The standoff between General Ma, the Duke, and the Minister of Agriculture was intense. It looked, at a certain point, as if the old General would take justice into his own hands and kill them both, but he restrained himself. Mei could see the veins bulging at the back of his closed knuckles and forehead, and his eyes were red.
"General Gao!" the Emperor called out. General Gao stood up and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said.
"I want to investigate this," the Emperor said, turning to General Ma, "Since you brought this matter to me, allow me to handle it." He placed his hand reassuringly on the back of the General's tightened knuckles, then went back to his seat.
"General Ma, have a seat. It's good you're here," the Emperor said. "I wanted to send you an official edict, but since you are here now, let me do it."
"It has been a long while since you have been protecting the borders of our great empire, and it is thanks to you and all other Generals that we in other parts of the empire get to sleep peacefully at night without any worries. Each and every one of us here is grateful for that."
"And since you have been on the borders for so long, it's time for you to retire and come back to the capital with the Madam. I have received the reports and am more than reassured that your son can take over the leadership there. I would request that the Ministry of Work renovate your residency. It's time to join me in the capital and advise me on border issues, since you know more about them than I do. I will also reward you." He requested his eunuch to bring something, and a long list was brought and handed over to General Ma.
The General then stood up and kneeled to bow and give his Majesty his thanks.
"The court is dismissed!" the Emperor called out. "General Gao, follow me," he added.
While they all left, Mei looked at her grandfather. All his hair and beard were white, but he was in a robust shape, just a bit weary and tired, maybe from the journey and the situation.
Ling'er was following Mei, who was following her grandfather into his carriage. Mei looked back at Ling'er, tapping her shoulder. "I'm not sad, I'm okay. I just need to make sure he gets home safe. Go and listen to what the Emperor and General Gao are discussing." Mei felt a swish as Ling'er turned around and floated away in the direction of the Emperor's Throne Room. Mei's jaw dropped; she hadn't even finished her sentence, which made her smile.
She went closer to the carriage, and as she entered, her eyes popped out of their sockets. Seated in the carriage was also her grandmother, wearing a grey outfit, her grey hair pulled into a bun. She looked very dignified.
Her grandfather, on the other hand, was seated at her feet, massaging them. "Why didn't you just remain on the border and let me handle the situation?" he asked her.
Her mouth upturned. "I asked you so many times to challenge that fool Sun Di and to get me my granddaughter, but what did you do? Nothing! To me, you are as guilty of her death as they are," she said. Her voice, just as Mei remembered, was velvety and soothing. "Would it have been different if she were a male grandchild?" she asked, then added, "Never mind. Her father wouldn't have done that to her if she were a boy," she said, staring into the distance.
"You know I treat my daughters and sons equally. I also love my granddaughter more than my grandsons. I'm sorry, dear," he said. "I just failed to realise how evil both of them were."
"What will that love mean to her?" her grandmother said with tears pooling in her eyes. "She never felt it when she was alive. I'm as guilty as everyone too; I should have stayed back at the capital and made sure she was okay," she said, fully sobbing now.
Her grandfather stood up and started patting her back. "Dear, please don't cry," he said, sounding heartbroken. "You can hit me and do anything, but please don't cry," he begged. "I promise, on the life of all my bloodline, I will make them regret all they did."
Mei Mei, your grandmother is sorry," her grandmother said in between sobs. Mei rushed to give her a hug, but her hands went through her. She tried again but couldn't, so she sat next to her grandmother as her grandfather tried all methods to stop her from crying.
After a short distance, the carriage stopped, and they all exited, standing in front of the General's capital estate. Mei remembered visiting her grandparents and uncles as a child here, and all she had were good memories. Life would have been different for her had they lived in the capital.
Her grandmother walked in, and instead of going to her chambers, she walked directly to the family ancestral hall while her grandfather ran after her, trying to get her to her chambers.
"Dear, let's go to the chambers, you need to rest," he said. "You can pay your respects when you rest," he added.
Her grandmother rolled her eyes. "Who wants to pay respect to your ancestors?" she said. "I want to set up an offering table for my granddaughter. I'm sure no one did that for her," she added. "Stop following me annoyingly! If you want to help, go get me fruits, wine, and joss papers!" she added, entering the Ma family's ancestral hall.
What caught Mei's eye immediately was her mother's ancestral table. Different from the one in her father's household, it was big, clean, and had a lot of fruits and wine. The one in her father's estate was at the corner, empty and dusty last she saw it. Despite her grandparents being away from the capital, it was clear the effort they put into it; they had someone clean it and set it.
Her grandmother took a table and set it next to her mother's, and sat there talking to both her table and her mother's while she waited for her grandfather.