Chapter 4 Even the Corpse Must Be Stolen
The person who had greeted Chen Jinghe earlier replied, "The deputy envoy is busy right now and we don't know when he'll be here. He said he'll be placed in the coffin at the appointed time, so there's no need to wait for him."
Okay, since you've already said that.
Tao Tao put her hands together and raised them high, pressed them against her forehead, closed her eyes, and remained silent for a while. Seeing this, the others followed suit.
Just as she was giving instructions to begin the coffin-laying ceremony, a sudden commotion arose outside the courtyard, growing louder with each approaching footstep.
"Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince have arrived!"
A shrill, androgynous voice pierced the heavens, and the crowd below fell silent instantly, as if muted, before kneeling and bowing in worship.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The dignified empress and the crown prince, dressed in a white brocade robe, walked along the avenue parted by the crowd, surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, gradually approaching the mourning hall.
Upon seeing this, Chen Jinghe immediately ordered Zhang Cheng to fetch his master. Turning back, he saw Tao Tao still insisting that they continue carrying the load inside. His expression was urgent: "Miss Tao, stop immediately!"
Half of the body is already in the coffin; stopping now would be disrespectful to the deceased.
So Tao Tao ignored it completely, expressionlessly letting the Yu brothers continue. Just then, the Empress stepped forward, furious: "Insolence! Stop right there!" Then the nanny and eunuch beside her walked in front, seemingly to avenge their mistress.
Yu Shan and Yu He, carrying the corpse, looked at each other, stuck in a rut, anxiously watching Tao Tao.
Tao Tao secretly rolled her eyes and waved her hand impatiently, telling them to hurry up!
Ultimately, the body was placed in a coffin.
The Empress's face was displeased, her eyes filled with malice. She slowly walked up to Tao Tao and said, "How dare you! Not only do you disobey my orders, but you also dare not bow to me and the Crown Prince?!"
As she raised her hand with its sharp nails to scrape Tao Tao's face, she looked at the Empress's incredibly sharp nails and knew that if she slapped her, her face would be ruined.
Tao Tao reacted swiftly, immediately kneeling down and calling out in a trembling voice, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress and Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Yu Shan and Yu He behind him immediately knelt down with a thud, heads bowed and trembling with fear.
At the same time, a low, languid voice rang out from the quiet crowd.
"Your Majesty, I, Duan Gan, am late in welcoming Your Majesty. I hope the Empress and the Crown Prince will forgive me."
Duan Gan stepped forward, bowed slightly, and made a gesture of respect with his hands, but did not kneel down like the others.
"My son!"
A group of people suddenly rushed out of the courtyard gate. The old lady at the head of the group was helped up and cried as she lunged at the coffin lid.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was not on her, Tao Tao quietly stood up, but when she looked up, she met someone's gaze. She blinked and put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Crown Prince Qi Heng smiled and winked, indicating that he understood.
The old lady seemed to have cried enough. With the help of her maid, she stood up shakily, pointed at him, and shouted angrily, "Duan Gan! You are utterly vicious and outrageous! You killed my son! I will definitely seek justice from the Emperor!"
The Empress hurriedly stepped forward: "Mother, please take care of your health!" Turning her head, she said coldly: "Duan Gan, I know perfectly well what wolfish ambitions you harbor. Once I report this to the Emperor, you will surely pay the price!"
All this group of people can do is make threats, but none of them dare to actually take action against Duan Gan.
Tao Tao watched the scene unfold silently in the corner, a quiet laugh rising within her. She noticed the Crown Prince was still staring at her, and her brows furrowed slightly. She hadn't realized he was the Crown Prince before, which was why she'd made that gesture. Now, she wondered if the Crown Prince was some kind of idiot. His uncle was dead, his mother and grandmother were engaged in a heated argument, and he wasn't only not reacting, but also staring at her?
"Guards! Take the coffin back to the Qiu residence!"
The Empress gave the order, and the eunuchs and servants from the Qiu family hurriedly stepped forward to lift the coffin. During this time, Chen Jinghe took a step forward, as if to stop them, but was stopped by Duan Gan's gaze.
"Respectfully seeing off Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince!" Duan Gan said calmly, bowing with his hands clasped.
As he was leaving, the old lady glared at him resentfully.
Tao Tao watched the group leave, looking completely bewildered.
The funeral was only halfway through, and they just took the body away like that?! The funeral wasn't finished, how is she going to complete her mission? How is she going to survive with only 1% health left? No way!
"Yushan, Yuhe, let's go."
As she passed by Duan Gan, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Once I've settled this matter, I'll come back to collect my reward from you, sir. Don't forget, sir!"
Then he waved and ran off with his men.
On the other side, the Empress did not return to the Qiu residence with the Crown Prince and the Dowager. Instead, she went back to the palace to complain to the Emperor. However, the Emperor avoided her and gave her a evasive answer when she asked the Grand Eunuch. Unable to quell her anger, she returned to the palace and smashed things to vent her frustration.
At the same time, Tao Tao caught up with the group and arrived at the Qiu residence. As she watched the coffin gradually disappear into the mansion, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"I was indeed invited by the Privy Council to conduct the funeral for the deceased. This coffin was brought back from the Privy Council. The funeral is only halfway done. If the funeral is not done properly, it will be a great disrespect to the deceased! It will bring great misfortune!"
Tao Tao stood at the door, patiently explaining to the guard who had stopped her.
The two guards looked at each other, their expressions hesitant.
Suddenly, a person walked out of the mansion; it was none other than His Highness the Crown Prince, who had turned around.
“She’s telling the truth, let her in.”
"Yes, Your Highness."
Qi Heng had a gentle expression, nodded slightly, and walked forward as if leading the way.
Fortunately, the mourning hall here was already set up. A group of people knelt on the ground, wailing and lamenting. A cold wind blew, and the long banners and white silk fluttered in the wind, with the burning yellow paper flying everywhere. Combined with the dark sky that had become as soon as we entered the mansion, the atmosphere was oppressive and somber.
At first, the Qiu family was shocked when they saw her, finding it hard to believe that she was a funeral director. In the end, it was only with the help of the Crown Prince that she was able to finish the rest of the work, set up the memorial tablet, and then she and her two brothers burned incense for the deceased.
The mission is more than half complete. The matter will be successfully concluded when the burial takes place in thirty days.
In ancient times, the funerals of nobles were grand, and thirty days was enough time for them to prepare things.
Unexpectedly, at the Qiu residence, on the seventh day after the death, there was a thunderstorm with lightning and strong winds. The servant keeping vigil was dozing off when a sudden flash of lightning, accompanied by a downpour, instantly woke him up!
His expression betrayed a hint of fear. He stood up shakily, intending to right the blown-over candles. As he passed the coffin, which had a crack in its opening, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the scene inside. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, screaming in terror.
In the pouring rain of a dark night, the Qiu family steward, accompanied by his servants, braved the downpour to knock on the Tao family's door.
Upon learning the purpose of their visit, Tao Tao packed her things and immediately headed to the Qiu residence with the steward.
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