An elderly woman dressed in black entered first, presumably to offer condolences to Princess Anyang and had chosen simple attire. Her pure black gown was adorned with only modest patterns, and all her jewelry was made of plain white jade. The woman's hair was gray; even with a life of privilege, the traces of age were undeniable, making her appear close to seventy.
Beside her stood a woman in a moon-white ruqun, likely in her forties, appearing younger. She wore a simple silver hairpin. Even the few maids attending them were clad in simple mourning clothes, their hair adorned with white velvet flowers. Their respect and decorum were truly thorough.
The two women offered incense to Princess Anyang with sorrowful expressions before turning to Feng Xi Wu, bowing in unison, "Your humble servants pay respects to the Regent!"
"Both ladies are excused from formalities." Feng Xi Wu's expression was calm and distant, his demeanor towards them vastly different from his treatment of Lu Zhen Ting.
The wife of Duke Xu visibly stiffened, but the wife of Duke Hua spoke with a choked voice, "Marquis Lu is gravely injured. We heard Your Highness is handling all of Princess Anyang's funeral arrangements. I thank you on behalf of Yun Shuang!" She then looked at Lu Zhen Ting, hesitated, and finally spoke, "The departed is gone. Marquis and Princess Consort, please accept our condolences!"
Given Lu Qing Wan's status and her lack of intention to acknowledge them as relatives, she merely nodded silently. The wife of Duke Xu, seeing this, showed a flicker of displeasure and was about to speak when she was stopped by a look from the wife of Duke Hua. The mother and daughter did not linger long and departed.
The capital city was not large, and Princess Anyang was a princess who had married into another country. Most who were expected to offer condolences had already arrived. Lu Qing Wan's eyes darted towards Lu Zhen Ting. Before she could speak, Li Jin arrived again. Lu Qing Wan felt a pang of irritation, "And who is it this time?"
"An envoy from Xiliang, representing Jiang Jin Zhou and Princess Feifeng."
Well, this was something they couldn't refuse. Princess Anyang was from Xiliang, and it was fitting for them to offer condolences during the funeral rites. Thus, Lu Qing Wan's curiosity had to be temporarily suppressed.
Xie Shi Luan and Jiang Jin Zhou had indeed come to offer condolences to Princess Anyang. After doing so, Xie Shi Luan said, "As Princesses of Xiliang, Princess Anyang was my nominal aunt. May I stay here to keep vigil for her for a night, as a gesture of filial respect to Consort Hua?"
Consort Hua was Princess Anyang's mother, Hua Yun Shuang. Citing Hua Yun Shuang, no one had reason to refuse. Lu Qing Wan politely replied, "In that case, this Marquis thanks Princess Feifeng on behalf of Anyang."
"Marquis, you are too kind. This is as it should be."
As if waiting for Lu Zhen Ting's response, she turned to Jiang Jin Zhou and said, "Commander Jiang, you may return first. This Princess will return to the guesthouse tomorrow on my own." Xie Shi Luan was Princess Anyang's nominal niece, while Jiang Jin Zhou was an outsider. He had no excuse to stay. He gave Xie Shi Luan a deep look, bid farewell to the others, and left.
As dusk settled, besides Lu Qing Wan, her husband, and Feng Xi Wu, Xie Shi Luan was the only outsider in the mourning hall. Lu Qing Wan, who generally disliked wasting energy on irrelevant people and matters, took advantage of the appropriate setting and got straight to the point.
"Princess Feifeng, you are not here solely to offer condolences to my mother, are you?"
Xie Shi Luan smiled bitterly and shook her head, "Princess Consort, you truly leave no room for politeness."
Lu Qing Wan also smiled, but her eyes betrayed no warmth, "I am merely worried that if I show consideration, I will lose face myself. It would be a net loss."
Xie Shi Luan understood immediately. Lu Qing Wan must have heard the news and assumed she had chosen Feng Xi Wu as her intended husband, and was being protective.
"Princess Consort, you can rest assured. I have no intention of marrying anyone. Neither the Regent nor any other young talent from Da Gan will be chosen by me. I will not interfere with your marriage to the Regent."
Lu Qing Wan watched her calmly, saying nothing. Xie Shi Luan spoke sincerely, "May the Regent and Princess Consort step aside for a moment to converse?"
So, she had indeed come to see Feng Xi Wu. Lu Qing Wan understood. She turned to look at Feng Xi Wu and met his questioning gaze. Their eyes met, and Feng Xi Wu chuckled softly, "I will follow the Princess Consort's lead."
"Then let's talk. The night is long, and it would be tedious to be bored." She turned to Lu Zhen Ting, "Father, Ning Yin Pavilion has been prepared for you. Please go and rest. Mother would not want to see you waste away for him." Keeping vigil was a matter of showing respect; if Lu Zhen Ting were to exhaust himself for days, Lu Qing Wan would have to arrange another funeral.
Understanding his daughter's concern, Lu Zhen Ting nodded, "I will stay with your mother a while longer and then retire. Do not chat too late, it is bad for your health." After a few more words of caution, they parted.
Lu Qing Wan then led Xie Shi Luan and Feng Xi Wu to a pavilion outside the courtyard. The Mid-Autumn night carried a hint of coolness, but it was not cold. Lu Qing Wan huddled next to Feng Xi Wu, letting him shield her from the wind. Xie Shi Luan's eyes showed a fleeting hint of envy.
"You two probably won't believe me when I say I don't want to marry, considering how hard I fought for Xiliang and the Xiao Dynasty in the past, right?" Without waiting for Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu to respond, she continued, "What happened at the guesthouse yesterday, Princess Consort must have told the Regent? Are you both wondering why I, a respected female general, even after losing my martial arts, would tremble at the sight of a man?"
Lu Qing Wan pursed her lips. She was not very keen on hearing stories that exposed painful wounds. "Everyone has pain that cannot be shared with outsiders. General, if you feel distressed, you do not need to tear open old wounds. I believe there are other ways to clarify what you wish to discuss with us."
Xie Shi Luan, however, shook her head sadly, "There are no other ways. If the truth is not made clear, you will never believe what I intend to do."
Seeing her insistence, Lu Qing Wan no longer stopped her and listened to a story so shameless and unprecedented. "The battle in the Western Frontier, without the Regent's command, and with my troops outnumbering Marquis Zhao Lie's by more than half, Da Gan should not have won so easily. At least, the war would have dragged on for another year or so before a victor emerged. But the late Emperor was critically ill and left no decree of succession. Several princes were eyeing the throne. Xiao Jing An, that beast, to seize the throne, had my half-sister steal my military token. At a crucial moment, he recalled more than half of my troops back to the capital to help him claim the throne, completely disregarding those soldiers as Xiliang's last line of defense..."
Lu Qing Wan suddenly understood, "So, Xiao Jing An sending you to Da Gan as a tribute maiden was not for the sake of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Nor was it out of concern for you becoming too powerful and a threat to him. It was because he feared you would expose his despicable actions, thus ruining his reputation, wasn't it?"