Hearing Mi Guo talk about learning culinary skills in the royal kitchen, Gu Qingcheng remembered something. She found an iPad for Mi Guo, saying it contained videos of cooking, with at least a hundred common home-style dishes.
Mi Guo was captivated and couldn't stop watching.
Before, he could cook dishes to about eighty to ninety percent accuracy based on Gu Qingcheng's verbal descriptions. Now, with videos to learn from, his talent would allow him to make them at least ninety-nine percent similar.
It was very cold outside, but the extreme cold acceleration moment that Gu Qingcheng had been waiting for hadn't arrived. She didn't know when it would suddenly descend, which made her anxious and unable to relax.
Two more days passed, and an expected piece of news arrived.
Steward Zheng sent a servant to inform them that the public trial of Old Master Gu for practicing sorcery would be held the next day, and Prince Xia had invited their family to attend as observers.
The servant also brought them four wooden tokens engraved with "VIP," stating that they could be seated in the VIP section with these tokens.
Gu Qingcheng was speechless. It seemed that in the boring Great Zhou Dynasty, where there wasn't much entertainment, public trials were a major form of amusement. She found it hard to imagine how many commoners would brave the cold to watch.
The next day, the family of four woke up early and went out.
They were determined to stay warm. They wore high-tech down jackets underneath, covered by ordinary padded jackets bought from a clothing store, and each wore a large cloak, similar to those worn by Bao Yu and Dai Yu in "Dream of the Red Chamber" on snowy days.
Their gloves were purchased from the "Wildcat Supermarket" outdoor sports section, offering excellent warmth. To avoid exposure, Hu Lanfang had clumsily sewn cloth covers over them with thick stitches. Thus, the high-end thermal gloves were disguised as shoddy, handmade products from a village woman named Cuihua, making them highly deceptive.
On their feet, they wore thermal boots on the inside and ordinary cotton shoes on the outside. To prevent slipping, they had tied several loops of sturdy straw rope around the soles.
With these preparations, they were well-protected and quite resistant to the cold.
It had been snowing heavily for three consecutive days and nights. The roads began to accumulate snow, and everything was covered in white, appearing like a world draped in silver. Wisps of smoke occasionally rose from the roofs of houses, giving a fleeting impression that might inspire poetry.
However, if one were to truly immerse themselves among the common folk, they would discover the utter misery of their lives.
This year's snowfall had exceeded everyone's expectations, and the weather had turned cold much earlier than in previous years. Most poor people were caught off guard, and the death toll from the cold continued to rise.
At the foot of the mountain, Steward Zheng had already arranged for a carriage to wait for them. Traveling on mountain roads was difficult, and at this moment, they truly appreciated Steward Zheng's thoughtfulness.
If the carriage hadn't been sent to pick them up, it would have taken more than double the usual time to reach the city in the snow.
The carriage sped like the wind and quickly arrived in front of the large stage in the city center. The coachman stopped the carriage and respectfully invited Dr. Gu's family to disembark.
This was formerly a stage that could accommodate about 500 people. Gu Qingcheng had initially thought that with such cold weather, there wouldn't be many people coming to witness the public trial.
However, she had underestimated the people's determination to witness excitement. Many, with runny noses from the cold, still shivered their way there, and the area was packed, with an estimated thousand people present.
On the stage, the official presiding over the trial did not allow himself to suffer from the cold. A windproof canopy had been erected on the stage, and charcoal fires were placed inside, making it warm and cozy.
As for the prisoners, there were no such luxuries. They all wore dark padded clothes and were brought to kneel before the platform by the yamen runners.
What surprised Gu Qingcheng the most was that a platform had also been erected in front of the stage, also covered by a windproof canopy and furnished with several charcoal basins burning with blue flames. Prince Xia and other high-ranking officials of Jinsha City had already taken their seats there.
Looking at the canopy on the high platform labeled "VIP Section," Gu Qingcheng realized how much preferential treatment Prince Xia had given their family.
After presenting their tokens to the yamen runners guarding the platform, they were politely escorted into a tent on the outermost edge.
The tent was heated by a warm charcoal fire. Although the temperature couldn't reach its maximum due to the partially open environment, it was certainly much better than being out in the freezing snow.
The official presiding over this public trial assembly was Deputy Commander Cui.
After Gu Chaobei performed surgery for his appendicitis, he had recovered quickly and was now able to energetically preside over this public trial.
Old Master Gu, along with the former prefect of Jinsha City, were brought onto the stage. And so were Zhang Daoist and others who had performed rituals in front of Qingcheng at that time; they were all brought to justice one by one.
If Deputy Commander Cui hadn't started calling out their names, Gu Qingcheng would have almost failed to recognize them.
The corpulent Old Master Gu, his fat reserves depleted by life in prison, was now a gaunt old man kneeling with his head bowed and subservient.
As the public trial assembly officially began, more and more commoners gathered around the perimeter of the venue. The space, designed for over 500 people, was crammed with over a thousand.
Further out, on the roofs of nearby restaurants, teahouses, and residential buildings from which the public trial could be seen, dense crowds stood packed together, numbering about another thousand people.
Gu Qingcheng finally understood that humans are inherently prone to gossip, a universal truth across all eras.
Deputy Commander Cui announced the crimes of the prisoners, and Gu Qingcheng was taken aback by what she heard.
It turned out that Old Master Gu's construction of the Seven Star Town Evil Pagoda was instigated by Zhang Daoist, who claimed that the pagoda could absorb the luck of the Great Zhou Dynasty, thereby extending his lifespan. The innocent boy and girl were meant to be sacrifices, providing nourishment for the dynasty's luck.
Only one pair of children was chosen because too much luck couldn't be absorbed at once, and it would lead to a backlash.
Once completed, the Seven Star Town Evil Pagoda could extend Old Master Gu's life by at least thirty years.
Old Master Gu believed this falsehood and publicly claimed that the pagoda was intended to suppress drought demons, thus engaging in wicked acts.
Gu Qingcheng was indignant upon hearing this!
Hu Lanfang's face also turned ashen: "This damned feudal superstitious old man! If I could get on stage, I'd slap him three times!"
Gu Chaobei's eyes turned into sharp blades. If he could personally deal with this scoundrel, he would carve him with 360 cuts, none of which would be fatal, letting him die slowly from pain. As a surgeon, Gu Chaobei was quite confident in his skills.
Deputy Commander Cui announced the final verdict: these three individuals, who used sorcery to mislead people, were to be executed by decapitation, and all of Gu Ming's property would be confiscated.
Upon hearing the sentence, Gu Ming's face turned ashen, and he likely hated Zhang Daoist next to him with all his heart.
He felt he had been misled by Zhang Daoist's deceptive words, but if he hadn't been greedy himself, his current wealth and status would have been enough for him to live for several more decades. Even with the arrival of natural disasters, his financial resources would have significantly increased his chances of survival.
But he had to court death by choosing to absorb the dynasty's luck to extend his own lifespan. Now, he was utterly finished.
Next, the sentence for Old Man Gu's family was announced.
If it were the real Gu Laoliu, he would likely be feeling uneasy and distressed now, after all, it was his own parents.