The snow fell heavily for several days, and Xu Nian, who was afraid of the cold, stayed in her room for several days and refused to go out.
However, he heard every piece of news from the outside world. For example, Jiang Yuanlang went to the palace on the first day of the Lunar New Year to pay New Year's respects to the emperor on behalf of Consort Gui, but now it should be Consort Shu who pleaded for him and was ordered to stay at home.
In the following days, the court officials entered the palace. The Imperial Censor and several fifth-rank officials were dismissed and investigated.
According to Su Wanting and Gu Zhan, many of them are members of the Third Prince's faction. Currently, in the court, apart from staunch supporters of the emperor like Gu Zhan and Minister Liu, there are few others.
Most of them were the Crown Prince's men, while the Third Prince's faction lived in constant fear.
Although it hadn't completely collapsed, it dared not cause any more trouble. Little did it know, someone was lurking in the prince's residence, in a dark and unlit study.
With a face as gloomy as a demon from hell, he stared in the direction of the Fu'an County Magistrate's residence. With a wave of his hand, his men brought several people up.
"What are you doing?! This is the county magistrate's residence, how dare you trespass here?!"
"We are just following orders. Someone has accused the Lady of Fu'an County of disregarding human life and being unfilial to her relatives. The Prefect of Jingzhou has ordered us to come and take her in for questioning!"
A few days later, the weather gradually cleared up. Xu Nian had just come out of the warm indoors to stretch her muscles when she heard a commotion in the front yard.
"Sister!" Da Bao and Er Bao, who were playing in the front hall, rushed over. "The steward told me to tell you that a pair of men dressed as yamen runners are going to break in and say that someone has accused you of murder! He told us to go to Brother Gu's mansion to hide."
The two children hurriedly explained the situation and pulled her towards the small door.
Fortunately, Xu Nian had spent a lot of time with Gu Zhan and the others, so she was very familiar with the sound of weapons clashing as they walked. Her expression immediately changed, and she released her two younger brothers, handing them the keys.
"You all hurry up and go." She pushed them. "Lock the gate when you get to the General's Mansion. Don't worry about me, just listen to Brother Gu."
The voices of the constables talking grew closer, accompanied by the clatter of armor. This group was certain she couldn't cause trouble in broad daylight, and they had come up with some flimsy excuse to take her away.
This hidden door isn't secluded; it's just that nothing usually happens there, so no one bothers with it.
If I leave today, both the county princess's mansion and the general's mansion will probably suffer!
Pushing Da Bao and Er Bao inside, she said, "Remember, unless Gu Zhan personally takes you out, you must not leave the General's Mansion, understand?" Without waiting for the two children's reply, she closed the door and locked it tightly, but had already given the key to Er Bao.
"Oh, what brings Lord Chen to my residence today?" Xu Nian hurried back, only to find that the people from Jingzhou Prefecture had already arrived at Furong Garden.
Chen Weisheng led the way, followed by a large group of yamen runners and officials. They stood there arrogantly, and upon seeing her, they immediately surrounded the entire Furong Garden.
The official Chen, who had been singled out by her, gave a perfunctory bow and said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, someone has accused you of disregarding human life. Please come with me."
[Seriously? The streamer hasn't left the house at all these past few days. They need a better reason to cause trouble.]
[Besides, wasn't the social hierarchy very strict in ancient times? How could he, a fourth-rank official, be arguing with a second-rank county princess like a livestreamer?]
Xu Nian remained unmoved, brushed the dust off the stone bench, and sat down. "Lord Chen, you must be joking. I, the county magistrate, rarely leave my quarters these days. How could I be accused of disregarding human life? Do you have any evidence?"
Just by looking at Chen Weisheng's expression, she knew they hadn't discussed this matter properly at all, and she sneered. "Lord Chen, I am, after all, a county princess personally appointed by the Emperor. A second-rank county princess, how can you come to my residence and vandalize it without any evidence, accusing me of murder? Do you even respect the dignity of the royal family and the Emperor's decree?!"
"Stop your nonsense!" Chen Weisheng was enraged by her words. He waved his hand, and several constables surrounded him. "Since I'm here, I must have witnesses. Please come with me, Your Highness. If there's nothing wrong, you can return."
Xu Nian glanced at her and saw that if she didn't go, she would forcibly take her away.
Although there are martial arts practitioners in the manor, it's not advisable to reveal it now. Her eyes flickered, and her fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, moved swiftly. Two small birds chirped and flew away above the county princess's manor.
Having done all this, she tossed her robes, her expression turning cold. "In that case, this county princess will accompany you. But please remember, Lord Chen, the consequences of slandering a second-rank imperial relative."
The group left the county magistrate's mansion in a grand procession. Although Chen Weisheng was domineering inside, he did not dare to act recklessly on the street.
She respectfully found a carriage and asked Xu Nian to get on. They arrived at the Prefectural Governor's residence in Jingzhou, where the first seat on the right in the main hall was naturally hers.
"Bring the plaintiff!" With a slam of the gavel, Xu Nian sat in the armchair, lazily looking out of the courtroom.
The moment the emerald green dress came into view, her hand tightened slightly. She hadn't expected it to be someone she knew!
Avoiding her scrutinizing gaze, Cuiqing knelt down with a thud. "This humble subject, Cuiqing, greets Your Excellency. Please, Your Excellency, grant me justice!"
Chen Weisheng glanced at Xu Nian and saw that after her initial surprise, she had returned to her previous lazy and nonchalant demeanor.
Let's see if you can still be so carefree in a moment.
His calculating eyes were filled with malice as he turned to the person kneeling below. "Tell me your grievances truthfully, and I will certainly handle them impartially."
"This humble citizen accuses Magistrate Xu Nian of Fu'an County! She is ungrateful and uses her sorcery to disregard human life! There are two charges against her, I beg you, Your Excellency, to do me justice!"
"Cuiqing," Xu Nian suddenly spoke up after she finished speaking, "You say that I, the county magistrate, treat human life like dirt? Then let me ask you, whose life did I take?"
“Wang Jinmei and Zhao Yingying!” Cuiqing knelt on the ground, her face full of resentment, glaring at her with a resolute tone.
Xu Nian was taken aback upon hearing this. She had just heard about the two people's tragic deaths a few days ago, and now the blame was being placed on her. She couldn't help but scoff, "Where's the evidence? I haven't seen these two people for months. You say I harmed them, but do you have any evidence? And when did you harm them?"
"This, this..." Cuiqing stammered, feeling a chill run down her spine at Xu Nian's calm and unwavering gaze. It was as if something bad would happen if she continued speaking.
However, meeting Chen Weisheng's gaze in the courtroom, she gritted her teeth and said, "How could I know when they were murdered? They both had burn marks on their bodies. Who else but you has that ability?!"
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