Chapter 6 - Father And Son

 Ye Chuyan rushed to the innermost part and saw her father and two brothers kneeling on the ground, with disheveled hair and ragged clothes and faint whip marks on their bodies. Behind them were the other men of the Ye family kneeling, and they were also in a miserable state. She opened her mouth and wanted to speak, but found that she couldn't shout. She tried her best to breathe deeply, tears flowing uncontrollably, seemingly endlessly.

Ye Jin saw her first and nodded slightly at her with a smile in his eyes. Pei Xiuyan saw Ye Chuyan lying outside the fence of the execution ground, trembling constantly. She was wearing a thin, moon-colored gown in the ice and snow, which was particularly conspicuous. He couldn't help but look slightly angry, and said to the personal guard beside him sternly, "Drag the princess down!" Yan Ke received the order and went down to drag Ye Chuyan away. 

As soon as he touched Ye Chuyan's sleeve, Ye Chuyan suddenly came back to her senses and said in a shrill voice, "Don't touch me; get out!"

Then he jumped over the fence and ran towards the three members of the Ye family.

Ye Jin hurriedly shouted, "Ayan, don't do stupid things; go back quickly!"

The execution ground was suddenly in chaos, and Zhang Qingman said in horror, "Someone is trying to rob the execution ground; kill her quickly!"

Pei Xiuyan leaped into the air, landed in front of Ye Chuyan, and stretched out his hand to stop her.

"Ye Jin is a traitor, with all the evidence, and his crime is unforgivable!"

Ye Chuyan looked at Pei Xiuyan's face and remembered what she had just heard from the crowd: that they were convicted because they found the palace defense map on the spy. There was only one palace defense map drawn by her dad, and she asked for it and gave it to Pei Xiuyan. How could it be on the spy, and convict the Ye family for it? Did Pei Xiuyan design all of this?

This thought, accompanied by fear, crawled all over her heart like vines. She didn't want to believe, and she didn't dare to believe that the man in front of her could do such a cruel thing.

She gritted her teeth and asked with tears in her eyes, "The palace defense map drawn by Daddy was given to you by me; why is it on the spy? You did this, right?"

The voice was very soft, and only the two of them could hear it. Ye Chuyan was afraid that a loud voice would break the string in her heart. Pei Xiuyan pursed his lips and said nothing, which was equivalent to acquiescence. The string in her heart suddenly broke, whipping her internal organs, making Ye Chuyan lose all hope. She reacted in an instant; her eyes were bloodshot, and her hatred was overwhelming.

"Pei Xiuyan, I will kill you!"

As soon as the words fell, her fist rushed straight to Pei Xiuyan's heart like lightning. Ye Chuyan's ribs had already been broken while galloping on horseback. At this time, she was so anxious that she was exhausted and quickly lost the fight. The soldiers next to her surrounded him and prepared to kill Ye Chuyan with a long halberd. Pei Xiuyan was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He grabbed the long halberd that was about to stab Ye Chuyan's back and shouted angrily at the soldiers holding the long halberd, "Don't do it."

He turned around and removed Ye Chuyan's two arms without hesitation. When Ye Chuyan saw her arms being removed, she immediately hit Pei Xiuyan with her head. Pei Xiuyan hugged Ye Chuyan in his arms and removed her chin.

Then he said to the besieging officers and soldiers: "My princess was a little emotional today, so she attacked me."

The Minister of Justice shouted about robbing the execution ground, but Pei Xiuyan said it was a quarrel between husband and wife. A group of officers, soldiers, and civilians were stunned. It is said that after the Ye family's legitimate daughter married into the Qing Palace, she acted steadily, gently, and respectfully. Today, she looked like a mad woman. Qing Wang is really a model of a gentleman. Not only did he not divorce his wife at this time, but he also protected Ye Chuyan on the execution ground.

Seeing this, Ye Jin begged Pei Xiuyan: "Qing King, can you allow me to have a few words with A Yan?"

Pei Xiuyan thought for a moment, nodded, and pushed Ye Chuyan in front of Ye Jin. Ye Chuyan's jaw was broken at this time, and he was unable to speak. She had never seen Ye Jin beg anyone, and now she saw Ye Jin begging Pei Xiuyan for her, and she felt very uncomfortable. She kneeled in front of Ye Jin, blinking desperately to see Ye Jin's appearance, but her tears drowned out her vision, and the person in front of her became more and more blurred. She wanted to call her father and say sorry. In order to please Pei Xiuyan, she took away the palace defense map drawn by her father, but she didn't expect it to become evidence of the Ye family's collusion with the enemy.

"Ayan, don't cry. I know what you want to say. Don't say sorry; it's not your fault, and don't blame yourself." Ye Jin comforted herself softly.

Ye Chuyan shook her head frantically, wanting to say, It's my fault; everything is my fault. I harmed the Ye family, and I am the one who deserves to be tortured.

Ye Jin seemed to understand the thoughts in Ye Chuyan's eyes. He shook his head slightly.

"The Queen Mother has controlled the government for many years, and the emperor has long hated the Ye family, but when the Queen Mother was alive, he endured it and did not move."

"Now, even if there is no palace defense map, the emperor has other ways to kill the Ye family."

"Don't blame Pei Xiuyan; he is a minister, and everything he does is forced. Promise me to live well."

Ye Jin's voice was calm and unhurried, as if he was telling someone to put on more clothes because it was cold. Ye Jin had been strict with Ye Chuyan since she was young. Ye Chuyan had always wondered why her father spoke so gently to his students but was so strict with his children. She had always hoped that her father would speak softly to her since she was young. Who would have thought that today's dream would come true and every word would be stained with blood?

The snow was getting heavier, and Ye Jin started coughing violently in the cold wind. After coughing several times in a row, he cleared his throat slightly.

"Ayan, my father is innocent. Even after death, he will not go to hell to suffer. You don't have to worry about me."

After hearing this, Ye Chuyan could no longer hold on. She rested her head on Ye Jin's chest and whimpered in pain from her throat, like a wounded beast. Ye Chuqing next to him kept making humming sounds, indicating that he wanted to talk to Ye Chuyan. He is the eldest son of the Ye family and also Ye Chuyan's elder brother. The executioner standing beside Ye Chuqing was at a loss for a moment and looked at Pei Xiuyan blankly. Pei Xiuyan nodded in agreement. After the executioner took the cloth out of Ye Chuqing's mouth, Ye Chuqing whispered, "Ayan..."

Ye Chuyan looked up at Ye Chuqing, and Ye Chuqing smiled slightly. He has always been as gentle as jade, and his embarrassment at this time still did not hide his charm.

"Ayan, stop crying. Our Ayan's face will not be beautiful if she cries. Big Brother can't protect you anymore. You have to live well. Mother and the others have been exiled. Go see them when you have a chance."

Ye Chuqing paused, "Ayan, I have something to ask of you. Your sister-in-law is pregnant. The exile is difficult. I don't know if she can hold on. If the child is born smoothly, remember to tell me. I will be relieved if I know it in the afterlife."

Ye Chuyan's head exploded. Sister-in-law Gu Yan is pregnant! Gu Yan is a girl from the southern water town. She has not adapted to the winter here in Kyoto for several years and has always been afraid of the cold. Ningguta is thousands of miles away from Kyoto. It is cold all year round. Gu Yan is weak and delicate. How can she hold on? There is also the exiled elderly mother and a seven-year-old niece Ye Wan, as well as other female members of the Ye family. How can they hold on? Ye Chuqing saw the sadness in Ye Chuyan's eyes and smiled.

"Don't be afraid. Even if the child can't be saved, it's okay. It means that the child loves his father and wants to come down early to accompany me."

The second brother of the Ye family, Ye Chuyuan, who was next to him, also wanted to say a few words to Ye Chuyan. He kept whimpering and shouting. The executioner saw that Pei Xiuyan had no reaction, and he didn't dare to tear off the cloth strip privately.

The Minister of Justice saw that the time had come. Ye Chuqing and Ye Chuyan were talking endlessly. The second brother of the Ye family, Ye Chuyuan, who was next to him, seemed to want to speak.

He was a little anxious. "Prince Qing, the time has come. We can't delay any longer. What do you think?"

Pei Xiuyan stood with his hands behind his back, his face as cold as ice. "Take the princess away and start the execution."

Several officers and soldiers forcibly dragged Ye Chuyan away.

Ye Chuyan felt a sharp pain in her ribs, and the blood in her body rushed out, staining the thick layer of white snow on the ground red. Ye Chuyan was in a trance when she saw the executioner stripping off Ye Jin's shirt and cutting off a piece of meat from his back. She saw the snowflakes in the sky suddenly turn blood red, and she was gradually engulfed by the blood red until everything in front of her eyes went dark.

Pei Xiuyan saw that Ye Chuyan had fainted, so he arranged for Yan Xue to send her back to the palace, and he continued to supervise the execution.