Xu Siyu woke up to find everyone in the compound dressed in somber colors, the faces of the many maidservants etched with sorrow. Her sisters-in-law and younger sisters-in-law looked at her with expressions full of unspoken words.
Judging from their demeanor, Xu Siyu knew that "Chu Yi" had died. She was saddened, but only a little.
She pretended to be grief-stricken, shutting herself in her room and refusing to see anyone.
Xiao Tianlang had put aside all official duties and was standing outside her door. The rain the previous night had been heavy, beating the begonia blossoms in the courtyard to the ground, the leaves falling with them.
The maids swept carefully, not daring to make a single extra sound.
Listening to the faint, intermittent sound of his wife's weeping from inside the room, Xiao Tianlang's mood also sank, his mind drifting back to the scene at court that morning.
The lofty emperor, as if he hadn't slept all night, sat upon the high dais, his gaze upon the assembled civil and military officials tinged with grief.
When speaking of Chu Yi's death, he had even shed tears.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he had been deeply in love with her. Especially Grand Princess Zhaoyang, who had emerged from the palace weeping. Upon seeing acquaintances, she cried about how she had no choice, how her grief over losing her child had driven her to want to teach Chu Yi a lesson.
Her lament spread through the imperial city in an extremely short time, leaving people at a loss for how to even praise such a performance.
In private, however, everyone was talking. The emperor and Grand Princess Zhaoyang putting on this show was nothing but the crocodile tears of a cat crying over a dead mouse.
Especially Grand Princess Zhaoyang. To put it crudely, it was like a prostitute trying to erect a monument to her own chastity.
Did she have no idea why the child she was carrying miscarried? What right did she have to blame all the fault on Chu Yi?
The reason she pressed Chu Yi underfoot, trampled on her so ruthlessly, was surely because the emperor had offered her a condition she couldn't refuse, wasn't it?
She and the emperor had plotted everything. They wanted to drag Chu Yi down from the cloud of universal admiration, and then appear like saviors, subsequently and logically taking the moon from the sky into their embrace, just like the princess consort of years past.
These two siblings had pulled this trick many times before. They had calculated everything, except that Chu Yi would die in the prison cell.
Now the brother and sister were scared too. So, the Grand Princess entered the palace overnight to confer with Lin Zongxi. This led to this morning's scene: the emperor shedding tears for Chu Yi's death in court, and Grand Princess Zhaoyang emerging from the palace in tears.
To quell the people's anger, they even had to fabricate excuses that even they themselves found unconvincing to placate the masses.
The Grand Princess's words in particular were practically self-contradictory.
In her room, Xu Siyu thought of all the sad things from before and after her transmigration, of her parents from her previous life. She successfully cried until her eyes were red and swollen.
Seeing that it was about enough, she walked out of her room. Opening the door and seeing Xiao Tianlang waiting outside, she asked with a cold face.
"Has Fu Yanchen not arrived yet?" From Chu Yi's imprisonment to her death today, a total of half a month had passed.
Even if ancient information networks were advanced, given Fu Yanchen's current power and status, it was impossible for him to know nothing. Half a month was more than enough time for him to return.
"The news I received is that he arrived outside the city last night. Early this morning, he disguised himself and went to the imperial prison. If nothing went wrong, he should have retrieved Chu Yi by now."
Xu Siyu nodded. "I want to go see her."
"Alright." Outside, a continuous drizzle fell. Xiao Tianlang carefully supported Xu Siyu as they headed out. His servant had already had a carriage prepared and waiting at the gate.
They made their way towards the Grand General's residence. White funeral banners were already hung outside, and the servants receiving guests were dressed in mourning hemp and filial piety garments.
All around them, carriages were heading in the same direction. Lifting the carriage curtain to look out, she saw on both sides of the road many women who had braved the rain to come out.
Xu Siyu saw many familiar faces—people she and Chu Yi had treated together.
Looking at the carriages passing by hers, they all bore the insignias of various noble families' female members.
Xu Siyu's eyes grew hot. She had never been particularly career-driven, nor did she have any great passion for the medical profession. She had even chosen to study medicine under her parents' strong insistence.
After transmigrating, and upon confirming she truly couldn't return, she had accepted Xiao Tianlang's proposal. The Xiao family held no prejudice regarding social status, and their union had never faced any obstacles.
She understood Chu Yi's insistence on practicing medicine, she respected it, and she had done her best to protect her. But it still hadn't been enough. She had originally thought Grand Princess Zhaoyang would be their friend, their backer. It wasn't until she discovered it was the Grand Princess who had Chu Yi imprisoned that she was jolted awake.
How could members of the imperial family possess genuine feelings? They had considered the Grand Princess a friend, but she had only seen them as insignificant playthings.
When such playthings could no longer provide value, they would be mercilessly discarded.
"We're here." Xiao Tianlang's voice was as gentle and warm as ever.
Xu Siyu took his hand and stepped down. Only after alighting did she realize her sisters-in-law had all arrived.
The Grand General's residence had already set up a mourning hall. Grand General Fu Yanchen stood inside, receiving the condolences of arriving guests in the capacity of the bereaved.
Looking around, among the coming and going guests, female guests were numerous, with the family members of civil and military court officials making up the majority.
Of the small minority not present, some were those who had pleaded for Chu Yi the day before yesterday and had been dismissed from their posts or exiled. The rest were die-hard loyalists of the Lin imperial family.
Grand Princess Zhaoyang had also come. She wore plain-colored robes, her eyes red and swollen, her face free of makeup.
She was thirty-five now—in an era where one could marry at fifteen, she was of an age to be a grandmother.
Her figure was slender and graceful, her movements carrying an air of delicate fragility. Supporting her was a handsome young man in his twenties.
That was Grand Princess Zhaoyang's favored male companion, taken into her household just last year. Before that, the Grand Princess and her consort had been an inseparable, loving couple.
With her arrival, the scene fell silent. Following behind them were several matrons, one of whom held a child of over three years old.
That was the only son of Grand Princess Zhaoyang and her consort, conceived with difficulty and born with even greater hardship. One would have thought this child would bring the Grand Princess and her consort even closer.
Unexpectedly, after only about two years, the Grand Princess had taken a male companion, and the consort had returned to his own family, focusing on raising the child from his previous marriage.
It was truly lamentable.
She walked up to Xu Siyu and reached out to take her hand, but Xu Siyu took a step back and bowed respectfully to her.
"Your subject's wife pays respects to Grand Princess Zhaoyang. I wish the Grand Princess a peaceful day."
The sorrow on Grand Princess Zhaoyang's face stiffened for an instant, and her gaze towards Xu Siyu turned sharp in a flash.
Xu Siyu felt it. Her posture remained unchanged, but inwardly, she sneered. Back then, to repay Xu Siyu and Chu Yi, the Grand Princess had said many times that they should regard her as an elder sister.
She had even feigned anger over it half-seriously several times. They, being naive, had actually followed her wishes.
Only now did Xu Siyu come to her senses. What sisterhood? It was nothing more than a scheme by those in high positions to bestow a little favor upon useful people.
Grand Princess Zhaoyang's fingernails, holding her handkerchief, dug in slightly. Then, covering her face with the kerchief, she walked towards the mourning hall.
She stood before the coffin, weeping piteously. Every word she uttered and repeated was nothing but excuses for herself.
Her favored male attendant knelt before Chu Yi's coffin, kowtowing incessantly.
The mourners watched their performance. Those farther from the hall had already begun discussing it. Xu Siyu listened quietly; most were expressing indignation on Chu Yi's behalf.
Xu Siyu looked at Fu Yanchen standing in the mourning hall, his face like still water, observing his loosely clenched hand at his side and the suppressed fury in his eyes.
She rotated the ring on her finger, took a video of the mourning hall and the coming and going guests, and sent it to the group chat, tagging Chu Yi.
[Ancient Female Doctor Xu Siyu: Look, the one who caused you so much suffering is now repenting before your coffin. All the people you once helped are here to witness this moment. Do you regret it, Chu Yi?]
Chu Yi looked at Xu Siyu's message and replied in the group: [No regrets. A doctor's duty is to heal and save. I did what was within my responsibility. It's just that if there is a next time, I won't be so unreservedly open with others anymore.]
Chu Yi had reflected on it. The reason Grand Princess Zhaoyang had been able to harm her so badly was precisely because she had trusted her too much, taken on all her burdens, and hadn't guarded against her in the slightest.
Lin Xi watched the messages in the group without speaking. Xu Huanhuan and others chimed in to chat.
Lin Xi brought the cooked rice noodles to the dining table and called her over to eat.
She took the opportunity to inquire about Emperor Lin. For some reason, she always felt Emperor Lin had a deep connection to her.
Chu Yi picked up her chopsticks and walked out. Hearing Lin Xi's question, she said, "After Xu Siyu and I traveled to this era, we discovered that certain aspects of this time are remarkably advanced."
"For example, the methods for producing cement, glass, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and various fertilizers."
"And also the elevated status of merchants and the improved status of women. You might not believe it, but ten years ago, among the high-ranking ministers at court, there were even two women."
"Let's not discuss the status of merchants and female officials for now. But those agricultural and technological things simply shouldn't appear in this era. You have to understand, this dynasty is roughly equivalent to our Sui Dynasty! Crops like sweet potatoes absolutely could not exist in this time and space!"
"Curious about these things, Siyu and I began studying this dynasty's history. Then we discovered that Emperor Lin, the previous emperor of the Jin Dynasty, was very likely a time-traveler."
"He lived to be 108 years old and reigned for over eighty years. Before participating in the struggle for the throne, he was utterly mediocre. Then one day, he suddenly became brilliantly talented. After ascending the throne, he also governed the country with great order, implementing many policies that belonged to later eras."
"Moreover, he never married or had children in his entire life. Some unofficial histories say the reason he never married or had offspring was because he had a wife and daughter lost somewhere, and because he couldn't find them, he remained faithful to them his whole life."
Lin Xi took a sip of water. Hearing this, she was about eighty percent certain that Emperor Lin was her father.
She asked, "Was his name Lin Zhongxun?"
Chu Yi was slightly taken aback and looked up at her. "How did you know?"
Lin Xi lowered her gaze to the rice noodles in her bowl. "You might not believe it, but he might be my dad. Did he leave anything behind?"
Chu Yi's eyes widened, finding it a bit hard to imagine. She had many questions too, but they died on her lips.
Her friendship with Lin Xi was shallow; some things really weren't appropriate to ask, nor could she ask.
She said, "Yes. In front of his mausoleum, there's a checkpoint. At the checkpoint, there's a box. It's said that if you can open that box, you can obtain all the treasures left behind by the Lin imperial family."
"Over the years, countless people have gone to the checkpoint trying to open the box, but so far, no one has succeeded. Siyu and I went out of curiosity too, and returned empty-handed."
"We couldn't even identify what material the box was made of. It's a perfect cube, very small. It looks like stainless steel, but touching it you know stainless steel has nothing to do with it. The entire box has not a single seam. You can't see what's inside, and you can't lift it."
"People have tried smashing it with hammers, soaking it in water, burning it with fire, but not a single mark is left on that box."
Recalling this, Chu Yi's face was full of curiosity. She desperately wanted to know what that material was. She thought how incredibly useful that stuff would be if made into surgical scalpels!
Lin Xi thought of the box she had seen in the Mary Sue world and took a deep breath.
"Chu Yi, can you take me to see that box?"
"Of course! Let's go after we finish eating!"
