A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 229: Death in Prison
The gate of the Du Mansion was wide open, and the red New Year lanterns had been taken down and replaced with white lanterns.

The house was filled with wailing, and Du San and others went to various relatives to inform them of the death.

Chengzhong's great-grandson was only three years old, and the funeral was entirely presided over by Du Ruhui. Li Yi said to him, "I will go to the Dali Temple Prison in person."

"it is good,"

Du Ruhui did not mention whether he could get his cousin to see him for the last time. He believed that Li Yi had the ability to do so, but he did not mention it.

Go out,

Many relatives from nearby Beijing have already come to attend the funeral and offer their condolences.

Li Yi went straight to the Dali Temple Prison,
Du Jingai was transferred to a clean and tidy cell, which even had a bed, a desk, a stove, etc. If you didn't know, you would think it was the residence of the prison warden.

"Your grandmother is gone."

Li Yi walked into the room, sat down directly, and spoke straight to the point.

Du Jingai held the scroll and glared at Li Yi angrily when he heard this.

"Really? He just died. I came to tell you about his death."

Du Jing Ai Teng stood up,

"Don't stare at me. It has nothing to do with me. If it hadn't been for you, an unfilial grandson, who came to Chang'an to stir up trouble, your grandmother wouldn't have been stripped of her imperial decree and her property confiscated at the age of eighty.
Your arrest and imprisonment made her sleepless and restless. How did you think you could be transferred to such a nice cell now, where you can read books and drink tea by the fire, and even have an old servant to serve you?

Is it because of you, the Minister of Personnel in Luoyang?
That's all because your grandfather put down his dignity and begged me, and for Shi Niang's sake, I let bygones be bygones, and personally met with His Majesty to propose that you be exchanged for Dugu Wudu and Dugu Ji's wives and children. That's why you deserve this treatment."

"But your grandfather is old after all, eighty years old, how can he withstand such a big change?"

"Tell me, is it because of you, an unfilial grandson, that your grandmother is gone?"

Du Jingai was stunned there, his chest seemed to be tightly grasped by a big hand. A violent coughing fit came without any warning. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his whole body hunched up. He subconsciously covered his chest with both hands.
The cough is difficult to stop, and every time I cough, my lungs feel like they are being pricked by needles.

His pale face flushed red, and veins on his forehead bulged.
The cough was like a surging tide, one wave after another, leaving no chance to breathe.

Li Yi sat there,

It's a bit scary to see him in so much pain.

Fortunately, we already know that this is not a contagious tuberculosis.
After a long time, Du Jingai finally stopped coughing. He curled up there with his body hunched over, his face covered with tears and snot.

"You're already in this state, why are you still coming to Chang'an to cause trouble? I just married Shi Niang, do you really want to kill me?"

Du Jingai wiped her face clean,
I sat there for a while, panting.
"Shi Niang is beautiful, kind, and well-versed in poetry and literature. How could she like you? She must have been deceived and seduced by you. I am her brother, and I cannot bear to see her being deceived.
If you dare to lie to Shi Niang, I will kill you."

Li Yi shook his head. "You have come to Chang'an in person, so seeing is believing."

"Yes, I have secretly observed you, but I believe it is all an illusion. You are just hiding it deeply and haven't been exposed yet. But sooner or later, Shi Niang will regret it. For her happiness, I must kill you.

I knew my time was running out, so I wanted to do something for Shi Niang before I left, fulfilling my responsibilities as a brother."

"Stop being so self-righteous, okay? You're already in your twenties, why are you talking like you're in your teens? One moment you're talking about the Du family's reputation, the next moment about Shi Niang's happiness. Who do you think you are? You're just a sick man who can't even lift a finger and is coughing his lungs out."

Li Yi scolded her mercilessly, "What right do you have to impose your own ideas on Shi Niang? When it comes to matters of the heart, it's like drinking water; only the person who drinks it knows whether it's hot or cold."

After cursing, Li Yi stood up and said, "I'm here to announce the death. Everyone has been notified. I'm leaving now."

Du Jingai said anxiously: "Wait a moment."

"Anything else?"

"Take me out! I want to see my grandfather for the last time and mourn for him!"

"Who do you think you are now? You are a death row inmate in the Tianlao Prison. Although the court wanted to exchange you for a prisoner in Luoyang and didn't kill you, you are still a prisoner. Do you think you can just enter and leave this Tianlao Prison whenever you want?"

Du Jingai glared at him, "I'm in this state, do you still have any humanity? You keep saying you love Shi Niang, I'm Shi Niang's brother, but now that our grandfather has passed away, can't you let me see him for the last time?"

"You are in this state because of your own fault. What does it have to do with me? Do you really think I am so easy to talk to? The arrow wound on my shoulder hasn't healed yet."

Du Jingai gritted his teeth and asked, "What else do you want?"

"Look at what you said, you are a noble young man, you are not even as good as a country boy."

"Do you want me to beg you? How do you want me to beg you? Do you want me to beg you on my knees?"

Li Yi said disdainfully: "Just stay here and observe mourning for your grandfather."

He left without looking back, leaving Du Jingai roaring and cursing behind him. He looked down on Du Jingai more and more, perhaps because he had been sickly since childhood, spoiled by everyone, and had rarely been out of the house, so he was a little arrogant and had great ambitions but little talent.

He came to Chang'an to assassinate someone, but ended up taking on a difficult task and ended up getting himself involved.

Now I want to ask someone to do something for me, but they still have this attitude.

Alas, not all children from noble families are elites. Although they have good conditions, they will not become anything without polishing.

Back to the Du residence in Anminfang,
Li Yi first went to the funeral room. He didn't pretend to cry and didn't shed tears. There was no need to pretend. The whole house was filled with crying sounds, but it was estimated that there weren't that many people who were really crying.

Du Ruhui's wife said she had a stomach problem and was bedridden.

Li Yi probably had a bad relationship with Guo, so he didn't want to pretend to cry for her after she died, so he simply claimed to be sick.

At this time, many people had come to the Du residence to attend the funeral. Many people from all branches of the Jingzhao Du family had come, including the Du family, the county duke family, the county marquis family, and the county earl family. Li Yi did not recognize most of them.

Everyone discussed how to handle Guo's funeral.

Originally, Guo had the title of Lady of a County, and had been in charge of the Fengxiang Marquisate for more than sixty years, and had a grand funeral. However, she had just been stripped of her title, and was now only a commoner.
The Tang Dynasty was very particular about status and rank.

Weddings, funerals, even the construction of houses and tombs, all had to be done according to one's social status.

Even the terms for death were different. Those above the third rank were called "hong," those above the fourth or fifth rank were called "zu," and those below the sixth rank were simply called "si." Even the number of funerary objects that could be buried with the deceased was restricted by rank.

even,
The coffin, burial clothes, and the jade disk that Guo had prepared for herself, which she would hold in her mouth after her death, could no longer be used because her status was not high enough.

Du Ruhui said to all the clansmen, "Everyone knows that my grandfather has been strong all his life, but now, because of his unfilial grandson Jingai, he will be buried as a commoner."

Everyone advised, "The person has passed away, there is no point in talking about it, let's discuss how to deal with it."

Du Ruhui said, "I have already petitioned the Saint, hoping that, in consideration of the Du family's past merits, some posthumous honors may be granted to A-ancestor."

Saying,

The Guo family also came.

Many men and women came and started arguing as soon as they came in, questioning Du Ruhui.

The Du family members came forward to persuade them, and the situation became chaotic.

Li Yi watched coldly from the side, and after watching for a while he did not try to persuade her, so he went to find Shi Niang.

When Shi Niang heard that her grandmother's family was causing trouble, she wanted to come out to help appease and persuade them. At this time, the Taiyuan Guo family members were talking about the coffins used by the Guo family.

Because Guo had lost her imperial edict, Du Ruhui had originally suggested replacing her coffin with a higher-quality cedar wood, but the Guo family refused and insisted on using the one Guo had originally prepared.

During the quarrel,
The emperor sent an envoy to express condolences and gave him ten stone of millet and one hundred pieces of silk.

"Mr. Du, please accept my condolences," the envoy conveyed the emperor's decree, which did not accept Du Ruhui's request to resign due to mourning, but gave Du Ruhui a one-month vacation.

According to the imperial court's mourning system, people were generally only required to resign from their posts and observe mourning for their parents, but not for their grandparents.

Du Ruhui requested the emperor to give Guo posthumous honors and improve the burial standards, but the emperor ignored him.

This is also normal. It is impossible that the imperial edict that was revoked on the first day of the new year would be restored in just two days. That would be like child's play.

The reward of ten stone of millet and one hundred pieces of silk is already very good.

Du Ruhui, annoyed by the clamor of Guo's family, shouted to the Guo family, "Didn't you just say you wanted to give Grandpa a three-meter-tall coffin, a stone coffin, and carvings and paintings? Now that the angel is here, why don't you just tell the angel and ask him to pray for the saint?"

The Guo family made things difficult for Du Ruhui, but they did not dare to act presumptuously in front of the angel.

What's more, the demands were too excessive, so everyone kept silent.

Du Ruhui added, "The Taiyuan Guo family is one of the five most prestigious families in Hedong. Ruhui would like to ask the Guo family relatives to ask His Majesty to grant the Dongyuan secret weapon on behalf of my grandmother."

The Guo family was speechless after being silenced by Du Ruhui, so no one made trouble anymore.

Without the Guo family causing trouble,

Then, under Du Ruhui's personal supervision, everything went smoothly.

However, Guo no longer had the imperial decree and was only a commoner. Du Ruhui was unwilling to act as the Guo family said, so he only used fir wood for the coffin, and the size and specifications were also those of a commoner.

The rest of the burial objects were also relatively low-key and frugal. In the words of Du Ruhui and his relatives, the Du family had just gotten into a big trouble because of Du Jingai, and a lot of their wealth had been confiscated. Now was the time when they couldn't be too high-profile and extravagant.

Everyone naturally agreed. Of course, many people also knew that Du Ruhui and Guo had always been at odds. Guo's own son even killed Du Ruhui's own brother. Now that Du Ruhui was in charge of Guo's funeral, it was inevitable that he would not want a grand funeral.

Anyway, there's no point in finding any reason for this.

After the 47th day of mourning, Du Ruhui was formally buried in the Du family ancestral tomb in Shaolingyuan, Xianguan Village, Shaoling Township, Wannian County.
"A-zu said long ago that my grandfather had an ex-wife, so after his death he buried her as a separate person."

No one had any objection. Guo was the second wife, and Du Ruhui's grandfather had been buried with the original wife. There was no place for Guo to be buried together even if she wanted to.

Shi Niang stayed at the Du family to keep vigil, and Li Yi had no choice but to accompany her.

This New Year, Li Yi and his wife were in filial piety and did not visit anyone to wish them a happy new year.

Shi Niang cried every day and became thinner and thinner. Li Yi had to spend most of the day going to the Du Mansion to comfort her.

The Lantern Festival is over,
The court was about to send an envoy to take Du Jingai to Luoyang to exchange him, but the night before departure, Du Jingai died of illness in prison.

"The imperial physician examined him and found that his condition had worsened. He was already weak and died all of a sudden." Li Yi told Du Ruhui.

Du Ruhui sighed after hearing this. With Du Jingai's death, his plan to save his third brother Chu Ke would be in vain.

"I'm afraid Du Yan won't believe it," he sighed.

"Whether he believes it or not, there's nothing we can do." Li Yi guessed that Du Yan wouldn't believe it either. His son came to Chang'an to assassinate his mother, but failed and was imprisoned. The Tang Dynasty confiscated all the property of the three of them, and his mother died of illness. Now his son is gone too. Who knows what kind of madness Du Yan will go through.

"Second brother, please pay more attention to safety and add more servants to guard the house."

"You should be more careful too." Du Ruhui said, "I guess the two of us have become thorns in Du Yan's side now."

(End of this chapter)