The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 668 - 452. What a lively scene! Mind if I join? (6k)_2

What water bandits are kidnapping... He isn’t stupid; where would there be any water bandits on Jiancheng Road with the capability and audacity to kidnap his wife and daughter? He Xiaolou’s attitude makes it abundantly clear.

Mr. Wen said: "He Xiaolou has no reason; he must be doing it on someone else’s behalf."

Ning Zechen bit his lip until it bled, his eyes reddening, and suddenly laughed: "It seems some people are unhappy with me, the Governor, blocking their way. They finally couldn’t stand it and took the risk of losing their heads just to make me bow."

Mr. Wen hesitated: "Should we send someone first to verify the authenticity..."

Ning Zechen shook his head. There’s no joking in such matters. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Don’t let this information leak to anyone; tonight I will go alone to the banquet."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to grab the sword in Mr. Wen’s hand, suppressing his anger: "What a bunch of Cao Gang ruffians, what a group of demons and goblins, my sword has its sharpness too!"

...

At the same time, when the Shipping Governor and He Xiaolou were preparing to meet for negotiations.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a group from the north had already changed their appearance and quietly entered Jianning Prefecture posing as a merchant caravan.

Zhao Douan sat inside the carriage, lifting the curtain to watch the bustling streets, filled with people and vehicles, and said with emotion: "Truly a wealthy place; just by looking at the city’s atmosphere, it’s no inferior to the Capital."

Damn, Prince Jing has indeed managed this area with dedication for many years; it’s not simple.

Judging from just the appearance, it subtly has the atmosphere of a python preparing to swallow a dragon.

While pondering, he noticed many shops on the street hanging white lanterns and white silk, showing a mourning style; however, they weren’t coffin or paper money shops but various types of stores operating as usual, yet exuding a mourning energy.

"What does this mean? Is white event decoration popular in Jianning Prefecture? Isn’t this grieving? Surely not everyone has died? How are they still in business?"

Zhao Douan was a bit bewildered.

"Sir, you must be joking. Though Jianning Prefecture is far from the Capital, with some local customs, they don’t treat white events as something good."

In the same carriage, sitting upright alongside her daughter, the Governor’s Wife couldn’t help but laugh and cry, glanced outside the window, and said:

"These shops are all under the Shen family’s business. If I’m not mistaken, it should be that Mr. Shen, who was bedridden in heavy illness, has died."

Mr. Shen? Zhao Douan was taken aback:

"That local first aristocratic family with a history spanning several centuries? The Shen family that produced three generations of Prime Ministers and two Generals?"

Mrs. Ning nodded: "Indeed."

Zhao Douan’s expression became nuanced. He certainly remembered this Shen family.

Back then, in the Taicang silver mine case, it was people from this Shen family who stirred up trouble in the Capital, agitating Zhenbao and the ’Li Party’ to deepen the rift.

Killed the County Magistrate of Taicang in prison, Shen Er, the second son of the Family Head; later Zhao Douan entered prison and killed Gao Lian, Zhenbao sent people to clean up the aftermath, and only then did he learn some of the inside information from Mo Chou.

After hearing Mrs. Ning mention that Mr. Shen returned from the Capital and fell critically ill... how could Zhao Douan not understand? This man’s death was clearly Zhenbao giving the Shen family a firm warning.

But... to seemingly have a broken life bridge yet able to last so long before passing... it could only be a testament to the profound foundation of a great family.

"So, Mrs. Ning means that someone from the Shen family died, and all subordinate shops have to wear mourning? What an extravagant affair... Tsk tsk, but is it such a coincidence that I just arrived, and he dies within these few days?" Zhao Douan joked.

Mrs. Ning shook her head: "They seem to have died for a while, but the burial rules for the aristocratic families here are large, and the time is dragged long."

After her explanation, Zhao Douan finally understood.

In ancient times, when one died, it generally required not being buried for the first three days, or even not buried for the first seven days, which is known as ’first seven days,’ roughly because it’s said that the soul would return home one last time to bid farewell seven days after death...

But this saying is just folk legend, the truth being that common folk didn’t have the technology to preserve the body perfectly; they could keep it for a maximum of seven days, after which it would start to stink if not buried...

Likewise, when buried - for instance, when the Old Emperor died, the corpse was kept for one or two full months, during which time it was partly for calming the aftermath of the political turmoil, partly for preparing a series of ceremonies for burial in the imperial tomb, and also to give enough time for the embalmers in the palace to treat the body, disinfect and sterilize, use precious materials to preserve the body to maintain its fragrance after death... alongside various preservation methods.

The Shen family, being an aristocratic family, although not as grand as the Emperor’s, also has a whole set of burial processes.

"However, ordinary Shen family members wouldn’t warrant such treatment. Mr. Shen was very loved by Old Dowager Shen, so this exception is not surprising." Mrs. Ning calmly analyzed.

Old Dowager... in the records, is she the Shen family’s ’grandmother’? The actual controller of the family? Probably similar to Granny Jia’s role in the Dream of the Red Chamber?

With chaotic thoughts spinning in his mind, Zhao Douan observed the mother and daughter’s expressions, smiled, and said: "Thank you for the information. Haha, I know you are eager to return home, but since you were attacked, it shows the complexity of the city’s situation. Appearing rashly might be unwise; please bear with it a while longer."

When he spoke these words, he was smiling.

What Zhao Douan didn’t tell the mother and daughter was that on the ship, he had commanded the Inner Court Tributors to "persuade to surrender" some surviving Cao Gang assassins using strict means.

And from Zuo Rong’s lips, he learned the methods to contact He Xiaolou.

He directly ordered the Cao Gang assassins to send back a false message of "successful kidnapping" to He Xiaolou and simultaneously contacted the hidden Royal Shadow Guards within Jianning Prefecture.

He wanted to see what exactly would happen.

As the convoy arrived at the designated inn, the group entered without encountering the unexpected encirclement like on Marine Road.

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