Chapter 51 Snowy Ground

Snowflakes danced in the sky, falling around the woman kneeling on the snowy ground.

Everyone present stared at her intently.

She was seen behaving with propriety, bowing her head and kowtowing in a proper manner, her demeanor dignified without a trace of panic.

The Empress was stunned for a moment, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes. Her still youthful voice was lowered, showing a bit of steadiness as she asked gently, “Are you Liu Changning? That highly respected Cangyu Scholar from a humble background?”

The kneeling woman bowed her head in affirmation, her every word and action strictly observing the etiquette between ruler and subject.

Yu Taifu’s expression was complex. From the moment Liu Changning appeared, the surrounding people’s gazes could not be torn away from her.

This person’s appearance and demeanor were both of the highest caliber. Her every bow and kowtow was neither servile nor overbearing, her manners impeccable. Although she was a woman from a humble background, she did not have a hint of lowly air about her. Her manners and upbringing surpassed those of women from noble families.

Yu Taifu’s heart was in turmoil at this moment. The information gathered by the spies did not include descriptions of Cangyu Scholar Liu’s appearance or demeanor, only reporting that this person had extraordinary literary talent and usually wore a silver half-mask in public.

No one is perfect. He had originally guessed that a woman who covered her face must be ugly. It would have been perfectly normal for him to be attracted to her beauty.

Who would have known…

Yu Taifu clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.

He glanced to the side. The group of officials standing behind the Empress, where was the accusatory attitude they had when they arrived earlier? At this moment, their faces were full of admiration for this woman from a humble background.

Yu Qinglan frowned, secretly giving a look to Yu Houjun not far away. Seeing him understand, she then furrowed her brows and looked at the woman kneeling in the snow.

She bowed her head and responded to the Empress, neither servile nor overbearing.

Pei Yuanshao had finally managed to fasten the buttons on his clothes. When he raised his eyes, he saw that person’s knees sunk deep in the thick snow.

His fine brows slightly furrowed. He turned his head and said to the Ming Xing Empress beside him, “It’s snowing heavily today, the weather is freezing cold. Your Majesty should ask whatever you need to ask quickly. You caught a cold not long ago and have just recovered. If we stay here too long, you might have to drink several doses of bitter medicine to drive away the cold again.”

The Empress was young, still childlike. Being reminded by her elder brother, she suddenly remembered being forced to drink medicinal soups. Her expression tightened, and she nodded hurriedly.

Turning her head, she said to the woman kneeling in the snow, “Rise!”

Liu Changning complied, kowtowing in gratitude before rising and standing to the side with her head bowed.

“Last night, a villain appeared in Nanhua Temple. Everyone else was in their own meditation rooms. Only you were not in your room, your whereabouts unknown in the deep of night. Your movements are suspicious.”

“The abbess of Ningxin Temple vouches for you, saying you were writing Daoist scriptures in the sutra library last night. But one person’s word alone cannot convince everyone… It’s hard to believe that a mere scholar like you could write Daoist scriptures. Where are these scriptures now? Bring them here for me to see with my own eyes.”

The Ming Xing Empress glanced at the woman in snow-white clothes not far away. This woman had celestial beauty and conducted herself with propriety. If someone said she was the villain the Taifu spoke of last night, she definitely wouldn’t believe it.

But Yu Taifu insisted, and if no evidence was produced this time, it would be difficult to silence the rumors.

The Empress took in everyone’s expressions. Though she had a desire to nurture talent in her heart, her face remained gentle without showing it.

She glanced sideways at her elder brother, saw him nod at her, and was no longer afraid of the group of old ministers glaring behind her.

With the Empress’s words, Yu Taifu’s accusations in the Disciplinary Hall of Liu Changning being a villain were all refuted.

The Ming Xing Empress clearly intended to protect her. If Liu Changning could produce the Daoist scriptures she had written herself, this matter would be settled.

Lord Yu stepped forward, wanting to speak.

But as soon as he moved, two warning gazes fell upon him.

He looked up. The two people with overwhelming power in court now, the Long Imperial Consort and the Zhennai King, were both pressuring him.

Lord Yu was so frightened that his back broke out in a cold sweat, his calves trembling back and forth.

Even after the two of them withdrew their gazes, he hadn’t recovered from the shock just now.

――

Liu Changning bowed her head. She took out the volume of the Lotus Sutra she had transcribed overnight from her bosom and handed it to the palace attendant waiting at the side.

Her almond eyes lifted slightly, glancing at the Yu Taifu beside the Empress, imperceptibly pressing her lips.

She bowed her head respectfully and reported, “The abbess of Ningxin Temple is a good friend of this humble one. Last year we made an agreement that if I came to the capital, I would gift her a volume of Daoist scriptures. Last night during the Emperor’s sacrifice to heaven, fearing to offend the sacred occasion, this humble one stayed in the sutra library and wrote down a volume of scripture overnight. This is the first draft. I hope Your Majesty will examine it.”

The scroll was unfolded, containing ten pages. The ink was still fresh, with the last two pages not completely dry, the writing slightly blurred.

The calligraphy had light horizontal strokes and heavy vertical strokes, with a square and dense structure. The writer’s wrist movements were crisp and unrestrained, showing a rare fluidity.

This handwriting was Liu Changning’s own created style, with its own unique character, elegant yet orderly, the brush strokes like flying dragons and serpents.

The ministers passed it around to examine. Most of the civil officials were fond of the arts and enjoyed calligraphy. Those who had seen the Cangyu Scholar’s handwriting before were not few. Though they didn’t understand Daoist scriptures, one glance at the writing was enough for them to make their own judgments.

When the scroll reached the hand of Yang, the elder of Wenyuan Hall, she only intended to take a casual look at first.

But her expression suddenly became serious. After roughly flipping through the entire scripture,