Chapter 42 The Seam in the Door Panel: "Marry me."

"Qingqing!" Zhang Yin called out excitedly before even getting close. Zhu Qing laughed awkwardly and secretly sized up Feng Huaihe. Although his face was normal, his eyes were dark and he was staring at Zhang Yin with a half-smile.

There was an empty bench next to the square table. Zhang Yin lifted his robe and sat down. He glanced at the food on the table before saying to Zhu Qing, "These are all specialties of Yunzhong Mountain. Do you like them?"

Before Zhu Qing could answer, Zhang Yin continued, "If you don't like the food, I'll cook some of your hometown dishes for you when we get to Jinyang. I arrived a little earlier than you and have settled down in Jinyang now. I met my third brother, who's a merchant, the other day, and he told me you'll be arriving soon too."

Zhang Yin's eyes and brows were full of joy: "I calculated the time and figured you should have arrived at Yunzhong Mountain by now, so I asked the lord for leave to come and pick you up. I thought I would have to wait here for two or three days, but I didn't expect to meet you by such a coincidence."

Zhu Qing laughed awkwardly twice.

"It's quite a coincidence." Zhu Qing didn't know how to respond to his enthusiasm, so she changed the subject to a familiar one: "Have you eaten? If not, let's eat together!"

Zhu Qing secretly admired herself, for she had mastered the most boring way of flirting that she used in modern times.

Zhang Yin laughed heartily, "I haven't had a drop of water on my way here. Since you've invited me, I'll gladly accept."

Zhu Qing smiled and beckoned the waiter to bring another set of chopsticks and a bowl. In a fleeting glance, she inadvertently saw Feng Huaihe's fingers, gripping the chopsticks so tightly they turned white, digging them deep into the rice in front of him.

He stared at her and Zhang Yin indifferently, his expression calm.

Zhang Yin took out a small bag from his person, placed it on the table, and said to Zhu Qing, "These are some snacks I brought from Jinyang. I don't know if you'll like them. And this hand warmer is something I prepared especially for you. You're not well, and it's already snowing in Jinyang. It's cold, so it'll be good for you to carry it with you."

The gray-brown hand warmer pillow is dirt-resistant, and the thick, soft plush fabric is sewed with lots of cotton.

Zhu Qing wasn't really keen on accepting Zhang Yin's gift and was about to refuse when Feng Huaihe reached out and snatched the hand warmer. He examined it in his hand and then said seriously, "The fabric of this thing is too rough, and the cotton inside isn't very soft and elastic. It's clear that the workmanship is crude and the quality is average."

"Qingqing's skin is delicate. If she uses this all the time, it will inevitably chafe and turn red. You should keep it for yourself."

After Feng Huaihe finished speaking, he threw the things back into Zhang Yin's arms and gave him a cold look.

Zhang Yin caught the hand warmer pillow, thinking it was nothing special, but Feng Huaihe then said, "You're supposed to be a noble young master from Lingnan, how can you present something like this?"

Zhang Yin suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

His glorious past is gone; now he's nothing but a homeless wretched man.

Although he received help from Zhang Chengye and gained the trust of Li Keyong and his son, he could not accumulate much wealth in a short period of time.

The material he used to make the hand warmer pillow for Zhu Qing was already of the highest quality, and he personally selected the cotton, which cost a lot. For some reason, Feng Huaihe felt it wasn't enough.

Just as he was wondering, Feng Huaihe said, "You don't need to worry about her things. I'll give her whatever she needs." And it's several times better than Zhang Yin's.

Zhang Yin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt something was wrong, and then remembered why Zhu Qing was with Feng Huaihe.

He looked at Zhu Qing inquisitively, wanting to ask, but felt that if he asked in this situation, it would probably embarrass her.

He held back, put away the hand warmer, and smiled to cover his embarrassment, saying, "I'm sorry, Qingqing, I was being presumptuous..."

Zhu Qing shook her head and didn't say anything.

She wouldn't accept it anyway, so Feng Huaihe essentially refused on her behalf. Although the tone of the refusal was a bit harsh, Zhang Yin's mood was none of her concern.

She traveled back in time not to cater to these men's feelings.

She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and started eating diligently.

With a bag of food in his mouth, he heard Zhang Yin laugh and say, "Since that's the case, when you get to Jinyang, I'll take you out for some fun. The snow is heavy now. I was born in Lingnan and have never seen snow before. I can go with you to see the snow."

Zhu Qing actually liked snow, especially the delicate feeling of snowflakes falling. Out of self-interest, Zhu Qing wanted to agree, but Feng Huaihe said, "She's not in good health. If she catches a cold while watching the snow with you, can you take responsibility?"

Zhu Qing explained, "Actually, I can just wear more clothes."

Feng Huaihe glanced at him abruptly: "Is that so?"

Zhang Yin assumed Feng Huaihe was right, sighed, and changed his words, saying, "Then it seems all I can do is help you settle your luggage, cook some hometown dishes for you, and help you gradually change your eating habits."

Feng Huaihe smiled and said, "I've already hired a cook, so you don't need to worry about it."

Zhang Yin frowned.

He increasingly sensed something was wrong; it seemed Feng Huaihe was constantly trying to stop him. But what reason could he possibly have?

The only thing Zhang Yin could think of was competition between men. However, having heard that Feng Huaihe's lifelong ambition lay in the affairs of the imperial court and his teacher Jing Wan, and that he had no interest in marrying and starting a family, it was unlikely that he was thinking that way.

I heard that Chang'an has been captured by Huang Chao, and Jing Wan was assassinated earlier. Perhaps Feng Huaihe is in a bad mood after suffering a series of blows!

Having convinced himself, Zhang Yin stopped thinking about it and had dinner with Zhu Qing. Seeing that it was getting late, they agreed to set off for Jinyang together the next day.

Zhang Yin had just figured it out when evening came, but then he felt something was wrong again.

The room he asked the hotel owner for was across from Zhu Qing's. When they walked together that evening, he saw her walking side by side with Feng Huaihe, as if they were going to go into the room together.

Without much thought, Zhang Yin instinctively grabbed Feng Huaihe: "Your room is...?"

Feng Huaihe gave a cold look at the hand that was grabbing his.

Zhang Yin sensed the hostility in his cold, stern eyes and quickly released him, apologizing, "I was just acting rashly. Qingqing is not yet married, and although you are highly respected,..."

"I seem to recall telling you that Qingqing and I grew up together in Qingxi Village. We are childhood sweethearts, and we will get married after we settle down in Jinyang. In that case, what's wrong with me being alone with her?"

Feng Huaihe spoke calmly, but his gaze was cold: "She will be my wife. I don't want to hear you call her 'Qingqing' again."

Zhang Yin paused, looking at Zhu Qing with a bewildered expression.

It wasn't that he didn't believe what Feng Huaihe said, but based on his observation of Zhu Qing, she didn't seem to like Feng Huaihe.

He wanted to hear Zhu Qing say it himself.

Zhu Qing saw Zhang Yin's expectant gaze and suddenly felt very irritated.

Both Zhang Yin and Feng Huaihe irritated her.

She had never known Zhang Yin at all in her life, yet this man had come all the way to Yunzhong Mountain to find her, and was looking at her with such an expression, as if she owed him some kind of explanation.

Let alone the fact that her current relationship with Feng Huaihe is forced, even if she maintains a physical relationship with Feng Huaihe because she admires strength and wants to find a capable person to help her protect her family, as Tian Jiuzhu said, what does that have to do with Zhang Yin?

But she didn't want to say anything too harsh or hurtful to Zhang Yin, because Feng Huaihe would feel good if he did.

She didn't want Feng Huaihe to have any fun either.

Zhu Qing coldly told Zhang Yin, "I will not marry Feng Huaihe. Just ignore what he said. But I can tell you have feelings for me, so don't even think about it. As for the title 'Qingqing,' no one except my family can call me that anymore. It disgusts me."

"..."

"..."

The air froze instantly.

After a brief silence, Zhu Qing's wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by Feng Huaihe. She looked up in surprise and was pulled forcefully into the room by Feng Huaihe.

He slammed the door shut with a bang. Zhu Qing was still stunned by the loud noise when Feng Huaihe pushed her hard against the door. He reached out, pinched her chin, lifted her face, and lowered his head to kiss her deeply.

A kiss came suddenly, catching Zhu Qing off guard. He pried open her teeth and invaded her territory with a wet and hot kiss.

As Feng Huaihe viciously chuckled at her, Zhu Qing sobbed in distress. At the same time, Zhang Yin pounded on the door behind her, the thuds making her back tingle. And yet, Zhang Yin continued shouting from outside the door behind her:

"Zhu Qing? Zhu Qing? Speak up if you need anything..."

Zhu Qing, whose tongue was being bitten so hard, couldn't make a sound.

Feng Huaihe kissed her deeply and fiercely. Zhu Qing tried to escape, but he pressed her hands and feet firmly against the door and she couldn't move. She turned her head to avoid him, but he followed with kisses. She lowered her head to avoid him, but he was too tall to catch up, so he bit her lips hard. The lower she lowered her head, the more her lips hurt. She had no choice but to raise her head again and be forced to endure his deep kiss.

"Zhu Qing...?" Zhang Yin's voice outside the door weakened. After a second or two of silence, Zhang Yin said from outside, "If you need anything, just knock on my door. To avoid attracting attention, I'll go back to my room first."

After not hearing a response from Zhu Qing for a long time, Zhang Yin turned and left.

Feng Huaihe only let go of Zhu Qing when he heard the sound of the door opening and closing on his side.

Zhu Qing felt a sense of relief and freedom. She gasped for breath, her face flushed from the deep kiss. She looked up and saw Feng Huaihe pressing down on her, his red lips close to her ear. "Why can't you call me Qingqing? Qingqing? Call me husband."

'Snap—'

Zhu Qingyang raised her hand and slapped him across the face, glaring at him angrily.

Feng Huaihe's head was turned to one side after being hit, and a red mark slowly appeared on his cheek. He stuck out his tongue and pressed it against that cheek, then turned his face back and stared at her coldly.

"You don't want to? Fine, I'll make you say it on your own one day."

Feng Huaihe smiled coldly, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her to face the door. Through the small crack in the door, he could see the tightly closed door on the other side.

“Last time I asked you if you wanted to protect him, you wouldn’t answer. Today you talked to him, and you talked to him more than you talked to me.”

Feng Huaihe felt like he wasn't himself anymore. How could he confide in Zhu Qing? How could he let Zhu Qing into his life, first the government, then his heart? If she knew these secrets, she might kill him at any time.

"I think you might be thinking about your past life, about your relationship as husband and wife. Do you still love him, and do you still want to protect him and sacrifice for him?"

Feng Huaihe hugged Zhu Qing from behind and whispered in her ear, "But I saved your life from Tian Lingzi. Don't even think about sacrificing yourself for anyone unless I allow it."

After saying that, he suddenly laughed, "But I'm glad to hear that he doesn't have a chance."

I was so happy that I couldn't help but want to kiss her.

Since she said Zhang Yin had no chance, then Zhang Yin absolutely had no chance. As for himself, he could be cowardly, he could be despicable, he could use any underhanded means to seize an opportunity.

Feng Huaihe thought for a moment, then reached out and brushed a stray hair from her temple, his tone almost tender and lingering: "When we arrive in Jinyang tomorrow, I will go to see Li Cunxu."

"As you know, we defected directly from Tian Lingzi after leaving the Chang'an government. Li Cunxu may not trust you and me. If you want to be a strategist like in your previous life, I can help you. But the condition is that you marry me and we must act as a loving couple in public to avoid arousing suspicion."

Zhu Qing asked, puzzled, "Why? I want to be a strategist. I can rely on myself; I don't necessarily have to marry you."

"We came from Chang'an together and joined Li Cunxu's army together. When his Later Tang Dynasty falls, we will serve the next ruler. What role do you want to play in assisting the ruler with me? Siblings? Concubine? Or mistress? I want to be your wife."

"What I mean is, I can walk this path myself!"

"When Chang'an fell, Tian Lingzi only took Emperor Xizong of Tang to Xingyuan. He didn't die. Do you think he would just let the two of us defect to the shogunate like that?"

"you mean……

"Yes, he won't let us have a good path. Li Keyong and his son are loyal to Tang. If he sows discord, we're both doomed. I might survive, but you need to understand yourself. What do you have to offer for survival?"

Zhu Qing thought about it carefully.

Feng Huaihe had already earned the reputation of being the top strategist, and if he wanted to live, his chances of survival were very high. This was because even if Li Cunxu wasn't around, Wang Cunxu and Zhang Cunxu still wanted him to live and to have his assistance.

But she had nothing; she was merely a minor secretary who had accepted Tian Lingzi's reward but then disappeared without a trace. Anyone could kill her if they wanted to.

She said she came from the future and knew history, which would probably make her seem like a lunatic.

After thinking it over, Zhu Qing resigned himself to his fate, "I have no bargaining chips."

Feng Huaihe replied, "Actually, your bargaining chip is me. But my condition is that you marry me."