Xiao Yongjia completely ignored them, leading Song Jinzhao directly to the courtyard where Dowager Duchess Chu resided.
A familiar scene unfolded once again, identical to the time when the Duke of Zhenguo had his accident.
The servants in the courtyard kept their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound, while the Chu family members crowded the main room inside.
"Princess Yongjia and County Princess Linghui have arrived!"
At the guide's loud announcement, everyone turned their heads simultaneously. Upon recognizing the arrivals, they successively knelt to pay their respects.
"Greetings to Princess Yongjia."
Upon seeing Song Jinzhao, the Duke of Zhenguo, whose injuries had yet to fully heal, rushed out of the room. "County Princess, I beg of you, please save my mother."
Stepping into the inner chamber, Imperial Physician Xu, who was standing by the bed, made way and silently gave Song Jinzhao a meaningful look.
If it were an illness, he believed Song Jinzhao could cure it. However, Dowager Duchess Chu was simply of advanced age; her body and spirit had reached their natural limits. She was naturally passing away, and there was no medical cure for that.
Lying on the bed, Dowager Duchess Chu's eyes were mere slits. Her hair was white, and the hand exposed outside the quilt was so pale it was almost transparent. A clear jade bracelet hung loosely on her shriveled wrist, making it look even thinner. The veins bulged beneath her skin, resembling withered, desiccated wood.
Her vital energy was dissipating, and the balance of yin and yang was on the verge of collapsing.
It was the pulse of a lamp running out of oil; her life was slowly fading away.
Song Jinzhao stood up and looked at the Duke and Duchess of Zhenguo, as well as Chu Liuyun. Stepping out of the inner chamber, she shook her head and said, "The Dowager Duchess is of advanced age. Having experienced such profound grief, she has reached the end of her life. It will likely happen today or tomorrow. Please prepare yourselves for the loss."
The Duke of Zhenguo's pupils dilated in shock. Unable to accept it, he froze in place, his hands hanging by his sides unconsciously clenching into fists.
After a wave of sorrow, the Chu family members entered the inner chamber to kneel by the bed and accompany her, while outsiders retreated from the room to wait in the courtyard.
Through the window, Xiao Yongjia saw a tear slip down Chu Liuyun's cheek. She looked at Song Jinzhao with heartache.
"Is there truly no way at all? When I came over during the Lantern Festival, the Dowager Duchess still looked perfectly fine."
Song Jinzhao said with a calm expression, "Birth, aging, illness, and death are the normal course of human life; no one can avoid them. I am not a deity, and I possess no elixir of immortality."
That evening, paper money was hung before the gates of the Zhenguo Duke's estate. The news of Dowager Duchess Chu's passing spread rapidly in a very short amount of time.
The next day, before the morning court session even began, the Duke of Zhenguo's memorial requesting a leave of absence for mourning was presented to the Emperor by the Ministry of Personnel.
Xiao Chengjing stared at the heart-wrenching words of absolute grief on the memorial, the blurred strokes faintly smudged by tears.
He set the memorial down and gazed out at the empty space ahead.
"Draft a decree."
Everyone in the room instantly dropped to their knees.
"I have heard of Dowager Duchess Chu's passing and feel profound sorrow. I posthumously bestow upon her the title of Dowager Madame Zhuangjing. The Ministry of Rites is to immediately draft the official edict."
"Dispatch the Minister of Personnel, Dongfang Shaoting, and the Director of Ceremonial, Eunuch Zhuo Yan, to go to the Zhenguo Duke's estate to offer sacrifices on My behalf."
By the time the imperial decree arrived at the Zhenguo Duke's estate, the interior was already awash in white mourning garb.
Kneeling on the ground, Chu Liuyun was clad in coarse hemp mourning clothes.
The Duke of Zhenguo, his injuries still unhealed, knelt at the very front of the mourning hall with a hunched back. His lifeless eyes stared at the spirit tablet placed in the hall, his eye sockets swollen like spheres.
Dongfang Shaoting unrolled the imperial decree and began to read, his tone heavy and his voice drawn out.
After the reading was finished, the Duke of Zhenguo raised his hands above his head and, face devoid of expression, knocked his forehead heavily against the ground.
"This subject thanks His Majesty for his immense grace."
Looking at the Duke of Zhenguo, who seemed to have aged significantly all at once, Dongfang Shaoting could not help but offer words of comfort. "The Dowager Duchess has passed. I pray the Duke restrains his grief."
With the Duke of Zhenguo losing his mother and the Emperor personally bestowing a posthumous title, mourners came in an endless stream throughout the entire day.
From minor ninth-rank officials of the capital to the first-rank Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, they all brought their families to offer their condolences.
Following behind Song Jinzhao, Song Qiming bowed and offered incense to the mourning hall. His gaze swept over the coffin resting in the room, and he could not help but think of his parents buried in their hometown.
He missed them a little.
"His Highness, the Prince of Qi, has arrived."
"His Highness, the Prince of Ying, has arrived."
The crowd turned and bowed. "Greetings to His Highness, the Prince of Qi. Greetings to His Highness, the Prince of Ying."
A pair of black satin boots embroidered with gold trim stopped before the Duke of Zhenguo.
Xiao Rongyan supported the Duke's arm and comforted him earnestly, "Please, Duke of Zhenguo, restrain your grief."
From the corner of his eye, Chu Liuyun caught the deliberately feigned sorrow on Xiao Rongyan's face. He could not help but clench his jaw, a dark gleam flashing in his eyes.
If it were not for him causing his father to be severely injured, his grandmother would not have suffered such a tragic bout of grief.
The instigator coming here now to put on a hypocritical act was simply disgusting.
Seeing that many courtiers crowded around to flatter the two princes after they finished their sacrifices, Song Jinzhao silently took Song Qiming and turned to leave.
Nowadays, the eyes of the court officials were entirely fixed on the two princes. It was unknown how things would change once the new prince was born.
Before the funeral arrangements at the Zhenguo Duke's estate were even finished, the metropolitan examination arrived.
The day before the examination, Ye Liangyu specifically called Song Qiming to his residence for a solemn word of advice.
"Relax, and do not be nervous. You are still young, so do not put too much pressure on yourself."
He reached out and gently patted Song Qiming's shoulder. "Do your best. I believe you will definitely rank among the top."
Song Qiming bowed with his hands clasped, brimming with confidence. "Rest assured, Teacher. Your student will certainly pass."
In the mock metropolitan examinations at the Imperial College, Song Qiming's scores had consistently ranked in the top three. He had the confidence to pass.
At three quarters past the hour of Mao, the sky was still dark, but the entrance to the examination compound was already packed with a massive crowd.
With several thousand candidates, along with the pageboys and relatives who came to see them off, the hard stone pavement had literally been trampled into forming several cracks.
A ring of massive lanterns hung around the entrance of the examination compound, their combined length spanning hundreds of zhang.
The candlelight illuminated face after face filled with a thirst for success, intertwining calmness and urgency, painting a picture of candidates rushing to the winter examination compound.
Song Qiming gathered his thick cotton coat tighter around himself. Facing the expectant gazes of his older and younger sisters, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister. The metropolitan examination won't stump me."
Song Jinzhao glanced at the examination compound gates that were currently being opened and gave Song Qiming a gentle nod.
"Your sister has faith in you."
Gifted, capable of enduring hardship, and possessing strong self-discipline—ever since Song Qiming entered the private academy to study, his academic progress had never given Song Jinzhao cause for worry.
As the examination compound gates were fully opened, armored guards holding weapons stood in formation at the entrance.
An elderly man dressed in a scarlet official robe stepped out from within the gates, his sharp gaze sweeping over the thousands of candidates present.
"By imperial decree, the Dragon Gate is opened. Students, heed your orders: First, verify your identities; Second, undergo a full body search; Third, collect your examination papers; Fourth, proceed to your respective examination cells."
"Anyone found smuggling hidden materials, making loud noises, or colluding will be stripped of their scholarly honors at best, or imprisoned and exiled at worst. I expect you all to conduct yourselves accordingly."
As the elderly man stepped back, an armored guard wielding a weapon raised his voice to the sky and shouted, "Body searches commence! Form a line!"
The tightly packed line, chest-to-back, began to slowly inch forward. Song Qiming turned his head and waved to Song Jinzhao.
Waiting until his figure had completely disappeared, Song Jinzhao reached out to brush the dewdrops from Song Shixue's hair. "Let's return home. We will come back in three days."
The metropolitan examination was divided into three sessions. Each session required staying inside for three days, and one could only come out once the session concluded.
Song Shixue nodded obediently and followed Song Jinzhao onto the carriage.
