Children of Loulan

Chapter 430: Mourning

The great Tang monk was summoned to the palace to perform a ritual for the empress dowager for seven consecutive days. During this period, the palace was filled with a solemn atmosphere, and everyone was filled with awe and grief. The empress dowager's huge and magnificent coffin was quietly placed in the palace for more than half a month.

Finally, the day of bidding farewell to the Queen Mother arrived. In the early morning, the sun shone through the clouds, as if mourning for this great woman. The huge coffin, carefully arranged and decorated by the palace servants, looked particularly solemn and dignified. It was slowly carried out of the palace, and the huge funeral procession followed, the scale of which was amazing.

The bearers of the coffin were lined up in an orderly queue, with a total of more than 300 people. They were divided into three shifts, with more than 100 strong bearers working together to carry the coffin. These bearers walked steadily and carefully as they escorted the Queen Mother's coffin forward.

At the front of the procession, the Crown Prince, dressed in pure white mourning clothes, led the numerous princes, princesses, grandsons and great-grandsons with a solemn look. They all had sad faces and heavy steps, their hearts filled with deep thoughts and respect for the Queen Mother.

Every street where the coffin passed was covered with snow-white sails, gently fluttering in the wind, like a white ocean. On both sides of the road, people knelt densely to see her off. Men, women, old and young all covered their faces and cried, expressing their sincere tears to remember and miss the empress dowager.

The funeral procession of several thousand people was like a long winding dragon, marching through the streets and alleys of the city. Along the way, mournful music was played, cries were heard, and people stopped to watch and see the empress dowager complete her final journey.

After a long and arduous journey of three days and two nights, the funeral procession finally arrived at the royal mausoleum outside the city. Surrounded by green mountains and green waters, the environment here is quiet and peaceful, and it is the resting place of the royal family. Afterwards, the imperial teacher carefully calculated the best time for burial based on the astrological calendar, and decided to place the queen mother's coffin in the royal mausoleum at the chen time of the next day.

During the waiting time, everyone stood in front of the mausoleum silently, not daring to slack off. When the sun rose the next day and the golden light spread over the earth, it was the moment for the empress dowager to be buried. Accompanied by the melodious sound of bells and solemn chanting, the empress dowager's coffin slowly sank into the ground under the gaze of everyone, and she will sleep forever in this peaceful and tranquil land.

After everything was arranged in an orderly manner, the highly respected imperial master once again ascended the high platform and held a solemn and dignified ritual for the deceased queen mother. The entire ceremony was solemn and dignified, with the smoke of incense curling and the sound of chanting echoing in the empty cemetery.

Meanwhile, the crown prince and a well-trained team will be stationed at the royal mausoleum to ensure that the queen mother rests here. The team will mourn for the queen mother for a whole month, guarding this peaceful land with their loyalty and respect.

The rest of the people returned to the capital. After learning about their father's arrangement, Hawuer and his brothers and sisters stepped forward and said that they would also stay together to show their filial piety to the great-grandmother. With a firm light in their eyes, they were determined not to let their relatives leave alone.

However, at this moment, Hanguli also had a strong desire in her heart to accompany her beloved husband and lovely children to guard the tomb together.

But Keremu gently held her hand and said earnestly: "Li'er, our daughter is still young and has been living a pampered life in the palace since she was born. The environment in this royal mausoleum is harsh and the living conditions are far less comfortable than in the palace."

"Besides, she can only eat vegetarian food during the month of guarding the royal mausoleum. She is still growing. I am really worried that she will have trouble adapting to life here. What if she gets sick and suffers? So, you should accompany her back to the palace first."

Although she believed that her husband's words made sense, Hanguli was still worried because she was not sure whether her daughter would agree. She frowned and said with a worried look on her face: "But my daughter had clearly expressed that she wanted to stay here with you and your two brothers to mourn for our great-grandmother. How could she return to the palace?"

Seeing that his wife was a little worried, Keremu gently reached out his hand, patted her shoulder tenderly, and comforted her: "Don't worry. I will go and talk to my daughter. She will definitely return to the palace willingly."

After hearing what her husband said, the worry on Hanguli's face eased a little, but there was still some doubt in her eyes. But in the end, she nodded slightly and agreed: "In this case, as long as my daughter is willing to return to the palace, then I will accompany her back."

After finally persuading Hanguli, Keremu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then he found his two sons.

He looked at the two children in front of him with a serious and solemn look, and slowly spoke in an unusually direct and solemn tone: "When your mother gave birth to your sister, she went through a lot of hardships. She was even on the verge of life and death! It was really thrilling and full of dangers! Although you were still young at that time, I believe you should still have some impression of this incident, right?"

Hearing their father's sudden words, the two brothers looked at each other with some confusion and bewilderment on their faces. Although they did feel a little puzzled about this matter, out of respect for their father and the vague memories deep in their hearts, they kept their promises.

The two finally nodded in unison and said, "Yes, father, we remember. The situation was indeed very critical at the time. If it weren't for the timely help of the Grand Master, I'm afraid mother... the consequences would be disastrous."

However, before the two brothers could finish their words, Keremu suddenly waved his hand and rudely interrupted what they were about to say.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and continued with a stern look: "Well, since you still remember it, it couldn't be better. You know, it was because of the ordeal you encountered during childbirth that your mother's body was severely damaged, and her foundation was also severely damaged." He sighed and continued:

"Although she has been carefully recuperating over the years and has recovered quite well, she has suffered a severe injury after all, so her physical condition is still quite weak compared to ordinary people. However, during the entire month of guarding the royal mausoleum, due to the mourning period, she can only eat vegetarian food every day, and her diet must be kept absolutely light, without any meat or fish."

Hawul raised his head and met his father's eyes. At that moment, he stared into his father's worried eyes and immediately understood the meaning in his heart - his father was most concerned about his mother's health.

Hawuer took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Please rest assured, father. I will definitely escort mother back to the palace safely."

Hearing his son's firm promise, Keremu nodded slightly to show his satisfaction. Then he said, "Well, remember to call your sister back to the palace. Since your father is not around, let her accompany your mother more often, which will also comfort your mother."

Hawuer bowed quickly and said, "I understand, father, don't worry. I will go find my sister and ask her to leave with us."