Now, he would pre-wear the ceremonial robes, directly sit on the dragon throne, and wait for officials to arrive outside the hall to pay their respects. The other ceremony steps remained largely the same, with only the change that since the Grand Tutor had recently passed away, the Imperial Tutor would now read the imperial edict. Other rituals like sacrificing to the Heaven and Ancestors at the Temple of Heaven and paying respects to the previous emperor at the Imperial Mausoleum would be postponed until his wounds healed.
The moment the mausoleum was sealed, the pale-faced Shu Lan breathed a sigh of relief. She had played the role of a grieving widow for seven days, always maintaining a sorrowful appearance. What made her more nervous was Luo Zhan’s empty coffin. Although it was filled with wax-sealed water bags of equal weight, and Luo Ye had stopped suspecting anything, she had been constantly anxious that Luo Zhan’s fake death might be exposed.
Today, Luo Zhan’s empty coffin was finally sealed in the Imperial Mausoleum, and the secret would not be discovered for at least a decade. After today, she would leave with Luo Zhan, hide their identities, and live in seclusion.
There was one last step, and she could not completely relax yet, still needing to maintain an extremely sorrowful appearance.
The Imperial Mausoleum was built in the eastern suburbs of the capital. Shortly after getting in the carriage, Shu Lan murmured, “Can the Jade Dragon Mountain see the Imperial Mausoleum? I can see His Highness one last time.” She then ordered the carriage to turn towards the Jade Dragon Mountain near the mausoleum.
The carriage could no longer proceed halfway up the mountain. Shu Lan got out, ordered others to wait by the carriage, and continued up the mountain with Zhang Nanny and Yu Yi disguised as a maidservant, protected by Xia Yue. The four walked slowly and soon disappeared around a mountain bend.
After some time, panicked calls came: “My Lady!” “Something’s wrong, my Lady has jumped off the cliff!”
