Chapter 633 Another Daughter
Jiang Fenghua walked to the front of the mourning hall. Lianye, Hongxiu and others were there. They didn't have much of a relationship with Consort Pan, but Consort Zhang had gotten along well with the Empress and their relationship was considered good.
Zhang Jingpin was a cheerful, kind, and brave girl. Who would have thought that such a girl would die so tragically?
Although Zhang Jingjing's daughter nearly suffocated during childbirth, the final check-up revealed that she was healthy and the full-term baby was easy to raise.
"Your Majesty," the men said.
Jiang Fenghua stood solemnly before the coffin, her gaze icy. She lit three incense sticks, bowed, and said, "There is still a murderer on the run. I will personally capture her and use her blood to offer sacrifices to you."
She slowly sat down on the cushion beside her, her voice softening as if she were speaking to a friend, "Zhang Jingjing, rest in peace. I will raise your daughter for you. Her name is Lingyue. I don't know if you like this name, but I think you would. I have this name written in my notebook, and I think I like it very much..."
Jiang Fenghua named Zhang Jingjing's daughter Lingyue, a name she had prepared for the child in her womb. Legend has it that Heaven bestowed a divine pearl upon a virtuous and holy emperor, called "Yue," and her daughter, like a bright pearl descended to earth, would be regarded as a precious treasure.
She would raise Zhang Jingjing's child like a precious jewel, perhaps this was Zhang Jingjing's last wish to see her one last time, and this was all she could do for Zhang Jingjing.
Xie Shang took a cloak and draped it over her shoulders, saying softly, "Ruan Ruan, go back! Leave the rest to the Imperial Household Department. Don't catch a cold."
Jiang Fenghua helped him to his feet, her expression calm and her eyes firm. "Let Xie Lingyue be raised in my palace! I've named Zhang Jingpin's daughter Lingyue. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Xie Shang thought of the name "Lingyue" as something she had prepared for the child in her womb. If it was a daughter, she would name her Lingyue; if it was a son, she would name him Hongyuan.
He took her hand; her fingers were icy cold, so he rubbed them to warm them. He wanted to explain about the concubines in the harem, "Ruan Ruan, actually back then..."
Jiang Fenghua knew what he was going to say. Repeating her explanation would only make her seem pretentious and petty. She said, "Now I know that I shouldn't act like Jiang Ruan as I please, but should be Jiang Fenghua. Jiang Fenghua is Xie Shang's wife and the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Nothing else matters. What matters is that Jiang Fenghua can stand hand in hand with Xie Shang and look down upon the world."
So many people would risk their lives for something, and she gets it so easily. What more could she want?
Xie Shang was very happy that she thought that way. As long as she was willing to stay by his side for the rest of her life, he would be satisfied. "In front of me, Jiang Fenghua will always be my Ruan Ruan."
"Your Majesty, please offer incense to them as well! Send them off on their final journey." May they meet a husband who will truly love them in their next life.
Xie Shang followed Jiang Fenghua's example, lighting incense and burning paper money.
Jiang Fenghua added, "If their families are willing, I would like to send them back to their hometown for burial. Zhang Jingjing told me before she left that she wanted to return to Yuzhou."
Xie Shang said, "Let the officials of the Ministry of Rites arrange this matter. They will receive the same honors and posthumous titles they deserve, and I will let them return home in glory."
Very few concubines were posthumously honored, so the emperor's act was a form of compensation from the imperial family to their families.
Zhang Jingjing also gave birth to a princess, and she should be posthumously honored and even buried in the imperial mausoleum. However, if she requested it before her death, the court could arrange for her tomb to be located in Yuzhou, where a separate mausoleum for emperors and their concubines would be built.
Inside the mourning hall, the candlelight still flickered, casting its glow on the coffin, as if silently telling the story of the endless sorrow within the deep palace.
Jiang Fenghua's heart was as hard as iron and as cold as ice, colder than the winter night wind. Leaning against Xie Shang's chest, her voice suddenly softened as she whispered, "Your Majesty, I have a plan to capture Su Qingqing..."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shang firmly denied it, saying, "No, it's too dangerous. I cannot let you be in danger."
“She has always wanted to take revenge on me, but I am surrounded by people protecting me, so she has no chance to get close to me. She has not shown herself for so long, and this time we cannot let her escape again.” Jiang Fenghua added, “The epidemic in Jishantang has already caused many innocent people to suffer.”
"I will capture her. I will never allow the remnants of the Su family to harm the people of the Great Zhou Kingdom again," Xie Shang said in a deep voice.
“As long as Your Majesty keeps the news from the palace under wraps, I will personally lure her out under the pretext of Zhang Jingpin and Pan Jieyu’s funeral.” Jiang Fenghua’s gaze was firm and calm. “Since Su Qingqing came here specifically to seek revenge on me, she will definitely not show herself if I don’t. She hates me so much, she must really want to seek revenge on me personally! I also want to see Consort Su.”
Xie Shang couldn't persuade her otherwise, "Alright then! I'll send my secret guards to protect you from the shadows."
The couple put the previous unpleasantness behind them without prior agreement, and Jiang Fenghua became increasingly calm, composed, and poised.
Xie Shang seemed to have long been used to Jiang Fenghua being like this; this was how she was supposed to be.
He took the initiative to return to Kunning Palace with Jiang Fenghua. When they entered the side hall, they saw Xie Ziyan and Xie Hongyou still awake, guarding the bedside of the Fourth Princess Xie Lingyue.
Their eyes shone brightly, and they adored the tiny face in the swaddling clothes.
Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang entered the hall one after the other, excitedly saying, "Mother has given us another little sister. She's so cute! Yanyan really likes little sister Yueyue."
Jiang Fenghua was speechless. Who told her that this was her biological sister?
Lianye explained, "When Granny Wang brought Princess Yue over, Her Majesty said her name, and Princess Yan immediately recognized her as Her Majesty's child."
It was because Jiang Fenghua had always told them to name their daughter Yue'er and their son Yuan'er. Now they had Yuan'er, but not Yue'er.
Suddenly, Granny Wang brought a child with her, and the name matched perfectly, so Xie Ziyan immediately assumed that this was her mother's younger sister.
Jiang Fenghua was very happy. Her daughter and son both knew how to protect their younger siblings, and they didn't even know how to compete for affection. She said, "From now on, Yan'er and You'er will have another task."
"Youyou will definitely complete the task assigned by Mother. Please speak, Mother," Xie Hongyou said.
Jiang Fenghua hugged him and kissed her son's face. "From now on, older brothers and sisters must love and protect their younger brothers and sisters and not allow anyone to bully them. Can you do that?"
"Youyou guarantees she can do it," Xie Hongyou replied earnestly.
"Yanyan also guarantees she can do it."
Xie Shang held his daughter, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He thought of his childhood, when the princes and princesses all had their own schemes, so the palace was always cold and indifferent.
Now, Jiang Fenghua is asking them to cherish their younger siblings, and the heartwarming scene here allows them to temporarily forget the coldness and ruthlessness of Shou Kang Palace.
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