Nightfall

Frost Fall

Whether it was on the peaks of the south bank or the snow forests on the east coast of Yanming Lake, it was silent. There was no noise at all, not even the sound of cicadas chirping.

On the city wall, Eldest Brother’s and Ye Su’s gazes pierced through the countless piles of snow, landing on the forest. Their expressions were slightly different and they seemed to feel what was happening there.

However, they did not have much energy to focus on what happened in the snow forest, which was because they saw the blood flag swaying at the front of the house by Yanming Lake. Xia Hou pushed opened the door.

…

The door was a little new and it seemed to have been rebuilt recently. Xia Hou pushed it open and entered the dark courtyard. Suddenly, the sound of cicadas arrived at his ears and his body shuddered slightly.

During the day in the Imperial Palace, he had also vaguely heard the sound of cicadas coming from the snowflakes that were dancing in the air. He was sure they were only his hallucinations, but the sounds now were still there, almost as if they were real.

The cold expression on Xia Hou’s face was not shaken, his eyebrows were raised slightly and he appeared increasingly violent. As he stepped across the threshold of the door, he walked down the hallway to the main hall.

The snow had stopped temporarily before it started to dance around increasingly more violent.

Thick clouds covered the sky that was dotted with stars, and the snowstorm had dimmed the light in Chang’an. Yanming Lake was a patch of darkness and no one could see anything. However, Xia Hou could see everything clearly.

There were several plum trees planted under the stone steps, however, for some reason, the plum branches were scattered. There were freshly broken crops under the snow that seemed as if they had been eaten by some elegant animal.

There was a pot with a green plant in the house, and even in the harsh winter, the plant was still growing lushly. The branches and leaves were plump and green, which made the soil in the pot seem dull.

The black beam at the top of the roof seemed a little deformed. It must have suffered some kind of impact and it had two incredibly small cracks. It did not affect the safety of the structure but it still left one a little worried.

At the side of a uniquely shaped cabinet, there was an oil lamp that was made of porcelain. The rope of the lamp was white and when it was not lit, it was an incredibly beautiful piece of artwork.

This house by Yanming Lake had cost Ning Que countless silver, consuming countless thoughts of Mr. Qi and making Her Majesty and Lee Yu spend a fortune. Naturally, it was extraordinary and was comparable to those famous gardens in Qinghe County. Even something that did not look like much was still worth appreciating.

Xia Hou was a general and was not sentimental, so naturally, he was not interested in such things. However, with a fight approaching, his gaze on the plum trees, the black beam, potted plants, and the lamp was incredibly focused.

In actual fact, he was not looking at those plum trees, the black beam, the potted plants, or the lamp.

He was looking at the yellow paper peeking out from the snow on the plum branches, the yellow paper caught in between the seam of the black beam, the yellow paper in the potted plants, and the yellow paper weighed down by the porcelain lamp.

In this world, there was a type of paper that was often a dull yellow color— Fu paper.

There was Fu paper everywhere in that house on Yanming Lake.