I wasn't even sure how long this would last. She would smile at me, answer any question I asked gently, and take the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician on time. I told myself, let her deceive me. I would offer the most beautiful woman in marriage, just to win her one day of joy.
That night, she lay quietly beside me. I knew she wasn't asleep; I knew her every movement as well as I knew myself. Amidst the swaying bamboo shadows, she rose, very quietly, and walked to my desk where I always kept my memorials. With her usual gentle movements, she searched for everything she wanted.
All of that included the various, real or fabricated, crimes I had been searching for over the years concerning the Huo family. Reaching the highest position in the court is not necessarily the fault of the official; rather, it is because the allure of power is so immense, and those who sit at the top are utterly alone.
I thought to myself, "How pathetic." I whispered to myself, "When did I become so pathetic?"
However, no matter what, she was still just a little girl.
The military deployment and the evidence gathered regarding the crimes committed by the Huo family and above were ultimately nothing but a facade. The saying "when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away" is merely superficial. I bet on a major battle, I bet that Huo Yuangang, in order to protect himself, will force his way into the Delong Hall. I bet that Huo Yuangang still has some backbone.
I calculated his desperate gamble perfectly, down to the exact time and which troops he would bring. When he led the Imperial Guards into the city, flames were already rising high outside the gates, reaching the sky, and only half a cup of wine remained on the table.
I showed him the bottom of my cup: "You arrived quite punctually, my dear minister."
He held the silver spear upright behind his back and looked at me coldly: "Where is she?"
I smiled faintly and clapped my hands: "Yes, she will come."
The guard who had been standing beside him suddenly turned and knelt down before me. As Huo Yuangang's face paled slightly, I slowly drank the last half of the wine and gave him an apologetic smile: "It seems I won't die anytime soon."
What happened afterward was exactly as recorded in history books, except for a few exaggerations. In fact, what truly killed him was the arrow I shot into his heart, while the rest was due to Feng Qing suddenly rushing in from outside the palace.
I think she will never be able to forgive me in this lifetime.
I will never forget that scene: flames half a person high burning outside the hall, illuminating the interior as bright as day. Huo Yuangang could have dodged that arrow, but Feng Qing's appearance threw them both off balance. Everything happened in an instant. He turned to protect her, forcefully blocking the stray arrows that could have allowed him to escape.
She hugged him, holding him tightly as if he were the most precious thing in her life. She pressed her cheek against his forehead and whispered, "You still say you don't remember me? You don't remember me, yet you still shielded me from the arrow..."
Huo Yuangang could no longer hear her speak.
I walked over, past the corpses lying face to face, past the crisscrossing, mottled bloodstains. I slowly approached, knelt down, and reached out my hand to her, gently calling her name: "Xiao Qing."
She looked up at me very, very slowly, her eyes brimming with tears, even her nose red from crying, making her look more like a child. She seemed not to understand why I had reappeared, staring at me blankly for a long time before finally speaking in a low voice, in a tone I knew so well, uttering the most desperate words I knew so well: "I waited for him for ten years, and you killed him. You killed him..."
She looked at me with a childlike innocence: "Why aren't you dead yet?"
The wind blew through my braided hair as I looked up at the clouds in the sky, shielding my eyes with the back of my hand.
How should I tell her?
six,
Feng Qing, still smiling, stood beside my bed. Her cool fingertips brushed against my not-so-young profile in the quiet night, weathered by time. I slowly closed my eyes. I thought, then I shouldn't tell her. I'd rather she hate me for the rest of her life than let her know.
It was just a small matter, a small matter dating back ten years, also by the lotus pond in the Qi Palace. I met a little girl there, a small girl with fair skin, who stood with her hands behind her back, smiling at me, and asked me my name.
At that time, my father sent me to the State of Qi as a hostage. I couldn't speak the Qi language, and the palace was full of people who looked down on others, so naturally no one wanted to talk to me. Therefore, my personality was a bit colder than most people's. Under the little girl's persistent questioning, I turned my face away and said in a low voice, "Get out."
I told her to get lost in Japanese, but the Japanese word for "get lost" is very similar to the Qi word for "Huo". She got the answer and laughed very happily, showing her two missing front teeth: "Oh, so your surname is Huo."
She was still laughing, carefree under the sunlit shadows of the prosperous Qi Palace. Then she said something else, but unfortunately I didn't understand it.
But I remembered this sentence for a long time. When I was able to return to China, I searched for scholars in Qi and read it to them in a stiff voice. They told me that in the Qi language, this sentence had the simplest meaning: "Brother Huo, my name is Feng Qing, you can call me Xiao Qing."
Stealing Light and Returning Jade / Tianyao
sequence
A sharp knife sliced across his arm, and warm blood gushed out.
"Have you made up your mind? Once this battle begins, there will be no turning back."
He raised his hand, letting the blood drip into the Tai Chi diagram, his tone resolute: "I understand that this may not change anything, but if I don't try, I will never have a chance."
A faint light emanated from the dimly lit room, shooting straight into the sky.
His figure disappeared into the light, falling into a tunnel of time.
one
His eyes suddenly became empty, but returned to normal in an instant. He glanced at the woman in front of him, then suddenly tore off a red robe and said indifferently, "I will not marry you."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
