Before dawn broke, the entire capital was placed under martial law.
The death knell rang from within the palace, proclaiming to the world that the Emperor had passed away.
Over at the An Residence, A Mei received the imperial decree at An Gui's signaling.
She gave the messenger a reward and saw him off.
A Mei looked at An Gui with a helpless expression. "Godfather, this... asking me to go to the palace for the ceremonial wailing... I, I won't even be able to cry."
An Gui nodded calmly, giving an irrelevant answer: "These officials from the Ministry of Rites are quite perceptive. Even I had forgotten about your status as a titled lady."
Hearing her godfather say this, A Mei looked confused. Before she could open her mouth, An Gui continued.
"This ceremonial wailing is just a formality. An Sheng is a third-rank official, so according to the order, you will be somewhere in the middle. Just do whatever the others do, and you won't go wrong."
A Mei furrowed her brows and gave a sound of agreement. She knew very well that since it was an imperial decree, she definitely had to go.
At the entrance, Wu Da had already prepared the carriage. A Mei put on the specially made mourning clothes, removed all her jewelry, tidied herself up, and got into the carriage.
Just as they were about to reach the palace, they were stopped by Xiao Zhengzi, who had hurried out from the palace.
Xiao Zhengzi handed a sizable bundle to A Mei.
"Madam, His Excellency already knows that you are coming to the palace for the ceremonial wailing. He specifically instructed me to give this to you. His Excellency said that this wailing will last for three consecutive days, and the late autumn ground is freezing. You must take good care of your health."
A Mei opened the bundle. Inside was a set of close-fitting clothes lined with thin cotton, as well as a pair of cotton knee pads with straps.
Seeing the Madam's gaze fall upon the cotton pads, Xiao Zhengzi hurriedly explained, "His Excellency wants you to tie these pads around your knees. Otherwise, kneeling for too long will be unbearable for them."
A Mei felt a surge of warmth in her heart. The thought that her husband still worried about her so much despite being so busy made her feel both moved and sweet. The slight panic and timidity she had felt before coming vanished in an instant.
She nodded at Xiao Zhengzi. "Alright, go back and tell my husband that I will take good care of myself and tell him not to worry."
"Yes, Madam."
A Mei properly dressed herself again inside the carriage.
Once she entered the palace, there were dedicated female officials to receive her.
A Mei followed the female official into the mourning hall. All she could see was white, and all she could hear were the sounds of sorrowful wailing.
A Mei had rubbed her eyes vigorously before getting out of the carriage, so they were currently red and swollen. Now, under the cover of her long sleeves, she pinched her own thigh hard, finally bringing tears to her eyes.
Guided by the female official, A Mei knelt at her designated spot. Although she didn't wail loudly, she sobbed softly.
It was already late autumn, and the weather in the capital was getting colder. Kneeling on that hard, freezing ground, A Mei forced herself to stay alert, doing whatever the female official instructed, following the people in front of her to stand, kneel, and cry. After a whole day, let alone those pampered and older titled ladies, even the young A Mei felt it was a bit too much to bear.
But even if it was unbearable, she had to endure it!
Fortunately, this ceremonial wailing wasn't completely unreasonable; it still gave these titled ladies time to eat and rest.
On the second day, at some unknown hour, attendants came to help everyone to the side hall to rest and eat.
Everyone looked exhausted, but the atmosphere was livelier than the day before. With this liveliness, more eyes began to fall upon A Mei.
There were only so many titled ladies in the capital. Those who could receive such a title were all heads of their households and principal wives of officials. Not only were they older, but they mostly knew each other. For an unfamiliar face to suddenly appear among them—especially one who looked so incredibly young—made it truly hard not to notice her.
A Mei was somewhat tired and sleepy. Although her knees were uncomfortable, thankfully she had the soft pads, so it wasn't unbearable. She sat down casually in a spot and was taking small sips of plain porridge.
At this moment, the voice of a middle-aged woman came from beside her.
"Ah, this little... little Madam, I am the wife of Lord Zheng from the Ministry of Revenue. You look a bit unfamiliar. May I ask which Lord's household you are from?"
A Mei looked up and saw a slightly plump middle-aged woman with a wealthy appearance. Her gaze was calm, and seeing A Mei look at her, she smiled slightly, her eyes indeed showing curiosity.
A Mei blinked, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and without showing any timidity, gave the woman a slightly shy smile. "Madam Zheng, my husband's surname is An. He holds the position of Commander of the Inner Depot."
A Mei's voice was not loud, and it was a bit hoarse from the two days of wailing, but it was clear enough for the titled ladies paying attention to hear. As soon as these words came out, the entire side hall fell silent for a moment.
Everyone unconsciously thought: Inner Depot, Commander, Eunuch An...
Eunuchs taking wives had precedents in past dynasties, but for one to actually appear on such an occasion was extremely rare.
Those present were all worldly principal wives. After the brief silence, their expressions returned to normal. Madam Zheng was surprised for a moment, then smiled as a greeting, "Oh, so it's Madam An."
Since the conversation had started, the two exchanged a few casual pleasantries, but only a few, before the female official in charge of the ceremony came over to call them again.
When the three days of ceremonial wailing ended, A Mei was practically carried onto the carriage.
After returning to the residence, An Gui specifically instructed the servants to apply hot compresses and medicine to A Mei's knees. A Mei was truly exhausted from these past few days. After the medicine was applied, she fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, while A Mei was sleeping soundly, she hazily felt her legs and feet get cold, as if someone had lifted the blanket covering them.
A Mei groggily opened her eyes and saw a dark silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her, his head lowered as he looked down.
A Mei jolted awake and called out uncertainly, "Husband?"
"Yes, it's me." The figure turned around, revealing An Sheng's facial contours.
A Mei was pleasantly surprised and wanted to sit up. Just as she moved, An Sheng's large hand gently pressed her back down. A Mei had no choice but to lie there, her two small hands tightly grasping An Sheng's large hand. She looked at him with playful reproach and whined softly, "Husband didn't even wake A Mei up when you came back."
An Sheng took the opportunity to hold A Mei's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. His deep gaze fell upon A Mei's moist, bright eyes, and he spoke softly, "I just got back too. You've suffered these past three days."
"Do your knees still hurt?"
A Mei felt a bit shy from the kiss and shook her head with a blushing face. "They feel much better after applying the medicine, just a little swollen. These past few days, aside from the discomfort of kneeling, it really wasn't that tiring. Many of those who attended the mourning were elderly, and they all made it through just the same. A Mei is young and strong; if I complained about being tired, I would be laughed at."
After A Mei finished speaking, she finally noticed that her husband was still wearing his outer robe, revealing the collar of his official uniform underneath. Seeing his exhausted face and travel-worn appearance, her heart immediately ached for him. "Husband, what time is it? Let A Mei help you change your clothes so you can rest."
An Sheng's large hand gently caressed A Mei's hand. "I still have matters to attend to in the palace and will be leaving shortly. I just couldn't stop thinking about you, so I found some time to come back and see you."
As soon as he said this, A Mei somehow felt a sourness in her nose, and the rims of her eyes turned faintly red. Their eyes met, and A Mei finally couldn't help but say, "Husband is the one who has truly suffered."
Ansheng remained silent, then suddenly reached out and carefully gathered A Mei into his arms.
Wrapped in that familiar embrace, A Mei felt an even stronger urge to cry. She fought back her tears, but her words still tumbled out a bit incoherently: "Actually, I wasn't feeling sad at first. But the moment I saw you, my husband, I felt miserable all over. And then, thinking about how hard you have to work, my heart aches even more."
Ansheng did not say a word. He just held A Mei tightly for a long moment before finally letting go.
"Be good, I have to go back to work now."
A Mei's heart was filled with endless reluctance, but outwardly, she gave a crisp nod. "Mhm, hurry back then. You must take good care of yourself. No matter how busy you get, please do not forget to eat."
"Alright, I will listen to A Mei."
