A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 209 Dragon Returns
In the early autumn, life and death are intertwined.

In the Xuanshi Palace.

The ministers and officials who participated in government and political affairs, as well as the high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family from both the Chinese and foreign dynasties, remained silent.

The birth of the dragon prince of Nanyang was successful, which is nothing to say. The death of the dragon in Ganquan Palace was recorded in great detail by the physician, and the princes and ministers also read it very carefully.

The entire process of King Liu Hong of Qi's illness, from its onset to its death, was recorded, including the cause of death, which was determined to be "death from shock and fright."

The struggle between Your Majesty and the Emperor involves a multifaceted contest, encompassing governance and political maneuvering on one hand, and the position of Crown Prince and the abilities of the Empress Dowager's relatives on the other.

Inside and outside the court, there was a persistent rumor that when the three kings of Qi, Yan, and Guangling were enfeoffed, His Majesty said to the mother of the King of Qi, Lady Wang, "The Crown Prince is fortunate, his city is deep, and he is ruthless. He has overthrown the creation of heaven and earth and will surely not live long. You should encourage him."

After His Majesty retreated to the Ganquan Palace, the night of Chang'an occurred. The Emperor sent the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Guangling to disappear from public view. His Majesty had no choice but to go on a southern tour in the countryside. The seriously ill Lady Wang and Prince Qi, who was taking care of his elderly mother, did not go with him.

These events far exceeded the psychological capacity of a young, ignorant, and easily frightened child. Moreover, the child was already weak and was easily infected by being right next to his sick mother. Before long, as Lady Wang's condition improved slightly, Liu Hong's illness worsened, and he died a few days later.

The princes and ministers, unaware of the emperor's specific attitude towards their deceased brother, did not know how to submit a memorial outlining the funeral arrangements, and thus simply observed a moment of silence in mourning.

On his throne, Liu Ju looked at the report from Ganquan Palace. He felt neither joy nor sorrow, nor any hatred towards his young brothers.

The Prince of Yan and the Prince of Guangling disappeared from public view, but the two brothers are still alive and well. Their mother, Consort Li, even took the initiative to request permission to go and take care of them, and Liu Ju agreed.

With her mother's care, she had no worries about food or clothing. This was no different from being in the palace, and even better.

The only thing Liu Ju deprived them of was the power to see their father, the emperor. However, according to the Han dynasty's system of enfeoffment, after being enfeoffed as kings, Liu Dan and Liu Xu were supposed to go to Yan and Guangling to take up their fiefs. Except for a few imperial audiences, they could not enter the capital and had no chance to see their father. Moreover, given their father's wicked character, whether he wanted to see them or not was another matter entirely.

As for Liu Hong, the Prince of Qi, after his father's southern tour, the Ganquan Palace had become the de facto "Prince of Qi's Palace." All his expenses were provided by the court with the standards of a king, and there was nothing lacking. Liu Ju never tried to harm him because of rumors.

Liu Ju did not feel the regret of "I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me" in response. Instead, he felt more of a sense of "King Qi should not have been born into an imperial family." Perhaps, if he had been born into an ordinary family, he could have grown up healthy and strong.

"Zong Zhengqing."

"Your subject is here." Liu Piqiang stepped forward and stood up.

"I bestow upon him a jade burial suit, keep the coffin for five days, and after the spring equinox in March, bury him with the rites due to a prince," Liu Ju said, looking at him.

The jade burial suit was the highest-grade burial garment used by emperors and princes of the Han Dynasty. It was made of jade pieces woven with gold thread, shaped like the human body, and was also known as a "jade casket" or "jade coffin".

The jade burial suit is identical in appearance to the human body and consists of a head covering, upper garment, sleeves, gloves, trousers, and foot covers. Each part is made independently and then woven together with gold thread.

The head is equipped with eye covers, nose plugs, ear plugs, and a mouth plug. The lower abdomen is equipped with a genital cover and an anal plug, all made of jade. Eighteen jade discs are placed on the chest and back of the jade suit. Agate beads are often worn around the neck, and a jade belt hook is tied around the waist. The overall shape imitates ancient armor, with a tight structure that fits the body perfectly.

Jade is considered the "essence of mountains," and stuffing it into the nine orifices can prevent the leakage of vital energy, thus ensuring that the bones do not decay.

Of course, this is impossible. Thousands of years later, the bones will be gone, but the gold and jade will remain. Luxury is useless, but Liu Ju would not stoop so low as to plunder the dead and give others grounds for criticism.

The Book of Rites, "Royal Regulations," states: "The emperor's coffin is placed seven days after death, and the burial is held after seven months; the feudal lords' coffins are placed five days after death, and the burial is held after five months."

Among them, “監” refers to the cessation of funeral rites, which means the time for keeping the body in place, while “七月而葬” means that after the emperor’s death, the coffin needed to be kept in place for seven months before being buried.

Similarly, the funeral of a feudal lord was suspended for five days, and the coffin was placed for five months before burial. However, the funeral of a feudal lord was not usually as strictly observed as that of the emperor. In the Han Dynasty, the funeral was held for three months.

It is worth mentioning that the most important reason for keeping the bodies of emperors and feudal lords in state for several months was not honor, but to ensure that the deceased were truly dead and to avoid misjudging their fate. Suo Lucan, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, wanted to use the death of the King of Qi to promote the Mohist practice of "frugal funerals," but seeing the uneasy atmosphere in the court, he remained silent.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Piqiang accepted the order.

The death of a king is a great loss to the nation. The embroidered stools in the main hall were all removed, and Prime Minister Gongsun Hong bowed directly and said, "Your Majesty, please choose a posthumous title for His Highness the Prince of Qi."

A posthumous title is a name given to deceased emperors, empresses, feudal lords, ministers, and other people of high status after their life deeds have been evaluated. These titles can be either praiseworthy, derogatory, or sympathetic. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty, there are honorific posthumous titles, neutral posthumous titles, and derogatory posthumous titles.

Liu Ju did not skimp on Liu Hong's funeral expenses, nor did he deliberately reduce the amount of his posthumous title, given Liu Hong's age; a posthumous title was not often given to him.

The first is: sorrow; the second is: grief; the third is: remembrance; the fourth is: mourning.

“哀” refers to the misfortune or early death of emperors, feudal lords, etc. during their reign, expressing sympathy for their unfortunate fate.

“殇” refers to emperors, princes, etc. who died young or as minors, and expresses condolences for their early death.

The use of "思" (si, to think) and "悼" (dao, to mourn) by Liu Ju, given his status as an elder brother, is inappropriate.

Therefore, without much thought, Liu Ju made his decision and said softly, "Shang!"

Gongsun Hong and Liu Piqiang bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The final verdict on Liu Hong, the last king of Qi, is now in his final days.

"Minister of Ceremonies".

"Your subject is here." Marquis Pingqu, Zhou Jiande, stepped forward in response.

"Inform Nanyang of the news of King Qi Shang's death, and grant Father Emperor permission to return to the Ganquan Palace," Liu Ju said thoughtfully.

The death of a son is a great sorrow for a father, and there is no reason to prevent a father from burying his deceased son; this is a matter of human relations.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhou Jiande accepted the order.

“Life and death follow one another; the dead are buried, and the living are welcomed into the new life. This is the natural cycle. I bestow upon you a jade scepter,” Liu Ju said again.

According to ancestral custom, when a dragon's offspring is born, a son is given a jade scepter and a daughter a ruyi scepter. Although the emperor was alive, it was a bit strange for Liu Ju to bestow the rewards on his behalf, but the Han Dynasty had its own national conditions, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, you take care of this."

Those who are in life and death belong to different families and cannot travel the same road. If the messenger delivering the news of King Qi Liu Hong's death and the messenger delivering the jade tablet are from different government offices and people, and they are going to Nanyang together, they cannot take the same route. The former goes through Wuguan Pass, and the latter goes through Hangu Pass.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Liu Piqiang accepted the order again.

“The princes, dukes and ministers of Chang’an went to the Ganquan Palace in turn to mourn, and did not neglect the affairs of state.”

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Both emperors bowed their heads.

(End of this chapter)