At this moment, an old man with white hair walked out, wiping his tears. "Master, I, Jia Si, have served you my whole life. I am willing to follow you back to your hometown, even if I'm not given a single penny of wages."
"Yes, yes, Master, we are all willing, we are all willing," the crowd echoed in a chorus.
Facing the enthusiasm of the crowd, Fang Zheng fell silent. This was true humanity, this was sharing hardships together, this was the result I exchanged with genuine sincerity.
With this thought, he sighed deeply, "Alright, you all get up. You don't need to do the work you have in hand anymore. Pack your things, we should head back to our hometown."
As he spoke, he looked at a young man among them. "Ride a fast horse to catch up with Jun'er and the little girl. Tell them not to come to Wannian City anymore."
Fang Zheng's words carried a hint of emotion and helplessness. This might be his final ending.
Before leaving, the last thing Fang Zheng wanted to do was to bid farewell to Feng Pengju.
When Feng Pengju saw Fang Zheng arrive, he remained very polite, inviting him into the reception hall and ordering tea to be served.
After making small talk and saying a lot of nothing, Fang Zheng slowly opened his mouth and said, "I will be leaving Wannian City soon. For future matters, Nephew, you will have to rely on yourself."
Upon hearing this, Feng Pengju was very surprised. "Uncle, why are you suddenly leaving? Did something happen?"
Fang Zheng sighed, "Yes, the Emperor sent Xiao Shunzi to deliver a message to me. I can't just wait to be driven away, can I?"
Hearing this, Feng Pengju's eyes widened in surprise. "This, how is this possible?"
"Alas, whether it's possible or not, that's how it is. I've come to terms with it. I'll go back to my hometown to grow some flowers and feed some birds. My life will be like this."
After speaking, he stood up. "Alright, I should be going back."
Feng Pengju opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not mention his own predicament. He escorted Fang Zheng to the door before stopping. He understood that with this farewell, he didn't know when or where he would see him again.
Just now, after hearing the old Prime Minister's account, he had almost revealed his own situation. He had also received a hint, asking him to wait at home for further appointments.
To put it bluntly, Xiao Jingyun's appointment of him as Prime Minister was clearly a pipe dream. He also knew that this matter was more or less related to his request for Feng Xiaoyue to leave.
But he, Feng Pengju, did not regret it. He was a man of his word and could not go back on this marriage just because Fang Jun's family had fallen.
Now, he felt a little envious of Fang Zheng, who could leave at any time. He still had to wait for his wife to return, then thank the Emperor, and only after all that could he consider his departure.
...
One evening, the village of Hetou became bustling.
The early messenger arrived, informing the villagers that Chen Xiaobei was only a few miles away.
Initially, Chen Dayong and the others were very excited about Chen Xiaobei's return, having finally waited for him.
But upon hearing that Huang Ying had an accident, everyone was stunned. In their minds, Huang Ying was so skilled in martial arts, so powerful that she seemed like a god. How could a god have an accident? It seemed unbelievable.
Chen Dayong quickly led people to clean up under the large locust tree, and then went to Chen Xiaobei's house to tidy up the newly built house.
After everything was done, Chen Dayong led his men to the village entrance, quietly waiting for Chen Xiaobei's return.
"They're here, they're here!" someone shouted, pointing into the distance.
Looking in the direction pointed, a vast procession of horses approached in the distance.
Leading the way were five hundred of the Crown Prince's guards.
The procession of hundreds of people stretched out long on the country road.
And behind these troops was Chen Xiaobei, driving a horse-drawn carriage, pulling a coffin.
Further back, the procession seemed endless. Seeing this, the villagers began to whisper.
To have the Crown Prince's guards escorting them was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
But then again, what was the use of all this? The dead would never come back to life.
A mournful atmosphere enveloped the entire village. Everyone stood silently at the village entrance to welcome Chen Xiaobei back.
The village elder was also alerted. He stood at the forefront of the crowd, leaning on his cane, and occasionally raised his sleeve to wipe his tears.
Soon, Chen Xiaobei arrived.
Seeing the villagers waiting at the village entrance to welcome him, Chen Xiaobei's nose twitched, and tears welled up in his eyes.
He jumped down from the carriage and walked forward. He approached the elder and was about to speak when the elder raised his hand and waved it.
"Child, you've worked hard. Rest early now that you're back." His voice was choked with emotion.
Chen Xiaobei also wiped his tears. "Elder, I'm fine."
After speaking, he bowed to the elder and then turned, leading the carriage slowly towards his own home.
Watching Chen Xiaobei's lonely figure, the elder shook his head slightly. "Alas, good people do not live long!"
The elder waited under the big locust tree for about half an hour, then returned to Chen Xiaobei's house with Chen Dayong and the others.
After half an hour of preparation, Chen Xiaobei and the others had already settled Huang Ying's coffin.
The elder's visit this time was mainly to discuss Huang Ying's burial. Upon seeing the elder, Chen Xiaobei rose again to greet him.
The elder was helped to sit down and directly got to the point. "Xiaobei, what do you plan to do? We will all listen to you."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Elder, please take care. I only hope that Huang Ying can be buried as soon as possible."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, the elder nodded slightly.
"Alas, in principle, we should have a grand ceremony. After all, Huang Ying has made great contributions to our Hetou Village."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head, then looked at Shen Ziyan beside him, and slowly said, "Huang Ying never liked crowds. I think it's best to keep it simple."
After speaking, he glanced at Shen Ziyan and then at Cui Hongyu. "Tomorrow, let Huang Ying be buried. I don't want her to suffer any more hardship, exposed to the wind and sun."
Shen Ziyan nodded slightly. From her perspective, she actually hoped for this as well. No matter how grand the ceremony, it would only be for the living.
Shen Ziyan represented Huang Ying's maternal family. Since she agreed, things would be easier.
The elder looked at Chen Dayong. "Dayong, you take some men tonight to dig the grave. Make it deep and wide."
Chen Dayong agreed and then looked at Chen Xiaobei. "Brother Xiaobei, do you have anything else to say?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Everything else, I'll trouble you."
After the discussion, everyone left. Chen Xiaobei had no sleepiness at all. He sat by Huang Ying's memorial tablet, guarding the charcoal brazier, and wept again.