“Even if all the girls you choose are very good, but my brothers just don’t like them, wouldn’t they become a miserable couple? I don’t think I want my brothers to marry girls they don’t like,” Su Ruojin said.
Mrs. Su was taken aback; her daughter was right.
Over the years, her sons' marriages have been delayed in her search for her daughter, which has become a major worry for her as a mother.
"Mother, how about this, our Su family holds a banquet and invites all the young ladies from prominent families in the capital. Then my brothers can take a look at them. What do you think?" Su Ruojin suggested.
Instead of Mother receiving guests one by one, it would be better to simply gather them all together. If any of the brothers take a fancy to a young lady, Mother can go and propose marriage. Then Mother won't have to work so hard now.
Madam Su's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea. "Alright, let's do as Jin'er says."
Madam Su told the Su family about this, and the four Su sons were all quite worried when they heard that their mother wanted them to find a girl to marry.
Under their father's warning gaze, they had no choice but to nod in agreement.
But before the banquet at the Su residence could begin, devastating news arrived from the palace: the Empress had passed away.
When the queen of a nation dies, the whole country mourns, and it is impossible to hold a banquet.
The Empress has always been in poor health and has been taking medicine to recuperate for many years, a fact known to all the court officials.
Her death did not raise any suspicions; people simply lamented her tragic fate.
When the Empress passed away, according to custom, all officials of the third rank in the capital, their wives, and their legitimate sons and daughters were required to go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to pay their respects and keep vigil for the Empress for a day and a night.
Su Ruojin changed into a white dress and accompanied Madam Su to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Led by the palace eunuchs, they first circled the Empress's coffin to pay their respects to her remains, and then returned to their places to kneel and keep vigil.
Because of Madam Su's high rank, she was positioned closer to the Empress's coffin.
Su Ruojin also knelt on the prayer mat beside her.
As the regent, Xiao Yanchu was not required to keep vigil for the empress, but he still went to pay his respects and offer incense.
After he finished offering incense, he glanced at Su Ruojin and saw her secretly make a hand gesture at him.
Xiao Yanchu nodded almost imperceptibly.
After a day of elaborate rituals, as night fell, the ladies and daughters of noble families keeping vigil were exhausted and drowsy.
Su Ruojin was worried that her mother's body couldn't take kneeling for such a long time, so she gave her a health-preserving pill to help her maintain some strength.
In the dead of night, not only the officials, their wives, and young ladies keeping vigil couldn't stay awake and kept dozing off, but even the eunuchs and palace maids standing by were somewhat dazed.
Su Ruojin secretly took a pill, then used the excuse of needing to urinate to walk to the upwind side. She then took out a medicine bottle and let the scent emanating from it slowly drift into the hall with the wind.
Before long, everyone in the hall had fallen asleep, including Madam Su.
This medicine will only make people drowsy for a short time and will not cause any harm.
After everyone had fallen asleep, Su Ruojin took out a handkerchief to cover her face, went to the Empress's coffin, and lifted the candlestick to carefully examine Xu Wanying's face.
During the day, as she walked past the coffin with her mother, she always felt that something was wrong; Xu Wanying's face was too rosy.
A dead person cannot have such a rosy complexion.
Su Ruojin reached into the coffin, placed her hand on Xu Wanying's neck, and then on her wrist.
Finally, just as she was about to pull open Xu Wanying's collar to check, a voice came from behind her: "What's the problem with the Empress's death?"
Knowing that Xiao Yanchu had arrived, Su Ruojin said without turning her head, "Something is wrong with the Empress's body."
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