Green Mountain

Qi Zhaoyun lowered her head with a sorrowful expression, neither speaking nor taking the handkerchief.

Prince Fu looked down at Qi Zhaoyun and said softly, "After this incident, you’ll need to mourn for a year, and the marriage with the Qi family will have to be postponed..."

Qi Zhaoyun suddenly said with her head still lowered, "Take me away."

Prince Fu was somewhat surprised, "To the South?"

Qi Zhaoyun remained with her head down, "Going North is fine, going South is fine too, going to see the wheat fields, going to see the fishing lights, as long as I can leave the Imperial Capital."

Zhou Kuang behind Prince Fu quietly said, "Your Highness, this is not appropriate and does not conform to etiquette. The Imperial Censor might impeach again, Mr. Qi he..."

Prince Fu looked at the Qi Family, then turned to Qi Zhaoyun and said calmly, "If not driven to desperation, a young lady from a noble family wouldn’t say such words. If left at the Qi family for another year, she might not survive. If she can’t even live, what use is there in talking about etiquette."

Zhou Kuang’s expression changed, "Your Highness, be cautious with your words."

"Don’t babble around me," Prince Fu looked down at Qi Zhaoyun, "I will leave the capital on the seventh day of the New Year and take you with me, treating you with respect."

Qi Zhaoyun looked up, startled.

Prince Fu smiled slightly, tucked the handkerchief to her, then turned and entered the mourning hall, unfolding the Imperial Decree in his hand, and read aloud, "By the command of heaven, the Emperor declares, Qi Gong, posthumously named Xun, was known for his wise virtues and was trusted by the former court. With a loyal and honest heart, he was a mature statesman. Upon hearing the news of his passing, deep sorrow is felt..."

His voice echoed in the mourning hall, "Hereby endowed as Grand Preceptor, posthumously named Wenke, sending officials to pay respects, bestowing Eastern Garden Secret Artifact. Commanding Prince Fu to personally oversee the burial and offer condolences, granting posthumous name."

After his words fell, Prince Fu looked at the tiger beside the coffin, "East Garden craftsmen, proceed with the burial immediately."

The East Garden craftsmen took a step forward, slowly pushing open the coffin lid. Inside, plain silk lined the bottom, with gilded coins pressed in each corner, layered with charcoal and lime.

Two East Garden craftsmen bent over, cautiously and gently lifting Mr. Qi from the spirit bed, one holding his shoulder and back, the other holding his knee bend, placing the weightless body, now just a heap of bones, into the coffin.

A Ministry of Rites Official took out a copper mirror from his bosom, placing it on the right side inside the coffin. A Taichang Temple official took out a Jade Ruyi, placing it on the left side.

The next moment, the East Garden craftsmen stepped back half a step, calmly saying, "Please, Prince Fu, seal the coffin for Qi Gong."

Four East Garden craftsmen stood beside the coffin, looking at Prince Fu as the cold wind outside blew into the mourning hall, causing the surrounding funeral banners to sway unstably.

Prince Fu looked at the Ministry of Rites Official, "In the ceremony, is there a section where I seal the coffin for Qi Gong?"

The Ministry of Rites Official hurriedly replied, "When a First Rank official passes away, it should be personally sealed by Your Majesty. Since you are here on behalf of Your Majesty, it naturally falls on you to seal the coffin."

Prince Fu nodded, "Okay."

He stepped forward, getting closer and closer to the East Garden craftsmen.

Prince Fu walked to the side of the coffin, gripping the edge of the coffin lid with both hands, then suddenly, four tigers simultaneously pulled hairpins from their heads and lunged at him.

"Protect His Highness!" Zhou Kuang casually pulled off the funeral banner beside him, shaking his wrist as the long white banner transformed into a long whip wrapping around Prince Fu’s waist.

He pulled forcefully, pulling Prince Fu back to his side from the encirclement, causing the hairpins in the tigers’ hands to miss.

Four tigers pounced at Prince Fu again, but Zhou Kuang ignored them, pulling Prince Fu and rushing out of the mourning hall, "Zhou Zhi stop them, everyone follow me to protect His Highness, do not linger in battle."

The mourning hall suddenly turned chaotic.

Prince Fu’s attendants abandoned the Ministry of Rites Official and the Taichang Temple officials, rushing straight out. Behind them, the four tigers pursued with murderous intent while Prince Fu’s attendants turned to face them.

One of Prince Fu’s attendants drew his blade to strike but saw the tiger easily dodge by leaning back. Before he could pull his blade back for defense, another tiger had already rushed in front of him like a ghost, stabbing the hairpin into his neck.

As the attendant slowly fell, the tiger suddenly saw a line of blade light burst from behind the attendant, fierce and swift, cutting from the right shoulder to the left abdomen.

The tiger staggered back holding the hairpin, looking at the young man wielding the blade, surprisingly it was Chen Ji, hidden among Prince Fu’s attendants.

This strike gave Prince Fu’s attendants a brief respite, immediately teaming up to push the tiger back to the coffin side.

As Zhou Kuang protected Prince Fu and was about to exit the mourning hall, two Jiefan Guards at the door shouted "Capture the traitor, protect His Highness" while rushing towards the inside of the mourning hall.

When they faced Zhou Kuang, they both drew their swords simultaneously and hacked at Prince Fu.

No one expected the Jiefan Guard to turn against them, too close to allow escape. Zhou Kuang stepped forward to block in front of Prince Fu, using his hands wrapped with the funeral banner to forcibly grip the incoming blade edge.

The blade cut into the palm, staining the pure white funeral banner red with blood.

Though Zhou Kuang’s hands bled, his eyes did not look at the wound and instead fiercely glared at the Jiefan Guard, "Courting death!"

He looked at the monks outside the mourning hall of Yuanjue Temple, angrily shouting, "Protect His Highness!"

But the monks of Yuanjue Temple kept their eyes closed, chanting, detached from cause and effect.

The next moment, Zhou Kuang pushed away the blade, shaking the blood-stained funeral banner with both hands, the long banner seemed like a long rope, blowing the paper money inside the mourning hall into a dragon that forced the Jiefan Guard out of the hall.

The dragon!

But the two Jiefan Guards only retreated one step before recklessly charging forward again, pushing Zhou Kuang and Prince Fu back into the mourning hall.

Zhou Kuang stubbornly blocked in front of Prince Fu, shaking the funeral banner and paper money dragon at the Jiefan Guard, slices of paper money like blades tore apart the Fish Dragon Robe on their bodies, but they felt no pain, continuing to swing down their blades.

Just as the two blades were about to fall on Prince Fu’s chest, a figure flashed in front of Prince Fu, shouldering the blade with its shoulders, pinning the blade in the shoulder bone.

Prince Fu looked at Chen Ji in front of him, "You..."

Chen Ji focused intently, cutting up and breaking the swords held by the Jiefan Guards with one swing.

Without waiting for the two Jiefan Guards to react, Zhou Kuang’s dragon had already completely wrapped them, paper money like a stone grinding wheel, removing all the flesh from the Jiefan Guards.

Chen Ji looked back.

Amidst the chaos, one tiger did not fight with the Prince Fu’s attendants, but alone retreated to the Everlasting Lamp and ignited its own clothes with the lamp, allowing the fire to climb upwards.

The tiger’s body burned intensely, ignoring others, charging straight at Prince Fu.

Chen Ji’s heart understood; of the seventy pounds of gunpowder stolen by the Divine Machine Camp, half was used in Shaojiu Alley, the rest was hidden in the empty abdomen of the tiger.

This was the opponent’s trump card.

Chen Ji shouted, "Take Prince Fu away."

Zhou Kuang pulled Prince Fu and ran outside, while Prince Fu turned his head, seeing Chen Ji charging headlong at the tiger engulfed in flames.

Ignoring the fire curling his hair, Chen Ji used his body to push the tiger back into the depths of the mourning hall.

Just as Prince Fu stepped out of the hall, a loud explosion occurred, the tiger’s body suddenly burst apart, throwing Prince Fu and Zhou Kuang out of the hall by the scorching air wave.

Prince Fu, despite the pain, immediately propped himself up to look back at the hall.

The flames were engulfing layer upon layer of funeral banners, turning the hall into a sea of fire, consuming Chen Ji’s figure within.

Prince Fu scrambled to his feet, heading toward the hall, "Put out the fire! Quickly extinguish the fire!"

But Zhou Kuang firmly held him, "Your Highness, you can’t go in!"

Prince Fu’s eyes were wide open, yet he could only watch the flames sweep through the hall, causing the wooden beams to begin to collapse and fall.