Chapter 117 The Shi Family's Property Confiscated and They Exiled
Gu Nanxiao first returned to the Prince's Mansion to hold a funeral for his father. He and his mother knelt in front of the mourning hall, burning paper money and returning the greetings to those who came to pay their respects.
No one noticed a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella standing on a street corner in the far distance. Upon closer inspection, it was not hard to see that her face was unusually pale, and there were wrinkles on her forehead and temples, clearly indicating that she was wearing a human skin mask.
She quietly watched Gu Nanxiao kneeling in the mourning hall, and after carefully observing his expression, she smiled with relief, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Gu Nanxiao suddenly seemed to sense something and looked in that direction, only to see a swaying, unfamiliar figure. He didn't see the person he longed for day and night.
Gu Nan disappeared, landed, lowered his head, and continued to throw paper money into the brazier.
Since Gu Nanxiao returned to the capital, he has placed Consort Xu and her children under complete control. They were not allowed to attend the funeral arrangements for Prince Yong.
Those who didn't understand the situation said they were cold-hearted. They didn't even come to see the person off in their final moments. Gu Nanxiao didn't care whether they had been wronged or not; from now on, they would have no place to cause trouble in the Prince's mansion.
After Consort Xu was imprisoned, she did not cry or make a scene as the princess had imagined. She simply sat blankly by the window every day, looking as if the sky had fallen and she had lost all support.
Indeed, this was the case. Consort Xu was merely a concubine in this household. Without Prince Yong's favoritism, she would not have been able to live such a glamorous and successful life.
Now that the Prince Yong has died on the battlefield and Gu Nanxiao has inherited the throne, she, the former favorite concubine of the prince, can only eke out a living in the palace.
Moreover, her two sons were already ruined. Since their careers were hopeless, they had become even more obsessed with women. They no longer read books or practiced martial arts, and only cared about fooling around with their concubines.
What bothered Consort Xu the most was her youngest daughter, who would come every few days to complain that her marriage had been called off and that her stepmother was indifferent to it.
She also asked him to find a way to beg the Princess and Gu Nanxiao to find her a better marriage.
After the death of Prince Yong, his three children continued to attend to their own affairs, as if their father's life or death had nothing to do with them. None of them shed a single tear.
Although Consort Xu knew perfectly well that the Prince Yong's affection for her and her children over the years was not genuine, the benefits they received were undeniable.
It's unclear who these three cold-hearted children took after. No one cares about Consort Xu's misery, just like countless other women drowning in the inner quarters of the palace; even if they refuse to accept their fate, they can't change anything.
The funeral of Prince Yong went smoothly without any mishaps. After the coffin containing Prince Yong's ashes was placed in the imperial mausoleum, Gu Nanxiao immediately began investigating the case of the Third Prince's family, who were involved in forging weapons and illegally operating gold mines.
The evidence in the Third Prince's case is conclusive, but it hasn't been closed yet because Gu Nanxiao has been suppressing the proceedings. He's afraid that once he's dealt with the Shi family, Yunxi will leave without a second thought.
But at this moment, Gu Nanxiao thought of another way: he could first convict Shi Qingchen, and then try his best to exile him. As long as Shi Qingchen didn't die, Yunxi might stay to seek revenge.
The cases of the Third Prince and the Shi family were quickly concluded. The final outcome followed Gu Nanxiao's plan. The Emperor personally sentenced the Third Prince to be demoted to commoner status and exiled to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to guard the imperial tombs.
When the Shi family was sentenced to exile, the case was presented to the Emperor for approval. The Emperor had no objections and approved it with a stroke of his pen.
However, when deciding on the place of exile, Gu Nanxiao secretly manipulated things, deliberately sending all the criminals from the Shi family to his fiefdom, the northwestern border town.
Upon learning this news, the Shi family couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting how such a twist of fate had befallen them. They could even foresee how miserable their future lives would be.
But there was nothing they could do; they were no longer the high-ranking noble families they once were, but prisoners who had been convicted of crimes.
After dealing with these matters, Gu Nanxiao returned to the grove, went into his wooden house, brought out a long chair, and began to focus intently on carving wood carvings once again.
He deliberately appeared here dressed in mourning clothes to gain Yunxi's sympathy. Unfortunately, his acting was inadequate. After seeing his expression that day, Yunxi was certain that the Prince Yong was not dead at all.
Moreover, the two had already planned this out. To dispel the emperor's suspicions, it would be best to find an opportunity to have Prince Yong fake his death and escape. Then, when they rose in rebellion, they would reveal the truth to the public.
Yunxi stood inside the barrier, watching Gu Nanxiao's performance with amusement. Seeing his feigned sorrow, she really wanted to go out and twist his ear hard, asking him how he dared to lie to her again.
Qi Jinxiu stood aside, looking at the undisguised emotion in Yunxi's eyes, and felt a wave of bitterness rising in his heart.
Ever since learning of Gu Nanxiao's resounding victory and safe return to the capital, Yunxi's expression has remained relaxed and cheerful.
Moreover, the way she looks at Gu Nanxiao now is no longer so distant and cold.
Qi Jinxiu knew that he probably would never have that chance in his lifetime. However, he was still happy about it. If Yunxi liked Gu Nanxiao enough, she would probably choose to stay because of that man.
Gu Nanxiao, who was carving wood carvings across from him, shared the same thought. He noticed that one or two of his wood carvings would often be missing.
He was certain that Yunxi had taken the missing wood carving. Since the little girl was willing to accept his gift, did that mean Yunxi had already decided to forgive him?
The month of the solar eclipse is getting closer and closer. Although he doesn't know the exact date, he is actually more anxious than anyone else.
Moreover, this is the only place he can get close to Yunxi. He doesn't know if Yunxi knows what he does every day, or if it's enough to sway the little girl.
The two of them never saw each other, and he was ultimately unable to bridge the gap between them. But there was nothing he could do at the moment.
Why did he fall in love with such a stubborn girl? Gu Nanxiao sighed deeply, a bitter smile playing on his lips. He knew better than anyone that if Yunxi didn't have such a resolute character, he might not have liked her at all.
The day of the Shi family's exile arrived. The entire clan of over a thousand people, dragging a long procession, each wearing shackles, were driven out of the city by officials wielding whips.
There were quite a few people in the city who came to watch the spectacle today. Some of them even had old grudges against the Shi family and brought rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves to wait here, just to beat the dog when it was down.
They applauded the downfall of the Shi family. However, they were very dissatisfied with the fact that the sentence was only confiscation of their property and exile.
These scions of powerful families were people who rode on the backs of ordinary people, bullying men and women and abusing their power, yet no one dared to do anything about it.
Among the crowd were several people, all of whom were children or sisters who had been forcibly taken into the mansion as slaves or concubines. They were the ones who fought the most fiercely.
As they fought, they angrily recounted the crimes committed by the victims. This further enticed unrelated civilians to join the punitive expedition.
Yunxi disappeared into the crowd, her eyes fixed on Shi Qingchen, noticing the wooden shackles around his neck and the heavy iron chains on his feet.
He was pushed forward by the officials without any dignity, and if he hesitated even slightly, the short whip would immediately strike him. Yunxi felt extremely happy.
At this moment, Yun Yi suddenly appeared beside her and whispered, "Master, please leave here quickly. Gu Nanxiao is approaching this way."
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