Chapter 333 - Mourners
Chapter 333: Mourners
The five persons hurried up and returned to the city to find out the queen mother’s demise.
The crowd was frightened. It was too sudden. Didn’t it say that the condition had improved? How did it come so quick?
Susu said decisively, ” Let’s go back to the palace first. It is estimated that there is already a will in the palace.”
Everyone returned home without objection.
As soon as Ye Jiayao arrived at marquis house, she saw Housekeeper Zhong directing the servants to take off the red lanterns and put on the white ones, all wearing white cloth strips on their waists.
When Ye Jiayao came back, Housekeeper Zhong rushed up to meet her, looking anxious: ” Second lady, Xiangtao has already taken people to look for you, and there is a decree from the palace asking us to go to the palace to mourn.”
Ye Jiayao said, ” You send someone to send a message to the marquis and his wife at once. The queen mother was greatly bereaved. What else should we do and what system to follow? If you don’t know, go to Helian Mansion and ask for suggestion. There must be no mistake.”
Ye Jiayao had not experienced such a big scene and had no clue, but this time she couldn’t give others a chance to blame her, and she could only ask for advice from Helian Mansion.
Housekeeper Zhong said, ” When the previous emperor dies, I’m on duty in the house. I know well about the conventions.”
Ye Jiayao was pleased: ” That’s good. I’ll give it to you first.”
The marquis and You were absent, Chunyu was also absent, and the eldest sister-in-law was pregnant. She was on behalf of marquis house, so she must go to the palace to mourn.
The needlework room delivered the gown in time, and Ye Jiayao changed the gown and headed for the palace.
There were many carriages parked outside the palace gate, and servants from various provinces were waiting. Unexpectedly, Ye Jiayao met a familiar face among the maids.
It was Little Ya.
Uh … Little Ya was sold, wasn’t she? She also looked for Little Ya, but she didn’t find her.
Little Ya also saw her and came up to her and bowed her knees.
” Second lady.”
” Little Ya, you are …” Ye Jiayao suspected Little Ya had returned to Liuli.
Little Ya said, ” I still serve the third lady.”
Oh, Ye Jiayao nodded clearly. No wonder she couldn’t find her. She was found first by Liuli. However, she hadn’t heard Little Ya in the Seventh mansion in recent months, even recently.
Qiao Xi was also left behind, with eunuchs leading the way at the palace gate. Ye Jiayao was among the women who came to mourn.
By the time she arrived, it was already full of people. Ye Jiayao saw Zhu in the crowd and went to Zhu’s side.
” Why so suddenly?” Ye Jiayao asked in a low voice.
Zhu shook her head and said, ” I don’t know. It’s our turn to go in later.”
Ye Jiayao had to stand with Zhou and wait.
Soon the name was called, Ye Jiayao and Zhu entered the hall together.
Looking around, Crown Prince, Prince Yu and other princes knelt in front of the spirit. The ancestress, Princess Yide, Yongning marquis’s wife, Crown Princess, Ayuan, Liuli and others were also there, with red and swollen eyes and sad faces. Ye Jiayao had no affection for the queen mother and was really not sad, but she had to do something to mourn.
After waves of people came in to mourn, those with lower status were taken out, the rest, listening to the instructions of the chamberlain, knelt down … worshiped … cried…
Therefore, the hall was crying like a sheet, and that momentum almost overturned the roof.
Ye Jiayao looked at the people around her with some horror, one by one, all catching up with the performance troupe. The eyes, like the tap switch, started to drip tears, and they howled like a giant earth – shattering.
After thinking that she could not fall to others, Ye Jiayao also howled several times and thought it would be enough to cry for a while. As a result, this howling was only half an hour, and several of them cried so badly that they fainted in the middle and were helped down by the chamberlain.
Ye Jiayao felt that if she continued to cry, her brain would be starved of oxygen. She didn’t know that mourning was also a hard work. She had to stop for a while and then cry out a voice from time to time. Several times she almost scared Zhu, making Ye Jiayao embarrassed.
At the end of the round, the chamberlain took everyone to the temple to rest.
Ye Jiayao saw that everyone’s face was pale and they could not walk steadily. This time, she consumed a lot of energy. As soon as she got to the temple, everyone was lying in the chair and did not even want to say anything.
Zhu worried about her mother-in-law and went to serve her.
Ye Jiayao was also worried that the ancestress could not stand it, so she went to see her.
The ancestress was in low spirits. She only nodded and sighed from time to time when she saw Ye Jiayao.
Ye Jiayao could understand the old ancestress’s mood when she saw her contemporaries died, it was hard to avoid melancholy to see life and death again. In addition, the queen mother was the biggest reliance in everyone’s interest circle. Now without this support, who knew what would happen in the future.
However, the person was already dead, it was no use worrying about. One would find a way in the end. Just go ahead and find the way!
Ye Jiayao went to ask the chamberlain for two cups of tea. When she passed by Ayuan and Crown Princess, everyone could only say ” hello.” Liuli sat still, and did not know what was going on. She did not seem to see her, and Ye Jiayao was too lazy to ignore her.
The old ancestress took the tea and held it in her hand but did not drink it.
Yide drank two drinks to moisten her voice, but because she cried too much, her voice was still hoarse: ” Do you get a message from your mother – in – law?”
” It has already been spread, but Hangzhou is far away, even for many days.” Ye Jiayao said.
” Maybe the government is quick to report it,” Yide sighed.
Ye Jiayao understood that the death of queen mother was a national funeral and the whole country should be filial. Even the spring festival would be deserted.
Yide slowed down and said, ” If your mother-in-law is not there, only you can do the funeral. If you don’t understand anything, ask me, don’t go wrong.”
Ye Jiayao nodded her head and thanked her. Now her every move represented Jing ‘an marquis house. Dozens of pairs of eyes were watching her. If anything went wrong, she would be branded as unfilial and disrespectful and couldn’t bear the accusation.
When everyone had enough rest, the chamberlain came to summon everyone to cry.
After three trips back and forth, Ye Jiayao was almost too much for her life. It was said that such mourning would last for three days, and it suddenly seemed to collapse.
At the time of leaving the palace, it was getting dark. Ye Jiayao sent her ancestress back first. Prince Yide wanted to stay up by the coffin and she met Little Jing and Su Yi at the gate of the palace.
” You’re tired, too,” said the old ancestress. ” Go back first, and you also should enter the palace tomorrow at five.”
Ye Jiayao did not insist on the arduous task and told Little Jing to take good care of his ancestress.
” Don’t worry, you also pay attention to your body and rest more,” said Little Jing.
As he spoke, his eyes drifted to the distance. Ye Jiayao followed his eyes and saw Ayuan and Crown Princess coming together.
While watching the scene, Ye Jiayao urged him: ” Ancestress has already got on the bus. You must go!”
It was not that she was unkind and didn’t let Little Jing see for a while. Since Ayuan’s marriage, it was rare to go out. Little Jing never had a chance to see Ayuan at all. But it was really a talkative place. If people saw anything fishy, it was not good.
Little Jing hastily withdrew his eyes, lowered his head and turned away.
Crown Princess and Ayuan saw Ye Jiayao and they came along together.
Ye Jiayao saluted the two and the Crown Princess said, ” I’m going back, too. Let’s go together.”
Ye Jiayao dazed for a moment. The Crown Prince’ mansion was not the same direction as Jing ‘an marquis house.
But since Crown Princess said so, Ye Jiayao could not refuse. She looked at Ayuan and Ayuan nodded at her.
Ayuan watched the two leave and never looked back for a long time, because there was not only elder sister Yao in that direction, but also someone who was in her dream.
She had already seen Little Jing and saw him looking at her, but now it was too far even to look at him. She could only look at the back from a distance in the name of seeing elder sister Yao.
” Princess, it’s time for us to return,” whispered Aman.
Ayuan sighed silently and turned to her carriage.
Ye Jiayao and Crown Princess were sitting in the same carriage, and her own carriage followed slowly.
Her mind was very complicated, speculating on the intention of Crown Princess to invite her to ride with her. Didn’t she say she wanted to avert suspicion? Why did she want to make such a close move in front of so many people?
The Crown Princess seemed to see through Ye Jiayao’s mind and said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter. After all, we can’t break up because of the suspicion.”
Ye Jiayao embarrassed to say, “Your majesty is joking.”
Crown Princess smiled and said, ” It’s the same to avoid everything. Why bother your? You and I haven’t talked well for some time. I haven’t been to your dessert house yet. I take a gold card for nothing.”
” It’s not that. Crown Princess is willing to join the club, which will bring many benefits us,” Ye Jiayao said politely.
” I’d like to give you more benefits, but the present situation is not allowed, wait for the future!” Crown Princess said.
Ye Jiayao wondered, was this the promise of her? As long as she, no, was the whole Jing ‘an marquis house on her side, so when Crown Prince became king in the future, she would become queen, and naturally would not mistreat Jing ‘an marquis house, was that what she meant?
In fact, Crown Princess should know their hearts that Chunyu was already on Crown Prince’s side, and the future master of Jing ‘an marquis house had chosen the camp. There was really no need for her to say this.
Or Crown Princess were worried about her relationship with Ayuan. Her feelings with Ayuan were well known. So, she deliberately invited her to go with her in front of Ayuan to let her to see all.
” During the period of Crown Prince’s house arrest, Crown Prince’s mansion is like a icy house. You are the only one who still cares about me and the grandson. You send some delicious food every three to five times. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Jinxuan, you are still the former Jinxuan. I will remember this feeling,” added Crown Princess.
To tell the truth, Ye Jiayao was fond of her and thought she was kind and friendly. Of course, she dare not treat her as friends. Of course, her kindness to Crown Princess was not pure, so she said so, making her blush.
She thought more than once about what she would do if Ayuan came to ask her to help Prince Yu one day.This problem had given her a headache, but she knew exactly how she should choose. She was from Jing ‘an marquis house, and her position must be consistent with Chunyu’s.