Chapter 263 Holding her like this will definitely make her freeze.
Lin Shiyuan gazed intently at the fields.
"Someone leaked the information. Are you referring to me?"
"Of course not, sir, who is selfless and impartial."
Lin Shiyuan said, "Since it wasn't me, then if Yao Qingling escapes tomorrow, the responsibility will fall on you."
Tian Zhu was stunned and speechless.
But he couldn't say anything more.
Only the two of them know this news right now. Liu Fang is still in prison, under strict guard, and has no chance of escaping. Tian Zhu just said that Lin Shiyuan is selfless, so if something happens to him, he will have to bear the responsibility.
Lin Shiyuan glanced at him indifferently: "I need to rest and recuperate. After all, I am the presiding judge of this major case. If my injuries worsen, I will not be able to share the Emperor's burdens. Lord Tian cannot bear this responsibility."
Tianzhu: "..."
He was secretly stomped on, and could only swallow his anger.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Tian, to come to my residence so late. I won't see you off."
With the order to leave issued, Tianzhu could no longer simply stay.
As he walked out the door, a lazy voice followed him from behind: "Lord Tian is strong and healthy. I'll trouble you to send troops to besiege the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."
Tian Zhu paused again, so angry he wanted to pound his chest.
It's so cold, and it's snowing. Are you asking him to stand guard at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion all night?
Is this something a human could come up with?!
But he brought this up himself, so what else could he do?
"Yes, sir—" Tian Zhu replied angrily in a sarcastic tone.
Lin Shiyuan curled his thin lips into a mocking smile, a chilling glint in his eyes.
But at the same time, he also began to worry about Yao Qingling.
How did the Marquis of Zhongyong get involved in this matter?
Yao Ying had served in the Shanglin Garden for many years and was considered a senior official among the many. However, Yao Ying was too mediocre, which caused the Marquis's family to remain at the bottom of the aristocratic class.
If he amassed wealth through those rare and exotic animals, he should have accumulated a considerable fortune over the years, quietly making a fortune without attracting attention.
If that's the case, why did you go through with the marriage alliance with the Duke of Zhan's family back then, using Yao Qingling to gain the Grand Princess's favor?
If Yao Ying was no longer satisfied with just being rich and wanted to advance further in his official career or elevate the status of the Marquis's family, then he would have chosen to marry into the Duke's family.
But if this path had been successful, the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion would not be in its current state.
Lin Shiyuan was worried about Yao Qingling, but he valued the offline aspect and could not act rashly.
Everything will have to wait until I have the opportunity to meet with Yao Qingling.
The man pushed open the window and looked outside.
Because of the snow and the cold weather, all was quiet.
Several servants on night duty were warming themselves and drinking around a brazier outside.
"Sir, is there anything you need me to do?" a servant boy asked as he trotted over.
Lin Shiyuan paused for a moment, then gestured with a finger toward the wine pot over there: "Are you drinking?"
"My lord," the servant said, shrinking back in fear of punishment, "it's too cold. Let's all have some wine to warm ourselves up."
Lin Shiyuan nodded: "Go get me a pot of wine." He paused, then added, "And two more dishes."
"Huh?" The servant looked at Lin Shiyuan's chest in confusion. Didn't he just say he needed to recuperate? How could he drink alcohol like this?
Lin Shiyuan said, "Just go when I tell you to."
"Hey!" The servant ran off in a flash.
After a while, they brought over wine and snacks to go with it.
Lin Shiyuan closed the window.
The servants on duty in the corridor watched as a figure inside the room poured himself a drink.
"Why is Lord Lin drinking? I've never seen him drink before?"
"Hey, isn't it particularly cold today?" A servant next to me hunched over, rubbing his arms incessantly.
As they spoke, the mist floated in the air, one wisp dissipating only to be replaced by another.
"On such a cold day, if a woman were to hold me, I definitely wouldn't feel so cold."
As they spoke, he bumped his shoulder at the servant who had just mentioned the cold weather, and the group of men exchanged a few lewd laughs.
Inside the room, Lin Shiyuan heard everything that was being said outside.
If anyone's to blame, it's his exceptionally good hearing.
Moreover, he did not drink a drop of alcohol.
After waiting a while, the voices outside gradually thinned out. After waiting a while longer, there was another muffled thud.
Lin Shiyuan opened the window, revealing only a crack. He saw the people lying sprawled on the ground, while the charcoal in the brazier burned brightly.
The man closed the window, took out the wooden dummy he had hidden under the bed, dressed it in his clothes and placed it on the table, then changed into his night clothes and opened the back window.
Like a light yet enormous eagle, it flew away.
...
The Marquis of Zhongyong's residence was surrounded by guards.
Tian Zhu squatted under the eaves, with a brazier in front of him, his face cold and gloomy as he warmed himself by the fire.
I looked up at the sky, and there was no sign of the snow stopping.
The guards standing under the eaves had snow piled up on their shoulders and, unable to bear the cold, went down to the eaves.
"My lord, why don't we just go in and ransack the Marquis's residence?"
This Marquis Zhongyong isn't some royal relative; he's just a minor fifth-rank official. What's there to be afraid of?
They hadn't hesitated to confiscate the property of those high-ranking officials in the imperial court.
Tian Zhu couldn't answer him.
When he arrived at the Marquis's residence, he finally realized why he had to wait for Lin Shiyuan to give the order. Why had he simply surrounded the Marquis's residence and waited for him to make a decision?
When he came to his senses, he realized he had fallen into a trap.
But he had already agreed. If he went in now and arrested everyone in the Marquis's mansion, Lin Shiyuan would report to the Emperor that he was arrogant and disobedient to the presiding judge's instructions.
Give him a chance to get rid of him.
For now, Tianzhu can only endure it.
He patted his pocket, pulled out a money pouch, and tossed it to the guard: "Go buy some wine for the brothers to drink and warm them up."
If you stay outside all night in this kind of weather, you'll freeze solid before dawn.
As Lin Shiyuan flew over the Marquis's mansion, he saw several guards below, some squatting under the eaves warming themselves by the fire and drinking, and others sheltering from the snow at the gates of other people's residences.
He curled his lips mockingly, avoided their gazes, and entered the courtyard of Mulan Courtyard.
Nie Yun sensed something amiss and emerged from the shadows. She was surprised to see Lin Shiyuan and opened her mouth as if to ask about the guards outside. However, seeing that Lin Shiyuan had come at such a risk, she knew he must be here to discuss this matter with Yao Qingling.
She said, "Madam Yao is not asleep yet."
She knocked on the door: "Master, Lord Lin has arrived."
After saying that, he retreated into the shadows.
Lin Shiyuan stood by the door, and just as his hand touched it, the door was opened from the inside.
Yao Qingling, dressed in casual clothes and with a slightly pale face, grabbed Lin Shiyuan and pulled him inside before he could even speak.
"There are many guards surrounding the area, what's going on?"
Lin Shiyuan walked inside with a sullen face: "Tian Zhu found out from Liu Fang that Shanglin Garden was involved in buying and selling rare and exotic animals and making huge profits from it."
Now, Yao Qingling knows that the man in the black cloth clothes is named Tian Zhu.
"Liu Fang?"
Lin Shiyuan sat down: "The chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department has a lot of power."
Yao Qingling: "I know." She handed him the hot towel she had just wrung out to warm his hands.
When she touched it just now, it was ice cold, like a block of ice.
The man wiped his hands, put the cloth aside, and looked at the living person in front of him. Countless thoughts surged in his mind. He didn't want to say anything, he just wanted to hug her first.
But as soon as he reached out his hand and saw the snow on his clothes, which had melted and seeped into his clothes in just a short while, he realized that the snow had already melted.
Holding her like that will definitely make her freeze.
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