Smoke recalls the past
During this period, in order to prevent the officials from having any reason to impeach Li Xingyi, Qi Dou went to Yonghe Palace to sleep every day.
At this moment, inside Fengyi Palace, Li Xingyi was sitting in a chair, quietly looking ahead. Many palace servants stood in two rows on the left and right. To Li Xingyi's left stood Qianwu, and to his right stood Qingyi.
As the empress, having many palace servants was secondary, but they followed Li Xingyi wherever he went, and with Qianwu by his side, he always made Qianwu do the work while the others went elsewhere, leaving him alone with Qingyi. After this happened many times, it was inevitable that people would become suspicious, and that's how the current situation came about.
Li Xingyi lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Is Your Majesty going to Yonghe Palace again today?"
She needed a topic to start with, and after thinking about it, she felt that this topic was more suitable.
Qianwu replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
It fell silent again. Li Xingyi had no choice but to wait until everyone was asleep before talking to Qingyi. After all, this topic was unreliable to begin with, so he could only wait until everyone was asleep before talking to Qingyi.
Li Xingyi said calmly, "It's getting late, please help me take a bath."
The crowd replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
After everyone had prepared the bath, Li Xingyi went to soak in it. The bath was sprinkled with pear blossoms, which must have been freshly picked. Only Qingyi and Qianwu were left in the room to serve him by the pool.
Qingyi gently rubbed Li Xingyi's upper body. When she rubbed his left hand, Li Xingyi secretly wrote the words "Zi Shi" (11 PM - 1 AM) in her palm. Qingyi immediately understood and continued to work quietly without making a sound.
At midnight, Qingyi arrived as promised. The palace was pitch black, with only the faint moonlight shining through the windows. Li Xingyi sat on the bed and looked at Qingyi on the floor, asking, "How is it?"
Qingyi said, "We haven't found anything yet..."
Not long after the Shi family's downfall, Shi Hui had Shunhua deliver a message to Shi Yi, the new head of the Shi family and her younger brother, asking him to spread rumors about the Li family. However, the Li family had done many good deeds and enjoyed popular support. Upon hearing these rumors, the Li family members beat the Shi family members up and disliked them even more.
So Shi Hui thought it over and decided to have the adult women in the clan get married so that the Shi family could rise up. The patriarch gave the order and no one dared to disobey. Although the Shi family was not a high-ranking official at that time, people were like a big net and relationships were the breakthrough point.
A woman married a butcher whose brother-in-law was a wealthy merchant with a younger brother. Another woman married the butcher's brother, whose friend was a minor official who was unmarried. After all, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. In this way, the Shi family became entangled in court affairs, like spider webs, appearing and disappearing. Pillow talk is the best tactic. In this way, Shi Hui and the Shi family became an untouchable danger.
It's just a pity for the women of the Shi family; their happiness is exploited throughout their lives. Those who are lucky thrive, while those who are unlucky struggle to survive. The men of the Shi family also use the same tactics when it comes to marrying wives, and they are just as powerless to control their own lives.
Aside from frequent marriages, the Shi family hasn't accomplished much in recent years. To obtain incriminating evidence against Shi Hui and bring her down is not easy at all. That's why Li Xingyi's people haven't gained anything over the years and can only resort to fighting against her in the palace.
Upon hearing this, Li Xingyi calmly replied, "There's still no breakthrough. We still need to think of another way."
Qingyi looked at Li Xingyi and comforted him, "Master, you will definitely succeed."
Li Xingyi asked, "Hmm, what about the Sichuan and Chongqing area?"
Qingyi slowly said, "They encountered a person...that person's name is Mu Ming."
Upon hearing the name, Li Xingyi said softly, "Mu Ming..."
Qingyi recounted in detail how Qi Hui and the others encountered Mu Ming.
Li Xingyi said calmly, "It's a good piece, and the person playing it is quite skilled. Keep an eye on it."
Qingyi replied, "Yes, Master."
Li Xingyi closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Qingyi was already gone. She glanced out the window.
You're probably the only one who truly understands me.
Li Xingyi then lay back down on the bed and fell asleep.
The incense burner inside the room was filled with swirling smoke, drawing one's thoughts away to distant places. The fragrance was both sweet and bitter, just like memories.
Li Xingyi dreamt of the time when he first went to Shuanghan Gate. He had fallen ill after Li Hehua's incident when he was young, and nothing could cure him.
At this moment, the leader of the Frostbite Sect suddenly came to visit. She was dressed in white and wore a veil. As soon as she entered, she said, "This woman is destined to be with me. If you want to recover from your illness, let me take her to recuperate."
Li Fengtan had no choice but to agree for Li Xingyi's sake. The sect leader said, "This matter must not be told to outsiders. Just say that she is going to a blessed land to recuperate. I will let Miss Li go down the mountain and return once she recovers."
Little Li Yanzhang grabbed Li Fengtan's clothes and asked, "Father, does my sister really have to leave?"
Li Fengtan patted him on the back and said, "This is for your sister's own good."
After hearing this, Xiao Li Yanzhang lowered his head and remained silent.
Li Fengtan asked with some concern, "Where are you located, sir?"
The sect leader said, "There are some things that don't need to be known clearly."
Li Fengtan hesitated and said, "This..."
The sect leader saw his concerns and said, "If you are really worried, you can send a maid to accompany you. I will also give you a carrier pigeon. When you miss someone, you can send a letter by flying pigeon, how about that?"
Li Fengtan looked at Li Xingyi on the bed and said, "Then I will trouble you, sir."
He then said to Xiao Qingyi, "You have grown up with Xingyi since you were little, and I have long treated you like my own daughter. I entrust Xingyi to your care this time."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingyi quickly knelt down and said, "This servant will definitely take good care of Miss, please rest assured, Master."
Li Fengtan stepped forward and helped her up, saying, "Good, good, you're a good child."
The sect leader said, "It's getting late, we should go."
She then stepped forward, picked up Li Xingyi, and turned to leave. Xiao Qingyi quickly followed.
Li Xingyi's mother, with tears in her eyes, asked, "May I ask your name?"
The sect leader, with his back to them, said, "I am just an unknown nobody, so there's no need for you to remember me, Madam and Master."
Li Xingyi listened to everything in a daze, held in the sect leader's arms. Because he was weak all over, his head did not rest against the sect leader's chest, but turned to the back of the sect leader.
Li Xingyi struggled to open her eyes and looked at her family. The sect leader carried her step by step out of the Li residence.
Li Fengtan and the others were left standing there, tears streaming down their faces. Li Yanzhang couldn't help but hug his parents and cry together.
The sect leader led them to the wilderness and stopped. Little Qingyi asked, "Sister, are we there yet?"
The sect leader chuckled, "You have a sweet tongue, but we haven't arrived yet."
Xiao Qingyi asked, "Then why aren't you leaving?"
The sect leader said, "Because walking is too slow, my sister wants to find a faster way."
Xiao Qingyi asked in confusion, "What method?"
The sect leader said, "You'll find out soon enough. But I have to ensure your safety, and your young lady can barely stand. It's really a headache."
Xiao Qingyi thought for a moment and asked, "Is Sister an immortal? Are there any magical elixirs you can use?"
The sect leader was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, and then said, "Haha, you're quite clever, but I'm not some kind of immortal, and I don't have any elixirs."
Xiao Qingyi asked, "Then what should we do?"
The sect leader laughed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister. Sigh."
Xiao Qingyi was puzzled: "??"
The sect leader squatted down with Li Xingyi in his left arm and said to his back with his right hand, "Come on, I'll carry you on my back. You have to hold on tight to your sister."
Seeing this, Xiao Qingyi placed her hands on the sect leader's shoulders. The sect leader tried to hold Xiao Li Xingyi tightly with his left hand and lifted Xiao Qingyi up with his right hand, finally managing to stand up.
The sect leader sighed and said, "Alas, taking on a disciple is such a chore."
Then she used her lightness skill to leap across mountains and rooftops. Xiao Qingyi instinctively hugged the sect leader's neck tightly and said, "Sister, you are so amazing."
The sect leader laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright. If you have good aptitude, I can teach you too."
Xiao Qingyi asked, "Qualifications?"
The sect leader said, "It's okay if you don't understand now, you'll find out later. But starting today, you'll have to learn how to speak, what you should say and what you shouldn't say."
Xiao Qingyi asked in confusion, "Why?"
The sect leader said, "Only in this way can you survive; otherwise, you won't live to see the time to descend the mountain."
Xiao Qingyi was frightened after hearing this, but the sect leader comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, you won't die as long as you listen to me. Besides, I will protect both of you."
Xiao Qingyi nodded, not daring to speak. Seeing this, the sect leader said, "You don't need to be silent. You'll know once I teach you. I think you're quite smart; you should be able to learn it in no time."
Xiao Qingyi said, "I will try my best."
The sect leader smiled and said, "That's more like it."
Finally, they arrived at Frostbite Sect before sunset. Inside, everyone was practicing swordsmanship. Upon seeing their sect leader return, they hurriedly stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said, "Greetings, Sect Leader."
Standing in front of the group were four tall women dressed in white, all with delicate features, who stood out from the others.
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