Before Xie Zhaozhao's carriage reached the west city, large raindrops began to fall.
Raindrops pounded on the ground, and the earthy smell filled my nostrils.
The street vendors had all packed up their stalls long ago, and the place was deserted.
The blinding lightning seemed to tear the sky apart, and the rumbling thunder grew ever closer.
"Splash!"
The torrential rain began to fall in an instant, and the roof of the carport rattled and banged like drums.
The thunder was so loud that it startled the horses, so Mo Yan drove the carriage to a roadside shelter built by a lay Buddhist.
There were horse-drawn carriages under the shed, and many people were also taking shelter from the rain there.
The lightning bolts were like tyrannical demons, each one seemingly tearing the entire sky apart.
The lightning was followed by a loud clap of thunder.
"Click"
One clap of thunder after another, and finally a huge "bang!" resounded in the east of the city.
The people who were taking shelter from the rain were all startled and discussed among themselves: "The thunder was so loud, it felt like the ground was shaking."
"Hey, have you heard? Last time it rained this hard, a woman from one family was struck by lightning. Oh my, it was awful, her whole body was charred black."
"Yes, my aunt's seventh uncle's house, a tree that was several arm spans thick was chopped into pieces, and a perfectly good brick house was turned into ruins."
......
Xie Zhaozhao sat in the car, gazing at the torrential rain outside, listening to Yuanyuan leading the discussion outside about "lightning striking unfilial people," her face remaining calm.
Xie Xiangxiang should be gone, right?
In this life, she will protect the Xie family. Anyone who tries to harm the Xie family will be her sworn enemy.
The carriage returned to Qingpu Garden at the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM). Xie Zhaozhao originally thought she had returned late enough, but she didn't expect Gu Shaoyu to still be there.
Bei Chen has returned and reported to her: "Xie Xiangxiang is dead... her body has been shattered to pieces."
He had never seen such a powerful weapon before.
After being lit, it was thrown in through the front door, and the main house where Xie Xiangxiang was located was blown to rubble.
Xie Zhaozhao picked up her pen and wrote a letter, sealed it with sealing wax, and said to Mo Yan, "Go to the Xie residence immediately and make sure to deliver this letter to the eldest young master in person."
Xie Yu had already left court. Mo Yan arrived at Xie's residence and gave the letter to Xie Yu, who immediately knew that his sister had something important to discuss.
I received the letter, took it out and read it. Xie Zhaozhao had only written two sentences—
Xie Xiangxiang has informed Princess Yurong of the secret letter from the Xie family.
Xie Xiangxiang is dead.
Xie Yu immediately understood what he meant and said to Mo Yan with a smile, "Go back and tell the young lady that I will arrange the people your household needs to invite in the next few days."
Mo Yan, unaware of the letter's contents, returned and truthfully reported it to Xie Zhaozhao, word for word.
Xie Zhaozhao neither agreed nor disagreed, and told him to leave.
"Yuanyuan, have you and Nanxing found a suitable courtyard?"
"Yes, Miss. We have found the right place. Both mansions are first-class courtyards, one with five courtyards and the other with seven courtyards."
Not only were there many courtyards, but there were also dedicated racecourses, theaters, and schools.
In terms of scale and luxury, it surpasses the mansions of any of the eight generals under the Duke of Xun's mansion.
A proper courtyard belonging to a general of the fourth rank or above.
Xie Zhaozhao said, "Then these two mansions will do. Tomorrow, I'll have the Grand Secretary report to the palace, and we'll invite Yin Jin'an and the two generals to take a look."
Although Chu Zhongtian and Wang Li are generals personally appointed by the imperial court, these two residences exceed the prescribed regulations. Without His Majesty's approval, they will likely be impeached again.
As they were talking, Nanxing drove the carriage to bring Gu Shaoyu back. It was a hot summer day, and even though the carriage was filled with ice, Gu Shaoyu was still sweating profusely.
Xie Zhaozhao immediately gave him a bowl of ice cream and called him into the house. There were many ice basins and many pots of fresh flowers.
Stepping on the wooden fan blades made the whole room very cool.
There were no guests at home, and the two of them stayed in the same courtyard as before at Qingpu Courtyard. Apart from the study, they ate and slept in the same courtyard. Gu Shaoyu wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, with his chest half-open.
I ate some ice cream while talking to her.
“The old lord of the Wei family is gone,” Gu Shaoyu said. “After Wei Shixun was punished, the old lord fell ill and did not survive for more than a few days. The Duke of Chengen had been keeping his body in an ice cellar, but today this matter has been exposed.”
"Was it to avoid the mourning period? After all this time, are the remains even in good condition?"
Wei Shixun was tortured two months ago. He's been dead for two months. If you put him in ice to keep him alive, he'll start to rot, won't he?
"The weather is so hot that no amount of ice can preserve it. The body has already decomposed and is stinking. The Cheng'en Duke's Mansion is trying to keep it a secret, but the stench cannot be concealed."
The Imperial City Guards first smelled the stench, and after keeping watch for several days, they reported to His Majesty that they suspected the old feudal lord had been dead for many days.
His Majesty remained silent. That day, the Empress Dowager suddenly fell critically ill, and His Majesty ordered someone to immediately report to the Duke of Cheng'en.
The Imperial City Guards sneaked into the old lord's courtyard, killed a guard who was protecting the ice cellar, and only then did they confirm that the old lord was dead.
Today, the Censorate impeached the Duke of Cheng'en for being unfilial, as he didn't even know whether his mother was alive or dead.
His Majesty was furious and sent a female official to the Duke of Chengen's residence to see the old Duke in person. Only then did the Duke of Chengen have no choice but to announce that the old Duke had passed away.
"He's been lingering in court, hoping to seize power! Now that the Wei family is gone from the court, he's so anxious that he's developed blisters on his lips."
Emperor Hui has truly been patient and restrained over the years. He couldn't defeat the Wei clan for the time being, so he gradually eroded their power.
They quietly and discreetly eliminated the Wei family's children and grandchildren, and this year they were especially ruthless, killing one son and two grandchildren, or crippling them.
His Majesty would not allow him to be exempted from mourning; he even hoped that the man would observe three years of mourning.
The struggle within the imperial court was a fierce battleground.
No matter how much they disliked and hated the Chengen Duke's family, the next day, Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao still went to the Chengen Duke's mansion to pay their respects with Gu Zhongyu and his wife, and Gu Zheng.
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