Luo Jiang galloped hard. Her mother was staying temporarily in Capital City, not far from Prince Dai's Residence, and after riding out, she reached home in no time. It stood in an unremarkable little alley, and her headlong charge startled two passersby there.
Luo Jiang paid them no heed at all. She swung down from her horse, tossed aside the reins without even tethering it, and ran straight into her home in the alley, pushing the door open.
"Hey, you..." A neighbor saw the front door standing wide open and, remembering the coffin carried inside not long before, glanced in. He saw her stagger forward and wrench open the coffin set in the middle of the courtyard.
"Mother-!"
The coffin lid hit the ground with a thud, and a bloody stench rushed out to meet her.
The instant Luo Jiang saw the mangled corpse lying inside, she spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Several people emerged from a side room. One wore plain clothes but official boots, with two others following him. Without waiting for him to speak, one of them stepped forward to check her breathing, then felt her pulse.
"Lord Lu, she really has fainted."
Seeing that the official still looked somewhat doubtful, he added, "Even ordinary people can suffer a rush of rage to the heart when something terrible happens. Luo Jiang practices martial arts, so sudden fury affects her even more severely. This cannot be faked."
Only then did Lord Lu nod. "It seems I was overly suspicious. Very well. Since someone has died, give her a bereavement payment and arrange a proper burial."
"In three days, have her return to the residence to beg forgiveness. Prince Dai is magnanimous. He won't hold things against a woman who has lost her mother. This is