Chapter 152 Funeral
Jiangning Prefecture, Dingjiao Town.

There were quite a lot of people going to the market.

Some were pushing wheelbarrows, some were leading oxen, and some were driving horse-drawn carriages.

Merchants and passers-by gathered in this small town on the border of Jiangning Prefecture and Zhenjiang Prefecture.

Looking at the hustle and bustle, the road stretches into the distance.

Along the official road built with rammed earth, there are vendors hawking their wares on both sides. Every time it is three quarters past noon, this place is always crowded with people from all walks of life.

Here, there is constant bargaining and shouting.

The sewage from slaughtering chickens and fish flowed everywhere, staining the dry loess with mud.

People with braids were buying things here, some were even bartering, and there were also women walking through the market with their children, the children looking around with curiosity.

Every day in the small town is so lively, there is always endless work to do and endless things to say.

Most people have dark complexion on their faces, which are the marks left by years of hard work and exposure to wind and rain.

Although their shoulders are thin, they can carry hundreds of pounds of cargo.

The hunchbacked old woman carried a basket and picked up vegetables along the road to the market, picking up all the rotten and unwanted vegetables with a happy smile on her face.

For people of this era, happiness is something that is easy to obtain yet very difficult to satisfy.

As long as they have enough food and warm clothes, they are the happiest days of the year for them.

Different from these hard-working common people, the wealthy masters and young masters sat in the stalls of teahouses and restaurants, drinking wine, eating snacks, leisurely watching the busy crowds on the street, talking about gossip from time to time, and telling what happened in the past few days.

"Hey, let me tell you. Do you know what happened to the Zhao family recently?" The pale-faced young man wrapped his braids around his neck and spoke mysteriously with one foot on the chair.

His companions were also curious and came over to ask.

"what happen?"

"What happened to the Zhao family?"

"you guess."

"Hurry up and tell me, don't hide it."

Seeing that he had aroused everyone's interest, the young man smiled.

Then he lowered his head and looked around, covered his mouth with his hands and whispered: "I heard that something big happened to the Zhao family. It is said. It is said! I also heard it from the servants of the Zhao family. It is said that the eldest son of the Zhao family went back to the old house, and his heart was eaten by a ghost. His whole body disappeared, and only his head was taken back and forth. Among the dozen people who went with the eldest son of the Zhao family, none of them came back alive. Even the Taoist priest hired by the family was killed by the ghost. The scene was very scary!"

"Ouch! Is this true?!"

"This, this is impossible?! Is there such a fierce ghost?!"

"What about the dozen people? Are they all dead?"

Seeing that everyone was unconvinced, the young master was a little angry. He rolled his eyes, as if he had thought of something, and looked at everyone and said, "I'll make a bet with you. If this is true, each of you must give me one tael of silver. If this is false, then each of you will pay me one tael of silver. What do you think?"

"Let's gamble! I don't believe that a smart man like Young Master Zhao would be killed by a ghost. There are more than ten people here, how powerful can this ghost be?"

"I'll bet with you too! I bet Young Master Zhao is fine!"

The atmosphere at the table was very heated, and everyone started to debate eloquently.

The young man was no longer angry, but sat at the table leisurely drinking tea. He pointed at the bustling market and said, "Just wait, Taoist priests and monks will come here soon. They are all from the Zhao family to attend the funeral."

So the young masters stared at the market with wide eyes, and soon they heard the loud sound of gongs and drums.

A group of Taoist priests and monks dressed in white robes walked along the street beating gongs and drums. The names of the eldest and second young masters of the Zhao family were also written on the banners they held.

This "memorial banner" is also called a flag. It is an important offering. Later, it gradually developed into a ceremonial device with the name of the deceased written on it. If the deceased had an official position or title, the official position or title would be added before the name. For officials above the fifth rank, the country's name would even be added before the official position or title. The paper money was seen floating to both sides.

People busy at the market avoided the scene and made way for the farewell procession.

During the funeral procession, there were women crying and old people lowering their heads and scattering paper money numbly.

Some were carrying funeral items, and some were holding grave tablets.

The white sails fluttered in the wind, and a team of more than a hundred people marched away in a mighty manner.

This was a rare spectacle in Dingjiao Town, attracting everyone's attention.

The young man sitting in the teahouse proudly spread out his fan, pocketed all the silver on the table, and then said with a smile: "See, my information is correct."

"Oh my goodness, the eldest and second young masters of the Zhao family are both dead?"

"Shh, it's really unpredictable! A few days ago, my family was planning to take care of the eldest young master of the Zhao family, but I didn't expect that he would be gone in the blink of an eye."

"Who is left in the Zhao family? The Third Young Master?"

Everyone was still shocked by the news of the death of the eldest son of the Zhao family. After all, in Dingjiao Town, the eldest son's reputation was higher than that of the county magistrate.

Whenever there was any dispute in the town, the master or eldest son of the Zhao family would usually be asked to mediate, so in everyone's mind, the eldest son of the Zhao family was a well-known figure.

I didn't expect that such a person would die quietly and be buried together with the second young master of the Zhao family.

"The Zhao family is probably going to be in decline!" The young man took a sip of tea and said with a sigh. "Today we are sending off the eldest and second young masters of the Zhao family, and tomorrow we will probably send off Mr. Zhao."

"How do you know so much?" came the young boy's immature voice.

"Of course I know about this. I have a servant relative who works for the Zhao family. How could I not know?" the young master said as a matter of course.

Just after answering the question, he felt that the voice sounded unfamiliar and looked towards it.

Then I saw a young Taoist priest in Taoist robes, with delicate skin, delicate features and fine eyes. He was even more handsome than the female role in the opera.

The young master's favorable impression increased greatly, and he said jokingly: "What's the matter, little Taoist priest, do you also want to go to the Zhao family to earn some money?"

"Yes, I am just about to go to the Zhao family." The little Taoist smiled and reached out to touch the little white rabbit in his arms. His eyes were bright, as if he could see through a person.

The young master was also happy to see this, and he put away his folding fan and said hurriedly: "The Zhao family is not short of Taoist priests now, and it would be useless for you to go there. Why don't you come to my house and have a seat? My family just happens to have some things that need the help of Taoist priests recently. What do you think, little Taoist priest?"

As the man spoke, he walked up to the young Taoist priest and stretched out his hand to grab Li Daoxuan, but he was lightly avoided.

The young Taoist smiled calmly at the young master, then bowed and said, "Young master, you'd better be careful recently, as you may encounter bloody disasters in the near future."

When the young man heard this, his face suddenly changed. When he was about to get angry, he saw the little Taoist priest floating away again. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, which surprised him.

"This little Taoist priest passed away so quickly, what a pity." The young man sighed regretfully. He picked up the teacup and was about to drink it when he suddenly saw a deep red centipede wriggling in the teacup. He was so scared that he threw the teacup away immediately.

The centipede suddenly jumped onto his face. The young man screamed and ran away from the table. In his panic, he bumped into the pillar of the teahouse. He immediately felt dizzy and bleeding.

This situation really proved what the young Taoist said, there will be a bloody disaster.

The little Taoist priest who had already left was walking on the way to Zhao's house. He looked at the paper money scattered all over the ground and said to himself with a smile, "Why did you want to play a trick on that person?"

"Hmph~ Who told him to bully you?" The rabbit in his arms moved its mouth and spoke quietly to the little Taoist priest.

The young Taoist priest was none other than Li Daoxuan, who had travelled a long way and had put in a lot of effort on this journey.

　Goodbye March, hello April!
　　I have already finished all the things that needed to be done for the Qingming Festival in the past two days, including rituals for the salvation of souls, proxy sacrifices, etc. Because I am determined to stick to two updates a day in April, my dear book friends and Taoist friends, don’t waste your daily monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Please cast them for me and give me some encouragement, so that I will have more confidence in updating twice a day!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)