take the opportunity to talk to Gao Rou. However, Gao Rou seemed to be busy welcoming and sending her off, and had no time to pay attention to him. This made Liu Hao's sickly pale face suddenly become a little gray.
"This person is so arrogant. He really ruined the arrangements made by Ambassador Liu." Wu Ban, wearing a clean plain military uniform with a short sword hanging on his waist, came up behind Lai Min and said, "Liu from Chang'an City
Dan, Liu Fan and other brothers, in terms of temperament and talents, which one is not better than him?"
A look of disdain quickly flashed across Lai Min's face, and he took it seriously and said: "Perhaps Mr. Liu was afraid that he would cause trouble in the court, so he brought him into Shu, not just because he loved this person.
"
Having said that, Lai Min was still well aware of Liu Yan's attitude. He really loved his son, otherwise he would not have had the idea of passing on his family business from the beginning. It was just that Lai Min couldn't do it.
What I understand is that Liu Hao is not like his father in appearance or temperament, and there is nothing outstanding about him. Is Liu Yan just blind?
Wu Ban happened to see Lai Min's expression at this moment. He was about to say something more, but suddenly changed his words. He looked past Lai Min and looked at the front door and said, "He's here."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a crisp ringtone coming from far away. Lai Min looked around and saw a majestic young man walking in with his head held high. He was wearing low-key but luxurious brocade clothes, followed by several people.
They were all dressed in embroidery and dressed as a knight-errant. Hanging from the waist of this young man was a crudely made and extremely worn-looking copper bell. It jingled as he walked and could be heard far and near.
"Is this Gan Ning?" Lai Min looked at Wu Ban and said with emotion in a low voice: "It seems that there are many heroes in Sichuan."
When he first entered Shu, he once told Wu Ban that the people in Shu were weak and had little spirit. Now after meeting Gan Ning, a native of Bajun, he consciously admitted his mistake, which made Wu Ban feel a little funny.
"Not only is he majestic, he looks rough, but he also knows propriety and etiquette. Yes, yes." Lai Min heard that Gan Ning liked to be extravagant. He only wore brocade clothes embroidered with complicated patterns, and used brocade silk when traveling by boat.
Maintain it, abandon it when you leave. Now Gan Ning came to attend Gao Jing's funeral. He was wearing dark brocade clothes with only a few patterns on them. It could be said that it was extremely simple, showing the greatest respect for the Chenliu Gao family.
"That being the case, should I go talk to him now?" Wu Ban was once known as a knight to Chen Liu, but now that he met Gan Ning, who was also good at knights, he was immediately eager to give it a try.
Lai Min nodded. The rangers might have common topics and communication channels within their circles. Wu Ban would negotiate first, which could leave a suitable buffer between the two of them.
Thinking like this, he moved to the other side, where Wu Yi, the clan brother of Wu Ban, was talking softly with Gao Yu, the prefect. Speaking of which, Gao Yu, the prefect of Shu County, was also from the Chenliu Gao family, not only from the same clan as Gao Rou.
, Geng Geng and Wu Yi are both from Chenliuxiang. This time, the two brothers appeared at the same time, each with their own specialties, in order to have a two-pronged approach.
Gao Yu was an elegant middle-aged man, about forty years old, and both were strangers in a foreign country. Gao Yu and Wu Yi should have had a lot to say, but Gao Yu intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to Wu Yi.
His behavior in the current situation is usually brushed aside with a casual chat, and then he talks in detail about his literary achievements in Shishi, which he regarded as his greatest political achievements during his tenure as county governor, and his experience in educating people in Shu County.
Lai Min listened for a while and understood something. Gao Yu was not an unknown person. He was deliberately being slippery and unwilling to express his position easily. Such a sophisticated Erqianshi official has no interest in seeing and believing.
It was difficult for him to sincerely support him. Thinking like this, Lai Min, who was originally full of confidence in today's matter, suddenly felt a little unsure. Just as he was hesitating, he saw Wu Ban walking back with a disappointed look on his face.
"What happened?" Lai Min's heart sank. Looking at Wu Ban's expression, he knew that the result was not optimistic.
Sure enough, when Wu Ban heard this, he didn't say anything, and just shook his head slightly.