The Long Night (2)

Chapter 2 The Long Night (2)

Li Qi had just left Yongshou Palace when she saw a dark shadow standing under the corridor. When she got closer, she saw that it was the eunuch Li Ke. He was holding an umbrella and was obviously waiting for her.

Li Ke originally served Concubine Li. After the death of the empress, he was transferred to serve in front of the emperor with the help of Li Qi.

He was only one step away from becoming the imperial seal holder. He was already admired by countless people in the palace. Even on ordinary days, he would receive gifts from many parties. He would pass those gifts on to Li Qi's residence, not keeping any of them for himself, and express his gratitude to Li Qi for promoting him.

Li Qi approached him and called out to Eunuch Li, "It's so late, are you still waiting here?"

"His Majesty has instructed that whenever the county lady leaves the palace, we servants must see her off." He opened the oil-paper umbrella in his hand, held it over Li Qi's head, and said, "Please come in, county lady."

Li Qi glanced at the heavy snow in the open air and the black umbrella above his head. Without saying anything more, he pulled his cloak tightly around him and walked down the stairs.

The hexagonal lanterns lining the path emitted a warm red and yellow glow. Li Qi listened to the footsteps following closely behind her and asked, "How's He Mu doing?"

Someone behind him said, "He's still staying indoors, claiming to be sick."

Li Qi was worried and said, "No one knows how much she saw on New Year's Eve. I feel very uneasy. Keep a close eye on her. If you get the chance, kill her."

There was silence behind him for a while before he replied "Okay".

Outside the palace, Li Qi saw the mansion's carriage waiting from afar. She took the umbrella handed to her by Li Ke, watched Li Ke return to the palace, and then walked towards the long-awaited carriage.

Before he took two steps, a strange voice sounded behind him: "Yun'an County Master."

Li Qi stopped, turned around, and saw a familiar attendant.

He was thin and thinly dressed, his lips were blue and purple from the cold, and he was shivering with his waist hunched.

He said respectfully, "County Master, your humble master invites you to come over and have a few words."

Li Qi stared at his face for a long while, and after confirming that she had never seen him before, she asked doubtfully, "Your master?"

The attendant in front of him seemed extremely cold, breathing out puffs of white air and holding his waist with his hands. "It's the new Special Case Envoy, Lord Feng."

After saying this, he took a step aside and said, "Master Feng said that he wants to ask the county lady some details about the case. Please move aside, county lady."

Li Qi looked down the long street behind him and saw a carriage parked at the end of the deep street. The carriage had no lantern and was hidden in the darkness. If you didn't look carefully, it would be difficult to notice it.

But he had clearly left the palace a long time ago, yet he was still here. Was he waiting for her?

Li Qi suddenly recalled playing the qin for the governor of Qianzhou. They'd agreed to play one piece and then leave, but the governor suddenly changed his mind and forced her to stay until midnight. That night, her fingers were so raw from playing that the cold wind stung and hurt.

When she came out of the Jiedu Mansion, she saw Feng Siji holding an umbrella from afar, standing in the snow like a strong green pine waiting for her.

Behind him were the lights of thousands of homes in Qianzhou, with snow fluttering in the air. The lights reflected in his eyes, casting circles of soft light.

Li Qi seemed to see them in the past, the Li Qi from Qianzhou carrying a guzheng on his back, trotting to Feng Siji's umbrella, and deliberately asking him why he was here.

Feng Siji cooperated with her in acting, saying that he was passing by and saw a kitten that had not returned home until dark, so he took her home.

The backs of the two people holding an umbrella together gradually disappeared in the snow.

Not to mention sharing an umbrella, they probably can't even talk to each other properly now.

She was too emotional now. Her intuition told her that she couldn't see Feng Siji at this time. He had come all the way to wait for her, perhaps he had discovered something unusual. If she bumped into him, she would definitely lose miserably and expose everything.

But her feet seemed to be out of control, or perhaps she was longing for something impossible, so when she regained consciousness, she had already stopped beside the carriage.

The attendant just now was standing far away, seemingly avoiding him.

Only when I got closer to Li Qi did I realize that there were candles lit in the car. The thin strands of warm yellow light shone through the pasted car window paper, casting Feng Siji's silhouette on the paper.

She has a high nose bridge, her hair is tied up in a crown, and her slender fingers are flipping through the bamboo slips bit by bit. Those should be the files of the case of Concubine Li.

The person she longed for day and night was right in front of her, separated only by a thin layer of window paper, yet she couldn't even reminisce about the past. Li Qi looked at Feng Siji's silhouette, almost uncontrollably standing on tiptoe to gently kiss his silhouette.

But what her lips touched was the cold window paper. She felt her whole body trembling. Some snowflakes fell on her eyelashes and melted like tears.

Feng Siji's voice suddenly came from behind the window paper: "Come up."

The voice is cold and aloof, like the winter plum blossoms blooming on the top of a snowy mountain.

As if she had been discovered, Li Qi took a few steps back in shock, nervously looking at his silhouette. She seemed to be able to imagine how cold and desolate he looked inside.

This scene suddenly overlapped with a scene in Li Qi's memory. There had once been a man like this. He sat high and mighty in a carriage, not allowing her to see even a glimpse of his face. His voice was clear and noble, revealing the composure that only the powerful and wealthy could possess:

"If you can survive in Qianzhou with this little boy by your side and reach Kyoto, I will help you ascend to the blue sky and help you conquer Yunzhou." A necklace of golden beads and precious stones was thrown out of the car window. "This is a token of trust."

Li Qi lowered her head and looked at the multi-treasure necklace she wore around her neck, her fingers slowly tightening into fists.

She has been wearing it for countless years since she came to Kyoto, but that person has never appeared to fulfill his promise.

Li Qi looked at his silhouette reflected on the window paper. There was a light snow falling, like a natural chasm, separating them even though it was just a shadow.

Her throat was bitter. "Envoy Feng, it's getting late. I won't go up. If you have anything to say, just say it. I can hear you."

The carriage was silent for a long time. The wind blew and scattered the snow on the window frames. Li Qi counted how many clumps the snow had been blown into while smoothing her messy hair.

Feng Siji's voice came, merciless: "The one who killed Concubine Li was you?"

Li Qi's hand that was stroking her hair suddenly froze, and her whole body seemed to be torn apart by wind and frost in an instant. Her heart, which had still been warm just now, was doused by a basin of ice water, and she shivered with cold.

She asked back, "What do you mean?"

With a creak, the car window opened.

Li Qi saw Feng Siji's bony hands supporting the window sash, and the lower half of his face was revealed through the half-open gap.

A few snowflakes flew in and landed right on his lips. He opened his thin lips slightly, and the simple touch of his lips made her nervous. "I've checked the files. On the day of the incident, the chef in the imperial kitchen offended Concubine Li. The Empress was so angry that she sent him to the Ministry of Punishment.

"Because of this incident, the queen is in a bad mood. You want to cheer her up, so you suggest making a table of dishes from her hometown. Since your maid Shengxiang and the queen are from the same hometown, you let Shengxiang take charge of the cooking."

The snowflakes melted into little drops of water on his lips.

He continued, "Then the Empress was dismembered and thrown into the kitchen boiler, boiling her into rotten flesh and bones. All the palace servants in the kitchen died, but Shengxiang, the head chef, survived.

"Don't you think this is very strange, County Master?"

Li Qi could barely stand. After a long moment, she finally heard her own trembling voice: "It wasn't just Shengxiang who survived, the cook also survived, didn't he?"

Through the half-open window, he forced a cold smile. "Cook Wang Xiu did survive because he said he saw the murderer who dismembered the Empress' body. He Rucheng from the Ministry of Justice wanted to take him away for investigation, but he was murdered on the way."

"Coincidentally, after reading the files, I discovered that he saw you on the way to be taken away, and then died on the road. It turns out that not only Concubine Li, but also the County Lady was the last person to see Wang Xiu. Li Qi, you are the murderer who killed them both."

Li Qi's heartbeat quickened. She took a deep breath, the cold air surging into her lungs. She slowly calmed down, "Words are not enough. Is the method used by Feng to solve the case slanderous?"

He pushed the window open as wide as possible, revealing his entire face. His pair of extremely sharp, deep, and quiet eyes stared straight at her. Her heart sank as if it was hanging in mid-air.

"Give me a reason it's not you."

Li Qi's scalp tingled, but her mind was clear. She sharply replied, "If Envoy Feng doesn't believe me, he can question everyone. The sisterly love between the Empress and me is not false at all. What reason do I have to kill her?"

"Besides the sisterly bond, there are also the benefits she brings me. Her Majesty is of noble status. If she were alive, she could protect and look after me in every way. If she were dead, I would suffer no harm. I have no reason to kill such a useful person to me."

Feng Siji frowned, but didn't say anything in the end.

This is also what makes him strange.

All the details clearly show that Li Qi is the most likely murderer, but the reason why she killed him is unclear.

He remained silent, and Li Qi left without saying goodbye.

Feng Si watched her get on the carriage and saw that she was so flustered that she almost fell off.

He slowly lowered the car window and stopped looking at her flaws.

-

County Princess's Mansion.

When Li Qi pushed the door open, she felt a warm breeze blowing towards her face, and the snow on her body melted into water in the blink of an eye.

She took off her red cloak and handed it to the maid who came forward to burn incense, then washed her hands in the prepared hot basin.

Thinking of the scene when she massaged Emperor Liang's ankles, the desire in his eyes and the impatient tone made her feel sick.

When Concubine Li died, he was so upset that he fell ill for many days, but not long after that, he began to have unrealistic thoughts about himself.

Emperor Liang's indifference almost made Li Qi vomit. She rubbed her fingers vigorously, wishing she could rub off several layers of skin where she had touched him.

Suddenly, Shengxiang asked from behind: "Did the county lady see Envoy Feng tonight?"

The three words "Feng Anshi" made Li Qi stunned for a moment. Water droplets dripped down her fingertips, splashing faint ripples in the basin.

The ripples spread out, as if reflecting everything that happened tonight. Feng Siji's words in the carriage were still ringing in her ears, making her wonder if he had really discovered something.

She was also worried about whether Li Ke could deal with He Mu.

"County Lady."

Shengxiang's voice brought Li Qi back to reality. She came to her senses, took the handkerchief handed to her, carefully dried her fingers, then sat down by the fire and motioned Shengxiang to bring her the clothes she wanted to embroider.

Embroidered robes were given to ministers of the second rank and above in the court. Since Emperor Liang ascended the throne five years ago, Southern Yan was eager to launch a war because he was mediocre in talent and appearance and had a stupid and impatient temperament.

Everyone advised Emperor Liang to end the war and recuperate, but he insisted on attacking. Yunzhou was located at the border with Southern Yan and was the first to bear the brunt of the war.

In the battle of Yunzhou, not only did the army lose 140,000 men, but the national treasury was almost emptied for military pay. As a result, Yunzhou was lost as expected.

Now, Yunzhou has been occupied by Southern Yan for eight years. The people are living in dire straits, and the national treasury has long been emptied by Emperor Liang.

The court was extremely poor. In order to save money, the queen proposed to lay off all the embroiderers in the palace and let the concubines or ladies and daughters of noble families who were skilled in housework embroider clothes, and then distribute them to the harem and court officials according to their salaries.

Li Qi's female workers are famous in Kyoto. This year, they encountered a severe snowstorm and cold disaster that was rare in a century. The natural disaster made the people uneasy.

In order to appease the people, the Queen proposed to show the court's care for the people, so she asked Li Qixiu to personally deliver the clothes of officials of the second rank and above.

The Queen was strict and harsh. The difference between Li Qi's workmanship and Shengxiang's was so great that Li Qi did not dare to ask her to do the work for her, and she did all the laundry by herself.

She was so tired that her fingers were shaking, but she didn't dare to stop. The dress in her hands was going to be given away tomorrow, so she had to finish it tonight no matter what.

Shengxiang, who was standing opposite her, pouted and defended her: "She said she was showing care for the people, but why didn't she distribute winter coats to them? Instead, she gave ready-made clothes to the ministers. She's clearly using this as an excuse to torture you!"

"Since you know this, why bother?" Li Qi stared at the needle and thread in her hand and replied casually, "Besides, I have already made the clothes for those ministers."

The one in my hand is meant to be a gift to Feng Siji.

Feng Siji was not a high-ranking official, but he was someone that Emperor Liang needed to use.

Emperor Liang imitated the foolish emperor of the previous dynasty. If he wanted to do something that his ministers did not allow him to do, he would simply assign someone an official position with an empty title but no real power, such as the former "Lychee Envoy".

Feng Siji is the "Special Case Envoy", an empty title awarded for the case of Concubine Li. Before the case is solved, he can call on any official from the court.

But once the case of Concubine Li is solved, no one knows what his future will be like.

Thinking of this, Li Qi stopped embroidering. She raised her startled eyes and looked at the red charcoal in the stove, saying absentmindedly, "Feng Siji seems to have figured out something. I have a feeling he might be able to solve the case soon... By then, if he's unwilling to comply with our request..."

What should I do then?

Feng Siji's words tonight were like a thunderbolt to her, making her uneasy and she couldn't just sit there and wait to die.

Solving the case is only a matter of time, but what should she do if he is as determined as before and refuses to show favoritism or cover up the crime?

Shengxiang frowned: "Actually, I'm not afraid of this, but because of the incident in Qianzhou, he holds a grudge against you. That would be really difficult to deal with."

"How could I not understand this? When I heard he was going back to Kyoto, I was uneasy every day and prepared for the worst. But... nothing ever goes as planned."

As Li Qi spoke, she pierced the embroidery needle into the tip of her index finger, squeezed out bright red blood, and dripped it onto a plum blossom on the embroidered dress.

The plum blossom instantly blossomed into the bright red color she wanted.

She mused to herself, "We must make plans early."

Shengxiang poked the charcoal fire until it crackled, then continued, "Who says it's not true? We've come this far with great difficulty, and we can't let all our efforts go to waste just because of one person in the Feng case."

Shengxiang looked worried: "It's not just him, there's also He Mu. What should we do?"

On New Year's Eve, they had clearly planned everything.

But He Mu was still missed. I wonder how much she saw in secret.

"You don't have to worry. Whether it's Feng Siji or He Mu, I won't let anyone become a stumbling block for me."