Chapter 239: The Dispute between Wife and Concubine
The Second Master stood up while shouting, but he had been kneeling for too long. When he stood up suddenly, his legs became stiff and his body tilted and he almost fell to the ground. He was helped up by Xiao Xia. At this time, the man in black had arrived in front of the carriage and was fighting with several servants. The man in black did not want to fight and seemed to only want to snatch the people in the carriage.
Because the Second Master was injured when he went out last time, the Xiao Mansion has stepped up its security. This time, although the guards arranged by the First Master are few, they are all masters. Although there are not as many people as the men in black, they also guard the carriage tightly, and the men in black cannot get close to the carriage for a while.
While supporting the Second Master, Xiao Xia sent out a distress signal. The master and servant fought as they moved closer to the carriage. Finally, they arrived beside the carriage. The Second Master leaned against the door, rubbing his legs with his hands, watching the fight between the men in black and the guards.
The men in black didn't seem to want to hurt anyone, their target was just the carriage. Erye recognized that one of them was the man from last time. He suddenly realized that they were coming for Xier!
With this thought in mind, without thinking any more, Erye jumped onto the carriage, regardless of the rain on his body, picked up Mengxi who was lying flat on the carriage, and wanted to take shelter in Yichun Hall first. When he came to the door of the carriage, he looked up and saw that Yichun Hall had closed both doors tightly at some point. Perhaps they saw the fight outside and were afraid of getting into trouble, so they hid. Erye sighed helplessly.
Among the seven or eight men in black, except for the one who had fought with him last time who still had some skills, the others had mediocre martial arts skills. Although the Xiao family's guards had good skills, they were outnumbered and exhausted after being exposed to the scorching sun and heavy rain. Especially him, he had been kneeling for four days in a row, and he was still seriously ill, so he was at the end of his strength. The two sides ended up in a draw, and for a while, no one could do anything to anyone.
He looked at the road from the carriage to Yichun Hall. Not to mention whether he could make it through this road while holding Xier, the only thing was that if he couldn't get the people from Yichun Hall to leave, it would be more dangerous if the people dispersed after leaving the carriage. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, he decided it would be safer to stay in the carriage. He reached out and pulled out a broken sword that had pierced the door, turned around and came back while holding Mengxi, and sat there calmly, staring outside the carriage.
Seeing that the Second Master got into the carriage and there was no need to look after him anymore, several guards relaxed their efforts and protected the carriage with all their strength. The men in black obviously did not expect that the guards of the Xiao Mansion were so skilled. They did not want to hurt anyone at first, but they could not stop them for too long and people began to appear on the street, so they fought for their lives in a hurry.
After a while, people fell to the ground on both sides, the canopy was torn open, and the door was pushed back and forth several times, and it seemed that it was about to fall down and droop to one side.
The man in black who had fought with Erye last time, saw that Erye was holding Mengxi and sitting steadily in the car. He rushed forward several times, but was stopped by the two guards who had already had several sword wounds on their bodies. The man in black was indeed extraordinary. He left an opening, and a guard took the opportunity to pounce on him. The man in black turned around and stabbed the guard's right shoulder with a sword, then kicked him out.
He turned around and ran towards the carriage again, but another guard who was lying in the mud held onto one of his legs tightly. The man in black kicked him twice, but seeing that he couldn't kick him away, he swung his sword at the guard's throat, but was deflected by the broken sword thrown by the second master in the carriage. The guard paused, and the man in black took advantage of the situation and swung his leg, throwing him out.
After getting rid of the guards, the man in black was about to rush into the car when he heard a whistle in the distance. The Xiao family had already dispatched a large number of guards, who were rushing over here and arrived in a few minutes.
Xiao Xia had gotten up at some point, holding a half-broken sword in his hand, guarding the car door. He glanced at Xiao Jun who was protecting Meng Xi in the car. The man in black showed a hint of disappointment in his eyes. The two had fought once and he knew that he was not as good as him. Although he had been tossed around for four days, he would not be able to win on his own if he really fought for his life. He saw the shadowy figures in the distance, and looked at his side, where four of the eight people had fallen, and he no longer had the heart to fight.
He gritted his teeth and whistled. The remaining men in black picked up the injured on the ground and fled towards Ruyi Restaurant. On Erye's side, three of the five guards were also injured. Seeing the men in black running away, two of them jumped after them.
People from the Xiao family have arrived one after another. The second master breathed a sigh of relief and sent several people to chase in the direction the man in black fled, while the others started to clean up.
…
A rainstorm finally made Xiao Jun face the reality. After the torment from the man in black, Xiao Jun calmed down completely.
After being persuaded by everyone, Xiao Jun finally decided to take Mengxi back home for burial. When he returned to Xiaoxiangyuan, he ignored everyone's opposition and directly took Mengxi back to the main house - his and her former bridal chamber.
After settling Mengxi, Xiao Jun had just finished changing and had not had time to drink a sip of tea when the old lady, the eldest master, and the eldest mistress heard that the second master had finally thought it through. They all breathed a sigh of relief and came to Xiaoxiangyuan together to discuss Mengxi's funeral arrangements.
Although Xiao Jun was exhausted from the scorching sun and heavy rain in the past few days and should have a good rest, Mengxi was already dead and his body was there, so burial became a big matter and could not be delayed.
The old lady, the eldest master, and the eldest wife were very dissatisfied to see Mengxi being placed in the main room. According to the funeral customs of Da Qi, only the husband could be placed in the main room to prepare for the burial when he was dying. Even if Mengxi was the main wife, she could only be buried in the east wing. What's more, Mengxi's birth as a concubine's daughter meant that she could not become the legitimate wife of the Xiao family. According to the rules, Mengxi could only be buried in the west wing.
The first wife wanted to scold her son, but when she saw his haggard face, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She just advised her son earnestly to move the second wife to the west wing and prepare for the small burial tomorrow morning and the big burial the day after tomorrow.
When the Second Master heard this, his face instantly darkened. According to the funeral customs of the Da Qi Dynasty, the body of a wife must be kept for three days, while that of a concubine must be kept for one day. It was obvious that his mother wanted to bury Mengxi with the rites for a concubine.
After seeing his mother finish speaking, he continued:
"Xi'er is the legitimate wife that grandma brought back for Jun'er with eight large sedan chairs. Why can't she be buried with the ceremony for a wife now? Grandma, father, mother, Jun'er will never agree to bury Xi'er with the ceremony for a concubine!"
Because he was too excited, Erye started coughing violently after he finished speaking. Hongzhu hurriedly handed him a cup of tea. Erye took it, took a sip, and his coughing eased a little.
Seeing Xiao Jun like this, the old lady knew that she couldn't use force, so she sighed and advised earnestly:
"Xi'er just passed away. Grandma understands Jun'er's feelings, but Jun'er also knows that Xi'er is a concubine's daughter after all. If she were alive, grandma would never force you to divorce her. You can just stop being the head of the family. But now Xi'er is gone. The dead cannot be resurrected. Jun'er must always think about the living and the family. If you really bury Mengxi with the ceremony of a wife today and invite her tablet into the family ancestral hall, Jun'er will no longer be able to be the head of the family. Otherwise, it will violate the ancestral teachings. All the ancestors are watching."
After the old lady finished speaking, the master continued:
"Your grandmother is right, Jun'er. Your grandmother and I are not forcing you. Although Xi'er was born a concubine, when she was alive, our Xiao family always treated her as a wife. She should be satisfied. Now burying her as a concubine is just a formality. With Xi'er's generosity, she won't care about these empty theories. Your grandmother and I have discussed it. Except that the tablet cannot be entered into the ancestral hall and cannot be buried with Jun'er in the future, we also agree to bury her in the ancestral tomb. Jun'er, don't say anything more. This is already an exception. After all, Da Qi does not have the custom of concubines entering the ancestral tomb."
He and Meng Xi couldn't sleep together when they were alive, but they must be buried together after death!
It was this family that killed Xier. After listening to his grandmother and father, Xiao Jun felt disappointed with this family from the bottom of his heart. He looked up at the old lady and the master. Even the old lady felt a little strange when she saw Xiao Jun's gaze at this time. Her heart trembled. Just when she was about to persuade them again, she heard Xiao Jun say:
"As the saying goes, one should be honored when alive and given a posthumous title when dead. Although Xi'er is a woman and did not receive a posthumous title after her death, since she married into our Xiao family, she has saved Jun'er and my daughter's lives time and again. She has always been diligent in her visits to our family, and never made any mistakes, nor has she violated any womanly virtues. Xi'er is so diligent, but she is not tolerated by her own family and did not have a good end. Our Xiao family has already let her down. It would be fine , but how could she be demoted to a concubine? Grandma, father, please forgive Jun'er for being unfilial. Jun'er will never agree to it!"
"Jun'er is confused. Your father and I never told Xi'er about it. But we had no choice. Xi'er was born as a concubine, which violated the ancestral teachings. We had no choice but to do this. We had no intention of treating her badly. Your father has informed the in-laws and gave the Li family several properties as compensation. The Li family also agreed to bury Xi'er with the ceremony of a concubine. We are just waiting for the announcement of the death, and the Li family will send someone to offer condolences. Jun'er is a man, a real man, who has already established a career. He should always put the family first. How can you be confused about such a small matter!"
Seeing that Xiao Jun was stubborn, the old lady's tone became a little stern.
"The ancestral precepts only restrict the head of the family. Grandma and father have already agreed that Jun'er should not be the head of the family. Why are they using the ancestral precepts to restrict Jun'er? Mengxi is Jun'er's first wife, and she must be buried with wife rites."
After hearing this, the eldest wife couldn't help but tremble all over. She had deliberately planned to kill Mengxi, and thought that after her death, her son would be able to be the head of the family with peace of mind. Unexpectedly, just for the specifications of the funeral, her son was determined not to be the head of the family. If Mengxi was buried according to the rites for a wife today, then her son would have no chance of becoming the head of the family at all.
This vixen had caused unrest in the Xiao family when she was alive, and even after her death her ghost still lingered around, pestering Jun'er and making the Xiao family never at peace. The eldest wife was gritting her teeth at this time, and she hated Mengxi so much that she almost broke into the east room and whipped her corpse.
He suppressed his anger and patiently advised:
"Jun'er is confused. Your grandmother and father have said that as long as Xi'er is alive, you can do whatever you want. If you don't want to be the head of the family, then don't do it. Now that she is dead, Jun'er is going to disobey your parents for a dead person, do things that make the elders sad, and be branded as an unfilial person?"
"Mother, please forgive me for being unfilial. Mengxi may not be buried in the ancestral tomb, but she must be buried with the ceremony of a wife. I swear I will never remarry. I will only have this one wife in my life. We must sleep together in life and be buried together in death!"
After hearing what the second master said, the eldest master's face turned pale and he shouted at the door:
"Come here, clean up the west wing, go to the main room and take the second wife out, and place her in the west wing. Inscribe her with a memorial tablet, bathe her, and set up a funeral ceremony... tomorrow morning, she will be buried!"
The west wing had been cleaned up as ordered by the first wife, and all the necessary things were ready. After hearing what the first master said, several maids came in and responded, and were about to enter the second master's bedroom. The second master glared at the maids and shouted:
"Let's see who dares!"
