The next moment, as the dance reached its apex, the third prince stepped forward and burst out in song. "He lay there—quietly, his last breath having expired—! As though he were—a fallen leaf, floating in the wind—to his soul we pay our respects, our tears!"
The fourth prince took over. "With my mournful voice—I sing out my sorrow, in order that— you may depart with ease—!"
Zhang Lie didn't know whether the second prince would indeed depart with ease; if he were the one in the coffin, he certainly wouldn't.
Nevertheless, the song and dance continued. It was the fifth prince's turn. "As though you had—dreamt a marvelous dream—never to wake up again, your smile as gentle as a breeze. All things change in time—even the stars will move—but our love will remain here, here where you spilled blood—in passion and glory!"
An official remarked to his neighbor, "The princes are really amazing! The hardest part of this dance is to keep the coffin from touching the ground—that would be bad luck.
The more intensely the coffin rattles, the more successful the ceremony is, but the more likely it becomes for the coffin to touch the ground. Nevertheless, the princes have shown us an amazing dance while balancing all these factors—the royalty are truly incredible!"
Zhang Lie's lips spasmed. It was indeed interesting—so much so that the coffin was making all sorts of flips and rotations in mid-air.
Finally, the remaining five princes stepped forward together, singing in a chorus, "Please, depart with ease—leave your earthly roots behind!"
Zhang Lie was flabbergasted.
All the funerals he had been to were dreary affairs, but this one had overturned all his expectations.
The citizens watching the rites all began to clap and dance.
Even the second prince's wife began to sing. "To live is to hurt—there's far too much in life that's unfortunate—! But all we can do is—to tell ourselves steadfastly, never to let go! Stand back up, stand back up out of the ruins of our collapse—calm our hearts and breathe in the miracle of life!"
Her voice was outstanding, and a joyous smile filled her face. She looked unusually happy, completely out of place at this funeral. If this were to happen in China, she would be considered a public disgrace, one who would drown in the face of negative public opinion.
However, Zhang Lie hadn't seen the last of the surprises just yet. contemporary romance
The princes and their wives began to sing earnestly, all together, "Our tears have formed a river, but still—still we live! Love will allow us to live on, to be one with the world! And when our love and hope face the sun—our tears of yesterday shall evaporate. Do not give up on the morrow—dream your dreams, wish your wishes, fill yourself with strength and courage—let your love and hope shine by the moonlight!"
Zhang Lie forced himself to stifle his laughter, but some among the Heijie were unable to do so. The cultural disconnect between this funeral and what they were used to was simply too shocking. Those among the Heijie who had made such gaffes quickly clapped to hide their laughter.
As they sang and danced, the princes grew close to the plaza. Their practiced steps, efficient actions, shocking physique, attractive appearances, and completely unconventional songs and dances made Zhang Lie feel as though they really could become a boy band that would take the galaxy by storm.
"Turn back and take a look at your homeland—the future lies in wait, a myriad paths to travel—I opened the window and basked in the welcoming dawn!"
The crowd in the plaza split into two, leaving room for the princes to maneuver. The princes placed the coffin right in the middle of the plaza, as though they were giving him the seat of honor. Then, they stood around the coffin like a campfire, clapping their hands as they spun, sang, and jumped.
Zhang Lie watched the proceedings with a shudder. He couldn't bear the thought of dying in this world, then having his funeral publicized and watched by all, his corpse forced to rattle in its coffin, without a shroud of solitude and solemnity.
It was only natural that there would be differences between cultures, but Zhang Lie hadn't expected one so extreme. Earth tended to favor solemnity, and those solemn funerals were intended to make the living cry out their grief and pain.
On the other hand, in this world, funerals were joyous occasions in which friends and family would send the dead off with happiness and festivities, hoping that the dead would be able to leave the world with a smile, and that the living would turn away from grief.
Once the princes had finished their performance and returned to their seats, the crown prince stepped onto the stage. This performance was dedicated to the dead imperial guards, rather than the second prince.
"They lay there—quietly, their last breaths having expired—! As though they were—fallen leaves, floating in the wind—to their souls we pay our respects, our tears!
"Even the wind cannot capture any trace of their passing—but they live on, they live on in our hearts forevermore! Life passes like a dream—a dream of gold, a dream of pleasure—a dream of honor on the battlefield, honor in death, honor in sacrifice!"
Zhang Lie listened calmly as the ceremony proceeded. The king of the realm himself should have officiated the ceremony, but the fact that the crown prince was doing so instead revealed the king's intentions to have the crown prince succeed him.
Few others had noticed this subtle shift.
The crown prince continued, "Everyone's hearts, ripped apart by loss, by tears—the mountains and rivers mourn you! These dead guards, just like the rest of us gathered here, have their own names and families. They led simple lives filled with hope. They are brothers and sisters to us all. On this day, as the crown prince of the realm, in the name of this world, we commemorate the dead who have given their lives that we may live."
This ceremony marked the end of this incident that shook the capital and threatened the succession of the throne.
The princes felt as though this was the worst it would get, that they were mired in the most intense battle for succession in the history of this world, that they would be able to secure victory by uniting under the leadership of the king of the realm to resist the masterminds behind the attack, the Jinghun clan.
Little did they know that this was only a portent of things to come...
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