Despite the pain, Shi Geyi gritted her teeth and climbed down the wall, then stood by the wall for a while to catch her breath.
Cheng Yi suddenly appeared in front of him, looking at him rubbing his waist, and asked with some surprise, "Who are you?"
Upon hearing the sudden, cold male voice, Shi Geyi turned around abruptly, clutching his waist: "Who are you?!" He stared wide-eyed at Cheng Yi, who was dressed in black and coldly scrutinizing him, guessing that he must be one of Di Jingcheng's men.
It's no wonder the two didn't recognize each other; they hadn't met before at the villa in the capital.
"Who exactly are you?" Cheng Yi stared sharply at him.
"I have been entrusted by Azi to come and find your master."
As expected, Cheng Yi turned and left without a word, heading straight for the main hall. Shi Geyi didn't think much of it and quickly followed, though her gait was still somewhat unnatural.
Di Jingcheng had been kneeling for quite some time, and he remained kneeling there with his back straight, his expression unchanged. He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together in front of him, and muttered something as if in prayer.
Cheng Yi walked over and stood beside Qing He. Shi Ge Yi Meng stepped forward, looking at the devout man before her, somewhat incredulous that an emperor could go to such lengths. She had heard that the people of the Central Plains were very superstitious, and that an emperor kneeling would shorten his lifespan by many years.
"Your Majesty, it's been a long time," Shi Geyimeng said, breaking the silence.
Di Jingcheng lowered his hand and slowly opened his eyes: "You've come. How is Azi now?"
Shi Ge Yimeng took out some pastries wrapped in cloth from her bosom and handed them to Cheng Yi: "A Zi is fine, don't worry. With me here, nothing will happen to her. Besides, the clan chief and the others won't do anything to A Zi."
Di Jingcheng blinked slightly and nodded: "That's very good, thank you."
"You've been kneeling for several hours now. Have some snacks first. I won't be able to explain to Azi if she gets hungry."
Di Jingcheng shook his head and raised his hand to stop Cheng Yi from offering him the snacks: "I'm not hungry, you two eat them."
"Your Highness, please eat something. If you kneel too much and hurt yourself, Her Majesty will worry," the two advised.
Di Jingcheng shook his head firmly. Azi's parents were testing him. If he slacked off again, wouldn't he be shooting himself in the foot?
Shi Ge Yimeng stopped trying to persuade him. As long as he was safe and sound, A Zi could go back without worry. Marrying A Zi would indeed require some hardship; it wasn't just as simple as kneeling in the ancestral hall.
"Take care of yourself, I'm leaving now." Shi Geyimeng turned to leave.
Cheng Yi kindly said, "Let me take you out." After saying that, he stepped forward and led the person out of the ancestral hall. Shi Ge Yi Meng was so frightened that she clung tightly to his arm. He was really startled. What kind of kung fu was this?
Shi Geyi wanted to thank him, but when she turned around, Cheng Yi was already gone.
Azi was confined to her room and could not leave. She could only find peace of mind through the news that Shige brought back in a dream.
Di Jingcheng knelt for seven days. Nalan Mingzhu secretly sent someone to bring him some food and drink, after all, she couldn't let him actually kneel to death. Otherwise, Azi would make a huge fuss, and their village would cease to exist.
He was, after all, the emperor.
Ranlayob was aware of the implications and tacitly approved of his wife's actions.
Di Jingcheng was in excellent physical condition; he knelt for three days without eating or drinking before finally fainting. Qinghe and Chengyi were terrified. They fed him water and some food, and he slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as Di Jingcheng woke up, he saw Shi Geyimeng looking at him with a worried expression. He ignored her and got up to continue kneeling. Shi Geyimeng felt somewhat helpless.
"They brought you food, not to kill you. Don't kneel here and die. Ah Zi doesn't know how heartbroken she'll be!"
Di Jingcheng was covered in cold sweat, but he remained kneeling motionless: "Don't let her know. I know you care about her too, so don't let her worry."
Shi Geyi's lips tightened: "Fine, you can kneel then. I've knelt just as many times as you have. I've lost count of how many times I've knelt in this ancestral hall in my entire life."
Upon hearing this, Di Jingcheng glanced at him sideways and asked, "So that's how you got your weird walking posture?"
Shi Ge Yimeng smiled and said, "That's right. I left A Zi with you and came back by myself. It took me almost half a month to get back, and I was beaten up and made to kneel in the ancestral hall every day. It wasn't until your arrival that day that I was rescued."
Di Jingcheng was somewhat surprised. It turned out that this young man had silently endured so much. He would remember this favor. No, it should be the second favor.
He withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again: "Thank you, I will remember this kindness. If you need anything in the future, just let me know."
Shi Geyi waved her hand casually: "I'm not helping you. Azi and I are like siblings. I will always stand by her side."
"Thank you anyway," Di Jingcheng said in a deep voice.
After kneeling for ten days, Azi was almost unable to sit still. Even though Shi Geyimeng told her every day that Di Jingcheng was fine, just that his knees hurt a little, she was still very worried and hadn't slept well these past few days.
As night fell, Azi stood in the corridor outside her room, gazing at the twinkling stars, her mind heavy with worry. Two maids watched her intently, afraid she would leave.
Azi wiped away her tears sadly, when suddenly a pair of warm, large hands grasped her shoulders. She turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa! Azi missed you so much!"
She threw herself into the old man's arms and hugged him tightly, her tears flowing even more freely: "Grandpa, I..." Azi wanted to ask her grandfather for help, but she couldn't say the words she had so much to say at the moment.
The old man gently patted her back and chuckled, "I've heard about what happened to Azi. That boy actually stole our little Azi's heart!"
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