Chapter 421

Sui Sui felt somewhat upset, unable to say what the reason was.

She was changed into plain clothes by Aunt Qiu, then obediently let Mother Consort take her hand and walk out.

The brothers also changed their clothes.

Although they didn't need to wear heavy mourning, they also couldn't dress flamboyantly to attract attention.

So everyone dressed plainly.

Sui Sui also shouldn't wear a small hat; her hair now isn't considered long, but she can barely tie it up, just that there are many stray strands.

Xiang Gugu exerted her strong skill, giving Sui Sui two small hair buns, inside wrapped several times with a silver-white hairband embroidered with dark patterns, pretending to be hair, making the buns look more noticeable.

Everyone changed clothes, and after getting ready, they set off for Da Zhang Gong Zhu Fu Residence.

The last time Sui Sui saw the Grand Princess, this Zuzu, was on the birthday of the fifth son of her household, Ying Hongzhi, at the beginning of the month.

At that time, the old lady's complexion was somewhat pallid, but her body still seemed fairly robust.

But just over half a month later, how could the person be gone?

Sui Sui couldn't understand, and her eyes quietly reddened.

Princess Consort of Qi also felt quite distressed.

The carriages of Qi Wang Fu and Prince Qing's Wangfu were among the early arrivals.

They came as soon as they heard the news, after changing clothes.

The two sons of the Grand Princess, Marquis An Yuan and Marquis Protecting the State, now wear heavy mourning, greeting and seeing off guests at the gate.

The only daughter, Lady Lù Fūrén, also wore mourning, helping in the rear courtyard with her two sisters-in-law and nieces' wives to attend to social duties.

Prince Qi brought Princess Consort first to offer incense, then switched to Prince Qing going over.

The young children were not allowed to come forward.

After finishing the incense offering, Prince Qi and Prince Qing went to talk with Marquis An Yuan and them.

Princess Consort of Qi then took Sui Sui to the rear courtyard; when she saw Sunshi, Princess Consort of Qi's eyes turned red and she choked, saying, "Please accept my condolences."

Sunshi cried until her voice went hoarse.

The Grand Princess was typical of a sharp tongue but soft heart; although sometimes she was more strict and her words weren't pleasant to hear.

However, she was also very fond of and protective of her daughter-in-law Sunshi.

Now that the person has passed, Sunshi only feels her heart empty and sour, deeply painful.

After consoling her, Princess Consort of Qi then went to check on Yanshi.

Yanshi appeared carefree, but over the years she had also benefited from the Grand Princess's status protection, plus her husband's affection, allowing her to live so comfortably.

At this moment, she cried until her eyes were swollen.

Lady Lù Fūrén even cried to the point of nearly fainting.

Princess Consort of Qi, together with several clan princesses and noble ladies, helped console this one and then that one.

Several granddaughters-in-law of the Grand Princess were up front handling social duties, and also needed to coax a few mothers-in-law and aunts.

His Majesty, accompanied by the Empress, personally came for a visit, after consoling everyone, then departed.

The Grand Princess's funeral rites lasted seven days.

The auspicious day for burial had already been calculated by the Bureau of Astronomy; the coffin has been placed in a propitious spot, awaiting the auspicious day to be interred in the ancestral tomb of the Ying family.

Over the seven days, the filial sons and virtuous grandsons of Da Zhang Gong Zhu Fu Residence all became quite worn, some even having lost a large circle of weight.

Prince Qi and them just needed to come over daily to offer incense; there was no need to keep vigil there every day.

However, biological children certainly need to see their mother off on her final journey, so Mr. Ying and Mr. Su set aside everything and busied themselves with their mother's affairs.

Moreover, after their mother's passing, they also had to observe mourning.

Normally, after an official's close relative passes, they must observe mourning for three years.

However, it also depends on the specific circumstances.

If this position is greatly needed, or if His Majesty is very pleased with this person, they might substitute three months or half a year, go through the formalities, and then return to duty.

The children of the residence also need to wait three years before marriage.

Now, there are two marriageable young ladies in Da Zhang Gong Zhu Fu Residence.

One is the concubine-born Ying Ruolan of the main branch, the other is the legitimate-born Su Ninglan of the second branch.

The two ladies are fifteen and sixteen; Su Ninglan had already been looked at earlier this year, only lacking final confirmation of the match.

Now that the Grand Princess has passed, this marriage prospect is unlikely to succeed.

If it had been decided earlier, the male side, whether considering righteousness or profit, might also not mind waiting another three years.

But if it wasn't decided, everything remains unknown.

On the last day of incense offering, Princess Consort of Qi, thinking about Su Ninglan, couldn't help but sigh.

Prince Qi these past few days has also been tossed about enough to be vexing; his body wasn't well rested to begin with, and after these days he looks exhausted and frightening to see.

He sat there listlessly; hearing the Princess Consort sigh, Prince Qi said in a hoarse voice: "Don't sigh; when the boat reaches the bridge it will straighten itself—there's nothing to worry about."

Obviously, Prince Qi also thought about the marriages of his aunt's children at the Residence.

However, with wealth and status, there's actually no need to worry so much about the marriage.

Three years later, Su Ninglan was only nineteen.

In Jing Cheng, it's not that there are no cases of older unmarried ladies going out.

Among the clans, there is more than one family that insists on making the daughter wait until she is twenty before letting her go out.

It's merely to let the daughter's family enjoy two more years of blessing at the Residence.

Moreover, with wealth and status, confidence is ample; at worst, picking conditions isn't such a lofty low marriage—it's fine.

The Princess Consort of Qi also understands this reasoning; however, projecting from the situation to herself, it's natural that she inevitably thinks a bit more.

Although the Grand Princess is merely their aunt, her status is noble after all, so they must also consider her opinion somewhat regarding the marriage matters at their Residence.

Thinking of these, Princess Consort of Qi let out a soft sigh: "I was originally worried that, being so far from West Prefecture, the marriage talks with the Wen family would take some time to settle, but now it looks like it's actually a fortunate mix‑up."

The distance makes communication between the two sides not particularly convenient.

Sometimes it takes over a month for letters to reach each other.

As for the marriage negotiations, they're still stuck at ……

The Qi Wang Fu side has already conveyed the marriage proposal to the Wen family and is still waiting for their reply.

If the Wen family agrees, although Prince Qi and the Princess Consort cannot go to West Prefecture themselves to propose, Prince Qing has already consented; when the time comes he will send a trusted chief commander to handle the betrothal, ensuring the Wen family is given proper respect.

On the Jing Cheng side, there will certainly be a show as well; the Princess Consort of Qi will surely arrange the welcoming procession to be especially grand and lively.

This is the future consort of the heir of Qi Wang Fu, the future lady of the house; giving her due face will let people see how much Qi Wang Fu values her.

This will also have a significant impact on the Wen daughter's future standing in the Wangfu.

The couple spoke softly about Feng Xuanze's marriage, while Sui Sui nestled in Mother Consort's arms, sleeping soundly.

The little one, constantly being bothered, couldn't take it anymore; Princess Consort of Qi felt sorry for Sui Sui, so she got onto the carriage, held her in her arms, and coaxed her to sleep.

Feng Xuanrui and the others are still full of energy; right now they're out riding horses with Prince Qing.

As they rode, a sudden urgent call came from ahead: "Emergency report from Xi Bei Bian Guan—make way quickly!"