Chapter 66 Chapter 66 "You don't even come to play with me..."
Zhao Qingyi's cheeks flushed. What a strange request.
Chu Yuanhe was really anxious, and he grabbed her legs through her dress and pulled her into his arms.
Zhao Qingyi quickly stroked his fur, put her arms around his neck, and imitated him as she had done before, kissing him passionately and even biting his lips. However, she failed to control her strength well, and a faint smell of blood spread between their lips and teeth.
She paused, ready to separate them to check the injury, making sure the skin wasn't broken, as it would be embarrassing to see others.
But the bloody smell seemed to have stimulated some unpredictable string in the man's heart, so that Zhao Qingyi only had the chance to take the initiative before he was knocked down again.
When she fell down, Chu Yuanhe let out a very low sigh. After all, her love for him was less.
Zhao Qingyi originally wanted to refuse, as they had just kissed and her clothes, which she had just tidied up, were now in a mess again. But she could sense that there was something wrong with Chu Yuanhe.
His emotions fluctuated greatly, like the surging waves, and she was just a small boat struggling to survive on the waves. She couldn't go against it, so she simply closed her eyes and endured it.
Chu Yuanhe was still sober. When the situation really got out of control, he picked her up, kissed her, and carried her body into the inner room.
If the wind blew up the red silk again, Li Che would not be able to see her anymore.
Despite this, Li Che's last bit of hope was completely shattered. He fell to the ground, as if he had aged in an instant, his face full of dejection.
He failed.
It was not the 25-year-old Li Che who failed, but the 43-year-old Li Che, who once served as the prime minister.
At this moment, he clearly realized that even if he was reborn, his career and his woman were gone.
Rebirth only made him remember the glory of the past, as well as the pain and torture of the past. Now the pain is still deeply imprinted in his soul, making him terrified just by looking at that man.
And the glory of the past only told him that he once had it all: he had power, status, women, and everything was under his control.
Now, he has nothing.
If he had never gotten it, he would not miss it. For the 25-year-old Li Che, those were castles in the air, heights he had never reached. He had never enjoyed the pleasure of being above everyone else, so it didn't matter if he lost it.
If there are no ups in life, there will be no lows and no pain.
But he is not, he is Li Che, the chief minister!
How could he calmly accept falling from the clouds to hell overnight?
Zhao Qingyi was his last hope, his last chance to regain his self-esteem, but now it has all gone to ashes.
Zhao Qingyi fell in love with that man, her concubine, who was His Majesty.
He doesn't even have the right to retaliate.
When he was a first-rank official, he could not do anything to His Majesty, let alone Li Che who is nothing now.
He is just a dog, a stray dog, who only has the chance to be stepped on and beg for mercy.
What's the point of being reborn like this? It would be better to just die.
Li Che got up from the ground, in a daze, and walked away like a wandering soul.
What's the point of staying here? To listen to them make love and watch them become a couple?
Li Che closed his eyes tightly, and two lines of turbid tears slid down his face.
In the room, there is warm fragrance and red tents, and love is passionate.
Chu Yuanhe had thrown Li Che out of his mind and focused on serving his county lord, his wife.
The hot lips were imprinted on the inside of her ankle. Zhao Qingyi curled up her toes and panted softly, "No, we were just talking about serious matters..."
I almost forgot that the fire at Xinzheng School was not an ordinary incident. Plus, she had just been assassinated, so it was possible that her father was in danger as well.
Chu Yuanhe was still kissing her, and after she kicked him away, Zhao Qingyi grabbed her scattered clothes and put them on again.
Chu Yuanhe was stunned for a long time, then laughed out of anger.
Zhao Qingyi turned around again and pecked him on the lips. "It's not even dark yet. You said you only talk about business during the day."
"What's more important than me?" Chu Yuanhe had no way to refute and lay on the bed with no desire to live.
"Of course it's my father." Zhao Qingyi got dressed, walked to the bronze mirror to do her makeup, and expressed her concerns, which was also normal.
Chu Yuanhe couldn't let his father-in-law get jealous. "I've sent people to protect you in secret. There should be news back in a few days."
"Really?" Zhao Qingyi's heart was relieved. Seeing that he was unhappy, she went over and hugged him, saying sincerely, "Thank you for always taking care of me and my family, both openly and secretly."
"I've heard all this talk so many times that my ears are callused." Chu Yuanhe refused to listen. He shrugged and broke away from her, complaining with a depressed look, "I'm your mistress, and you don't even come to play with me..."
He was willing to provide her with pleasure, but she didn't know how to enjoy it in time.
What a waste of resources and time!
—
Li Che didn't remember how he left until a man blocked his way.
"Get out of the way." Li Che's voice was hoarse and weak.
"If I had known you were of no use, the higher-ups wouldn't have wasted their efforts rescuing you." The man hid in his large black robe, revealing only his eyes. "If Lord Wang had made a loss, your life alone wouldn't have been enough to compensate."
The implication is that his mother, sister, and even his son will not have an easy life.
Li Che no longer cared about other people's life or death, he sneered.
The man handed him a note, "I'll give you a chance to get revenge."
There was a glimmer of light in Li Che's gray eyes. He raised his head and looked at the man in front of him, as if he wanted to recognize the other person's identity through his eyes.
"Don't look at me, you won't know who I am." He even lowered his voice deliberately, making it hoarse and unpleasant. "Kill Zhao Qingyi, and not only will you be able to help Lord Wang, but it will also put an end to your worries."
After rebirth, Li Che thought about taking revenge on Zhao Qingyi, but he was far from taking her life. After all, that life was not easy to take and it would come at a price.
Li Che opened his mouth, swallowed what he wanted to say, and asked in return, "Have you seen His Majesty?"
The man frowned and didn't answer.
Li Che asked again, "How much do your Majesty resemble the Prince of Pingxi?"
The man was impatient. This had nothing to do with their plan. Lord Wang wanted Zhao Qingyi's life. Zhao Qingyi was the daughter of Zhao Huaiyi. If she died, all of Zhao Huaiyi's actions in Zhejiang would be forced to stop. In fact, he could also choose to kill Meng, or Old Madam Zhao, or Zhao Lanyan.
But there was a man's own selfish motive. He wanted Zhao Qingyi to die first. She was too troublesome and would be a disaster if she stayed.
"Don't ask about it since it's none of your business." This was the only sentence the man left at the end.
Li Che stared at the note in his hand.
At night, in a quiet corner of Xizhao Mansion, a servant took Li Che's letter, went into Fangfei Courtyard, and handed it to Xiaoman, the maid of Fangfei Courtyard.
Aunt Fang was still under house arrest, kneeling in her room day and night copying scriptures. When she received the note, she didn't even look up and said, "Put it aside."
At this point, both her children are gone, and her life is like a stagnant pool.
Xiaoman pondered for a moment and said, "Auntie, the person who brought the message looks familiar to me. It seems...it seems to be Master Li?"
Aunt Fang snorted coldly, "Li Heng? What is he doing here?"
Last time, she had been kind enough to help Li Heng achieve his wish, but he turned around and betrayed her.
Xiaoman quickly shook her head, "No, no, it's not Lord Li Heng, it's..."
"Could it be Li Che?" Aunt Fang's voice suddenly rose, and the ink-filled pen shook. She stopped copying the scriptures and slammed the pen on the table. "Isn't he going to die?"
"I heard his sentence was changed to exile. I don't know how he got out." Xiaoman said tremblingly, "He was dressed very tightly, so I couldn't see clearly. Maybe, maybe I was mistaken..."
Aunt Fang was still holding a grudge in her chest. If she had to say who she hated the most, Zhao Qingyi would be the first and Li Che would be the second. If it weren't for this man, her Man'er would not have made so many mistakes. Li Che was the root of all evil!
"This loser, dare you come to me?"
Aunt Fang snatched the note and her face became even gloomier after reading it.
Li Che actually used Jun Ge'er to threaten her. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Li Che is really a piece of shit!
Thinking of her daughter's instructions before leaving for the capital, Aunt Fang had to meet Li Che no matter what, otherwise she was really afraid that Li Che would go mad and attack Jun Ge'er. So she changed clothes with Xiaoman and walked to Jiaomen in the dark.
"Long time no see, Aunt Fang." Li Che had been waiting outside the door. When he saw someone coming, he slowly took off his cloak and hat, revealing a pale face.
Aunt Fang took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes brimming with hatred. "You're really clever. You managed to escape like this. Aren't you afraid that I'll report you?"
Li Che was no longer afraid. He had nothing to lose except his life. He handed over an envelope and said, "It's done. Jun Ge'er gives it to you."
Aunt Fang didn't answer, "Why should I believe you?"
As far as she knew, Jun Ge'er was being raised on Zhao Qingyi's farm, but Zhao Qingyi was extremely wealthy and owned countless farms. She didn't even know where they were exactly. How could Li Che ensure that he could find Jun Ge'er and bring him out?
"I can get out of a place like the Imperial Prison. It won't be difficult to find Jun'er." Li Che's voice was cold and without any emotion. After saying that, he put on his cloak and hat again, turned around and disappeared into the night.
Aunt Fang stared at his back and felt inexplicably cold. She felt that Li Che had changed a lot.
Only after returning to the room did Aunt Fang dare to open the envelope. It turned out to be the route map and servant dispatch for the old lady's prayer on the day. All major affairs in the mansion were handled by the mistress, and this time was no exception. It was handled jointly by Meng and Feng. As a concubine, she had no right to know these details.
Li Che, an outsider, understood it so clearly.
There was also a note attached, asking her to exchange Zhao Qingyi with him for Jun'er. One was his enemy and the other was his own grandson. Aunt Fang knew which was more important.
—
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of Mrs. Zhao's birthday banquet. The whole family went out early and accompanied the old lady to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense. The day before, Aunt Fang presented the old lady with a copy of the Ksitigarbha Sutra 9981 times, and sincerely repented, hoping to get an opportunity to go to the temple together to pray for blessings.
The old lady originally disagreed, but Zhao Huailiang came forward to defend her, "I just want to go with you to burn some incense and pray for safety. You'll continue to be confined to your room when you return."
The old lady finally agreed and thought of Fang Ru who was staying at the house, so she asked her to go with them.
Xiangguo Temple is very popular and is always crowded no matter what day you go there. In order to ensure that the prayers on this day go smoothly, Meng and Feng sent people to the temple in advance to make arrangements, so that the journey would be smooth and the vegetarian meals that had been ordered would also be donated after the prayers.
Unexpectedly, she met Li Heng outside the mountain gate of Xiangguo Temple. There were many people around him, including Zhang Wanyan's husband Qiao Wenbai.
Seeing the Zhao family, Qiao Wenbai and Li Heng hurried forward to greet them. They were holding a New Deal Poetry Meeting here today, and unknowingly it had conflicted with the old lady's birthday. So they changed the venue and hoped that the old lady would not blame them.
When wealthy families in Beijing celebrated their birthdays, they always had a great time and made the news known to everyone. However, only a few families would do what the old lady did, where they would just hold a blessing ceremony in the temple and donate vegetarian meals.
The old lady smiled and clasped her hands together, telling them to continue with the poetry reading and not to pay any attention to her.
Qiao Wenbo and Li Heng bowed again. The old lady exchanged a few words of greeting and took a closer look at Li Heng. He seemed to be a good kid.
Fang Ru also secretly glanced at him several times, but unlike before, in addition to admiration, there was also a hint of worry and uneasiness. When the old lady led the female relatives into the hall to burn the first incense, Fang Ru ran out, ignoring the countless eyes in public, grabbed Li Heng's wrist and went to a place with fewer people.
Qiao Wenbo and the others were stunned and looked at each other.
Li Heng felt very uncomfortable being pulled by her, and when they reached the tree, he broke free from her and asked, "Miss Fang, what is your intention?"
"Master Li, you should take your colleagues and leave as soon as possible." Fang Ru said anxiously, "You have come at the wrong time."
"I know. I've already apologized to the old lady..."
"It's not that! In short, just leave quickly!" Fang Ru couldn't say some words and was so anxious that she burst into tears.
Li Heng keenly sensed something unusual, "Is something going to happen? Could it be that the old lady and the others are in danger?"
Fang Ru turned her face away and said, "Don't worry about it, let's go." She didn't expect Li Heng to be here. If it weren't for Li Heng, she would have kept everything she knew last night to herself.
At this point, Li Heng had an idea in his mind. He pulled Fang Ru over and forced her to look at him. "Is something going to happen? Is it to the old lady or the county lady?"
Fang Ru bit her lip and didn't dare to say anything.
"Human life is at stake, speak up!" Li Heng yelled at her in desperation.
Qiao Wenbai and others who were not far away felt that something was wrong and wanted to step forward to stop it. Suddenly, they heard screams coming from the main hall diagonally in front of them. The young monks guarding outside the hall rushed out, their faces full of panic and fear.
Li Heng heard the scream and shook off Fang Ru and ran over.
"Master Li!" Fang Ru stamped her feet anxiously, but finally followed him.
Li Heng rushed into the main hall. The Zhao family screamed again and rushed towards the golden Buddha statue. Several black-clad, masked assassins were holding knives, and one of them even held Meng hostage. "Don't come over here! Or I'll kill her!"
The others protected him and kept an eye on the rest of the people in the hall.
Zhao Qingyi tried to step forward several times, but the old lady protected him behind her. "If you want money, we will give you whatever you want, but don't hurt anyone."
"I don't want money." The assassin changed his hand to grab Meng's neck, and pointed the knife at Zhao Qingyi with the other hand, "I want her. If you want this woman to live, use her in exchange!"
"Okay, I'll switch with you." Zhao Qingyi didn't hesitate, took a step forward, and pushed his eager brother to the old lady. The old lady could only hold her grandson's collar tightly.
When the assassin broke in, Meng subconsciously protected her daughter, so the assassin failed to catch Zhao Qingyi and instead caught Meng by mistake. At that moment, Zhao Qingyi understood that they were all targeting her.
The other party was not like the previous group of people who tried to assassinate her. They just wanted to capture her and keep her alive, but they might not spare Meng.
Meng was still calm and warned Zhao Qingyi not to come over. Feng and Zhao Wenyi also advised her not to come over.
Zhao Lan was furious. If it weren't for his grandmother holding him back, he would have rushed forward with his new sword and fought to the death.
Li Heng ran in and saw this scene. He also advised Zhao Qingyi not to act rashly, but she didn't listen. Instead, she slowly walked towards the man in black, her almond-shaped eyes as calm as ever.
She was so calm that the assassin feared she might play tricks, so he simply took Meng hostage and left the main hall, heading towards the back hills of the temple. "If you want her to live, no one else is allowed to follow!"
"Okay, I'll go there alone."
"Qingyi!"
Old Madam Zhao's eyes were red from crying, and she kept shaking her head at her.
Li Heng stood at the door of the palace and did not dare to act rashly. He watched Zhao Qingyi go to the back mountain alone, and they could only follow from a distance. If they tried to get closer, the assassin would threaten Meng.
Zhao Qingyi remained calm, staring coldly at the assassin's every move. When he reached the cliff at the back of the mountain, he was met by several masked assassins. In addition, there was a man hanging on a crooked tree at the edge of the cliff.
Zhao Qingyi paused, stared at the man, unable to close his eyes.
How come Chu Yuanhe was also captured by the assassin and hung on a tree!
Next, is she asked to choose between the two?
The assassin who held Meng hostage was stunned for a long time when he saw Chu Yuanhe. He couldn't remember when he had kidnapped him. Besides, his employer only gave them money to capture Zhao Qingyi alive.
Chu Yuanhe's hands and feet were tied with hemp ropes, hanging in the air and dangling back and forth. Below him was a bottomless abyss, but he was not nervous at all. Instead, he smiled playfully, "The county lady has finally come to save me."
The Zhao family who followed from afar also recognized Chu Yuanhe. They were so scared that their legs went weak. "Prince?"
The assassin in charge of holding Meng hostage shuddered. "Did they also kidnap the prince?" He couldn't help but glare at his companions who came to help.
There is no way to capture the county lady. The employer has given money, but it is completely unnecessary for the prince to do so. Not only is it a thankless task, but it also offends the royal family.
No matter what, the most urgent thing is to catch Zhao Qingyi.
"Come here."
Zhao Qingyi didn't move, "Let them go first."
"If we let them all go, won't we be at a disadvantage?" The assassin was not stupid. He took Meng and retreated to the edge of the cliff. "You choose one of the two."
Zhao Qingyi calmed down, glanced at Chu Yuanhe hanging on the tree, then looked at his mother, and made a quick decision, "I choose my mother. If you let her go, I will do whatever you want with me."
This was the result the assassin most expected. The assassin waited for Zhao Qingyi to get closer and closer, warning her not to play tricks.
Everyone's attention was focused on the assassin and Zhao Qingyi. Chu Yuanhe was hanging in the air, and he could see Zhao Qingyi's expression clearly.
This result is not surprising.
But why... I still feel a little sad.
She did not hesitate for a moment and chose to save Meng and gave up on herself. If she had really been kidnapped, she would have fallen off the cliff and died.
Chu Yuanhe sighed silently. At the moment when the assassin pushed Meng away and took Zhao Qingyi hostage, he suddenly flew forward with both feet and hit the assassin in the back.
The assassin groaned and flew out. At the same time, Chu Yuanhe used his internal strength to break the hemp ropes that bound his hands and feet. His tall body turned half a circle in the air and landed steadily on the ground, stepping on the assassin who was about to get up and knocking him back.
The fake assassins who were originally waiting here took off their masks, drew their swords and quickly grabbed the real assassin.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did Old Lady Zhao dare to run forward with her family, support Meng, thank him, and ask him why he was there.
"Oh, I heard that the scenery on the edge of this cliff is unique, so I was hanging here to enjoy the scenery. I happened to encounter assassins holding your female relatives hostage, so I rescued them." Chu Yuanhe was very perfunctory.
Except for Zhao Qingyi, he seemed to have always treated others like this. There was no need to explain, and if he did, it would be nonsense.
Old Madam Zhao smiled awkwardly, and didn't ask any more questions, but just thanked him.
Zhao Qingyi coughed lightly and used her eyes to remind him to be more restrained. Only then did his expression become more serious.
“…”
Meng's expression was extremely strange, but she pretended to know nothing about her daughter and the prince.
Chu Yuanhe had the assassin taken away and tortured severely, and the last trace of blood on Aunt Fang's face disappeared.
Those assassins were not of the same caliber as the ones who had killed Zhao Huaiyi on the Shanxi highway. Back then, she had money and could afford to pay a high price to hire assassins, but now things were different. The assassins she hired to capture Zhao Qingyi alive were not very skilled and probably wouldn't be able to withstand torture. What if they gave her up...
"Aunt Fang."
Li Heng suddenly called her.
Aunt Fang shuddered, and Old Madam Zhao also looked over with a puzzled look on her face.
Li Heng glanced at Fang Ru. "I have something I'm not sure about. Just now, in front of the palace, Miss Fang came and warned me to leave immediately. Then, an assassin appeared in the palace and took the Madam hostage. I wonder if there's any connection between these two events?"
Everyone present, veterans of the harem for many years, immediately understood what was going on. Old Madam Zhao scolded, "Fang Ru, tell me quickly, what do you know?"
Fang Ru quickly knelt down, looked at Aunt Fang in panic, then looked at Li Heng, stammering and unable to speak.
"What's the connection?" Aunt Fang preemptively said, "You know Ru'er is in love with you, but you've rejected her time and again. It's only natural for her to not want to see you and urge you to leave."
After saying that, he glared at Fang Ru with a look of dismay, and stepped forward to pinch her, "You useless thing, she doesn't have you in her heart, but you still try to get closer. Aren't you ashamed enough?"
Fang Ru covered her arms and screamed, her eyes blurred with tears. Her aunt knew everything. If she dared to say anything against her aunt, she would never be able to survive in the Zhao family again. She could only admit her mistake with tears.
Having dealt with her before, Li Heng could almost conclude that today's assassin was arranged by Aunt Fang, it must be her.
Aunt Fang interrupted him again, "Master Li, you don't think I arranged the assassin, do you? I'm just a concubine, I know nothing about the arrangements for today's prayer, how could I have arranged for the assassin to lurk in the palace in advance?"
If there is any doubt, Feng is more suspicious.
Feng also heard it and was furious, but fortunately her daughter Zhao Wenyi held her back and she did not rush forward.
Li Heng was choked by her and was speechless. "If it weren't for you, how would your niece know in advance that there would be an assassin..."
"We'll know who the mastermind is after a trial." Chu Yuanhe interrupted them suddenly, laughing wickedly.
Zhao Huailiang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and slapped Concubine Fang in the face. Concubine Fang was stunned and wanted to argue, "Master..."
"Stop talking!"
Zhao Huailiang glared at her fiercely, "Mother is still too lenient with you. If I had known you would cause trouble, I should have kept you grounded! Someone like you is really not worthy of giving birth to Jiang Yan. You are not worthy of being his mother!"
When Zhao Jiangyan was mentioned, Aunt Fang immediately lowered her head and knelt down, her face turning pale.
"I know I was wrong. It was all because of my own foolishness. Master, please don't vent your anger on Jiang Yan. He is just a child. He doesn't know anything. All the mistakes are my fault!"
"You disappoint me so much!"
Zhao Huailiang seemed to still be angry. Before everyone could react, he picked up the knife on the ground and executed the assassin on the spot. Blood instantly spilled all over the ground.
"Ah!" The female relatives quickly stepped back, not daring to open their eyes to look. The old lady turned the Buddhist beads, closed her eyes and chanted Buddha's name to suppress the horror in her heart.
Only Chu Yuanhe and Zhao Qingyi remained calm. Facing the assassin's death, they had a feeling of "so that's how it is". The two exchanged glances briefly.
Chu Yuanhe smiled, turned his wrists that had just been tied, and the wide sleeves slid down, revealing two bruises just right.
"Alright, the assassin is dead. I've avenged my sister-in-law and Qingyi." Zhao Huailiang dropped the knife and took a deep breath to calm himself. "As for Concubine Fang, she'll be imprisoned for life and never allowed to leave the yard again!"
Meng looked at him meaningfully, then looked at Zhao Qingyi, who nodded slightly, indicating that she should put it aside for the time being.
There is no need to ask any further. The one who has been hiding in the dark and attacking their eldest house is not Aunt Fang, but her good second uncle, Zhao Huailiang.
Aunt Fang was just a knife in his hand.
Old Madam Zhao didn't think much about it. She just felt that her second son was too soft-hearted and blinded by beauty. He still had feelings for the other concubine.
Poor second wife's bloodline actually came from Aunt Fang's belly. If it weren't for her grandson Zhao Jiangyan, she would not have spared Aunt Fang's life this time no matter what.
Each family member had his own thoughts, and the old lady had no intention of worshipping Buddha. She said she had a headache and went down the mountain to return home.
Zhao Qingyi lagged behind a few steps, keeping a suitable distance from Chu Yuanhe. "I'll ask Qiaoyue to bring you some medicine later."
"No." Chu Yuanhe covered his wrist and looked straight ahead.
The words "Comfort me quickly" were almost written on his face.
Zhao Qingyi was also helpless. "Something happened today. I must go home and stay. Who knows, my mother might have something to ask me."
So Chu Yuanhe couldn't come, and she couldn't go to her own house.
Chu Yuanhe's eyes darkened as he said resentfully, "You're going back to the Zhao family. Am I not still next door to you?"
If you really want to, you can come and see him.
...I still don't love him enough.
Zhao Qingyi seemed to have just remembered that the palace was only separated from her courtyard by a wall.
Seeing the other person's expression, she pursed her lips to suppress a smile, and breathed a sigh of relief. She coaxed him softly, "Okay, okay, if you have nothing to do tonight, I'll go see you and apply the medicine myself."
Chu Yuanhe's expression improved, and when they reached the gate of Xiangguo Temple, they parted ways.
The atmosphere in the Zhao family became gloomy again and no one spoke. After returning home, Zhao Huailiang personally took Aunt Fang into Fangfei Courtyard. Old Lady Zhao had a lot to say, but she didn't say it out loud.
Let's wait and see. If Zhao Huailiang is kind-hearted, then she doesn't mind doing it for him.
As soon as she entered Fangfei Courtyard, Aunt Fang began to cry sadly and begged Zhao Huailiang to forgive her once.
Zhao Huailiang pondered for a moment, then sighed with regret, "We've been husband and wife, so please allow me to end my life on my own."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com