The Female Assistant of Wei Yuyan Shuangfei

Emperor Ming of Song gently put Empress Dowager Xie's hand back into the quilt, calmed himself down, put away the sadness in his heart, rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his ministers.

With just one glance, all the ministers knew that the emperor in front of them was no longer a child. Although he had not yet reached the age to rule the country, he was raised by Empress Dowager Xie and was a disciple of Prince Tai Shi Yan Shuang. Naturally, all the ministers did not dare to neglect him in the slightest.

Yan Shi calmed himself down, stepped forward slowly and asked, "Your Majesty! What are the rules for the funeral of the Empress Dowager?"

Yan Shi's words saved the lives of a group of officials in the Ministry of Rites. Logically, Empress Dowager Xie's funeral should have followed the ancestral system and she should have been buried together with Emperor Wen of Song in Xuanling.

However, when Empress Dowager Xie was still alive, she had already issued an imperial decree to close the tomb passage of Xuanling Mausoleum. The imperial decree specified that he should not be buried in the imperial mausoleum, but should be buried in a beautiful mountain with a little renovation.

When the Empress Dowager issued the imperial decree, it was opposed by many court officials. Fortunately, the adopted Emperor An of Song made the final decision and followed the request of Empress Dowager Xie, so the court officials could not oppose this matter.

Now that Yan Shi, the prime minister, has brought up the issue, it is natural for Emperor Ming of Song to make the decision. After all, the funeral of the Empress Dowager is no trivial matter.

Emperor Ming of Song looked back at the remains of his great-grandmother. He naturally knew the significance of the imperial decree issued by his great-grandmother, after all, he was present at the scene.

"Grandmother! If this imperial decree is sent, Xuanling Mausoleum will certainly close the tomb passage. How can Grandmother be buried with Grandfather after a hundred years?"

Empress Dowager Xie chuckled when she heard this and said, "You are still a smart kid. I don't want to be with your royal grandfather. I have been with him for more than ten years and he has annoyed me to death. Now that I can finally be the master of my own house, of course I have to choose a place with good feng shui."

"Grandmother! Yun'er will find you the largest and best treasure land so that you can take good care of the Song Dynasty."

"Okay! Yun'er is thoughtful. When the time comes, find a place full of peach blossoms for the Royal Grandmother. The Royal Grandmother likes peach blossoms. When the time comes, Yun'er can eat peaches, and the Royal Grandmother can also see you."

"Okay! Yuner has made note of it."

The conversation between the grandfather and grandson in the past was still repeated in Emperor Song Ming's mind. Looking at the peaceful Empress Dowager Xie in front of him, Emperor Song Ming muttered to himself: "Grandmother! Yun'er promised you that he would not lie to you."

"Prime Minister Yan is right to worry. I will make my own decision. Where is the Minister of Rites?"

"I'm here." A man hurriedly stepped forward and said.

"According to the order of the Royal Grandmother before her death, this funeral should be kept simple and without extravagance. Taoshan outside Bianjing will be assigned to the royal family, and the Royal Grandmother will be buried in Taoshan."

Upon hearing this, the officials from the Ministry of Rites felt relieved and gladly accepted the emperor's order. All the people in the department then began to arrange the funeral of the Empress Dowager in an orderly manner.

Unexpectedly! As soon as Emperor Qianming finished speaking, a eunuch outside Ci'an Palace hurriedly stepped forward and whispered a few words in Emperor Songming's ear.

Emperor Song Ming, who had originally looked calm, was stunned after hearing the eunuch's report and asked, "When did this happen?"

"Sir! Three quarters past midnight."

Before Emperor Song Ming could say anything, another eunuch quickly walked towards Yan Shi and said, "Prime Minister Yan! Just now, a servant from the Yan residence came to report that Grand Tutor Yan suddenly died at home."

The king and his minister looked at each other and knew what was in each other's mind. Their eyes met, and it seemed that their guesses were confirmed in an instant.

"Prime Minister Yan! The Grand Tutor has never married in his life, nor has he adopted any children. I will have to trouble Prime Minister Yan to take care of his affairs. You go first!" Emperor Ming of Song stroked his hand and said.

"Your humble servant apologizes. I will handle the matter of the Grand Tutor properly, please rest assured, Your Majesty."

As Yan Shi spoke, he bowed and saluted, then staggered out of the palace gate. At this time, the Yan family began to prepare for the funeral in an orderly manner.

When Yan Shuang left, she had a smile on her face. In her hand she held a wooden hairpin engraved with peach blossoms, and she kept muttering "You're here" from time to time.

Before his death, he briefly instructed his loyal servant to bury him in a place where Cuiping Peak and Taoshan Mountain can be seen from afar.

Although Yan Shuang's death was somewhat sudden, the old servant who had been by his side for fifty years naturally guessed what Yan Shuang meant by "you".

Three days later, the palace began to hold funeral ceremonies for the Empress Dowager. Although the scale of the funeral was small, the ceremony was very solemn.

In the funeral procession, besides the civil and military officials of the imperial court, there were also many people who came to the funeral spontaneously. They were dressed in plain clothes, holding white flowers, and followed the procession with solemn expressions.

The funeral procession stretched for fifty or sixty miles, and the entire Bianjing was in a state of silence. The soldiers and civilians on both sides of the river cried bitterly as they watched the coffin passing by.

After half a day's journey, the funeral procession stopped at the foot of Taoshan Mountain, which was the place chosen by Emperor Ming of Song and the place that the Empress Dowager most longed for.

On Taoshan Mountain, there are green trees, birds singing and flowers blooming, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene. At the foot of the mountain, there is a huge lake surrounded by mountains and water, which is a rare beauty.

"Grandmother! I think you will like this place."

After Emperor Ming of Song finished speaking, officials from the Ministry of Rites began to read the eulogy. The article was eloquent and full of words, it expressed gratitude to the Empress Dowager and praised her achievements.

As the sacrificial offerings turned to ashes, the sound of banging was heard from the foot of the mountain, and another funeral procession was seen slowly moving towards the mountain opposite Taoshan.

Everyone naturally knew who was lying in the coffin. After all, everyone had already known about the Empress Dowager's affairs. However, these two extremely powerful people had never had any rumors spread about them during their lifetime.

The two of them could be described as friends of gentlemen, and all their actions were based on emotion and ended in courtesy. Such behavior was admired by all the civil and military officials in the court.

"Eunuch An! Go and burn three sticks of incense for Master Yan on my behalf."

"I obey your command." Eunuch An responded and walked quickly down the mountain.

Although the funeral of the Empress Dowager was simple, the standard was quite high. The ministers worked for half a day to complete all the procedures and put the coffin to rest.

Emperor Qianming followed the order of the Empress Dowager and buried the coffin in Taoshan. On the same day, Yan Shuang, the Prince's Grand Tutor who had taught two emperors, died of an old illness in the Yan Mansion at the age of 84.

Yan Shuang never married in his life, which resulted in the extinction of the main branch of the Yan family. He knew that he could not face the ancestors of the Yan family, so he asked to be buried in Cuiping Peak.

Perhaps it was destined that Emperor Ming of Song buried the Empress Dowager in Taoshan. The two mountains facing each other seemed to be the deceased's last hope.

In the second year of Chong'an in the Great Song Dynasty, on the fourth day of October at 11:30 pm, Empress Dowager Xie, who had ruled the Great Song Dynasty for more than fifty years, died in Ci'an Hall at the age of eighty-four and was buried in Taoshan.

Although there is no record in history books, Empress Dowager Xie's life can be said to be full of legends. She used business to engage in politics, which brought life to the lower classes of the Song Dynasty, solved the problem of food and clothing, and allowed them to enjoy unprecedented dignity.

The history books are full of stories and record countless legends, but for the emperors, all they can say is "Empress Dowager Xie has the talent of Lu and Wu, but not their heart."