The next day, Meng Sungu presented the letter to Lu Wengong, and then wiped his tears and said, "My father is guilty, so he went into exile in Juguo. Now that he is truly repentant and old, let him return to China to enjoy his old age in peace! Dr. Lu Guo's death in a foreign country will also have a bad impact on the reputation of the office; And the monarch who can forgive him with a merciful heart will also be praised by the people of the world. ”

Then the whole court fell silent, people were in a tangled mood, and the atmosphere was awkward. Lu Wengong finally broke the silence, he cleared his throat and asked Gongzisui: "So, what do you think?" ”

Childe then said, "What else can the minister think? Of course, the ministers put the interests of the public office first. Since it is beneficial to the prince, let him come back. But for the sake of the office, Gongsun can no longer hold any official positions. ”

As a result, Lu Wengong summoned Gongsun Ao back. Gongsun Ao left his family and his two sons in Juguo (in order not to stimulate Gongzi Sui's sensitive little nerves) and returned to Qufu alone. When he returned home, he closed the door of his room, stopped participating in any social activities, did not associate with anyone, and lived a life of isolation from the outside world.

One day in the winter three years later, Lu Wengong and the doctors went out of the city to hunt as usual, and the Mengsun Gu brothers were also in the team. The hunt lasted for ten days, but when the brothers returned, they found that their belongings had been "looted" and Gongsun Ao was gone.

Meng Sungu was furious: "Ah! What about my father? Yes! What about my property? ”

The retainers knelt on the ground, and they didn't dare to come out: "Doctor Gongsun has gone to Ju with all his family property!" ”

The Mengsun Gu brothers glanced at the empty home, and they couldn't accept the cruel reality in front of them.

When Lu Wengong heard this, he just shook his head and pouted, and the son couldn't stop laughing. Since Gongsun Ao embezzled state property for a woman, the Lu people would not be surprised by any bizarre things that this old lover had done.

Meng Sungu was heartbroken by his uneasy old father, who soon became bedridden and terminally ill. On his deathbed, Meng Sungu begged Lu Wengong and said: "The son of the minister is too young to support the Meng family, please make it difficult for the brother of Lichen to be the heir." ”

After Meng Sun Gu died, he was called Meng Mubo, and Meng Sunan succeeded his brother as a public doctor, which was Uncle Meng Hui.

Mengsun Gu's untimely death was a huge blow to Gongsun Ao and destroyed his already fragile health. Gongsun Ao couldn't help but think of what Uncle Shi once said in Zhou: "The grain also eats the child, and the difficulty also reaps the child." "Now that Meng Sun Gu has died, it is time for him to make it difficult for Meng Sun to bury himself.

Gongsun Ao does not have any lofty ambitions, but he pays great attention to his feelings for his family; He believed that he had killed his son and fell into deep self-remorse. He decided to change his ways, and this time he really returned to the country of Lu, and would never leave again (his physical condition really did not allow it).

Then he wrote another letter to Meng Sunnan, asking Lu Wengong to allow him to return to China one last time. Lu Wengong glanced at the text on the letter out of politeness, and then asked Gongzi: "So, what do you think?" ”

Childe didn't raise his head, he said, "Whatever! The treasury was taken away, and the family property was emptied, and the minister really couldn't think of anything more humiliating for him. ”

So the old and frail Gongsun Ao embarked on the long journey home for the last time. In September of the 14th year of the reign of Duke Lu Wen (613 BC), Gongsun Ao died of illness while passing through the Qi Kingdom, and he did not fulfill his last wish, and became the second leader of the Mengsun clan to die in a foreign land after his father.

Meng Sunnan had to use a funeral to welcome his father's coffin, but his action was stopped by Lu Wengong. It turned out that Gongzi said to Lu Wengong in private: "I said that I would come back alive, but I died in a foreign country; My husband and grandson are really bullying the king until they die. Gongsun did not die in state affairs, and he was not allowed to return to China for burial according to the weekly rites, so please do not allow his coffin to return to China. ”

Meng Sunan really had nothing to do this time, he couldn't think of anything but crying.

At that time, there was a clever Qi man who gave advice to Meng Sunnan and said, "Master, you can transport the hearse to Tangfu on the border of Qilu, and then like this, Lu Hou will definitely agree with the master to bring the coffin back." ”

Meng Sunan sent a heavy bribe to the ministers of Qi according to the strategy, and the people of Qi sent the coffin to Tangfu in the name of the official office and notified the people of Lu to come to welcome it.

Tangfu belongs to the state of Qi, and its opposite is Bian Yi of the state of Lu. Dr. Bian Yi couldn't figure out the situation and hurriedly reported to Lu Wengong; And when Lu Wengong saw that the people of Qi openly supported the Mengsun clan, he also felt in a dilemma.

Then it was Meng Sunnan's turn to make his debut. He entered the palace wearing heavy filial piety, knelt on the court and howled; Lu Wengong couldn't stand his crying, and he couldn't bear to drive him away, so he had to hide in the inner bed and block his ears. But Meng Sunan didn't have the slightest idea of giving up, he kept kneeling there, crying and resting for a while.

At night, Lu Wengong's mind was still haunted by silky cries. He couldn't help but ask the ministers beside him: "Is Dr. Mengsun still crying in the court, or is the widow hallucinating?" Why do widows always feel like someone is crying? ”

Xiao Chen said: "The feeling of the prince is right, Doctor Mengsun has not left, but has been crying. ”

Lu Wengong shook his head and said, "Why are the people of the Mengsun clan more difficult than the other? He sighed and returned to the court, allowing Meng Sunnan to transport the coffin back to China, but the funeral rites were one level lower than the official position he held during his lifetime, as a sign of punishment for him.

After all kinds of twists and turns, Gongsun Ao's coffin was finally placed in the mourning hall of the Meng family, and accepted people's condolences. However, Shengji resented Gongsun Ao and was disgusted with him, so he refused to look directly at his coffin. Meng Sunan had to enclose the coffin with a curtain before helping his mother into the mourning hall. After weeping, they left, and the people removed the veil.

Childe reluctantly invited the brothers of the Gong clan to go to mourn, and he said to Uncle Zhong Huibo that he could not cry? Because he only has resentment towards the deceased, and it is too late to be happy, and he really can't cry.

Shu Zhong Huibo said: "Funeral is a ceremony for the death of loved ones. Although Gongzi and Mengsun did not have a good beginning, they should have a good ending. Shi Yi said: 'Brothers to the United States', rescue, congratulations, condolences, mourning, although the situation is different, but they are all blind dates. The son has not lost his way, so why should he resent Meng Sun? ”

Childe was said to be so overjoyed that he cried in the mourning hall, and that day he cried the saddest of all the mourners.