There is a god in the sky

Chapter 353 Palace Change 6

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

They didn't know whether they should stop it or not; they had never seen anything so crazy.

Liu Engui's family had long been pushed out of the encirclement, and no matter how hard they shouted, they were drowned out by the surrounding noise.

Soon, the wooden frame was erected, and Liu Engui's body was thrown onto it and tung oil was poured over it.

Someone came over with a torch, and the executioner shouted, "Stop!"

"Snap!" The torch was thrown onto the wooden frame, instantly igniting a raging fire.

The executioner covered his eyes, yelled, "A bunch of lunatics!" and then ran away, lifting the hem of his robe.

The officials originally intended to retrieve Liu Engui's body for the Liu family, since they had previously accepted money from them.

But faced with this situation, they dared not sneak away.

The fire grew larger and larger, and the people retreated one after another, afraid of being hit by sparks.

Some people suddenly became frightened and turned to flee the scene.

During the Da Xi Dynasty, burning corpses was considered disrespectful to ancestors. One theory was that the souls of those who died without a complete body could not be reincarnated normally.

"Brother Shen, aren't you scared? What if your sister-in-law can't be reincarnated after we burn her body?" Little Tiger asked worriedly.

Shen Zhiyuan and his group carried Miao Niang's body out of a small village fifty miles away, where there was an abandoned porcelain kiln.

Shen Lan said that without sufficient temperature, a body cannot be burned to ashes, so he found this place.

"Don't worry, everyone in Guli Town is the same, and it's good that we're all together."

Little Tiger scratched his head, realizing he had said the wrong thing.

"I'm so sorry, Brother Shen."

"It's alright, it's true. All the people in our town were burned. We're all just ashes and dirt."

A day and a night later, Shen Zhiyuan carefully collected the ashes, then carried them on his back and said goodbye to Xiao Huzi and the others.

"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I will remember it forever."

"The mountains are high and the roads are long, but we'll meet again when you come back!"

"Xiao Shen, please accept my condolences. Think of your sister; she still needs you."

Shen Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll be back as soon as I've buried my wife."

It's raining.

Shen Lan was still standing on the execution platform.

Everyone left, even the officials withdrew.

The fire, which was still burning, was extinguished by the rain.

Shen Lan turned and walked into the rain, raindrops mingling with her tears as they slid down her face.

The pedestrians around her were all running because of the sudden rain, but she walked slowly down the street.

A young man running very fast bumped into her, turned around and cursed, "Can't you watch where you're going?!"

Upon seeing Shen Lan's face, the young man was first taken aback, then overjoyed, his attitude changing completely. "Miss, where are you going? Do you want your brother to give you a ride?"

Shen Lan was lost in her own thoughts and ignored him.

"Tsk, what a fool. But it's alright, hehe..."

He reached out and grabbed Shen Lan's arm, pulling her into his arms.

"Little sister, my house has lots of delicious food and fun things to do. Would you like to come home with me?"

"go home?"

"Yes, yes, go home, go back to your brother's house, your brother will love you."

Shen Lan raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

"You're so ugly, how could you possibly be my brother?"

The young man, slapped to the ground, was enraged and yelled, "You bitch, how dare you hit me! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

Seeing him lunge at her, Shen Lan neither dodged nor evaded, and then kicked him in the stomach.

"Ouch! That hurts like hell, you crazy woman!"

Shen Lan threw another punch, then, realizing it was asymmetrical, threw another punch on the other side.

The young man struggled, only to discover that he was no match for a little girl.

He screamed in agony, begging for mercy: "Heroine, spare my life! I was wrong!"

After venting her frustrations, Shen Lan found herself in a much better mood. She took out one or two taels of silver and gave it to the other person.

"Here, this covers the medical expenses. Go back and buy some Panax notoginseng to apply as a poultice, and you'll be fine."

Shen Lan abandoned the injured and turned to leave, then saw Xiao Ji standing in front of her with an umbrella.

I don't know when he arrived or how long he watched.

Shen Lan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Xiao Ji walked over with an umbrella and held it over Shen Lan's head. "Are you tired? Let's go home."

Shen Lan saw that half of his body was soaked, so she pushed the umbrella over to him.

"Thank you, sir. I don't need an umbrella; I'm already soaked."

Xiao Ji persisted, insisting, "The rain is cold; you'll get sick if you stay in the rain too long."

"Did the adults walk here?"

"No, the carriage is parked on the next street. There were too many people here, so the carriage couldn't get through."

Shen Lan knew from his words that he had been there for quite some time.

Xiao Ji took out a clean handkerchief for her, "Wipe your face, and drink a bowl of ginger soup when you get back."

Shen Lan saw the white belt tied around his waist, wiped her face blankly, and then asked him, "Isn't the palace busy right now? Is it alright for you to leave the palace at this time?"

"The Ministry of Rites will handle Consort Li's funeral arrangements, and the mourning will be mainly performed by the ladies of the various households. Officials from the court only need to pay their respects three days later."

"Is there any progress in that case?"

"No, the Emperor forbids me from entering the inner palace. I heard that all the servants in Shuyu Palace have been executed."

"What?" Shen Lan was shocked, but upon closer reflection, she realized that with two concubines dying in one day, the servants would inevitably be implicated.

"The emperor was furious. Shuyu Palace had already been sealed off. My aunt wanted to bring Baizhi and the others out, but it was too late."

"Bai Zhi is dead too?" Shen Lan muttered to herself.

So all traces of Consort Li and Miao Niang's existence in the palace must have vanished completely.

"Yes, I sent Suifeng to bring them out of the palace for burial."

Not only in the imperial harem, but also in the Crown Prince's residence, a number of people were purged.

"Has His Majesty not yet decided how to deal with the Crown Prince?"

"It's not that easy. He has already begun to make his plans under the guise of Consort Li's funeral. The fact that his secret guards have started killing people is a sign of this."

"No wonder it's raining so hard today; even God knows the political situation is unstable right now."

Turning a corner, Shen Lan saw the desolate carriage.

She was soaking wet and didn't want to get into the carriage, but Xiao Ji pulled her in.

She touched the cushion she had wet with some unease, then changed the subject, asking, "Has the Prince of Zheng gone to the palace?"

"Not yet. His Majesty has fallen ill due to excessive grief and has not summoned Prince Zheng."

"Really sick?"

Xiao Ji's lips twitched slightly. "Who knows? Maybe."

Prince Zheng was sitting in the princess's residence drinking tea, with Lu Changzhi accompanying him, but he and his uncle had never spoken much.

"Mother has gone to the palace; she should be back soon."

King Zheng looked at his nephew and suddenly realized that his son wasn't so bad after all.

"Two concubines died in the palace, so it's normal for my elder sister to be busy. Is there still any trouble at the Lu residence?"

With the death of the Grand Prince Consort, the issue of succession in the Lu family has come to the forefront.

Regardless of which side you look at it from, Lu Changzhi is the eldest son and grandson of the Lu family, so he will naturally inherit the most property. As for how much the illegitimate sons and daughters will get, that depends on his mood.

Lu Changzhi had no brotherly affection for them and was not a great philanthropist, so he gave them some gold and silver to get rid of them, and all of the Lu family's properties were put into his own hands.

The rest of the Lu family naturally disagreed and had been making a fuss about it.

"They're just nobody, Uncle, don't worry about them."

King Zheng lowered his head and said, "Although he is a nobody, he is still a nuisance. As a nuisance, he should be dealt with as soon as possible to avoid causing even greater trouble in the future."