In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

When Gu Zhao emerged from the imperial prison, snowflakes mixed with rain began to fall intermittently in the pitch-black night.

Rain and snow fell in waves, the north wind howled, and a biting cold swept through the capital, plunging the entire city into a chilling and desolate atmosphere.

At the Zhang family residence in Qingyi Lane, it was time for bed, and Zhu Qingyu was changing into thicker quilts.

Zhang Shen's health is not good, and after being in the imperial prison for so long, he is probably even weaker.

Now that it's starting to snow, he'll definitely be very cold when he comes back tomorrow, so Zhu Qingyu changed his blanket to the thickest one for winter in advance.

Zhang Ruohua peered through the doorway and saw her sister-in-law had changed the entire set of sheets and blankets. She whispered, "..."

"Sister-in-law, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Zhu Qingyu had originally arranged for her to sleep in the side room, but perhaps because it was the young girl's first time traveling far from home, she was afraid even though it was her own house.

So Zhu Qingyu waved to her:

"Okay, third sister, come here and help me test if the blanket is warm enough."

Zhang Ruohua rushed over, burrowed under the covers, leaving only half her head sticking out, and looked at her expectantly:

"It's warm, sister-in-law. Are you asleep too? I can't sleep alone."

It's been a while since I last saw Zhang Ruohua, and I feel like she's become a bit clingier than before.

Zhu Qingyu blew out the lamp, crawled into the covers, and laughed:

"You're an eighteen-year-old girl, and you still need someone to coax you to sleep? When your second brother comes back tomorrow, he'll laugh at you."

In the past, because Zhang Ruohua was so lively and adorable, neither Zhu Qingyu nor Zhang Shen could resist teasing her like this.

Even little girls have tempers and pride. If they get upset from being teased, they'll stomp their feet, turn their heads away, and ignore people for a while.

Today, after being teased by Zhu Qingyu, Zhang Ruohua snuggled up to her under the covers, hugged her arm, and pressed her face against it, asking softly and obediently:

"Sister-in-law, is it really possible for Second Brother to come back tomorrow?"

The young girl has been alone in Yangzhou for so long, and then traveled thousands of miles to get here. She must have been so worried.

Zhu Qingyu hugged her back and gently patted her back, just like patting a baby, and coaxed her:

"Yes, we can. When Mr. Xue and the head housekeeper were here today, I told them that we would pick up your second brother first thing tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is the beginning of winter, so when we get home we'll cook him a mutton and red date soup to nourish him properly. Don't worry, go to sleep."

Zhang Ruohua gave a muffled "hmm" and pressed herself even closer.

The wind and snow outside the window grew louder and louder, making the windows rattle and groan. The sound was like weeping and wailing, disturbing everyone's peace. It was late at night, but Zhu Qingyu couldn't fall asleep.

It is said that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. This is an imperial society, and Zhang Shen's life and death are only in the emperor's hands.

In other words, whether someone lives or dies is completely disregarded by the rule of law or reason; it all depends on whether the emperor is happy or unhappy at the moment of the audience.

Although she spoke with certainty to Zhang Ruohua, the closer it got to the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) the next day, the more uncertain she felt. She couldn't help but overthink, worrying that if something went wrong when Zhang Shen met the emperor the next day, what she would get back would not be his person, but his corpse.

Just as I was lost in thought and unable to sleep, a cool sensation on my arm seeped through my undershirt; it was water.

Zhu Qingyu reached out and touched Zhang Ruohua's face. The little girl, who had been silent as if she were sleeping, had tears streaming down her face.

Discovering that Zhu Qingyu was also awake, Zhang Ruohua, who had been holding back all day, could no longer contain herself. She struggled to suppress her sobs under the covers and asked, choking back tears:

"Sister-in-law, was he bullying you today?"

Facing Zhang Ruohua, Zhu Qingyu was unsure how to respond, so she simply wiped away her tears and comforted her:

"No, Ruohua, it's not what you think. If you want to talk to your second brother..."

Zhang Ruohua sobbed:

"Sister-in-law, I won't tell Second Brother. The capital is no good at all, and the people there are wicked. When Second Brother comes back, we'll go home together. Me, Second Brother, and Sister-in-law, we'll go home together."

Zhu Qingyu paused, but ultimately couldn't bear to shatter the little girl's beautiful and innocent expectations. She hugged her and murmured, "Mmm."

"Okay, let's go home."

The rain and snow fell all night, and almost overnight, the capital city went from early winter to deep winter. In the early morning, ice crystals could be seen hanging from the eaves.

The Emperor said he wanted to see Zhang Shen, but he didn't specify a time. Zhang Shen was an insignificant commoner, not someone of any importance. Naturally, he was the one waiting for the Emperor, not the other way around.

So the next morning, as soon as the palace gates opened, even before the morning court session was about to begin, Shen Xu led his men to escort Zhang Shen to the Qianqing Palace. In the freezing cold, he forced Zhang Shen to kneel in only a thin prison uniform.

Zhang Shen had barely eaten for a day and a night and was also injured. After Gu Zhao finished giving instructions last night, Shen Xu even had someone drag Zhang Shen up and make him take a thoroughly cold shower in the dead of winter.

In short, make it as miserable as possible.

So when the emperor finished his morning court session and breakfast and remembered he wanted to see Zhang Shen, Zhang Shen, who had been kneeling in the snow for several hours, was barely breathing and on the verge of death.

The Emperor was comfortably enjoying tea and snacks in his warm study, thinking he could take a break and spend half an hour looking at the person to get rid of the matter, thus putting an end to what had been on his mind.

Upon seeing Zhang Shen, who had been dragged in by Shen Xu and collapsed on the ground, the Emperor put down his teacup, slowly strolled over, stood next to Zhang Shen, and kicked his face, which was covered by his hair, with his boot.

Having served the Emperor for many years, Shen Xu immediately understood the Emperor's intention. He grabbed Zhang Shen's hair to expose his face so that the Emperor could see him clearly.

The emperor looked left and right, and something just didn't seem right.

This person, so weak and half-dead, like a tattered straw tossed aside, looked so frail and harmless, covered in wounds and looking so miserable. Could he really be that audacious, arrogant madman who disregarded his ruler and father?

In the Emperor's imagination over the years, such an arrogant person, if not a blue-faced, fanged monster, should at least be cunning and treacherous; in any case, he shouldn't be such an honest man with a weak and bookish air.

If it weren't for the fact that the memorial was written by Gu Zhao, the emperor would have suspected that someone in a rush to complete the task had simply grabbed an unlucky person to take the blame.

The Emperor asked Shen Xu:

"Has he been interrogated? Did he plead not guilty?"

Shen Xudao:

"After the trial, the suspect confessed and did not protest his innocence. He only said that he had failed the emperor's grace and deserved to die."

The Emperor looked at Shen Xu with amusement:

"Did they use severe torture?"

Shen Xu's face was full of righteousness:

"He confessed first before being tortured; I absolutely did not force a confession out of him."

The Emperor was now curious:

"Not protesting his innocence, but confessing right away? What's his motive? Wake him up, I'll ask him."

The Imperial Guards had their own methods for waking someone up. The Emperor simply turned around and sat down at his desk, only to find that the commoner on the ground, who looked like a tattered straw, had already slowly woken up.

Shen Xu forced Zhang Shen to kneel down and scolded him:

"Kneel properly and pay your respects to the Emperor."

The Emperor sat high above:

"Zhang Shen, is that you? Do you know your crime?"

Upon seeing the Emperor, Zhang Shen was first stunned, then his face revealed an expression of admiration. He immediately prostrated himself before the Emperor, kowtowing excitedly and saying:

"This humble citizen knows his crime and deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Now that he was before the Emperor, this was his last chance to save his life, yet he truly did not cry foul. The Emperor, now even more curious, asked:

"Now that you know your crime, I sentence you to immediate execution, and your property to be confiscated. Do you have anything to say in your defense before you die?"

Zhang Shen remained prostrate on the ground, offering no rebuttal, yet his tone betrayed a deep sense of admiration as he replied:

"I, a commoner, deserve my punishment and have no face to defend or exonerate myself. Today, I have been able to see Your Majesty's face, and I can die without regret."