“Boom!”
There were bursts of deafening thunder in the sky. A howling wind blew up, blowing up the dust and fallen leaves on the ground. The wine banners were fluttering in the wind.
The people on the street below were shocked by this scene and shouted in panic: "It's thundering."
"Why is there thunder in such a cold winter?"
"How can the wind still be so strong!"
“…”
Noisy shouting came one after another.
In the private room, the middle-aged man with a fair face and no beard was stunned and could not help but think of a saying: Thunder and snow in winter.
This sentence means that thunder in winter is a precursor to heavy snow.
As if to verify his idea, goose feather-like snowflakes soon floated in the sky, fluttering down, making the sky white.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, blowing snowflakes into the window, splashing onto the table, and a few fell into the wine glass.
"This..." Chu You looked at Gu Yunyan in surprise, his eyes slightly widened.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that the day had changed just because of Meng'er's words.
Even Gu Yunmeng herself was a little surprised, but she immediately returned to normal and smiled sweetly, as if thousands of pear trees were in full bloom, bringing out the beauty of spring.
"I have always had good luck." Gu Yun'er said confidently, his eyes shining.
From childhood to adulthood, she has always been lucky and everything she wishes for has come true.
"Mian'er!" Chu You grabbed Gu Yunmeng's slender wrist, pulled her over and let her sit on his lap.
Gu Yun'er was startled by his sudden action and let out a low cry.
She wanted to say that there was someone else, but when she looked up, she found that the middle-aged man with a fair face and no beard had already tactfully retreated, and was even considerate enough to help them close the door of the private room.
Chu You wrapped his arms around Gu Yun'er's slender waist and held it tightly, letting her back press against his strong chest, their body temperatures warming each other through the fabric of their clothes.
"You are really my lucky star." Chu You lowered his head and whispered in Gu Yun'er's ear with his thin lips. His hot breath blew on her white jade earlobe.
Chu You really thought so.
Eight years ago, he was in danger in Yangzhou and she saved him.
She is his lucky star!
And the only thing she saw in him was just him. It was like this eight years ago and it is still like this now.
“Hoo—, hoo—”
In a moment, the snow outside the window became heavier and heavier, and the wind became stronger and stronger, as if it was going to uproot the trees on the street.
The vendors on the street quickly packed up their stalls, and the common people either took refuge in the surrounding shops or hurried home. After a short while, passers-by dispersed like birds, and a large area of West Chang'an Street was empty.
Only the wind and snow howled incessantly.
It was not only snowing on Chang'an West Street, but the entire capital city was snowing. The snowflakes, as heavy as goose feathers and willow catkins, were so dense that they looked like curtains of snow.
"It's snowing." the driver shouted.
Gu Yanfei stretched out a hand from the window and let the cold snowflakes fall into her palm.
"Tsk." Gu Yanfei watched the snowflakes melt into transparent ice water in her palms, and she flicked her fingers to brush away the water droplets.
She was not surprised at all by the sudden snowstorm.
The laws of nature in this small world are so biased that they always treat Gu Yunyan as their sweetheart and will not allow her to suffer even the slightest bit of grievance.
This blizzard came neither too early nor too late, but at this time, which is certainly not a simple "coincidence".
Gu Yanfei glanced in the direction of Chengtian Gate, hesitated for a moment, and told the driver, "Go back to the Marquis' Mansion."
The driver responded, waved the whip high, turned the carriage, and drove towards Yuan'an Street where the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion was located.
Gu Yanfei leaned lazily in the carriage, yawned, and his almond-shaped eyes narrowed sleepily.
She'd better not go.
The rest is the court's business. How should the case be tried and the criminals be dealt with? There are also the complicated court relationships, the unpredictable human hearts and conflicts of interest. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Gu Yanfei yawned lazily again.
Countless snowflakes continued to fall from the gloomy sky, and they were getting bigger and bigger.
In just a short while, a layer of white snow accumulated on the ground, on the city walls, and on the treetops. Even the people's heads and bodies were covered with a layer of snow, and they were shivering with cold.
The blizzard came in overwhelming force, as if to dye this filthy world into flawless frosty white.
The scholar Zhang Min, in particular, hugged his daughter tightly, and looked at the kneeling Yu Xuan and Shangqing, the heads of the Yu family, with hatred, and then looked expectantly at the emperor sitting in a high-backed chair in front of him.
The eunuchs present would naturally not let the emperor and the eldest prince catch a cold, and someone had already held up a tung oil umbrella to shield the father and son from the snow.
"Cough, cough, cough..." The emperor's dragon body was weak. Even though he was wearing a thick cloak lined with fox fur, he still kept coughing in the cold wind, and his face was slightly flushed.
Zhao Rang gently stroked the emperor's back and wiped the emperor's forehead. He felt a slight heat under his hand and was worried: the emperor had just caught a cold a few days ago and had finally recovered.
If the interrogation continued, the emperor would catch a cold due to his fragile body, and would suffer a serious illness, or even put his life in danger.
Looking around at the pairs of eyes that were burning with glare, Chu Yi, who had been standing quietly for a long time, suddenly moved and bowed to the emperor gracefully, saying, "Father, how about letting your son interrogate him on your behalf?"
When he bowed, his wide snow-white cuffs hung down, fluttering like white butterflies in the cold wind, making him look like an immortal.
"Ahem..." The emperor lowered his head and coughed twice. When he looked up at Chu Yi, a smile appeared in his cloudy eyes. He agreed without saying a word, "Okay, you come and help me with the trial."
The emperor was eager to have his son help him with the trial. If possible, he would rather abdicate and become an emperor emeritus.
After recovering a little, the emperor turned to the people who were waiting in the snow, raised his hand and pointed at Chu Yi and said solemnly: "This is my eldest prince, let him judge this case on my behalf, just as if I were judging it myself."
The emperor's voice was hoarse and low, and was blown away by the cold wind. It was only after the eunuch repeated it loudly that it reached the ears of the people.
The people agreed one after another, shouting in unison: "Your Highness, please make the decision!"
They had all seen with their own eyes how considerate this handsome eldest prince was to his younger sister, the eldest princess. Just now, when the emperor was personally trying the case, it was the eldest prince who was sorting out clues and making suggestions. His ideas were clear and his speech was fair and just, which made people feel convinced.
The emperor loved his people like his own children. Even though he was ill, he still cared about ordinary people like them. He was truly a rare benevolent monarch!
The people all looked at the emperor and Chu Yi with reverence on their faces.
The emperor was quite pleased when he saw this scene. He gave Chu Yi a few more instructions and left Chengtian Gate surrounded by eunuchs and imperial guards.
The people's burning gazes all turned to Chu Yi, rubbing their hands eagerly and waiting.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yi did not rush to continue the trial. Instead, he asked someone to bring cups of hot ginger tea and tung oil umbrellas.
After drinking the hot ginger tea and using tung oil umbrellas to keep out the snow, the people present all felt extremely comfortable. They felt as if their whole bodies were warmed up, and they felt that the eldest prince truly loved his people like an emperor.
Amid the aroma of ginger tea, Chu Yi only asked Yu Xuan and Shang Qing one question: "Do you two have anything else to say?"
These two people really had something to say. They kept arguing over and over again, trying to shirk responsibility over and over again.
In fact, the case has been tried almost to the point. No matter how they try to shirk responsibility, it is just the difference between the principal and the accomplice. The evidence of their crimes is conclusive, and no one forced them.
Chu Yi didn't listen to a few words before interrupting them and convicting them directly: "You two plotted to murder the princess, kidnapped innocent children, and did not hesitate to sacrifice 200 lives for your Yu family. You also intended to frame the emperor. The evidence is conclusive. You are guilty of conspiracy and the same crime. You are all guilty of death."
"The execution will be carried out after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!"
"The rest of the Yu clan will be tried by the three courts and sentenced."
"The Royal Guards went to Yuzhou to arrest the man and brought him to the capital for interrogation."
Just the first one was enough to make the people present happy. Their eyes lit up and their faces were filled with joy.
"His Royal Highness the First Prince is wise!"
I don't know who was the first to shout at the top of his lungs.
Soon after, others also shouted: "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Those countless shouts overlapped neatly into one voice, with such a shocking momentum that it seemed that even the dense blizzard around was slightly shaken away by the united shouts.
The Jingzhao Yin who was standing aside had been standing there for more than an hour. When he heard the shouts of "Long live the emperor", his brows furrowed.
Under the ravages of the blizzard, he was so cold that his face turned pale and his whole body was chilled, but he still maintained the dignity of his family, with his back straight and standing like a pine tree.
After the emperor summoned him, he ignored him and never looked at him until he left, as if he had completely forgotten about him.
It seems that the emperor and the eldest prince dare not touch him.
It's just to win the support of the people and to bring him here just for show.
Jingzhao Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.
Yes, the emperor has already touched the Yu family, which is tantamount to actively provoking the aristocratic families. They will certainly not dare to stir up trouble again and expand the war to other aristocratic families.
Thinking of the emperor's soft temper, Jingzhao Yin sneered in his heart, with an arrogant look on his face. He straightened his sleeves and brushed off the snow on them.
A few gusts of cold wind penetrated his collar, making him shiver and feel unhappy.
What happened today was really absurd. Just because a few untouchables were causing trouble, he was summoned here for no reason.
When he returns, he will definitely submit a memorial to impeach the eldest prince in order to correct the character of their family and prevent the emperor and his son from going too far.
(End of this chapter)
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