jdhmnovel Chapter 416 Confirming if he's really dead
Chapter 416 Confirming if he's really dead
The young official behind Li Zhuoyue was about to spout nonsense, but when he met Li Zhuoyue's cold and deep gaze, he immediately fell silent, as if his throat had been choked.
He could only reluctantly shut his mouth, retreat to the side, and mutter to himself but dared not utter another word.
When I went out today, my elders specifically instructed me to watch Li Zhuoyue's expression and act accordingly.
Li Zhuoyue then slowly turned her gaze to Shen Shi, seeing that her eyes were red and swollen like peaches from crying, and she looked haggard. She took a few steps forward, her voice gentle and soothing, carrying just the right amount of sorrow:
"Aunt Yun, please accept my condolences."
After saying this, he sighed softly, "Aunt Yun probably doesn't know me. My surname is Li, and I served in the same court as Brother Yun. I have always admired Brother Yun's character and conduct. When I suddenly heard the bad news about Brother Yun, I was filled with fear and found it hard to believe that it was true."
Madam Shen raised her eyes, her gaze filled with sorrow and exhaustion. She managed a forced, polite smile, her voice trembling slightly with a sob: "I am grateful for Lord Li's concern. My son is ill-fated and has suffered this calamity. It is his misfortune and also the misfortune of the Yun family."
Li Zhuoyue nodded slightly, her face also showing a heartbroken expression.
It sounded like genuine mourning.
His gaze fell on the coffin in the mourning hall. "Brother Yun was honest and upright throughout his life, worked for the well-being of the people, and was loyal to the court. Now he has died young, which is a great loss to the Great Zhao."
His words were full of regret.
“Aunt Yun, may I offer incense for Brother Yun and send him off on his final journey?” Li Zhuoyue looked at Madam Shen with earnest eyes.
Yu Wan glanced at him from the side.
This group of people had indeed come to confirm whether Yun Shang was really dead.
Madam Shen was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to make such a request. After hesitating for a moment, she raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye with a handkerchief and said, "Lord Li is very kind."
After saying that, she had Yunxi help her to give up her seat.
Seeing Shen's actions, Li Zhuoyue's eyes darkened further.
Judging from Shen's attitude, Yun Shang doesn't seem to have faked his death.
He walked steadily to the incense table, picked up the incense and candles, and lit them with a calm and deliberate movement, but his eyes were fixed on the coffin behind the incense table, his gaze revealing a sense of inquiry.
The coffin was still half-open, not yet nailed in. Li Zhuoyue slowly got up, already having made up her mind.
He calmly placed the incense sticks, then stood up and walked around the incense table. Madam Shen and Yunxi were startled and quickly stopped him, "What are you doing, Lord Li?!"
Yunxi blocked Li Zhuoyue's path.
Li Zhuoyue then noticed Yun Xi, and was taken aback when she saw her face.
His eyes instantly filled with amazement.
He remembered that this woman was also at the Li family's birthday banquet last time, but he was not paying attention to a woman at the time, so his gaze did not fall on her.
I had previously heard that Yun Shang had a younger sister who was exceptionally beautiful, and now that I see her, she truly deserves the title of "a beauty that could topple kingdoms."
Li Zhuoyue felt that he was a vulgar man who loved wealth, power, and beautiful women the most.
The Li family has wealth and power, but finding a beautiful woman is the only thing they can't find.
He had extremely high standards, and ordinary beauties couldn't even catch his eye, but when he saw Yunxi, his heart suddenly stirred.
The aristocratic officials who had come with Li Zhuoyue to offer condolences noticed his unusual behavior and curiously followed his gaze to Yun Xi.
Upon seeing this, everyone was completely stunned.
Some people even couldn't help but show drooling and covetousness in their eyes, their expressions revealing a hint of greed.
Yu Wan felt a bit itchy to gouge out these people's eyes.
Since entering Shengjing City, Yunxi didn't want to cause them any trouble, so she deliberately made her makeup look ugly every time she went out, which didn't attract much attention.
But because she had to perform today, she wore no makeup and dressed in plain clothes. She squeezed ginger juice and rubbed it on the corners of her eyes, making them red and adding to her pitiful appearance.
When Yu Wan saw her today, she couldn't help but want to hug her and comfort her.
Not to mention those stinky men whose minds are filled with nothing but that kind of nonsense.
If it weren't for the fact that some important people hadn't arrived yet, Yu Wan would have almost kicked the whole group out.
Yunxi was all too familiar with that look.
Back in Shijia Village, many men looked at her with such ill intent. She never expected that these aristocratic officials would do the same thing in Shengjing City.
So what's the difference between these self-proclaimed noble families and ordinary people?
Aren't they all the same—greedy for money and lustful?
Yunxi, with a cold face, hid behind Shen Shi to avoid Li Zhuoyue's gaze.
Shen noticed the strange look in Li Zhuoyue's eyes and felt a surge of displeasure. Her tone turned cold: "Lord Li, this is a solemn place. It is against the rules for you to rush in here."
Li Zhuoyue seemed to only then come to her senses, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face.
His eyes flickered, and he quickly bowed to Madam Shen to apologize: "Aunt Yun, Miss Yun, please don't be offended. It was I who was presumptuous. But Brother Yun and I have a deep friendship, and I really wanted to see him one last time as a final farewell."
His words were earnest, and the grief on his face deepened, making it hard to doubt his sincerity.
Yu Wan saw Li Zhuoyue's every move clearly.
Li Zhuoyue's acting skills are quite realistic.
If she hadn't known beforehand that he was one of the Prince of Qi's men, she probably would have believed that Li Zhuoyue and Yun Shang had a close relationship.
Shen was almost scared off.
Seeing Li Zhuoyue's sincere appearance, she almost believed that Li Zhuoyue and Yun Shang were friends.
Fortunately, Yunxi secretly tugged at her clothes, which snapped Shen out of her daze.
Madam Shen composed herself and looked at Li Zhuoyue suspiciously. "I did not hear my son mention that I have a friend named Lord Li."
Li Zhuoyue showed no sign of panic while lying. "Based on my understanding of Brother Yun, he should rarely mention official business in front of your mother. It's normal that your mother doesn't know that Brother Yun and I are good friends."
He sighed softly, a look of reminiscence on his face, "Although I didn't interact much with Brother Yun in the court, every time we talked, I felt like we had known each other for a long time. I admire his talent and character from the bottom of my heart."
As if persuaded by his words, Madam Shen turned to Yunxi and said, "Lord Li is your brother's friend, so let him take a look."
Yunxi hesitated: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate..."
Madam Shen gave a bitter smile and patted her hand. "Since Lord Li doesn't mind your brother's current disfigured appearance, let him go. It will be a way to fulfill the bond between your brother and him in life."
Yunxi bit her lower lip, unwilling but seemingly not daring to openly disobey her mother's wishes, so she could only reluctantly step aside.
Li Zhuoyue's gaze lingered on her for a moment before she slowly walked towards the coffin.
Inside the coffin, Yun Shang lay 'peacefully', his exposed skin an unnatural deathly white. Li Zhuoyue had seen dead people before and knew that this was what the dead looked like.
but……
Li Zhuoyue glanced at Shen Shi and Yun Xi, who were heartbroken and wiping away tears, and suddenly reached into the coffin!
When Madam Shen saw this scene, Li Zhuoyue had already reached inside. Her heart stopped, and she cried out urgently, "Lord Li!"