Chapter 48

The funeral procession quickly arrived at the imperial mausoleum, and Pei Shangling, waiting there, was as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

Earlier, guards had reported what happened at the Grand General's residence to him and Pei Shangyan; they were both impatient, wishing to rush to the Grand General's manor, but the emperor had ordered them to stay and guard this place, and imperial edicts cannot be violated.

Pei Shangling passed the escort carrying the coffin and saw Mu Yuanzhi stepping down from the emperor's palanquin unharmed; he breathed a sigh of relief, but his anger rose again.

Isn't this fine? Why say she's seriously injured? The Father Emperor rebuked the mother consort in public just because Mu Yuanzhi bumped her forehead?

Even if Pei Shangling had never eaten pork, he'd seen pigs walk; seeing the bandage on Mu Yuanzhi's forehead with no blood seeping through, he thought it was a minor injury.

After all, the hemostatic drugs in the Imperial Medical Institute aren't omnipotent; with a deep wound, travel fatigue will keep it bleeding.

He didn't know that Mu Yuanzhi's forehead bandage had already been changed three times, the blood turning the white bandage red; the imperial physicians had urged her several times not to come along, otherwise it would be detrimental to wound healing, but Mu Yuanzhi wouldn't listen—she had to see her parents buried to feel at ease.

There are too many people with wolfish ambitions; she could not rest easy.

"Mu Yuanzhi you..."

Before Pei Shangling could finish his reproach, the emperor descending from the palanquin behind caused him to shut his mouth.

No wonder he found the palanquin familiar—it turned out to be the Father Emperor's; who knows what means she used to get the Father Emperor to agree to let her ride together?

As a Grand General, her father's funeral already exceeded protocol—still not satisfied? Just how grand a spectacle does she want before she'll stop causing trouble?

Pei Shangling held in his breath, performed a bow to the emperor, then went to the rear to look for the Virtuous Consort and Pei Yunxi.

At that moment, Pei Yunxi was applying an ice pack to her face, pitifully holding back tears.

She feared the red swelling on her face wouldn't subside, leaving a sequela, yet also worried that if it went down too soon she couldn't let the Father Emperor and her royal brothers see it at all times—after all, she hadn't yet vented this anger.

Thus her tears came from anxiety, and they were quite genuine.

"Little sister, your face is swollen like this—what did the imperial physicians say?!" Pei Shangling felt his heart break; he wanted to reach out but feared hurting Pei Yunxi, so he could only awkwardly blow on her.

"The imperial physicians are busy tending to Sister Yuanzhi's wound and haven't had time for me," Pei Yunxi said, aggrieved.

Upon hearing that, Pei Shangling's anger surged; he left with a dark face, and even when the Virtuous Consort called him, he turned a deaf ear.

Mu Yuanzhi is simply bullying others too much!

Does she think that because today is her parents' funeral she can do as she pleases?!

He strode through the funeral procession with a menacing aura, and the officials and guards who had originally bowed their heads lifted them curiously at the sound of his hurried steps.

"What's wrong with the Second Prince?"

The Virtuous Consort chased after him from behind, not caring whether appearing before the emperor now would displease him, fearful that her temperamental son would anger the emperor, especially on such an important occasion!

The entire imperial mausoleum was filled with a solemn atmosphere; the Virtuous Consort dared not walk too fast, nor dare to call out to stop Pei Shangling, so anxious that she nearly stumbled several times, fortunately a palace maid beside her helped support her.

The emperor specially bestowed the Yellow Intestine Soup upon the buried couple, the Protect-the-State Grand General and his wife; such a high standard is normally reserved for the emperor alone, and in this dynasty only the founding Grand General of the Grand Command has enjoyed this honor.

Whether it's a pretense or not, receiving the utmost mourning honors is their due, and they accept it with a clear conscience—Mu Yuanzhi thought.

She silently mourned in her heart, and only after the final handful of soil was cast did she lift her head, staring blankly at the towering burial mound that reached into the clouds.

"Father, mother, rest in peace."

Hongdou and Linglong silently supported Mu Yuanzhi on her left and right, fearing that their master, overburdened with thought, might lose balance—after all, the master's wounded and frail body could tolerate no mistake.

Having fulfilled her lifelong wish from two lifetimes, Mu Yuanzhi now has no regrets; from now on she will live well and never let her parents worry again!

With her heart's matter settled, Mu Yuanzhi felt fatigue rising, her face showing exhausted weariness; she had taken only a few steps when she saw Pei Shangling coming toward her.

Here graves lay everywhere; his fierce, demonic appearance made him somewhat resemble an evil spirit.

"Mu Yuanzhi!"

His gritted-teeth remark truly puzzled Mu Yuanzhi—what was he angry about? Shouldn't he be angry at her?

Mu Yuanzhi did not want to quarrel in her parents' resting place, so she pretended not to see him.

In the imperial mausoleum, under everyone's gaze and before the emperor, Pei Shangling shoved Hongdou aside, seized Mu Yuanzhi's wrist tightly, and snarled, "Come over and apologize to your little sister!"

"Let go." Mu Yuanzhi shook her arm, but couldn't break free.

Linglong hurriedly tried to pry Pei Shangling's hand open: "Fourth Prince, this is the imperial mausoleum, with our ancestors watching—are you really going to use force?"

"What business is it of yours, you lowly servant?!" Pei Shangling raised his hand and slapped Linglong, making her head spin and blood trickle from the corner of her mouth.

"Our ancestors cannot bear to see an outsider so humiliate the descendants of the Pei clan!"

"Pei Shangling!" Mu Yuanzhi glared at him: "Why are you suddenly attacking my people for no reason?!"

"You know you dote on your servant, but what about your little sister? How many slaps have you given her? Her face is all swollen out of shape!" Pei Shangling demanded sternly.

The nearby guards and palace maids dared not intervene, fearing the Fourth Prince, his anger flaring, would take it out on them; only then did the Virtuous Consort catch up, barely managing to pull Pei Shangling apart by main force, and she exclaimed, both angry and anxious: "Ling'er, stop causing trouble! Do you still think the Father Emperor isn't angry enough today?"

In her peripheral vision, the emperor had already approached!

"Mother Consort! It's because you endure humiliation and bear burdens that you only let Mu Yuanzhi ride roughshod over you! Today I will certainly seek justice for you and my little sister!" Pei Shangling shoved the Virtuous Consort's hand away.

Mu Yuanzhi's head throbbed with a buzzing sound, her forehead icy cold—perhaps the wound was bleeding again—but she still stubbornly met Pei Shangling's gaze, her eyes showing not a hint of fear.

Seeing Mu Yuanzhi's head bandage now seeping blood, Pei Shangling thought it served her right; if she hadn't insisted on opposing him, the wound wouldn't be bleeding—she always brings it on herself.

If she had behaved properly as before, none of this would have happened.

"What are you arguing about?!"

The emperor let out a low, stern shout, and Pei Shangling immediately wilted, but his eyes remained fixed on Mu Yuanzhi as if she had committed some unforgivable crime deserving to be devoured alive.

"This is a sacred area of the imperial mausoleum—how dare you make such a ruckus here?!"

As soon as the emperor arrived, he ordered each of them to receive fifty blows of the heavy board; Mu Yuanzhi only wanted to laugh.

"Father Emperor, please calm your anger; your subject has no intention of disturbing the ancestors," Pei Shangling said, lowering his head.

At that moment, Pei Shangyan, who had followed the emperor over, spoke up as a peacemaker: "Let's discuss this later; Sister Yuanzhi is injured and needs to go rest right away."