After rebirth, I cried and criticized the prince

Chapter 163 Funeral

The new emperor had just ascended the throne when a funeral occurred in the prime minister's residence. The prime minister had planned to announce the funeral secretly, but unexpectedly Huang Jiuyuan had already reported the matter to the palace.

The new queen Huang Xie'er was so sad that she fainted from crying. The imperial physician diagnosed that she was several months pregnant!

Huang Jiuyuan wanted to confront the remnants of the Second Prince about this matter, but the Second Prince had died, the remnants had been eliminated, and there was no one to confront him.

He was unwilling to accept this, and in front of his elder sister, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sister, this is by no means a simple matter! If Gu Yanli thought everything was within his grasp, why would he send a group of people to massacre the Prime Minister's residence? And the ones who died were the maids and servants in my grandmother's courtyard? And... my grandmother! This is really strange! And the one who saved the Prime Minister's residence was Qiao's brother? This is even stranger!"

Huang Xie'er felt both sad and happy. Although her grandmother had passed away, she was pregnant. The shock of this news made her eyes swollen. She covered her eyes and cried, "Is it really like this?"

"Sister, don't you believe it?"

"Jiuyuan, I used to not want to think too much about it. Back then, we had no roots in the mansion, and my father favored the Qiao family. We could only rely on my grandmother for everything. Later, when I married into the Third Prince's mansion, I saw more and realized that human hearts are the worst and most complicated! I trust you on this matter! You must handle it carefully! If my grandmother's death is truly related to the Qiao family, then I will not let them off easily! Remember to leave traces behind so that we can investigate."

Huang Jiuyuan nodded, feeling quite relieved. In the past, he always worried that his elder sister would suffer great harm due to her being too kind and naive. Now it was a good thing. People always need to change. He looked a little embarrassed, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid that my mother's death was not simple!"

Huang Xie'er wiped her tears and firmly held his hand, "Then let's get to the bottom of it all and catch them all in one fell swoop!"

"But...what if it has something to do with Father?"

Huang Xie'er's eyes finally showed a hint of cruelty. "If my father really does this to his relatives, he will have no ties to worry about. Who knows, he might bite you or me in the future. Then... I can only kill my relatives for the sake of justice!"

"Sister, take good care of your pregnancy! I hope you give birth to a prince so that you can secure the throne of queen in the future."

"Yes! Your Majesty is truly devoted to me now, but what about the future? Who can guarantee what will happen? Women will eventually age, and by then, the palace will inevitably be filled with young and beautiful women. How long can true love last?" Huang Xie'er looked down at her belly, touched it, and smiled helplessly. "I never wanted to be in this position, and Xingzhi is the same. But he and I still reached this supreme position, and it's lonely at the top! The Queen Mother is not a pushover. Back at home, she was dissatisfied with my lack of pregnancy and repeatedly sent people to Your Highness's room. I could only endure it. Your Highness promised not to touch them, but what about the future? How many concubines and noble ladies will come?"

"Sister..." Huang Jiuyuan felt a little sorry for Huang Xieer.

"It's okay... Jiuyuan, I'll be your support in the future. Now it's just the two of us!"

Huang Jiuyuan said goodbye to Huang Xieer only after the messenger reported that the Prime Minister and the Emperor had finished discussing the old lady's burial. The Prime Minister was waiting for him outside the palace.

He sat in the carriage, the incense beside him occasionally emitting the scent of sandalwood. The Prime Minister coughed and looked at him with a stern gaze, "You are different now! Going over my head and reporting to His Highness? Or did you ask your sister to go? What exactly do you want to investigate? Do you suspect that I killed the old lady?"

"I dare not..." The Prime Minister asked repeatedly, but Huang Jiuyuan still lowered his head out of habit. "Father is a model of filial piety in the current dynasty. You have always been very filial to grandmother. How could I suspect that you killed her?"

"That's good. Don't bother investigating this matter anymore! Your grandmother died at the hands of the Second Prince's remnants. They were all strangled. Why are you still investigating something that's not true? Just let your grandmother go in peace."

Huang Jiuyuan forced a smile and nodded respectfully, "I'll listen to my father."

Considering that the old lady in the prime minister's mansion was killed by the remnants of the second prince, the third prince posthumously conferred the title of Grand Lady on her and ordered a grand funeral for her.

Because His Majesty issued an edict to take care of the funeral affairs, all the civil and military officials came to the mourning hall to pay their respects.

The emperor had just ascended the throne and had many court affairs to deal with, so he did not come and only allowed the empress to come.

On the day Huang Xie'er came, Helan Xuenuo also followed the old general and others to the prime minister's residence to go through the motions.

Huang Xie'er rode in a gilded carriage with a carriage inlaid with jasper. It was the only one of its kind in the entire Donglai Kingdom. Behind him followed a large group of over a hundred people, carrying boxes of ritual vessels. These were the ritual vessels that Huang Xie'er was sending for her grandmother's burial.

Because she was pregnant, she only wore a white cloth hairpin on her head. As soon as she entered, the ministers made way for her. Huang Xie'er knelt down in front of the mourning hall and cried sadly. She buried her head in tears for a long time.

Aunt Qiao came and pulled Huang Weiming to kneel on the ground to pay his respects, but Huang Xie'er didn't even look at her.

Yuan Shi happened to be there too, and she and Huang Yuantu knelt together to pay their respects. Huang Xie'er asked Yuan Shi and Huang Yuantu to stand up, patted Huang Yuantu's head, and said to Yuan Shi, "From now on, the management of the Prime Minister's Mansion will be entirely up to you."

"This is Yuan's duty. She will definitely take good care of the Prime Minister's Residence for the Queen."

Mrs. Qiao was so angry that she gritted her teeth and grabbed the corner of her clothes. She knelt for half a day, but Huang Xieer didn't let her get up.

Only when Huang Jiuyuan helped Huang Xieer leave the mourning hall did she and Huang Weiming get up dejectedly.

When Huang Jiuyuan and Huang Xie'er passed by Helan Xuenuo, Helan Xuenuo bowed and said, "Greetings, Queen."

The old general went to the hall to burn incense early.

"Miss Helan!" Huang Xie'er's nose was red, and she smiled as she looked at Helan Xuenuo. She was wearing the finest materials, including a hairpin made of rare jade. She was truly noble!

Helan smiled back at Huang Xier, then lowered her lips and comforted her, "My Queen, please accept my condolences." Looking at Huang Xier, she felt a little emotional. The closest they had been was when they played Cuju, and the next time they saw each other, she had become the Queen.

Huang Xie'er patted Huang Jiuyuan's hand, looked at Helan, and said, "I often hear Jiuyuan mention you. It seems like that Juyu competition was just yesterday. Life is unpredictable, and my grandmother has passed away. I'm bored in the palace, and only Qingyue occasionally chats with me about interesting things. I once heard her say that she and you are also very good friends. If you have nothing to do on weekdays, you can come into the palace and sit with me."

"My daughter obeys."

"No need to be so polite."

Huang Xie'er was supported by Huang Jiuyuan and left. Huang Jiuyuan looked very unhappy. He sent Huang Xie'er away and returned quickly.

When she came back, Helan Xuenuo was burning incense for the old lady. After she finished burning incense, she noticed Huang Weiming. Huang Weiming and the charming woman next to him were staring at her embarrassedly. She guessed it must be Aunt Qiao.

Aunt Qiao is quite pretty, no wonder the Prime Minister was bewitched by her.

After leaving the mourning hall, Huang Jiuyuan was outside the mourning hall, and the old general was chatting with several court officials. Huang Jiuyuan signaled her with his eyes, and she followed Huang Jiuyuan to a more secluded place, which was just away from the crowd.

Huang Jiuyuan had dark circles under his eyes and his face was sallow, yet he was still so handsome. Helan guessed he must have cried a lot, as his eyelids were covered with layers of snow. Huang Jiuyuan pointed to the snow pile in front of him and said, "Grandmother died here. It's all blood... The servants buried the blood and covered it up."

He was wearing a large cloak, but his body had become much thinner. The cloak seemed so heavy that it could crush him. He had changed so much in just a few days.

Helan Xuenuo wanted to comfort him, but she remembered that this matter was not simple. Huang Jiuyuan had helped her several times before, so she wanted to give him some advice out of friendship. "Do you think this matter is strange?"

"You find it strange too?" Huang Jiuyuan widened his eyes and stared at Helan Xuenuo.

"Gu Yanli thought it was foolproof, so why did he send people to the Prime Minister's residence? If they really wanted to massacre the Prime Minister's residence, they could kill the old lady, but not the other concubines."

"Hmm... This must be something serious. Qiao claimed that his brother saved the Prime Minister's Mansion and killed the remaining criminals. As far as I know, his brother is just an insignificant official in the Dali Temple. With his own strength, I don't believe he could have killed so many people."

"Why not... ask your uncle? Since he killed the remaining evildoer, where is his body?" Her eyes darkened. "I'm afraid someone wants to hide the truth and doesn't want you to investigate."

"He's not my uncle!" Huang Jiuyuan glared with hatred, and a plan came to his mind, "I know how to investigate this matter!"

"Hmm..." Helan just wanted to tease Huang Jiuyuan on purpose. Huang Jiuyuan's face turned red after he became angry.