Snowy Chang'an Road

Chapter 31 The Last Face

In Shanglin Garden, at 1:11, Wei Yuan returned to his dormitory to prepare for a rest.

Wu Xun came to report that Qi Zhan's head was sent to the palace. When Wei Yuan heard the news, he was stunned at first, then turned around and walked up to Qi Zhan's head. After confirming again and again that it was his, he let out a cry from his throat. A sound that sounded like laughing and crying.

Another piece of his heart ailment was removed.

After dinner, Deng Shou has been admiring lotus flowers in the garden. Dannu picked many lotus flowers and prepared to put them in bottles to decorate the bedroom.

The palace attendants went into the palace to report that Mrs. Deng had arrived.

When Wei Yuan heard this, he hesitated for a moment. He looked at Qi Zhan's head on the table, thinking about whether to hide the head, but in the end he chose not to hide it.

"pass."

Deng Shou walked into Wei Yuan's bedroom with a lotus and saw a head on the table. She was so frightened that she dropped the lotus on the ground. Dannu hurriedly picked it up. When Dannu raised her head, she was so frightened that she also dropped the lotus. Lotus flowers were thrown to the ground.

"Your Majesty, this."

"This is an old friend of my beloved concubine."

Wei Yuan turned the head's face. After Deng Shou saw it clearly, she was so frightened that she collapsed on the ground and backed away. Tears instantly fell from her eyes. Her heart was burning with pain like a burning flame, and she seemed to be unable to breathe.

Dannu was also frightened. She fell to her knees in fear and did not dare to raise her head.

"Don't be afraid, my beloved concubine, it's just a head."

"Your Majesty, who killed the Marquis of Huainan?"

"The Marquis of Huainan seduced the prince and attempted to rebel, but he was executed by the queen."

Hearing this, Deng Shou felt not only pain, but also extreme hatred.

"My beloved, you are tired, go back and rest."

"Yes."

With Dan Nu's support, Deng Shou slowly withdrew from the dormitory. Her whole body was weak and trembling violently. She still couldn't believe that Qi Zhan was not only dead, but also had his head cut off.

When Mingming left Chang'an this morning, he came to see His Majesty off.

As for bewitching the prince, it is simply nonsense. He has stayed in Guangling country all year round and has never had any contact with the prince, so how can he be tempted.

As soon as Deng Shou walked into the yard, he felt sick in his stomach. He ran to the tree and started to vomit while holding on to the tree.

Dannu was behind her, caressing her back. After she felt more comfortable, she called the imperial doctor to check her pulse.

Qi Zhan's death made her feel like a world away, as if most of her soul had been emptied out.

When she followed her father's orders and married Wei Yuan, she was no longer destined to be with him in this life, leaving only the vague regrets of her youth.

She had been in the palace for so many years, and her edges had been worn away by time. So that day, when she saw him again in Chang'an after many years of separation, she felt calm and let go.

But now, he died tragically in front of her, and the vague memories of her youth appeared in front of her frame by frame, lingering, but the less she thought about them, the clearer they became.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. If Qi Zhan supported the prince, why would Ban Miao kill the people who helped her son?
  There is only one answer. Wei Yuan borrows Ban Miao's help to get rid of Qi Zhan.

In this huge city of Chang'an, she really couldn't think of anyone else who would want to take Qi Zhan's life.

Deng Shou stayed up all night, and Dannu stayed by her side. The two of them didn't speak, and just stayed quietly like this.

The real intention to give up is never to make a fuss.

In the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City, Wei Huan sat on the throne and accepted the worship of all ministers.

"My dear friends, something happened in the palace last night. I wonder if you have heard of it?"

The civil and military officials were talking a lot, but Pei Kai stood there without saying a word.

"Qu Ling, a retainer of Huainan Hou Qizhan, reported Qizhan to this palace, and a letter was found in his residence in which he discussed the rebellion with Lu Yi, King of Xiang of Han Dynasty, and Yunzheng, King of Lujiang. Someone came and presented the letter to all your beloved ministers. Take a look."

Wei Shao received the letter with disbelief on his face. He looked at the contents of the letter and said it was conclusive, but he did not believe that Qi Zhan would rebel. “Prince, I have something to report.”

"King of Peking, please speak."

"The Marquis of Huainan, Qizhan, is loyal to me, the Great Wei Dynasty, and has never had second thoughts. Your Highness cannot convict the Marquis of Huainan based on a letter from an unknown source."

"The King of Peiping is worried. I did not convict the Marquis of Huainan. Originally, I wanted to send someone to investigate the matter in detail, but the Marquis of Huainan has already committed suicide out of fear of the crime."

"what?"

Wei Shao couldn't believe what he heard.

"Your Highness, where is the body of Marquis Huainan now?"

"I have ordered Duke Pei to be buried."

Wei Shao fell back and said, "I beg Your Highness to have mercy and allow me to see the Marquis of Huainan again."

"King Peiping, the deceased is the greatest. Since Duke Pei has buried the Marquis of Huainan, we, the younger generation, should not disturb his purity anymore."

"minister"

"Okay, we are busy with state affairs. Let's stop this matter. Don't discuss it any more."

Wei Shao was silenced by Wei Huan, and his heart was already in a mess.

Just after the morning court, he ran to Pei Kai and asked questions along the way.

"My father-in-law, where will you bury the Marquis of Huainan?"

"He is my son-in-law's uncle. Please have mercy and let me see him one last time."

"My uncle is a loyal minister and has been by His Majesty's side recently. How could he rebel?"

"We cannot unjustly accuse him and let him suffer eternal infamy."

Wei Shao's entanglement did not stop Pei Kai. He walked quickly to the carriage, got in and raised the curtain and said: "King Peiping, the body of Marquis Huainan has been cremated. If you still want to live, just pretend to be something." Nothing has happened, there are many eyes and ears here, don’t bother me anymore.”

Cremation?

That means no bones remain.

A living person yesterday became a speck of dust between heaven and earth this morning. Wei Shao could not accept it.

You want to see people alive, you want to see corpses when dead, but now, this person seems to have disappeared from the world, and all traces of him were only lightly erased by a fire.

When it was lunch time, everyone was waiting at the dinner table, but Wei Shao was nowhere to be seen.

Pei Ying was a little worried, so she mounted her horse and headed towards the palace to look for him.

On the way there, she spotted Wei Shao's horse outside the restaurant. She tied the horse and found Wei Shao who was already six to seven points drunk in the private room on the top floor of the restaurant.

"Wei Shao, what are you drinking at noon?"

"Bai Zheng, what's wrong with him? Why didn't you stop him?"

Bai Zheng shook his head. The prince had been sullen since he went to court this morning. No matter what he asked, he didn't answer. He originally thought that the prince would ride back to the house, but he never thought that the prince would come here to get drunk.

"Then if you don't go back home to report it, don't you know that Grandpa and the others will be worried?"

Bai Zheng hesitated to explain, but he still lowered his head and swallowed the words.

"I don't mean to blame you, but my grandfather is old and cannot withstand any changes. Can you understand?"

Bai Zheng nodded vigorously.

　It’s Friday, and the mood of letting go has broken through the sky. Princess and prince, please read a book!

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)