At the foot of the west wall of the outer courtyard, two corpses, one large and one small, were lying on a mat on the ground, covered with white cloth.
Su Qingyu stood ten meters away from the corpse, staring intently with an expressionless face.
The butler's voice came from behind, "Hello, Master Shen, hello, Miss Cousin."
Su Qingyu turned around and saw Shen Zhao and Cheng Rujin, both in plain clothes, walking towards her.
Ever since the last time in Ruyi Tower, when Shen Zhao was scolded by Shen Zhixiu and beaten with fifty boards, Su Qingyu has not seen him again.
I didn't expect that he would accompany Cheng Rujin here today. It seems that Cheng Rujin has completely won over Shen Zhao, otherwise, given his status, he shouldn't accompany his concubine to attend the funeral.
"Now that you two are here, please kowtow and burn incense." Su Qingyu said lightly.
Cheng Rujin walked forward and knelt beside the corpse, lying next to Gu Ruoyun and crying bitterly.
A maid brought incense, candles, and paper money and simply placed them above the heads of the two corpses.
This funeral was even simpler than that of a peasant family. If it were posted on the street, someone would probably believe Cheng Rujin sold herself to bury her mother.
"Didn't you say that you wanted to hold a grand funeral? Is this how the Su family did it?" Shen Zhao suddenly said in a cold voice.
From the moment he entered the door, his eyes fell on Su Qingyu's cold and beautiful red figure.
A mixture of love and hate, that was probably Shen Zhao's current mood. Of course, the hate far outweighed the love. Even if he loved her, it wasn't true love, only a paranoid desire to possess her.
The question just now was not meant to support Cheng Ruijin, but just to find some sense of presence in front of Su Qingyu.
When Cheng Rujin heard Shen Zhao's question, she also stood up with the help of the maid.
Chen Zhao was willing to accompany her and make the decision for her, which made her feel much more at ease.
Cheng Rujin also looked at Su Qingyu and asked, "Is your family not ready yet?"
She already knew the rumors in the capital. Since she entered the mansion, she didn't even dare to ask how her mother and brother died.
Just now, someone from the Su family came to inform her to come back for the funeral, and said that the funeral would be grand. She breathed a sigh of relief. By doing this, the Su family could at least preserve her mother's last bit of dignity.
With her mother's dignified death, her life in the Shen family would be much better.
It’s not that she doesn’t want to seek justice for her mother. The dead are gone, and she always has to make some plans for herself.
Su Qingyu said calmly, "Madam Yun has done such a shameful thing, the Su family will never give her a grand funeral."
Cheng Ruijin's red and swollen eyes flashed with anger. "Didn't they say before that the funeral would be a grand ceremony? Are you the one who's interfering?"
Su Qingyu raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and the bright red cloak wrapped around her body made her look cool and bright.
"Have a grand funeral? How grand does my cousin want it to be?"
Cheng Ruijin frowned and said, "The necessary ceremonies must be performed, and the mourning hall must be decorated. In addition, all close friends and relatives should come to bid farewell. We must also invite a high monk to pray for the deceased's soul. These things cannot be omitted."
In Cheng Ruijin's opinion, even if her mother had done something shameful, the Su family should not bother with a dead person for the sake of their reputation.
Su Qingyu almost laughed out loud. How could Cheng Ruijin have the nerve to make demands on her?
"What my cousin said...is impossible."
"But I know my cousin has always been filial. I've already asked someone to ask the master. There is a way to help Madam Yun ascend to the paradise sooner rather than suffer the retribution of hell."
Cheng Rujin looked at Su Qingyu in confusion, "What's the solution?"
Su Qingyu's bright red outfit pierced Cheng Rujin's heart and bones. She unconsciously turned her eyes away, not wanting to look at Su Qingyu.
"The master said that as long as the close relatives can kneel in front of the coffin for three days and three nights, the Buddha will be moved and take Madam Yun to the paradise." Su Qingyu said loudly.
After saying that, she added, "My cousin is well-known for being filial. Not to mention three days, even if I asked you to kneel before the coffin and die, you would never say no. Right?"
Cheng Ruijin bit her lip and looked at Su Qingyu. These two sentences made her feel stuck and unable to back down.
It was only mid-February, and although the weather had warmed up a bit, the nights were still bitterly cold. Three days of kneeling like this wouldn't be enough for me, and I'd probably freeze to death at night.
But Su Qingyu's words left her no room for rebuttal.
As long as she rejects Su Qingyu's proposal now, she will immediately be regarded as an unfilial daughter by the world.
She froze there, unable to say no.
Cheng Rujin turned to look at Shen Zhao, hoping that Shen Zhao would say a few words. However, Shen Zhao's eyes fell on Su Qingyu, with a complicated and deep expression.
Cheng Ruijin was filled with resentment, and under Su Qingyu's presumptuous gaze, she slowly knelt down.
The mat on the ground was very thin, and kneeling on it was no different from kneeling on a bluestone slab.
After just a few breaths, Cheng Ruijin felt a sharp pain in her knees. Furthermore, kneeling there motionless, the cold wind blew on her body, and the chill penetrated directly into her bones.
Su Qingyu stood by and watched coldly. If Cheng Ruijin really died here kneeling to keep vigil, she would definitely order a fine coffin for her.
Chen Zhao beside her didn't move at all, let alone say anything to stop her, and didn't even give Cheng Ruijin a concerned look.
He just stared at Su Qingyu with a sinister look, not knowing what he was thinking. If you looked closely, you could see the possessiveness and obscure emotions in his eyes.
Cheng Rujin glanced at Chen Zhao, almost mad with jealousy. Didn't he say that he would only hate Su Qingyu from now on? But the look in his eyes was full of the paranoia of unrequited love.
Her thoughts raced, and she suddenly supported her forehead with one hand and fell to one side.
The maidservant beside her immediately squatted down to support the person and asked in a low voice, "How is my aunt?"
Cheng Ruijin's face was pale, with tears streaming down her eyes.
She turned to look at Shen Zhao and said softly, "Brother Shen Zhao, I seem to be pregnant."
Shen Zhao was stunned for a moment, then took two steps forward, squatted down and asked, "When did this happen? How come I don't know?"
"Haven't you been taking birth control pills?"
Ever since Cheng Ruijin had her last miscarriage, Old Madam Shen had someone send her contraceptive pills, which she had to drink every day.
The old lady made it very clear that the concubine was not allowed to get pregnant before the principal wife came into the house.
So when Cheng Rujin said she was pregnant, Shen Zhao's first reaction was that she was mistaken.
Cheng Ruijin pursed her lips and said, "I didn't like the taste, so I didn't drink it these two times."
Shen Zhao frowned, but after all, she was his own flesh and blood. He looked at Su Qingyu and said thoughtfully, "Why not let her go back to the Shen family to chant sutras and pray for blessings? It will be the same."
Su Qingyu was suspicious. The medicine she had given Cheng Rujin last time was very strong. Logically speaking, after taking that medicine, it would be difficult to get pregnant within a year or two.
Old Madam Shen cautiously ordered someone to send her contraceptive soup, which made Cheng Ruijin's chances of getting pregnant even smaller.
Did she come up with such a bad idea on the spur of the moment just to avoid kneeling here?
Don't be afraid of lifting a rock and dropping it on your own feet.
Seeing that Chen Zhao was still looking at her, Su Qingyu's lips curled slightly, "Cousin, are you fulfilling your filial duty to your aunt along with the baby in your belly? Then your aunt will surely ascend to heaven soon."
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