Today, Duke Zhenguo, who was posthumously ennobled as Prince Zhenguo by imperial decree, along with all the lords and young masters of the Bai Manor, would have their funeral procession. They needed to be buried before sunrise.

At the end of the Tiger hour, everyone in the Bai Manor gathered in the front hall.

When Nanny Qin supported Dong Shi, whose eyes were red and swollen, into the mourning hall, the various madams and children had already arrived.

“Fifth sister-in-law, today’s snow makes the roads slippery and difficult to walk on. You’re heavy with child, so you shouldn’t go,” Dong Shi said, looking at Fifth Madam Qi Shi, whose belly was prominently rounded.

Qi Shi gently supported her abdomen and choked out: “My child and I… must see the Bai family heroes off on their final journey!”

Then the Grand Princess, dressed entirely in white and leaning on a tiger-headed cane, also arrived, supported by Nanny Jiang’s hand.

“Mother…”

“Grandmother…”

Everyone curtsied in respect.

“Mother, you’re going too?” Dong Shi asked.

The Grand Princess nodded, her gaze falling on Bai Qingyan, but she saw that Bai Qingyan kept her head lowered, neither looking at her nor stepping forward to support her as she usually did. Unable to suppress the sadness in her heart, she said: “To see my Bai family men off on their final journey, I can endure it!”

Dong Shi sighed deeply and rallied her spirits: “Steward Hao, open the doors!”

“Open the doors…”

With Steward Hao’s shout, accompanied by the creaking of wooden doors, the six vermilion-lacquered gates of the Duke’s Mansion, decorated with white lanterns and plain silk, opened wide in unison.

But Dong Shi had never expected that outside the Duke’s Mansion, so many common people carrying lanterns had gathered!

There were also young and elderly nobles and officials from distinguished families, standing quietly in the snow, right before the black-lacquered, gold-lettered gates of the Duke’s Mansion.

No one had informed them of the funeral procession time, yet they had come early to wait here… wanting to see off this household of loyal martyrs.

Dong Shi saw her younger brother Dong Qingyue in full military dress, standing with several court military generals at the very front, wearing mourning cloth on his head and carrying bright lanterns, his posture upright and heroic.

This reminded Dong Shi of New Year’s Eve night when the people accompanied the Bai family in waiting here for news, and of the fifth day when all the city’s people carried lanterns through the snow to welcome the Bai family heroes home at the South Gate.

Emotions surged in Dong Shi’s heart, and her tears could no longer be contained.

Last night, Dong Qingyue hadn’t slept, moving between the homes of various court generals, appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them to request that the generals come with him to personally carry the coffins and see Prince Zhenguo Bai Weiting off on his journey.

Seeing the mansion gates open, Dong Qingyue, holding a bright lantern, set down his sheepskin lantern, performed a military salute and knelt on one knee: “This subordinate Dong Qingyue respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

General Shi Panshan, standing beside Dong Qingyue, clasped his hands and knelt with reddened eyes: “This subordinate Shi Panshan respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

“This subordinate Jiang Ruhai respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

“This subordinate Zhen Zeping respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

“This subordinate Zhang Duanrui respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

A military general who had arrived on horseback leaped down and knelt at the back, shouting: “This subordinate Liu Hong respectfully sees off Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo, and all the young generals! The soul of the Bai family army lives forever!”

Second Madam Liu Shi, watching the generals outside the gate standing in the heavy snow, each kneeling to respectfully see off the Bai family spirits, finally broke down audibly, her entire body softly leaning into Bai Jinxiu’s embrace, beating her chest and weeping bitterly for her dead husband and departed son!

Third Madam Li Shi wept even more inconsolably.

In contrast, Fourth Madam Wang Shi, who had been grief-stricken and wanted to crash into the coffin to die on the day the Bai family’s seventeenth young master returned, now stood quietly in a corner with her hands folded in front of her lower abdomen, her eyes having long lost their luster, like a puppet knowing neither sorrow nor joy.

Fifth Madam Qi Shi turned away, biting her lip so hard that she tasted blood but dared not loosen her grip, fearing she couldn’t control herself from wailing aloud.

The common people standing at the gate all knelt and cried out, their wails shaking the heavens, loudly calling out for Prince Zhenguo, Duke Zhenguo… loudly calling out for the young generals of the Bai family who should have been in the prime of their lives but died protecting the people.

Steward Hao wiped away tears with his sleeve, controlling his sobbing voice as he sang out loudly: “Kneel…”

The people on the long street were already kneeling and weeping uncontrollably, and the Bai family members also slowly knelt.

“Bow…”

Bai Qingyan kowtowed with tears, first bow… she vowed to the Bai family spirits that she would sacrifice her life to protect the Bai family widows for their entire lives.

“Bow again…”

She kowtowed with tears a second time, second bow… she vowed to heaven and earth that she would make those who wronged the Bai family pay blood for blood, and if this revenge was not achieved, she would not be human!

“Third bow…”

She pressed her head to the ground, third bow… she vowed to her grandfather that in this life she would inherit his aspirations, do all she could to protect the people’s well-being, and restore peace to the world.

“Recite the funeral oration, proclaim the lives of all the lords…”

Xiao Rongyan stood behind everyone in fox fur, silently watching, like someone from beyond this world whom even the heavy snow could not touch.

The Emperor of Great Jin did not understand… this century-old military household Duke’s Mansion might indeed overshadow the ruler with their achievements, but this Duke’s Mansion was truly the backbone of Great Jin!

With the Bai family’s fall…

It was like removing Great Jin’s shoes and unstrapping Great Jin’s armor.

In these chaotic times with various states contending for supremacy, each fighting for themselves, Xiao Rongyan dared assert that with the death of the Bai family generals, this Jin state that had dominated one region would certainly have no chance of conquering the realm.

Gazing from afar, he saw Bai Qingyan rise and unconsciously stepped forward.

He heard the woman’s voice, clear and resonant, flowing calmly like warm water, not as earth-shaking as when she had spoken publicly before, but with deep filial affection hidden within that touched one’s heartstrings.

The Grand Princess looked at the people outside the gate whose cries shook heaven and earth, at those generals who had come in military dress to respectfully see off the martyrs of the Duke’s Mansion, and suddenly recalled when her father emperor had passed away. The people had cried then too… the officials had also cried, but not with such genuine sincerity.

Her hand gripping the prayer beads tightened and then loosened, her heart no longer knowing what flavor it held.

The Bai family… was more beloved by the people than the imperial family!

Though this was an extremely simple funeral, no one had been notified of the burial time; the court’s military generals, the capital’s nobility, and the most ordinary common people had all come. Though the spectacle was not as grand as when her father’s emperor funeral procession had been, it was more tear-inducing and more touching to the heart.

She suddenly recalled a few hours ago, in this mourning hall… her granddaughter had said that the Bai family’s nobility lay not in bloodline but in integrity, in the loyal heart passed down through generations of living for the people and dying for the Kingdom, in the courage to sacrifice oneself to protect the people!

So the people truly remembered the Bai family, cherished the Bai family…

The foundation of the Bai family’s standing in the world lay in these four words: for the people, loyalty, and righteousness.

The Grand Princess closed her eyes, thinking of her husband Bai Weiting’s courtesy name… Buyu (Unwavering).

Her granddaughter’s voice reciting the funeral oration rang in her ears.

“I asked grandfather why he chose ‘Unwavering’ as his courtesy name. Grandfather answered: ‘I wish… to restore peace to the people, establish tranquility in the human world, with unwavering resolve until death.'”