The banquet before the funeral was arranged between the courtyards outside the main courtyard. The Fourth Princess Consort, along with Yan Yu, Li Shi, and several others, greeted the guests in each courtyard.
For a time, the Fourth Prince's mansion was filled with white-clad people dressed in mourning clothes, walking around everywhere.
The high-ranking officials and nobles were feasting and making a great fuss. How many people were truly grieving for the young child lying in the sandalwood coffin? Probably only the Fourth Prince, his wife, Consort De, and of course, one other person: Lanqin.
Lanqin was also listless that day. Her heart was filled with sighs for the eldest prince, Honghui. Although she knew that his life was destined to end this year, Lanqin still felt a little guilty. If it weren't for the skateboard she had created, would the eldest prince have survived?
But as it was destined, no one could answer her question.
Halfway through the banquet, Lanqin told Nianxue beside her that she needed to relieve herself, and then stood up and helped Nianxue toward the washroom.
Halfway there, she saw Consort De emerging from the washroom, supported by palace maids. Lanqin felt a surge of nervousness, but it was too late to avoid her.
"I pay my respects to Your Highness Consort De. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Lanqin bowed respectfully and said, while Nianxue followed suit.
Then there was a moment of silence. Consort De did not tell her to get up, so Lanqin had no choice but to keep her legs bent and dare not get up.
"Niohuru clan, do you know your crime!" Consort De shouted angrily, recalling what Lady Li had told her before.
"I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me, Your Highness!" Lanqin's legs were so sore that she could hardly stand, but Consort De still wouldn't let her get up.
Consort De walked to Lanqin's side and circled her. Seeing that her legs were trembling, she knew that Lanqin had reached her limit of endurance, so she said softly, "I heard that the skateboard that Honghui is riding was given to him by you?"
Lanqin suppressed the discomfort in her legs and whispered, "Yes, I noticed that the eldest prince is usually rather dull, so I made a few beads for him and his laughter."
Consort De coldly said, "If you hadn't given the First Prince that skateboard, would he have drowned? Tell me, are you guilty?!"
Lanqin couldn't hold back any longer and almost wanted to sit down, but in front of Consort De, she couldn't be as carefree as she was in front of the Fourth Prince. Consort De's words left her speechless, but if she didn't answer, it seemed Consort De wouldn't let her off the hook!
Nianxue was also very anxious. The princess was being reprimanded by Consort De. How could she save her?
"Your Highness, the Master has summoned you to come over!" Su Peisheng's voice, which had never sounded like heavenly music, reached Lanqin's ears from behind.
Consort De glanced at Lanqin and coldly said, "Go back and reflect on your actions. I'll question you again later!" After saying that, she was helped away by palace servants and followed Su Peisheng.
"Princess, are you alright?" Nianxue immediately stood up and helped Lanqin up, because she saw that the latter was about to sit down hard just as Consort De turned to leave.
"Nianxue, my legs feel numb, and I can't feel them anymore." Lanqin rubbed her calves, but it didn't help.
"Princess, don't rush, let me rub it for you." Nianxue quickly helped Lanqin sit down on a rock, and then squatted down to massage her calves.
By the time Lanqin returned to the banquet, it was almost time for the funeral procession. Masters and servants alike hurried towards Honghui's mourning hall. Lanqin and the other princesses followed behind the Fujin (Prince's wife) and Consort Li, wearing white hemp sashes around their waists and white velvet flowers in their hair. The maids serving as scouts all wore white armbands. The officials and relatives who came to offer condolences all wore white sashes and stood behind the Fourth Prince.
Sixteen pallbearers dressed in white mourning clothes lifted the coffin of the eldest prince at the eunuch's command of "Lift the coffin!" Following them were mourners and musicians, all in mourning clothes, who moved with the red-lacquered, gold-plated coffin, their cries and music echoing the movement. Last in line were the maids in white mourning clothes, scattering paper money. As the mournful music rose and fell, white paper money of various shapes and sizes scattered into the air like fairy petals.
The Fujin was crying so hard that her sobs were deafening. She almost threw herself onto Honghui's coffin, but was repeatedly pulled back by Li Mama and Chunliu.
The Fourth Prince walked to his wife's side, took her hand, and gently comforted her.
At this moment, Consort De, a mother burying her son, had tears welling in her eyes. Her memories of Honghui were limited to the times he would accompany the Fourth Prince and his wife to the palace to visit her during festivals and New Year's. Although Consort De didn't have the same affection for the Fourth Prince as she did for the Fourteenth Prince, she still adored her grandsons. Honghui's well-behaved and sensible nature had left a deep impression on her.
Thinking of these things, Consort De couldn't help but shed tears several times. Following behind her were the Crown Princess and the wives or noblewomen of various households, all of whom wept and sighed along with Consort De.
The coffin was finally carried out of the Fourth Prince's residence. Consort De and the other women were not allowed to go to Honghui's cemetery with the men. In fact, the women were not qualified to enter the family mausoleum at this time.
Lanqin, following the group of women, expressed her deep disdain for this profound traditional concept of "preferring sons to daughters," but she was also glad she hadn't gone along. At such a funeral, they would either cry or kneel, which would be an incredibly tiring affair. Although Lanqin did feel some guilt about Honghui's drowning, she knew that Honghui's death wasn't her fault, so she didn't take Consort De's reprimand to heart, and it naturally didn't hurt her.
As the men walked further and further away with the funeral procession, Consort De, standing at the door, said to the palace servants beside her, "It's time for me to return to the palace. Xia Yu, I'll take my leave first. Come to the palace again in a few days. I have something to say to you."
The Fourth Prince's wife immediately curtsied and nodded in response. Afterwards, Consort De's palanquin left the Fourth Prince's residence.
Everyone followed suit and took their leave. The Fourth Prince's wife and Consort Li saw them off one by one, and the other princesses, including Lanqin, naturally had to stand behind them and pay their respects.
The Eighth Prince's wife walked up to the Fourth Prince's wife and said sincerely, "Fourth sister-in-law, please don't blame me. I sincerely hope that you can have another legitimate son."
Her words startled Consort Li, who was standing beside her. The latter quickly tried to cover up her lapse in composure, while the Fujin (Prince's wife) hadn't missed the expression on Consort Li's face after hearing the Eighth Fujin's words. From that moment on, the Fujin was even more convinced that Consort Li was the one who killed Honghui. The others, at most, were accomplices or helpers.
After the wives and noblewomen of each household bid farewell to the Fourth Prince's wife, the lively atmosphere of the Fourth Prince's residence soon turned quiet and still.
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