Marital Bliss Before the Bier

Marital Bliss Before the Bier On the day I first entered the palace, the Noble Consort passed away, and the emperor ordered me to be buried with her. The head palace matron shoved a funeral-rite sheet into my hands and told me to read the words of gratitude from it. I knelt before the emperor, so frightened my vision went white. The moment I opened my mouth, I blurted out, “This servant is willing to live in marital bliss with Your Majesty for a hundred years.” The wailing in the mourning hall stopped. So did I. The emperor lowered his eyes to look at me, his fingertip pausing lightly on his prayer beads. Then he said, “Granted.”