Chapter 79 Funeral: One person and one corpse, leaning against each other, as if they were an ordinary couple...
In early April, Luoyang was filled with the warmth of spring and bustling with people. The imperial carriage departed from the palace gates, passing through the soft red carpet that covered the entire city, heading towards Qingbai Mountain.
Beneath the pagoda, the process of setting up an altar, burning incense, praying, and opening the pagoda was completed in one go. The Buddha's relics, which the emperor had longed for, were placed in a jade box inlaid with the seven treasures of Buddhism. The moment the official presented them to him, a bright golden sun rose between Qingbai Mountain, illuminating the mountains and rivers and the myriad clouds.
Such a sacred and solemn scene caused the people of Luoyang who came to pay their respects to bow their heads and clasp their hands together, praying for longevity, peace, and a smooth life.
After the people who were closer to the pagoda finished their prayers, a few suspicious individuals whispered among themselves and secretly pointed at the dignitaries participating in the grand ceremony below the pagoda.
"Why is it that the young man with the eye ailment from the Meng family? Where is their eldest son?"
"Hey, haven't you all heard? The young mistress of the Meng family is dead! But for some reason, the Meng family is keeping the news a secret, and even the young master of the Meng family has fallen ill!"
"You're talking nonsense! That young mistress was a remarkable person who rode her horse recklessly in the street and set fire to a national temple. She was bolder than the heavens. How could she suddenly be gone? Moreover, she kept her death a secret. How did you know?"
"I don't care whether you believe it or not, my nephew joined the Imperial Guard last year, and he saw it with his own eyes a few days ago!" The speaker regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, his face contorted with difficulty. He quickly patted the person he was talking to: "Hey, hey, hey, don't go around telling everyone! The Prince of Pingning has given a strict order not to spread this..."
"Oh, you're in trouble now, hahaha!"
"We're practically family, you have to promise me that!"
The sun rose very quickly after it emerged from the mountains, a golden orb soaring across the sky. The entire city of Luojing was bathed in its splendor, as if soaked in honey, with peace and joy permeating the air.
However, at the towering city gate, a swift figure seemed to ride on a black cloud, galloping alone through the long streets of Luoyang, shattering the joyful and warm atmosphere.
——
Unlike the bustling and lively Luoyang, the Meng family was quiet. Groups of servants, carrying white silk and paper flowers, reluctantly stood guard in Zhenyuan. The few maids on the outermost edge had their feet facing outwards, ready to run away immediately if the eldest young master went astray.
Butler Wang paced back and forth several times, his back bent and hands behind his back, until finally his heart sank into his stomach.
We can't delay any longer! If we keep dragging this out, what will happen if the young mistress rots in the young master's room?
Wang Shuchao beckoned to the servants at the front, "You guys, hang all these things up, be quiet and quick!"
"But... the young master won't let us hang it up!" The servants looked at each other, all with wrinkled, bitter faces. The white silk felt like burning coals in their hands, so hot they couldn't even hold it.
For the past ten days, they had prepared for the funeral, but the eldest son would fly into a rage whenever he saw it, saying they were all crazy, why were they hanging white flowers for no reason? Everyone was panicked and scared, and carefully explained to him that it was for the deceased young mistress, but this was something that couldn't be mentioned at all! All the funeral items were torn down and burned by the young master, and he said that if he heard anyone say such nonsense about the young mistress's death again, he would personally hang white silk ribbons and flowers on that ignorant person.
The stench of burning still lingered around the servants' noses. Just thinking about their eldest son, who stared intently at the raging flames, sent chills down their spines and made their hearts tremble. Who would dare hang such things up now?
Uncle Wang wiped the cold sweat from his brow, glanced at the troubled servant before him, and was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow, unsure of what to say. After a long silence, he finally spoke:
"How about this, dismantle or move the bright decorations that need to be removed from the mansion. I'll go in first and persuade the young master. You can rearrange things after I've convinced him."
Uncle Wang turned and walked towards Meng Shutai's room, but his eyes met those of Qi Sheng, who was guarding outside.
"The sound of chess pieces, is my lord still inside?"
Qisheng had been crying her eyes out these past few days. As soon as she saw Uncle Wang, she knew what he was coming for. Her swollen eyes flashed with anxiety, and she took a few steps to stop Uncle Wang.
"Please listen to me, you can't go inside!"
Qisheng was young but couldn't bear the weight of things on his mind. His hands trembled as he gripped Uncle Wang's arm.
Uncle Wang sighed and patted the chess pieces, saying, "I know the situation inside. It was Young Master who instructed me to find that jade ice bed. But Master and Madam are anxious. No matter what, we can't let Young Master continue to go crazy like this, can we? Besides, I've already sent a letter to call people over. What kind of behavior is it if they arrive and see that our Meng family doesn't even hold a proper funeral for the young mistress?"
Uncle Wang pushed aside the sound of chess pieces and knocked on Meng Shutai's door. His knuckles touched the door and then quickly pulled away, but he still felt a chill, as if the back of the door was frozen. He withdrew his hand and rubbed it vigorously in his sleeve.
"My lord, have you eaten yet? Would you like them to bring you some food?"
Everyone in the Meng household knew that Meng Shutai had barely eaten or drunk anything these days, but when Uncle Wang asked him about it, he still showed no interest whatsoever.
Uncle Wang pounded his palms in frustration, racking his brains for a way to get Meng Shutai to open the door. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. Although it wasn't ideal, he had no choice but to try it.
“My lord, you don’t need to eat, but the young mistress does. We’ve invited the two pastry chefs from the kitchen of Juede Winery, just as you requested. What do you think…”
Before he could finish speaking, the tightly closed vermilion door in front of him suddenly opened.
A gust of icy wind blew into Uncle Wang's room, making him shiver. Meng Shutai was dressed in plain clothes, hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and his waist-length hair had lost its luster, loosely tied behind his neck. His former elegance and beauty seemed to have been buried in a coffin; his former slender figure was now just an empty shell, as if his whole being was frozen by a cold glaze.
But when it came to Le Jin, a faint joy struggled to emerge from Meng Shutai's dull eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Have them make a plate of rose pastries and a plate of jasmine rolls first, and then bring out a small bowl of candied plums and tangerines from home..."
He murmured the names of Le Jin's favorite foods, but his mind was elsewhere.
My mind has been foggy these past few days, and I've been so negligent that I've let Ah Jin go hungry. Besides pain, she's most afraid of hunger. Before, when he was raising her, she would threaten to run away from him if he let her go hungry. Now, after being hungry for several days in a row, why is she just sleeping obediently without saying a word to him?
Meng Shutai was heartbroken, but a sweet feeling suddenly arose amidst his self-reproach.
Ah Jin probably didn't want to get up; she just wanted to stay close to him, which was why she didn't tell him she was hungry. Besides, wouldn't he be leaving her to get food? She was lying there all alone, and she certainly wouldn't want to be separated from him, even for a moment.
A hint of joy welled up from his pale lips. Meng Shutai turned back to the room and asked softly, "Ajin, would you like anything else to eat?"
Apart from the cool air emanating from inside, there was no sound at all.
Uncle Wang watched as Meng Shutai patiently waited for a reply from inside the room, cold sweat pouring down his back.
Who would answer him? There's clearly a dead body in there!
After a long while, Meng Shutai turned around hesitantly and smiled gently at Uncle Wang, "Ajin must be asleep. When you bring her over later, don't make a sound, or she'll be angry if you wake her up."
With difficulty swallowing his saliva, Uncle Wang felt a profound sense of desolation, as if he wanted to cry but couldn't.
The eldest son's marriage was originally arranged to bring him good luck. Now that the young mistress has died, the eldest son has gone mad and completely lost his mind. Who knows if this is fate?
Uncle Wang's eyes glistened with tears, but he still gritted his teeth and nodded to Meng Shutai. When he brought the food into the house, Meng Shutai was nowhere to be seen.
Uncle Wang's heart skipped a beat. Before him hung heavy beaded curtains and gauze curtains, tightly folded together, with no light coming from behind them.
My lord... is he inside? But he just told us not to make a sound, so we can't call out to him.
Uncle Wang was sweating bullets at his age for having to endure such a shock. His loose-skinned hand reached towards the curtain, prying open a small gap and slipping inside. The closer he got, the stronger the chill became, as if the end was not a bed but an ice cellar.
The last layer of veil was lifted slightly, and Uncle Wang crouched down, his cloudy eyes peering over—
In the dim light, a huge, icy jade bed floated in the air, its chilling white mist faintly drifting. The eldest son sat at the head of the bed, holding a small jade comb in his hand. The young mistress leaned against him, her face as peaceful as if she were asleep, her long hair held in her hand.
The pure white jade comb was gently inserted into the hair, and then gently combed down. Every movement of Meng Shutai was extremely gentle, as if the person in his arms was still aware of it.
"What kind of floral oil would Ah Jin like to use today? And what hairstyle would she like?"
He asked softly, but then laughed, "Your husband is clumsy; he only knows one or two simple ways to style a woman's hair. Ah Jin, don't be disgusted with me. If you don't like it, I'll learn later, okay?"
The two, one human and one corpse, leaned against each other, whispering intimately in the bedroom like an ordinary married couple.
Uncle Wang was so frightened by the sight before him that his hands trembled, causing the gauze curtain to ripple. "My lord... the young mistress..."
His gaze swept lightly over Le Jin's deathly pale face before he dared not look up again, but Meng Shutai lowered his eyes and stared at her, his eyes full of happiness.
"Isn't she so well-behaved?"
Meng Shutai tucked Le Jin's hair behind her ear, kissed the top of her cool hair, turned to look at Uncle Wang, and scolded her playfully.
“Aside from when she’s asleep, when is she ever this well-behaved? The moment you let her out to run around, she’s gone in the blink of an eye…”
"My lord!"
Uncle Wang's words were filled with anguish. He stepped out from behind the gauze curtain to face Meng Shutai, "The young mistress has been dead for many days, she won't wake up, it's your turn to wake up!"
"She should be laid to rest now, why is my husband so obsessed with her?"
When Uncle Wang started crying, Meng Shutai immediately gripped the jade comb in his hand tightly. The comb teeth dug into his skin, causing a stinging pain at first, then numbness, and finally, he could feel nothing at all.
"go out."
The person on the ice bed coldly uttered two words, and the atmosphere around him was as heavy as if a storm was about to break. Uncle Wang shuddered, his crying subsided, and he shrank back behind the gauze curtain step by step.
To be buried in peace?
Meng Shutai found it hilarious. Le Jin hadn't died at all, so what was there to bury? What was there to seek peace for? These idiots had no idea about the secret he and Le Jin shared, yet they loved to point fingers and criticize; it was truly disgusting.
They want to take Le Jin away, lock her in a coffin, bury her underground to be eaten by snakes, insects, and rats. How could he allow that?
Meng Shutai felt a little flustered. He hurriedly went to Le Jin's dressing table to find the red rope with the bell tied to it, knelt by the icy bed, and devoutly wrapped it around Le Jin's wrist, while the other end was wrapped around his own wrist.
"We will never be separated, and no one can separate us."
After completing the final lap, Meng Shutai touched the bell on Le Jin's wrist with satisfaction, then held her hand and kissed it.
After the kiss ended, a flash of silver light suddenly appeared on his neck; it was a sword pointing at his neck.
Meng Shutai followed the tip of the sword and saw a familiar face.
He instinctively gripped Le Jin's hand tighter, asking defensively:
What are you doing here?
"Meng, Shu, Tai, my sister... how could she have become like this?"
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Author's Note: Meng Shutai: I've hidden Ajin away; she's mine alone...
Le Zhao: Don't move yet, we still have a free-fighting match.
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