Dressed in mourning clothes, Dong Shi’s eyes brimmed with tears as she followed behind, supported by her sisters-in-law as they slowly moved forward.

Regardless of everything else, the Grand Princess had been a good mother-in-law—this was beyond doubt.

The Grand Princess never made it; her daughters-in-law follow rigid protocols in her presence. Because their husbands were always away at war, whenever they returned home, their father-in-law would arrange women for his sons, hoping they could make better use of their time at home to propagate the family line and bear more children for the Bai family, as well as more capable generals for the Jin kingdom.

Later, it was the Grand Princess who stopped this, and only then did their father-in-law realize… He called his daughters-in-law before him to offer a solemn apology, admitting his lack of consideration had hurt his daughters-in-law’s feelings, and that his sons had also blamed him as their father.

He had devoted himself entirely to laying the foundation for Jin’s future unification of the realm. Noble families were unwilling to send their children to battlefields, and the same was true of clan members. Their father-in-law could only look for solutions within his own family.

Being a man, he often couldn’t understand women. He thought that as long as he prevented concubines’ children from meeting their mothers and kept the concubines confined to small courtyards for life, his daughters-in-law wouldn’t be hurt. But he forgot that the deeper the love between husband and wife, the less willing the wife would be to share her husband with others.

After that, Duke Zhenguo never again arranged concubines for his sons.

When the ladies of the Bai family’s maternal families heard of this, who wouldn’t praise the Grand Princess as a good mother-in-law?

Dong Shi wouldn’t dare say the Grand Princess treated them like daughters, but she certainly never created trouble or made things difficult for them.

When Dong Shi gave birth to A’Bao as her first child, Dong Shi’s wet nurse was uneasy, fearing Duke Zhenguo’s household would look down on Dong Shi for bearing a daughter. But… the Grand Princess and Duke Zhenguo personally chose the pet name A’Bao, gave her the generational character “Qing” used for boys in the Bai family, held grand celebrations for three days, and lavished extreme affection on A’Bao. Even A’Luo and A’Qiong, who were born shortly after A’Bao, couldn’t surpass her position.

Therefore, everyone in the capital knew that Duke Zhenguo’s legitimate eldest daughter… was truly the pride of heaven, held precious in the palms of the Grand Princess and Duke Zhenguo.

Looking throughout the capital, which other mother-in-law and father-in-law could be like the Grand Princess and Duke Zhenguo, never looking down on their daughter?

No matter how untimely her mother-in-law’s departure was, Dong Shi remained more grateful than anything else toward the Grand Princess.

It had rained fine drops all night, and the long street hadn’t yet dried completely. The air was thick with moisture.

The roof tiles of the multi-story pavilions on both sides of the capital’s main street had been washed to a glossy blue-black shine, and the red street lanterns hanging from the eaves, not yet extinguished, swayed back and forth in the humid wind.

Paper money scattered throughout the sky, falling to the ground where it was dampened by muddy water, its color no longer discernible.

Dressed in mourning clothes, Bai Qingjue walked at the very front, holding the Grand Princess’s memorial tablet in his arms, his expression sorrowful and his eyes reddened.

The loyal servants and relatives following behind the golden nanmu coffin supported each other as they wailed and sobbed. Fang Shi in particular leaned almost entirely on Pu Liu, crying even more pitifully than the Bai family’s ladies, as if her heart had been torn apart by grief.

Pu Liu faintly heard the watching crowd speculating about Fang Shi’s identity, but she didn’t speak up to dissuade her again.

Last night, both Bai Qihe and Pu Liu had said everything that needed to be said to Fang Shi. Fang Shi had only seen the Grand Princess from afar a few times and wasn’t truly deeply attached to her, yet she insisted on putting on this heart-wrenching display at this moment—it was ridiculously fake.

Knowing Fang Shi wouldn’t listen to advice, Pu Liu said no more.

Bai Qingyu, wearing a mask, stood at this moment in the Zheli Pavilion outside the city. He had waited here almost all night, his black cloak and tied-up black hair covered with a thin layer of water mist.

“Master, they’re coming…” Wang Dong, dressed in white and limping, hurriedly ran into Zheli Pavilion and said to Bai Qingyu, “Master! They’re coming!”

Soon after, Bai Qingyu saw the funeral procession like a long dragon slowly emerging from within the city gates. He saw the Bai family’s loyal servants… saw Bai Qingjue holding grandmother’s tablet, saw grandmother’s coffin, and saw his mother supporting his second aunt with her straight spine, saw… his aunts with tears in their eyes.

Bai Qingyu, wearing mourning clothes beneath his black cloak, knelt toward the funeral procession and kowtowed heavily, his head striking the ground.

He couldn’t return home like A’Jue yet. The Rong Di territory… had to be firmly controlled in his hands, making the Rong Di lands into their Great Zhou’s training grounds!

Therefore, he could only be unfilial and here… kowtow to his grandmother and bid farewell to her!

He raised his head toward the funeral procession and said in a low voice: “Grandmother, mother… the fifth son of the Bai family, Bai Qingyu has returned! The words of safety that A’Yu owes… will be spoken to you after Great Zhou unifies the realm.”

Wang Dong also knelt behind Bai Qingyu with reddened eyes, kowtowing heavily. He knew how heartbroken his master was—coming to bid farewell to the Grand Princess, he could only wear mourning clothes beneath his black cloak, afraid of being recognized… his master hadn’t even brought A’Pulu.

Wind mixed with moisture swept across Dong Shi’s face. She almost instinctively turned to look toward Zheli Pavilion on the high slope, only catching a glimpse of a vague figure leaping onto a horse and galloping away.

Dong Shi’s steps faltered. Behind her, Fang Shi, who had been crying incessantly with her head down, bumped into her blindly. Only then did Dong Shi furrow her brow and support her second sister-in-law Liu Shi, who couldn’t stop weeping, as they slowly moved forward.

Dong Shi’s eyes stung with tears, and doubt arose in her heart. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but just now… she thought she had seen A’Yu.

When Bai Qingyan awakened, it was already dark…

Hearing movement from within the bed curtains, Chun Tao hurriedly ran over with quick steps, raised her hand to lift the azure bed curtains, and hung them on the gilt twisted-branch copper hooks. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she knelt on the cypress wood step beside Bai Qingyan’s bed, choking with emotion: “Miss! Miss, you’re finally awake!”

Lu Ninghua also came around the screen. Chun Tao quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, stood up to make room beside the bed, and let Lu Ninghua take Bai Qingyan’s pulse.

Physician Hong, who had been waiting in the side room, heard the commotion and set down his teacup, tapping Yin Shuang on the head as she was counting cloud cakes: “Carry the medicine box! The Miss has awakened!”

Upon hearing this, Yin Shuang quickly wrapped the cloud cakes in oiled paper, hastily stuffed them into her chest, shouldered Physician Hong’s medicine box, and trotted after him.

Nanny Tong, who was just about to go to the side room to fetch Physician Hong, had barely stepped over the threshold when she saw him coming. She hurriedly raised the door curtain and said, “Miss Lu is taking Miss’s pulse.”

Physician Hong nodded and hurried into the main room.

When Lu Ninghua saw Physician Hong arrive, she made way beside the bed…

But Yin Shuang had run even faster than Physician Hong, squeezing in front of Bai Qingyan and taking out the cloud cakes from her chest to place at Bai Qingyan’s bedside, saying, “Miss… eat!”

Yin Shuang had been following Physician Hong and knew that Bai Qingyan had slept for so long without eating anything, worried that she might be hungry…