Chapter 93

Chapter 93 Mourn for Herself

Hearing Ji Youran’s words, even the Old Lady’s eyes turned red.

Crying in grieve, Ji Youran held Qu Moying’s slender body tightly in her arms, making Qu Moying start to feel sad with her. Qu Moying wiped the tears on Ji Youran’s face with her sleeve and comforted her, “Your Royal Highness, don’t be too sad. If the Crown Princess in the underworld knows you are heartbroken because of her death, she will feel worse.”

She was indeed feeling bad, for failing in the attempt to jump off the Linyuan Pavilion together with Ji Youran.

The rough cloth on Qu Moying’s sleeve brushed Ji Youran’s soft skin and eyes, and she particularly rubbed against Ji Youran’s wound near her temple. Feeling the sting, Ji Youran couldn’t continue her acting anymore. She pushed Qu Moying away, wiped her eyes with her own hanky as her disdain toward Qu Moying was growing.

What a village girl! Qu Moying didn’t even prepare a hanky before attending a funeral. Thinking about Qu Moying’s dirty and rough sleeve brushing her face, Ji Youran felt so disgusted that she didn’t even want to continue acting.

Ji Youran wondered what kind of cloth was Qu Moying’s funeral dress made of since it felt unbelievably rough. Compared to hers that was made of the best and the most comfortable sackcloth, Qu Moying’s felt like a piece of trash. If it weren’t for those princesses, lords’ wives, and infants, Ji Youran would never lower herself to hold Qu Moying and cry with her.

The wound near her temple, left by Ji Hanyue when she jumped off the Linyuan Pavilion, had recovered gradually. Still, it would take some time for the scar to disappear. That was why she left some hair lying in front of her ear to cover the wound. Ji Youran didn’t expect Qu Moying to brush it with her rough sleeve, and after her touch, Ji Youran’s wound started to ache a little bit.

Maybe Qu Moying’s careless behavior made her wound open up again! As Ji Youran thought about it, she started to feel more and more displeased.

“Madam, Moying, please follow me.” Suppressing the annoyance, Ji Youran put on a gentle look and led them inside. She even went to hold the Old Lady’s arm while Qu Moying did the same thing as if they were really two sisters.

Ji Youran had been acting humbly and left the main seat in the center for the Old Lady. However, knowing her identity, the Old Lady was aware that she was not qualified enough to sit in the main seat in front of Princess Ji. She ended up choosing a standard one on the side, which was more appropriate.

Ji Youran had no other choice but to sit down on the main seat first to mingle with the guests while paying extra attention to Old Lady Qu, clearly showing her preference.

Princess Ji’s behavior drew all the noble madams and ladies’ attention to the Qu Family. Naturally, their eyes fell on Fourth Lady Qu, who had already been a hot topic in the capital, Yu, and Yu’s daughter, Third Lady Qu.

The complacent feeling of being favored by Princess Ji made Yu’s guard down. She started to chat with some madams she was acquainted with, leaving her daughter aside.

A maid approached them to refill the tea for some ladies sitting behind Yu.

As she came between Qu Qiuyan and Qu Moying and started to pour the tea for Qu Moying, someone suddenly bumped into her, making her splash the tea on the table.

Qu Moying hurriedly stood up and almost fell over. The noise caught the Old Lady and Yu’s attention, and they both turned around to see what was going on.

“Ying, what happened?” the Old Lady asked Qu Moying worriedly.

“Moying, did you get burned?” Yu sounded even more concerned.

“I’m alright.” Qu Moying hurriedly looked down to check her clothes. Luckily, she reacted quickly, and only a small part of her dress’s edge was stained by the tea.

But the mark still looked quite apparent since she was wearing a rough, white dress.

Ji Youran also noticed the little chaos caused. After knowing the situation, she sent someone over to take Qu Moying to get changed.

“It’s alright. It’s just a little part of my clothes,” Qu Moying rejected, shaking her head.

“Just go. Your sister will go with you together to accompany you,” said Yu amiably. She even let Qu Qiuyan go together with Qu Moying as if Qu Moying was her real daughter.

The Old Lady nodded too. She was worried about Qu Moying going alone, so she planned to ask Qu Xuexin to go with her. However, since Yu proposed it first, she had to agree with her no matter how much she disliked Yu. Otherwise, it would make their family lose face in public.

After all, Yu was the Old Lady’s second son’s wife, representing the Qu Family.

The Old Lady nodded and said, “Yan, Ying needs to get changed. Go with her together.”

“Moying, let’s go then,” said Qu Qiuyan while she stood up and tried to hold Qu Moying’s hand intimately. She treated Qu Moying especially friendly today, but Qu Moying, solitary as usual, avoided her touch immediately.

“Sorry for the bothering, Third Sister,” Qu Moying said in a low voice.

Qu Qiuyan’s hand hung in the air awkwardly for a second. Luckily, she reacted quickly and brushed her dress with her hand. Then she nodded, “It’s okay. Let’s go.”

Following a maid, they left the living room one after another and headed to a room prepared for the guests.

There were extra mourning clothes in the guest room already. Compared to those made by the Qu Family, these clothes were made of better quality materials and had an elegant design, especially the exquisite fringes. They looked simple but totally different than the ones made by the Qu Family.

“I don’t think I need to change my clothes anymore,” Qu Moying said hesitantly.

“Fourth Lady Qu, you don’t like them?” the maid who led them here asked in confusion.

Qu Moying shook her head, “I’m here to mourn for my cousin’s death, not for caring about what I wear. The mourning dress made by our family represents our grieve. Since the tea stains have dried already, there’s no need for me to get changed anymore.”

Hearing her words, Qu Qiuyan looked around and added, “We are grateful for Her Royal Highness’ kindness. Since the stains on my sister’s clothes have dried, she can just keep wearing them. Our family made the clothes by ourselves, and they represent our lament for the Crown Princess.”

Qu Qiuyan didn’t care about the formality at all, but she noticed some princesses and lords’ wives kept peeking at her, probably because of Lord Jing. If so, the more sorrow the Qu Family showed here, the better. Since Qu Moying was also a member of the Qu Family, it would be inappropriate if she wore a better dress than others.

Her mother told her that something would happen to Qu Moying later and asked her to sit tight and watch. But no matter what would happen later, it was better to show as much grieve as possible.

That was why Qu Qiuyan helped Qu Moying reject Princess Ji’s maid.

The maid of the Eastern Palace was ordered by Ji Youran to help Qu Moying get changed. After being rejected, she didn’t know what to do but went back to report it to Ji Youran.

“Third Sister, should we tell Grandmother about it?” Qu Moying looked at Qu Qiuyan and asked.

Qu Qiuyan didn’t think it was a big deal that was worth telling the Old Lady initially. But since the maid of the Eastern Palace went to report it to Princess Ji, she’d better tell her grandmother and mother too. So, Qu Qiuyan sent her maid Qing Ju back, who had been following her.

After the two people left, the guest room fell into silence. Yu Dong walked behind Qu Qiuyan, trying to fetch something, but he accidentally bumped into her. While he kept apologizing to Qu Qiuyan, he swiftly pulled out the gauzy flower hairpin on Qu Qiuyan’s head and replaced it with the one in his sleeve.

Yu Dong moved so fast that Qu Qiuyan only felt the bump and the abrupt pain from some of her hair being pulled. If they were not in the Eastern Palace, she would give a slap in Yu Dong’s face immediately. But right now, she had no choice but to control her temper. She threw a stern glare at Yu Dong without saying anything.

The two maids came back soon. Both Princess Ji and the Old Lady said Qu Moying didn’t need to get changed if unnecessary.

After they returned, the mourning ceremony had started. The Qu Family should be far back in the line. However, Ji Youran changed the order, saying that the Qu Family should go first since they were closely related to the Crown Princess. Meanwhile, she wanted Qu Moying to stay with the coffin for a period as the Crown Princess’s cousin.

It was soon the Qu Family’s turn. Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan both held the Old Lady’s one arm and walked up with her, followed by all the other people from their family, including Qu Zhilin, Qu Zhizhen, and the Old Lady’s two grandsons. After they finished the mourning, Qu Moying stayed inside with Qu Qiuyan accompanying her.

From Ji Hanyue’s perspective, it was appropriate that she asked Qu Moying to stay with the coffin since Qu Moying was the only relative younger than her. As for Qu Qiuyan, she was asked to accompany Qu Moying by the Old Lady and Yu to show the close relationship between the Crown Princess and the Qu Family.

Everyone knew that Ji Hanyue’s younger sister died a long time ago, and they didn’t hold a funeral for not affecting the Crown Prince’s wedding.

Since then, the only person whose identity was suitable to stay with the coffin could be Qu Moying.

Naturally, the responsibility fell on Qu Moying’s shoulder.

At the same time, Yue Wenhan, as the Crown Princess’s cousin, was helping the Crown Prince receive the guests.

Before Yue Wenhan left the living room, he found a chance to talk to Qu Moying. He told her that the Ji Family would arrive soon, and their representatives were Old Lady Ji and Ji Youran’s mother, Xiao.

Worried about Qu Moying, Yue Wenhan promised her that he would lead the Ji Family here by himself and check on her again in passing.

Knowing Yue Wenhan’s concern about her, Qu Moying nodded.

In front of the altar, Qu Moying grabbed some pieces of paper money and threw them into the fire. Looking at the huge coffin placed in the center, she only felt sarcasm at the moment.

The funeral looked so decent and appropriate, but actually, there was probably nothing inside the coffin.

She died in the lake under the Linyuan Pavilion in her past life. She doubted Pei Luo’an could find her dead body, and neither would he try to. Ironically, everyone believed that she passed away because of sickness.

To the outsiders, the Crown prince claimed that the Crown Princess had been severely sick since she married into the Eastern Palace. To their families and relatives, his excuse was that she was heavily injured for saving his life. Either way, the Crown Princess would die soon, and now, he chose the best timing to announce her death. Thinking about it, Qu Moying’s lips curled into a sullen smile, and her expression even looked creepier in front of the altar.

When Pei Yuanjun entered, he saw Qu Moying grab some paper money, throw it in the fire, and stare at the coffin blankly with a stern look. He raised his brow and then cast another glance at Qu Qiuyan kneeling next to Qu Moying. The comparison made his eyes darken. Then he asked the Crown Prince, who accompanied him inside, in a lazy tone, “Who are these two? Why are they staying with the Crown Princess’s coffin?”

The Crown Prince turned to look at Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan. Since Ji Youran had introduced them to the Crown Prince, he already knew their identities. He answered with a hoarse voice, “These two ladies are the Crown Princess’s cousins, and they are helping guard the coffin for a period. I’m sure…their companionship can help make the Crown Princess rest in peace.”