Loving the Naughty Empress

Chapter 45 - The Empress Burial Ceremonies

They arrive to the monastery on the mountain outskirt of the city. The monks welcome them with the sound of enchantment sutra which comes out from their mouth as per request from the head eunuch for the burial ceremony. 

The sky is really dark with the dark cloud surrounding them as the heaven is really sad with the precedent of the empress death. Madame Ni cannot walk by herself to see her daughter coffin got carried into the area of burial site. The monk prepares the sutra blanket to cover the coffin, as they believe it can help the empress to descent smoothly to the afterlife.

Ni Qing follows in the back and tries not to attract any attention with her flashy carriages. Zhang is following her closely with his sword on his hand with Xiao Nie on his side. She walks to follow her whole family to put her sister to her final resting place. The sky starts to rain cats and dogs when the casket inside the ground as the heaven bless her.

Madame Ni holds her daughter's wooden name plaquette close to her heart with her last energy. It seems that her willingness of living got sucked out as soon as she witnesses her daughter got buried. Everyone sees her sadness and Lord Ni tries to hold his emotion inside his chest. Ni Qing cannot hold her tears to see everyone glooming expression.

The Eunuch is closing the grave with the flower and her empress's name tablet, before stores the wooden plaquette into the monastery room for consort. They are giving out the last bowing and respect to the empress before they set back to the capital. Madame Ni passed out straight away when the ceremonial table set up and the plaquette leaves there with the others consort name plaquette.

Ni Sheng is carrying her unconscious mother to the carriage and his father is following them. Ni Qing is checking her mother pulse inside the carriages. The four of them are cramping inside the Ni family carriage when Ni Qing is treating her mother with her acupuncture technique. She tries her best to save her mother with all her experience in the war. Apparently, her mother is having a mild heart attack which make the blood not circulating the oxygen into her body.

They are rushing back to the Ni Mansion when the physician is coming to check and prescribed some medication. Ni Qing is changing her clothes from the burial clothes into her daily dress. Xiao Nie is resting inside her room. She is reading all the report from Mr Zhao and the other about her own business after having shower. Xiao Nie told her missus that Ni Sheng is waiting for her for dinner.

She is going to the mansion backyard where Ni Sheng is sitting there with the jar of wine on his hand.

"Are we celebrating something?" Ni Qing is joining her brother and serve herself a glass of plum wine.

"No anxiety and we are home. Can we not enjoy and relax after all the war and sister Lang death?" Ni Sheng keep drinking after taking a slice of meat from the table.

"True… let's enjoy the moon and the scenery before the sun come in," Ni Qing is drinking the wine after having a toast with her brother.

---

Finally, Jin Yu manages to arrange someone with his private money to build the late consort Chu palace in the outer ring of the palace. It is abandoned palace and become area of cold palace. They hire the best people and have to work in secret in the night. The project head will need to report straight away to Jin Yu.

Jin Yu walks back from his working chamber to his room and find the room is empty. He cannot find his wife and he did not have any intention to sleep alone now.

"Your highness, do you want to flip the name tag and accompany you tonight?" Eunuch Wang knows about his master hesitation to be alone after so many days with his new sweetheart.

"Where is she?" Jin Yu is sitting down and play with his wedding ring.

"Miss Ni is resting in Ni Mansion, your highness," he answered his master.

"How dare she is not coming home here? Does she forget about her position?" Jin Yu is smashing his hand to the table.

"Your highness… she is not yet formally entering the palace, so she cannot come back to the palace. Her name is not listed as one of your consorts yet," Eunuch Wang is answering his master who is not happy at the moment.

"Prepare my horse. If she cannot come inside my chamber then I am going to find my wife," Jin Yu is standing up and going to take off his dragon robe. Eunuch Wang is hurriedly to help his master to change into his ordinary people outfit. Eunuch Wang is hurriedly changing his outfit to follow his master with Zhang. They are sneaking out to the Ni Mansion when Eunuch Wang is almost making a huge commotion before Jin Yu stopping him.

"Tell Ni Sheng that his friend is coming to visit," Jin Yu is standing patiently in front of the gate. It is a new experience for him. Normally, everyone is waiting for him as the emperor of the country but this time, he needs to wait in front of the gate for his wife.

It won't take a long time before Ni Sheng is actually coming to the gate. He is a bit tipsy from the alcohol party with his sister. He was not content with the disturbance, but as soon as he finds the emperor is standing and waiting in front of their mansion gate, he kneels down to salute him.

"What bring you here to this subject humble mansion?" Ni Sheng is asking to the emperor while still kneels down to give his respect.

"I am in the middle of investigating something and it is already late. I cannot find any inn so if you can arrange a room for me tonight, I will be grateful," Jin Yu is telling his purpose of visit which make eunuch Wang and Zhang are speechless to learn about his master cunning excuse to be able together with his wife.

"Sure… Please come in if you do not mind with our humble place," Ni Sheng is escorting the emperor to the hall. They are passing to the courtyard where Ni Qing is sitting alone with the wine on her hand. Jin Yu is stopping his step and turn to Ni Qing location. Ni Sheng is following from the back and asks one of the maids to inform their father about the emperor presence inside their house.

Ni Qing is enjoying the cherry blossom wine with the slice barbeque meat and some slice fresh fruit with the scenery of all the flower in the courtyard. His father makes a manmade waterfall for their mother who like to do gardening which become the favourite place for three of them. Sister Ni Lang favourite cherry blossom wine because of the smell while listening of the water fall down.

"What are you thinking?" Jin Yu is sitting behind of her seat.

"Your highness, what are you doing in here?" Ni Qing is surprised to see him. she tries to stand up to curtsy, but she failed. She got drunk with the amount of alcohol in her body.

"You are drunk… "Jin Yu is putting her back to her chair before enveloped her body with his arm from the back.

"You know… We are reminiscing our time with sister lang. this is her favourite wine and our favourite spot to enjoy the scenery to escape from our duty. However, the reality is really harsh when she is already leaving us to the heaven. The life is treating her unfairly," Ni Qing is pouring a cup of wine on the ground for her sister before drink one cup for herself.

Eunuch Wang is pouring the wine for the emperor when he took a drink. Ni Sheng is stopping his father who is rushing to the courtyard after got informed by the maid. Ni Sheng is telling his father to leave the courtyard and back to their room.

"I promise you that I will protect you from all the sinister creature inside the palace. If I can dismiss them, I will be happy to kick them out from the palace. They always give me headache rather than joy," Jin Yu is holding her tighter to his body and resting his head into her shoulder.

"I am not weak… I will make sure they will receive back tenfold if they dare to touch one strain of my hair," Ni Qing is releasing herself from Jin Yu and drink again directly from the wine pot. Jin Yu is trying to stop her from finishing the whole wine.

"enough… enough… show me your room. You look tired," Jin Yu is standing up from his chair and carries her bridal style inside his arm.