The heavy snowfall enveloped the entire Ji Mountain, but it couldn't hide the smell of blood!
Jing Rong looked at the Imperial Duke's corpse, the sword in his hand dripping with blood. The hot blood flowed down the blade to the sharp tip, then dripped drop by drop onto the white snow at his feet.
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"Spare his life when the time comes!"
Wei Yi's voice echoed in his ears.
He had promised, but now, he had gone back on his word.
… …
Winter, Qizhen's twenty-first year.
"By the will of the heavens, the Emperor decrees that the virtuous prince is lacking in virtue, filial piety, and has offended His Majesty. This is a crime of disrespect. Thus, the Prince's title will be stripped and you will be banished to Lingzhou. You will not be allowed to return to the capital for eternity."
"By the will of the heavens, the Emperor decrees that Wei Yi, the son of the Imperial Duke, is virtuous and upright. He is conferred the title of Royal Prince Shun."
Everyone related to this incident was arrested, including the Minister of Personnel, Lord Qu, Old General Li, Teacher Yu …
Naturally, none of those who deserved awards were awarded.
After that day, Qizhen Emperor became bedridden and no longer attended court. Everything in the court was handed over to Jing Rong.
The Royal Prince's Mansion.
Wei Yi was now a Royal Prince and had established his own family. The Emperor was benevolent and had even buried the Imperial Duke's corpse in the imperial mausoleum.
In the backyard of the mansion, seven or eight children were playing and laughing in the snow. Sometimes, they chased each other around the flower beds. Sometimes, they pulled a few bamboo sticks out of nowhere and hammered them on the ground. Sometimes, they were rolling snowballs and having fun.
Wei Yi, on the other hand, was sitting on the stone steps with a thick mink fur coat draped over his body. Snowflakes playfully fell on him, but he didn't bother to brush them off. His gentle eyes were as clear as the white snow, and when he looked at the children, his gaze was filled with affection.
The children surrounded him and pulled him. "Big Brother Royal Prince, come and have a snowball fight with us."
"Big Brother Royal Prince, play with us."
"Big Brother Royal Prince …"
He was pulled up by the children to play a game of snowball fights.
Joyful voices filled the entire backyard.
Ji Yunshu stood in the distant corridor, quietly watching the scene in front of her with a smile on her face.
How she wished that she could always be like this, happy and carefree.
The maidservant beside her asked, "Is Miss not going over?"
She shook her head and heaved a sigh of relief as she looked at the white snow that filled the sky.
"In the blink of an eye, a year has passed."
She did not know that as she spoke, Wei Yi was looking at her from afar. What entered his eyes was a slender and small figure dressed in elegant clothes. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, gently fluttering in the wind. Although her eyes were deep and bright, her delicate face was rubbed with a faint look of worry. Standing in the corner of the corridor, she made people want to reach out and hug her. She was quite beautiful.
It was only when a child tugged at the corner of his robe did he snap out of his daze and join in the 'snowball fight' again.
His laughter echoed for a long time …
A few days later, New Year's Eve.
Jing Xian set off for Lingzhou.
He was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary commoner and carried an old bundle in his hands. His face was pale, but his eyes were calm and indifferent. It turned out that the feeling of losing everything was not as' terrible 'as he imagined. Instead, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, making him feel much more relaxed.
Looking at the cloudless sky, he took a deep breath.
So comfortable!
And when he left the capital, only Mo Ruo came to see him off.
"Lingzhou is a good place. It's like spring all year round. When you arrive, take good care of yourself. In short, be careful."
Jing Xian smiled. "It's rare that you came to see me off today."
"After today, I don't know when we can meet again. No matter what, I came to see you off."
"Mo Ruo … I owe you."
"You don't owe me anything, and you don't owe me anything. You don't have to carry this burden on your back. Although we can't be like before, I sincerely hope that you are well."
Jing Xian's eyes were moist. There were thousands of words in his heart, but only two words came out of his mouth.
"Many thanks!"
Then, he suddenly remembered something. He took out an exquisite bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Mo Ruo.
"What is this?"
"This is the antidote for the toad poison."
Mo Ruo was shocked. "How did you know?"
"Actually, when you brought Miss Ji to the palace to see me that day, I already knew that she was poisoned. You should know that my Imperial Mother was an expert in poisons, so I followed her example. The toad poison is extremely cold, but it's not without an antidote. As long as she takes this antidote, she will be completely cured."
Mo Ruo held the 'life-saving antidote' in his hands.
He also thanked Jing Xian on behalf of Ji Yunshu.
Jing Xian said, "Today is New Year's Eve, a day for family reunions. You should be going to the Rong Estate this year, so you don't need to see me off. Go back and prepare."
"I have something for you."
"Huh?"
Mo Ruo took out an object from his waist and stuffed it into Jing Xian's hands.
It was the fish-shaped jade pendant he found outside the capital for Jing Rong.
He gently rubbed the jade pendant with his fingers and bitterly smiled.
"In the end, he … still couldn't forgive me."
"You misunderstood. He knew that you broke your Imperial Mother's jade pendant, so he asked me to give it to you. Perhaps, you need this jade more than him."
"I see."
Jing Xian sighed in relief and kept the jade pendant.
After saying goodbye, he boarded the carriage and left the capital.
Outside the capital, snowflakes fell.
The carriage moved very slowly.
Jing Xian lifted the curtain and looked outside. The mountains outside were covered in a vast expanse of whiteness. The monotonous whiteness did not make people feel bored, but instead made them feel more comfortable.
"Chirp, chirp …"
Another flock of grey magpies flew over his head and quickly flew into the forest. Occasionally, three to five of them would leave the group and fly up and down the trees.
Extremely cute!
Looking at this scene, Jing Xian's mouth curved into a smile and his eyes were full of longing.
Lingzhou was a good place. It was like spring all year round, with birds chirping and flowers fragrant. It would be the place where he would stay for the rest of his life.
Thinking of this, he became even more expectant.
Suddenly …
He felt a pain in his chest!
He frowned and coughed twice. Blood spurted out from his nose and mouth, splashing onto his clean robe. He wiped it with his hand and found that it was full of blood.
At this moment, he knew that he couldn't wait to go to Lingzhou. He couldn't wait to see the beautiful scenery and listen to the moving chirps of the birds.
He pursed his lips and ordered the person outside the carriage, "Please … hurry up."
The person outside replied, "Yes."
Thus, the carriage moved much faster than before.
He leaned against the wall of the carriage, using all his strength to support his gasping body.
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