Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 357 Mourning Hall
It was also during this sweltering summer that the cicadas' incessant chirping became incredibly annoying.

Upon arriving in the capital, the first lotus blossoms begin to open.

The eldest daughter of the Xue family hosted a banquet to appreciate the lotus blossoms, inviting sons and daughters of noble families from all over the capital.

Eight-year-old Xue Yueying, wearing a newly made pale yellow dress, excitedly followed behind Ping Le, who was surrounded by admirers.

At that time, Ping Le was as radiant as a peony on a branch, adorned with pearls and jade, her silk skirt trailing on the ground, her every glance exuding an innate pride. Surrounding her were Lu Xi, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Lu, Guo Zhaohuai, the young heir of the Duke of Zheng's mansion, and Yao Wei, the son of Vice Minister Yao, whose eyes seemed to be glued to her.

Gu Jie was among them. He was handsome and refined, but he appeared timid because of his mother's lowly status. Even when surrounded by dignitaries, he walked very cautiously.

"Hey! Look, that little bastard is over there too..."

You Zhimu pointed at him from afar with his folding fan, his tone disdainful.

On the pebbly path beside the lotus pond, a thin figure wearing a faded blue cotton dress was seen carrying a medicine pot and hurrying past with her head down.

It is Xue Sui.

She had just returned from retrieving the medicine for the old lady, carrying a small medicine bag in her hands.

"What bad luck." Ping Le frowned. "The Xue family is getting more and more unruly, letting all sorts of nobodies out to get in the way. How dare a wild child born to a lowly courtesan appear here? He's just dirtying the place."

"Princess, please don't be angry. I'll go and chase her away right away."

The girl's clear yet arrogant voice was eager to try. It was Lu Xi.

“It’s pointless to kick them out.” Ping Le’s eyes were full of malice as he looked at him.

"Gu Wulang, isn't she infatuated with you? Go and snap her out of it..."

Under Ping Le's oppressive gaze, Gu Jie's eyes flickered, and a hint of struggle flashed across his face.

"Don't you dare?" Ping Le raised his chin, his tone contemptuous.

“Yes, Princess…” The urge to prove himself and integrate into the group overwhelmed everything else.

Gu Jie straightened his back and strode towards Xue Sui.

"Hey..." Xue Yueying rushed ahead of Gu Jie, ran over, blocked Xue Sui's way, and growled in a low voice with her hands on her hips.

"Who gave you permission to come here? Don't you know today is your elder sister's lotus appreciation banquet? Don't you know your place? Your filthy appearance and your offense against such an important person are a disgrace to the Xue family. Get out of here now!"

Xue Sui, holding the medicine jar and medicine packet, looked up.

She was clearly in a hurry, with beads of sweat on her forehead and a nervous expression on her face.

"Fourth sister, Mother sent me to get medicine for Grandmother. I'm leaving now..."

This look enraged Xue Yueying.

Especially when she saw Ping Le leading a group of people toward her and their eyes falling on her, she was even more afraid of being implicated and incurring Ping Le's displeasure.

"Who's your fourth sister? I told you to get out of here, didn't you hear me?" Xue Yueying reached out and shoved Xue Sui hard.

"Are you deaf, you bastard!"

She was very strong.

Caught off guard, Xue Sui was pushed back several steps, and while protecting the medicine pot, he didn't care about where he was standing.

"Puff-"

Water splashed everywhere.

The small, thin figure, clutching the medicine jar, tumbled straight into the lotus-filled pond.

"Hahahaha!" A piercing laugh suddenly rang out.

"Look at her stupid face, she looks like a crazy toad flapping around wildly..."

"Hahaha! He's almost dead, and he still can't bear to part with a broken jar. What a stingy life..."

"Miss Xue is quite capable; she doesn't hold back when disciplining her younger sister..."

Xue Yueying stood on the shore, watching Xue Sui struggling and thrashing in the murky pool. At first, she was a little scared, but when she saw Ping Le's approving look and the laughter of the people around her, her face was immediately replaced by great pride and vanity.

She raised her chin, like a victorious general.

"She was born to my father and a courtesan after he was drunk, so she can't be considered a sister... Our Xue family doesn't have such a lowly concubine's daughter..."

The pond wasn't deep, but the bottom was covered with thick silt.

Xue Sui choked on several mouthfuls of water, the sticky mud enveloping her, and her soaked clothes made it extremely difficult for her to struggle.

She tried to grab a lotus leaf next to her, but her hand was cut by the sharp thorns on it.

Just as she was about to sink to the bottom of the pool due to exhaustion...

A warm and strong hand supported her arm.

"Young lady, are you having a nightmare?"

A concerned voice rang in my ears.

Xue Sui instinctively grabbed the life-saving driftwood, trying to use it to float to the surface. He opened his eyes while coughing and gasping for breath, and vaguely saw Jinshu anxiously standing in front of him. He was suddenly stunned.

A fleeting dream.

Cold sweat soaked through his inner clothes, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.

It felt so real, like it just happened.

"What time is it?"

Jinshu noticed the cold sweat on the girl's forehead and gently wiped it away with a silk handkerchief while reporting back in a low voice.

"It's almost noon, and the young lady has been sleeping quite soundly."

She paused, then said hesitantly, "A letter came from the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence—Young Madam Gu didn't make it through last night, she's gone."

"That's all?" Xue Sui turned his head to the side, his expression uncertain.

Jinshu gave a soft "hmm," her expression grave, tinged with a faint sigh. "Young Master Gu reported it to the authorities. The coroner examined the body and said... he suffered a heat attack, broke free of his restraints, collapsed into the quilt, and that's how he passed away."

After Jinshu finished speaking, she looked at Xue Sui's eyes, which had instantly fallen silent, hesitated for a moment, and lowered her voice.

"Our people have sent word, young lady, don't be alarmed—the woman of unknown origin in the Prince of Wei's mansion might be... Princess Ping Le."

Pingluo?

No wonder……

Xue Sui remained silent, slowly leaning back on the couch, pulled back to reality from her shattered dream.

Jinshu added, "Returning to the capital without permission and committing murder is no small matter. How could Pingle dare to do that..."

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Xue Sui’s eyes seemed veiled in mist, making her emotions unreadable. “She suffered so much in Shuozhou, she never intended to live a good life after returning. Now that she’s hiding in the shadows, what’s a few murders? Besides… His Majesty, out of consideration for blood ties, might even cover for her…”

She coughed twice, as if the fishy smell of the pool water still lingered in her throat.

Suddenly I felt a little cold...

It was colder than in my dreams.
-
Xue Yueying is dead.

When the news spread, it was met with disdain and ridicule from most people in the capital.

A scandalous affair that had become a laughing stock was quickly drowned out by new uproar. The Xue family's reaction was almost indifferent.

A married woman died in such a disgraceful manner in the Prince of Wei's mansion. Both the Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion and the Xue family only wanted to smooth things over as soon as possible.

The mourning hall was set up in a secluded courtyard of the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence.

The funeral was also extremely hasty.

The thin coffin was placed in the center of the mourning hall, and even a proper procession and a Buddhist or Taoist priest's rites were omitted.

Only a few servants were burning paper money in front of the coffin, their faces expressionless. The smoke rising from the brazier carried the acrid smell of yellow paper.

Yu-ge'er was too young and had been frightened, so he was raised elsewhere and was not brought with him.

There was no crying in the mourning hall, only a suffocating silence.

Xue Yue'e and Xue Yuechen arrived almost one after the other.

Both of them were dressed in simple clothes, their faces showing the weariness of their journey and a complex expression that was hard to describe.

Xue Yuechen stood in front of the coffin, looking at the thin coffin, her eyes slightly reddening.

She recalled that when she was a child, Xue Yueying was also a cute little sister who loved to wear bright dresses and chased after her calling her "big sister".

"She used to love looking good..."

Xue Yuelou silently threw a stack of paper money into the brazier beside her.

Although she utterly despised Xue Yueying's later meanness and snobbishness, as sisters, seeing this tragic ending still weighed heavily on her heart.

"When I was little, I would pester my mother for days over a new box of rouge, arguing with my sisters until we were red in the face. I can't do that anymore..."

She didn't say anything more, only letting out a deep sigh.

Life is unpredictable; who could have foreseen that she, who married into a noble family, would leave this world in such a manner, ultimately failing even to gain any dignity...

Xue Yue'e remained silent throughout the entire process.

She kept gently covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, her brows slightly furrowed, whether out of regret and sadness or because she couldn't stand the smell of incense and paper money in the mourning hall.

"Is Ninth Sister satisfied now?" Xue Yuechen's gaze fell on Xue Yue'e.

Her face held its usual gentleness, yet it clearly carried a hint of questioning coldness.

Xue Yue'e's eyes darted around, trying her best to distance herself from the situation.

"How can you blame me? Who would have thought that the flowers and the fragrance together would be poisonous? There are so many things in the Prince's mansion, I... I may not know everything. I'm not like my sixth sister, who understands all the pharmacology..."

As she spoke, recalling Xue Yueying's troublesome behavior at the Prince of Wei's residence before her death, the guilt in her tone faded, replaced by pure disgust.

"It's her own fault for being unlucky, and it's also her own fault for bringing this upon herself..."

Xue Yuechen didn't reply, and looked back at the coffin.

"Have you informed Sixth Sister?"

Xue Yuelou's voice choked slightly, "The Marquis of Jingyuan's residence is very thoughtful; they must have sent someone to Shuiyue Nunnery to deliver a letter..."

A trace of melancholy crossed Xue Yuechen's beautiful face, and she sighed softly.

"Sixth Sister said that although her pulse was dangerous, there was still a chance of survival. I thought she could come back to life."

Xue Yuelou lowered his eyes and said, "Life and death are predetermined; no one can force it..."

"The poor child... couldn't see him one last time."

That's a vague statement.

It's hard to say whether to pity the person in the coffin or the innocent and clueless Yu-ge'er who lost his mother.

Xue Sui arrived at this time.

Still dressed in a simple, unblemished Buddhist robe, she stood quietly at the entrance of the mourning hall, like a cold moon cast into stagnant water.

"Amitabha Buddha—this humble nun is late."

She didn't approach the coffin or burn paper money; she simply watched as the paper money turned to ashes, the orange glow of the candle flickering in the dim mourning hall.

There was no joy in my heart.

Only a profound, almost nihilistic desolation.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the mourning hall...

Jade reported softly, "Your Highness, the Minister has arrived."

The funeral was organized by the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence.

However, due to Xue Yueying's infamous deeds and awkward relationship, the Gu family, including Gu Jie, avoided seeing her and deliberately distanced themselves from Xue's relatives. Only the second wife, Zhou, came forward to arrange tea and exchange a few pleasantries, which was considered a small token of respect.

Even when Xue Qingzhi arrived, no one from the Marquis's residence came forward to greet him.

It was clear that Xue Qingzhi was in a very bad mood; his eyes were bloodshot, and his melancholy was visibly palpable.

Xue Yueying was once her most beloved daughter, unmatched by anyone...

He didn't look at anyone in the mourning hall. He lifted his clothes, stepped over the threshold, and slowly walked to the coffin, where he stood silently for a long time.

The air seemed to freeze.

The servant woman burning paper money hung her head and dared not utter a sound.

Just when they thought Xue Qingzhi would show sadness—

The corner of his mouth suddenly twitched upwards.

It was less of a laugh and more of a muscle spasm from losing control, a feeling of relief...

"You... are finally free... all... clean..."

Xue Qingzhi took a deep breath, clenched his fists hanging at his sides, turned his head sharply, turned his back to the still-warm bones of his most beloved daughter, and strode out.

"Minister Xue, please wait." Xue Sui spoke up.

Xue Qingzhi paused in his steps.

He slowly and stiffly turned his head.

"What's the matter?"

"Your daughter died tragically in the Prince's mansion, and there are many suspicious points. As the Minister of Justice, don't you want to investigate the truth?" Xue Sui's calm eyes were unfathomable.

Xue Qingzhi clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his face turning extremely pale.

"The Jingzhao Prefecture has closed the case. Death from poisoning was purely coincidental. What need is there for the truth, and what doubts are there?"

He gave Xue Sui a deep look, then strode away resolutely.

"That's enough. Don't cause any more trouble..."

　Xue Sui: Oh, how can things not be chaotic?

　　Li Zhao: I'll do it... I'm the one who's most prone to messing around!

　　(End of this chapter)