73. That person

◎A revolving lantern◎

Chapter 73

"That's the quality you have? You're selling her for ten taels for such a skinny girl? This isn't a brothel. If you take her there, she might become a top-notch talent, but here, I'm afraid she won't last two or three days."

"No, we agreed on this before, didn't we? The world is in such a mess these days, and I've finally gotten here. I don't have the money to sell myself to a brothel, right? How about this, eight taels of silver for two, what do you think?"

Six-year-old Jiang Qiuye held her sister's hand tightly and watched indifferently as the two men in front of her bargained with spit flying everywhere.

It doesn’t matter, no matter where we go, what difference does it make.

In the end, the human trafficker sold the two sisters to Feiyan Pavilion for five taels of silver.

On the winter solstice, they were taken to a place far to the north, where the snow always fell earlier than in other places. The layers of snow piled up like a pile of white bones.

A group of twenty thinly dressed children were pushed into the snow by a mustachioed man, and were surrounded by seven or eight men in black.

All the children were thinly dressed, with frostbite on their hands and feet. They were shivering from the cold, their faces tense and frightened.

The mustachioed man, riding on a large horse, said loudly, "The first test for entering Feiyan Pavilion begins now."

After saying this, he threw five daggers into the snow, their cold gleams gleaming as he sneered, "Originally, it was a test for ten people, but the world is so difficult to survive these days. We at Feiyan Pavilion are kindhearted and would rather spend a little more money to give the seller a chance to buy some food. So this time, there are more people, so it has become a test for twenty people."

The children looked around in confusion, rubbing their arms and huddled together.

The mustache guy picked his nose, snapped his fingers, and continued casually, "Twenty people, from your group, only five can stay in the training department. Let's get started."

What does this mean? Twenty people, five left?

Jiang Qiuye seemed to understand what he meant, and disbelief finally appeared on his expressionless face. His heart was pounding, and the palms that were holding his sister began to sweat.

Perhaps if she had known this would happen, she would rather be sold to a brothel by that human trafficker.

Seeing that no one was moving, the man with the mustache seemed to have lost his patience. He took out a crossbow from behind his horse and shot an arrow at one of the boys in the cotton-padded jacket, hitting him right in the middle of the eyebrows. The boy instantly stiffened and fell backwards, his brains mixed with blood spilling all over the ground. He lay motionless in the snow.

After a moment of silence, everyone screamed: "Ah——"

Some people stared blankly at the bodies lying on the ground, while others squatted on the snow, holding their heads tightly and unable to move.

The man with the mustache placed the crossbow on his shoulder and said in a domineering tone, "I'm kind-hearted and will help you get rid of one of them. If you don't want to die, hurry up!"

The other little boy panicked and turned around to run. Unexpectedly, just a few steps later, another arrow was shot and hit his back. The blood dyed the snow red again.

The children around seemed to understand that if they did not take the initiative to attack, death would be waiting for them.

A girl next to Xiao Jiang Qiuye rushed forward with trembling hands, picked up a dagger, turned around and rushed towards her, screaming.

Jiang Qiuye panicked and immediately pushed his sister away. He then turned around, but failed to dodge in time, and the dagger cut his arm. In an instant, a biting cold wind rushed through the wound on his arm and into his body.

"Sister——" Jiang Xiahua sat down in the snow and shouted in panic.

This was the most horrific scene Jiang Qiuye had ever seen in his miserable life.

Seeing this, the surrounding children also grabbed daggers and started killing each other. Some cowards just ran away and didn't know how to fight back. Some people were so angry that they felt they were better than others, but they ended up being killed by others.

In the midst of a heavy snowstorm, the man with a small mustache sat on his horse as if he was watching a show, and he took out a pot of wine from his waist and sipped it slowly.

There was chaos all around. The little girl who had been holding the dagger staggered to her feet again, glanced at Jiang Qiuye, and then rushed towards Jiang Xiahua who was lying on the ground.

The tension in Jiang Qiuye's heart snapped. Before the dagger could penetrate Jiang Xiahua's abdomen, she grabbed it with both hands, blood flowing down her arm into her clothes. Perhaps it was too cold, so she didn't feel the pain. She just grabbed the end of the blade and snatched the dagger away.

During the scuffle, the little girl fell to the ground. In a blink of an eye, the situation reversed. She stared at Jiang Qiuye with tears on her face, shook her head, sat in the snow and backed away.

"No! Don't kill me! Please!"

Jiang Qiuye's hands were shaking, and she could only stand there holding the dagger tightly. How could she bring herself to do it?

Even though she was usually cold-blooded, she had never killed a chicken.

While she was hesitating, the little girl sitting on the ground was stabbed in the heart and lungs from behind by someone who came up behind her. The person pulled out the dagger and rushed towards Jiang Qiuye and her sister without any pause.

In the blink of an eye, before she could react, the dagger in her hand had already pierced the chest of the person in front of her.

He instantly lost strength and fell to the ground, twitching. Blood flowed along the crushed snow to her feet, soaking her straw sandals. The child slowly stopped breathing, but his eyes were still wide open, with the whites of his eyes rolled back, staring motionlessly at the trembling and powerless Jiang Qiuye standing before him.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiahua stepped forward, snatched the dagger from his hand, and guarded her.

That was her first time killing someone. Everything happened so quickly and so naturally that she was unable to react for a long time.

It was hard to describe the emotion, but at that moment, she suddenly realized that humans were just animals made up of lumps of flesh. Death was too easy, just a knife.

In a flash, the mist dissipated, revealing her standing behind a pale yellow screen, adorned with vibrant attire and a pearl hairpin, pure and charming. At thirteen, she had spent several days following the courtesan of Chunhua Tower, learning her every word, gesture, smile, and expression.

The madam trained her as the future courtesan. She was sweet and lovely, and everyone liked her, but no one knew that she was the Bronze Ghost of Feiyan Pavilion.

The air was filled with strong fragrance. She hated the pungent smell, which made her feel sick, but she still applied the fragrance to her clothes every day.

The purpose of entering Chunhua Tower is to inquire about a large arms deal between the two factions.

"The Li Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat this time. So much baggage wasted in this battle, and so many soldiers died. I'm afraid our southward march strategy will be impossible to implement."

She watched the burly man who was speaking open the box behind him, which was filled with swords and even a heavy crossbow.

The other man shook his head, pipe in hand, and sneered, "Who could have imagined that? That Ji Ci brat only had 5,000 soldiers against 30,000. Everyone thought he would be defeated quickly."

A short man asked in confusion, "How did the Li Kingdom lose with such a huge disparity in military strength?"

The man with the pipe touched the sword and armor, examining it. "Oh, the disparity in military strength is huge, yes. But who would have thought he would resort to such a scheme, having the general execute the military advisor and then setting fire to the forage camp. As long as Jin has such a person, Li will find it difficult to conquer it."

Five thousand soldiers were defeated by thirty thousand...

She didn't know what such a capable person looked like. If one day he could destroy the Li Kingdom and the Feiyan Pavilion, she would definitely meet him and thank him sincerely.

"Who is it?" The man holding the pipe turned his head to look at the screen, only to find that there was someone in the room.

Jiang Qiuye snorted softly, drew the soft sword from his waist, and walked out with a sweet smile, "I was discovered by my brothers."

In a blink of an eye, she seemed to have come to another place, the Huaixi Wangyou Tower.

It was a hot summer day and she had been vomiting blood for five days. She felt like she was being eaten by ants. Finally, she got the head of the traitor of Li State, the governor of Jingzhou, and handed it over.

"This is the antidote for this month. Thank you, Master Qiuye."

Jiang Qiuye grabbed the antidote and swallowed it. The exploding heat and pain in his body began to dissipate after a moment.

She ignored the man and turned away from Wangyou Tower, heading all the way to the top of Huai Mountain. When she reached the summit, she saw a vast, open lawn, instead of the dense forests on the mountainside. Looking down, she could see Huaixi and a river winding through the city. Beyond that, there was the desert, with eagles soaring high.

As the sun sets, red light fills the sky.

She didn't know why she suddenly wanted to go to the top of the mountain. She felt very tired and wanted to find a quiet place to rest for a while.

The summer heat was oppressive, but the breeze on the mountaintop was incredibly cool. Her sweat washed away with the breeze, and her body felt cold. She collapsed exhausted, sprawled on the lawn, and remained motionless, watching the sun set in the distance until the moon shone brightly, the stars sparse, and the lights faded.

Suddenly I thought of the person I heard about in Chunhua Tower many years ago.

Five thousand soldiers and horses defeated the 30,000 cavalry of the Li army.

I wonder what Ji Ci is doing right now. Is he training his troops? Or is he surrounded by dancers? When will he finally destroy this damn Feiyan Pavilion?

She lay exhausted on the lawn all night, crying bitterly. Although her tears came easily, she had never cried from the bottom of her heart, even when facing the threat of death.

It was that night that she suddenly felt the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of humankind. She wanted to pursue the so-called freedom that she had never achieved.

In a flash, she arrived at the deserted courtyard of the palace. Atop a huge rock, she saw the man she had suddenly longed to see. His clothes were slightly open, his hair loose, and the sake flowed down his jaw, along his neck, over his Adam's apple, and into his clothes.

This is the first time I have seen this man look so decadent since he first met him at Zhang's house.

When she opened her eyes again, the person in front of her became her husband.

No, he has become this body, Qiu Ziye’s husband.

They came to Maner Hill, and she finally knew everything about him, the side that was hidden behind others.

On that rainy night, even though he had discovered her true vicious nature, he had not abandoned her in the face of danger, but instead protected her behind him. When Jian Feng came over, she suddenly decided that for his own good, she would take another gamble.

The cold sword came towards the heart, and the stakes were death on one side and bliss on the other.

After that, the world was dark.

When Jiang Qiuye woke up, it took her a long time to realize that she was lying on the bed in the Guihongyuan dormitory.

The top was covered with a light pink silk gauze curtain, which she had changed specially. She still remembered Ji Ci's disgusted expression when he first saw it, but he did not stop her.

She recalled her dream. Could this be a revolving lantern? But it didn't seem like it.

Mingyue, who had brought hot water in, was shocked to see Jiang Qiuye open her eyes on the bed. She dropped the gilded basin to the ground and covered her mouth, shouting, "The princess is awake! The princess is awake!"

She shouted as she ran out to find the imperial physician and the female doctors, her excitement beyond words.

It was the seventh day, and she had thought the princess would never wake up again, but unexpectedly she finally woke up on the seventh day.

The doctors filed in one after another, and after the imperial physician took his pulse, they couldn't help but reveal the relief in their hearts.

After hearing the news in the palace, Ji Ci rushed back to the palace without stopping. After getting off his horse, he ran all the way until he reached the front of the house. He slowed down and tugged at the corner of his clothes. When he entered the bedroom, he saw this scene.

Her face was still as pale as paper, but her peach blossom eyes, gentle and lively, stared out the window. They were the eyes he had longed to see these days. Her eyebrows were slightly raised. Her long black hair hung down over her forehead. She wore the clean moon-white nightgown he had changed her into before leaving, and was covered with thick blankets.

The years are quiet and peaceful, just like the melting ice and snow.

When Jiang Qiuye heard the noise, she immediately turned to look at him, with surprise in her eyes, and whispered, "Husband."

It’s great to finally hear these two words come out of her mouth again.

Ji Ci walked forward calmly and sat on the edge of the bed. His trembling hands finally revealed his emotions.

He gently tucked her hair behind her ears and said thoughtfully, "Ye'er, you're finally awake."

He didn't dare hug her, afraid that he wouldn't be able to control his strength. These days, every time he saw her lying there quietly, as if she would break if touched, the fear in his heart still lingered.

Jiang Qiuye felt a warmth in her heart, and she seemed to want to pull him, but she seemed to be afraid and withdrew her hand. She said timidly: "Husband, do you still blame me?"