White Fence Dream

Chapter 170 Life and Death
The morning light enveloped the earth.

The emperor sat in the Hanliang Palace with his hand on his head.

"Your Majesty, please go and rest for a while." The chief eunuch Gao Twelve said while holding a cup of tea, "Madam Bai has already fallen asleep, and the imperial doctors are all watching over her."

The emperor had a splitting headache after not sleeping all night. He thought to himself, his father often feasted all night long. He wondered how he managed to get through it.

"I'll just lie here for a while," said the emperor.

Bai Ying really couldn't leave him for a moment. She felt safe and relaxed her vigilance, but sure enough, Queen Jiang came to cause trouble again.

Gao Twelve thought about the Queen's previous instructions and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, go and rest. The Queen will come to take care of Concubine Bai."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look outside. Logically, the Queen should have come here long ago and should have taken care of Bai Ying personally last night.

This is what the queen did throughout this period.

How come you haven’t come here yet when such a big thing happened this time?

We talked about dealing with many matters concerning the palace banquet in the evening. Now that it is daybreak, it is time to finish the work.

The emperor looked hesitant. If the queen were there, he would indeed feel at ease.

Wang Degui, who had been snooping inside, rushed out.

"Your Majesty, the resting place has been prepared." He said respectfully, "The resting place for the Queen is also ready. With both of you here, the Queen will definitely be more at ease."

That's true. The emperor smiled, nodded, and held the hand that Wang Degui extended.

Because the emperor was already holding on, Gao Twelve couldn't kick Wang Degui away. He could only glare at him hatefully, thinking he was despicable and shameless.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…” A eunuch rushed in from outside, “Master Xuan Yangzi…”

The emperor suddenly remembered that after the incident last night, he immediately sent someone to call Xuan Yangzi, but Xuan Yangzi did not come later, and he seemed to have forgotten about it.

It may be that Xuan Yangzi has already rested. He is old and has a high seniority and status, so it is understandable that he ignored us and did not come.

Besides, Bai Ying and the child were found to be fine after examination, so the emperor would not blame Xuan Yangzi for being late.

"Come in," he said.

The eunuch hurriedly finished what he hadn't said: "The Taoist priest didn't come, so he sent someone to come."

The one who came was a young Taoist priest, who bowed respectfully to the emperor: "The ancestor said that he came to see it last night. The Emperor Bell fell to the ground, and the mind fell to the ground. He told Your Majesty not to worry, just hang up the Emperor Bell again."

Xuan Yangzi came last night? When? Why didn't I see him? The emperor was stunned.

"The old ancestor took a look and said everything was fine, so he went back without disturbing Your Majesty." said the young Taoist priest.

After saying this, he felt a little guilty. The ancestor was lying. He had clearly been sleeping in the hall the whole time.

In the middle of the night, someone from the palace knocked on the door. He woke up, but the ancestor was still asleep. After finally waking him up, he said, "I understand," then turned over and went back to sleep.

Well, he couldn’t remember when the ancestor slept in the main hall last night. He vaguely remembered having a dream. He dreamed that he was lighting a lamp, and the ancestor came in, jumped up, took the Hunyuan Pearl from Yuanshi Tianzun’s hand, and threw it into the sky.

The beads in the sky were so bright that he seemed to be sucked in.

Then I was awakened by the sound of knocking on the door. I wiped the saliva from the corner of my mouth and saw that the ancestor was also sitting and sleeping in the hall.

The ancestor often sleeps in front of the statue in the temple.

The ancestor woke up at dawn and sent him to the palace to run errands and deliver messages. When he arrived, he found out that someone had died in the palace last night.

terrible.

If the ancestor doesn't come, what will happen if the emperor detains him in the palace to exorcise ghosts?
He doesn't want to be like Wang Tong!

The little Taoist priest was lost in thought and heard the emperor's voice in his ears.

"Although Concubine Bai and the child are safe, the daughter-in-law of the Dongyang Marquis family was killed. This is really murderous..."

If ghosts could really harm people, that would make people feel uneasy.

The young Taoist priest hurriedly shook his head: "The ancestor said that the young lady of Dongyang Marquis has reached her fate and her mind has come to an end."

The emperor understood that her fate had come, which meant that the young wife of Marquis Dongyang was destined to meet this disaster, and it had nothing to do with the haunting of Empress Jiang's ghost.

"The ancestors said that life is death, and there is a difference between life and death. Your Majesty, please do not be confused by the illusion and worry about the non-existent illusions." The little Taoist said, "Your Majesty has the world in your heart and tolerates all things. With such a strong body and mind, nothing can be destroyed."

Although he didn't quite understand what he heard, he understood the last part, "indestructible". Xuan Yangzi said he was indestructible, so it was okay. The emperor nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you, Taoist priest."

The young Taoist priest hurriedly took his leave and left.

The emperor stood still for a moment, feeling a little dazed. It was a dark night and the incident happened suddenly. Thinking back on it now, it seemed like a dream.

But someone did die at the palace banquet.

I came to the banquet happily, but in the end the person was gone.

The emperor sighed.

"Has the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion sent anyone? To ask what to do about the funeral?" he said.

Before Gao Twelve could say anything, Wang Degui spoke up again, "Empress Bai had already told us last night that the young wife of the Marquis of Dongyang was tired of her and was crying so hard that she sent someone to the Marquis' Mansion to help her."

The emperor sighed, "Aying has always been kind-hearted, so she must feel guilty." Then he turned around and said, "I will go and accompany her to rest together."

Wang Degui hurriedly helped the emperor walk inside. Gao Twelve stood there anxiously and angrily, and looked outside again. What happened to the Empress? Why didn't she come to take care of Concubine Bai? It was a good time for her to be virtuous in front of the Emperor.

The queen has become different since last night. No, or should I say, how did she become her original self?
You should pretend to be virtuous for a longer time.

Gao Twelve was lost in thought and called a young eunuch over: "Go and invite the queen."

The young eunuch responded by running out, but when he was out of Gao Twelve's sight, he turned around and did not go to the Queen's Palace, but returned to Hanliang Palace and entered a room.

Several palace maids were sitting in the room and talking in low voices.

"…very young, only in his teens. I saw it downstairs last night."

"What a pity! What an unfortunate coincidence."

"That railing was in disrepair. She had bad luck."

"Is Prince Zhou unlucky in marriage? His first wife died right after getting married, and this one hasn't even been married for a year yet..."

Now everyone in the palace was talking about the young wife of Marquis Dongyang, who entered the palace for the first and last time last night. The young eunuch stepped forward and called her "sister" and whispered a few words in her ear.

The maid nodded with a smile: "Very good, you will have benefits in the future, sit down and have some snacks."

The young eunuch thanked them and found a corner to sit down. He listened to the palace maids talking while happily eating the exquisite snacks on the table.

As for Gao Twelve's instructions
In Hanliang Palace, they only obeyed the orders of Concubine Bai.

.......
.......
The Dongyang Marquis Mansion was noisy and quiet in the early morning.

The noise came from the fact that there were many people walking around, taking away the colorful hanging lanterns, spreading out white cloth, stewards coming in and out, and pulling carts of paper-folding objects into the mansion.

Silence is the sad expressions of busy people. They just do things and rarely talk. Occasionally, they look at each other, but then they look away with sad expressions.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang woke up slowly and felt that there were many people talking in her ears, but they seemed very far away.

What time is it?

I will bring Zhuang into the palace tonight.

You must dress up beautifully to amaze everyone.

Mrs. Dongyanghou sat up suddenly: "Mother Xu, Mother Xu, take out the set of red coral beads that my mother gave me and let her try it——"

She stood up suddenly, startling the people around the bed. Mother Xu rushed over, and when she heard what Lady Dongyang Hou said, tears welled up in her red eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll get it." She choked.

Mrs. Dongyang was stunned for a moment and looked at her: "Why are you crying?"

Mother Xu hurriedly wiped her tears: "I didn't, I was blinded."

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang looked into the room and saw the maids. The maids also had red eyes. When they saw her looking at them, they lowered their heads in panic. Finally, she saw the woman sitting beside the bed.

"Sister, why are you here?" she asked.

Mrs. Xue's face was pale, her eyes were red, and she was wiping the tears from her face. She seemed to be trying to force a smile when she heard the words.

Seeing Madam Xue's expression, Lady Dongyang Hou raised her eyebrows.

"That old woman bullied you again?" she said, and snorted again, "Don't be afraid, let Ah Li take you back and have a lecture with that old woman."

Hearing this, Madam Xue couldn't smile, but tears came out. She grabbed the wife of Marquis Dongyang, leaned on her shoulder and burst into tears.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang had her ears buzzing from crying.

The door curtain rustled and there were hurried footsteps.

"Aunt, the young lady's coffin has been transported."

"Aunt, go check on the prince, he insists on sealing the coffin now."

After hearing this, the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang looked at the two men who walked in and recognized that one was her illegitimate son and the other was Silang of the Xue family.

When they walked in and saw that the wife of Marquis Dongyang was awake, she seemed to be startled and stood there in a daze.

"What are you talking about? Whose coffin is this? What do you mean by sealing the coffin? Seal whose coffin is this!" Lady Dongyang Hou shouted, struggling to stand up from the bed.

Although her words were a question, her face was horrified and tears were already flowing from her eyes.

The memory of last night overwhelmed her.

Mrs. Xue hugged her arm, and Mrs. Xu cried and supported the other side. "Madam, Madam, don't be anxious, you can't be anxious."

"Call the doctor quickly."

The room was noisy and the maids and servants gathered around, but the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang got out of bed regardless and pushed away anyone who tried to stop her.

It was Madam Xue who signaled everyone not to stop them, and she supported the wife of Marquis Dongyang, followed by the imperial doctors, and went to the front yard together.

When the maids and servants on the road saw this, they all shed tears and moved away.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang ran to the front yard and saw white everywhere, the mourning hall being built, and Zhuang Li's maids kneeling in silence.

Zhou Jingyun was seen standing in front of a gorgeous coffin, holding a hammer and nails and smashing them down.

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang screamed, pushed Madam Xue aside and rushed over: "What are you doing! What are you doing! Take her out, take her out!"

Zhou Jingyun put down the hammer and jumped down, supported the wife of Marquis Dongyang, knelt on the ground, and called for his mother with sobs.

"Mother, you can't get into any more trouble. Mother, you are all I have," he said.

Lady Dongyang Hou looked at Zhou Jingyun's red eyes, pale face, and cracked lips, and felt her heart break.

"What's going on? Is this a dream? How could she--" she said, suddenly raised her hand and slapped Zhou Jingyun, shouting, "Why did you take her out to enjoy the lanterns? She should just sit in the hall and not--"

Before she finished speaking, she raised her hand and slapped herself hard.

"It was me. I insisted on bringing her into the palace. It was me who killed her—"

Zhou Jingyun hurriedly grabbed her hand: "Mother——"

The wife of the Marquis of Dongyang looked at the coffin in front of her: "Let me take a look at her, let me take a look at her——"

Chunyue, who was kneeling on the ground, also rushed over: "Prince, Prince, let me wipe the face of the young lady again, let me see the young lady too——"

The other two maids and Aunt Mei wept and kowtowed, "Let us take a look at the young lady."

The maids who were at home last night were waiting for the young lady to come back and tell about the lively banquet, but they were all shocked when Zhou Jingyun came back holding the young lady's body.

Zhou Jingyun guarded the body and did not allow anyone to approach. When the coffin was brought in, he put the body in and immediately sealed the coffin.

The maids had only seen a glimpse of a human figure covered with a cloak, with hanging black hair, clothes, shoes and socks.

"We haven't seen the young lady for the last time." Chunyue cried.

Outside the mourning hall, the young ladies who heard the news were also crying. Zhou Jiuniang was held tightly by her wet nurse, holding a lantern in her hand.

"I promised my sister-in-law that I would return the favor to her," she said. "I made it myself and I haven't shown it to her yet."

Zhou Jingyun looked at his sad family in front of him, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Mother, Chunyue." He said, "You should know that she is a very proud person. Now her body is broken and her appearance is ruined. She definitely doesn't want to be seen by others. Please..."

He let go of the wife of the Marquis of Dongyang, knelt down, took a step back, and kowtowed deeply to everyone.

"Let her go easily, peacefully and cleanly."

Looking at Zhou Jingyun lying on the ground, the wife of Marquis Dongyang closed her eyes, stopped talking, leaned on Madam Xue and started crying.

Chunyue put her head on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

……

……

Perhaps because of what happened in the palace, in order to avoid causing more discussion, or perhaps because the body was too badly damaged, even though it was winter, there was still a smell. Three days later, the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion buried the young lady.

As he was young and had no children, the funeral ceremony was simple and there were not many people attending, including Zhou Jingyun, several nephews and nieces of his relatives, and a few maids.

If Zhou Jingyun hadn't been seen, no one on the street would have noticed the funeral procession.

The news that the young wife of Marquis Dongyang accidentally fell down the stairs and died at a palace banquet had already spread everywhere. It seemed unbelievable no matter how you listened to it, but when people saw the funeral, they felt that the incident had become real.

"It's really pitiful. Why is my luck so bad?"

"He hadn't married yet at this time last year, and she died just after the Chinese New Year."

"Is this a bad omen for the Zhou prince?"

But this statement was quickly refuted.

"That's because she is unlucky and can't bear the nobleness of Prince Zhou."

"Yes, from a lowly background."

"I heard that both his parents are dead. This shows how little luck he has."

People on the street watched and talked a lot, but some people suddenly joined the funeral procession.

Zhou Jingyun heard the noise behind him, looked back and saw Zhang Shilin and several disciples.

Seeing Zhou Jingyun turning around, Zhang Shilin and his disciples saluted him.

"Let's see her off," he said.

Zhou Jingyun returned the greeting: "Thank you, Doctor Zhang. She must be very happy that you came to see her off."

Zhang Shilin wanted to say something, but in the end he looked at the coffin, sighed, and gently wiped his tears with his sleeves.

The funeral procession continued to move forward and someone else came in.

"Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin." Zhang Shilin greeted them in a low voice.

The two men returned the greeting with sad expressions and then looked at Zhou Jingyun.

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself," Madam Lin said softly, "The young lady must be very worried about you."

Zhou Jingyun bowed and thanked them, then stood up and looked around, as if to see if there was anyone else to see him off, but no one came to see him off.

It’s already pretty good, as she has been in Beijing for less than a year.

He came quietly, and when he left, a few people saw him off.

She must be very happy.

The corners of Zhou Jingyun's mouth curved up, then drooped the next moment, returning to his normal state.

As the funeral procession went away, Shangguan Yue, who was standing on the second floor of the street, withdrew her gaze with a gloomy expression.

"Sir," Shopkeeper Cai said cautiously, "You, accept my condolences."

Shangguan Yue came back to her senses and glared at him: "You should go tell this to Prince Zhou."

No, the one who died was the young wife of Marquis Dongyang, and also your lover... Shopkeeper Cai shouted in his heart, carefully trying to gauge Shangguan Yue's expression.

Shangguan Yue looked a little strange, but it was hard to tell whether she was sad.

But Shangguan Yue hasn't gone out these two days. Is she crying behind people's back?

Actually, although he felt that their relationship was inappropriate, he never hoped that the young wife of Marquis Dongyang would die.

Such a good girl, actually...
What a miserable life.

Is it really a bad fate? Diing in the palace, falling from a building, is too strange, right?
I heard that her husband was there and saw it with his own eyes…
Thinking of this, Shopkeeper Cai shuddered.

Could it be that she was killed by her husband?

Zhou Jingyun knew about his wife's affair with Shangguan Yue, so he killed his wife...
"Young Master!" Shopkeeper Cai grabbed Shangguan Yue, "The situation is not good!"

Now that he has killed his wife, should he deal with Shangguan Yue next?
Shangguan Yue was just turning around when she was suddenly grabbed and startled: "What's wrong!" Without waiting for Manager Cai to speak, she pushed him away and said, "I want to go back to the ship."

After saying that, he strode out.

Shopkeeper Cai was stunned for a moment: "Back to the ship again?"

Because he officially became the princess's son, the young man was brought back to the palace to live, but he did not stay there for a single day and returned to the ship every day.

Before he was recognized, he would often sleep in the woodshed of the princess's mansion.

Now that he has been recognized, it would not be good if he did not live with him for another day.

"Don't bother me." Shangguan Yue was a little impatient with his persuasion, and walked down the stairs, saying, "We can't do without someone on the ship now."

Manager Cai was even more confused. What was there on a ship that couldn't be separated from people?

……

……

The ship was docked at the pier, which was Shangguan Yue's exclusive pier. It was deserted and quiet during the day.

Except for the guards on duty, everyone on the ship was still sleeping.

In a room at the highest point, the doors and windows were closed and the bed curtains were thick, blocking out the light.

In the dim light, you can see that no one is sleeping here, there is no bed, only a wooden box.

Suddenly, the lid of the wooden box slowly opened a crack, and the next moment, accompanied by a bang, the lid was suddenly lifted up by a hand.

Soon after, someone climbed out. Perhaps because the box was too big and he seemed to have no strength, half of his body was in the box and the other half was leaning on the edge of the box, with his jet-black hair falling down like a waterfall.

She hung her head, coughed violently a few times, took a deep breath and exhaled, and murmured, "This time, I feel much better than when I was buried in the ground and dug out as a child."

(End of Part 1)