After being dressed as Wu Zetian's daughter, she was favored by the group

On the other side, Li Lingyue took Gong Er out of Luoyang Palace in a car.

Because Empress Wu summoned Governor Wen at short notice, Li Lingyue asked Gong'er to go and say nothing to Eunuch Yang, while he went to pay homage to his grandmother first.

The carriage stopped at the gate of Wu's Mansion. Li Lingyue, who had changed into mourning clothes, got out of the car and saw that the door of Wu's house was covered with white mourning flags. There were more than a dozen wheelbarrows carrying goods parked at the door. People were coming in and out, carrying things inside one after another.

Yao Yuan, the steward of the Wu family, and his accounting clerk were taking inventory of some funeral utensils. Seeing the sudden arrival of the princess, Yao Yuan was a little surprised, so he hurriedly stepped forward to greet her:
"I didn't know that the princess was coming back, so I didn't go far to welcome her. Please atone for your sins!"

Li Lingyue didn't wait for Yao Yuan to kneel down, raised her arms and said, "Uncle Yao, there's no need to be polite, take me to the mourning hall quickly!"

"Princess, please follow me!" Yao Yuan made an invitation gesture and led Li Lingyue and Gong'er into the courtyard.

After Empress Wu was named Zhaoyi, she ordered people to build a house in Luoyang for Mrs. Yang of Rongguo. When Wu Shun was still alive, they had moved in together. The men of the Wu family were either beheaded or exiled. The population was declining, and the Wu Mansion in Luoyang City was the private residence of Empress Wu and her mother, not the property of the Wu clan.

Whenever Li Lingyue visited Luoyang when she was a child, she always lived in this house. She was extremely familiar with every plant and tree inside. Thinking of her childhood time with Yang, Li Lingyue was filled with sadness. With Gong'er's help, she , walked into the main hall with heavy steps.

In the original reception hall, all the furniture had been cleared out, and various flags and cloths were hung all over the room. A large Eight Immortals table was placed in the center of the mourning hall, and Yang's memorial tablet was placed on the altar. There were two burners under the altar. A paper money brazier and a dozen Buddhist monks sat cross-legged on futons outside the mourning hall, chanting the Diamond Sutra over and over again. The side room on the right side of the lobby was temporarily converted into a mourning room, where Yang's coffin was placed. placed inside.

Yang was a Buddhist believer during his lifetime, but after his death, the family found monks to save him, not Taoists. Such an arrangement was very carefully considered by the family.

"Uncle Yao, my mother and I are not here these days, so you have to worry about all the affairs in the house. After everything is over, I will ask my mother to give you another reward!"

Yao Yuan hurriedly bowed and said: "Princess, you can't help me. This old slave is just an errand boy. How dare you ask for rewards? It's embarrassing to say that after the old lady passed away, the old slave was panicked for a while. Fortunately, the eldest son heard the news and took action." Chief, all the large and small affairs in the house, such as sending people to announce the funeral, customizing coffins, purchasing funeral objects, and inviting mages... are all handled by the eldest son!"

"You mean, my cousin is arranging all this?" Li Lingyue was a little surprised.

"Exactly! Thanks to the presence of the eldest son, all funeral matters behind the old lady's death will be in an orderly manner!"

The eldest son in Yao Yuan's mouth naturally refers to Yang's grandson and Empress Wu's nephew, He Lan Minzhi.

The two of them were talking when they saw Helan Minzhi walking out of the side hall. He was wearing a white mourning dress, his crown had already been taken off, his hair was pulled into a bun with a hemp rope tied on it, as if he was keeping a vigil. People's dressing up.

After a few months, Li Lingyue saw this cousin again, and she felt a little embarrassed for a moment, because when she came to Luoyang, Empress Wu had repeatedly warned her to stay away from this eldest cousin.

He Lanmin was slightly surprised when he saw Li Lingyue appearing in the hall, but soon his expression returned to normal, and he slowly walked up to Li Lingyue, bowed and saluted: "I've met the princess!"

Still using the title "Princess", Li Lingyue knew that the other party was deliberately keeping a distance from her, and she was inevitably disappointed, so she explained:

"Cousin, there is no need to be polite. I came to Luoyang to observe my filial piety for my mother. I will soon enter the Taoist temple to practice. I am still a princess. If my cousin still misses the old relationship, how about calling me 'cousin'?"

When He Lan Minzhi heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and a wry smile burst out on his stern face. He cupped his hands and said, "In that case, thank you cousin for your love!"

This response brought the distance between the two closer again.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Helan Minzhi walked to the coffin, lit three sticks of incense, handed it to Li Lingyue, and said in a sad tone:
"Grandma loves you the most. She still remembered your baby name when she was dying. Now that you can come to Luoyang, it is not in vain that she dotes on you. My cousin is guarding outside. You can go in and accompany her!"

Li Lingyue's eyes became wet, and she suddenly felt sad when she thought of her grandmother's voice and smile. Holding the incense in her hand, she walked alone into the side room where the coffin was stored.

After staying in the side room for a long time, Li Lingyue came out with red and swollen eyes. He Lan Minzhi tied a hemp rope for her personally. The two brothers and sisters knelt on both sides of the mourning platform. As the guardians of the mourning, they burned paper money in the brazier. .

In the spacious mourning hall, prayer flags fluttered and candles flickered. Apart from the sound of monks chanting sutras, there was only the sound of flames burning paper money.

I don't know how long it took, but the light at the door of the lobby dimmed, and a figure came in. The outline of the shadow looked like a dignified woman, but it gave people a strong sense of oppression.

Li Lingyue subconsciously looked up and saw that it was his mother-in-law who had entered the hall.

Empress Wu was wearing a loose mourning dress with a hemp rope tied around her waist. There was no trace of anger on her frosty face.

Helan Minzhi put down the paper money in his hand, hurriedly climbed up to Empress Wu, and bowed down. "My nephew meets my aunt!"

Empress Wu glanced at her and snorted: "Why are you here?"

"Back to my aunt, my grandma has passed away, and my nephew is inexplicably sad, so he came to the house to keep vigil for his grandma. I want to show some filial piety!"

"You have nothing to do here, get out of here now!" Empress Wu had a cold attitude and issued an eviction order unceremoniously.

Li Lingyue looked at Empress Wu in horror. She didn't understand why her mother-in-law didn't care about the relationship between aunt and nephew so much, so she tried to persuade her:
"Aniang, my cousin..."

"To shut up!"

Empress Wu interrupted Li Lingyue mercilessly and looked at He Lan Minzhi coldly:

"What? Do you still want me to invite you out personally?"

A trace of sadness flashed across He Lan Minzhi's face, and he stood up and bowed to Empress Wu:
"Auntie, nephew, please leave!"

After that, he walked out of the lobby without looking back.

Li Lingyue stepped forward and wanted to say something more, but Empress Wu turned to glare at her and ordered without any emotion: "Get out too!"

"Auntie..."

"go out!"

Empress Wu's inexplicable anger made Li Lingyue very puzzled. At this time, how could she dare to offend Empress Wu, so she bowed and quickly walked out of the hall.

As soon as the front legs came out, Yang Yi and Gong'er who were waiting outside the door hurriedly closed the door, leaving only Empress Wu and a group of monks in the entire mourning hall.

"Eunuch Yang, what happened to my mother-in-law?" Li Lingyue looked at Yang Yi and asked in confusion.

"Shh!" Yang Yi made a silent gesture towards Li Lingyue and lowered his voice: "The empress just wants to pay homage to the old lady alone. Princess, please don't disturb me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the peaceful chanting in the room, suddenly mixed with the heartbreaking crying of a woman.

"It's grandma who's crying, no! I have to go in and take a look!" Li Lingyue subconsciously wanted to open the door and go in.

Yang Yi's face changed with horror, and he quickly grabbed Li Lingyue and nervously comforted him: "Princess, you absolutely can't do this!!"

"Yes, princess! Your Majesty is in grief. What if she..." Gong'er also pulled into Li Lingyue's sleeve, with a look of fear on her face.

Li Lingyue thought of something, and slowly took back her hand on the door.

Empress Wu even sent her daughter away because she definitely didn't want to expose her crying ugliness in front of others.

The most powerful woman in this empire has always shown her strongest and proudest side to outsiders, so how can she let others see her fragile and unbearable side.

Li Lingyue knew that this might be the last time that Empress Wu vented her emotions without scruples as an ordinary woman. After that, she would never be an ordinary woman again.

"Gong'er! Let's go!"

Li Lingyue sighed and left helplessly...