Watching Wu Lihong being dragged out, Wufu expressionlessly knelt before the spirit tablet again, lowered her eyes toward the nanmu coffin in front of her.
Ah Jiu, dressed in heavy mourning, had a cloak over his arm. He walked to Wufu, draped the cloak over her shoulders, squeezed her hand, and knelt down beside her, saying, "Don’t be angry. If you don’t want to see him, then we simply won’t let him appear again in the future."
"Mm."
"I’ll keep watch. You go to the back and nap for a while?" Ah Jiu looked at her complexion with aching heart and said, "You look terrible."
Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, and rushing back without rest all the way had already been exhausting. Now with this grief piled on, it would be strange if her face looked anything but bad.
"I’m fine, I can still hold on." Wufu saw that he too was in heavy mourning, and said, "Her Majesty the Royal Mother is still alive; it’s not very proper for you to wear such heavy mourning. As long as my mother knows you’re sincere, that’s enough. Change it tomorrow."
She knew sothing of ancient etiquette. When the mother-in-law died, a son-in-law did need to wear mourning, but it would not be as heavy as the wife’s. Especially soone of Ah Jiu’s status—bearing the rank of a prince—if he wore heavy mourning for a commoner, even if she was his mother-in-law, it still violated ritual propriety.
Though Wufu ca from later tis and did not personally care about such things, when in a land one followed its customs, and she naturally had to comply. Besides, she did not want Madam Zhou, after her death, to be criticized for this.
Ah Jiu said, "It’s fine. Your mother is also my mother. I’ll change after these two days have passed."
Wufu nodded.
Ah Jiu said, "Be good and go rest a while."
"I’ll stay here. Just let lean on you," Wufu said. "Don’t leave her alone."
Ah Jiu knelt and sat, letting her lean against his chest, and spoke to her in a low voice.
Outside the mourning hall, Purple Jade saw the two of them leaning on each other, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned away.
"Leave the matter for now. This isn’t the ti to speak of it. Once the funeral is over, none of those who should be held to account will get away!" Purple Jade said to i Er.
i Er felt heavy-hearted and said, "Very well. That mother and daughter pair are as stupid as pigs, being used as a gun by others without even knowing it. I still have to sort through things on the Wu Family’s side. Once everything has been thoroughly investigated, I’ll report again, so that His Highness and the Princess Consort don’t have to give more orders."
Wufu and Ah Jiu had already completed the wedding rites. Though the ceremony was rushed, the formalities were done, and everyone naturally changed the way they addressed her.
"Aside from Madam Wang, there is no one else. Just investigate her and those around her." Purple Jade also nodded and said, "But since Madam Wang dared to do it, she’ll surely have swept all her tracks clean. You have to dig deeper. If you truly can’t find anything, then forget it. As long as it’s her, our mistress doesn’t need any evidence."
"If evidence of her plotting against Madam cannot be found, then we must at least find proof of her attempt on her mother-in-law. Cao Er said that woman relies most on her wet nurse. Presumably everything she’s done, that wet nurse would know. You can start from there."
"Hm... Who’s there!" i Er’s eyes sharpened; with a tap of his toes he landed behind the rockery, drawing the long sword coiled at his waist and pointing it at the intruder.
"You..." i Er saw the man dressed all in white and his gaze fell on the man’s face. "The Tower Leader of Unparalleled Tower?"
"i Er." Purple Jade walked over and said, "Master Hua is the Princess Consort’s uncle."
Uncle?
i Er froze for a mont, his face full of doubt. The Tower Leader of Unparalleled Tower was the Princess Consort’s uncle?
"What brings Master Hua here?" Purple Jade asked.
"Passing through." Hua Wushuang’s face was expressionless as he looked at i Er and said coldly, "Everything you just said—was it true? Was iniang hard by Madam Wang, and this has already been confird?"
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