The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Chapter 31...)

The dragon robes of ancient emperors were made of silk and embroidered with gold and silver. Every stitch had to be made by the most skilled embroiderers, and it took several years to complete one. But the emperor could not wait; she wanted to see her daughter wearing the dragon robe as soon as possible!

Because of this, the emperor issued an edict summoning embroiderers from all over the country to embroider a dragon robe, and she had to see the finished product within a month!

Even with such a rushed effort, it was too late. The collapsing body, like sand constantly slipping through an hourglass, would slip away even if one tried to grasp it.

Before Li Wenyuan could even see her daughter ascend the throne, her health deteriorated further beyond repair. Those around her wept bitterly, and her personal maid, who had served her throughout her life, cried out with tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty, if you are to depart first, please take this servant with you!"

Li Wenyuan turned to look at Qi Guan's face.

They had spent a long life together, and together they had taken a magical medicine that was useless except for restoring youth. Now Qi Yulian was going to be buried with her, which could be described as a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject that would be remembered for generations. However, Li Wenyuan shook her head.

She was having a hard time speaking, but she still clearly expressed her wishes.

"Recently, I have been discussing the Great Dao with the Crown Prince day and night, and we have discovered that the Dao taught by the Goddess of Wushan is the way to universal love for all people. A person's life is all about living, so how can the dead compete with the living for a path?"

"Therefore, after my death, I do not want anyone to be buried alive with me. All palace maids and eunuchs who are thirty years old or older should be released from the palace. Those who wish to stay in the palace are not prohibited. The new emperor should provide them with proper care."

“The dead should die peacefully, and the living should live well. The new emperor needs the help of the living. You should serve the new emperor as you would serve me.”

Qi Yulian immediately burst into tears.

If her previous decision to die for her master had some practical considerations, now it was entirely out of deep respect and reluctance to part with the lord who had been with her throughout her life.

Li Wenyuan looked past Qi Yulian and at Shangguan Lanyi and Ye Xiqing.

Shangguan Lanyi is the new woman she left for her daughter, while Ye Xiqing is an old man who has followed her daughter for many years.

She knew her daughter well; all the incredible changes had occurred after Miss Guan arrived.

Therefore, she did not treat these two people poorly. As early as when the crown prince was appointed, she appointed them both as the crown prince's tutors.

Now that the Crown Prince has become Emperor, they naturally have their prefixes removed. Li Wenyuan also bestowed additional titles upon them: one as Marquis of Lanting and the other as Marquis of Shouzhang, each with a fief of five hundred households.

The ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor were also rewarded, and it was hoped that they would not forget the kindness shown to them today and would do their best to assist the new emperor.

Those who received the reward bowed in gratitude, vowing to serve the new emperor with their lives!

Having entrusted all her affairs, it was finally time to bid farewell to the Crown Prince. Facing him, Li Wenyuan had nothing more to say, only looking at her daughter: "Is there anything else you want to say to your mother?"

Ji Siyin had been crying all the way, and when she looked at her mother, only tears streamed down her face: "Yongning doesn't want anything anymore, Yongning just wants her mother to live!"

"hehe."

Li Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh. How could her daughter still be so clueless even after all this?

She suffered so much for her, she worried so much about her. If she could live forever, she would never care so much about an "outsider" other than herself.

But she will grow old, she will die, and she has no choice but to devote half of her life and all her emotions to this stupid child she is completely dissatisfied with.

So much so that even now, it can't be taken back.

A single tear slowly rolled down Li Wenyuan's cloudy eyes. She had thought she had seen through life and death, but it turned out she still had a lingering attachment to this world.

With her eyes closed, she would do one last thing for her daughter.

...

The Taihe Bell, the largest bell on the Luoyang Bell and Drum Tower, is familiar to every Luoyang resident.

Every morning, it wakes me up, and I use the time to go out and work.

Now the Taihe Bell tolls for twelve consecutive times, then falls silent for three years, replaced by a deep drum, signifying the emperor's passing.

The people in the city, no matter what they were doing, immediately knelt down, bowed their heads, composed themselves, and wept, mourning the passing of the emperor.

The imprisoned King of Nankang also knelt down and wept bitterly. The people were weeping for their monarch, but he was weeping for his own mother!

However, being imprisoned, he was no longer entitled to attend his mother's funeral and could only wear mourning clothes himself.

The family knelt down to receive the imperial decree, listening to the late emperor's final instructions to their family.

Shangguan Lanyi was ordered to read out the late emperor's last edict: "...I have been pregnant with you for ten months and have suffered a lot. I cannot eat during the day and cannot sleep at night."

“Raising you to adulthood has always been a source of worry and toil. If you have too little clothing, you worry about being cold; if you have too much clothing, you worry about it falling apart.”

My heart is always restless, my mind is always anxious, I am constantly thinking about you, I have no desire for anything but to be satisfied, I just wish you peace.

"And how will you repay your mother! How can I find peace!"

Upon hearing the words of the will, the King of Nankang collapsed to the ground in tears.

A mother's rebuke to her child is like a sharp sword; no filial child in the world can withstand such a scathing rebuke.

The Prince of Nankang fainted several times, crying out for his mother: "Mother! Mother! Your son is truly unfilial!"

After Shangguan Lanyi read each section aloud, he was given a period of time to repent. In this way, the entire edict rebuking the son was read aloud in fits and starts.

"...I originally intended to entrust you with a great undertaking, but you have truly disappointed me. Therefore, I have passed the throne to your sister, stripped you of your royal title, and demoted you to a commoner!"

"Your son is vicious, coveting the throne and plotting to kill his aunt. He is a snake in the heart, a wolf in the lungs. I never thought there was such a vicious person in the world. Hearing about him makes one grit one's teeth, and upon closer examination, he is even more intolerable to the world."

“But he is your son, and killing him would likely hurt your feelings.”

“Your body is frail and cannot bear the weight of worry and fear. I am filled with resentment, yet I do not wish to take your body away.”

"You have been exiled to Lingnan and are not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict. Your son is guilty of treason and will be punished with corporal punishment: his eyes will be gouged out, his kneecaps removed, and his tongue cut off, so that he may never commit treason again!"

"You shall leave the capital immediately. I do not wish to see you in life, nor will I accept your sacrifices in death."

"The bond between mother and son is severed; the pen is broken after the letter is written!"

As the last word fell, the King of Nankang collapsed to the ground, weeping, "Mother! Mother!"

People in this world are all biased, and mothers are no exception. Even siblings born of the same mother may have a favorite child.

It is beyond doubt who Li Wenyuan favors.

Although she insisted on passing the throne to her daughter at the last moment, she was actually often worried and fearful.

Can a mere few years be compared to a thousand years?

Is it a good thing for her to pass the throne to her daughter?

She couldn't rest easy, so she left herself an out.

The Ji royal family had been decimated by her, and the most legitimate member was actually her son.

Therefore, if you win, your elder brother has already been demoted and poses no threat to you.

If you are defeated, you can only use your elder brother's name to overthrow the Ji family's rebel army.

You take your mother's edict and plead with your elder brother, the emperor, that he is your own brother and will not kill you.

Run to your Dengzhou, run to your overseas, run to any place you can run to.

No matter what, you must live on. This is your mother's last wish for you.

Princess Nankang thought her mother-in-law had spared her family, but she never expected that her son would also be punished. She collapsed to the ground in shock.

Clutching at the sleeve of the Prince of Nankang, he pleaded, "Your Highness! Your Highness! Please save our son! Please beg His Majesty! Please beg Yongning! If you must kill, kill me! It was all my idea! Please spare my son! Your Highness! Your Highness!"

She loved her son so deeply, yet the Prince of Nankang could no longer care for her. "The bond between mother and son was severed, and the letter was written with a broken pen." Upon receiving these eight words from his mother, he felt ashamed to be a son, and how could he possibly live on in this world?

He was so focused on his own tears that he neglected his wife and children. His second daughter was trembling behind him, and his mother and father were too preoccupied to care for anything else. Only his eldest daughter held her younger sister's hand.

Don't be afraid, at least our family is still alive, isn't it...?

Ji Feiyan's hand was held by her eldest sister, and her face buried in the ground immediately broke into a wider smile.

Haha, she's not dead!

Actually, she was the one who came up with this terrible idea. She was the one who hinted to her younger brother to lure Ji Siyin over to kill her. But unexpectedly, the little thing was quite loyal and didn't betray her. Hehehe.

Ji Feiyan was laughing so hard she almost went crazy. Well then, she'd go to Lingnan by herself.

My dear little brother, you're so pitiful! Your sister feels so sorry for you, hahaha!

Ji Feiyan felt extremely pleased that she was pardoned without charge and that her younger brother was crippled.

Although he was deposed and reduced to a commoner, he was still a member of the royal family for eternity because he had royal blood.

If my aunt, who is so stupid, can become the King of Dengzhou, how can she not become the King of Lingnan?

One day, she will come back!

...

With Li Wenyuan's burial, the results of her execution regarding the rebellion were also announced.

The ringleader was executed along with his entire clan; officers above the rank of squad leader were executed along with their entire clans; all soldiers involved in the rebellion were put to death; and ministers associated with the rebellion had their property confiscated and their families exterminated.

Before the scheduled date for the investiture of the new emperor arrived, the original emperor passed away, and the crown prince directly succeeded to the throne.

After observing a seven-day mourning period for his mother, the new emperor, at the request of his senior officials, entered the cabinet to govern.

During the mourning period, no meetings were to be held in the palace. Ji Siyin, dressed in full mourning, sat in the seat that had once belonged to her mother.

The development of funeral rites into a performance was intended to maintain rule, but in its most primitive form, it was a way for the living to remember their deceased loved ones.

After crying for seven days, Ji Siyin didn't really want to cry anymore, but there were too many traces left by her mother in this world, and every time she saw an old object, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

The courtiers stayed with her and cried for a while longer. Finally, Ji Siyin stopped crying and took on the responsibilities of being the new emperor.

"The late emperor devoted himself to government affairs throughout his life, investigated and punished evildoers, managed the affairs of the world, and was kind and benevolent to the people. His sagacity was widespread and his virtue was renowned. I believe that the posthumous title 'Wen Zhao' is most appropriate."

"The late emperor was kind-hearted, but he used harsh laws and severe punishments to restore order, which was not his original intention. Therefore, the late emperor's last will and testament was changed."

“Those who guard the South Gate and participate in the rebellion will have their nine clans exterminated, the leaders of the rebellion will have their three clans exterminated, and those of the rank of squad leader or above will be beheaded.”

“Ordinary soldiers who were coerced by their superiors, considering that they were truly unaware of the situation and had no choice in the matter, were spared their lives but were instead subjected to nose amputation and exile as a lasting reminder.”

"Most of the female members of the rebel leader's family were unaware of his treasonous activities. Those who were unaware of this were granted a special pardon, their family property was confiscated, and they were demoted to commoners."

"My mother wished to be buried in Qianling when she was born, and I cannot disobey her wishes."

"However, the sky is high and the road is far. I have taken over the affairs of the state and cannot leave. I have ordered Shangguan Lanyi to escort the mausoleum to Guizhou. After the funeral is completed, the tomb door will be lowered so that no one can disturb my mother's final resting place."

“The local residents would offer sacrifices every year during festivals to comfort the spirit of their mother in heaven.”

“The craftsmen who built the mausoleum will not be buried alive with the deceased, but will be treated with generous salaries. It is hoped that they will repay kindness with kindness and keep the secret of Qianling in their hearts.”

“My mother was serving the Holy Mother by her side. She was getting old and was being cared for in the palace. We invited her relatives to the capital so that she could live out her remaining years in peace.”

"During the national mourning period, everything should be kept simple, and the imperial edict ordering all embroiderers in the country to rush to embroider dragon robes should be revoked."

"However, while I am in the capital, I also want to know about the affairs of the world. The skills of different places are different. I have ordered the Imperial Clothing Bureau to produce the design of the dragon robe, and the embroiderers of different places to embroider a corner of the dragon robe and compete with each other."

"Three years later, they were sent to the capital, where the Imperial Clothing Bureau coordinated the weaving and evaluated their quality. Those with excellent skills were sent to the court as officials, both to recruit talented people and to encourage craftsmanship."

“My mother gave birth to me, and her kindness is immeasurable. I used to take the surname Ji to repay my father’s kindness.”

"Now that my mother has passed away, the whole country is in mourning. I am deeply grieved and have decided to change my surname to that of my mother to repay her kindness."

"Who among us does not receive love from their mother?"

"Although the commoner from Lingnan plotted against me, I will not hold a grudge against him. I will change his surname to Li and allow him to hold a memorial service for his mother."

"The rebels are despicable, causing my mother's death; my heart is filled with great pain."

“Summon the orphaned children of your elder brothers, change their surname to Li, and order the women to divorce so that they may inherit the blood of the Empress Mother.”

“From now on, all descendants of the Li family, whether male or female, can only inherit the blood of their mother with the surname Li.”

"Summon them to the capital to jointly perform the filial piety rites for the late emperor!"