This is the safest way.
"What? What did you say—"
Zhao Yunzhu's eyes were red as she looked at the corpse that was found in front of her in disbelief.
"How could it be—"
She leaned limply against Aunt Hua.
"Please accept my condolences, Concubine Yun. Concubine Du and the driver unfortunately rolled down the hillside and were swept downstream by the river. Their faces were then eaten by wild beasts. Please accept my condolences, Concubine Yun."
The officer replied apologetically.
Zhao Yunzhu cried until her eyes turned red, and she murmured, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault. If only I hadn't let Concubine Du accompany me, it would be great. It's all my fault!"
"Concubine Yun, accept my condolences."
This is the only sentence the official said when he came and went.
Zhao Yunzhu insisted on taking a last look, and the officials could not stop her, so they let her go.
When Zhao Yunzhu saw the two horrific corpses clearly, her legs went weak and she fainted from fright.
The two bodies were temporarily taken back to the yamen by the officials.
Zhao Yunzhu was helped by a maid back to Prince An's Mansion.
When Manager Xu heard the bad news, he frowned and ordered someone to deliver the letter to the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion immediately.
After all, she was a concubine who was married off by imperial decree, so the funeral ceremony could not be sloppy.
Prince An is not in Chang'an at the moment, and Concubine Yun is still sleeping due to the fright.
Everything is under the overall charge of Manager Xu.
By the time the people from the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion arrived, white lanterns had already been hung throughout the Prince An's Mansion, and the servants had already changed into plain clothes.
A thick atmosphere of decadence permeated the palace.
“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao!”
Madam Du was supported by two maids as she entered Prince An's mansion.
He looked at the mourning hall in the main hall, and saw his daughter's name written on the tablet.
Mrs. Du fainted several times.
"Where's Zhao Yunzhu? Let her come out! She's the one who killed my daughter. Let this murderer come out!"
Mrs. Du seemed to have gone mad.
Manager Xu had a dark face, but still stepped forward to persuade them, "Please, Madam Du, please don't cause trouble. The prince is not at home now, and the two concubines in the mansion are dead and injured. If Madam Du has any dissatisfaction, she can go to the government office!"
"Oh, you accomplices, it's all you, it's you who killed my daughter. I will never, ever let you go!"
Mrs. Du said heartlessly.
"Have you had enough of this?"
The angry rebuke made Mrs. Du tremble. She looked behind her and saw Master Du walking towards her with a heavy face.
"Second Master..."
Mrs. Du choked up.
However, Master Du Er had no intention of comforting her. He walked past her, went to the front of the mourning hall, and took a look at the open coffin.
The coffin was empty, and Master Du Er looked at the steward of Prince An's Mansion with a sullen face.
Steward Xu stepped forward and explained, "Second Master Du, Concubine Du's body is now in the government office."
As soon as the words were spoken, there was a commotion in Prince An's mansion.
It turned out that the police carried the body back.
"Manager Xu, Second Master Du, the coroner has confirmed that Concubine Du was not poisoned. Please accept our condolences."
Master Du Er looked at the corpse covered with white cloth.
My heart sank.
I can't seem to recall my daughter's appearance.
I only remember that this daughter always loved to laugh since she was a child. Although she was a little arrogant, she never did anything harmful to others.
But unexpectedly, it would cause such a disaster.
Now I can rest in peace if my daughter can be buried early.
Mr. Du Er suppressed the bitterness in his eyes, turned his back, and ordered people to carry his daughter's body into the coffin.
Then Manager Xu asked everyone to leave, and the servants of Prince An's Mansion wanted to tidy up Concubine Du's appearance.
Mrs. Du refused and was eventually dragged out by Mr. Du.
"Second Master, this must have been done by Zhao Yunzhu. You must avenge our daughter! If it weren't for Zhao Yunzhu, how could our Jiaojiao have gone to Jingxiang Temple?"
"It must be her! She is the star of disaster. She killed Ming'an and now she wants to kill our Jiaojiao too! She is a star of disaster, a star of disaster!"
"Second Master, Ming'an is such a good child—"
Bang!
Before Mrs. Du could finish her words, Master Du raised his hand and slapped her hard in the face.
"Have you made enough noise? If you dare to say anything nonsense again, get out of here!"
Mrs. Du had never seen the Second Master so angry. She covered her red and swollen cheeks, trembling, and looked at the Second Master with sobs.
She bit her lip tightly, suppressing her grievance.
Her daughter is no longer with us. How could she, as a mother, not even see her off on her final journey?
No matter how great the grievance is, she can endure it now.
But, seeing my daughter lying in the coffin after dressing up, and looking at her face covered with a veil.
Mrs. Du held the coffin, stretched out her trembling hands, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to take another look, but she didn't dare.
The despair of seeing a loved one die had already broken her down.
Just as she hesitated, a gust of wind blew from somewhere and swirled into the coffin.
A corner of the veil was lifted, revealing the horrific face underneath.
Mrs. Du's eyes went dark and she fainted.
There was another burst of noise in the mourning hall.
Uncle Du walked forward with a frown on his face. The evil wind started to stir again, lifting up a corner of the handkerchief.
Let Master Du Er also see the terrifying face under the veil.
He immediately understood why his wife had fainted.
Because he almost couldn't catch his breath.
Manager Xu ordered someone to send Concubine Du's parents to the side room to rest.
…
Zhao Yunzhu woke up in the evening and heard that the two elders of the Du family had come today.
She lay on the couch, Nanny Hua serving her chicken soup. She then asked, "Steward Xu sent someone to ask if we should wait until the prince returns before burying him."
The body in the coffin was naturally not the real Du Jiaojiao.
"The prince is currently busy with state affairs and may not be able to return for a while. It would be best if Concubine Du could be buried in peace as soon as possible."
"Yes, I will send someone to pass on the message right away."
Aunt Hua left with the empty bowl.
Zhao Yunzhu stood up and called Linglong in to help her get dressed.
"It's so late, where are you going, Miss?"
Linglong Tonghua Ma Ma naturally knew that the body lying in the mourning hall was not the real Concubine Du.
"We have to go and pay our respects, so as not to cause others to talk about it later."
Linglong felt that Concubine Yun's worries were justified, so she carefully helped Concubine Yun get dressed before following her to the mourning hall.
The mourning hall was decorated according to the rules for concubines in the royal palace.
The news had already spread throughout Chang'an City that Concubine Du of Prince An's Mansion was gone, and rumors were spreading among the people, pointing the finger at Zhao Yunzhu for being a jinx.
During the day, many people came to Chang'an City to offer condolences.
The body can be buried after three days of keeping it.
In the mourning hall at night, the burning white candles sway gently in the wind.
The cold wind was blowing, and there was a strange atmosphere around the mourning hall. The servants walked quickly with their heads down, as if they were afraid that if they walked a step slower they would disturb the souls in the mourning hall.
"May you ascend to paradise soon and rest in peace."
Zhao Yunzhu knelt on the mat, took a handful of paper from the maid, and threw it into the charcoal brazier.
He bowed again before getting up.
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