Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

At this time, bad news also came from the palace.

The Empress Dowager has passed away.

Ling Yan remained very calm upon hearing the news.

Because the Empress Dowager has really had little presence in recent years, and no one can remember her at all.

Since the incident with the Zhou family, she has been bedridden with illness, her condition fluctuating and never fully recovering.

Therefore, she rarely left her palace, and naturally, she couldn't cause any trouble for anyone.

He completely fell silent, becoming utterly invisible.

So when Lingyan heard that she had passed away, she felt that she was just a stranger.

I still remember the day after her wedding, when she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, and how the Empress Dowager made things difficult for her.

At the time, she saw the Empress Dowager as nothing more than a clown and didn't take her seriously at all.

Later on, I paid even less attention to her.

Therefore, she had no hatred for the Empress Dowager, and there was no basis for it to be called hatred.

Because they were just insignificant people.

Therefore, her reaction was particularly indifferent.

However, as her nominal grandmother, the Empress Dowager was obligated to enter the palace to keep vigil for her.

Xiao Muyao was stunned for a long time after hearing the news.

However, he did not cry, and his emotions did not fluctuate much.

Her eyes were just a little red, and she was rather silent.

Lingyan thought that the bond between him and the Empress Dowager had long since faded away.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Muyao still harbored a sliver of affection for the Empress Dowager, though not much.

It's possible that the Empress Dowager genuinely loved him when he was young.

However, due to conflicting interests, the two gradually drifted apart, eventually reaching a point where they almost broke off relations.

Now that the deceased are gone, everything has vanished like smoke.

Lingyan and Xiao Muyao then changed into mourning clothes and entered the palace to keep vigil.

Upon arrival at the mourning hall, the Imperial Household Department had already quickly organized personnel to arrange everything.

The funeral hall was predominantly white, with white curtains hanging around the perimeter and white carpets covering the floor.

A huge coffin, made of precious wood, was placed in the center of the mourning hall. It was carved with exquisite patterns and painted with black lacquer.

An offering table was placed in front of the coffin, on which were placed the Empress Dowager's memorial tablet, incense burner, candlesticks, fresh flowers, and other items.

The mourning hall was decorated with a large number of white flowers and pine branches to symbolize the Empress Dowager's nobility and longevity.

Meanwhile, some ice blocks were placed in a corner of the mourning hall to maintain a suitable temperature and prevent the body from decomposing.

Afterwards, an auspicious time was selected, and a professional mortician conducted the encoffining ceremony for the Empress Dowager.

The morticians wore white robes and white hats, their faces solemn.

They first washed the Empress Dowager's body with warm water, and then dressed her in a magnificent burial garment.

The burial garment was made of silk and embroidered with exquisite patterns. The colors were mainly gold and red, symbolizing the Empress Dowager's noble status.

Next, the morticians placed the Empress Dowager's body into the coffin, adjusted her position, and ensured that she lay peacefully in the coffin.

Then, precious burial items such as jewelry, jade, and books were placed around the Empress Dowager's body.

Finally, the morticians covered the coffin and secured it with nails.

Then the vigil officially began.

Emperor Jingzhao led the imperial family, high-ranking officials, and concubines to keep vigil in the mourning hall.

During the vigil, the mourning hall must be brightly lit and incense must be burned continuously.

The eunuchs and palace maids had to take turns burning incense, adding oil, and replacing fresh flowers in front of the coffin.

Meanwhile, some eminent monks would chant sutras and recite Buddhist prayers in the mourning hall to help the Empress Dowager's soul find peace.

All those keeping vigil must remain silent and refrain from making noise or laughing, as a sign of respect for the Empress Dowager.

The vigil will last for a total of seven days.

Because the vigil lasts for a long time, those keeping vigil usually work in shifts.

Some people kept vigil inside the mourning hall, while others rested nearby. They took turns at regular intervals to ensure that there were always people keeping vigil inside the mourning hall.

During the vigil, incense must be offered to the Empress Dowager regularly.

Incense and candles were kept burning continuously, symbolizing guidance and respect for the Empress Dowager's soul.

Emperor Jingzhao only stayed for the first day and then disappeared.

Of course, no one dared to say anything bad about him.

Because the relationship between Emperor Jingzhao and his mother, the Empress Dowager, was indeed not harmonious.

Now that he's gone to such lengths for her, he's already fulfilled his filial duty.

However, he not only left himself, but also took Xiao Muyao away with him.

Lingyan suddenly found herself without even a pillow to lean against while taking a nap.

Moreover, as the Crown Princess, she was an important member of the royal family and had to express her respect and sorrow for the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, during the vigil, she knelt at the very front.

All the royal family members and court officials could see her every move.

So at this moment, she was dressed in plain clothes, her face was sorrowful, her eyes were red, and she looked extremely sad and heartbroken.

But only Lingyan knew that her eyes were sore and she was extremely sleepy.

Fortunately, someone came to relieve him after a while.

She can finally get some rest.

Throughout the entire vigil, Lingyan felt like she was being tortured to death.

They have to kneel for most of the day without moving, and look very sad and sorrowful.

I'm physically and mentally exhausted.

I don't get much rest each night, and I eat very vegetarian food in small portions.

After the vigil finally ended, Lingyan felt that she had lost at least eight pounds in the past seven days.

So after returning home, she immediately began to enjoy meat, which she hadn't touched in a long time.

In any case, she had no respect for the Empress Dowager herself.

She wouldn't have endured this ordeal for seven days if it weren't for putting on a show for others.

So why should she still wrong herself now?

This is mainly because filial piety was placed too highly in ancient times.

Filial piety is of paramount importance.

The word "filial piety" can easily ruin a person, or it can make a person rise to great heights.

Therefore, Lingyan did not want to be attacked for her filial piety, so she could only obediently kneel and keep vigil.

But she's not that stupid!

If I had known I would be kneeling for a long time, I would have put a lot of things on my legs as padding.

So her leg wasn't injured at all over the past few days.

However, when she left the funeral hall, she deliberately acted as if her knee injury looked very serious.

This will also let everyone know just how "filial" she is.

After the vigil ended, Emperor Jingzhao ordered the news of the Empress Dowager's death to be announced to the whole country.

The funeral announcement was drafted by officials of the Ministry of Rites and issued in the name of Emperor Jingzhao.

The announcement of the death detailed the Empress Dowager's life, deeds, and moral character, and declared a period of national mourning.

Then the news of the death was sent to all parts of the country by fast horse.

Upon receiving news of a death, local officials must immediately organize mourning activities for the local population.

Meanwhile, temples and Taoist monasteries in various places also need to hold religious ceremonies to pray for the soul of the deceased Empress Dowager.

Then came the mourning ceremony.

Emperor Jingzhao led civil and military officials, members of the imperial family, concubines, and citizens of the capital in a mourning ceremony in the square outside the palace.

At this time, a huge mourning tent had been set up in the square, and inside the tent were the portrait and memorial tablet of the Empress Dowager.

Emperor Jingzhao, dressed in mourning clothes, led everyone to kneel facing the mourning hall and wept loudly.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites read the eulogy, which expressed their sorrow and reverence for the Empress Dowager.

Subsequently, Emperor Jingzhao personally offered incense, wine, and flowers, and performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows before the portrait and memorial tablet of the Empress Dowager.

Civil and military officials, members of the imperial family, concubines, and ordinary citizens of the capital also stepped forward to offer incense and flowers to express their condolences to the Empress Dowager.

After the mourning ceremony, all that remained was the funeral procession.

The auspicious day for the funeral was chosen twenty days later.

At that time, the Eighth Princess and Jiang Jingyu, who are far away on the frontier, will surely be there.

And he often travels around, is unrestrained, and is not in Beijing for a long time.

Prince Xiang, Xiao Yiqun, who only returns to the capital when something major happens, will also be back.

Perhaps Jiang Muxue will come back with her.

She was really looking forward to it.