She looked around blankly at everyone before remembering what had just happened. Then she lay down on the coffin and burst into tears.
"Mother, Mother, sob sob!"
By this time, dusk had fallen, and the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
The girl who lost her mother cried out in anguish, a sound that brought tears to everyone's eyes.
The Emperor sighed, stepped forward, patted his daughter on the back, and comforted her.
"Alright, stop crying. Your mother has been ill for so long, her life is nearing its end, and now she is finally free. I will give her a dignified funeral, and she will not lack the honor of an empress. However..."
"But what?" The Third Princess raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at her father, the Emperor. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.
The Emperor, somewhat unable to meet his daughter's gaze, turned his head and coughed twice, saying, "The ceremony for bestowing the title of Crown Prince and the selection of the Crown Princess are just around the corner. These matters concern the stability and succession of the entire Tianwu. If we were to hold a funeral at this time, it would disrupt too many arrangements."
"Therefore, your mother will have to stay here for a few more days, and this will be kept secret from the outside world. After the ceremony of bestowing the title of Crown Prince and the selection of the Crown Princess, we will hold a proper funeral for your mother."
"Your mother is the Empress, the mother of the nation. She will surely understand my actions, after all, the greater good comes first..."
The third princess remained silent, two lines of tears, faintly tinged with blood, silently sliding down her cheeks.
"Father, Mother has been married to you for twenty years and has borne you children. Even if she has made mistakes, she is still your first wife!"
Even if you don't love her, even if you resent her, she's dead. Don't you deserve to give her a proper burial?!
"Do we really have to leave her here to rot and stink, and wait until the right day to let her 'die'?"
The Third Princess didn't resort to hysterical crying and cursing. Instead, she acted like a child who knew nothing, asking questions word by word. Her words deeply hurt the Emperor's heart and exposed his true colors.
He didn't know how to answer, or rather, he couldn't answer at all.
In the end, he had no choice but to run away.
"I know you are too heartbroken and have lost your manners. I will not hold it against you, but don't say such things again. Besides being your mother's daughter, you are also a princess of Tianwu. For the sake of Tianwu, you and your mother are destined to make sacrifices."
"I'll head back now. If you'd like, you can stay here and keep watch."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and went back to the Imperial Study.
The third princess neither bowed nor asked any questions. She slowly turned around, hugged the coffin, and continued to weep.
The crown prince remained silent for a while, then stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Don't be too sad. Your mother, if she were alive, would always want you to take good care of yourself."
The third princess wiped away her tears fiercely and retorted resentfully, "Your mother is dead, how can you not be sad?"
The prince lowered his eyes and replied softly, "My birth mother passed away early, and I have no memory of her at all. Moreover, even if I wanted to pay my respects now, I wouldn't know where her remains are."
The third princess was momentarily speechless, but her kind heart prevented her from saying anything more.
The Crown Prince didn't hold it against her. He patted her shoulder and said, "I'll send someone to fetch the Princess to the palace to keep you company. Please... take care."
After saying that, he got up and left the palace gate. As he turned a corner, the little fox jumped down from the courtyard wall and landed in his arms.
The prince smiled helplessly, stroking its smooth neck fur as he said, "Your master is about to enter the palace. Don't forget the fried fish from Xilong Pavilion then, and remember to come and visit me often."
The little fox immediately raised its neck and looked around, looking guilty as if it had been caught slacking off.
The prince smiled broadly and continued walking back with the little fox in his arms.
Eunuch Feng followed a few steps away with his young eunuch, not daring to speak or listen.
We were almost at Xilong Pavilion when the Crown Prince finally spoke.
"Eunuch Feng, go to Broken Gold Beach and invite the princess to the palace to accompany the princess. Remember to explain things clearly and don't frighten the princess. The princess is intelligent and knows what's important, so there's no need to worry about her leaking secrets."
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, this old servant will take care of it immediately."
Eunuch Feng dared not delay and quickly prepared the carriages and horses before swiftly leaving the palace.
Jiayin felt very relieved because she had resolved a major concern.
Even though the Third Princess had tricked him into making a fool of himself, he was still in a great mood and hummed a song almost the entire way back to Broken Gold Beach in the carriage.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun were happy to see their master looking so good.
Shuiyun smiled and said, "Princess, it's much cooler now that the sun has set. I'll prepare some good dishes; would you like a glass of wine?"
Jiayin nodded and readily agreed.
“Great! We made a lot last year, let’s open a jar and see how it tastes. Remember to prepare ice, let the wine breathe for a while first.”
Shui Ling joined in the fun, pleading with a greedy look, "Miss, could you give us a drink too?"
Jiayin tapped her on the shoulder and joked, "Okay, as long as you don't get drunk and cause trouble everywhere."
Shui Ling blushed and twisted her body in protest.
Last Mid-Autumn Festival, she got carried away and drank too much. She climbed onto the roof and trees, causing a huge disturbance. In the end, she was knocked unconscious and thrown back into her room before things calmed down at home.
As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the village, and they could hear the village was bustling with activity from afar.
Upon reaching the village entrance, Jiayin jumped off the carriage and asked a few questions. It turned out that an old man in the village was celebrating his birthday.
The old man's family didn't make any special arrangements; they just cooked some good food and invited the village chief, Uncle Zhao, and others over for drinks, treating it as a get-together for the old brothers.
Over the years, life in the village has been good; the elderly have eaten well, dressed warmly, and enjoyed a comfortable life.
But no one can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.
One by one, four or five of the old folks who had fled together across the mountains to save their lives passed away.
Therefore, those who remain cherish the time they spend together even more.
They all longed to see their children and grandchildren prosper and to witness the good days of Suijintan.
Jiayin shouldn't join in the fun with the old men, after all, given her status, her presence would only make everyone feel constrained and uncomfortable.
So she opened the storeroom, took out two jars of fine wine, two pieces of fabric suitable for making clothes for the elderly, two boxes of pastries, and two baskets of fruit, and quickly had Shui Ling take people to deliver them.
It wasn't that she was reluctant to give him wine; it was just that the old men preferred strong liquor that burned their throats and thought that wine was too sour and not potent enough!
Needless to say, receiving the birthday gifts from the host family made the gathering of the old men even more lively.
The elderly man celebrating his birthday also sent his son to the old house to express his gratitude, and in return, he presented a plate of longevity cakes.
Jiayin ate a piece, then packed it up, planning to have it delivered to Yuanyuan the next day.
These longevity-themed cakes are actually just ordinary small shortbreads filled with sugar and sesame seeds.
However, because it was used for the elderly to celebrate their birthdays, it came to be believed that children who ate it would live to be a hundred years old.
Such a wonderful thing, Jiayin certainly couldn't forget her little nephew!
After nightfall, the evening breeze became completely cool.
On the small stone table in the backyard, Shuiyun had carefully prepared a delicious meal. Shuiling smiled and took out a white jade wine jug from a bowl of crushed ice.
As a result, just as he poured three glasses of purplish-red wine, there was a knock on the front gate!
Two updates today!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com