When dawn broke, a piece of news quickly spread through the market, and she didn't need to actively inquire.
The streets and alleys of the inner city were abuzz with the rumor that a tiger in Song Village had killed four adult men. The tiger, also injured, had died from excessive blood loss.
It was said that these four men were hunters from out of town, and their bodies were still at the Yi Zhuang. They were reportedly dead and mangled, their faces clawed by the tiger, making their features unrecognizable.
Su Ya and Jiao Jiao went out to buy pastries and overheard everyone discussing the incident. Su Ya found something amiss.
She stepped forward and joined the group, asking, "Since the faces of these four men were clawed beyond recognition, how do you know they were from out of town?"
An old woman glanced at Su Ya, noting her attire suggested she was from a wealthy family. Her spirits immediately lifted, and she raised her voice to the crowd, shouting, "As soon as there's a death, Song Village, being so small, has no men missing from the village. If they aren't from this village, who else could they be!"
"But it's also coincidental. The prefect, upon hearing this news, sent death notices to every village. When the village chiefs went to identify the bodies, they didn't recognize them, and no men were missing from their villages either. So, the higher-ups concluded these were outsiders, certainly not from the nearby villages!"
Su Ya understood after her explanation.
"It's been years since we've heard of tigers harming people. With today's improved living conditions, who would risk their lives hunting ferocious wild beasts in the mountains? It seems these outsiders must be from some poor, remote region!"
Su Ya finished speaking, shaking her head with a hint of pity, and pulled Jiao Jiao towards the prince's mansion. Everywhere they passed where people gathered, they were discussing this matter. Su Ya suddenly felt that Xiao Ce was quite a good person.
At least he knew martial arts and could put up a fight with his embroidered fists when encountering danger, preventing immediate death.
On the way back to the mansion, Jiao Jiao asked her, "You and General Xiao have already secretly pledged yourselves to each other, when are you getting married?"
When the topic of marriage arose, she became uncharacteristically shy and worried instead. She couldn't help but say, "We've been traveling for two days and nights, only arriving at the prince's mansion last night. But with the Old Madam's poor health, how can I dare mention marriage!"
Jiao Jiao sighed in response, lowering her head and saying, "Yes, Dr. Qi said the Old Madam only has a day or two left. Let's wait and see. Anyway, you and General Xiao are already betrothed; it's a done deal. Marriage is just a matter of time!"
The man disguised as a traveling merchant, who had been trailing them, heard every word of their conversation. Having obtained the answer he wanted, he gradually disappeared into the distant crowd.
At noon that day, shortly after lunch, piercing cries of grief erupted from the Songhe Garden. The Old Madam had passed away.
The entire prince's mansion fell into silence.
The housekeeper, dressed in mourning clothes and a white band tied around his head, methodically organized the servants. Soon, the mansion was draped in white.
As news spread, all those with any ties to the prince's mansion came to pay their respects, and some came to offer their condolences to the princess consort.
With so many people arriving, Zhao Jiaqi, dragging her weary body, still had to attend to this crowd, which was truly overwhelming.
Pai Ting, standing beside her, also felt anxious but couldn't help. It wasn't that she wasn't sad; it was just that in her lifetime, she had never experienced a family funeral and didn't know where to begin.
In front of the mourning hall, the eldest grandson, Fan Chen, led his younger siblings in kneeling behind the adults and quietly burning paper money.
In the entire grand hall, only Fan Guangping was seen as a son, yet Fan Zehao was nowhere to be found. Those who came to offer incense couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves upon seeing this.
Wang Zhaodi, dressed in plain white, with a white flower pinned to her head, her face as pale as paper, appeared dazed. She hadn't eaten or drunk for over a day, and her legs trembled as she walked.
Zhao Jiaqi saw this and advised her, "Mother in heaven wouldn't want to see you ruin your health like this. Go down, eat something, and rest well. Mother will be buried tomorrow, and you'll need strength to mourn her. Otherwise, if you faint, will we be busy with the burial or busy with you!"
Wang Zhaodi slightly lowered her gaze. She found Zhao Jiaqi's words unpleasant to hear, but they were undeniably true. After a moment's thought, she allowed a maid to help her down to rest!
Late at night, the moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.
Zhao Jiaqi had sent everyone away from the mourning hall and replaced the guards with her own people. At this moment, Qi Xuan, wearing a cloak and carrying a food basket, sneaked in.
Neither of them stood on ceremony. One went directly to the coffin, and the other acted as his assistant.
She worried, "I wonder if Mother's body can withstand not having ginseng soup for a whole day?"
If the poison hadn't fully taken effect, and she had starved the person to death prematurely, that would be a grave sin.
Qi Xuan freed a hand and carefully examined the body. Detecting no issues, he waved to her, saying, "No immediate harm!"
With these four words, the stone in her heart finally fell.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and said with great trepidation, "I only hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow, and once we reach the underground palace!"
As she spoke, Qi Xuan handed her the ginseng soup from the food basket and offered words of comfort, "Who would dare cause trouble during the funeral of the Prince's mother!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a new worry arose. He reminded her, "However, if you bury her before the Prince returns, and he doesn't get to see the Old Madam for the last time, the people in town might gossip."
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled at Qi Xuan's words.
She took out a brocade handkerchief to wipe the soup that had spilled from her mother-in-law's lips. She lamented that her mother-in-law could only manage to consume one-third of a spoonful of ginseng soup at most.
She lowered her gaze and looked at Qi Xuan, unconcerned. "Don't worry, my backbone is strong!" she paused, then added, "Besides, who in the inner city, or even the entire Yun Kingdom, doesn't know that the Prince fears his wife? I am the 'Mother Yaksha'!"
In the past, she would have been somewhat uncomfortable hearing such words, but today, they proved incredibly useful.
The cold wind, like thorns, blew into the mourning hall, stinging Qi Xuan's face.
He rubbed his hands and nodded, agreeing with her statement. "That's right, your actions would highlight your 'Mother Yaksha' persona, unreasonable and ignorant, like a golden phoenix flying out of the countryside. If it were anyone else, they might be suspected."
Countryside, and an ignorant golden phoenix!
Zhao Jiaqi's eyes and mouth twitched upon hearing these words.
"Tomorrow is the main event. My mother's life or death depends on you. I've staked my entire fortune and life on you!"
"I secretly drilled a few holes in the bottom of the coffin. The white cloth draped over the coffin is so long that who would notice what's below? As long as you can deliver it safely and on time to the destination, my end will be perfectly secured!"
Seeing his confident assurance, her agitated heart gradually calmed.
The night was dark and windy. The north wind howled, and the candles in the hall flickered, making the room alternately dim and bright, as if to set the mood for the deceased.
The quiet room was suddenly disturbed by a few cat meows, startling Zhao Jiaqi, who was about to leave.
What the heck!
Since when did they have a cat at home?