According to the lunar calendar, this year's twelfth lunar month is a short month, without a thirtieth day; the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month is the last day.

The Empress Dowager was the sister of the Duke of Chengen. She died on the last day of the year, and the Duke of Chengen was very saddened.

Even if he died on the first day of the Lunar New Year, he wouldn't be so sad if it were delayed by just one more day.

According to folk beliefs, dying before the New Year indicates a miserable life, as one will not be able to enjoy a sumptuous New Year's feast, and will not be happy in the next life, since one will die of starvation.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites began a series of funeral procedures in accordance with the rites and laws.

The Duke of Chengen and his wife entered the palace in tears. He had already figured out how to subtly criticize the emperor for being unfilial and, under the guise of the great mourning, to secure some benefits for the Wei family.

However, His Majesty summoned all the officials to pay their respects, and the bed where the Empress Dowager had lived was moved to the main hall where the funeral was held, surrounded by flowers and trees.

Before the Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected an auspicious day for the Empress Dowager's burial, she would lie on her bed and have her remains viewed by the public.

The Empress Dowager's remains were displayed openly, separated only by a gauze curtain, allowing all officials and their families to clearly view her remains.

The Empress Dowager's face was chubby, and with makeup and rouge, she looked dignified and elegant, as if she hadn't suffered at all.

A person who has suffered a stroke and is bedridden, and has developed this kind of behavior, is unlikely to have unfilial children.

Even the Empress Dowager's own daughter, Princess Xiyan, couldn't say anything bad about her.

Emperor Hui's expression remained as solemn and deep as ever as he performed the sacrificial ceremony according to ritual.

The New Year celebrations were impossible; all the colorful silk palace lanterns in the palace were removed and replaced with white palace lanterns.

The New Year's Eve banquet was cancelled, and the families of the ministers, especially the wives of officials, accompanied the ladies of the harem to keep vigil for the Empress Dowager.

Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao were both in the palace, and they stayed in a side hall at night.

In the evening, the imperial kitchen sent some snacks to the officials' families, and Gu Shaoyu took this opportunity to go to the side hall to find Xie Zhaozhao.

Before he entered the hall, the eunuch on duty, Xiu Ning (Hua Zisheng's godson), ran over and said, "Madam, Grand Secretary Gu has something to discuss with you."

Xie Zhaozhao was helped out of the side hall by Yuan Yuanman. Gu Shaoyu tied a large cloak around her neck and whispered, "Come with me."

The two were holding hands and looked very affectionate.

Gu Shaoyu held her hand under his sleeve, giving her hints with a firm and loose grip.

The two had agreed that, in unavoidable circumstances, they would squeeze each other three times in succession. In an emergency, there was no need to ask questions; they would simply cooperate with each other.

The Empress sent Jin Ge to keep an eye on the officials' wives. When she saw Xie Zhaozhao leave, she sent a palace maid to keep an eye on her.

They saw Gu Shaoyu and his wife hide in the opposite hall to rest.

The palace had only one entrance and exit, and the young palace maid was secretly watching from a short distance away.

Seeing that the two of them had gone in and hadn't come out, and that no outsiders had gone in, he felt reassured and watched the door from the opposite hall.

Inside the hall, Gu Shaoyu said to Yuan Yuanman, "You two stand guard at the door. Madam is too tired. Rest for a while and don't let anyone come in to disturb her."

The two agreed and stood guard at the door.

Gu Shaoyu took her hand and led her into the inner room. He pulled something on the cabinet, and the cabinet door opened, revealing a hidden room inside.

The two entered the dark room, and the door closed behind them. Inside, there was a luminous pearl. The dark room was not large, but a passageway that allowed two people to walk side by side. After walking a short distance, they came to another door, and Gu Shaoyu gently knocked on it.

The door opened from the outside, revealing Emperor Hui's face.

We have arrived at Emperor Hui's palace.

Seeing the two people come out, he closed the door again. From the outside, it looked like just a wall, with nothing unusual about it.

Xie Zhaozhao had long been trained to remain calm and composed in the face of adversity, and followed Gu Shaoyu to pay her respects to Emperor Hui.

"Thank you, little girl." Emperor Hui still addressed her by the name she used when she was raised in the palace as a child. "Last year, Jingchen told me that you had trained the refugees stranded at the city gate into soldiers. Are those soldiers in the capital now?"

"Does His Majesty need it?"

"Yes, I need it urgently."

How many people does Your Majesty need?

"Don't you have four hundred soldiers? Can you transfer them all over here?"

Emperor Hui said, “Wei’s spies are everywhere, and I cannot easily mobilize them, lest I alert them. Other people’s guards are too involved, so your guards are the most suitable.”

It seems that Emperor Hui had his eye on her guards for a long time.

Perhaps even her father knew.

Those old foxes!

"Your Majesty, I originally sent them to retrieve New Year's gifts. The boat and the people are in Yejian City. I will immediately send someone to tell them to hurry back."

The ships that set sail in September have returned, and Princess Meatball's two ships are docked at Li Yunmu's South China Sea City pier.

All the cargo was unloaded in South Sea City, and the guards sent by Princess Meatball were killed by the people on the ship in Xiandou.

Oh, the boatmen and captains on the ship were not trained at the boatmen's base, but were sailors trained by Dongqin in Baiyue City.

Following Xie Zhaozhao's instructions, Li Yunmu filled three boats and traveled inland along the Grand Canal to reach the capital.

These goods were distributed to Emperor Hui.

He has investments, and she needs to curry favor with him.

Her personal guards numbered far more than four hundred; transferring four hundred would be easy.

The soldiers who promised His Majesty are indeed all in Yejian City, serving as both escorts and receivers of goods.

Upon hearing that the people were building a city in Ye, Emperor Hui exclaimed excitedly, "Heaven is helping us! Girl, quick, tell them to stay in Ye Jian Port..."

Xie Zhaozhao listened quietly as His Majesty explained the plan.

The urgent dispatch of four hundred soldiers must mean something important has happened; it can't be that they're just being invited to a banquet for no reason!

Emperor Hui told Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao to sit down, and then he explained his plan in one breath.

Xie Zhaozhao didn't show any emotion on her face, but she felt a chill run down her spine.

If His Majesty's plan is not executed carefully, she and Gu Shaoyu will be doomed.

Because His Majesty ordered her to exhume the remains of a deceased noblewoman from the imperial mausoleum located in Yejian City, bring them to the palace, and replace the Empress Dowager's remains when the coffin was sealed.

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