Chapter 17: Shed Tears, For the Last Time

“What is this?” Yao Mo Wan walked to the front of the fu doors and lifted her eyes, only to see a thirty feet long white silk cloth with decorative bows hanging on the horizontal board that had ‘Yao Xiang fu‘  inscribed. It was unpleasantly garish.

“This servant has asked Steward Yao about it. The Imperial Court has set the date for Eldest Miss’s funeral to be two days later. Xiang fu is Eldest Miss’s maternal family so they must naturally set up the mourning hall. That’s why Steward Yao had started preparing from early on. I heard His Majesty and Second Miss will also be coming!” Ting Yue reported the facts.

When she heard the words ‘his majesty’, Yao Mo Wan suddenly shook. All the blood in her body suddenly froze, inside her sleeves her hands gradually clenched. Her fingernails dug into her palms, but she didn’t notice pain. Her clear cold pupils seemed to momentarily ignite into raging flames, as if she wanted to burn Ye Hong Yi and Yao Su Luan into ashes. She wants to reenter the palace, this is the best opportunity.

“Miss, what’s wrong?” Noticing Yao Mo Wan’s abnormality, Ting Yue lightly shook her master. Only then did Yao Mo Wan exhale.

“I was moved ah, His Majesty’s feelings for Eldest Sister really are deep.” Yao Mo Wan carelessly lifted her hand and swiped away the glistening drops at the corners of her eyes, her cherry lips curled into a ridiculing curve. She swears, this will be her last time shedding tears, last time!

“Miss, let’s go in.” Ting Yue only knew that Yao Mo Wan was recalling the past, certainly she must be missing her older sister.

When Yao Mo Wan and Ting Yue got to the back garden, they suddenly heard a sound from behind the fake mountain.

“Listen closely, bring this silver to Third Madam’s residence east of the city. Be careful, don’t let anyone follow. You must not let Big Madam know about this, especially about the little young master in Third Madam’s fu. Lao ye extremely cherishes him, if he was hurt by Big Madam, don’t know how heartbroken he would be!”

“Steward, rest assured. Chen Qiang is aware of the situation!”

“That’s right, have you finished the matter regarding Second Madam?”

“En, this little one even went to a specialist to consult before burying her in a place with good feng shui at the west outskirts of the city.”

“Go then!”

Feeling footsteps approach, Yao Mo Wan hurriedly took two steps and got onto the exquisite arched bridge. Looking back, Yao Tu had already entered the veranda.

“Ting Yue, has Steward Yao asked you before about me?” Yao Mo Wan’s beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, seeming to harbor a deep emotion as she looked at Yao Tu’s back figure.

“No.” Ting Yue shook her head.

“Are there really good people in the world……” Yao Mo Wan muttered to herself, a warm feeling flowed through her heart. Yao Tu, great grace cannot speak thanks, you will have good karma.

Great Grace Cannot Speak Thanks means that he has done such a great act of kindness that YMW can’t repay and can only remember it in her heart. Because words would not express the gratefulness she feels, it was just better not to speak the light words of thanks.

“Miss, what did you say?” Ting Yue only saw her master’s lips move, but didn’t hear clearly.

“Yue er, leave from the back door. Follow Chen Qiang tightly, you must find Third Madam’s residence.” Yao Mo Wan coldly commanded. Ting Yue also heard the exchange of dialogue just now and naturally understood Yao Mo Wan’s intent. She immediately obeyed the order and left.

After returning to the Opaque Flower Pavilion, Yao Mo Wan silently sat next to the table, her eyes gloomy and unclear. The empress’s funeral is her best chance to return to the Imperial Palace. Based on her understanding of Ye Hong Yi, wanting to attract his attention was not difficult. What was difficult was how to lure Yao Su Luan out of the way……

Dense inky clouds squeezed the skies, dense enough that they seemed about to fall, stifling people to the point that it was hard to breathe. The gloomy and cold wind mixed with humidity and assaulted one’s face, causing people to feel a piercing chill even more penetrating than the winter wind.

It was the day of the empress’s funeral, all the members of the imperial court and the common people were a mass of gloom. The Ministry of Rites and Internal Affairs Department  worked together to draw up the empress’s funeral. In accordance to His Majesty’s written declaration, the Imperial Court will be suspended for two days. Big and small officials all wore white clothes to the Changle Palace to kneel three times and kowtow nine times before the coffin-bearers lifted up the coffin with the empress’s ashes and carried it to Yao Xiang fu from Changle Palace. Afterwards, a good time will be chosen to finally bury it in the imperial tomb.

Some trivia: The 3 kneels with 9 kowtows is special because it’s the formal etiquette upon meeting the emperor. Changle of Changle Palace translates to  perpetual happiness. Its more commonly known name is “Weiyang” (未央) literally means “(something) hasn’t reached its midpoint”, “has more than a half to go”, but colloquially it’s translated as “endless”. Taken together it can be interpreted to mean, “The perpetual happiness hasn’t reached its midpoint yet.”

At this time, the coffin with Yao Mo Xin’s ashes had already reached Xing Hua Street. White silk hung everywhere on the street and funeral music rumbled into the heavens and shook the grounds. Each and every passerby wore white clothes and kneeled on both sides as the thirty persons group of coffin bearers proceeded down the center. In front there were people playing suonas, drummers, and people playing wind instruments with great energy. Behind there were Buddhist nuns and Daoist priests holding prayer beads and chanting sutras, praying for blessings. The procession was uninterrupted and endless, extending as long as a couple dozen hundred meters. Finally, near noon it majestically reached the front of Yao Xiang fu.

In the funeral hall, Ye Hong Yi stood with his hands folded, his dark as midnight pupils fixated on the coffin for a long time before he turned to leave.

“Mother, Su Luan will leave first to accompany His Majesty. You only have to endure a bit longer. A while later, after the ministers kowtow you can just assign a servant girl to keep watch beside the coffin.” At the left side of the mourning hall, Yao Su Luan saw Ye Hong Yi leave and immediately flung off the plain white hemp garment while exhorting in a low tone. 

“Don’t worry, Mother knows what should be done. I’ve already endured through the time she was alive, would I make a mistake at this point?” Dou Xiang Lan nodded as she replied.

Leaving the mourning hall, Yao Su Luan looked all over the front courtyard but didn’t find Ye Hong Yi’s figure, so she hurried to the back courtyard to search. Compared to the noisy front courtyard, the back courtyard seemed extremely silent.

Ye Hong Yi leaned against the jade arch bridge alone, his unfathomably deep pupils indifferently looked at the variety of koi in the jade pond. His lips briefly curled into an unclear curve, this was the place where he had once met Yao Mo Xin. That time, Yao Mo Xin was feeding the fish here and almost fell, it was him that saved her just in time.

Mo Xin, how zhen wishes you could have been a bit dumber. Even pretending to be dumb would be good. But, you know, your wisdom and farsightedness made zhen feel as if it was impossible to hide, it made zhen feel that zhen led an ignoble and useless life! Zhen is really tired, zhen doesn’t like that sort of feeling! Yao Mo Xin, it was you that easily stepped zhen‘s intelligence under your feet and treaded on it! So you deserved to die!

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