Ulanara lived a glorious life, ascending to the most prestigious position for a woman in history, becoming Empress, and having all the affairs of the six palaces under her control. However, all of this was also destroyed by her own hands. She never imagined that one day she would die in the cold palace.

The most pitiful and hateful thing is to desire something but not get it, and that is exactly what happened to Ulanara. She did too many evil things in her life, so much so that the Fourth Prince refused to see her again. The fact that she was given a funeral with the rites due to a concubine is already a testament to Hongli's benevolence.

When Ulanara passed away, although she was to be honored as a concubine, she was also a former empress, so Hongli still bestowed upon her a certain degree of mourning honors.

The entire palace was in mourning, and white curtains were hung throughout the Forbidden City. Eunuchs and palace maids all wore mourning clothes and hemp garments, but how many of them were truly grieving for Ulanara? They wore mourning clothes only because of her status as a 'deposed empress'.

Today marks the third day since the passing of Empress Ulanara. Emperor Qianlong held a funeral for the deposed empress according to the time calculated by the Imperial Eunuch.

Wearing mourning clothes, Hongli led his relatives, family members, and the families of officials of the third rank and above to see off the deposed empress. Everyone looked sad, but how many of them were truly sincere?

Xueying, who had been weeping for the past few days, walked among the retinue. Her eyes were now brimming with tears. Xueying hadn't rested well for days, and given her always poor health, her face was even paler. Hongli, seeing Xueying's weak state, initially didn't want her to come, but Xueying insisted on seeing Ulanara off on her final journey. Hongli couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he agreed.

Ulanara's body was escorted all the way to Zhenshun Gate, where the carriages that were to arrange for the deposed empress's remains to be placed in the mausoleum were parked. Everyone knelt down to bid farewell to the deposed empress's remains.

Mingyu, heavily pregnant, was helped to kneel down. Jin, standing to the side, looked at Mingyu and said, "Princess Consort, be careful." Ever since Jin had decided to curry favor with Mingyu, she had been constantly thinking of ways to flatter her.

Lady Gao said softly, "Isn't the deposed empress out of favor? She's no longer His Highness's birth mother, and even Father Emperor doesn't show up. We're forced to pretend to be filial sons and grandsons here, and you, Fujin, are six months pregnant, yet you still have to kneel here."

Upon hearing Gao's complaint, Mingyu first glanced at Xueying, who was standing to the side with her head down, and then quickly and gently scolded Gao, "Don't be so formal here. Father's intentions are not something we can fathom, lest we bring trouble upon ourselves."

Lady Gao's words were indeed inappropriate. Although the Fourth Prince had always favored Lanqin, and Hongli's establishment as heir was somewhat expected, some people were bound to be dissatisfied. If these words were deliberately spread, Hongli would be in trouble. After all, Lady Gao was Hongli's concubine and, to some extent, represented his wishes.

Upon hearing this, Gao pursed her lips and dared not say anything more, then lowered her head.

However, Xueying, standing on the other side, naturally heard Gao's words as well. Although Ulanara was ruthless, she had always considered the well-being of the entire Ulanara family. Now that Gao had said these words, Xueying felt as if a needle had pierced her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Xueying glanced at Gao Shi without leaving a trace. From this moment on, Xueying truly harbored resentment towards Gao Shi. Although Gao Shi had always intentionally or unintentionally targeted her in the past, she had always endured it. Now that Ulanara was finally gone, her connection with Ulanara was severed, so she no longer needed to endure it. Otherwise, even her aunt's funeral would be criticized.

However, Gao, who was full of complaints at the time, did not know that Xueying had already taken a grudge against her.