"We've been through thick and thin together, so I understand your feelings. There's no need for further words," Liu Yingying said gently, smiling as she squeezed her hand.
At this moment, Madam Jiang and Madam Li went to the kitchen and brought over some candied fruit from Yufangtang.
After finishing their hotpot, everyone enjoyed candied fruit and tea while admiring the snowy scenery and chatting about their past...
They sat there until nightfall before returning to their rooms.
Now the house is full of people, and every night the lights are on in every room as they start having late-night conversations…
Liu Yingying returned to her room.
She chose a good room; when you open the window, you see a small, private courtyard.
There is also a wintersweet tree planted in the yard. Now, with the snow covering the ground, the red plum blossoms are in full bloom, which is very beautiful!
A cold wind carrying fine snowflakes blew in, and Liu Yingying reluctantly closed the window.
Lying in bed, she thought of Zhao Di and Hui Yun, who were far away in Taoyuan Village.
I've been gone for months, and I don't know if the children have put on more clothes as the weather gets cold.
That night, Liu Yingying had a very strange dream.
She had never met Zhu Xiucai's deceased ex-wife.
But in her dream, a woman dressed in fine clothes and adorned with jewels, whose face was obscured, sternly rebuked her for not taking good care of her child!
The woman accused her of stealing her husband and taking her child...
Even after Liu Yingying woke up, she could still hear the woman's last words echoing in her ears;
"Soon, I will take my children back!"
Liu Yingying felt a great pain in her heart. Neither the original owner nor she believed that she had done anything to wrong Zhu Xiucai's deceased wife.
Even after Zhu Xiucai's death, she continued to take care of the three children without complaint.
What right does a female ghost have to accuse her?
Liu Yingying angrily threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Today, Zhang Hui and Xiao Xue both went to the shop, and Xue Ye has disappeared again.
She went out alone and ate a bowl of plain noodles for breakfast. From the conversation of the guests at the next table, she learned that today was the day Lin Shichang would be executed.
Lin Shichang was executed at the entrance of the vegetable market in the northern part of the city.
Liu Yingying paid the bill and got up, deciding to go and see what kind of mentality Lord Lin, who used to treat human life as worthless, would have now when facing his own death!
The entrance to the market was already packed with people, making it impossible to move.
Although Lin Shichang harmed the people of Ningzhou County, it did not diminish the resentment of the people in the capital towards him.
Liu Yingying had never seen the once-glorious Lord Lin.
But today I saw a death row inmate named Lin Shichang, dressed in prison clothes, covered in filth, and terrified!
From the way to the execution ground until he was firmly pressed onto the execution platform, Lin Shichang kept shouting that he was innocent and begged for mercy...
Liu Yingying found it all laughable!
If he is innocent, then do the common people in Ningzhou who died unjustly because of him deserve it?
As noon approached, the executioner threw out his token, and the executioner raised his blade and brought it down.
Lin Shichang's head rolled off the execution platform and landed at Liu Yingying's feet.
His expression froze in the moment before his death, his features contorted with horrific terror.
Several women nearby screamed in fright.
Liu Yingying lowered her head expressionlessly, stared at the head's eyes for a few seconds, and then kicked it away...
Several stray dogs immediately ran after it, carrying the head away and disappearing into the chaotic alley...
Lin Shichang was, after all, the son of the Marquis of Yong'an, but no one from the Marquis's residence came to collect his body today.
Even before the incident occurred, the Marquis of Yong'an publicly announced that he was severing ties with this son in order to avoid suspicion.
It's not surprising that no one has been sent to collect the body.
The Marquis of Yong'an's mansion may seem to be avoiding suspicion, but who knows if they might take their anger out on others?
Liu Yingying didn't care; after all, she wasn't the type to sit idly by and wait for her fate!
After watching the entire execution process, we left the market; it was still early.
I also overheard passersby mentioning that the plum blossoms in the North Garden had all bloomed this morning, and many young men and women had gone there to admire them…
Liu Yingying knew about Beiyuan.
It's a place similar to a modern ecological park, but she's been so busy since arriving in Beijing that she hasn't had time to visit it.
Today is a good day to go and see those beautiful red plum blossoms against the white snow...
I hired a light carriage for a tael of silver by the roadside, and arrived at the entrance of the North Garden in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Today, Liu Yingying wore a moon-white long dress and a bamboo-leaf patterned blue cloak as she walked step by step in the North Garden.
Against the backdrop of red plum blossoms and white snow, he appeared extremely aloof and indifferent.
Although she was past her teenage years and no longer young, she was still stunningly beautiful, like a vibrant red rose in full bloom!
Liu Yingying originally only intended to walk around alone before heading back, but unexpectedly, she ran into an acquaintance...
"Your Excellency Ning'an has quite the refined taste!"
"What, you came to enjoy the snow scenery all by yourself, without your nephew?"
Upon hearing the sound, Liu Yingying immediately frowned slightly in displeasure and looked up at the opposite bank of the river, which was less than two meters wide.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, an exceptionally handsome man, draped in a white fox fur coat, stood before a red plum tree, gazing at her with a half-smile.
Liu Yingying felt that if he didn't speak, it would truly be a case of "There is a beautiful woman in the north, living alone and aloof from the world!"
Unfortunately, this man has a mouth!
"Isn't the young master in high spirits today? He actually appeared in the North Garden all by himself."
"Could it be that he has a date with some noble lady from the capital?"
As he finished speaking, the smile on Huo Huaizhi's face gradually faded and disappeared...
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