PNB Chapter 417 Dou Wei 1, Former Royal Family?
Chapter 417 Dou Wei 1, Former Royal Family?
"Thank you everyone!"
The woman at the head bowed to the crowd, carrying a gong, and walked towards the surrounding people.
The gong was polished to a shine, reflecting the lingering pile of ghost money and the complex expressions of the onlookers.
Some people looked hesitant and quietly took a half step back.
Some people, however, had tears in their eyes, reached into their sleeves, pulled out some loose silver, and threw it into the gong with a clang.
"Thank you, sir."
The woman nodded slightly, then continued walking towards the next person without stopping.
The pedestrians who had previously cursed the "bad luck" now looked ashamed.
After a while of pushing and shoving, someone finally took out a copper coin and threw it into the gong.
Some people who were short of money would bend down and pick up the paper money on the ground, gently placing it into the gong as a token of their respect.
Upon seeing this, the woman did not refuse, but bowed and thanked him again. The coldness in her eyes softened, replaced by a touch of gentleness.
Gradually, more and more silver and copper coins accumulated in the gong, mixed with a few pieces of ghost money, making it heavy.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a glance. Lin Xi quickly ran back to the inn and took out fifty taels from today's revenue.
As the woman approached, Lin Xi did not hesitate and gently placed the silver into the gong.
Da Niu also put in the two taels of silver he had on him.
Jiang Bei and Zhou Miao also put down five taels of silver.
Upon seeing this, the woman's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she knelt down in front of everyone with a thud: "Thank you, thank you all!"
This kneeling was so sudden that Gao Mengli quickly reached out to help her up, but she gently avoided it. "The kindness of everyone is something that the entire Sun Moon Sect will never forget."
In this chaotic world, it is already an immense blessing that someone is willing to listen to us finish a song and to throw money at the dead.
Upon seeing this, the women in the procession also put down their white banners and incense sticks and knelt down as well.
The young girls had red eyes, but they held back their tears.
Gao Mengli quickly bent down to help the woman up. "It was nothing. Women have it tough in these chaotic times. Since we've met, we should help if we can. Please get up."
Gao Mengli glanced around at the group of five or six hundred people and sighed softly, "Miss, during this special period, it's best if you don't go out. It's not safe."
The woman raised her eyes, revealing a pair of eyes that were still surprisingly bright despite being filled with tears. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, but her words were firm and resolute: "Madam, my daughter is Hongluan."
She turned around and glanced at her "family" behind her, her gaze sweeping over their young faces and hunched backs.
Her voice was filled with grief, "I appreciate your kindness, Madam."
But in this chaotic world, men guard the nation's gates, and women protect the bloodline.
As abandoned daughters, we should protect their bloodline, protect those children who have lost their parents, and protect the roots of the soldiers on the front lines.
So I took my sisters and prepared to go to Ling Si's residence to marry the soldiers of the Dou family army and leave them offspring.
If they die in battle, then we can still preserve their bloodline and return to the deep mountains and forests.
Eighteen years later, the children grew up, becoming strong and upright men, continuing the path their father had not finished.
This so-called emperor, the Yin family, was never legitimate; otherwise, the surrounding countries wouldn't have attacked again and again.
The words were so poignant, each one deeply moving Gao Mengli and Lin Xi.
These women were actually doing this for Dou Jiajun, to leave offspring for them!
“Hongluan, since you did this for the Dou family army, you are one of us. Don’t be so polite.”
"May I ask, what is that coffin you're carrying?"
Gao Mengli's gaze couldn't help but fall on the coffin behind Hongluan.
At this point, Hongluan lowered her head and wiped away her tears. She turned around and walked to the coffin, gently pushing open the lid to reveal the densely packed memorial tablets inside.
Several yellowed books were still covering the memorial tablet.
Gao Mengli walked over and glanced at the books, only to see that the book covers prominently featured titles such as "Mechanical Engineering," "Military and Political Essentials," "Gunpowder," "Medical Excerpts," and "Metallurgy"...
"Madam, to be honest, what's inside are the ancestral tablets and the embers of fire left behind by our ancestors who risked their lives."
Hongluan's voice was choked with sobs as her fingertips traced the ancestral tablet on the topmost surface, engraved with the character "Dou." "We have guarded these things for three generations, not for the thoughts of the dead, but for the path to survival for the living."
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli's heart sank.
So, this world has gunpowder and technology.
They didn't notice because of the change of dynasties and the resulting cultural break...
The memorial tablet with the character "Dou" is different from other memorial tablets in terms of both specifications and size.
It is a finger's width wider than the surrounding memorial tablets. It is made of rare ebony, and the edge of the tablet is engraved with a circle of dark patterns, which upon closer inspection are actually the lotus scroll pattern used exclusively by the royal family.
An absurd conjecture inevitably arose in Gao Mengli's mind.
She quickly slammed the coffin lid shut, gave Lin Xi a wink, then immediately grabbed Hongluan's hand and hurriedly entered the restaurant. "Miss Hongluan, this isn't the place to talk. Come with me into the restaurant."
Hongluan was pulled along, staggering a few steps, her eyes still wet with tears, her expression blank: "Madam, what...what's wrong?"
Gao Mengli didn't stop, and pulled her straight into the private room at the back of the restaurant, then bolted the door shut behind her.
The private room was filled with the calming scent of sandalwood, but it couldn't suppress the turbulent emotions surging within her.
She released Hongluan's hand, took a half step back, and stared intently at the other's face: "Whose is that memorial tablet with the character 'Dou' on it?"
Hongluan's face suddenly turned pale, her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word.
"Tell me, what exactly is the relationship between that memorial tablet and Dou's army?"
Gao Mengli stared intently at Hongluan's face, afraid of missing any subtle expression.
When she came here, she met Dou Weiyi, the county magistrate, whose behavior and actions were different from those of others.
If it were anyone else, they would never grant women rights. Just like Prefect Li, even his own children were used as a means to marry into powerful families.
But Dou Weiyi entrusted Pang Niu and A Yu with important responsibilities and never looked down on them.
He encouraged women in the county to remarry, without bothering with any elaborate rituals or memorial arches.
They treated the soldiers who defended the country with utmost care, building them resettlement camps and safe communities...
This completely exceeded the duties of a county magistrate in a desolate, barren mountainous area where even fighting a war was impossible.
He treated the people in his jurisdiction not as if he were fulfilling his duties as a county magistrate, but more like he was treating his own subjects.
Every single detail reveals Dou Weiyi's extraordinary identity.
With a thud, Hongluan knelt down before Gao Mengli again and kowtowed, saying, "Madam, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie to you..."
When Gao Mengli heard this, she was completely baffled.
Lie? Lie to her?
Gao Mengli stood there, stunned, unable to react for a moment.
Her mind was filled with the lotus pattern on that dark wooden memorial tablet.
My mind was preoccupied with Hongluan and the others' entanglements with the Dou family, the former imperial family, but I never expected Hongluan to say this.
She crouched down, reaching out to help Hongluan, but her fingertips froze in mid-air: "What are you lying to me about? That memorial tablet with the character 'Fang Dou' on it, or those... kind of embers you've been guarding?"
Hongluan pressed her forehead against the cold ground, her shoulders trembling slightly, her sobs strained and muffled: "Both...and neither."
She took a deep breath, raised her head, and cautiously glanced at Gao Mengli. Then she closed her eyes and silently apologized to Grandpa Dou.
"Madam, the reason we were able to enter the city was because we were instructed to come to the West... West City to perform..."
As she finished speaking, Hongluan's face flushed red, and her voice grew softer and softer.