The Jia Mansion mourned.
From the inner door to the main door, the doors opened one by one. The red paper was replaced with white paper. The mourning canopy was raised and the memorial archway was erected. The people in the mansion went around to announce the passing of the deceased. Grief flowed gently in this once glorious mansion.
The only remaining elder of this generation had finally let go of her burden.
Although the old lady did not say it explicitly, everyone knew that she had entrusted the future of the Rongguo Mansion to Sun Lang. Although he had become an outsider, Sun Lang still took responsibility. No one objected.
He exercised his power as the head of the family.
Happy funeral.
There was no need to be extravagant or complicated. He kept the grief in his heart and quietly sent her off. The old lady still had a smile on her face. She did not have any regrets at the last moment.
After three days of vigil, the funeral clothes were ready. The guests who came to attend the wedding had to stay for a few more days. They were quite nervous. Although Marshal Jia, who had changed his name, was quite free to answer questions, in the eyes of the crowd, he was like a huge firecracker that was burning fiercely. No one knew when it would explode.
Many people in Jinling came to visit the funeral after the coffin stopped.
Although the Jia Mansion had been declining in recent years, the pillar of the family had returned. A talented person in his twenties could bring glory to the family for fifty years and even lay the foundation for a thousand years. If it were not for the fact that the Great Barren Mountain incident was too strange and the Marshal's political position was questionable, the mourners would have crowded the streets of Rongning and cried sincerely for three days and three nights. It was guaranteed that they would be more sad than the death of their mother.
Rongguo Manor was a Duke's Manor. Although it had declined over the years and was not a lord with real power, it was still a Duke after all. The Old Madam was the legitimate Madam of the Duke. As the only old woman of her generation who had great achievements, she was personally conferred the title of First Rank Imperial Lady. After her death, it was necessary to report it.
It was very appropriate to report in the name of Jia Xu. He was the Duke of Ning and the nephew of the old lady.
In addition to reporting the death of the old lady, he also said what the old lady had said before she passed away, which was about Sun Lang's true identity. At the end of the letter, Sun Lang had written down, which was the words "This subject wishes to hear the memorial". After that, he wrote "I am Sun Lang, that's all."
Jia Xu had no objections. His Big Uncle was very quick-witted. He could see the grief and anger in Sun Lang's heart. If he raised the slightest objection to this nonsensical statement, the enraged Eldest Nephew would probably tear up the memorial and rewrite it. It would definitely be the most shocking memorial in the history of the dynasty.
The memorial crossed the river and headed north.
On the second day of mourning, the imperial court's emissary came at top speed. But don't be mistaken, this was the first batch. After Prince Zhongshun fled back to the capital and brought back Sun Lang's threat, the imperial court had settled on a response. The memorial to report the old lady's death was still on the way.
The main gate of the Rongguo Mansion was still wide open, but no one came out to welcome the emissary. The eunuch who delivered the edict had been running for his life, even sleeping on his horse. But halfway there, he heard the news of the old lady's death. He was so scared that he almost threw away his imperial life and fled through the night … but in the end, he didn't make it.
After a long period of mental struggle, coupled with the internal guards monitoring him, he couldn't escape even if he wanted to. Whether he stretched his neck or not, he would be stabbed. Although his heart was terrified to the extreme, he still walked to the middle door of Rongguo Mansion with trembling hands.
The emissary was timid and submissive all the way. He didn't have the slightest bit of the prestige of an imperial envoy.
He had lived half his life and delivered many edicts. No matter if it was the family of an important official or an ordinary family, which one of them wasn't respectful and flattered? Even if it was an edict that banished them to prison, they still had to say a word of thanks for the imperial grace. Even to the eunuch delivering the edict, they had to be courteous and give him some silver. That feeling of relying on someone else's might was really comforting … but this time, everything was reversed.
At this time, there were many people coming and going to the Rongguo Mansion to offer their condolences. The more knowledgeable people recognized the attire of the eunuch and the yellow scroll in his hand. Shocked, they instinctively wanted to avoid kneeling. But when they saw the eunuch's trembling expression, they paused and their kneeling movements slowed down. No one was born a wretched person, and kneeling wasn't something interesting. It was better to wait and see.
The eunuch delivering the edict saw the subtle expressions of these people from the corner of his eyes. He was born in the Imperial Palace and was best at figuring out the thoughts of others. How could he not know what they were thinking?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly in his heart. Everyone could see that he was panicking like a stray dog …
They passed through the main hall and walked into the inner residence. Under the guidance of the servants, they arrived at the matriarch's main bedroom. The body was placed in the room for the family to protect. According to ancient legends, after a person died, they would come back within three days to see the person they couldn't let go of. This was the final farewell.
Stepping into the courtyard, the emissary felt something and suddenly raised his head. His gaze met the eyes of a person in the room. In an instant, his breathing stopped and boundless fear rose in his heart. Although he had heard about it and had expected it, after seeing this person, he felt as if the king of hell had grabbed his throat.
He heard the person's sigh. The tone was very familiar. Yes, it was him.
"Ah … … Gao Lishi, the person who came is you. Who did you offend?"
In an instant, the arrogance of a great eunuch, the dignity of an imperial eunuch, and the dignity of the imperial family were all thrown to the back of Gao Lishi's mind. With a plop, he knelt on the ground and rushed in. His head repeatedly knocked on the solid ground, making thumping sounds.
As he kowtowed, he cried, "Marshal!
Marshal is wise!
After I received the imperial order, I rode a fast horse all the way to the South. Along the way, I changed horses. I ate, drank, and did everything on the horse. I didn't dare to make any mistakes or delay … … "
Sun Lang lightly said, "Quiet."
Gao Lishi immediately shut his mouth. His head was on the ground. He clenched his teeth and forcefully suppressed all sounds.
Sun Lang asked, "What did the emperor ask you to bring?"
Gao Lishi immediately took out a brocade box from his chest and raised it up high. His voice trembled as he said, "Other than the imperial order, the emperor also asked me to give this to the matriarch … …"
Sun Lang took the brocade box and opened it to take a look. He let out a sigh, "Psychic Jade … …"
He threw the brocade box on the ground and took out another item from his pocket. It was two pieces of ancient jade. Under the candlelight, they shone with a faint luster. However, one of them was already broken and its luster was also dim. On the other hand, the one that Gao Lishi gave him was emitting an intoxicating light. It was as if there was a mysterious power gathering in it.
The broken one was given to him by Wang Xifeng. This sister-in-law and sister in name had come back yesterday with her injuries. She almost cried until she fainted.
This so-called psychic jade was the key to prolonging the old matriarch's life. It was probably something similar to an energy battery. When Wang Xifeng killed her brother, Wang Ren, it was to steal a psychic jade that Wang Ren was secretly keeping. The various reasons behind it were also a very long story.
Wang Ren risked his life and broke the psychic jade before he died. Wang Xifeng realized that her plan had already been exposed. She had no choice but to escape from Jinling. She tried to divert the enemy's attention while looking for a way to repair the psychic jade … … But in the end, it was the old matriarch who took the initiative to embrace death. Even if she found a thousand psychic jade, it would be useless.
Sun Lang held the warm jade. It contained a power that he was incomparably familiar with. He expressionlessly put the jade away. He looked at the trembling Gao Lishi and calmly said, "Don't be afraid. I don't blame you. This is the old matriarch's own choice. It's not because you were late."
Although he said this, he still felt a faint sadness in his heart.
If Gao Lishi had arrived a day earlier and delivered the psychic jade to the old matriarch when she was about to die and forcibly prolonged her life, then some things would have been different.
Not to mention other things, the emperor had the old matriarch's life in his hands. There were many ways to make him fall into a passive position or even choose to compromise … … Perhaps the old matriarch had foreseen this, so she chose to give up her life. She didn't want to be a puppet that was neither human nor ghost. She didn't want to implicate her grandson.
Sun Lang turned his head and looked at the old matriarch's calm face.
After she died, her body wasn't stiff, her body wasn't cold, and her face was still rosy. This meant that the old matriarch's body had already undergone some kind of irreversible change. However, there was no need to investigate what had happened before she died. He would rather believe that this was the old matriarch's last love and gift. She wanted to pass away in the most peaceful manner so that the people who missed and loved her wouldn't be too sad.
There was still a warm smile at the corners of her mouth. Her expression was serene as she thought of the people far away and left. Her face was as loving and warm as when she was alive. In those six years when life was worse than death and were filled with despair, it was also the old matriarch's words of longing and love that made him remember the long-lost taste of familial love.
At the end of her life, after she completely understood and confirmed the truth, she was able to use kindness and tolerance to leave the greatest love and light to a stranger who wasn't her grandson. She released Sun Lang's eight-year-long knot and obsession. From then on, the person named Sun Lang stood under the sun and in the gentle breeze. From then on, there was no resentment in his heart … … However, he was unable to repay all of this.
Perhaps, just as he had promised before, from now on, living well was the greatest repayment and gratitude to the old matriarch … … Walking out of the darkness and embracing the light.
Sun Lang let out a long sigh. "Where's the imperial edict?"
Although it didn't make sense, Gao Lishi still handed the imperial edict over as quickly as possible. At this point, no one cared about the problems of formality … … Life was the most important.
Sun Lang gave it a few glances and a mocking smile rose to his face. "The name was written incorrectly … … My real name is Sun Lang. Before the old matriarch died, she explained my past and wanted me to return to my original name. Take it back and have the Emperor write another one."
Gao Lishi didn't know how to reply. He was just about to reach out to take it when Sun Lang's hand holding the imperial edict stopped in the air for a few seconds. He seemed to have thought of something and said, "Since we're already here, let this imperial edict draw a full stop to Jia Ying's life. This is an honor shared by Sun Lang and Jia Ying … …"
He handed the imperial edict back. "Read it."
Gao Lishi accepted the imperial edict and unconsciously wanted to stand up, thinking that he should remind the marshal that he didn't need to kneel … … However, looking at the old man's intentions, it didn't seem like he had any intention of kneeling to listen to the edict.
However, just as he wanted to stand, a hand pressed down on his shoulder. Gao Lishi raised his head in shock. In front of him, the marshal's expression was very calm.
He said, "Read it while kneeling."