Chapter 110 First Visit
When Qingqing saw the fortune-telling Taoist priest in Liangzhou City again, she actually recognized him.
"I never imagined that the person I encountered back then would be the Empress."
The Taoist priest wiped his sweat and, under the emperor's cold gaze, began to perform divination and calculations. He then said in a strange tone:
"The lifeless thing on Her Majesty's body... is gone. Her soul is also clean and clear. This, this..."
The three thousand sorcerers discussed the matter at length, but none of them could come to a conclusion.
Yan Dibai lost his patience and went straight to the point: "How do you plan to return?"
The Taoist priest was ashamed.
Yan Dibai squinted.
The abbot who had rushed over said, "Since we are connected by the yellow talisman, perhaps we can rely on the yellow talisman again this time?!"
Yan Dibai took the newly made yellow talisman to the main hall and pondered it for a while.
This was Qingqing's first time seeing this place. As soon as she entered, she saw rows of wooden fish, Guanyin statues, jade ruyi, and other items. Many of them were things that Yan Dibai had specially brought back for her.
Now they are all enshrined on incense tables, bathed in the chanting of Buddhist hymns every day.
Qingqing stroked her chin: "So you wanted to lock me up so long ago."
He even lied to her, saying it was just a small toy, but thankfully she didn't believe him.
Yan Dibai clutched the yellow talisman without speaking, but his back view betrayed a hint of guilt.
What made Yan Dibai even more guilty was that Qingqing suddenly opened the side hall door.
No one dared to clean the side hall, so it remained exactly as it had been when Yan Dibai left. Qingqing immediately spotted the underpants in the center of the bed, too late for Yan Dibai to block them.
"Yan Dibai??"
The young man turned his head. A thin blush spread across the side of his neck at a visible speed.
He stood rooted to the spot, his wide sleeves unconsciously clenched, his once domineering imperial presence now shattered.
Qingqing clutched the fabric; it was her size. A certain strong scent still lingered on it, and the crotch area… was also torn, just like the one in the palace! Combined with the way the underpants were crumpled and ravaged on the couch, an unbelievable thought flashed into her mind like lightning.
She blinked, and tentatively began, "You didn't take it and do something... strange, did you?"
"..." Yan Dibai's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but faced with this bleak reality, he still didn't utter a single word.
It was accepted by default.
Seeing his unprecedented demeanor, Qingqing's initial shock was quickly replaced by absurdity. Then, a deeper sorrow welled up within her.
"Are you... really that serious?"
She was speechless and didn't know what to say.
She didn't know exactly how he had lived all these years.
She didn't know how the boy who lost his beloved grew into a young man through the long days and nights.
We can only try to make up for these things little by little in the future.
Yan Dibai remained silent, then suddenly turned around and forcefully pulled the person onto the bed.
"This isn't appropriate!" Qingqing exclaimed, her eyes wide.
...
Thunder rumbled in the sky.
After their daytime debauchery, Qingqing looked at the underwear that had turned to ashes in the brazier and silently removed his hand from her chest.
"Offending the Bodhisattva, may you be struck by lightning."
He put his hand back down, then squeezed it hard. "It just so happens that it's about to rain."
She tugged at the back of his hand, reminding him, "Can we go back? Have you figured out any tricks?"
No rush.
The man's voice, still brimming with passion, gently brushed against my face.
The novice monks lingered until noon before seeing the emperor and empress off to the palace.
Qingqing's steps were unsteady, and Yan Dibai secretly grabbed her to prevent her from falling to the ground.
Facing the grateful novice monks, Qingqing smiled back, though she didn't know why they were so grateful.
The novice monks were startled. Qingqing turned her head and saw Yan Dibai's less-than-pleasant expression.
He pulled down the curtain and said, "Back to the palace."
The palace has made many preparations.
Upon returning from Hu's territory, Helan Rongwu brought back a belated congratulatory gift from the three brothers Zhang, Wang, and Li.
The head of Shi Hu, the leader of the Jie people, the last of the Five Barbarian tribes, with his eyes wide open.
Thus, the Five Barbarian Tribes were eradicated.
Yan Dibai has fulfilled his ambition.
Qingqing and Yan Dibai received them together. The reunion of old friends and the double joy brought tears to the eyes of the several burly men who had already been ennobled and appointed as generals.
Li Si almost burst into tears, "Your Majesty is finally back! We've missed you so much!"
Qingqing was also upset, "Oh dear, don't cry, General Li, why did it take you so long to get back?"
This brings us to Yan Dibai's sudden wedding.
The group was in the Northwest, and after killing Shi Hu, they were still on their way home when they heard the news of His Majesty's wedding.
They figured it was probably the girl's return, and they had been traveling day and night, exhausting more than a dozen horses in their efforts to deliver this great gift. But the journey was long, and this was already the best they could do.
Qingqing kindly asked them to get up.
To celebrate the generals' victorious return, the palace was filled with singing and dancing. That night, Qingqing stared at the boxes that covered half the floor of her bedchamber, lost in thought.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of dripping water behind her. Qingqing turned around and saw Yan Dibai entering naked after taking a bath.
Her face flushed, and she took a handkerchief to wipe his hair. Yan Dibai obediently sat down; for the first time since Qingqing returned, she was taller than him.
It was also the first time I had seen the brown scars of varying sizes on his back.
The stain has faded and feels smooth to the touch. But the mark is still firmly etched on it.
Qingqing stopped wiping.
The soft, delicate fingertips that touched her from behind slid along the old scars. Yan Dibai glanced sideways. "Ugly?"
Qingqing sighed, “...It’s not ugly, it’s very imposing.”
Yan Dibai chuckled and took her fingers, playing with them. "We'll go back tomorrow."
"You found a way??" Qingqing asked in surprise.
Yan Dibai pulled her to sit on his lap, his tone unusually soothing: "Okay, go to sleep first."
Before setting off the next day, Yan Dibai reluctantly released the soft body in his arms. He went to the Heavenly Prison.
The room was fully equipped with all the necessary utensils. Feng An, or Cui Yan, was sitting there painting.
The painting depicts a beautiful woman with two adorable children at her knees.
Sensing the tall figure approaching, he washed his wolf-hair brush and said leisurely:
"In Longnan and Longbei, the Xiao family currently holds sway, which is secure. However, during my time managing affairs there, I discovered that the local gentry are not behaving themselves. Your Majesty should still give them a nudge from time to time."
During these five years, whenever the two met, Yan Dibai would either vent his anger by beating someone, or they would discuss political affairs.
Cui Yan's control over the world was not as good as Yan Dibai's; he mostly speculated based on the small events he observed.
Yan Dibai mostly ignored him, only occasionally paying attention to a few things.
Is he trying to hit me again because he hasn't said a word today?
Cui Yan smiled.
He didn't intentionally cause his half-brother, the emperor, to lose his beloved.
Furthermore, didn't his temporary defection actually help a great deal?
It was clear that Yan Dibai had broken his promise. He had said he would only bring a thousand men, but he still secretly hid tens of thousands of them nearby.
Cui Yan put down his pen and looked up at the tall figure outside the prison gate.
"Does Your Majesty wish to stretch your muscles again today?"
"But I heard that Qingniang is back? I'm an old friend of hers. Shouldn't we bring her to meet us?"
Yan Dibai stood in the shadows with his hands behind his back. He neither looked at the painting nor at Cui Yan.
"I need to leave for a while."
Cui Yan raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but then his expression softened into understanding: "Oh? Taking your Empress, whom you've regained, on a trip to enjoy the scenery and ease your longing?"
Yan Dibai scoffed coldly, his voice like cold jade, utterly disdainful: "So what if you happen to seize the initiative? You were born to be a defeated enemy under my command."
"It was true then, it is true now, and it will be true in the future."
The smile on Cui Yan's lips finally froze.
Ignoring Cui Yan's instantly darkened expression, Yan Dibai coldly uttered a warning that echoed in the damp air:
"Stay put and wait for my return. If anything goes wrong, you'll know what will happen to Xue and those two children."
...
On this rare day of clear blue skies, Qingqing watched as Yan Dibai cleaved the blood-stained yellow talisman in two with a single stroke, followed by a sudden flash of white light in Xianning Palace.
Qingqing was held in Yan Dibai's arms, and this time she didn't crash down, but landed steadily in the rented room.
Strangely, everything was exactly as Qingqing had left it. Even now, looking at the time, it was only three o'clock, and the surrounding residents hadn't left work yet.
Yan Zheng lay on the ground, breathing evenly.
Qingqing stopped Yan Dibai's restless hand, quickly called the police to send him away, and then hailed a taxi.
"Young lady and young man, are you roasting snake?"
Upon seeing the two men enter in their antique attire, the driver racked his brains to come up with a term.
Qingqing quickly explained, "Uncle, this is Hanfu from the Wei and Jin Dynasties!"
"Oh oh—"
Yan Dibai crossed his arms, curiously observing this brand-new world. Seeing the towering skyscrapers reaching into the sky, his brow furrowed involuntarily.
After a bumpy three-hour drive, Qingqing, dragging her bags, took a deep breath and knocked on the rusty iron gate.
A moment later, the door clicked open, and the old lady, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, greeted her with a look of delight: "Qingqing's back?"
Then, his gaze fell on her magnificent Hanfu, which seemed out of place with her surroundings, and he was stunned. "Hey, what are you doing dressed like that? Are you filming a movie?"
A blush rose on the girl's face. She shyly stepped aside and gently pulled the tall, upright young man who had been hiding behind her to her front.
Yan Dibai bowed and entered. His expression was solemn.
"Grandma," she said, both nervous and excited, "let me formally introduce you. This is Yan Dibai, your... grandson-in-law."
Yan Dibai, dressed in a dark brocade robe with subtle patterns and his black hair tied up high, still exuded an air of profound composure beneath the cramped and low courtyard walls.
However, under the gaze of the kind yet inquisitive old woman before him, his phoenix eyes, which always looked down upon all living beings, lowered slightly, revealing an awkwardness completely inconsistent with his status.
Following the etiquette that Qingqing had repeatedly taught him before he arrived, Yan Dibai bowed slightly, albeit with perfect form and a slightly stiff demeanor, his voice solemn and clear:
"Grandmother is well."
He paused, seemingly feeling it wasn't enough, and then, according to his understanding of this world, added a highly impactful greeting:
"On this first visit, the betrothal gifts... will arrive shortly."
The spatula in the old lady's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
(End of article)
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Author's Note: That concludes the main text. Thank you everyone. As the year draws to a close, I wish you all peace, joy, and that all your wishes come true! [Lucky Lotus][Fireworks]
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