execution ground
The snow was falling heavily, even more so than the one they had seen in Furong Town before, drifting down from the sky like goose feathers.
He Lin stood alone in the courtyard, and soon he was covered in snowflakes, his shoulders, head, and even his eyelashes were all covered in a layer of waxy white.
When Wu Yuan came out and saw this scene, he opened his umbrella and walked towards him.
"Since you like her so much, why don't you explain it properly? Since they already know your identity, there's no point in hiding it."
He Lin smiled bitterly, "I don't know how to start. No matter how you look at it, it seems like I'm just making excuses."
When he drew his bow and shot the arrow, Jiang Yi clearly stated that she had a phobia of arrows and asked him if he could use something else. He remained unmoved, pretending not to hear or understand, and still aimed at her heart, steadily shooting the arrow in his hand. So it's understandable that Jiang Yi hates him. Now, explaining it in reverse makes him seem more like a Monday morning quarterback, which might make her hate him even more.
Wu Yuan chuckled and said, "I don't think so. She is angry, that's true, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need your explanation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted like that just now."
He Lin turned to look at Wu Yuan.
"As the ancients said, only petty men and women are difficult to deal with. When you should be shameless, you must not be obsessed with saving face."
He Lin couldn't help but chuckle at this: "You're really good at dealing with women?"
Yes, Wu Yuan is a man who dislikes both men and women, and spends all his time in the Wangyue Tower in the palace studying astronomy, geography, medicine and pharmacology.
At my most obsessed moments, I felt like I could strain my neck to the point of breaking, or sit cross-legged atop a pavilion, wishing I could see through the moon and realize that the Moon Palace truly existed on the other side.
As a result, the palace servants on night duty accidentally stumbled upon Wu Yuan meditating. Coupled with the mysterious glow cast upon him by the moonlight, rumors circulated throughout the palace that the Grand Preceptor was about to ascend to immortality and become a god.
As a result, His Majesty's summons became more frequent, and many court officials who had no connection with him before came to visit. Unlike His Majesty's inquiry about the secret to immortality, most of them came to curry favor or to probe for information. This was a real hardship for Wu Yuan, who disliked socializing.
After they found out about this, they laughed for a long time, especially Yin Zhaobai, who shouted "Daoist Master, I also want to ascend to immortality" when he saw Wu Yuan, leaving Wu Yuan speechless. Later, Qi Junyuan had to step in personally to calm things down at Wangyue Tower.
"Whether it's a man or a woman, once you fall in love, it's a debt you can never repay, don't you think?"
He Lin agreed with this statement. In the past, he would have simply done what he did without needing to explain his motives and purposes to anyone.
Things are different now; Jiang Yi's every move, every smile, is on his mind.
"Any news about Zhao Bai?"
He Lin looked ahead: "The last time Yu Wei saw him was at the Prime Minister's residence. The scouts reported that he and Shangguan Muya were at an inn in the suburbs of the capital."
Wu Yuan smiled and said, "It seems he's determined to save Shangguan Muya."
"I can't be bothered with him, let him be."
"No matter what, he's going to come back."
Yu Ling Pavilion has strict rules, and anyone who makes a mistake or violates the rules will be severely punished. Even if He Lin says that it's nothing, he will definitely come back and accept it on his own initiative.
Those in high positions cannot win the respect of the masses if they are not strict with themselves.
...
In the eleventh year of the Yuanqing era, Ma Zhang, the Prince of Hannan, was convicted of treason and beheaded in the city. However, due to the Emperor's grace, his crime was spared from the people of Lingnan. Instead, he was exiled to the border region and forbidden from ever setting foot in the capital again.
Also convicted was Prime Minister Shangguan Dehui. Considering his advanced age and the years of hard work and dedication he had made to the court, and thanks to the pleas of the Imperial Concubine and Qi Junxu, his entire family was confiscated and he was given poisoned wine, which was a dignified way of giving him some face.
On that day, it snowed heavily.
In Luoying Courtyard, Xia Zhi casually mentioned to Jiang Yi while packing her things that the person who kidnapped her was going to be beheaded and displayed to the public. She immediately lost her strength and knocked over the porcelain bowl, spilling all the medicine on the ground.
"Xia Zhi! What did you just say?"
Xia Zhi helped Jiang Yi wipe the medicine splattered on her dress with a handkerchief.
"His Majesty's decree states that the Prince of Hannan will be beheaded and displayed in public on the main street today. This can be considered revenge for Miss. Just thinking about it makes me feel relieved..."
Jiang Yi felt a pang of unease. Had she heard correctly? Beheading? Was it the kind of beheading she was thinking of?
Xia Zhi was still saying something, but Jiang Yi didn't listen at all. She shook her head and suddenly interrupted her: "No, my injury isn't entirely his fault."
"ah?"
Jiang Yi got up and was about to leave when Xia Zhi quickly grabbed a pure white cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
"Miss, where are you going? It's snowing outside."
Jiang Yi lifted the curtain and saw that the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow, and she couldn't help but shiver.
"Xia Zhi, do you know the execution time?"
"It seems to be around 1:00 PM."
Jiang Yi's eyes were deep and calm as she said, "I want to go and see."
"Miss, what nonsense are you talking about? It's so cold outside, and your injuries haven't healed yet."
Jiang Yi smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm almost fully recovered these past few days. The wound has already scabbed over. I need to move around a bit, otherwise I'll really become a cripple."
"All right."
"Please also prepare a pot of hot wine for me."
"What would you like some warm wine for, Miss?"
"Give it away."
After Jiang Yi and Xia Zhi left Luoying Courtyard, Shan Yanzhi slowly emerged from a corner, maintaining a distance from them at all times.
Young master's guess is correct. Miss Jiang will definitely go there after she learns of Ma Zhang's execution.
He Lin did not give him orders to stop her; instead, he instructed him to follow her and protect her.
A large crowd of people gathered below the execution platform. Even the heavy snowfall couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for watching the spectacle. From a distance, the area was a sea of people, completely packed with them.
It was heavily guarded, with soldiers holding spears and halberds, and a chief executioner sat on top of it, just like in the TV series.
Jiang Yi stood on one side of the execution platform and immediately saw Ma Zhang kneeling on it. In the swirling snow, he looked particularly pitiful, but the people did not think so. They regarded him as a rebellious traitor and cursed him, saying that he deserved to be torn to pieces and that his death was not worth the effort.
Ironically, when Jiang Yi didn't know the reasons for Ma Zhang's rebellion, she thought the same thing, just like the group below, cursing him a thousand times as a traitor. But after hearing the story he was about to tell, she changed her mind.
It is often said that there is something hateful about a pitiful person, and this is true. However, ironically, almost no one delves into the pain hidden behind the surface. Most are just drifters, superficial and mediocre. They can only see what those in power want them to see. Once ignorant people realize that someone has touched or affected their interests, they roar more fiercely than tigers on the mountain.
Blindness of the heart is more terrifying than blindness of the eyes.
Although Ma Zhang was known for his rebellion, he did not start a war, nor did he harm a single civilian after entering the city. Instead, he went straight to the palace to settle scores with his enemies. His kidnapping of officials' wives and children as hostages was merely an attempt to secure a way out for his brothers...
It's so cold.
Jiang Yi wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and looked up at the person wearing a thin garment with the character "囚" (prisoner) on it.
Although he knelt on the ground facing the people, his posture was as upright as a pine tree, standing tall and fearless of the wind. His closed eyes made him look like an outsider, detached from the farce, with an attitude that he would not regret being killed or tortured.
Qi Shuangyun had previously said that this mutiny was like a gamble, with both sides being gamblers who were going all in. Jiang Yi didn't quite understand what she meant at the time, but now that she saw Ma Zhang like this, she understood everything.
Jiang Yi moved, about to step forward, but two guards immediately blocked her with their spears and shouted, "Who goes there!"
Hearing the voice, Ma Zhang looked over. When he saw that it was Jiang Yi, he was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Miss, are you alright?"
Jiang Yi responded in a clear voice, "Thanks to Your Highness, my health is much better now."
The people below were chattering about who Jiang Yi was. Xia Zhi secretly tugged at her twice and whispered, "Miss, he's a death row inmate and is about to be beheaded. We shouldn't cause any trouble at this time."
Jiang Yi turned her head and reassured him, "It's okay, I'll just say a few words to him."
"I'm sorry about that day!"
Jiang Yi knew he was referring to the incident where she was used as a hostage to negotiate with He Lin, which resulted in her being shot by an arrow.
"It's alright, Your Highness, please wait for me. I brought some wine."
After saying that, Jiang Yi took out a porcelain-white jade pot from her cloak. She touched it and said with a smile, "It's still warm. It's perfect for Your Highness to drink now."
"Miss, what are you doing?"
Jiang Yi patted Xia Zhi's hand, which was supporting him, and made a gesture to hand over the wine pot: "Brother, please let the prince have a sip of this wine."
"No, all bystanders, get out of here immediately, or don't blame my spear for being merciless!"
"I know this is against the rules, could you please make an exception?"
"Run!"
The two of them came up together to chase the person away, and Jiang Yi almost tripped over Xia Zhi's foot.
"Hey, I'm talking to you guys..."
"Young lady, I appreciate your kindness, but please go back. It's getting cold, don't catch a chill, especially since your injury hasn't healed yet."
"No way, I'm going to make you drink this today!"
Jiang Yi's stubbornness kicked in. Pretending not to see the gleaming, sharp spears and halberds, she gritted her teeth and charged onto the stage, hoping that in front of so many people, they wouldn't really lay a hand on a weak woman like her.
"How dare you! If you don't leave, I'll really get rough with you!"
During the argument, a guard shoved Jiang Yi hard. She lost her balance and fell backward. Just as she was about to fall to the ground, a strong and powerful hand suddenly grabbed her from behind.
"Be careful."
"Thank you."
Jiang Yi turned around and saw a person wearing a golden mask. The worry and concern in his eyes were obvious. It was He Lin, no, it should be said that it was Xi Chen.
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