eople died, it would still remain hidden and undiscovered. 。The scent of sandalwood is pleasant, calming the mind. However, its presence in this setting evokes a sense of sadness. 。Then, he placed the...Quan Qingcheng backed away from Shi's wife, still whispering to Ye Chulian, "Is there something wrong with that Mrs. Shi She definitely has some problem, otherwise she couldn't act like this."
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with her. And she has good taste, she saw through you at once and knew you were a good son-in-law."
"Please, spare me! I wouldn't marry her. Besides, the court officials wouldn't allow me to marry a merchant's daughter!"
"Then just become a concubine, I didn't force you to marry me as empress."
"Quan Qingcheng still shook his head, 'Noble consorts wouldn't work either. While Madam Shi is a bit intimidating, I can still see that the Shi family is a good one, and Elder Sister Wenyan has chosen well. So it's not possible to marry her into the palace as a consort and waste her life.' "
"Then you should treat her a little better. A little bit better and it won't be wasted time."
“Even if it were better, wouldn’t it still mean sharing a husband with so many others How good could it be for a woman” He recalled what Zhu'er had said: I want a husband who is devoted to me alone, and won't take any concubines. Perhaps all the girls who have aspirations in their hearts think this way! Although he couldn't avoid having three palaces and six courtyards in the future, his harem could be left to those who voluntarily entered the palace. Those people could enter for profit or power, as long as it wasn’t out of love, then he could marry with peace of mind.”
"You guys, this wind and snow came so unexpectedly, isn't it related to the weather patterns this year" As a group of people walked along the main street within the city walls, they suddenly heard someone speaking into the wind and snow.
There was a group of people gathered there, seemingly chatting idly. However, the subject of their conversation drew in more and more people.
Ye Fei Zhou led them closer to listen, and they heard another voice: "Doesn't it all depend on the year's harvest This year hasn't been good, maybe the years to come won't be either, alas!"
"Where did you get that idea" someone asked in bewilderment. "This year's harvest is definitely going to be bad, as evidenced by the ground dragon flipping over on New Year's Day. And now this season shift, it really leaves people baffled. But you're saying that from now on, things will never get better That's a bit much. Just because this year is bad doesn't mean all future years will be."
"Will things be better in the future You guys don't even think about why there have been so many major disasters this year one after another. In a place like Lin'an City, it was chosen as the capital by countless talented and learned individuals. For hundreds of years, there has never been a major disaster. How come this year saw such chaos"
Those around him were puzzled by his questions, and someone asked him, “Then why”
"Me Hehe, you figure it out yourselves. What's different this year compared to past years"
People began to ponder, and after a while someone said: “Could it be because the new ruler has ascended the throne”
The man slapped his thigh, “I’ve got it! It must be the new emperor ascending the throne! The second day of the first lunar month is when the new emperor takes the throne, and on the first day of the first lunar month, there will be a dragon turning over. How could this be so coincidental Besides, this heavy snowfall, I’ve never heard of such heavy snow in June. It’s this cold because of the new emperor! You guys don’t disbelieve this superstition.”
There was a great deal of discussion. At first, some people didn't agree with this method, but after a while they began to find it reasonable and started to agree as well. They all stopped criticizing the new ruler.
Some people urged them to shout, and those people replied: "What good would shouting do The Emperor is now hiding from the snow in the palace! Can he possibly hear what we are saying in the street Besides, even if he heard us, we are not afraid. He has brought such great disaster to Beizhi, and doesn't allow us to live The common people are also human beings, they need to live too! But if this continues to freeze, how can we survive"
"Ke Xinjun was chosen by the Emperor himself. Don't you realize that questioning this is like questioning the Emperor"
As soon as someone mentioned the Empyrean, those people perked up — “The Empyrean Hmph! This snowfall might be related to the Empyrean. You all know the Empyrean recently betrothed an Empress, right Ever since he held a palace banquet and became engaged to Night's Fourth Sister that day, it started raining. And after it rained for days, it turned into snow. So if we're talking about this disaster, it all started from the Empyrean's engagement with Night's Fourth Sister.”
“That's how it all came together. Lady Ye Si was a disaster from the start. On her wedding day to Sixth Prince, he fell ill, and the previous emperor passed away. Sixth Prince lost his chance to inherit the throne, so Emperor Zun chose Seventh Prince instead, who then ascended the throne only a month later, before quickly usurping it.”
"It seems the real culprit isn't the Emperor or the Heavenly Sovereign, but Ye Si Jie!"
"They're all two sides of the same coin, each with their own problems. As long as the three of them are still around, things will never get better."
Quan Qingcheng was getting impatient. He couldn't stand it anymore. Taking advantage of the fact that Ye Fei Zhou and Ye Chu Lian weren't paying attention, he rushed into the crowd and grabbed someone by the collar, starting a fight.
He went all out this time, even though his martial arts skills weren't great. But when a person truly fights for their life, their strength is undeniable.
At this moment, Ye Wenyan was the one whom Quan Qingcheng thought was worth risking his life for. Whenever he heard someone say anything bad about his sister, Ye Wenyan had to rush to the front lines to defend her honor with his own life.
Quingcheng's sudden charge startled Ye Chulian and Wu Fu, who wanted to call him back. Ye Fei Zhou, however, remained calm, only keeping a close eye on the crowd. Whenever he noticed Quingcheng at a disadvantage, his men would immediately take action. The snowballs on the ground were packed into balls and thrown with surprising force, even more painful than being hit by stones. Several people were caught off guard by this series of attacks and fell to the ground.
The rest of the people thought that Quan Qingcheng was a martial arts master. For a time, they didn't dare to confront him head-on and quickly left.
Seeing people shunning him, Quan Qingcheng became even angrier. "What's the matter Aren't you going to fight Where's your courage You were just cursing Ye Si and Emperor Zun, where's that courage now You outsiders have received so much care from Ye Si, she treated your illnesses and saved your lives, but in return, you slander her behind her back, calling her a disaster star I just want to ask you, where has she caused any disasters If she were truly a disaster star, wouldn't all of you who have benefited from her have to repay those favors Shouldn't those whose lives she saved have to give their lives back to her"
At that moment, Mrs. Shih cried out in a loud voice, "Good!" She then added, "My friend is loyal, that's what it means to be righteous!"
Right then, Qingcheng nodded at his wife and gave her a rare good look. Then he turned to the people who had spoken ill of him and asked, "Do you have any heart Are you truly clueless or are you pretending Who gave you the guts to talk about the Emperor and Empress like that"
They looked at each other, many people retreated silently, and some even ran away in the chaos.
Qian Qingcheng didn't pursue them, only continuing, "You can deny it, you can run, but if I see or hear anyone speaking like that again, one by one, I won't let any of you go. Those who are ungrateful not only disgrace themselves but also the people of Bei Qi. Even killing you all wouldn't be too much. Besides, gossiping about His Majesty is a capital offense in itself; dying this way isn't undeserved."
In the crowd, someone boldly shouted: "Those who spread rumors, dare you show your faces We are all from the outer city and we don't think we would be so heartless and shameless. Whether Ye Sijie is the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion or the future wife of the Emperor, we all respect and love her the same. All of us remember Ye Sijie's kindness, and none of us would speak ill of her behind her back.
"Though you appear to be from the outer city, we do not believe you are!"
"Yes, you certainly aren't from the Outer City. Who exactly are you"
The people surged forward, immediately ripping off the cloaks of those who hadn't had time to escape, and even pulling at their collars.
But the outer city is very large, and it's impossible for everyone to know each other. So even if these people showed their faces, people couldn't be sure if they were from the outer city. So someone else asked them where they lived, what alleyway, which house, and what was their full name.
Seeing the other party stammering and confused, they all understood— "Sure enough, not from the outer city. But no matter who you are, as long as you dare to slander Sister Ye Si, you should all be beaten! Don't just stand there, beat them!"
People surged forward again, this time not stripping clothes but engaging in a brawl. They quickly beat those few men to a pulp, leaving them bruised and battered, scrambling for cover. Someone caught one who was slower and said to Quan Qingcheng: "You were the first to stand up for Sister Ye Si just now, sir. We admire you. This man is left for you to interrogate. Remember, whether you get an answer or not, give him another beating. Be sure that Sister Ye Si doesn't suffer any grievances, and don't let innocent people from outside the city be wrongly accused."
Ye Fei Zhou stepped forward, pulling the person over. After thanking the townspeople outside the city, he let them disperse. Then, looking at the person in his hands, the beard was fake, and the mole on his face was also fake. He looked like a man in his forties, but after removing the disguise, he was no older than eighteen or nineteen.
Quan Qingcheng stepped forward and asked him, "Who instructed you to spread such news outside the city"
That man glanced at Quan Qingcheng and suddenly burst into laughter. “No one ordered us to do this; we just thought of it that way ourselves. Now the earth has changed color, with wind and snow in summer, freezing cold. This is clearly the old master taking revenge on humanity. Ordinary people don’t have such a big face to be hated by the old master. The only ones who could attract the old master’s attention are figures like the Emperor and Empress and the current emperor. So how do you know we are wrong The current emperor doesn't deserve to sit on that throne, and Ye Sijie is even less deserving of being Empress!”
Today you have captured me, that is my bad luck. But to make my intentions clear, to let people know we are not lying, I am willing to die to prove all of this!
At this point, his expression suddenly contorted, and blood quickly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Mrs. Shi cried out, "He bit his tongue!"efying the imperial decree!”A single word of “defying the decree” startled Old Madam Ye so badly that she quickly explained: “It’s not defying the decree. This marriage was arranged by the former Empr...