Chapter 164 At this moment, he felt so cold.
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide and looked more and more clearly at the people standing at the door. Leading them was Aunt Hui, who looked sad. Standing next to her, with one of her arms half-embracing her, was Yuwen Cheng, whose face was still streaked with tears. The rest of the servants followed behind them.
Their faces were all turned toward the other side of the long street, as if they were eagerly anticipating something.
Most importantly, they were all wearing white!
As the carriage drew closer, Shang Ruyi noticed that not only were they dressed in white, but even the two large lanterns at the entrance of the Duke's mansion had been changed to white!
This is--
A horse's neighing brought everyone back to their senses, and Aunt Hui and the others noticed them and hurriedly came forward.
Yuwen Ye jumped off his horse and hurried forward. Shang Ruyi also got off the carriage and followed him to the door. As soon as she stood still, she saw Yuwen Cheng rushing over, crying, and throwing himself into Yuwen Ye's arms.
"Second brother..."
At this moment, Yuwen Ye's tall figure showed signs of wavering for the first time.
Shang Ruyi stood behind him, watching his slightly swaying shoulders, as if a jade mountain were about to collapse. She subconsciously took a step forward and reached out to support Yuwen Ye's back. Aunt Hui greeted them with red eyes: "Second Young Master, Young Madam, why are you back...? You're finally back."
At this moment, they had no time to explain why the emperor had suddenly returned to Luoyang earlier than planned. Looking at the increasingly somber scene around them and the servants with their heads bowed in sorrow, Yuwen Ye's face turned pale, and he asked in a deep voice, "What happened at home?"
"Second brother, second brother..."
Yuwen Cheng hugged his older brother tightly, crying so hard he could barely breathe, and even started to gag.
Aunt Hui shed tears again and reached out to pat his back to help him catch his breath.
Yuwen Ye's face grew increasingly grim, his eyes slightly reddening as he stared at Aunt Hui: "What exactly happened?"
Aunt Hui looked up at him and cried, "Second Young Master—"
Before they could finish speaking, the sound of carriages and horses suddenly came from the other end of the long street behind them. Everyone hurriedly turned around and saw a group of people slowly walking in front of them. The two people leading the way were dressed in white and held white banners in their hands. They walked slowly, swaying like ghosts floating in the air.
Behind them, on the carriage, a huge, dark coffin came into view!
That is—
At that moment, Shang Ruyi trembled all over. She saw that the person who came with the carriage and the coffin was Jin Yun, Guan Yunmu's confidante. Her face was covered with tears and she could not contain her grief. She watched from afar as Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi stood on the other side of the long street and slowly knelt down in front of them.
The servants standing at the door rushed forward, while Yuwen Cheng, in Yuwen Ye's arms, turned around and saw this scene. He burst into tears and ran towards the coffin, crying out, "Mother!"
That cry of "Mother" shattered Shang Ruyi's heart and soul.
Aunt Hui wept, and finally said slowly, "Second Young Master, Madam...she has passed away!"
These words struck Shang Ruyi like a thunderclap, leaving her completely stunned. It took her a while to come to her senses, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads. She asked in disbelief, "How... how could this be?"
Aunt Hui cried, “A few days ago, news came from Liaoxi that Madam’s condition had worsened. But we heard that the battle at Yanmen Pass was urgent, so we dared not send the news over, for fear of disturbing the Second Young Master and the Young Madam. It wasn’t until the day before yesterday, when the Duke’s letter arrived, that we learned that Madam had already passed away. We are here today to welcome Madam’s coffin.”
She looked up at Yuwen Ye, tears streaming down her face, "Second Young Master, please accept my condolences..."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the coffin in front of him.
Shang Ruyi stood there, unable to believe the fact for a long time. What made her even more uneasy was that the straight back she was holding was trembling imperceptibly, yet he remained completely still, as if he were a statue carved from ice.
Yuwen Ye froze completely.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly walked to his side, only to see that his usually cold and indifferent face was now as pale as paper, and his eyes were dark and lifeless, as if something had been taken away from him.
Shang Ruyi instinctively grabbed his hand: "Second Brother—"
Before she could finish speaking, her heart sank.
Yuwen Ye's hands were always rough, yet warm. Although they rarely had physical intimacy, she knew that there was a fire in this man's heart that would keep him burning hot and passionate as he faced the storms and hardships of the world.
But at this moment, he felt so cold.
Not only his fingertips, but even his palms, his eyes, and his breath seemed to be frozen into ice.
Shang Ruyi panicked and hugged him tightly: "Second Brother!"
Amid her choked cries, Yuwen Ye's gaze finally wavered. He slowly lowered his head, looked at her, and then raised it again to look at the coffin that was getting closer and closer, like an inevitable shadow looming over his life.
He finally opened his mouth, and a hoarse sound came from his dry throat—
"Mother……"
|
For the next two days, the entire Yuwen family was in complete chaos.
This was not the first time Shang Ruyi had witnessed the death of a loved one, nor the first time she had faced a series of tedious tasks such as offering sacrifices and keeping vigil at home. However, it was the first time she had encountered someone who, after losing a loved one, had become so numb that he had lost his soul.
When she and Aunt Hui finished discussing the details of the family's memorial service, she returned to the mourning hall, where everything had been arranged.
In the main hall, a thick black curtain divided the hall into two parts, front and back. The coffin of the Duchess was placed in the back, while in front of the curtain, incense, candles, and paper money were placed on a large altar, along with a tall memorial tablet inscribed with: "Memorial Tablet of the late Duchess, a virtuous and kind-hearted woman named Yunmu."
For some reason, when Shang Ruyi looked at that line of words on the rank list, it was as if she were looking at Guan Yunmu's weak yet indifferent face.
She stood there quietly, watching the bustling world before her—the curtains fluttering in the breeze, the servants coming and going, the guests coming to pay their respects. All this busyness and grief seemed just like it had been in her life. No matter how splendid the scene or how desolate and lonely it was, she remained detached from it all.
Perhaps the only thing that could concern him was Yuwen Ye, who was inside the mourning hall, avoiding everyone and with a face as pale as paper.
Since the coffin was placed and the mourning hall was set up, he has been kneeling there without expression, without words, and without even a single tear.
When Shang Ruyi approached him, he couldn't even sense a trace of life.
"Second brother..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com