Chapter 57 Old Dreams
As she spoke, the skin at the bridge of her nose wrinkled slightly, and her tone rose and fell.
For some reason, Yan Dibai could only see those eyes that honestly revealed all his emotions.
It was a second mouth, repeatedly whispering in his ear: "Really."
Yan Dibai suddenly wanted to yell and kick this annoying woman out completely. However, the words caught in his throat, about to be uttered, but were forced back down by those bright eyes.
He was forced to swallow it, albeit reluctantly.
Qingqing, afraid he might overthink things, blinked and said, "When I was young, I often heard the elders say that no one can live a glamorous life forever. I didn't mean to upset Your Majesty, I just wanted to tell Your Majesty that you don't need to care too much about your appearance."
She took a step back, touching the ground with her toes, and then reached her fair hand back in:
"Your Majesty, please open the door."
The girl wasn't originally fair-skinned. But after being raised in the palace, she somehow became fair and clean-looking, and quite pleasing to the eye.
Yan Dibai looked at her hand with an unpleasant expression.
The skin and flesh are firm, white, and delicate.
Uncontrollably, he looked at himself again, as if in self-torture. The moment he lowered his gaze, the bone that seemed about to pierce his skin stabbed his eye.
Yan Dibai scrambled to her feet, struggling to sit upright against a pillar. Her dirty nightgown hung loosely on her like a sack.
At first glance, he looked no different from the street slaves he had once looked down upon.
Having done just this much, he was already panting heavily. The dosage of the "immortal powder" had varied, and now all the survivors had been completely soaked in water again.
There wasn't a single piece left.
He didn't want to look at that hand anymore, so he looked up at the sky, his gaze gradually becoming unfocused.
Qingqing waited for a long time without any response, and became somewhat anxious. However, she did not regret what she had just said; she only felt helpless.
The same thing happened last time.
Yan Dibai's pride always came at an inopportune time, or rather, it couldn't be said to be inopportune.
The warm June sun had been shining for a while, making her raw, itchy buttocks itch. Qingqing's vision suddenly blurred, but she forced a sigh:
"Your Majesty, please open the door."
Yan Dibai remained unresponsive, while Qingqing's mouth was dry and her eyelids were drooping.
"Woxue and I are both very worried about you."
The girl murmured something softly, her voice gradually fading.
Yan Dibai was inside the room. She subconsciously glanced through the crack in the door, then withdrew her hand. She could vaguely make out a patch of blue clothing.
Perhaps they are waiting.
"..."
Yan Dibai turned her face away.
At this moment, regardless of life or death, he was unwilling to tear down this only obstacle.
As for Yang Liuqing, after several failures, she should learn to back down when things get tough.
The guards outside the courtyard were serving food. After calling out several times without getting a response, they angrily smashed their bowls: "If you're not going to eat, then you're not eating today either!"
Qingqing quietly lay down on the stone steps.
-
Today is a sunny day.
Everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. The ministers in the court and the countryside were terrified, but surprisingly, there were not many replacements.
After court, their whispers were filled with an incredulous sense of relief, as if they had survived a calamity.
Could it be that this new emperor is truly the complete opposite of his predecessor?
I'm afraid they'll give you candy first and then slap you.
Amidst the whispers, someone explained to the new emperor: "Of course they're different. This one was born into the common people and grew up among ordinary folks. The other was born in the capital and has always been arrogant and disdainful of others. Their vastly different backgrounds naturally lead to different ways of dealing with people."
The group pondered upon hearing this.
Those who can enter officialdom today are all scions of powerful and influential families. For an ordinary person to aspire to be an official? It's utterly ridiculous. Even if someone were to raise an army and dream of changing the dynasty and establishing themselves as king, those with the ability to do so would mostly be those who command armies.
That is, local tyrants who already possessed certain abilities.
But one day, a boy from the lowest of peasant backgrounds brazenly trampled on their heads.
The experience is hard to describe in words.
If he had been a tyrannical ruler, that would have been one, but this king, who had been living among the common people, was found and raised to be extremely well-mannered by the princess. He was kind and gentle, and spoke softly and gently.
Normal...it's almost unsettling.
When the topic of Feng'an being found came up, everyone couldn't help but think of Xiao Yuanjing, who had fled after being drenched in water.
All that hard work, only to have it all benefit someone else. Those who hear this sigh with pity.
As for the story of Chen Sheng becoming King of Chu... it's not convenient to mention it now. Everyone understood and unanimously believed it was the will of Heaven.
"What about the deposed emperor?"
"Ha, once the political situation stabilizes, his death will probably be imminent. He's just a prisoner, no need to think about it."
"We still need to prepare for the princess and His Majesty's departure from the palace to farm. Perhaps we should say less and pray for favorable weather next year."
Xue Ying'er peeked out from behind the wall and listened to the subtle nuances in the words of these pot-bellied men. She silently spat.
"What's wrong with peasants?"
A group of haughty noblewomen, their bellies swollen like overturned pots, looked down on them everywhere. They thought things would be different after Feng'an became emperor, but it turns out they were still gossiping behind their backs.
She is no longer the Xue Ying'er who was new to the capital and couldn't understand good or bad words.
Having spent many days washing clothes in the inner palace, she had come to understand their ways. She knew that they looked down on commoners to the core.
Xue Ying'er gazed at the towering Xianning Palace, a wave of despondency washing over her. On the day of the palace coup, Feng An, who had suddenly appeared before her, seemed like a true emperor, arrogantly watching her kneel in panic, seeing her tremble with fear at the sight of the surrounding weapons. He allowed her to be mocked and humiliated by the princess's men.
The boy who had once stirred her heart suddenly became someone she didn't recognize at all.
Yes. He was a prince who had fallen into poverty and was not one of her kind.
Feng An simply stood there, exuding an air of nobility, and he blatantly slapped her face until it was swollen.
Xue Ying'er looked around; the lackey Feng An had sent to manage her hadn't arrived yet. She hesitated for a long time at the foot of the long steps, unsure whether to go in or not.
The day before yesterday, she asked him for an imperial decree to let her leave the palace and return to her hometown to live a simple life. She had been extremely humble and subservient, but somehow she had displeased him, and before dawn, he sent men to throw her into prison.
Thank goodness Miss Yang was there, otherwise she would have been terribly disappointed.
Thinking of the melancholy Miss Yang, Xue Ying'er is still in a daze.
It's one thing that Feng'an is the emperor, but the madman we met at Miss Yang's house was also an emperor, and Feng'an's own brother.
It turned out that the madman dressed in such disheveled clothes really wasn't lying. The young emperor, no, the former emperor, was just as tyrannical as rumored. If Miss Yang hadn't stopped him in time, he might have been dead long ago.
She'd certainly broadened her horizons, having met two emperors. Those arrogant scions of noble families who looked down on others probably hadn't seen as much of the world as she had.
Clutching her hands together, Xue Ying'er lowered her head, constantly thinking about what to do.
Feng An had no affection for her whatsoever, not even deigning to speak a word to her. Her being here without any status or recognition already made many people secretly laugh. They laughed at her for dreaming big, trying to curry favor by offering herself up, only to be utterly disliked by His Majesty, who found even a glance at her an eyesore.
Xue Ying'er hid under the covers and secretly wiped away her tears, determined to go home.
Here, she was restricted in her actions. Princess Xifang, who dominated the harem, had established many rules: she couldn't eat too much, couldn't sleep too much, and wasn't allowed to go out for a stroll at will. She was used to being wild and untamed and couldn't be a wealthy and idle person.
It would be better to go back to Jizhou. To farm and hunt wild game. She carefully wrapped all her small tools in coarse cloth, unwilling to throw any away.
Going back now means you can catch the autumn planting season. Having your own food means you won't feel stifled, even if you can't eat much.
Thinking this, she still found herself stepping onto the long steps.
The guards along the way kept their eyes fixed straight ahead, afraid they might draw their swords. The blood in the palace that day was so red, redder than that of chickens, ducks, and pigs. She was so distressed that she didn't eat anything all day.
Reaching the last level, on the smooth, mirror-like stone slab stood Bi Shu, her smile devoid of any real emotion. It was unclear when she had arrived. Remembering her ambiguous demeanor, Xue Ying'er bit her lip and said:
"I want to see him."
She still wasn't used to addressing Feng An as His Majesty.
Bi Shu glanced at her with slight disdain and left her pale yellow palace dress, replying as if she had expected this: "My lady, His Majesty is busy with state affairs. Is it because the servants are not doing a good job? I will choose two new ones."
Upon hearing this, Xue Ying'er immediately forgot her original purpose and felt a chill run down her spine:
"It's none of their business. I escaped by climbing over the wall. I don't want to see blood!"
Bi Shu chuckled: "What are you saying, my lady? It's just a few lashes, no one will die."
Xue Ying'er felt even more disgusted when she saw his indifferent face. That's right, this was also the reason why she didn't want to stay in the palace.
"It wasn't their fault, why are you hitting them? If you want to hit someone, hit me instead, and then kick me out."
She found the so-called rules of the palace and wealthy families utterly repulsive.
Once inside these places, she seemed to be born a lowly, inferior being. Not following their rules was considered disrespectful, and she would be reprimanded, beaten, and implicated.
This place is even worse than the Imperial Palace. Although Aunt Liu and Sister Wu have terrible mouths, they will only scold her for not washing her clothes properly; they won't be unreasonable.
Thinking of this, Xue Ying'er became anxious: "I have something urgent to tell him, but he can't always be working, can he? If I stay locked up any longer, I'll suffocate, and I won't even have anyone to talk to!"
The smile on Bi Shu's face vanished.
These past few days, he's finally understood why His Majesty dislikes this girl so much. She's oblivious to social cues, lacks any sense of hierarchy, and her pretense quickly reveals her rustic crudeness. The word "incorrigible" seems to be etched into her very bones.
If he couldn't stand it, the wise and discerning Emperor would naturally despise such a fool even more. No wonder he considered killing him several times. On the day of the palace coup, he clearly ordered him to lead men to behead the fool, but then inexplicably called a sudden halt.
It's such a pity now. He wasted half his energy on her unreasonable nagging.
"Aren't those two maids human? Madam, please stop pestering me and go back."
Even the slow-witted Xue Ying'er could see through his perfunctory attitude. If she were "invited back" this time, who knew when she'd be released again? Dying old in the palace was unacceptable. She walked past him and said:
"Let me in, I'll go in this time!"
Bi Shu was also annoyed, and swept her whisk away: "No! If you, my lady, trespass into the palace, I will be punished as a criminal! Don't think that you can act lawlessly just because His Majesty is protecting you!"
He ordered the guards on either side: "Take him away and take him back!"
The guards responded in unison, and Xue Ying'er, seeing this, steeled her heart and suddenly used a trick she had learned back home. She lowered her head, revealing her belly, and darted to the palace door like a monkey, banging loudly on it.
"Feng'an, Yan Feng'an! I need to see you. Have someone let me in!"
There was silence inside. Bi Shu, her face filled with astonishment, scrambled to her feet, surprised by Xue Ying'er's barbarity. Without a second thought, she rushed forward to pull the person away. Seeing the situation was dire, Xue Ying'er pounded on the vermilion door even faster, as if she wanted to smash it open.
When two guards grabbed her from either side, Xue Ying'er finally became frightened and couldn't help but scream:
"Xue Feng'an! Come see me!"
Bi Shu gritted her teeth in hatred and rushed forward to tear off her sleeve to gag her. Xue Ying'er shook her head frantically, forcing herself to vomit. Bi Shu tried to stuff it back in, but suddenly a slightly weary voice came from inside the door:
"Bishu, let her in."
Bi Shu abruptly stopped, looking disapprovingly into the doorway, "Your Majesty, Lady Xue has been far too impolite—"
"Come in."
He choked, his cold gaze piercing Xue Ying'er. Displeased, he ordered the guards to untie him and casually tossed the rag aside.
The palace doors creaked open, and Bi Shu coldly snorted, "Please come in."
Xue Ying'er ignored his mockery, straightened her wrinkled dress, and stepped inside with her head held high.
As soon as she entered, the door slammed shut again. The light vanished suddenly, and Xue Ying'er was startled, instinctively turning back to look.
There is no road.
She suddenly sniffed. Inhaling the delicate aroma of tea, she didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Only when the male voice inside spoke again did she take a deep breath, swallow, and walk deeper into the room.
The emperor's palace... was quite dark.
It's not bright at all.
As Xue Ying'er walked, she thought to herself, "This place is just dazzlingly magnificent, far less comfortable than my hometown of Jizhou."
Her steps inexplicably slowed down, and although she had been impatient before, she was now beginning to feel afraid.
It's probably because many emperors lived here, and emperors were all fierce, so a lot of evil energy remained.
Feng An sat by the small table, waiting for a long time without seeing Xue Ying'er. He took a sip of tea and urged, "Where is she?"
Xue Ying'er was startled and, not daring to linger, stood in front of the man with her head down.
Seeing her disheveled hair and unkempt clothes, Feng An scoffed inwardly.
Xue Ying'er blushed instantly. All the words she had prepared before coming couldn't be uttered, and she stood there awkwardly, unable to move.
They don't have the same imposing presence they have when they shout outside.
They bully the weak and fear the strong. They truly can't stand up to anyone.
Feng An sneered inwardly, leaning casually against the small table, too lazy to even look at her again.
"Didn't you say you had something to discuss with me?"
He now refers to himself as "朕" (the imperial "I") quite naturally. But Xue Ying'er finds it hard to get used to.
Xue Ying'er then came to her senses and stammered, "I, I didn't mean to disturb your peace. I'm uncomfortable living in the palace, I don't like it here, I want to go home."
Before Feng An could speak, Xue Ying'er, fearing rejection, resolutely gave him no time to reply, and pressed on with her words:
“I know what you’re going to say. I admit I’m ungrateful. I’m just a villager from the countryside, I don’t know anything. I don’t want to learn anymore, I’m not destined to enjoy a life of luxury. Let me go. I don’t want to learn etiquette with the concubines of the previous dynasty, it makes me feel uncomfortable. If I stay any longer, I, I really will die.”
As she finished speaking, Xue Ying'er's voice was tinged with genuine grievance. That wildness that seemed to drift with the wind collapsed along with her hunched back.
The girl suppressed her discomfort and waited quietly for his reply, a rare occurrence for her.
Feng An studied her for a moment, then pulled up the nightgown he was wearing. His index finger, adorned with a jade thumb ring, hooked the black jade, which clashed together with a pleasant, crisp sound.
These are fine items found in the deposed emperor's treasury.
Such a useless person is incapable of understanding refined tastes; letting him hoard it is truly a waste of talent. Feng An vaguely remembered that his former self had loved jade chessboards, but unfortunately, he disliked the young emperor. So he ordered skilled craftsmen to create a better one overnight, so that he could play with it without any reservations.
Since it belonged to someone else, he didn't like to fight over it.
The sound of the jade striking was rhythmic and quite captivating. Unfortunately, Xue Ying'er was inherently crude and could not appreciate such a refined taste.
The sound was even less crisp than rain hitting tiles, and she grew increasingly anxious. Since Feng'an wasn't returning, she brazenly pressed him for an answer:
"OK?"
Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion: "I beg you. I took you in and cared for you for so long. I treated you very well, always making sure you ate the best food. I washed your clothes, made you a walking stick, and even went to other people's homes to get you rice porridge. I was presumptuous to ask you to be my husband, and now I know that. Please forgive me, I will never dare to think of you again."
As Xue Ying'er spoke, her eyes welled up with tears: "I definitely won't tell anyone. If you really don't believe me, you can just give me a bowl of medicine to make me mute, I'll pretend to be mute. I can't even read, how could I spread rumors?"
"You hate me so much, but I'm not so thick-skinned that I can't be touched. I don't necessarily have to like you. Why do you have to lock me up here and torture me? You're not happy to see me anyway."
In their first time alone together after a long separation, Xue Ying'er forgot her fear and only felt that she had been heartbroken all along the way.
She couldn't help but look up, tears welling in her eyes. Afraid they would fall, she stubbornly wiped them away with her sleeve. She glared angrily at the unmoving young man.
Upon closer inspection, Xue Ying'er noticed that his black hair was unbound, hanging loosely down to his waist. He was also wearing only a thin layer of clothing, as if he had just finished resting.
Her eyes stung even more.
Back in my hometown, Feng'an was the same. Only, we wore coarse linen clothes and lived in a drafty, low house.
Perhaps it was the girl's obvious grievance that was so striking that Feng An met her gaze. Xue Ying'er was afraid of his lifeless eyes and subconsciously wanted to look away, but she was also instinctively unwilling to let herself be outdone. She looked away for a second and then looked back, stubbornly meeting Feng An's gaze.
But in that one glance, a storm suddenly gathered in Feng An's eyes.
This is the scene.
The woman in the dream had the same expression amidst the raging fire.
He suddenly said, "I like it."
Xue Ying'er was stunned: "Huh?"
Feng An curled his lips, his handsome face suddenly tinged with an incongruous air of wickedness. He spread his hands toward her and commanded, "Come here."
His broad, slender palm was right in front of her, beckoning her to come closer. Xue Ying'er was stunned, not understanding why Feng An had suddenly changed his mind. Seeing his actions, she felt uncomfortable deep down.
She's not a dog.
Xue Ying'er remained motionless.
Feng An pursed his thin lips slightly, then suddenly raised his voice: "Xue Ying'er, I order you to come here."
Xue Ying'er frowned defiantly, gritting her teeth and remaining motionless. Feng An stared at her intently, scoffing.
"That's just how you are, you'll never amount to anything."
Xue Ying'er was about to retort when he turned completely cold: "I'll give you three counts of time, if you don't want to become someone else's meal."
A blatant threat.
The young man's eyes were cold and sharp, and his words were cruel. It didn't seem like he was faking it.
Xue Ying'er was incredulous, as if she were seeing this unfriendly man for the first time; she was completely dumbfounded. Feng An showed no mercy, counting to two, yet she was still afraid. Humiliated, she took a few steps forward and placed her hand in the man's palm.
His hand was much larger than hers, big enough to envelop and hold her tightly. Feng An's gaze fell on the two hands, one large and one small, overlapping, lost in thought.
Xue Ying'er bent over awkwardly, the aroma of tea emanating from him filling her nostrils. Uncomfortable in this position, she paused for three seconds before saying, "Is it alright now?" and trying to pull back. But Feng An suddenly withdrew his hand, gripping hers tightly.
Xue Ying'er asked in bewilderment, "What... are you doing?"
She couldn't understand it. If this person disliked her so much, why would they force her to walk over and grab her hand to stop her from leaving?
Feng An stared intently, then suddenly released her. Xue Ying'er seized the opportunity to pull back, but the next moment, Feng An grabbed her even more forcefully and pulled her further in.
Her toes struck the edge of the pedal unexpectedly, and Xue Ying'er cried out in surprise, followed by a sharp pain in her knee. She had ended up kneeling before Feng An's legs. He placed his other hand on her head, slowly stroking her hair. Xue Ying'er immediately felt goosebumps all over, but Feng An held her firmly in place, preventing her from moving.
He looked down at him, his voice finally carrying a hint of satisfaction:
"That's good."
This humble posture is good.
Xue Ying's mind went blank for a moment, then she saw him suddenly struggle between his legs: "You're sick! Why are you humiliating me like this? What have I done to wrong you! You're insane! How dare you treat me like this! How dare you!"
The girl waved her hands wildly, her arms, accustomed to firewood, strong and powerful. She had always had the upper hand against Feng An. But now, it was all useless. Feng An's arms were wider and thicker than hers. He held her tightly, effortlessly capturing both her hands.
After struggling to no avail, Xue Ying'er became furious and recklessly shouted, "You cripple! How dare you talk to me like that? I was blind! I should never have saved you! You repay kindness with enmity! Go to hell!"
Feng An's face turned icy. "What did you say!"
Xue Ying'er continued to curse: "I said you're a cripple, a cripple! Are you going to kill me? Come on!"
"Hmm!" The young man narrowed his eyes, suddenly reaching out to pinch the girl's cheeks tightly, uttering each word clearly:
"Shut up."
She was furious, still muttering to herself. Feng An closed his eyes briefly, then simply covered her mouth and tongue. He leaned down and whispered in the girl's ear:
"If you dare to say such things again, I will cut off your mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, and parade you through the streets of the capital."
"Don't even think you can go back to Jizhou. I've already razed your residence there. Your household registration is in the capital, not Jizhou. Xue Ying'er," he chuckled, "where do you think you can go?"
The girl then collapsed, her eyes filled with shock.
Feng An smiled and said, "If I want you to live, you will live. If I want you to die, you will die. Since you can't get used to a good life, then go live in the Cold Palace. There will be no one to serve you there, which will probably suit your taste better."
He let go, "Bishu".
Bi Shu entered the room upon hearing the call, ignoring the girl who had collapsed to the ground, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty."
Feng An waved his hand: "Just find a cold palace to settle her in."
"yes."
Bi Shu came forward to help her. Xue Ying'er remained motionless for a long while, then turned around and said fiercely, "You beast, you wait!"
Bi frowned and quickly quickened her pace.
The Xianning Hall regained its tranquility, and the expression on Feng Anzhi's face was unfathomable.
Why?
He closed his eyes, expressionless and slightly weary.
...
There is a technique in the world that can change one's soul.
During his time as a Taoist priest on Qingyun Mountain, Feng'an often sat under the statue of his patriarch/master and chanted scriptures. The Taoist priests here were poor, and their daily meals consisted of coarse grains and grass.
He came here when he was fourteen years old.
At that time, he had just killed the real prince and was fleeing everywhere with a limp. Fortunately, he was taken in by an old Taoist nun who came down the mountain to beg for alms and was given a Taoist name.
He was the lowest-ranking illegitimate son of the Cui clan of Boling, abandoned by his biological father to be a companion to the prince from a young age. He led the prince's horse, warmed his bed, and was at the prince's beck and call, beaten and scolded at his behest. Feng An thought he had done this flawlessly, after all, he had killed everyone present and burned all the evidence.
On the third day after he went up the mountain, the old nun sat down beside him and said calmly:
"They've committed too many sins."
The wooden fish in Feng An's hand clattered to the ground.
The old nun only said this one sentence, and never mentioned it again. Even when he chased after her to ask, she only opened her peaceful eyes and said:
"It would be better to recite scriptures to cleanse the mind."
Feng An remained silent.
In that instant, he wanted to kill her.
However, this Taoist nun possessed a carefree spirit that transcended the mortal world. He couldn't see through her at all, and since he still needed to recuperate at Qingyun Mountain, he put up with it for the time being.
However, one day a strong wind blew, and when he woke up to do his homework, he was shocked to find that a petal had fallen from the stone lotus in the hands of the ancestral master statue.
There were doubts about Feng An, but none of his fellow disciples felt anything was amiss. So he kept quiet. Last night, during his midday prayers, while burning incense, he suddenly leaned against the statue of the patriarch and had a long, deep dream.
In the dream, he was a powerful and ruthless figure, the complete opposite of who he was at that moment.
This Feng An's early life was exactly the same as his own. He was a stable boy for the prince and was beaten by the princes' family members. He lived a very unhappy life, but he could still smile gently and happily accept their leftovers.
He endured it all, killing all the people he hated. He entered the mountains at fourteen and left at sixteen.
Things took a turn for the better on the day he came down the mountain.
He carried the jade pendant from the prince and visited various heroes to reveal his identity, and he was also very studious. Soon, a local lord who admired him recruited him and even promised to marry his daughter to him.
It was an exchange, but Feng An was quite happy with it. The young emperor was condemned by everyone, and everyone was waiting to share the spoils of the throne. If he became this person's son-in-law, he would receive even more support.
Feng'an was quite considerate towards this woman named Miaoyu. He was always thorough in his work, and Miaoyu liked him very much.
Unfortunately, during a night raid, the complacent Feng An accidentally fell off a cliff.
Feng An thought he was surely dead, but unexpectedly, he survived. When he woke up again, a country girl carrying a basket of tattered rags and straw stared at him blankly, "You're not dead?"
Feng An frowned, scrutinizing him intently, then suddenly looked away: "You're so handsome, there's no one like you in our village."
She said, "I picked you up, you should thank me."
Feng An remained silent, while Xue Ying'er continued talking to herself, dragging him back to the small house. The neighbors all rushed to see, but Xue Ying'er made up stories on the spot. After they left, however, her gaze towards him became somewhat evasive.
Feng An spoke for the first time: "What is Lady Xue thinking about?"
Xue Ying'er seemed startled by him and said dryly, "You, don't call me that. I'm a rough person, and I'm not used to it."
Feng An: "...Okay."
He smiled and decided to stay at her house. He had suffered many internal and external injuries after falling off the cliff, and it would take him at least a year and a half to recover.
Now this is the only place he can go; he has no other choice.
However, a lone man and woman inevitably attract attention, and Xue Ying'er's daily service to him naturally drew gossip from the neighbors. After several rounds of subtle probing, Feng An, annoyed beyond measure, casually told a lie: "I will marry Ying'er."
And that was the end of it.
Feng An was unaware that Xue Ying'er was right behind the door at that time. She was overjoyed by those words for three whole days, and specially went up the mountain to pick flowers and made many flower garlands for him.
Feng An disliked them and didn't wear any. Xue Ying'er had no choice but to put them on herself in silence, and happily went up the mountain to chop firewood and catch wild rabbits.
No one knew how much Feng An loathed this illiterate, competitive, and petty woman.
A woman can be like Miaoyu, charming and thoughtful. She can be noisy, or she can be quiet.
But everyone needs to be sensible.
Xue Ying'er clearly didn't understand that it was perfectly normal for him to dislike her.
Many things happened afterward. The young emperor died, and he was going to the capital to compete for power. He casually made up a few words to get rid of Xue Ying'er. But Xue Ying'er persisted, demanding an explanation from him, and several times brought him medicine and clothes in times of danger.
Each time things went well, Feng'an would leave silently. When he was in a good mood, he would even leave a few coins behind.
As for Xue Ying'er, he didn't want to know.
He didn't like her to begin with; it was she who insisted he stay.
Miaoyu returned to his side. He became Xiao Yuanjing's strategist, then a staff member for the Li family, and finally ruled over seven states, establishing himself as a marquis.
For some reason, Xue Ying'er gradually stopped coming to see him.
When Feng An belatedly realized what had happened, he remembered his past with Xue Ying'er in Fa Cai Village, and she hadn't bothered him for a year.
Nobody knows where she went.
Feng An, who already held a high position of power, suddenly felt uneasy and ordered a search. Unexpectedly, a year later, the spies found Xue Ying'er, who had already given birth to a son and a daughter, in Longnan, where Xiao Yuanjing was based.
Feng An suddenly felt displeased.
He recognized the man who was hugging and kissing her; he was a "brother" he had once used in Facai Village, a subordinate who had returned to his hometown due to illness.
He saw that neither of the children looked like Xue Ying'er; they were quite ugly.
…Perhaps it was a moment of infatuation, but he killed the couple with a stick and took Xue Ying'er back to his camp. Xue Ying'er was still the same Xue Ying'er. She knew nothing of manners and how to behave appropriately.
He seemed to get angry often because of Xue Ying'er's crying and fussing, but he never ignored her as he used to.
Perhaps that's called "not being able to let go".
Feng An's patience had its limits; he was never a good-tempered person.
He had been intimate with Xue Ying'er. Although he had a leg ailment, he was a genuine man.
Feng Anqiang/she.
It tasted quite good. Her black hair was spread all over the bed, soft, thick, and well-maintained. Her skin appeared even whiter against the backdrop of her black hair, and her body, having given birth, was plump and soft, barely palatable to him.
He felt very comfortable and happy, and he wrote down his thoughts afterward: "Like a gentle spring rain."
He doted on her exclusively, and within a few months, Xue Ying'er became pregnant. Strangely enough, this was his first child. The birth of this child was not easy. She almost miscarried halfway through, and Feng An felt nervous for the first time.
Finally, after the child was born, he turned away to attend to official business, only to return to find Xue Ying'er using her hair as a rope to strangle his son. Feng An smiled warmly and, right before her eyes, beheaded her other son.
Xue Ying'er had probably gone mad. Even after she had several more children, he made all the decisions.
He was exceptionally intelligent and gifted from a young age, but was crippled by the prince's horse and had no money for treatment. His children, however, were all healthy and robust, no less than his offspring.
...
If one only dreams of this place, it seems to be a happy story.
However, the scene that followed made Feng An's face tense up in his dream.
A fire broke out on New Year's Eve, killing Xue Ying'er. The fire also claimed the lives of three sons and one daughter of Marquis Cui, resulting in the deaths of all his children.
If he hadn't happened to be away at the time, he would have been burned to death.
Xue Ying'er started the fire.
Look at this, what a tragic love affair.
Not long after, he vomited blood several times and soon died of exhaustion. The physician said that the lord had been poisoned more than five years ago.
Who else could have done it?
Feng An closed his eyes, truly unwilling to accept it.
When he woke up again, everything was the same. He was still on Qingyun Mountain, with an old wooden fish beside him.
Feng An was skeptical of the dream. But deep down, he felt it was no simple matter. He resolved to deliberately avoid the lord, but instead, he fell off a cliff halfway down the same path and still encountered Xue Ying'er.
She squatted down in front of him, her bamboo basket on her back, looking dusty and curious, just like in his dream: "You're not dead?"
He stared in disbelief.
The ancestral altar was filled with monstrous waves, and the spirit platform resounded with tremendous tremors.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-12-05 23:34:53 and 2023-12-06 23:49:03!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Lin Jiejie (4 bottles); Qunzi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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