Sunrise always comes later in winter.
On the official road outside the imperial palace in Jiaosong County, the carriages of various civil and military officials were crowded together waiting for their masters. The servants driving the carriages were yawning, and the white air they exhaled made people even more sleepy.
But at this time, the atmosphere inside the palace walls was quite different.
After witnessing what happened in the hall just now, everyone was trembling with fear and full of doubts.
Everyone was secretly wondering whether there was any obstacle or hurdle in Bai's confusing case that would trip them up.
So, just as the crowd in front of the hall dispersed and they nodded and said goodbye to each other, they immediately went to the side halls, waiting for the opportunity to meet the emperor to express their loyalty and find out whether there was any danger to them.
However, everyone seemed to have briefly forgotten one thing: the emperor never liked to see people.
Meeting with ministers in private was even less frequent.
The ministers stood outside the side hall awkwardly for a while, then had to nod and say goodbye to each other, returning to the villa with trepidation and their bodies covered in frost.
After seeing off the last minister, Shan Jiangfei carried the memorial in his hand into the hall, carefully closed the door, and dismissed the palace guards who were on guard.
Perhaps hearing some noise, the man on the soft couch behind the bead curtain in the inner room slowly opened his eyes.
"What time is it?"
The eunuch in the outer room heard the noise, lifted the pearl curtain and came closer.
"Your Majesty, it is one o'clock in the morning."
"Are they all gone?"
"They've all left." Shan Jiangfei set the memorial aside, took the hot soup pot from the small stove nearby, and carefully brought it over. "This was prepared earlier. Your Majesty hasn't had a drop of water since the ceremony began. At least have something hot to warm your stomach."
The emperor did not refuse the eunuch's kindness. He took two sips from the porcelain spoon in the soup bowl and his eyes fell on the scrolls of bamboo slips.
"What are they?"
"Only Jiang Sizheng clearly stated that he was reporting on the expenses of this festival. I don't know about the rest."
The Tiancheng Division was responsible for the regulations and expenses for all historical sacrifices and pilgrimages. If the procedures were the same every year, there would be no need to submit a petition. However, this year, there were two exceptions: the choice of Jiaosong as the site, and the fireworks display at Yuehe River to send off the gods.
Since the founding of Tiancheng, there had never been a precedent for setting off sky lanterns and fireworks during the New Year's Eve celebrations. But since the emperor had spoken, who dared not arrange it? But after making arrangements, they feared the emperor would forget and blame them later. So, for their own safety, they even flatteredly handed over such cumbersome items as account books, simply to reassure themselves.
Shan Jiangfei intentionally moved the bamboo slips farther away and calmly turned off a few lights.
"It's getting late. We'll be leaving in two hours. Your Majesty, why don't you take a nap? These volumes aren't urgent. You can read them on the way back."
The emperor had already put down the soup bowl and stretched out his slender white hand.
"No problem, bring it over now."
Shan Jiangfei had no choice but to rethink in his mind those ceremonial officials who only ate and did not work, and took the scrolls of memorials and handed them over.
The emperor picked up the bamboo slips very slowly, but his eyes moved quickly between the lines of text. It was obvious that he was used to doing this.
While he was looking at the words on the bamboo slips, he suddenly asked, "Who is the Sikou who is in charge of the execution today?"
As soon as the man said this, the eunuch who had followed him for many years understood what he meant.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Cui En is an old man in the palace. If I ask him to hold back, he will naturally know his limits."
The man did not respond immediately, but just absentmindedly flipped through the bamboo slips in his hand.
One volume, two volumes... When he saw the third volume, he finally stopped.
The side hall was very quiet, and the finest charcoal was burning quietly in the furnace, making almost no sound.
"Is it windy outside?"
Shan Jiangfei walked to the window and fiddled with the latch on the frame, then glanced at the bell on the eaves outside the window: "It's very quiet tonight, not even the sound of wind."
The emperor stared at the flickering candlelight in the glass lamp.
There was silence and stillness all around, but the candle flame moved without any wind, and after a moment it returned to silence.
The bamboo slips were thrown aside with a "pa" sound.
"Tell Weixiang to go and take a look at the side door. If he sees anyone leaving the palace, come back and report to me."
Shan Jiangfei was stunned and could hardly believe the order he heard.
"Your Majesty is asking Lieutenant Ding..."
"right."
The eunuch's face showed an unconcealable anxiety: "Your Majesty has many guards, and sending someone else to check will be the same. Your Majesty will leave this place soon, and the thief's whereabouts are still unknown. I am worried..."
"A Fei." The emperor called his name, which was rare. "Don't delay."
He rarely heard his own name, and the last time he was called like this was at a critical moment many years ago.
"yes."
The eunuch acted with a calmness and seriousness that was inconsistent with his age, and walked out of the hall without stopping.
The emperor's fingers tapped on the table, creating a monotonous and irritating rhythm in the silent side hall.
Tick, tick, tick.
Xiao Nanhui's blurred focus gradually converged on the bluestone bricks in front of her. She saw black and red liquid falling drop by drop into the pothole, forming a small puddle.
That was her blood.
"Xiao Yingwei, it's over."
The interrogator called her for the third time, and her soul, which had already floated out of her body, seemed to return to her body in an instant.
Xiao Nanhui climbed up from the torture bench, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't pull the outer garment that was piled around his waist back onto his shoulders.
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