NOVEL NEXT Chapter 136 - 135: Better than a King_1
Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Better than a King_1
Bai Jinxiu, overwhelmed with grief, pointed at the plaque with black lacquer and gold letters: “They are the true sons of the Bai family! From the moment they were enlightened, born into the Duke of Zhen’s mansion, they knew the responsibility and duty of being children of the Bai family! Even though our ancestors achieved great deeds, not one of them relied on that glory to live comfortably in the prosperous Dadu. They all chose to rush to battlefields full of deadly dangers to sacrifice themselves to protect the people! They are the truly iron-blooded sons of the Bai family!”
After she spoke, Bai Jinxiu knelt before the Eldest Princess, bowing her head to the ground: “Grandmother! Even if the Bai family must relinquish its title, we must never let these despised, cowardly scoundrels disgrace the name of Zhen! After the funeral of our Bai family heroes today, I ask you to enter the palace and request the relinquishment of our title, so that these inhumane, unjust beings who are worse than beasts can’t tarnish our family’s name!”
The Eldest Princess slowly nodded.
Bai Qingxuan widened his eyes in disbelief: “You can’t do this! Are you all mad? Requesting to relinquish the title… do you not care about the hundred-year glory of the Bai family?!”
“The hundred-year glory of the Bai family is because we have sacrificed our lives for the people for generations! You… you are not worthy!” Bai Qingyan’s words were resolute, “Uncle Ping! Bind this illegitimate son and deal with him after our loyal and brave family members are buried!”
Miss Bai’s words about hundred-year glory, sacrificing lives for the people, made the people’s cries even more intense…
The Eldest Princess’s voice was slow: “Your grandfather’s funeral procession… cannot proceed without someone smashing the mourning bowl. Let this beast… smash the mourning bowl. After the matters are settled, Grandmother will hand him over to Kid for disposal, is that alright?”
“This inhumane, unjust, disloyal, and unfilial dog! What qualifications does he have to smash the mourning bowl for my grandfather?! Is it that there are no more descendants of the Bai family?!” Bai Jinzhi, raging with anger, kicked Bai Qingxuan in the chest, sending him to the ground. “Letting the one who forced our benefactor’s wife to death smash the mourning bowl, I fear my grandfather and uncle will not rest in peace!”
The funeral procession of the Bai family seemed ready, but suddenly, chaos erupted.
“I will smash the mourning bowl for the Bai family heroes! Since ancient times, women were not allowed to smash the mourning bowl because they feared women would marry into other families. I, Bai Qingyan, swear before my grandfather and father today, I will live as a Bai family descendant and die as a Bai family spirit, and I will never marry! Grandmother, now… do I have the qualification to smash this mourning bowl?!”
“I will smash it with my elder sister! Bai Jintong vows to become a woman who can support the Bai family, and in this lifetime… never marry into another family!” Bai Jintong added.
The Eldest Princess looked at Bai Qingyan and Bai Jintong. Bai Jinzhi, eager to swear as well, stepped forward and nodded: “You sisters will smash it together!”
Bai Jinxiu, already married, stood aside. Bai Qingyan, Bai Jintong, and Bai Jinzhi held the mourning bowl.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤօ.ᴄᴑ
From outside, the soldiers in military attire, led by Dong Qingyue, entered through the side door, replacing the Bai family’s guards standing by the coffins.
Other soldiers stood by the doorways of the Duke’s mansion, patiently waiting in the swirling snow for the mourning bowl to be smashed and the coffins to be lifted.
“The more pieces the mourning bowl is smashed into, the better. We sisters must united in heart to ensure our grandfather, father, and all our uncles and brothers depart well!” She looked at her two sisters.
One, two, three, after the shout, the three sisters smashed the mourning bowl together.
Dong Qingyue gritted his teeth and shouted: “Lift the coffins!”
“Lift the coffins…”
“Lift the coffins…”
The soldiers’ deep voices followed one after another, loud as thunder. The coffins were lifted one by one from the ground and carried out of the Duke’s mansion.
The Eldest Princess, holding the tiger head cane, stood at the main door, watching the soldiers in military attire carrying the coffins of the Bai family heroes on their shoulders.
The soldiers in armor, holding longswords, spontaneously guarded the coffins of Bai Weiting and other Bai family members on both sides.
The long street was filled with citizens carrying lanterns in mourning. Wherever the coffins passed, the citizens knelt, chanting, “Farewell to the King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and all the young generals,” their genuine tears of sorrow deeply moving.
Mrs. Liu cried so hard she could not stand, supported by Nanny Luo and Bai Jinxiu, standing behind the Eldest Princess.
Mrs. Li held Bai Jinzhi despairingly and sobbed uncontrollably, tears falling like rain.
The Eldest Princess had never witnessed such a funeral in her entire life.
The snow was heavy, and so were the funeral papers, covering everything in white, making it hard to see the road ahead. Yet, the mournful cries guided the way…
She did not know if the Emperor, deep in the palace, heard the heart-wrenching cries of the citizens of Dadu City. If he had heard… she did not know what he thought, or if he regretted that his suspicion had caused the loss of the Bai family’s loyalty.
“Eldest Princess…” Steward Hao stepped forward and called softly.
The Eldest Princess’s gaze fell on the Bai family guards, ready to depart, taking a deep breath of the winter chill and spoke: “Let’s go!”
Bai Qingyan turned to Nanny Tong: “The affairs of the mansion are entrusted to Nanny Qin and Nanny Tong!”
Nanny Qin and Nanny Tong, with red eyes, bowed in acknowledgment.
Bai Qingyan followed beside her mother, Mrs. Dong, down the high steps of the Duke of Zhen’s mansion. Her gaze unintentionally met Xiao Rongyan’s profound and unfathomable eyes.
Through the falling snow, she slightly nodded to Xiao Rongyan, thanking him for coming to send off the Bai family heroes.
Xiao Rongyan also nodded in return.
The Eldest Princess led first, with the Bai family widows, followed the coffins in the heavy snow, walking towards the cemetery. She never waited for Kid to join her.
Xiao Rongyan, with only one guard and two horses, led the reins and followed the funeral procession at a slow pace. He saw the citizens kneeling on both sides of the long street rise and follow at a distance behind the Bai family guard, carrying lanterns and supporting each other, filled with deep emotions.
He had never seen a funeral like this in his lifetime. It was not for a king… but greater than a king.
The funeral procession exited from the south gate of Dadu City.
The south gate guard stood on the high wall, watching the long street filled with citizens carrying lanterns on both sides in the dark, snowy night, the warm lanterns illuminating the more than twenty coffins, making them exceptionally notable in the darkness.
Affected by the overwhelming cries of the citizens, the guard’s emotions surged, and tears flowed.
Holding the sword at his waist, he led the gate soldiers down the wall, ordering the resting soldiers in the barracks to be called out.
Seeing the line of coffins slowly approaching, the guard and the hundreds of gate soldiers outside the city gate kneeled on one knee, hitting their chests with their fists in salute.
“Farewell to the King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and all the generals!”
Hundreds of soldiers performed the actions in unison, their powerful voices echoing as one, with the vigor of a battlefield.
The journey was long, finally arriving as dawn broke.
Burial, covering with soil, bowing…
Bai Qingyan stood before the tombstone, tears streaming as she watched each coffin disappear from view, heartbroken.
From now on, the world would no longer have the righteous and heroic Duke of Zhen, nor… the seventeen sons of the Bai family who were remarkable in Dadu.