The sky was somewhat overcast.

Inside and outside the capital, the sides of the roads were lined with common people watching. Spirit money continuously fell from the sky.

“I heard the Empress Dowager plotted rebellion and committed suicide out of fear of punishment.”

“With the Empress Dowager dead, the entire Feng family has been thrown in the dungeon. They must have committed crimes.”

“If the Empress Dowager plotted rebellion, it must have been to pave the way for Prince Zhuang. Why is Prince Zhuang unharmed?”

“He’s just a sickly invalid who needs help walking. I bet before he even reaches the imperial mausoleum, he’ll die along with the Empress Dowager.”

“How much trouble can a sickly invalid cause? The Emperor is benevolent and naturally spared his life.”

The common people were discussing when they saw Chu Rui spew out a large mouthful of blood and collapse to the ground.

A group of eunuchs came forward to persuade him: “Your Highness, please ride in the sedan chair. The Empress Dowager wouldn’t want you to torment yourself like this…”

Chu Rui struggled to his feet and said weakly: “I am sending the Empress Dowager on her final journey in my father’s place. I cannot fall.”

He forced himself to continue walking forward.

Several attending junior eunuchs couldn’t help but wipe away tears, doing their best to support his body.

Amid the low sound of bronze gongs and mournful suona horns, the funeral procession slowly approached the imperial mausoleum. What should have been a two-hour journey took four hours.

Finally reaching the imperial mausoleum, Yun Chu woke the two sleeping children.

Next came the tedious burial ceremony. The Ministry of Rites stood at the highest point reciting the eulogy while members of the imperial family came forward one by one to kowtow to the Empress Dowager’s coffin.

Yun Chu and Chu Yi knelt together. The family of four slowly moved forward and knelt on prayer cushions. They did whatever the Ministry of Rites instructed—after three kneels and nine kowtows, they rose and knelt to the side to continue waiting.

By the time all the imperial family members finished kowtowing, the sky had completely darkened.

With the sound of a bell, the Empress Dowager’s coffin was carried into the Late Emperor’s mausoleum to be buried together with him…

Mournful wailing sounds rang out at the scene.

A day of exhausting travel finally ended. The imperial mausoleum provided an entirely vegetarian meal, and everyone could finally sit down to rest.

Yun Chu sat with Changsheng at the women’s seating area. At their table were the Crown Princess and her three young daughters, Princess Consort Gongxi and her eldest daughter, Yun Chu and Changsheng—exactly eight people at one table.

Everyone at the table was exhausted. They had departed before dawn and knelt continuously after reaching the imperial mausoleum. Even someone made of iron couldn’t withstand this.

But the children were clearly not tired. The Crown Prince’s three daughters chattered away constantly while Changsheng looked curiously in their direction.

“Changsheng, I heard you can speak now?” The Crown Prince’s eldest daughter was ten years old this year, already a big child. She stood up and came over to hold Chu Changsheng’s hand. “Would you like to play with us?”

Chu Changsheng glanced at Yun Chu. Yun Chu nodded encouragingly, and only then did the little girl gather her courage: “Okay.”

“So you really can talk!” The Crown Prince’s second daughter was six and spoke somewhat tactlessly. “I thought you were always a little mute.”

Yun Chu spoke up: “Changsheng simply doesn’t like to talk. She can actually say quite a lot.”

“Then let’s go, let’s go, let’s go over there to play.” The Crown Prince’s second daughter grabbed Chu Changsheng’s arm. “I just saw lots of pretty stones over there. Let’s go collect stones.”

The Crown Princess smiled: “Since Changsheng has agreed, Third Sister-in-law should let Changsheng go play with them. Servants will follow along—no need to worry.”

Yun Chu stood up: “Changsheng is timid. I’ll accompany them.”

She hoped Changsheng would integrate into the imperial clan, but she also worried that after going over, Changsheng might be ignored due to not being good with words, which could easily hurt the child’s heart.

She knew she needed to learn to let go of the child, but not now.

“Crown Princess, Princess Consort Gongxi, please excuse me for a moment.”

Yun Chu held Changsheng’s hand and went with the girls to the other side.

There was a dried riverbed filled with small stones of various colors. The little girls were immediately attracted.

“Changsheng, do you like this one?” The Crown Prince’s eldest daughter was very considerate of Changsheng, handing over a green stone. “This one is for you.”

Yun Chu knew Changsheng didn’t like green.

She wanted to see how Changsheng would refuse.

She saw Changsheng nod: “I like it. Thank you, Sister.”

Then she carefully clutched the green stone in her palm.

Yun Chu’s heart felt somewhat sour.

This was probably the first time an outsider had given Changsheng a gift. Even though the little girl didn’t like it, she still treasured it and accepted it.

This was a very good start.

She smiled: “Changsheng, shall we also find some pretty stones to give to the sisters?”

Chu Changsheng’s eyes lit up as she nodded.

In the distance, Consort Yin saw this scene and nodded with great comfort.

She recognized once again that Yun Chu was treating the child with her genuine heart. Changsheng was getting better and better, mostly because of Yun Chu.

Consort Yin stood up, left her seat, and walked to Yun Chu’s side: “I saw you haven’t eaten more than a few bites. You’ve been hungry all day—you can’t not eat. You go have your meal. I’ll watch Changsheng.”

At the beginning of the meal, she saw Yun Chu constantly feeding Changsheng. Once Changsheng was full, she went to play, and Yun Chu truly hadn’t eaten a single bite.

Since Yun Chu was sincere toward the child, she as the mother-in-law naturally had to show her sincerity as well.

Yun Chu nodded: “Then I’ll trouble Mother Consort.”

She knew that before she appeared, Consort Yin had always brought Changsheng to occasions like this. There was nothing to worry about.

She returned to her seat and continued eating.

Tired from the whole day, she had little appetite, but she knew she had to eat because tomorrow morning she would have to kneel again, and otherwise her body wouldn’t hold up.

Just as she was eating, she suddenly heard crying.

Her fingers abruptly froze. She stood up sharply—it was Changsheng crying.

She dropped her chopsticks and headed toward the riverbed, only to discover the children were no longer there but had gone to the flower bushes nearby.

In the twilight, the Crown Princess’s three daughters plus Princess Consort Gongxi’s eldest daughter—four girls surrounded Changsheng.

Changsheng was crying loudly, then suddenly rushed toward the Crown Prince’s second daughter. The second daughter pushed hard, and Changsheng’s entire body fell backward.

Yun Chu never knew she could walk so fast—fast enough to catch Changsheng in one swift motion.

If she had been even a moment slower, the back of Changsheng’s head would have struck a stone. She didn’t dare imagine what the consequences would have been.

“What is going on here?”

Yun Chu suppressed the anger in her voice and asked sternly.

“It’s just children playing around.” The Crown Princess and Princess Consort Gongxi arrived late. “What child doesn’t quarrel?”

“Four older ones bullying the youngest—this isn’t playing around, it’s bullying.” Yun Chu enunciated each word. “I want to know why.”

The Crown Prince’s second daughter immediately shrank behind the Crown Princess to hide.

The Crown Prince’s eldest daughter spoke up: “It’s nothing. The two of them were fighting over this stone. Here, it’s for Little Sister Changsheng.”

Changsheng didn’t take the stone. Sobbing breathlessly, she said: “The red jade pendant… she snatched it away…”