In the cold wind, Jiang Shuwan's gaze was fixed on the black figure to her right. At that moment, her entire soul trembled slightly involuntarily.
She had spent a long time in the elite circles of the capital, and even visited the palace several times, but she never met the fourth prince, Li Chengyun.
She knew very little about Li Chengyun.
All that is known is that he is the grandson of the Prince of Zhennan. Fifteen years ago, the entire Prince of Zhennan was executed for treason, with a thousand members of his family being executed. Afterwards, Li Chengyun's birth mother, Consort Jing, along with her twin daughters, were also given death sentences.
Only Li Chengyun escaped this calamity, but from then on he was no longer qualified to compete for the throne, and the old emperor also disliked him greatly.
Even though he made great contributions in the Battle of the North, he was not granted the title of king, but was only given some jewels.
No one expected that he would be the one to ascend the throne in the end.
The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to quickly imprison the royal family members and the eight great clans.
That night, the entire city was under martial law. She stayed at the Earl's residence and only heard from servants that Pei Yanzhi, the most powerful minister in the court, had led the city defense army and the imperial guards to besiege the palace and demanded that Li Chengyun release the people.
Li Chengyun showed no mercy and slaughtered them all. The royal family members, along with the eight great clans, were almost completely wiped out, with less than one in ten surviving. Blood flowed like a river.
Afterwards, Pei Yanzhi led his troops into the palace, killed the mad emperor Li Chengyun on the spot, and installed an infant Li as the new emperor.
From then on, the entire Great Jing Dynasty began a civil war that lasted for several years.
Li Chengyun is ruthless.
Those powerful clans had been entrenched in the local area for hundreds or even thousands of years. When their clan leader was killed, the clan members were naturally unwilling to let it go.
The royal family members that Li Chengyun killed, especially the crown prince and the eldest prince, all came from powerful maternal and familial families who controlled large armies on the eastern and western borders.
Their deaths sparked rebellions on both the eastern and western borders.
The Great Jing Dynasty was suddenly plunged into internal and external troubles, and Pei Yanzhi was exhausted from running around.
Li Chengyun thus earned the title of the "Crazy Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty".
In the eyes of the world, he was a madman. He knew that killing his brothers and wiping out the clan would cause chaos in the world, but he still did it without batting an eye.
If we're talking about ruthlessness and madness in this world, Li Chengyun is second to none.
The world hates him to the core.
However, Jiang Shuwan was more curious about him. After all, Li Chengyun was able to rise from an unfavored prince to the throne, which showed how powerful he was.
Why would someone like that insist on going their own way?
Could it be true, as recorded in historical texts, that he was bloodthirsty and had long since gone mad?
Jiang Shuwan fell into deep thought, recalling every detail about Li Chengyun.
Unfortunately, the two had no interaction whatsoever, so there was really nothing to reminisce about.
never mind.
Who cares?
The road stretches out to the sky; you cross your narrow bridge, I walk my broad road. We are parallel lines that will never intersect, so why bother thinking so much?
Her family wasn't a powerful clan, so even if Li Chengyun wanted to kill her, he couldn't reach her.
Not to mention that after Li Chengyun stirred up chaos in the world, Pei Yanzhi helped him clean up the mess.
In either direction, she is invincible.
Just then, I heard Qingxing's voice again.
"Miss, that person is looking this way..."
"..."
Jiang Shuwan paused for a moment while eating the tofu pudding.
The sky over Shangjing was just before dawn, a moment where darkness and light intertwined. The entire city was asleep, with only the sounds of officials' carriages and shopkeepers' shouts coming from afar.
There was only a quarter of an hour left before the court session. The officials had long since left, and the shop owner was taking a nap in front of the stove during the free time.
The air was completely silent, save for the occasional low cawing of a crow, as if it were trying to tell a story.
Jiang Shuwan sat quietly in a corner of the city wall, her bright eyes fixed on the black figure to her right.
In the hazy light and shadow, the person resembled a mysterious ghost, exuding an elusive aura.
The person was talking to her attendant with her head down. Perhaps she had been watching for too long, because the dark figure seemed to sense something and slowly turned its head.
In an instant, heaven and earth seemed to stand still; there was not a breath of wind, not a sound, and the world fell into a strange silence.
Jiang Shuwan's heart clenched suddenly. She stared intently at the figure, her eyes fixed on it.
As the shadowy figure slowly turned his head, she vaguely caught a glimpse of a small part of his profile.
In the dim light before dawn, the profile of that face resembled a meticulously sculpted work of art, with sharp lines yet possessing a refinement rarely seen in women.
His high, straight nose cast a faint shadow in the dim light, and his pursed lips gave him an aloof air.
This is what the First Mad Emperor of the Great Jing looks like?
Why does it feel like an androgynous beauty?
Stretching her neck, Jiang Shuwan tried hard to see more clearly, but just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
A sudden gust of wind arose without warning, howling and sweeping across the entire capital.
The wind grew stronger and stronger, causing Jiang Shuwan's hair to dance wildly in the wind.
Immediately afterwards, large flakes of snowflakes began to fall, fluttering down like countless white butterflies dancing in the air.
The strong winds, accompanied by blizzards, drastically reduced visibility in an instant.
The black figure that was clearly visible just moments ago is now completely obscured by the swirling snow.
No matter how wide Jiang Shuwan opened her eyes, all she could see was a vast expanse of white snow.
"..."
We didn't even get a clear look at their faces...
"Your Highness, is there something over there? Why are you staring at that spot?"
The bodyguard who was serving Li Chengyun stared at him and asked.
A fierce wind howled and a blizzard raged, turning the streets of the capital into chaos. Shop owners, who hadn't expected such a gust of wind, were jolted awake from their slumber and hurriedly began packing up their tools.
Li Chengyun stood at the palace gate, his gaze fixed on Jiang Shuwan's direction.
All he could see was the wind and snow.
And blurry figures after the wind and snow.
"Is this someone His Highness knows?" the guard asked.
"Perhaps..."
Li Chengyun said calmly, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.
But a sense of curiosity led him to look in that direction.
However, the blizzard seemed to be working against him, turning everything into a white expanse, making it impossible to see anything except for a blurry figure.
"Your Highness, it's almost time for court."
The guard reminded Li Chengyun.
Let's go.
The man took a step forward, the hem of his black robe drawing a perfect arc, and his figure disappeared at the palace gate.
The wind and snow stopped.
"What kind of evil wind is this? It couldn't have come at the worst possible time..."
Seeing that the palace gates were empty, Jiang Shuwan couldn't help but mutter a complaint to herself.
"Indeed, I almost saw his face, Miss. Judging from the carriage, he must be at least a prince. This year's imperial concubine selection is to choose consorts for the princes. I wonder what kind of marriage His Majesty will arrange for this prince..."
Qingxing said from the side.
*********
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