Chapter 1306 Legal Affairs
In ancient times, moving tombs was an important event.
From raising the grave, to attracting the soul, to setting up the altar, to burying, etc., the eminent monk has to calculate the auspicious day and hour without making any mistakes.
When Xia Zihan arrived at Baoxiang Temple, the eminent monk was already chanting sutras and performing rituals. Xia Shiming was standing next to a coffin that had changed color and was old. Xia Ziye and Xia Zihai were kneeling respectfully in front of the coffin, surrounded by more than a dozen people. The eminent monk is spinning in circles and chanting sutras.
Xia Zihan and Chu Jingqi took Xuan'er Jie'er without saying a word, went in and knelt beside Xia Ziye. Chu Xuanyu, Zhuo and Chu Jiahui were of the same generation, so they didn't have to kneel down, but they also made a pious and respectful expression. .
Not long after, Zeng Yiran, Chu Yuexi and others also arrived at Baoxiang Temple. Seeing that the ritual had already begun, a group of people all knelt down quietly behind Xia Zihan and others.
Even Mrs. Xia Er came.
Chu Jiahui was his first wife, and Mrs. Xia Er was just the stepmother. In front of Chu Jiahui, Mrs. Xia Er had to perform the concubine ceremony and kneel down like the juniors.
After Mrs. Xia Er came in, she glanced around, then gently walked around everyone, walked to the front, and knelt in front of Xia Ziye and Xia Zihai's two sons, lying on the ground with a respectful look on her face.
Xia Zijiang and Lu were the last to arrive.
When they arrived, the back hall of the temple was full of people kneeling. Only the elders of Xia Shiming, Chu Xuanyu and the Zhuo family stood beside the coffin, bowing their heads and humbly listening to the chanting.
Xia Zijiang's eyes glanced around, and when he was about to open his mouth to say, "Oh, there are quite a lot of people there." he was glared at by Mrs. Lu, and the words that came to his lips were choked back.
Xia Zijiang gritted his teeth and wanted to beat the woman to death in one round, but when he thought that Lu had a lot of kung fu and was stronger than him, he instantly shrugged.
Mrs. Lu dragged him to Xia Ziye and asked him to kneel down with her eyes. Xia Zijiang gritted his teeth and did not want to kneel down. Mrs. Lu got angry and kicked him hard.
Xia Zijiang knelt down, and Madam Lu also knelt beside him. Seeing him raising his head and looking curiously at the monks around him, Madam Lu glared at him angrily and put a hand on the back of his head. Push him down.
Xia Zijiang struggled a few times and wanted to curse, but was intimidated by Lu's fierce eyes. He was immediately frightened and did not dare to move randomly.
This sutra was recited from morning to afternoon.
After it was over, Xia Shiming and Chu Xuanyu followed the eminent monk out, probably to arrange the burial.
Mrs. Zhuo, on the other hand, led a group of juniors to offer incense and paper to Chu Jiahui in the palace.
Everyone respectfully offered a piece of incense to Chu Jiahui and burned a stack of paper money. After burning it, Mrs. Zhuo led everyone out, while Xia Zihan and Chu Jingqi stayed to keep vigil.
Chu Yuexi said, "When grandma was alive, what she missed most was Aunt Jiahui. I also stayed here to burn some more paper money for Aunt Jiahui, so that grandma can feel at ease knowing that she knows the secret."
"We don't know which day the burial will be. Don't keep vigil today. Let Ayu and Aqi keep vigil, and you and Brother Ran will do it tomorrow."
Zhuo is the elder, and her noble status is there, so she consciously takes over all the affairs here, assigning them to the juniors, and no one dares to complain.
Even Xia Zijiang, who was unwilling, did not dare to show the slightest bit of displeasure.
In the end, Xia Zihan and Chu Jingqi stayed. The others, who had been kneeling for a day, were already tired. After having a vegetarian meal, they rested in the guest house arranged by the temple.
At night, the back hall was dark, with only an old coffin placed in the middle. In front of the coffin, the flame of an oil lamp swayed in the gusty wind, and occasionally a flame bursting sound was made. Xia Zihan and Chu Jingqi knelt in front of the coffin, and from time to time they would throw a bunch of paper money into the brazier to prevent the flames in the basin from extinguishing and brighten the entire gloomy back hall.
"My mother has never taken care of me since I was born. My nanny has always taken care of me. My mother has to serve Old Mrs. Xia all day long, just like a personal maid, no, even more personal than a personal maid. As long as Old Mrs. Xia My eyes are open, so my mother has to wait close by.”
"When my mother came back to the house after a tiring day, I fell asleep."
"When I woke up, my mother went to wait for Mrs. Xia to get up early."
"In the Xia family, my mother is the person with the least status, but she does it happily."
"When I was a child, my grandmother would always talk to me about these things about my mother. After hearing this, I couldn't understand why my mother didn't take care of me instead of taking care of Old Mrs. Xia. There were so many maids and women around Old Mrs. Xia, but I didn't understand Only the wet nurse, even if she is filial, does not serve Mrs. Xia personally and leave her child alone."
"After meeting Mrs. Xia and witnessing her unreasonableness, selfishness and coldness, I deeply understood how helpless and painful my mother must have been when she was tortured by Mrs. Xia."
"My mother definitely wants to take care of her children, but Mrs. Xia is jealous of her status, bullies her kindness, and deliberately makes things difficult for her, preventing her from taking care of me."
"My mother... is so kind."
"Old Mrs. Xia has to bear most of the responsibility for my mother's death, but why is my mother not responsible?"
"Based on my mother's identity, even if she is a little stronger, she might not be tortured to death by Mrs. Xia."
"After my mother died, my grandmother once deeply regretted that she had taught her daughter too well and dragged herself to death for the sake of filial piety. Even if she was a little willful, my mother had a little resistance. Mrs. Xia doesn’t dare to do anything to my mother.”
"My grandfather's chief minister in the cabinet was just for the future of Mr. Xia and Mr. Xia. Mrs. Xia did not dare to really torture my mother to death. However, it was because my mother was too kind, too filial, and too weak. Only then did Mrs. Xia indulge her unscrupulously, and finally took her life.”
Xia Zihan murmured, softly telling what Zeng had told her.
Although many years have passed since those things, and Chu Jiahui has been dead for many years, and even the Zeng family is dead, Xia Zihan still has a lot of complaints in his heart when he mentions these things.
She resented Mrs. Xia's selfishness and coldness, and also resented her mother for being too weak. Once upon a time, she even resented Xia Shiming's neglect.
If Xia Shiming hadn't been too filial and neglected to care for her mother, or if Xia Shiming had been stronger and taken her mother away when he went abroad, then these things would not have happened.
However, things happened, people died, and her father changed his ways.
Mrs. Xia has also been bedridden in recent years and has been having a hard time. This can be regarded as retribution for her.
Xia Zihan no longer hates all the grudges of the previous generation, except for the hatred towards Mrs. Xia.
But when I saw Chu Jiahui's coffin, I couldn't help but start talking.
(End of chapter)