mtlumby2d Chapter 233 Snow and Moonlight 1
Chapter 233 Snow and Moonlight 1
Chapter 233 Snow and Moonlight
Bai Li Ce originally didn't want to help.
Who knows if this is some kind of trap? If we fall right into someone's trap, working for nothing is secondary; what's worse is being stuck here forever crying to no one.
But when she learned that the old couple of the Marquis's mansion, along with all the young masters and ladies, had been paraded through the streets, humiliated, and whipped, she still felt...
I really shouldn't have such a pounding heart.
The imperial court ultimately convicted Xi Ze's family of the heinous crime of exterminating nine generations of their relatives.
While there is still room for maneuver compared to directly "exterminating nine generations of relatives," this room for maneuver is not so easy to achieve.
Because life and death were entirely in the hands of the emperor.
And their emperor just happened to be a stingy, suspicious, mean-spirited, and unattractive man.
So whether or not they actually plotted a rebellion is not the point; the point is that the Xi family has become too powerful and attracted a lot of attention.
Secondly, Baili Ce wouldn't be foolish enough to think that he, as a mere wealthy merchant, could contend with the imperial court here.
Even though this is just a scene, just a story within a story, she doesn't find any pleasure in being the first to stick her neck out.
All she could do was wait.
From the moment he heard that the Marquis's family had been convicted and that Sheng Guang had been implicated, until everything settled down and the imperial court felt that the Marquis's family was no longer a threat and that those in high positions had had their fill of playing around, Baili Ce began to secretly manipulate events and gather information.
In general, the emperor initially had no intention of giving them any way out, and the original punishment was indeed "extermination of nine generations of their family."
Who would have thought that Marquis Xuande, who was also Xi Ze's father, actually had a general amnesty edict bestowed by the late emperor.
Can treason be pardoned? Of course not.
The coincidence is that the Marquis also had witnesses and physical evidence to prove that his family did not plot a rebellion.
The emperor was naturally very dissatisfied, but the court here had always promoted the idea of ruling the country with filial piety. In front of all the civil and military officials, he could only use the excuse of investigating the case to first imprison the people of the Marquis's mansion.
Then came the disappearance of physical evidence, the betrayal of witnesses in court, the betrayal of former friends, the successful conviction of the Marquis's family, and the implicating of a large number of so-called "accomplices".
Then came the pre-arranged scene of the emperor's fury and the cooperation of the officials, with all the ministers unanimously agreeing to behead the Marquis and several "masterminds" and display their heads to the public.
Yet, he had no choice but to obey the late emperor's decree, out of filial piety, and spare the lives of several unsuspecting junior members of the Marquis's household.
The death sentence was waived, but what remained was a living hell.
The emperor not only employed a variety of methods to torture people, but also imposed extremely harsh conditions on their release.
Either someone is capable of making extraordinary contributions and is willing to exchange their merits for their lives.
Or perhaps they did something that benefited the country and its people, something that would be remembered for generations.
At the very least, if someone is willing to replenish the national treasury, the emperor will be delighted and may even show great kindness.
Perhaps? This fully demonstrates that the emperor wanted people to be childless and without descendants.
But she still wanted to give it a try.
If it doesn't work out, she can at least watch with a clear conscience.
However, before she could raise the exorbitant "life-saving money," only Xi Ze and Wan Cha remained in the Hou family.
The exact reason is unknown; the informant said that several minor officials who had tried to curry favor with the Marquis but were instead reprimanded were imprisoned.
Isn't that specific enough?! How could a few minor officials possibly get into the imperial prison? It's all thanks to those above them.
This young master's family is truly extremely unlucky.
While sighing with regret, Bai Li Ce quickly pulled strings and paid off almost all his savings to save the master and servant when the authorities planned to kill them.
The reason is that the eldest son of the Marquis's family is a golden prince, and the maid he has carefully raised since childhood to be his daughter-in-law must be very popular. Many people would want to taste what it's like to be a maid, and selling her to brothels would bring in a fortune every day.
Then I'll go see the miserable state of them, master and servant, hehehehehehehe...
Therefore, on the day he was released from prison for evening tea, the person who went was the most famous crook in the red-light district.
"Waaaaah... Sir, please have mercy! Please, please save my young master..."
"Hey, do you think I'm running a charity or a business? You dare to haggle? Say one more word and I'll take you down right now!"
"Let go! I...I won't go with you!"
"That's not up to you!"
In the struggle, the burly man simply hoisted the evening tea onto his shoulder and left, "Hahahaha, to be able to taste the women of the Marquis's mansion, my life has been worthwhile, hahaha..."
When the spies lurking outside the prison saw that the person being taken away was Wan Cha, most of them left one after another.
The more cautious ones followed the man all the way, and only after confirming that he had indeed carried someone into the brothel did they feel relieved enough to return and report to their masters.
As for Xi Ze?
Ten days later, his former page Liu Guang traveled a long distance, working tirelessly for six days and seven nights, and finally managed to pull him out of hell with two hundred taels of "survival money" scraped together at the last minute.
After burying the remains of the deceased from the Marquis's mansion, Baili Ce quietly hid in the mountains and became a poor man.
The reason was simple: she feared that the emperor and his treacherous officials here might find out something and cause her trouble.
After all, if an emperor can resort to such despicable means and change his mind at any time, it's not surprising that he might suddenly decide to cause trouble for her.
However, what came before the trouble was the change of time.
In the blink of an eye, the scene shifts to three years later.
Time really flies.
You asked her how she knew?
Of course, it's the one who was standing in her yard as soon as she opened the door in the morning.
"It's been six years. I hope you've been well, young lady."
“…” That day, Baili Ce was stunned for a long time.
After realizing what had happened, all I wanted to do was curse.
So while she was washing dishes and diligently running her business to earn money, time just passed day by day, but for others it was just...
In the blink of an eye, the three-year period has come to an end!
“I’ve looked into what happened back then… Anyway, thank you,” the young man said again after a moment of silence.
Now he must be in a high position of power, and those eyes that have seen too much good and evil no longer have the shame, anger and naivety they had when they argued with her.
but--
"Hey, stop!" He held out his hand to stop him.
"If you're talking about burying your family members, then that's not necessary."
"I said back then that I would definitely repay you if I had the chance, and although I'm a little late, I still kept my word."
"So if there's nothing else, you can go now."
"Insolence!" It seems that he was used to killing people, as the guards behind Xi Ze drew their swords as soon as they heard this.
Xi Ze frowned.
But even faster than him came a loud slap and a familiar female voice, "Slap! You're the one who's being insolent!"
"You have no right to interrupt when the young lady is talking to the young master!"
Bai Li Ce: !!!
Wancha's beautiful eyes widened, her expression as ruthless as if she had been stabbed, "Get down here!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." The guard quickly disappeared.
The beauty turned to look at Baili Ce again, her expression gentle and charming. "What's with that expression, young lady? Are you trying to pretend to dislike me and the young master again?"
The word "又" is very clever.
Who knows how those three years, which seemed to fly by, passed from their perspective?
"Miss Evening Tea is joking. I simply don't want to have anything to do with you."
"You're lying, you're..."
Bai Li Ce quickly interrupted, "Is it really that important that I'm bankrupt?"
Waaaaah... It was really important! It feels like it was just yesterday! We had to divide half a roast goose into five days to eat it!
But he remained calm and composed, displaying noble character, saying, "These are just worldly possessions; they are merely for severing ties with karma."
"Since the cause and effect have been severed, please do not disturb us."
After saying that, she told people to close the door.
But she opened it again after only a few breaths.
Because Xi Ze said three sentences.
The first sentence states that the new emperor now reigns, but the rebels still exist.
The second sentence says that the rebels are coming for her, at the latest tonight.
The third sentence: "I am now the regent."
Open the door immediately!
They didn't even carry any burdens, saying, "I'll go with you."
......
It must be said that Xi Ze and his group arrived just in time, and Bai Li Ce also made the right choice, because the rebel army arrived shortly after they got into the carriage.
They pursued relentlessly, their offensive swift and decisive, far surpassing that of ordinary armies. So much so that during their escape, she and Wancha nearly lost their lives...
Fighting and retreating until the very end, they practically rode horses at full speed all night before finally shaking off the rebels and entering Xi Ze's territory.
"Phew..." Baili Ce breathed a sigh of relief as he glanced back at the city gate that had been closed in time.
Indeed, the skill of escaping is useful everywhere.
Xi Ze, who was standing to the side, watched her and Wan Cha exchange a smile, but without saying a word, he headed off to the military camp.
That year, the all-powerful regent finally used his power to protect someone who truly needed his protection.
......
After dealing with the rebels, Xi Ze went to the palace.
He said nothing, did nothing, and simply stood before the new emperor, and military and political power fell entirely into his hands.
So he pretended not to have noticed anything and continued to treat him as emperor with utmost respect.
She declined all gifts or invitations to banquets offered to Baili Ce under any pretext.
Within the mansion, apart from necessary security, she was never given a large number of servants or guards.
Even her daily life was never interfered with; she could arrange it however she wanted.
So much so that one day she couldn't help but ask, "Why is your residence more comfortable than a vegetable market?"
"Isn't it good to be at ease?" Xi Ze looked up, puzzled.
Hmm... Baili Ce was momentarily stumped by his question.
That's certainly true. She has indeed been living a comfortable and carefree life these days, without any of the discomfort or sense of being watched that she had worried about before, such as living under the same roof as others.
She was especially happy when the beautiful woman from the evening tea party would come to her every few days to go shopping or gossip about people!
It gives me the illusion that "this is my home".
But she just sometimes feels...
Xi Ze replied earnestly, "Excuse my bluntness, but young lady... seems to dislike being around people?"
Hmm? Baili Ce's expression lit up. How did he figure that out?
"Especially men?"
!!!
Bai Lize's thinking suddenly became clear, as if a dusty mirror had finally been wiped clean.
"Yes, yes, but how did you figure it out?" She said she always felt something was off.
Xi Ze hesitated for a moment, and only after making sure that no one around could hear their conversation did he say, "Wan Cha told me that although you are very happy every time you go out together, you don't really like her holding your hand."
"You might feel some resistance to even very normal intimate gestures between close friends."
“You never initiate conversations with men. If Ade in the kitchen asks you a few more questions about what you like to eat, you never go to the kitchen again.”
"Once, the owner of a clothing store simply recommended a jade-white dress to you, and you suddenly got very angry and pushed the store owner."
"And you never use jade-white or sky-blue ornaments."
"..." Bai Li Ce listened quietly, feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed.
She pushed the person not because she was angry, but because she was afraid.
As for why she was afraid, she couldn't quite explain it. She just remembered feeling very frustrated that day, wanting to vent her anger but not daring to vent too much.