Chapter 234

In the winter of the seventh year of Xuande, the Capital experienced a rare, once-in-a-decade heavy snowfall. Tao Wanning stood before the gates of the Bai Family residence, gazing at the plaque high above the vermilion lintel that read "Upright and Impartial," her fingertips digging deep into her palms. The biting wind carried ice granules that whipped against her face, momentarily transporting her back to that blood-stained, lingering dusk twenty years ago. Back then, she was only seven years old. Hiding inside a carved sandalwood wardrobe, she peered through the gaps in the openwork carvings and watched the blood droplets splatter against the blue bricks as her father was dragged away in iron chains. Her mother firmly muffled her mouth, warm tears dripping into her hair. Later, the sounds of clashing swords echoed from outside, and her mother's body gradually grew cold, yet she did not even dare to make a sound as she wept. "Madam?" The voice of the maid Qingwu pulled her back to reality. Tao Wanning straightened the pearl hairpins at her temples and stepped across the threshold over the accumulated snow. The icicles hanging from the eaves reflected a cold light, making her expression look even more aloof.