nucmednet Chapter 134 It’s Snowing
Chapter 134 It’s Snowing
Long Chuqing smiled slightly and said, "It's really not cold, and it would be quite troublesome to move. Besides, I'm used to living in Qiushui Pavilion, so I don't really care about the environment."
"Just give the order if you want to move it. You don't need to lift a finger. With many people, it'll be quick to move it."
Despite hearing her say that she didn't feel cold, Xiao Han still insisted on continuing to persuade her, because he knew that the temperature in the attic would be much lower than downstairs in winter.
Seeing Xiao Han's concerned expression, she pondered for a moment.
Then, in a lighthearted tone, she said, "How about this? I'll tell you if it gets too cold. Let's eat first! The food gets cold very quickly in this cold weather."
"If you feel cold, you must tell me," Xiao Han added, still concerned.
Long Chuqing nodded in agreement, "Okay, I understand." She smiled slightly, then placed a piece of meat into the bowl in front of him. "Eat up!"
Xiao Han glanced down at the meat in the bowl, then looked up and her gaze fell on Long Chuqing's face again, followed by a sweet smile.
The following day, after the morning court session, Xiao Yue took Xiao Han to the Imperial Study to meet Emperor Sukang.
He privately informed him that the heart-ripping murder was the work of a cat demon.
Emperor Sukang looked solemnly at the memorial in his hand, listening to Xiao Yue's reply, and he also expressed his shock.
I never expected it to be the work of evil spirits. I had heard of evil spirits committing crimes before, but I never thought it would happen in the capital.
"Father," Xiao Yue said seriously after a moment's thought, "Your Majesty, my seventh brother and I agree that it is not appropriate to make the fact that the case was committed by the cat demon public. Now that the cat demon has been captured, similar incidents will not happen again. If the facts are made public, it will inevitably cause panic among the people."
Emperor Sukang pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at the two men: "You two have considered this very carefully. This matter is indeed not suitable to be made public, but now the people are already talking about it. We must come up with a good solution and give the people a satisfactory answer."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will discuss countermeasures with the others."
Emperor Sukang looked at Xiao Han: "Prince Qin, I just heard that you went to the scene of the demon-catching. How did you know that there was such a demon?"
"Your Majesty, I happen to know Master Su. He was the one who told me about this, which is why I went with him."
Emperor Sukang simply nodded after hearing this and did not say anything more.
In the end, the only announcement was that the murderer had been apprehended. Due to the heinous nature of the crime, it was decided not to hold a public trial. Condolences were expressed to the victim's family, and compensation was provided.
The cat demon was eventually handed over to Su Jue to be taken back to the Qingyu Sect for disposal.
Long Chuqing went to the pharmacy. The little girl who was injured earlier had been brought in for a follow-up visit by her parents.
Long Chuqing examined her and found that her injuries were healing well, and she looked much more energetic.
The fracture site may still be painful, and the little girl will occasionally frown and look distressed, but she remains strong and sensible, without crying or shedding a single tear.
She went to help out at the pharmacy for a few more days, but stopped going after the number of patients decreased.
During this period, he didn't leave the palace much, and mostly stayed in Qiushui Pavilion busy with medicine-making matters.
I had promised Xiao Han that I would make beauty creams for the concubines in the palace, and I have made a lot of them in my spare time recently.
December arrived in the blink of an eye. This morning at the hour of Yin, Qingying came to wake Xiao Han up for court.
Several candlesticks were lit in the room, and Qingying brought Xiao Han some thick clothes: "Your Highness, it's snowing outside, and it's quite cold. Wear more clothes today so you don't catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Han paused in his dressing: "Has it snowed? There's a heated room, so I don't feel cold."
"Yes, it's still raining! It's quite heavy, the ground is already covered in white." Qingying said to Xiao Han as she helped him straighten his clothes.
Qing Tong helped him wash up with warm water, tidied himself up, put on his cloak, and then went out.
As soon as I opened the door, a gust of cold air hit me, and a chill filled my nostrils. My drowsiness vanished instantly, and I felt much more awake.
Looking closely, through the dim yellow lanterns under the eaves, one can see that the ground is already covered with a layer of white snow.
By the light, you can see snowflakes dancing in the wind like drifting catkins, before slowly falling to the ground.
Xiao Han took two steps forward, looked up at the swirling night sky, and slowly reached out to catch the snowflakes falling in front of him.
The snowflakes melted slowly after landing in his warm palms, while the snowflakes on his sleeves revealed various beautiful shapes.
Qing Tong unfolded an umbrella, stepped forward, and handed it to Xiao Han: "Your Highness, would you like to use this umbrella?"
Xiao Han withdrew his arm, adjusted his outer cloak, and turned to look at Qing Tong: "No need, put it away, let's go!"
As they took their steps, they left clear footprints in the snow behind them.
As he walked along the corridor, Xiao Han stopped and glanced in the direction of Qiushui Pavilion.
Then, while most people were still sound asleep, he strode straight toward the door.
It was the fifth watch of the night, still dark, and the roads were pitch black. The surroundings were unusually quiet, lacking the hustle and bustle of the daytime. The only sound was the soft crunching of the carriage as it slowly moved forward, crushing the snow.
By the dim, flickering lantern on the carriage, one could vaguely see deep and shallow ruts on the snow-covered road, indicating that someone must have set out earlier than them.
Before long they arrived at the palace gate, where they saw that many people were already waiting.
Some officials arrived by carriage, some rode on horseback, and some walked.
The palace gates had not yet opened, and everyone stood patiently in the cold wind, gathering in twos and threes.
Some people chatted about everyday family matters, while others discussed matters of officialdom, and still others stood alone to the side, lost in thought.
Because of the cold weather, everyone kept their hands tucked inside their thick sleeves to keep warm, rubbing them together from time to time.
Or they might keep pacing in place to move their bodies and increase their warmth, while some people carry hand warmers with them and hold them in their arms to keep warm.
Xiao Han lifted the carriage curtain and looked out, just in time to see Prince Xuan in the carriage opposite. Coincidentally, Prince Xuan was also lifting his carriage curtain to look out at the same time, and the two smiled at each other.
"Sixth Brother, good morning!" Xiao Han looked at the Prince Xuan opposite him, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"Good morning, Seventh Brother, you've arrived so early today." King Xuan greeted him with a warm smile.
"I just arrived too."
A short while later, a low, creaking sound rang out, and the tightly closed palace gates slowly opened.
Officials walked in one after another. Those who came by carriage or on horseback had to stop in the designated area and continue on foot towards the palace.