On the winter solstice, all officials were on holiday. Even with unease clouding their hearts, on such a grand day, court officials put aside their worries, donned new clothes, prepared feasts, and worshipped their ancestors.
Even ordinary poor folk would, on this day, spend their year's savings to buy new clothes for their families and prepare delicacies that were rarely tasted, to let their families feast.
Murong Shengrui went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for sacrifice. The sacrificial rites were not complicated. Accompanied by Wei Wuji, only Qu Yang and Xiahou Ying remained by his side.
During the sacrifice, the sacrificial livestock meat and prepared sacrificial wine needed to be tasted.
Xiahou Ying held the meat, and Qu Yang held the wine, waiting for the young emperor to taste.
Murong Shengrui picked up a knife, cut off a piece of meat, put it into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. Then, he picked up the sacrificial wine and drank it in one gulp. He put down the wine cup, and then Qu Yang and Xiahou Ying each cut a piece of meat and ate it.
Wei Wuji served by his side, offering tea and water. Murong Shengrui stared at the spirit tablet of Dugu Man in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, lost in thought, as if he could see everything he wanted through the tablet.
Xiahou Ying stood guard by his side, saying nothing. He was accustomed to the young emperor's unpredictable moods.
After an unknown period of sitting, light snow began to fall outside the window. Wei Wuji glanced outside and said, "It's snowing. It seems the heavens have heard His Majesty's plea. Next year will be another year of abundant harvests."
Murong Shengrui stood up and walked out of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He looked at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky, his eyes filled with an indefinable emotion. Suddenly, Murong Shengrui stumbled and fell to the ground.
Wei Wuji and Xiahou Ying rushed forward to help Murong Shengrui, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Murong Shengrui sat on the ground, his expression very strange. He tried to circulate his energy and found his dantian completely empty, his limbs also weak. He couldn't help but feel alarmed.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Someone, summon the imperial physician, quickly summon the imperial physician." Wei Wuji shouted anxiously.
Murong Shengrui's expression was indescribable. His gaze fell on the food on the altar in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. All three of them had eaten the meat. The only thing he had eaten more of was a cup of sacrificial wine, and the wine was brought to him by Qu Yang.
Qu Yang followed Murong Shengrui's gaze and his heart skipped a beat. "Your Majesty, is there something wrong with the food?"
"Impossible, the meat was freshly taken from the livestock. There can be no problem," Wei Wuji immediately said, as he was the one who personally obtained the meat.
Qu Yang hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's the wine."
"The wine has undergone three rounds of poison testing. It's impossible for there to be a problem!" Wei Wuji retorted again. Everything that entered the emperor's mouth had to undergo multiple poison tests.
Murong Shengrui quietly looked at Qu Yang. Qu Yang involuntarily looked at his own hands, and a scene flashed through his mind, yet he felt that this scene was unreal.
"No, impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
"Qu Yang, you... you poisoned him?"
"No, it wasn't me, I didn't!" Qu Yang shook his head incessantly, but a scene clearly flashed in his mind. He had indeed poisoned the wine, but why would he poison the wine?
A moment later, Qu Yang finally understood what was happening. "Xiao Man, it was Xiao Man. I did see Xiao Man that day. She said there was something only I could do... could it be poisoning His Majesty?"
Murong Shengrui couldn't help but laugh, his laughter filled with sorrow. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, that's her modus operandi. This poison, I suspect, is the same as the one I used on her, bone-marrow purging."
Wei Wuji's face instantly changed. He grabbed Qu Yang by the collar, "You scoundrel, how dare you attempt to harm His Majesty? Hand over the antidote quickly."
"Wei Wuji, let him go." Murong Shengrui leaned on Xiahou Ying's shoulder. The first wave of poison struck quickly. He gritted his teeth and endured with all his might, yet still couldn't suppress the broken groans of pain. "He was... controlled."
Qu Yang was utterly shocked. Xiao Man could control people's minds. How did she do it, and how did she make him unknowingly obey her command to poison His Majesty?
"Your Majesty, what can I do to make amends?"
Murong Shengrui was sweating profusely from the pain. The first wave of poison was the most painful, as it was a bone-marrow purging that severed one's meridians and veins, turning a martial arts master into a cripple worse than an ordinary person.
"This is the retribution I deserve." Murong Shengrui gasped for air. From the day he poisoned Dugu Man, he knew that this day would inevitably come, he just hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly, so fast that he had no time to react.
"Your Majesty, is there an antidote for bone-marrow purging?"
Murong Shengrui shook his head. There was no antidote for bone-marrow purging. Even if there were, Xiao Man wouldn't give it to him. She wanted him to experience the pain she had once endured, one by one.
"A'Man, I know you are here. Come out." Murong Shengrui struggled to stand up. "Don't you just want to see me in a sorry state? Come out and see my current appearance. Are you satisfied? Does it make you happy?"
"Your Majesty, please don't be like this."
"A'Man, come out!" Murong Shengrui shouted loudly, but no one answered him. The snow grew heavier, laying a thin white veil on the treetops and also whitening everyone's hair.
"A'Man, come out."
"You're not coming out?" A gentle voice came from behind. Xiao Man did not turn around, but quietly looked at Murong Shengrui, who was acting as if driven mad. Her face was filled with indifference.
"You came so quickly. It seems I still underestimated you."
Nangong Yu opened the umbrella he was holding and held it over Xiao Man's head, while he himself was completely exposed to the wind and snow. Soon, his body was covered in a layer of white, and even his hair was pure white with snow.
"It's time to reel in the catch," Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yu, "Let's proceed as we agreed."
Nangong Yu gave a wry smile. "Do you really need to be so clear-cut with me? You know, as long as you want it, I can give it all up."
Xiao Man moved out from under Nangong Yu's umbrella, her expression clear, a gentle smile on her face. "Since everything is ready, the east wind should rise."
"Would you like to switch with me?" Nangong Yu looked at Murong Shengrui in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. "I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it."
"No need, I've always been heartless. One Murong Shengrui won't sway my heart." Xiao Man said calmly. "Xiyue, I accept her."
"She is free. She chose you. It's your business to accept her, it has nothing to do with me." Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man. "I'll escort you down the mountain."
"You go first, I still have some matters to attend to."
Nangong Yu knew Xiao Man was stubborn and dared not force her. He immediately turned and headed down the mountain. Xiao Man watched Nangong Yu's retreating figure, her eyes filled with complex, unreadable emotions. "We shared this snow today, let us grow old together. Henceforth, I only wish you well."