Chapter 484: The First Heavy Snow of Winter

Chang'an.

Wannian County.

Night in mid-November.

Dark clouds hung over the wilderness, and heavy snow fell like catkins, rustling down onto the bluestone road, accumulating to a depth of half a foot, crunching when stepped upon.

Cao Qing's thin figure stumbled forward in the snow curtain, wrapped in a tattered cloth jacket covered in patches, his skin frozen blue and purple at the collar and cuffs, the cold wind cutting into his face like a knife.

He shrank his neck, hands tucked into his sleeves, his teeth chattering, yet he couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse, his voice broken and intermittent by the wind and snow: "Is being rich and powerful so great? Relying on a bit of power, raising some hounds to be lawless?"

After the words fell, he stopped abruptly, glancing left and right at the empty street.

The shops on both sides had long since closed their doors, snow accumulating on the door panels, casting mottled shadows on the snow-covered ground.

Cao Qing bent down and spat fiercely on the ground, "Pah!" The spit congealed as soon as it hit the ground, mixing with the accumulated snow and shining with cold light.

Burning hatred ignited in his pupils, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his body under the tattered jacket trembling slightly from anger, and he gritted his teeth and continued: "Wait until dawn tomorrow, I will go to the county yamen to report! Even if I risk this life, I will make you bastards pay the price, at worst we'll perish together..."

But before he could finish his words, he suddenly heard a muffled "Bang!"

He saw a wooden stick slam fiercely into the back of Cao Qing's head.

He felt the world spinning, sharp pain shooting through his whole body along his spine, and couldn't help but cry out in pain: "Ah!"

Immediately, he stumbled and held onto the wall, his left hand clutching the back of his head tightly, warm blood instantly soaking through the tattered cloth, sticking to his palm mixed with snow water.

Cao Qing's eyes widened in anger, enduring the dizziness as he turned his head, his neck bulging with blue veins from anger and pain, roaring: "Who is it?!"

Yuan Wu threw the blood-stained wooden stick in his hand backward, the stick making a muffled "plop" sound as it landed in the accumulated snow, snow foam splashing up and then falling.

He was wrapped in a greasy thick jacket, the collar open, revealing a sturdy chest. Behind him, Yuan Qi and the others were also dressed in coarse cloth jackets, each of them sturdy, their faces cold as iron.

Several people stepped forward on the accumulated snow, the crunching sound particularly harsh in the silent night.

Yuan Wu curled his lips, revealing a sinister, cold sneer, his voice rough like sandpaper rubbing: "Your Grandpa Yuan Wu!"

Cao Qing's pupils constricted, recognizing the leader at a glance, his whole body's blood instantly turning cold, his previous anger replaced by fear.

"Yuan Shu's men?"

He stumbled back a few steps, his back hitting the cold wall heavily, his voice trembling yet still strongly supporting himself as he scolded: "What do you want to do! This is at the feet of the Son of Heaven, the ground of Chang'an City, I advise you not to mess around!"

Yuan Wu squinted at Cao Qing, his eyelids lifting, his tone full of disdain and violence, like ice shards: "Cao Qing, my master is willing to use a poor wretch like you, that is elevating you, giving you revenge, yet you dare to be ungrateful and run to the mansion to ask how those things should be divided?"

He paused, stepped forward, his toes grinding fiercely over the accumulated snow beside Cao Qing's feet, snow water splashing onto Cao Qing's trouser legs, making him shiver: "You don't even take a piss to see what kind of thing you are! Are those things something you are worthy of coveting?"

Cao Qing was shocked by these words, his previous fear suppressed by anger for the most part. He didn't know where a burst of confidence came from, his neck stiffened, and he retorted sharply against Yuan Wu's fierce gaze: "That was what I deserved!"

"It was your master who personally promised me that after the matter was accomplished, he would give me thirty percent. Now he goes back on his word, swallows all the treasures, and still has the nerve to speak so righteously!"

He clenched his fists, the sharp pain in the back of his head seeming to fade a bit, hatred surging in his pupils, his voice hoarse from anger: "I did things for you, took the risks, and now I can't even drink a mouthful of soup. Where in the world is there such a principle!"

Yuan Wu was speechless, his cheeks flushed red, the embarrassment of being in the wrong instantly turning into violence, pointing at Cao Qing through gritted teeth: "You...!"

Seeing this, Cao Qing's momentum grew even stronger. Even though his back was still against the cold wall, his whole body trembling slightly from injury and anger, he still stiffened his neck and roared: "What about me! Go back and tell Yuan Shu, tomorrow at dawn, I will go to the county yamen to report! Beg Lord Chen Yan to make the decision!"

Yuan Wu was burning with anger, the blue veins on his temples jumping, the fierce light in his eyes almost swallowing people, gritting his teeth: "It seems you are really tired of living!"

Before his voice had faded, he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, the muscles on his arms bulging into sturdy contours under the thick jacket.

Yuan Qi and the others behind him also grinned and moved their bones, their necks making a "creaking" sound when they turned.

Cao Qing instantly smelled the strong scent of danger, his previous anger extinguished as if by ice water, his reason suddenly returning, his whole body's blood almost frozen.

His pupils constricted, his voice trembling uncontrollably, carrying a tearful panic: "You... what do you want to do?"

He subconsciously shrank into the corner, his back pressed tightly against the cold wall, his hands and feet weak and almost unable to stand, yet he strongly supported himself and raised his voice, deliberately emphasizing: "This... this is broad daylight, the bright universe..."

Yuan Qi stepped forward, his rough voice carrying teasing, puncturing Cao Qing's self-deception: "Fool! It's night now!"

Yuan Wu then grinned ferociously, his mouth stretching to his ears, revealing yellowed fangs, his tone adding sinisterly: "And, it's remote here and there's no one around..."

"Of course, I have to teach you a lesson!"

Cao Qing was scared out of his wits, his whole body shaking like a sieve, a torn cry squeezing from his throat: "Help! Help—!"

The cry was crushed by the wind and snow, as weak as a candle in the wind.

He was forced into the corner and had nowhere to retreat, the cold wall against his back, the chill biting like a knife.

And Yuan Wu and the others' fists and sticks were already close at hand, the shadows completely swallowing him, despair instantly drowning him like accumulated snow.

Yuan Wu stepped on the accumulated snow and approached step by step, a cruel smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, looking down at Cao Qing curled up in the corner: "Shout! Shout all you want! It's snowing goose feathers in the sky, the roads are broken and people are scarce, even if you shout until your throat breaks, no one will hear!"

After the words fell, his eyes became sharp, and he ordered in a low voice: "Do it!"

Yuan Qi and the others immediately responded: "Got it!"

Before the words faded, several people pounced on him like tigers hunting for food.

Yuan Qi smashed a stick onto Cao Qing's shoulder, hearing a muffled sound like bone cracking, then sneered, his tone full of mockery: "Still want to report to the yamen? Expecting Lord Chen Yan to make the decision for you? You really are beautiful and don't know the height of the sky!"

Another big man kicked Cao Qing in the lower abdomen and followed up: "With your poor look, you are worthy of troubling Lord Chen Yan? Still dreaming in broad daylight when you are about to die!"

Sticks and fists fell like raindrops. Cao Qing curled up in the corner, his hands covering his head but unable to block the sharp pain, his previous harsh words having long been beaten away, leaving only heart-piercing screams: "Ah ah ah ah—!"

Dark red blood stains spread a larger area on the white snow, mixed with the scattered fragments of the tattered cloth jacket, shocking to the eye.

The sound of sticks and fists gradually ceased, and a heavy smell of blood permeated the snow curtain.

Yuan Qi leaned over to probe Cao Qing's breath, kicked his unresponsive body, straightened up, and reported to Yuan Wu in a rough voice: "Fifth Brother, this person has no breath!"

Yuan Wu frowned and walked up, looking down at the corpse curled up in the snow, his face full of disgust, spitting and cursing: "Damn it, he really can't take a beating!"

He raised his eyes to look at the sky full of flying snow, the snowflakes rustling onto Cao Qing's corpse, quickly covering the dark red blood stains.

Yuan Wu waved his hand and ordered impatiently: "Just throw him here! It's snowing so heavily, it won't be half the night before he's buried tightly!"

With this level of snowfall, who knows when he will be discovered...

Yuan Qi and the others nodded in agreement, surrounding Yuan Wu and turning to leave.

The heavy footsteps gradually went away in the accumulated snow, leaving only Cao Qing's cold corpse, being buried little by little in the wind and snow...

The next day.

Wannian County Yamen.

The heavy snow was still flying, goose-feather-like snowflakes rustling onto the eaves, accumulating into thick snow eaves, wrapping the entire county yamen in silver.

The hall was warm, with a brass stove in the center, the charcoal fire in the stove burning vigorously, the stewing mutton bubbling, the rich meat aroma mixed with the scent of ginger and Sichuan peppercorns permeating the room.

Chen Yan was wrapped in a black fox fur, holding a white porcelain soup bowl in both hands, the mutton soup in the bowl steaming, the warmth flowing through his fingertips, dispelling quite a bit of the cold.

He paced slowly to the window, his gaze cast toward the wind and snow in the sky outside, looking at the streets covered in snow and the sparse pedestrians, and couldn't help but sigh, his tone carrying a touch of emotion: "This first snow of the year is truly urgent, and it is truly cold..."

"Who says it isn't?"

Feng Xiao Yan on the side exhaled a hot breath to warm his hands and hurriedly agreed: "Extremely hot in summer, and as soon as winter entered, heavy snow fell, and it is especially cold..."

"My Lord, auspicious snow promises a good harvest..."

Liu Mu Zhi, who was lowering his head to process documents at the desk, raised his head upon hearing this, a gentle smile on his face. He put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand and laughed: "Chang'an will have a good harvest next year!"

Liu Mu Zhi was also quite proficient in farming, knowing that snow water could moisten the land, suppress insect eggs, and freeze pests to death...

When it melts in the coming spring, it can nourish the crops.

Chen Yan nodded upon hearing this, a smile appearing in his eyes, agreeing: "That is true!"

Immediately, he raised the white porcelain soup bowl in his hand and waved it at the two: "Come, come, don't waste this good thing for warming the body, drink the soup while it's hot!"

After the words fell, he tilted his head and drank a large mouthful, the warm mutton soup sliding into his stomach along his throat, the warmth instantly spreading through his limbs and bones.

Feng Xiao Yan also drank a large mouthful, smacked his lips, and agreed with full praise: "Isn't it! Especially your secret recipe for stewing meat, my Lord, it actually removes the fishy and mutton smell of the mutton completely, leaving only the mellow and fresh fragrance, it is truly excellent!"

Just at this moment, the hall door was pushed open with a "creak," and the wind and snow wrapped in cold air instantly surged in.

Gao Jiong was covered in snow foam, ice shards still congealed on his hair, his expression hurried as he strode in, cupping his hands to report: "My Lord! Just now, commoners came through the snow to report a case, claiming that a corpse was found in a snow pile in a quiet street in the west of the city!"

Chen Yan's fingertips paused, murmuring repeatedly: "A corpse?"

Before his voice faded, he restrained all leisure and said in a low voice: "In such bitter cold weather, could it be that poor commoners couldn't bear the cold and froze to death on the street?"

Speaking of this, Chen Yan had already started calculating in his heart whether to collect some cold-resistant clothing to give to the people of Wannian County...

Gao Jiong shook his head repeatedly, snow foam sliding down his cheeks, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, his tone growing more solemn: "It is not freezing to death!"

"The reporting commoners claimed that the corpse was covered in blue and purple bruises, the tendons and bones seemed to be broken, obviously caused by being beaten by someone, and there was still blood frozen at the mouth and nose, the state of death was quite tragic!" ===== CHAPTER 485 =====