Clocks
You might not have noticed this, but there’s a huge contrast between the strictness of Wang Xifeng’s approach to Qin Keqing’s funeral and the way the monks and priests approach it.
I think this is part of the reason why this section of chapter 14 is arranged this way. We first see Wang Xifeng demanding that her staff do everything at appropriate time, after which we read about tons of rituals.
The rituals are a bit over the top, as I’ve said before. And that’s where the contrast is sharpest.
