Chapter 295 Xi Mei reveals where the gold is hidden
In a blink of an eye, it was dark, and the temperature outside the Tianwu Palace dropped even lower.

The snow shoveled aside at the foot of the wall indicated that the cold winter was still continuing and spring had not yet arrived.

Even though he was holding a hot water bottle in his arms, a thick futon under his butt, and a thick cotton cloak wrapped around his body, he could not resist the cold wind, which blew through the gaps in the futon and penetrated inside frantically.

These noble children of Hongwen Academy had never suffered any hardship, and as they shivered, their enthusiasm completely cooled.

They looked towards a restaurant not far away.

This restaurant, which usually closes its doors at 11:00 p.m., was brightly lit tonight, and the window of a private room near the window was open.

Several young illegitimate sons of the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Justice were all drinking and eating meat in there.

A hot and fragrant pot was set up with all kinds of meat put into it. The aroma drifted three miles away and successfully penetrated into the nostrils of the students who were meditating.

Their followers stood by the window, eating the roast chicken and roast goose given by their master, and looked over here with laughter.

Although they seemed to be watching the fun, these noble children seriously suspected that they were being monitored.

Are they checking whether their faith is genuine, and whether they are truly willing to sit in meditation in the middle of the night for the sake of all people in the world?
Or did they suspect that he would sneak onto the carriage and warm himself by the fire when no one was watching...

Before the midnight hour, several students who were meditating began to sneeze and have runny noses.

Seeing their foreheads getting hot and they couldn't hold on any longer, they began to fall to one side in a daze.

The imperial physician on duty nearby stepped forward to feel the patient's pulse and said, "Oh! This is a cold entering the body!"

"If you keep blowing like this, the cure won't work!"

"Sir, do you need to go home to take medicine and treat your illness?"

The young man who was asked was in a dilemma: he wanted to continue "living for the people", but he was afraid of losing his own life.

I want to retreat, but I'm afraid of being laughed at.

At this dilemma, the imperial physician asked again, "Do you need to send a letter to your family?"

Seeing that the sickly young man still didn't speak, the guards on duty beside him sneered: "We won't stop you from dying."

"If you faint from the cold here, we will go to your house and inform your family!"

"If your family is willing to fulfill your wish and don't come to pick you up, I will have no choice but to watch you freeze to death!"

A rare fear arose in the heart of the sickly young man: these days, colds can be fatal, and if he holds on a little longer, he might really die.

His mind suddenly changed, and he fell limply to the ground, unconscious.

The guards in the city said calmly: "Go, someone, go to the Zhang family in the east of the city and notify them to come and pick up the people."

"Remember to ring the gong loudly and inform the Zhang family of Mr. Zhang's situation."

"If they refuse to come, we won't be responsible if anyone dies!"

"Here!"

Someone ran there.

The city guards did not delay and carried the person to a shed that had been set up nearby.

Warming by the hot charcoal fire in the shed, wrapped in thick bedding, and drinking the thick ginger soup, I immediately felt much more comfortable.

Their resistance to the cold made them unwilling to leave, but their shame made them pretend that they had not woken up yet.

As long as I am still "unconscious", you cannot say that I have given up meditation and my ideals.

The other noblemen who were sitting quietly looked at him with envy. They looked at each other and weighed the options in their minds.

Is it to live for the people? Or to save your own life?
Someone quickly made a choice between the two.

Soon, people began to faint one after another.

The guards guarding the city did not waste any time. They asked the imperial physician to feel the man's pulse, then carried the man into the shed and asked the guards to notify his family to come and pick him up.

Chen Yangzu was so angry that his eyes were about to burst into tears, but he didn't want to scold him.

After all, these people were just his classmates, not servants in his house, so he had no right to demand that anyone must stick with him. Soon, a steward came to take the people, carried them onto the carriage, and then left in a cowardly manner.

Half of the twenty or so cushions were soon empty.

In the private room of the restaurant over there, ever since a noble young man "fainted", several illegitimate sons of ministers and assistant ministers have been laughing in low voices.

At daybreak, when people started to move around, these illegitimate sons got on their carriages and left drunkenly.

At this time, two-thirds of the twenty or so cushions were empty.

The remaining young masters of noble families all looked pale and listless, and they were all cursing in their hearts.

They have been spoiled since childhood and have never suffered such a hardship in their lives.

How could I have followed Chen Yangzu to kneel at the palace gate in such a rush? !
This is too damn cold!
When the people saw that there were so few people, they came over to watch the fun: "There were more than 20 people last night. How come there are only six left?"

Someone immediately explained: "A lot of people fainted last night, and they were all taken away by their families!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! I thought these nobles couldn't stand this kind of hardship, but it's only been one night..."

"Just wait and see. If they can hold out until tomorrow morning, I will be convinced by them!"

The people's discussions and pointing made these noblemen who were sitting in silence feel even more uncomfortable.

Do you want to sit in meditation for another day?

They hadn't eaten or drunk anything, and even with a hot water bottle, they were already freezing!
At this moment, an inconspicuous donkey cart came slowly and stopped in front of all the students. A young woman wearing a thick cotton jacket got off the cart.

The woman glanced at the students with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

She walked forward slowly and knelt down facing the palace gate.

The hood of the cotton cloak fell down, revealing a charming face, and the woman's voice was also charming.

"I want to sue the Duke of Min's Mansion!"

The city guard stepped forward and asked cautiously, "Who are you? What is your relationship with the Duke of Min's Mansion? Why do you want to sue the Duke of Min's Mansion?"

The charming woman raised her voice a little: "I am the concubine of Duke Min, and I am suing Duke Min's mansion for privately selling official salt and making a huge fortune!"

Chen Yangzu's face turned pale with anger. He stood up and pointed at the woman and shouted angrily, "You are talking nonsense! You are slandering me!"

"Who sent you to slander the Duke of Min's Mansion?"

"Did you know that when the Duke of Min's mansion was searched, only things worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were found?!"

"If a noble family privately sells official salt, how could their assets only amount to a few hundred thousand taels of silver?"

The charming woman looked at Chen Yangzu sarcastically: "Duke Min had already made preparations. He didn't keep his money at home. He hid it next to my residence in Luoguxiang..."

That’s right, this woman is Ximei.

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar!

The guards guarding the city looked serious. They had Ximei brought in and sent someone to go to Luoguxiang according to the place the woman mentioned.

Chen Yangzu and other students' faces changed drastically!

what?
Is this really the case?!
"Someone, come with me to search the house!"

Dai Zhifang, the commander of the imperial guards, who came upon hearing the noise, waved his hand and led his men away.

How could the onlookers have imagined that there would be such a thing? They were instantly extremely excited and ran towards Luoguxiang.

Chen Yangzu gritted his teeth and didn't bother to sit still any longer. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go! Let's go and take a look together!"

"Right! We can't let them just find a random woman and slander the Duke of Min's Mansion!"

"That's right. Who knows if someone pretended to find the stolen goods, but actually set up a temporary plan to frame him..."

Several students got up with difficulty, boarded the Chen family's carriage, and followed the crowd to Luoguxiang.

(End of this chapter)