Her voice trailed off, "However, the news that you are still alive cannot be revealed for the time being, so yesterday's wedding... only invited a few guests to witness it... It was truly unfair to my cousin..."
Seeing that her eyes were about to close, Marquis Yun quickly called out, "Wan'er! Wan'er!"
Yun Manyan rushed in and helped her mother up, crying, "Mother! Mother!"
Zhou struggled to open her eyes and weakly smiled, "I'm still alive! It's just that my head hurts terribly. My lord, I've said everything I needed to say. I...I want to sleep..."
Marquis Yun was heartbroken. After all, they had been husband and wife for over a decade, and he never expected his wife to do such a thing before she passed away.
He patted the kang (heated brick bed) beside him and instructed Yun Manwan, "Wan'er, quickly help your mother up."
Zhou suddenly came to her senses and shook her head, saying, "No! We...we've already...divorced..."
"Shut up!" Marquis Yun shouted at Yun Manwan. "Hurry up and help your mother up!"
Yun Manyan cried her heart out, but still managed to lift her mother up and make her fall onto the kang (a heated brick bed), then ran out to find Xiao Youran.
Marquis Yun held Zhou's hand, his heart filled with complex emotions, "Rong'er, you've suffered so much."
Zhou suddenly opened her eyes again and smiled, "When you called Rong'er... were you calling me, or... her?"
Lord Yun felt both guilty and moved. "You...you were called! You believe me!"
Zhou smiled, her eyes slowly closing, her voice gradually softening, "Of course I believe you! You are my husband..."
Three days later, Zhou passed away.
White banners were hung and a mourning hall was set up at the Yun residence.
Upon receiving the news, the Zhou family immediately rushed over.
After a long and heartbroken conversation with Madam Yun, the grieving matriarch of the Zhou family actually sent the eldest grandson of the Zhou family to inform the families of various nobles with whom she had a close relationship of the death.
Many people were shocked. Why was it the Zhou family who came to announce the death of the eldest wife of the Yun family? Even if Zhou's son, Yun Tianbai, was not in the capital, the Yun family had other male members!
When they arrived at the Yun family's mourning hall, they were shocked to see the Yun Marquis, who was rumored to have been attacked and killed, and the newlywed Su Shi kneeling beside him.
So Marquis Yun didn't die?
It turns out that when Su Yiren married into the Yun family a few days ago, she wasn't marrying the third master of the Yun family, but rather the Marquis of Yun, the General of Pingyuan.
It turns out that before her death, Zhou left a will voluntarily divorcing Yunhou and even personally arranged her ex-husband's wedding, welcoming Su into the mansion with the rites due to a legal wife? All this was to bring good luck to the Marquis and help him wake up from his serious injuries and coma.
Therefore, strictly speaking, Zhou was no longer a member of the Yun family, and after her death, it was the Zhou family who went to announce her passing.
However, the Yun family, grateful for Zhou's contributions to the family, were willing to hold a funeral for her at the Yun residence.
Everyone praised Zhou's virtue and kindness, and the Yun family's gratitude.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Zhou's cause of death was an old, incurable head ailment.
They couldn't help but sigh, thinking that Zhou was truly unlucky. She had barely survived the most difficult time for the Yun family, but she couldn't enjoy the wealth and honor that came with the restoration of the Marquis's glory.
Before everyone's shock had subsided, two imperial edicts arrived from the palace.
First, Marquis Yun went to the palace yesterday to report on his duties. He was commended for his meritorious service in resisting the enemy and was granted the title of Duke of Pingguo, enjoying a salary exceeding that of a first-rank official.
Secondly, Lady Su, the wife of Marquis Yun, was granted the title of Lady of Pingguo for her meritorious service in bringing good fortune to the family by imperial decree, and was given a salary exceeding that of a first-rank official.
The crowd erupted in uproar once again.
So it turns out that Su Yiren was ordered to have a wedding to bring good luck a few days ago?
No wonder the groom was so mysterious back then; it turns out that Marquis Yun was still unconscious at the time.
Those who were initially puzzled by Su's marriage into the Marquis's household could only accept it now.
She was sent to the Marquis's mansion by imperial decree to bring him good fortune, and sure enough, the Marquis woke up and was lively and energetic on the second day after she entered the mansion.
Legend has it that Su Yiren and her daughter are both lucky stars, and it's true!
Moreover, she was ordered to marry a man to bring him good luck, so who would dare to question the emperor's decision?
Xiao Youran breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Fortunately, she had gone to her senior brother in advance and obtained an imperial decree for her mother to betroth her.
Otherwise, some unscrupulous people might speculate that her mother forced Zhou to her death in order to marry into the Marquis's household.
When Jiang Mingyi learned of this news at the Yong'an Marquis's residence, he was visiting his mother and father, two ailing elderly people, at their bedsides.
After suffering a series of blows, the Marquis of Yong'an fell seriously ill, but today he feels a little better and is able to get up and walk around.
Jiang Mingyi leaned to one side as he walked slowly with his father in the yard.
Lady Yong'an was leaning against the bed in the room, being fed medicine by Jiang Mingwei. She was somewhat more awake today.
When a servant rushed into the courtyard to report the news from the Yun family to Jiang Mingyi and the Earl of Yong'an, he didn't lower his voice, so that the Lady of the Earl of Yong'an heard it clearly.
She stared at Jiang Mingwei in disbelief, stammering, "He...what did he say? That Su Yarong...became the Duchess?!"
Jiang Mingwei, who was always straightforward, did not want to hide it from her mother, so she simply nodded.
Lady Yong'an suddenly rolled her eyes and was about to faint again.
Jiang Mingwei cried out, "Mother! It's the New Year, can't you please not faint?!"
Upon hearing this, the Earl of Yong'an and Jiang Mingyi outside the door simply stared blankly at each other.
That former daughter-in-law (wife) actually became the wife of the newly promoted Duke after their divorce?!
In northern Liaozhou, a young man was galloping on horseback towards the capital, followed by a carriage that was also running at full speed.
Normally, the body is kept in state for seven days before the funeral procession. However, Zhou passed away on the 28th day of the Lunar New Year. The Marquis's family couldn't even celebrate the New Year, and it was not appropriate to hold the funeral in the first month of the lunar calendar. So, the body was kept in state for nearly twenty days until the 18th day of the first month when an auspicious time was chosen to prepare for the funeral procession.
Fortunately, even in the dead of winter, the body could be preserved.
It was precisely because of this that she was able to wait for her son to return from Liaozhou.
At that moment, a travel-worn young man rushed into the mourning hall and knelt down directly in front of it.
"Mother!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Yun Manwan, supported by her maid, cried out, "Brother!"
The visitor was none other than Zhou's eldest son, Yun Tianbai.
Xiao Youran was hiding in the back with a few kids when she saw this younger version of Yun Tianbai, and her heart skipped a beat.
Yun Tianbai knelt on the ground and wept bitterly.
In the end, it was Madam Yun who had Li Mama help him up, and then had him dressed in mourning clothes before the coffin was opened and the funeral procession began.
After everything settled down, Yun Tianbai stormed into his father's study the following morning and loudly questioned, "Father, why did you divorce Mother and then marry my cousin? Was Mother's death related to my cousin?!"
Marquis Yun—no, he's now the Duke of Pingguo—was in his study writing a memorial requesting merit for the soldiers of Liaozhou when he heard this. He was so shocked that he almost threw the pen in his hand at Yun Tianbai's face, and roared, "You unfilial son! Do you know what you're saying?!"
Yun Tianbai said in grief and indignation, "I've inquired about it. What kind of 'marrying for good luck' is this? Did you, Father, collude with the Su family to fake a coma and deceive Mother?!"
Duke Pingguo angrily said, "Su is now your mother! How can you be so disrespectful to your elders and make such unfounded speculations? How can you face the teachings of your recently deceased mother?!"
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