Meanwhile, in the Dali Temple prison.
The prison was cold and damp. In the dead of winter, Song Yue's bed consisted of only a layer of dry straw on the floor, along with a thin mattress and a thin blanket. A small stove sat in the corner, but the fire was dying down.
This was already the result of the Dali Temple Minister's intervention. However, the weather was freezing cold, and in the sunless, gloomy prison, the cold had long since penetrated through the bedding and clothes.
Song Yue had been imprisoned for over half a month, and each day in this jail was colder than the last. Lunar New Year's Eve was no exception. He hadn't washed his face for half a month; his hair was disheveled, his clothes were dirty, and although his beautiful face remained, he looked less energetic and lacked the regal air he once possessed when he held a high position.
There was a bowl of noodles on the table, which was sent by the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He had no appetite and did not touch it, but just sat quietly against the corner of the wall.
Another small bottle of liquor was delivered. He heated it up on the stove, picked it up, and drank about half of it.
Zhao Qiran, who was sleeping in another corner, turned over and rolled up his blanket. He had been imprisoned here ten days ago, and at the benevolence of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he was allowed to keep Song Yue company. However, he had only been here for two days when he caught a cold and fell ill, and was currently sleeping in a daze.
Song Yue glanced at him, and seeing that he was no longer moving, her gaze, blurred by the alcohol, returned to the small lamp lit on the table.
The lamp emitted only a small, faint light, which, in a blur, seemed to overlap with the lights from other times and spaces.
I remember before she went to Yunnan, in her little house on the outskirts of Beijing, there was a small lamp like this. He stood behind her, slowly wrapping the cloth strips around her chest. Her earlobes were small and delicate, slightly tinged with red, the lines of her neck and back were exceptionally graceful, and her skin was as white as snow.
She trusted him completely, unaware that he was burning with desire at that moment.
If Zhu Rui hadn't summoned him back to Beijing that night, and the two had slept in each other's arms, he didn't know if he could have controlled himself. He was clearly her teacher, yet he still harbored such desires for her; it was truly...inappropriate.
And that rainy day after she came back.
He kissed her playfully, their bodies entwined endlessly on the bed, her snow-white breasts rising and falling beneath him, her soft, seductive breaths filling his ears—intimate, wet, and hot. In his arms, her soft body trembled gently, her ten fingers clinging tightly to him, until finally she seemed to melt into a puddle of water, soft and submissive.
At that moment, he felt a strong urge to possess her, to have every part of her as his own. His usual composure, rationality, and restraint vanished completely in her presence.
Only later, a voice in his head said, "If we can't grow old together, how can I be so frivolous?" and he finally restrained himself...
What Grand Secretary, what teacher? In her presence, he was nothing more than a man struggling to control his desires.
There wasn't anything she liked about him.
Song Yue picked up the wine bottle, took another sip, and the warm wine brought with it a bellyful of sorrow.
Thinking about it, I let it go. In this dark and damp prison, having these warm and sensual memories, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse.
Zhao Qiran suddenly sneezed, opened his eyes, and sat up groggily, his face covered with marks from the bedding and straw.
"What time is it? You're still not asleep?"
Song Yue shook his head and handed over the remaining wine, saying, "Have some."
Zhao Qiran rubbed his cold hands and took the wine. "Where did this wine come from? It's still warm."
"Sent by Lord Luo."
Zhao Qiran sniffed and took the wine. "We didn't have much of a relationship with Lord Luo before. Do you think someone's been keeping an eye on us because he's taking such good care of us? Could it be Qingchen?"
Song Yue remained silent.
He didn't want it to be her. It was freezing cold, and he didn't want her to go through all that trouble.
But he could also sense that she was the one who did it. Because that girl was sentimental.
He knew it when she risked her own safety to stand up for the Crown Prince and Gu Shaoheng. He was even more certain when he sent her to Yunnan and she became entangled with Consort Zheng, yet she was still willing to give herself to him.
Zhao Qiran took a sip of his drink and sighed contentedly, "On New Year's Eve, at least we can still have a drink in this prison. It's not the worst that can happen. Hey, do you think we'll ever get out?"
Song Yue remained silent, his eyelids slightly lowered, his dark eyes blending into the night.
"What were you doing at this time of year in previous years?" Zhao Qiran continued, "My house was always so lively, with dozens of people from top to bottom, the house was always packed. My grandmother was in good health and loved to drink with us grandchildren. Sometimes after we finished drinking, she would stuff a chicken leg into my hand, treating me like a child. And let me tell you, the chicken legs my cook makes are really delicious. One bite, and they're crispy, fragrant, and juicy..."
As Zhao Qiran spoke, his voice gradually faded, and then he stopped talking altogether, only letting out a soft sigh as he looked at the narrow, dimly lit prison.
Song Yue felt somewhat guilty towards him, but there was no point in apologizing now.
Will he be able to get out? He didn't know. But he knew it was unlikely he would escape this calamity.
Xu's faction, hoping to revive Xu Yan's power, will undoubtedly resort to all sorts of deception. Zhu Rui, determined to eliminate Xu Yan, will also sacrifice him to maintain order in the court. Once the trial results are presented, even if Zhu Rui doesn't order his execution, he will likely have no place in the court.
Losing the position of Second Assistant Minister is no different from being dead. Xu Yan and his faction will never let him go, and any hope of a peaceful life afterward is just wishful thinking.
Therefore, he could not promise her a future.
Ultimately, he brought all this on himself, just as the old saying goes.
Extreme intelligence is bound to bring harm, and deep affection is short-lived.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Shenyun accompanied his parents to the Xie family residence to pay New Year's greetings.
While his parents discussed matters inside the hall, he strolled out to the courtyard by himself.
The Xie residence was decorated in a festive manner, with bright red window decorations and couplets everywhere, and brand-new red gauze lanterns hanging down, which looked very bright even in the daytime.
Several red plum trees were planted in the courtyard. The red plum blossoms dotted the gnarled branches, appearing exceptionally beautiful against the backdrop of the glistening white snow. He stood alone before these plum blossoms, silent and aloof, his dark figure solitary and somewhat lonely.
He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he last visited the Xie family. He used to come often when he was a child, but then ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Now that he had returned, everything in front of him felt both strange and familiar.
Originally, he didn't want to come. He was a man of few words and didn't like socializing. In these kinds of occasions where two families exchanged pleasantries and reminisced, he could only sit there bored, eat a boring meal, and then leave.
The reason he came today was because he felt guilty. He had given away the Lu family's heirloom, the Golden Book and Iron Certificate, without his father even knowing. Who knows how furious his father would be if he found out someday.
However, he has no regrets at all.
He remembered everything that happened on New Year's Eve clearly, and everything he did for her made him happy.
That night, sleeping in her mansion, he felt so close to her, as if the whole house was filled with her scent. As a normal man, he couldn't say he had no feelings for her at all. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, just smelling the bedding she had prepared for him that night was enough to make him have some... impure and whimsical thoughts.
That night he had a sweet dream. He dreamt that she was dressed in women's clothing, and they met for the first time in a vast sea of people. Her eyes were bright, her cherry lips parted slightly, and she called him "Young Master Lu." He was like a young man experiencing his first love, holding her hand and refusing to let go. Later, he didn't know how it developed, but the two of them hugged for a very long time.
Later, he woke up before dawn, lay quietly in bed for a while, recalling and savoring the dream, before returning to the palace to perform his duties. He didn't say goodbye to Qingchen.
Before leaving, he went to check on the snowman; it stood there intact. A servant was sweeping snow from the corridor nearby, but dared not do anything to it.
He asked the servant, "Can this snowman be left for Lord Shen to deal with personally?" The servant nodded repeatedly.
He guessed that even if he hadn't told her otherwise, Qingchen wouldn't have treated the snowman carelessly. She had said it was simple-minded, just like him.
She probably likes it quite a bit.
After the sixth day of the lunar new year, he had to go to Guizhou, where Huang Yu was already waiting for him. He needed to see for himself what the situation was like outside. The Emperor was bedridden and unable to manage many affairs, and the two Grand Secretaries had been imprisoned, leaving the court virtually unattended. As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had to shoulder the responsibility for the safety of the capital.
This round trip would take at least a month. He wasn't sure how the joint trial by the three judicial departments would progress during that month. That's why he left the golden book and iron certificate with her.
In case Song Yue were to encounter misfortune, she could at least guarantee his safety with an ironclad guarantee.
Although it was a family heirloom, it was ultimately just an iron plaque. Being able to save a high-ranking official and bring her joy was the most perfect ending.
He just wasn't good with words, and he was afraid she wouldn't accept it if he gave it to her in person, so he came up with the idea of a snowman.
He should have been gone by the time the snow melted...
Just as Lu Shenyun was lost in thought, a girl was walking towards him from outside the moon gate.
Xie Huiying wore a light purple winter dress and a bright red felt cloak. She lifted her dress and carefully stepped through the moon gate. Her face was pale and rosy from the cold, and her lips were adorned with freshly applied rouge. She looked as beautiful as a flower in the winter.
People from the Lu family came. Her parents sent a servant to invite her to meet their elders, but she found it cold outside and stayed inside, playing with her cat for a while before finally coming out. Unexpectedly, as soon as she passed through the moon gate, she saw a familiar figure, which startled her.
Amidst the red plum blossoms covered in snow, a man in a black robe stood ramrod straight, his face aloof.
It was actually Lu Shenyun?!
Xie Huiying frowned, wondering if she had misread it.
He hadn't been to her house in ten years. And today, that same gust of wind blew him here again. What brings him here this time?
After thinking for a moment, Xie Huiying tiptoed over. Reaching his side, she suddenly shouted, "Ice Block, what are you doing here?!"
Lu Shenyun turned around, his expression still calm. He nodded as a greeting and didn't say anything more, just standing there in his original position.
Xie Huiying felt a little unhappy seeing his cold face.
He was like this the first time they met. The arrogant young man was engrossed in practicing his swordplay, ignoring her calls of "brother" and yelling at her to stay away, making her cry! She was only four years old then!
It makes me so angry just thinking about it. She's a noblewoman from a noble family, how come he always treats her like she's invisible?
"Sigh." Xie Huiying poked Lu Shenyun's shoulder with a finger. "You're ignoring me again. This is my home."
After speaking, there was a moment of silence.
Xie Huiying was furious. She bent down to make a snowball and throw it at him, but she slipped on the pebbles and fell towards Lu Shenyun.
"puff!"
With a muffled thud, she pounced on top of him, pinning him firmly to the ground. As she fell, her wide sleeves and cloak swept across the plum branches, and snow fell softly from the trees, landing on the two of them.
Lu Shenyun was caught off guard, and even with his agility, he had no chance to adjust. When she pressed against his chest, a faint fragrance immediately filled his nostrils, and the softness of her chest was also very... obvious.
Xie Huiying lay there, stunned, her lips pressed against Lu Shenyun's cheek, his dark eyes beneath her eyelids, his hot breath near her ear. Before she knew it, her face flushed crimson.
The person being pressed down let out a soft breath and tried to stand up, but any effort he made would push against her chest. He dared not move any further, and could only mutter in a low voice, "Get up."
Xie Huiying didn't react for a moment and blinked.
He glanced at her and said, "What are you looking at? You're pressing down on me, get up."
She realized what had happened, and cried out in embarrassment, quickly scrambling off him, somewhat flustered. In her shame, she preemptively pointed at him and said, "You, you took advantage of me! You groped me!"
He stood up nimbly from the ground, looked at her blushing face, and managed to utter only three words, "I didn't."
Xie Huiying's face turned even redder, "Of course there was, it was you just now..."
"Alright, alright." At this moment, Xie Huiying's mother came over and smoothed things over, saying, "You clearly fell down and landed on Yun'er. I saw it all. Besides, you two are about to get married, so there's no question of you taking advantage of her."
"Mother—" Xie Huiying stamped her foot in embarrassment, "I don't want to marry her."
After saying that, she glanced at him—he was still so indifferent, but there seemed to be a hint of resistance in his indifference.
Xie Huiying pouted, a little annoyed. He didn't care about her, and she didn't care about him either!
That brute, that blockhead, does he think he's so charming and likable?!
Mother Xie said again, "Don't say such childish things. Yun'er, let's go have a meal together."
Lu Shenyun lowered his head and apologized softly to her, "Madam, I appreciate your kindness. I'll be leaving now; I have matters to attend to at the yamen."
"Well... alright." Madam Xie originally wanted to keep him, but knowing that the court was in chaos and he was probably not in control of his own destiny, she did not try to persuade him to stay.
Lu Shenyun nodded to her, turned around, and walked straight away.
Xie Huiying watched his retreating figure and pouted again.
What?!
She's the one who's at a disadvantage, so why is he giving her that sour look?
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.
The weather has warmed up a bit, and the snow in the courtyard of the Shen family mansion is gradually melting.
At dusk that day, Qingchen returned to the manor and passed by the snowman, noticing that one of its arms, made of tree branches, was dangling down.
After Lu Shenyun left without saying goodbye on the first day of the Lunar New Year, she sat in the pavilion and looked at the snowman for a long time. She specifically instructed the servants that no one should touch it, and that she would personally deal with it when the snow melted.
At this moment, Qingchen walked up, gently patted the snowman's somewhat loose body, picked up its "arms," and inserted them deeper into the still unmelted snow.
In the setting sun, the snowman's round body revealed a little something.
She reached out and touched it; it was hard.
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