Chapter 66

Chapter 67 Funeral

In the late spring, the Lijing Pavilion was adorned with blooming flowers.

The matriarch lay on the large kang by the window, her face as white as a sheet. A gentle breeze carried willow catkins that settled on her bedding.

"Sister-in-law, you must restrain your grief," the second wife comforted the matriarch from the bedside. "The departed are beyond our reach now!"

The third wife chimed in, "Yes, sister-in-law. You must take good care of yourself!"

The matriarch's lips trembled slightly, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

Xu Mama, standing by with tears in her eyes, said, "Matriarch, you've been crying since last night... Please be careful with your eyes."

Everyone else also offered words of comfort to the matriarch.

After a while, the matriarch finally stopped crying and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is Sheng Ge?"

The eldest daughter-in-law promptly replied, "He's resting in the outer hall with Third Uncle, Fifth Uncle, and Sixth Uncle!"

The matriarch struggled to sit up and thanked the second and third wives, "Thank you for your trouble!"

"Sister-in-law, you're being too polite," the second wife smiled. "We are also Eldest Miss's relatives!"

Hearing Eldest Miss mentioned, the second wife's eyes darkened again.

The third wife was about to change the subject when a young maid came in to announce, "Fourth Miss has arrived."

The second wife smiled, "I was wondering why she hadn't come yet..."

As she spoke, Fourth Miss walked in wearing a moon-colored jacket (beizi).

She started crying before she even spoke, "How could Eldest Sister leave like this? Leaving the Marquis and Chun Ge behind, how will they manage in the future?" She took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

The third wife smiled, "We've just comforted sister-in-law, and now it's your turn."

Hearing this, Fourth Miss stopped crying, greeted everyone, and then asked, "Since we're here, should we go and pay our respects to the elder madam?"

"Of course we should," the second wife said, then consulted with the matriarch, "Shall we go see the elder madam and then come back to sit with you, sister-in-law?"

The matriarch thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. I'm not feeling well, so I won't accompany you."

The second wife called in the older women who were guiding the guests and led the Luo family's female relatives to the elder madam's quarters.

Hearing that Eldest Miss's relatives had arrived, the elder madam personally came out to greet them.

The eldest daughter-in-law introduced everyone to the elder madam.

After everyone had paid their respects, the elder madam glanced at Eleven Miss.

Seeing her red eyes and nose, and a slightly melancholic expression, she nodded slightly.

Upon entering the room, everyone noticed that there were four other female guests with the elder madam.

Eleven Miss recognized two of them—Madam Gan from the Zhongqin Marquisate and Madam Lin from the Weibei Marquisate.

Madam Lin was speaking to a beautiful woman in her forties beside her, "...When I heard the funeral board struck four times, I knew something had happened here and immediately sent someone to inquire. Only then did I learn that the Marquis's wife had passed away!" She took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eye.

The beautiful woman sighed, "It's just a pity that the children will be without care."

"Absolutely!" Madam Lin agreed. Seeing the Luo family members enter, she smiled, stopped speaking, and took a sip of tea.

The elder madam introduced everyone present to them.

The beautiful woman talking to Madam Lin turned out to be the wife of Minister Li.

Minister Li is currently the chief minister of the Da Zhou dynasty, and unexpectedly, Madam Li is so young... she was slightly surprised.

Another unfamiliar woman was Madam Jiang, the wife of Jiang Bai.

Eleven Miss couldn't help but take a closer look at her.

At the age of thirty-five or thirty-six, her appearance was quite ordinary, but her demeanor was gentle, and her smile was warm, making people feel good about her at first sight.

When Third Lady realized that the beautiful woman was Madam Li, she became somewhat uncomfortable, but Madam Li gracefully greeted Third Lady.

Eleven Miss initially thought this was the magnanimity of a victor, but upon closer observation, she realized that Madam Li was someone who neither stood out nor fell behind, adhering to the doctrine of the mean. Madam Jiang, however, was different, always putting herself last. Coupled with Madam Gan's usual avoidance of the limelight, Madam Lin naturally took the lead. They sat in the elder madam's room for about half an hour, and Eleven Miss listened to Madam Lin speak.

Fortunately, Madam Lin's speech was not vulgar, and with Second Lady chiming in occasionally, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

When Second Lady arrived, she brought the dates selected by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for the elder madam to review: "...Please see if there's anything to add or subtract."

The elder madam did not take it, saying, "You decide."

Hearing this, Second Lady tucked the note back into her sleeve and said, "Originally, I didn't expect so many guests, so I'm afraid we'll need to use screens to set up a flowing banquet in the outer hall. I'd like to borrow the three black lacquer mica screens from your storage."

The elder madam called for Sister Wei: "Go and get the black lacquer mica screens for Second Lady."

Sister Wei responded "Yes," and Second Lady exchanged pleasantries with everyone, then took Sister Wei to fetch the screens.

Eleven Miss couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

She didn't expect that Eldest Miss's funeral would be presided over by Second Lady. She thought it would be Third Lady...

As the thought flashed through her mind, she heard Madam Lin sigh: "Such a capable person, what a pity..."

What a pity she couldn't become the mistress of Yongping Marquis!

Eleven Miss thought to herself, then saw the elder madam glance at her.

With Madam Li present, Third Lady was indeed uncomfortable, and although Second Lady had no intention of leaving, Third Lady stood up and said she wanted to check on the matriarch. Second Lady didn't want to stay longer, so she had to get up and bid farewell to the elder madam.

At that moment, several minister's wives arrived at the elder madam's place, and seeing that they couldn't be kept, the elder madam personally escorted them to the courtyard gate.

Eleven Miss whispered a few words to Seventh Miss, who glanced around and whispered a couple of sentences to Second Lady, who was saying goodbye to the elder madam. Second Lady's eyes flickered slightly, nodded slightly, and then smiled and asked the elder madam: "I wonder where Second Lady is sitting, I'd like to ask how many days the wake will be? When will the funeral be? We'll go back and tell the elder brother, so he can rest assured."

The elder madam glanced at Eleven Miss and smiled: "It's in the hall of Dianchun Hall, Second Lady might not know, but the young ladies know the way."

Hearing this, Second Lady exchanged a few polite words with the elder madam and then went to the hall of Dianchun Hall.

A line of older women stood under the eaves waiting to report.

Seeing Second Lady, they hurried to inform Second Lady.

Second Lady, accompanied by maids and older women, came forward to greet her: "Dear Madam, you are a rare guest, please come inside for some tea."

After everyone exchanged greetings, Second Lady stated her purpose.

Second Lady immediately said: "The wake will last for forty-nine days."

The second wife smiled and said, "I will report back to the elder master when I return."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the second wife bid farewell to the second lady, saying, "...I still need to visit the matriarch, and you must be busy here as well."

The second lady exchanged a few polite words and then escorted the second wife to the passageway before returning.

Along the way, Seventh Miss kept whispering to Eleven Miss, "Eldest Miss's home is really beautiful. The last time I came to pay respects to Eldest Miss, it was snowing heavily, and I didn't get to see the back garden!"

Eleven Miss, however, was lost in her own thoughts.

Earlier, when she whispered with Seventh Miss, she felt the Elder Madam's gaze on her. Later, when Seventh Miss made a suggestion to the second wife, the Elder Madam's eyes flashed with displeasure.

Why was the Elder Madam displeased?

Was it because Seventh Miss inquired about the funeral arrangements, and the Elder Madam thought the Luo family, as the bride's family, was being too impolite? Or was it because the Elder Madam disliked her indirect way of handling things?

She then thought of the second lady, Third Lady, and Fifth Lady...

Clearly, the reserved second lady and the lively Fifth Lady were both well-liked by the Elder Madam, while the sharp-tongued Third Lady was not so favored... Was it due to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children? Or was it simply a matter of personal preference?

And the second lady—during the greeting, she had stared at her for a long time... Combined with what Chun Ge had said earlier, could it be that everyone in the Xu family knew about Eldest Miss's wish for her to become Lord Xu's second wife?

This made her feel somewhat awkward...

Lost in these thoughts, they soon returned to Lijing Pavilion.

The matriarch was sitting wrapped in a blanket, being served by Xu Mama.

Seeing everyone return, Xu Mama smiled and said, "The matriarch has only eaten this bowl of porridge since last night... The Elder Madam specifically instructed the kitchen to simmer it slowly over a low fire. Everyone, please try some!"

Who would dare to eat specially prepared food at the Xu family's residence? They all politely declined.

The second wife then informed the matriarch about the Xu family's funeral arrangements.

The matriarch listened and said, "Since the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has chosen the date, then so be it!" She still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Forty-nine days of mourning, with daily expenses for firewood, rice, oil, salt, lamp oil, and candles—this was no small cost... It seemed the Xu family was quite serious about Eldest Miss's funeral.

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That evening, when they returned home, the matriarch began to fret about Luo Zhenxing, who was still taking the imperial exams.

"Eldest Miss, may your spirit in heaven bless your younger brother to pass the exams with honors, and your brother-in-law as well..."

So the next day, they only stayed at the Xu family's residence for half a day before returning.

Wu Xiaquan went to pick up Luo Zhenxing, and the matriarch pulled her son close, examining him. "You've lost weight."

Luo Zhenxing laughed, "I ate and slept well inside, I haven't lost weight." He then asked Luo Zhensheng, who had come to greet him, "When did you arrive?"

Luo Zhensheng quickly stepped forward to answer, "I just arrived yesterday!"

Only then did Luo Zhenxing notice that everyone was dressed in white, and his wife was wearing two small white flowers in her hair.

"What..."

The matriarch began to sob, "Your eldest sister, she... she..."

Luo Zhenxing's expression shifted from joy to shock and disbelief...

"I must go see Eldest Miss!" He immediately set off for Hehua Lane.

The matriarch, distressed for both her daughter and son, grabbed Luo Zhenxing's arm: "It's so late already! It won't be too late if you go tomorrow morning!"

But Luo Zhenxing insisted, called a servant to hitch the carriage, and went back to his room to change into something plain.

The matriarch reluctantly let Luo Zhensheng go with Luo Zhenxing.

The brothers got back late and had just lain down when there was a knock at the door.

The night watchman lifted his lantern and called out, "Who's there?" To his surprise, it was Qian Ming.

Luo Zhenxing had the door opened, and Qian Ming chided him: "Why didn't you let me know about our eldest sister's death? If it weren't for a classmate's father going to pay respects, I wouldn't have known about this!"

"It's too late today," Luo Zhenxing welcomed Qian Ming in, "I was going to tell you tomorrow." Noticing Qian Ming was covered in dew, he added, "Stay here tonight, why don't you? We'll go to the Xu family's residence together tomorrow."

Qian Ming agreed, a flicker of joy in his eyes he couldn't hide.

At this moment, Luo Zhenxing couldn't help but wonder whether he had done right or wrong in matchmaking Fifth Miss and Qian Ming.