After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

I smiled and stood up, saying, "You're welcome. The fact that you're alive and well is the greatest gratitude you can give me. Because taking care of a child is really stressful both mentally and physically. I had to work really hard to coax Brother Nine to sleep last night. One or two days is fine, but I can't bear to take care of him for a long time. You should take him home and take good care of him by your side. Don't count on me."

He Wan'er still had tears on her face, but she smiled and said, "Good boy, don't say such insincere words. Don't I know what you are thinking?"

I laughed, then bowed to He Wan'er and said, "I have something else to do, so I won't disturb the Empress Dowager's rest. I'll take my leave."

He Wan'er said unhappily, "Ah Man, you are being naughty again. I've already told you that you don't need to be polite in front of me."

I smiled and said, "It's interesting to learn how to behave like those concubines, so that when there's a queen in the harem, I won't be accused of being unruly."

He Wan'er was a little helpless about my joke, but what I said made sense, because there would soon be a new master moving into the harem.

After returning to Shengping Palace from Fengyi Palace, I went to see Fuyao again.

Fuyao was not considered a servant, so Yang arranged a separate room for her.

This room is not big, but it faces south and is warm in winter and cool in summer, making it a very comfortable room.

Yang is really thoughtful and meticulous in his work.

Fuyao's injuries were quite serious and she had lost too much blood. Even after applying some medicine and drinking some healing and blood-replenishing medicines, she was still groggy. Even if she woke up occasionally, she would soon fall asleep again.

Yang also arranged a young palace maid to serve Fuyao in her room. I asked the maid to make some blood-replenishing soup and feed it to Fuyao when she was more awake.

The thing that is most in short supply in this palace is medicinal materials. Even if I don't have any in my palace, as long as the little palace maid goes to the Imperial Medical Bureau with my palace badge, no one will dare to say anything even if the Imperial Medical Bureau is emptied out.

Yang had finally seen how special I was in the palace, so she would not be stingy. She ordered people to send a lot of nourishing herbs to Fuyao. If there were any more, she would just send someone to the Imperial Physician's Office to get them.

I stayed obediently in Shengping Hall for two days, and finally the day of Zheng Xian's funeral arrived.

Early in the morning, a eunuch came to tell me to enter the palace and brought me my mourning clothes.

Because it was a time of mourning, no one dared to ask me to wear mourning clothes except me because I was recuperating. Everyone in the hall was wearing mourning clothes, and every time I looked around, it was all white.

Today, the mourning clothes that belong to me were finally delivered.

The mourning clothes of this concubine were different from those of the servants. Although they were also white, the fabric was made of top-grade brocade, and the back was embroidered with a pattern of a phoenix facing a dragon with light gold silk thread.

With Yingchun's help, I put on mourning clothes, tied a white cloth on my head, and led everyone in the hall, except Fuyao who was seriously injured in bed, and walked towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a mighty manner.

When I arrived at the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I saw He Wan'er and Zheng Xi just getting off the carriage.

I bowed to He Wan'er, and she nodded at me. Without much verbal communication, she walked straight into the door.

I followed her into the temple.

Following behind me were the concubines of Zheng Xian who were willing to stay behind to guard the imperial mausoleum. They entered the hall one by one according to their seniority.

Zheng Yan set up the mourning hall in the main hall, which was spacious enough to accommodate about a hundred people.

All the furnishings in the main hall had been removed, not even a stool was left.

In the center of the main hall was a coffin made of top-quality golden nanmu wood, and Zheng Xian was lying peacefully inside it.

Apart from looking a little ugly, Zheng Xian didn't show any trace of pain, so he probably didn't suffer much when he died.

On the right side of the coffin, except Zheng Hao, all of Zheng Xian's sons were kneeling on the ground. Even Zheng Xi, the youngest son, knelt obediently and dared not move.

Ministers above the fifth rank knelt on the left side of the coffin. Gongsun Wen knelt at the front. Although there was a cushion under his knees, he looked shaky as he knelt. His face was blue and pale, which was very scary.

Zheng Yan knelt in front of the coffin, looking at his back from afar. His originally broad and solid figure had become thinner. Zheng Yan was also kneeling and swaying, but there was a Wei Yi beside him who supported him from time to time, so that he would not fall down.

Master Hui Jing led a group of disciples to chant sutras behind the coffin to pray for the soul to be reborn. The chanting and knocking on wood were not loud, but they were pleasant to the ears, making the atmosphere even sadder.

We concubines and princesses were not qualified to kneel down and worship, so we all knelt on both sides of the gate. Concubine Gui did not come, and it was said that she was too ill to get out of bed. It was Zhao Fangping who came. She had no position now, so she could only kneel at the end of our team. I knew she came because she was the first to come, but because of her low status, she could only wait at the gate and wait for us to enter before she could follow in.

I haven't seen her for more than two years. Zhao Fangping has grown taller, more mature, and more beautiful.

If Yi Ping is a lotus emerging from the water, then Zhao Fangping is a noble and beautiful peony. Both of them are dazzlingly beautiful, but their styles are different.

When Zhao Fangping saw me, he was stunned at first, then he saluted me without leaving any trace, and said, "Empress Dowager Shu Jinkang."

This Zhao Fangping is a capable person who can endure and hide. She also has the aura of a heroine and is an indestructible cockroach. Since Zheng Xian has given the position of queen to her, it is not good to offend her, lest she troubles me all the time in the future.

So I also said in a friendly way: "After all, you are still my sister, no need to be polite."

Who would have thought that Zhao Fangping's face would change immediately after hearing this, and a hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it under her eyelids, and even bowed to me politely, saying, "Yes, thank you, madam."

I quickly put the matter behind me, but I didn't expect it to become a fuse between us.

We knelt for a while, and then the director of the Imperial Observatory, Song Tianming, came with a group of people from the Imperial Observatory, holding the sacrificial text.

Wei Yi helped Zheng Yan up. Zheng Yan turned around, took over Song Tianming's eulogy and began to read it aloud.

Half of the eulogy was about Zheng Xian's life, and it was written at a very high level and full of deep emotion. Many people cried out loud after hearing it.

Seeing everyone crying together, and thinking about how good Zheng Xian was to me and how I didn't even get to see him for the last time, I felt extremely guilty and sad, and I couldn't help crying.

After the eulogy was read, Song Tianming calculated the time to lift the coffin. We, the women, all stood up and were driven to the corner of the door. Only after the coffin and all the people were out could we follow the end of the team to send the spirit away.

Hui Jing led a group of monks walking in the front of the team. They all had solemn expressions, beating wooden fish and chanting scriptures as they walked. Zheng Yan followed behind the monks, holding Zheng Xian's spirit tablet in his hands, with a sad face. Behind him were his younger brothers. Zheng Xi was too young, so he was carried by eunuchs. The coffin followed behind these princes, carried by eight strong men. Gongsun Wen led the ministers to follow behind the coffin, holding banners in their hands. Many ministers walked with a limp, obviously because they had been kneeling for so long that their old legs could not bear it. We walked to the end of the team and did not need to hold anything in our hands, but everyone took out white handkerchiefs and kept wiping their tears.