Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Unswerving Commitment_1

Today, the Emperor decreed that the Duke of Zhen and all the masters and young lords of the Bai Mansion would be buried. They must be interred before the sun rises.

At the end of the Yin hour, everyone in the Bai Mansion gathered in the front hall.

Nanny Qin supported the red-eyed Mrs. Dong into the hall. Several ladies and children had already arrived.

“Sister-in-law, the road is slippery with snow today. You are heavily pregnant, so you should not go.” Mrs. Dong looked at the noticeably pregnant Mrs. Qi.

Mrs. Qi gently supported her belly and choked out, “The child and I must see our Bai family heroes on their final journey!”

Then, the Eldest Princess, wearing white and leaning on a tiger head cane, also arrived with the help of Nanny Jiang.

“Mother…”

“Grandmother…”

Everyone saluted.

“Mother, are you going too?” Mrs. Dong asked.

The Eldest Princess nodded, her gaze falling on Bai Qingyan. However, Bai Qingyan kept her head bowed, neither looking at her nor supporting her as she usually did. The Eldest Princess’s heart was filled with sadness. She said, “I must see the last journey of the men in our Bai family. I can manage.”

Mrs. Dong sighed and gathered her strength, “Steward Hao, open the door!”

“Open the door…”

With a shout from Steward Hao, accompanied by the creak of the wooden door, the grand red door of the Duke of Zhen’s mansion, draped with white lanterns and plain gauze, all swung open.

But Mrs. Dong did not expect to see so many people gathered outside the mansion with lanterns!

There were also young and old officials from noble families. They stood quietly in the snow, right in front of the black-gold-lettered door of the Duke of Zhen’s mansion.

No one had informed them of the time of the Duke of Zhen’s funeral procession. They came early, waiting to send off these loyal martyrs.

Mrs. Dong saw her brother, Dong Qingyue, in military attire, standing at the forefront with several generals from the court. They held mourning cloths on their heads and carried bright lanterns, standing tall and dignified.

This reminded Mrs. Dong of the night of New Year’s Eve when the people waited here with the Bai family for news, and of the fifth day when the entire city braved the snow with lanterns to welcome the Bai family’s heroes home at the south gate.

Emotions surged in Mrs. Dong’s heart, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

Last night, Dong Qingyue did not sleep, shuttling between the homes of various generals, persuading them to come and carry the coffin of Duke Bai Weiting.

When the mansion door opened, Dong Qingyue put down his sheepskin lantern, dropped to one knee, and saluted, “General Dong Qingyue, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

General Shi Panshan, standing beside Dong Qingyue, red-eyed, knelt down with fists cupped, “General Shi Panshan, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

“General Jiang Ruhai, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

“General Zhen Zeping, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

“General Zhang Duanrui, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

A general in military attire arrived on horseback, dismounted quickly, and knelt in the back, shouting, “General Liu Hong, respectfully sending off King of Zhen, Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family! The soul of the Bai family army will live forever!”

Second Madam Mrs. Liu looked at the generals outside, kneeling in the heavy snowfall to send off the heroes of the Bai family. She could no longer hold back her cries, leaning weakly against Bai Jinxiu, pounding her chest in agony for her deceased husband and son!

Third Madam Mrs. Li cried uncontrollably.

Surprisingly, the Fourth Madam Mrs. Wang, who had been inconsolable and almost threw herself at the casket when the seventeenth son of the Bai family returned, stood quietly in a corner. Her hands were folded on her lower abdomen, her eyes had lost their spirit, like a puppet devoid of emotion.

Fifth Madam Mrs. Qi turned her back, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood but dared not let go, fearing she could not suppress her cries.

All the people standing at the entrance kneeled and wailed, their cries shaking the heavens. They hailed the King of Zhen, the Duke of Zhen, and the young generals of the Bai family who died to protect the people.

Steward Hao wiped his tears with his sleeve and, suppressing his sobs, sang out, “Kneel…”

The people on the long street were already kneeling and crying inconsolably. The members of the Bai family also slowly knelt.

“Bow…”

Bai Qingyan, with tears in her eyes, bowed her head. As she bowed, she swore to the heroes of the Bai family that she would protect the widows of the Bai family with her life.

“Bow again…”

With tears, she bowed a second time, swearing to heaven and earth that those who wronged the Bai family would repay in blood. She would not rest until vengeance was achieved.

“Bow thrice…”

She knelt, her forehead touching the ground, and bowed thrice, swearing to her grandfather that she would follow in his footsteps, protecting the people to the best of her ability and ensuring peace in the land.

“Recite the eulogy, recount the lives of these esteemed men…”

Xiao Rongyan, dressed in a fur coat, stood silently behind the crowd, gazing as if the heavy snow could not touch him.

The Emperor of Jin did not understand. The Duke of Zhen’s mansion had been a military stronghold for a hundred years, indeed surpassing the ruler in merit. But this mansion was truly the backbone of Jin Kingdom!

With the fall of the Bai family…

It was as if Jin had removed its shoes and armor.

In times of chaos, as the states contended for supremacy and fought independently, Xiao Rongyan dared to assert that with the fall of the Bai generals, Jin, which once dominated, was destined to lose any chance at ruling the world.

From afar, he saw Bai Qingyan rise, instinctively taking a step forward.

He heard the woman’s voice, clear and resonant, calm like flowing water, not as thunderous as her previous speeches. It was imbued with a deep affection that moved the hearts of those who listened.

The Eldest Princess looked at the people outside the door, crying out with such heartfelt grief, and at the generals in military attire who had come to honor the heroes of the Duke of Zhen’s mansion. She suddenly recalled the time when her father passed away. The people cried then, too… the officials cried as well, but not with such genuine emotion.

She tightly gripped the Buddha Beads, loosening and tightening her hold, her heart filled with indescribable feelings.

The Bai family… was even more beloved by the people than the Imperial Family!

It was a simple funeral, with no notification of the burial time, yet the court’s generals, nobles of the capital, and even the most ordinary people all came. Though the scale was not as grand as her father’s funeral back then, it was even more tear-jerking and moving.

She suddenly remembered how, just a few hours ago, in this very hall, her granddaughter had said that the dignity of the Bai family did not lie in their bloodline but in their integrity, in the spirit passed down: the courage to live for the people and die for the country, in their loyalty and bravery.

Therefore, the people truly remembered the Bai family, honored them…

The foundation of the Bai family’s existence was in these words: loyalty and righteousness.

The Eldest Princess closed her eyes, remembering her husband Bai Weiting’s character… unwavering.

Her granddaughter’s voice reciting the eulogy echoed in her ears.

“I asked my grandfather, why was ‘unwavering’ his chosen name? Grandfather answered, wishing… to restore peace to the people, to establish harmony in the world, to be unwavering in this pursuit until death.”