Chapter 193: Handling Funeral Matters
A tall mourning hall was erected in the Zhou Family courtyard.
White lanterns swayed in the night wind.
Dressed in mourning white, Liu Cuiyi was helped back to her room by a maid.
“Have the butler take good care of things out front, and make sure to register everyone who goes out to announce the death and who has been informed,” Liu Cuiyi said, sounding tired. “Please invite the Eldest Master of the Shao family to preside over the funeral rites! After all, he is a maternal cousin, and it is fitting for him to handle such matters.”
“Miss, these matters are not the most important. The most important thing is that you absolutely must not disturb your fetal qi,” Granny Zhao said with concern.
“You are right. The child in my belly now is the Zhou Family’s only lifeline. For anyone’s sake, I must protect him,” Liu Cuiyi said, gently stroking her abdomen. “To the outside world, I will say that I need to rest and recuperate due to excessive grief, and will not see any relatives or friends.”
Although she and Zhou Jing San were a married couple, they had long since lost any marital affection. His death brought Liu Cuiyi a sense of relief, but she did not wish to trouble herself with his funeral.
She felt Zhou Jing San was unworthy.
Wen Mingqian also heard the news of Zhou Jing San’s death at Wu Qiu Nunnery. She exchanged a look with Sang Er and said, “Prepare some funeral gifts, and let’s go pay our respects!”
“How could Zhou Jing San just die like that?” Sang Er said, sounding somewhat incredulous.
“People always die,” Wen Mingqian said calmly. “But it is fortunate that with his death, the matter between Cuiyi and your uncle is settled.”
Sang Er couldn’t quite grasp it and asked, “Why is that? Won’t the Zhou Family blame their First Madam for Zhou Jing San’s death?”
“How can the Zhou Family even concern themselves with that? With Zhou Jing San dead, they should be thinking about their own future,” Wen Mingqian said. “They are probably just hoping that Cuiyi’s child is a boy, otherwise their family’s noble title will be revoked. If not, with the abilities of the Zhou Family members, they might end up begging for food.”
“That’s right!” Sang Er suddenly understood. “Unless their First Madam can give birth to a boy, the Zhou Family will have their noble title stripped.”
Wen Mingqian had Sang Er hire a horse carriage to go to the Zhou Family for the funeral.
Halfway there, they encountered a wedding procession, with music and fanfare, making for a lively scene.
Wen Mingqian’s carriage had to pull over to the side, and Sang Er curiously lifted the curtain to look outside.
Upon clearly seeing the groom on horseback, she couldn’t help but exclaim about bad luck and then dropped the curtain.
“What is it?” Wen Mingqian asked.
“It’s that old scoundrel Gong Xu,” Sang Er frowned. “Isn’t that bad luck?”
“What’s the matter?” Wen Mingqian smiled. “Didn’t you already know about his remarriage?”
“I knew, but I’m still annoyed,” Sang Er said, rolling her eyes. “I hope this new bride treats Yun Ying Elder Sister well, and isn’t some cruel person.”
“Speaking of which, Yun Ying is due soon, isn’t she?” Wen Mingqian said. “Gong Second Master is truly blessed with double happiness!”
She said this with a playful tone, clearly unbothered.
“Mother, I think this is what makes you truly remarkable,” Sang Er’s expression suddenly became solemn. “Even I, an outsider, am not entirely calm seeing this situation. Yet you can remain so serene, showing you have truly let go.
Getting a divorce is nothing remarkable; what is truly remarkable is completely removing that person from your heart.”
“I had already removed him long before the divorce,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile. “They say calamities can be overcome, but inner demons are hard to dispel. In life, there are too many calamities that can lead to an untimely death, and some, even if one escapes with their life, can leave them unrecognizable.
At the time, I wished I were dead and my hatred was irrepressible. It took me quite some time to realize that instead of hating, it is better to let go, otherwise, one will be imprisoned forever.”
The wedding procession, with its music and fanfare, slowly passed by.
Although Gong Xu, riding on horseback, had a smile on his face, his heart felt heavy.
He couldn’t remember when he had become like this. He harbored an unerasable hidden pain, with no one to confide in, it followed him like a shadow, for eternity.
Although the Zhou Family had fallen into decline, they were still a noble family, and the funeral rites were not conducted shabbily.
Upon entering the Zhou residence, Wen Mingqian headed straight for the inner quarters, where many ladies from other households had already arrived.
Madam Zhou looked as if she had aged twenty years, her hair almost entirely white. And she was only fifty years old.
Seeing her, Wen Mingqian couldn’t help but offer a few words of comfort. Madam Zhou, with tears welling up, responded with a blank expression.
Wen Mingqian didn’t linger and went to Liu Cuiyi’s room.
“Elder Sister, you’re here,” Liu Cuiyi said, quickly getting up upon hearing Wen Mingqian had arrived.
“Quickly lie down, don’t get up,” Wen Mingqian hurried forward and pressed her down. “Even if the sky were falling outside, you must take good care of your pregnancy.”
“I know, Elder Sister,” Liu Cuiyi nodded. “I have already informed everyone that I cannot attend to any matters for fear of disturbing my fetal qi.”
“That’s right, no matter what, you must distinguish what is most important,” Wen Mingqian said. “Has your mother-in-law been giving you trouble?”
“Naturally, she wouldn’t dare,” Liu Cuiyi couldn’t help but smile. “Even a Bodhisattva must first purify their golden body before saving others; she is busy looking after herself!”
The Master of the Zhou Family was fond of Daoism and had been cultivating in the mountains for years, no longer concerned with the mortal world.
Although Zhou Jing San had two elder sisters, they were already married and not in the Capital City.
While there were other relatives, they were just that, relatives, not family.
Liu Huanchun disliked attending funerals, but she came today.
Her mother had gone into the palace early that morning. Upon hearing the news of Zhou Jing San’s death at home, she immediately flew into a rage.
She cursed, “Zhou Jing San, you incompetent, short-lived wretch! Useless good-for-nothing! You deserve to be cuckolded!”
Originally, the butler had told her that Zhou Jing San would definitely divorce Liu Cuiyi and spread rumors of her scandalous affairs.
But now? Liu Cuiyi was unharmed, while Zhou Jing San was dead.
“Useless! You are all useless!” Liu Huanchun yelled at the butler who entered, pointing at him. “Go out and receive twenty heavy planks!”
The servants were all aware of Liu Huanchun’s volatile temper, and the butler dared not disobey, obediently going out to be beaten.
Still not appeased, Liu Huanchun paced back and forth in her room several times and said, “Prepare the carriage! I am going to the Zhou Family to pay my respects!”
As Liu Huanchun arrived at the Zhou Family like a thunderbolt, her noble status meant everyone rushed to greet her upon her arrival, even Madam Zhou stood up with the help of a maid.
“We did not know the County Princess was coming, and thus failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive us,” Madam Zhou said weakly.
“I have just heard the sad news of your Eldest Young Master’s passing. Please accept my deepest condolences,” Liu Huanchun said insincerely, speaking polite words while her eyes searched for Liu Cuiyi.
“County Princess, please take a seat! This old woman is truly overwhelmed and unable to attend to everything,” Madam Zhou said, her words honest due to her gaunt state of mind and body.
“Why do I not see your residence’s First Madam?” Liu Huanchun asked.
“Our First Madam is pregnant, and with such a sad event, shouldn’t she be allowed to rest and recuperate properly?” Granny Yu, Madam Zhou’s companion, replied. “Otherwise, why would our Madam be the one enduring the strain of entertaining guests?”
