Denghuangtai

Upon hearing this, Yun Zheng closed his eyes, a sense of powerlessness welling up within him.

"Yun Zheng, I'm entrusting the task of sending her on her way to her death to you." With a single, casual remark, Empress Dowager Yun made her decision regarding Pei Qingyan's fate.

"Aunt!" Yun Zheng opened his eyes and knelt down with a thud. "Aunt, please reconsider."

"Yun Zheng." Empress Dowager Yun stared into Yun Zheng's eyes, her gaze icy. "Just now you said that whether Pei Qingyan lives or dies is entirely up to your aunt. What? Were you just saying that to reassure your aunt? In reality, do you still harbor feelings for Pei Qingyan and want to help her survive?"

"Nephew wouldn't dare." Yun Zheng clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into the tender flesh of his palms. He closed his eyes briefly, trying his best to make his voice sound calm. "According to the laws of the Great Zhao Dynasty, a public execution requires the Court of Justice to issue a judgment document clearly stating the crime. The convict must sign and affix his seal on it, and after deliberation by the three highest officials, the execution will be carried out on a chosen day in the marketplace."

Yun Zheng paused for a moment, then said slowly, "The time is too short. I'm afraid Pei Qingyan is too stubborn and might not be willing to sign and put his fingerprint on the document."

"Foolish!" Empress Dowager Yun rebuked in a deep voice, "If you can't execute him publicly, can't you handle it secretly?"

"Public execution" refers to a public execution, where the offender would be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded in the street. The opposite of public execution is "secret execution," which is a execution carried out in secret.

As Empress Gao did with Han Xin, such a special person could not be executed according to the usual procedures. He would either be strangled or forced to commit suicide. In short, he would not be made public. Some might even have their suicide methods fabricated.

Yun Zheng was of course aware of Empress Dowager Yun's thoughts, but he always wanted to buy Pei Qingyan some more time. Based on his understanding of Pei Qingyan, since Pei Qingyan was willing to return to the capital, he must have a backup plan. As long as Pei Qingyan was given enough time, things would definitely take a turn for the better.

However, Empress Dowager Yun did not give Yun Zheng any chance to stall for time; she gave him the direction directly.

"Heming, don't forget how your father died." Empress Dowager Yun gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with fierceness as she looked at Yun Zheng.

A hint of sadness appeared in Yun Zheng's eyes. "Aunt is right."

He clenched his fists fiercely, a strange smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry, Aunt, your nephew will head to the imperial prison now to send the last of the Pei family's bloodline on its way."

Empress Dowager Yun didn't rush to respond. She stared at Yun Zheng, the child she had raised. Yun Zheng's hidden thoughts rarely escaped her notice. After observing him for a while and not seeing any insincerity in Yun Zheng's expression, the vigilance in her eyes gradually relaxed.

She walked to Yun Zheng's side, patted his shoulder, pulled him up again, and said earnestly, "Good boy, go. After you finish this, we'll have given your father an explanation and avenged him."

"Yes." Yun Zheng's back stiffened, his agitation and heartache nearly driving him out of control. He forced himself to bow to Empress Dowager Yun like a walking corpse, then turned and walked outside.

Empress Dowager Yun stood there, watching Yun Zheng walk slowly away, his figure getting smaller and smaller until he disappeared from sight.

"Tell me, can I trust him?" Empress Dowager Yun's voice was low, almost a whisper. But the expression on her face was completely different from before, full of suspicion and wariness.

Inside the hall, the old woman who had been standing silently in the corner slowly stepped forward. "I see that the young master's words are earnest and he puts you first in everything."

Empress Dowager Yun remained silent, turned back to her throne, and continued reviewing memorials. Seeing this, the old woman stood silently beside Empress Dowager Yun, grinding ink for her.

The quieter the room, the more you can hear a pin drop.

"Go to the imperial prison yourself."

After a long while, Empress Dowager Yun stopped writing, looked up at the old woman, and said, "Make sure Pei Qingyan is lifeless before you return to report."

In the end, she still couldn't fully trust Yun Zheng's thoughts, so she sent her most trusted maid to supervise the work.

Inside the imperial prison, Pei Qingyan huddled in a corner, his body alternating between hot and cold, drifting in and out of consciousness, having one dream after another.

That winter, five-year-old Pei Qingyan entered the palace for the first time. Lost in the magnificent and overlapping palace walls, he wandered around until he came to a secluded palace, where he met Yun Zheng, who was hiding in a corner and secretly crying.

Pei Qingyan squatted down in front of Yun Zheng, her dark, ink-like eyes blinking as she looked at him. "What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

At that time, Yun Zheng was still an adorable little dumpling with delicate features. He looked up, his eyes still glistening with tears, and said, "They said I was born to bring misfortune to my mother and was an unlucky person, so they didn't want to play with me."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of emotion crossed Pei Qingyan's large eyes. She recognized those words; long ago, street children had pointed at her and hurled insults at her, even throwing mud and stones at her. It was her brother who had protected her, fighting with those children to avenge her…

Putting herself in Yun Zheng's shoes, the young Pei Qingyan felt boundless sympathy for him. She reached out her hand to Yun Zheng, and though she wasn't good at speaking gentle words, she comforted him, mimicking her older brother's protective manner, and said, "Don't cry. I'll play with you from now on. If anyone dares to insult you again, I'll fight back for you."

Yun Zheng, the milk dumpling, was stunned for a moment, then a smile returned to his face. He reached out and took Pei Qingyan's hand, "Okay. Then we'll be best friends for life!"

"Okay! Let's be best friends for life."

Time flies by in dreams, and in the blink of an eye, we jump from the beginning of our childhood to the stirrings of our teenage years.

That year, as snow fell heavily, Pei Qingyan danced with his sword in the snow, the sword light flashing like a ribbon, cleaving through the swirling snowflakes. Inside the warm pavilion, Yun Zheng stood by the window, carefully sketching with a brush in hand.

One still, one moving; one inside, one outside; warmth fills the room, while outside, the snow falls vast and boundless. Though silent, it is a rare and beautiful sight.

So much so that, even after many years and changes in the world, Pei Qingyan would still occasionally dream about this period.

At that moment, she spun around and sheathed her sword, just as she looked up and met Yun Zheng's tender, watery eyes.

Yun Zheng held up the painting he had just finished. Pei Qingyan's graceful figure leaped onto the paper, with an inscription beside it.

Wild grasses grow, glistening with dew. A beautiful woman appears, graceful and charming. Our chance encounter is exactly what I desire.

Although Pei Qingyan loved martial arts, she was also taught by a teacher and forced by the princess to read many classics. She naturally understood the meaning of this line from the Book of Songs.

Pei Qingyan froze on the spot. Young people are always passionate and unable to control their emotions. She immediately let go of the sword, leaving it in the snow. She ran to the window, leaned on the windowsill, and looked at Yun Zheng with bright eyes.

"Yun Zheng, is what you're thinking the same as what's in the poem?"

"My feelings for you surpass even those for scholars."

My feelings for you surpass even those expressed in these poems...

The friendship of youth is the most unforgettable. Even when she recalls it in her dreams, Pei Qingyan feels as if she has been stabbed in the chest, her internal organs aching, and she instantly wakes up from the nightmare.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yun Zheng kneeling in front of him.

Pei Qingyan was stunned, unable to react for a moment whether he had woken up from a dream or entered another dream.

"Pei Qingyan, I've come to see you off on your way."