The Person in the Snow
By the time that the imperial uncle and the others hastily rushed toward the palace, it was already dusk.
Just as the sky was turning dark, an unsteady figure exited the prime minister’s manor from the rear gate. It looked as if they had drank quite a considerable amount of wine.
The snow-covered alleys were frigid, and there were no other people walking around. There was just the fragrance of food wafting out from somewhere.
Today was the second day of the new year, and no matter how poor a family might be, they would have alcohol and meat to eat. Families would eat and chat together around their fireplaces.
Yin Shuo smiled and wiped the wine from the corners of his lips, as a sarcastic smile crept onto his lips, “While commoners are able to laugh and have fun around the fireplace, I, the noble prime minister, was reprimanded by my father. There isn’t a single relative who shares my feelings, so what is the point of fine wine and good food? I am nothing more than a poor bastard who has been thrown out.”
He repeatedly called himself a poor bastard. Using the wall of the small alley for support, he slowly walked out, while snow covered his body.
It was as if he could not feel the cold, but his hands were turning blue from the cold. He just continued to advance using the light from the red lanterns hanging outside, but his hands were no longer able to support him after a bit of time passed. Slowly, he collapsed in the snow in the alley.
The snow slowly covered his body until his back was completely covered. There was nobody else in the quiet alley.
Yin Shuo looked up and tried to raise his head; however, because he was drunk, his body was unable to exert much strength, and he collapsed back to the ground.
He wanted to shout, and he opened his mouth, but his lips ended up curling into a contemptuous smile. Who knew if he was feeling contempt for himself or for others.
His consciousness faded, and all he could hear was the wind whistling by his ears.
In a fantasy world, the sound of silver bells rang in the distance and gradually came closer. It sounded like a treasured carriage that had descended from the heavens.
Two small red lanterns slowly drew closer along the long street. When it came closer, it could be seen that it was a magnificent carriage with two red lanterns hanging from it, and it was rushing along in the night.
Silver bells hung from the corners of the carriage, and the carriage driver wore a thick hat and thick woolen gloves.
Suddenly seeing a dark figure in the alley that resembled a person collapsed in the snow, he hesitated for a moment, and the person inside the carriage seemed to notice.
“What is it?”
The driver carefully looked at the entrance to the alley. The more he looked, the more puzzled he became, “Young miss, it seems like someone has collapsed in the entrance to the alley. It’s the new year, so it wouldn’t be that someone drank too much and collapsed at the entrance to their home, right?”
Yao Lan lifted the corner of the curtain, and Yu Fu took a look. Sure enough, it was a person.
“Go and take a look. If it really is a person, put them in the rear of the carriage and bring them back. There will be a lot of snow tonight. If they are left in the snow, they will freeze to death.”
“Yes!”
The driver responded and leaped down to carry that person into the rear of the carriage.
The carriage rushed back to Marquis Gu’s Manor, and Qi Zhou was waiting outside, “Young miss has returned? Master is waiting for young miss to eat dinner.”
Yu Fu nodded and replied: “Senior minister Chen collapsed from an illness, and the matter of the cabinet being abolished is still at stake. I had to go and see him. Fortunately, young sir Chen is a smart man, and senior minister is not in any serious trouble.”
Qi Zhou cheerfully praised Buddha, “That’s good, that’s good. If senior minister Chen is in good health, there will be one more loyal official to advise His Majesty!”
Naturally, Yu Fu was optimistic about senior minister Chen’s condition, but she also understood that Ning ChengZhi abolished the cabinet because he did not want to listen to their advice.
If the ruler did not want to listen to advice, no matter how righteous and loyal the officials might be, they could not compare with a traitor.
Qi Zhou directed the driver to unload the carriage when he suddenly saw the person in the rear, “Young miss, this is…”
The driver said: “Steward Qi, we found a person collapsed in the snow on the side of the road, and young miss brought them back for fear of them freezing to death.”
Qi Zhou ordered for a lantern to be brought over and carefully examined the person. Seeing the person wearing purple robes, he knew that this person was not a commoner.
Flipping the person over to look at his face, he nearly dropped the lantern in shock!
“Young miss! Have you seen who this is?”
Yu Fu was about to go inside when she heard Qi Zhou’s shocked voice. Stepping forward to take a look, she could not help but leap back.
“Enemies really do cross paths surprisingly often. How could we have brought him back?”
Qi Zhou was certain that this person was Yin Shuo. He then shifted a little closer and sniffed, “Young miss, Prime Minister Yin must have gone out after drinking too much and then accidentally fell to the ground. This… should we send him back to the prime minister’s manor?”
When the driver heard that the person whom he had saved was Yin Shuo, he immediately wiped his brow, “Send him back? Young miss, why don’t I just toss him back where we found it and allow him to perish on his own?”
Even the servants of Marquis Gu’s Manor knew that Yin Shuo was not a good person and that he was the one who fervently opposed Marquis Gu’s Manor.
Yu Fu glanced at him and knew that calling for him to perish on his own was considered light. It was likely that he was thinking to himself that he wanted to toss Yin Shuo into the snow and let him freeze to death.
If Yu Fu had known back then that it was Yin Shuo, she might have hesitated for a moment.
But now…
Yu Fu said: “Since we already brought him back, just put him in the courtyard that JiYao and the others previously stayed in. Steward Qi, go and tell head general and the others about this. Just say that I will be going to check on Prime Minister Yin’s condition first before going to the main hall. Tell them to please not wait for me to eat.”
Qi Zhou hesitated for a moment and then ordered for Yin Shuo to be carried inside.
The servants placed Yin Shuo on a couch and removed his snow-covered outer layers. They then washed his hands and feet with hot water.
There was a brazier in the room, and Yu Fu checked his pulse. After verifying that his pulse was stable, she stood up and left. When she left, she ordered two male servants to take care of him.
Who knew that just after stepping outside, she would see Gu Xiang and Gu Yi angrily rush over.
“Little Yu Fu, we heard that you caught Yin Shuo?”
“Where is he?”
Yu Fu saw that the ones who had come bore bad intentions and wanted to stop them, but the two had already charged into the room.
“Fifth brother, sixth brother, you must not be rash!”
Yu Fu hastily chased after them and found that Gu ShuBai, Gu JiuGe, and the others had also rushed over. Everyone entered the room and saw Gu Xiang and Gu Yi blankly staring at Yin Shuo, who was laying in bed.
He was currently asleep, and he seemed to be muttering something. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he had a horrified expression.
In everyone’s mind, Yin Shuo always had a sinister smile and had a calculating expression. This was the first time that they had seen him unconscious.
Gu Yi held up a dagger, “Seeing him in this vulnerable condition, I really want to kill him to just put an end to things, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Hah, I’m so useless. Fifth brother, do you want to try?”
He handed the dagger to Gu Xiang, and while Gu Xiang was hesitating, Gu JiuGe stepped forward to take the dagger, “Alright, stop messing around. Even if you want to kill him, you can’t kill him like this.”
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi looked at him, “Second brother, what good method do you have?”
“Second brother.”
Gu ShuBai looked at him with a frown, “Stop messing around. Even if Yin Shuo is killed, it won’t change His Majesty’s mind. On the contrary, it would give him something that he could use against Marquis Gu’s Manor. It would not benefit us. Yu Fu, how is he?”
Yu Fu said: “He probably drank too much and collapsed in the snow. Fortunately, we found him early, and he only passed out. There isn’t anything seriously wrong with him.”
She observed everyone’s expressions and tentatively said: “When we found him, we did not know that it was Yin Shuo. We thought that he was just a normal citizen. Since we’ve confirmed his identity, it would be better to send him back to the prime minister’s manor, right?”
Gu Yi angrily shouted, “He is the source of all evil, so it would be too kind to him if we just sent him back!”
The Person in the Snow
By the time that the imperial uncle and the others hastily rushed toward the palace, it was already dusk.
Just as the sky was turning dark, an unsteady figure exited the prime minister’s manor from the rear gate. It looked as if they had drank quite a considerable amount of wine.
The snow-covered alleys were frigid, and there were no other people walking around. There was just the fragrance of food wafting out from somewhere.
Today was the second day of the new year, and no matter how poor a family might be, they would have alcohol and meat to eat. Families would eat and chat together around their fireplaces.
Yin Shuo smiled and wiped the wine from the corners of his lips, as a sarcastic smile crept onto his lips, “While commoners are able to laugh and have fun around the fireplace, I, the noble prime minister, was reprimanded by my father. There isn’t a single relative who shares my feelings, so what is the point of fine wine and good food? I am nothing more than a poor bastard who has been thrown out.”
He repeatedly called himself a poor bastard. Using the wall of the small alley for support, he slowly walked out, while snow covered his body.
It was as if he could not feel the cold, but his hands were turning blue from the cold. He just continued to advance using the light from the red lanterns hanging outside, but his hands were no longer able to support him after a bit of time passed. Slowly, he collapsed in the snow in the alley.
The snow slowly covered his body until his back was completely covered. There was nobody else in the quiet alley.
Yin Shuo looked up and tried to raise his head; however, because he was drunk, his body was unable to exert much strength, and he collapsed back to the ground.
He wanted to shout, and he opened his mouth, but his lips ended up curling into a contemptuous smile. Who knew if he was feeling contempt for himself or for others.
His consciousness faded, and all he could hear was the wind whistling by his ears.
In a fantasy world, the sound of silver bells rang in the distance and gradually came closer. It sounded like a treasured carriage that had descended from the heavens.
Two small red lanterns slowly drew closer along the long street. When it came closer, it could be seen that it was a magnificent carriage with two red lanterns hanging from it, and it was rushing along in the night.
Silver bells hung from the corners of the carriage, and the carriage driver wore a thick hat and thick woolen gloves.
Suddenly seeing a dark figure in the alley that resembled a person collapsed in the snow, he hesitated for a moment, and the person inside the carriage seemed to notice.
“What is it?”
The driver carefully looked at the entrance to the alley. The more he looked, the more puzzled he became, “Young miss, it seems like someone has collapsed in the entrance to the alley. It’s the new year, so it wouldn’t be that someone drank too much and collapsed at the entrance to their home, right?”
Yao Lan lifted the corner of the curtain, and Yu Fu took a look. Sure enough, it was a person.
“Go and take a look. If it really is a person, put them in the rear of the carriage and bring them back. There will be a lot of snow tonight. If they are left in the snow, they will freeze to death.”
“Yes!”
The driver responded and leaped down to carry that person into the rear of the carriage.
The carriage rushed back to Marquis Gu’s Manor, and Qi Zhou was waiting outside, “Young miss has returned? Master is waiting for young miss to eat dinner.”
Yu Fu nodded and replied: “Senior minister Chen collapsed from an illness, and the matter of the cabinet being abolished is still at stake. I had to go and see him. Fortunately, young sir Chen is a smart man, and senior minister is not in any serious trouble.”
Qi Zhou cheerfully praised Buddha, “That’s good, that’s good. If senior minister Chen is in good health, there will be one more loyal official to advise His Majesty!”
Naturally, Yu Fu was optimistic about senior minister Chen’s condition, but she also understood that Ning ChengZhi abolished the cabinet because he did not want to listen to their advice.
If the ruler did not want to listen to advice, no matter how righteous and loyal the officials might be, they could not compare with a traitor.
Qi Zhou directed the driver to unload the carriage when he suddenly saw the person in the rear, “Young miss, this is…”
The driver said: “Steward Qi, we found a person collapsed in the snow on the side of the road, and young miss brought them back for fear of them freezing to death.”
Qi Zhou ordered for a lantern to be brought over and carefully examined the person. Seeing the person wearing purple robes, he knew that this person was not a commoner.
Flipping the person over to look at his face, he nearly dropped the lantern in shock!
“Young miss! Have you seen who this is?”
Yu Fu was about to go inside when she heard Qi Zhou’s shocked voice. Stepping forward to take a look, she could not help but leap back.
“Enemies really do cross paths surprisingly often. How could we have brought him back?”
Qi Zhou was certain that this person was Yin Shuo. He then shifted a little closer and sniffed, “Young miss, Prime Minister Yin must have gone out after drinking too much and then accidentally fell to the ground. This… should we send him back to the prime minister’s manor?”
When the driver heard that the person whom he had saved was Yin Shuo, he immediately wiped his brow, “Send him back? Young miss, why don’t I just toss him back where we found it and allow him to perish on his own?”
Even the servants of Marquis Gu’s Manor knew that Yin Shuo was not a good person and that he was the one who fervently opposed Marquis Gu’s Manor.
Yu Fu glanced at him and knew that calling for him to perish on his own was considered light. It was likely that he was thinking to himself that he wanted to toss Yin Shuo into the snow and let him freeze to death.
If Yu Fu had known back then that it was Yin Shuo, she might have hesitated for a moment.
But now…
Yu Fu said: “Since we already brought him back, just put him in the courtyard that JiYao and the others previously stayed in. Steward Qi, go and tell head general and the others about this. Just say that I will be going to check on Prime Minister Yin’s condition first before going to the main hall. Tell them to please not wait for me to eat.”
Qi Zhou hesitated for a moment and then ordered for Yin Shuo to be carried inside.
The servants placed Yin Shuo on a couch and removed his snow-covered outer layers. They then washed his hands and feet with hot water.
There was a brazier in the room, and Yu Fu checked his pulse. After verifying that his pulse was stable, she stood up and left. When she left, she ordered two male servants to take care of him.
Who knew that just after stepping outside, she would see Gu Xiang and Gu Yi angrily rush over.
“Little Yu Fu, we heard that you caught Yin Shuo?”
“Where is he?”
Yu Fu saw that the ones who had come bore bad intentions and wanted to stop them, but the two had already charged into the room.
“Fifth brother, sixth brother, you must not be rash!”
Yu Fu hastily chased after them and found that Gu ShuBai, Gu JiuGe, and the others had also rushed over. Everyone entered the room and saw Gu Xiang and Gu Yi blankly staring at Yin Shuo, who was laying in bed.
He was currently asleep, and he seemed to be muttering something. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he had a horrified expression.
In everyone’s mind, Yin Shuo always had a sinister smile and had a calculating expression. This was the first time that they had seen him unconscious.
Gu Yi held up a dagger, “Seeing him in this vulnerable condition, I really want to kill him to just put an end to things, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Hah, I’m so useless. Fifth brother, do you want to try?”
He handed the dagger to Gu Xiang, and while Gu Xiang was hesitating, Gu JiuGe stepped forward to take the dagger, “Alright, stop messing around. Even if you want to kill him, you can’t kill him like this.”
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi looked at him, “Second brother, what good method do you have?”
“Second brother.”
Gu ShuBai looked at him with a frown, “Stop messing around. Even if Yin Shuo is killed, it won’t change His Majesty’s mind. On the contrary, it would give him something that he could use against Marquis Gu’s Manor. It would not benefit us. Yu Fu, how is he?”
Yu Fu said: “He probably drank too much and collapsed in the snow. Fortunately, we found him early, and he only passed out. There isn’t anything seriously wrong with him.”
She observed everyone’s expressions and tentatively said: “When we found him, we did not know that it was Yin Shuo. We thought that he was just a normal citizen. Since we’ve confirmed his identity, it would be better to send him back to the prime minister’s manor, right?”
Gu Yi angrily shouted, “He is the source of all evil, so it would be too kind to him if we just sent him back!”
