Before reaching the mourning hall, Ye Wanmian already heard the faint sobs coming from there.
In the dead of night, these sobs sounded rather terrifying. Qi Wen couldn't help but shiver, while Ye Wanmian remained unmoved.
The servant who led them here saw this and secretly nodded, quite satisfied with Ye Wanmian's courage.
The mourning hall was completely draped in white. In the very center lay a large coffin. No one knew what kind of wood it was made of, but it looked pitch - black. Several oil lamps were placed around the coffin, casting eerie shadows all around.
It was summer, and the temperature was rising. Perhaps the body had been lying in the mourning hall for quite a while, for there was already a faint stench of decay in the air.
This smell brought back some unpleasant memories for Ye Wanmian, and she subconsciously frowned.
Thankfully, the smell wasn't too strong, not to the point of making one vomit, so Ye Wanmian endured it.
However, the stench of the corpse indicated that there really was a body in this black coffin. But Ye Wanmian had a hunch that the Crown Prince might still be alive. Otherwise, there would be no need for them to go to so much trouble to use a fake corpse to confuse people.
After Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen entered the mourning hall, they were led to the side. Taking this opportunity, Ye Wanmian pretended to casually glance into the coffin.
The coffin - sealing ceremony was yet to be held, so the coffin wasn't closed. With a slight lean, one could see inside. She only took a quick peek and then looked away.
Lying in the coffin was a child of about twelve or thirteen. His death wasn't a pretty sight. There was a handkerchief covering his eyes, his lips were slightly parted, and his lips were a dark blue color, as if he had been greatly frightened before his death.
However, Ye Wanmian remembered that Zhou Wang had said this child had died suddenly, so such an expression was normal.
But...
Was it really just a coincidence that he died at this very moment?
Ye Wanmian lowered her eyes and quietly knelt down beside.
Not long after, there came the sound of footsteps from outside. It sounded like there were a dozen or so people approaching. Moments later, the servants bowed and greeted:
"Greetings, Master."
Then, a somewhat aged voice came to Ye Wanmian's ears: "Sir Official, Taoist Priest, this way please."
Sir Official, Taoist Priest?
Ye Wanmian's heart skipped a beat. She subtly raised her eyes and looked forward.
In the dim mourning hall, a man with a square - shaped face and a somewhat bloated figure welcomed the people behind him in.
Ye Wanmian had met both of these people before.
One was the vice - general of the Pei Family Army who had escorted the Third Prince to Dongli Town, and the other was the Taoist Priest Yuanqi, dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a whisk.
Ye Wanmian quickly lowered her head and pulled the white hat on her head down, covering her face and hiding the shock in her eyes.
It was understandable to see the vice - general of the Pei Family Army, but the other one was actually Taoist Priest Yuanqi, whom the Prince of Ning had invited to the morgue to summon spirits for the "Crown Prince"!
Normally, it was common to invite a Taoist priest when Master Chen was to be buried today. But what was unusual was that the Chen Mansion was related to the fake corpse, and for Taoist Priest Yuanqi to appear here tonight, did it mean...
Maybe the time when Taoist Priest Yuanqi was invited to the morgue wasn't a "coincidence" after all?
Next, Taoist Priest Yuanqi took out his golden bell again and started dancing in the mourning hall. The yellow talismans burned without fire, and the mourning hall was as bright as day.
After chanting the scriptures for the dead, Taoist Priest Yuanqi stopped and said, "Seal the coffin!"
The servants in mourning clothes stepped forward to seal the coffin. They drove in nine long nails, completely sealing the coffin.
The next moment, the sound of suona and gongs and drums rang out. Along with the shout of "Lift the coffin", heart - rending sobs filled the air immediately. The hired mourners began to perform their best.
The coffin was carried out of the mourning hall by six strong men and headed outside. Paper money was thrown into the air and drifted away with the wind.
The entire funeral procession of the Chen family was composed of four parts.
On both sides of the funeral procession were the Pei Family Army sent to escort. They were there not only to escort but also to monitor.
At the very front of the funeral procession were Taoist Priest Yuanqi,员外 Chen, and the steward of the Chen Mansion.
Taoist Priest Yuanqi shook the golden bell in his hand and waved his whisk. Every three steps, he would mutter a spell that no one could understand.
Behind them were the "mourners" in mourning clothes. The black coffin was surrounded by them, and their cries enveloped it.
Apart from the servants of the Chen Mansion, the mourners also included people hired from the town. Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen deliberately chose a middle position so as not to stand out.
She lowered her head and pretended to wipe away non - existent tears, making heart - rending sobs with her vibrating throat. But after stepping out of the Chen Mansion, she quietly glanced back and silently prayed in her heart.
Da Huang must succeed.
The funeral procession left the Chen Mansion and headed towards the exit of the town.
Having a funeral at night was really terrifying, especially for a wealthy gentry like员外 Chen. Even though the townspeople were woken up by the commotion, they dared not say a word, just waiting for this ruckus to pass quickly.
Since it was the day of Master Chen's funeral, the Chen Mansion was busy with this matter. After the funeral procession left, two - thirds of the servants in the mansion were gone, and it became much quieter.
The servants were busy with their work and didn't notice at all that a yellow - furred, agile spirit dog with a red cinnabar mark on its forehead quietly slipped into the Chen Mansion, followed by several dark shadows.
Xiao Jingcheng led the dog soldiers behind him and quickly made their way through the shadowy Chen Mansion. Thousands of complex smells were like threads leading him on. He carefully distinguished the one that belonged solely to Ye Wanmian. Moments later, he arrived at the mourning hall.
The mourning hall was empty at this moment, so no one knew that a group of "uninvited guests" had come.
There was still a faint stench of decay in the air, presumably left by the corpse just now.
There was also a faint smell of fireworks mixed in, which he had smelled in the morgue just a couple of days ago.
That Taoist Priest Yuanqi.
Humph, that stinky Taoist was indeed related to the Chen family. He just wondered which of his two good brothers had invited this lackey.
Time was pressing, and Xiao Jingcheng didn't have time to think too much. He led the dogs behind him and stepped forward to sniff around the place where the coffin had been placed.
Moments later, Xiao Jingcheng suddenly stopped. He smelled a very faint odor that could easily be missed.
But this odor was so familiar to him -
Behind him, Curly walked forward, carrying a damaged boot in its mouth. The smell became clearer.
It was the coffin!
His body was hidden in the coffin that contained Master Chen!
"Woof!"
He let out a low growl, made a sharp turn, and led the dog soldiers behind him into the night, running outwards.
The sound of the suona and the cries gradually faded away. Dongli Town gradually became quiet again. The woken - up townspeople grumbled as they went back into their houses and lay down to continue sleeping. But no one knew that the dogs in their houses quietly slipped out of the dog holes, nuzzled their fellow dogs hidden in the darkness, and then joined the team, running towards the outside of the town together.
The wind blew through the dense treetops, and the thick clouds covered the moon in the sky. In the faint night, one could only see a large number of dogs dividing into three groups, surrounding the noisy funeral procession in the middle.