Build a golden house (1)
Chapter 31 Building a Golden House (1)
With his hands and feet tied, Feng Siji lost the most basic ability to move. The feeling of being bound and out of control made him extremely manic, and the blood in his heart rushed to his head.
He tried to struggle angrily, but Li Qi was someone who had survived through many hardships. She did everything to perfection, even tying knots with great skill. Even though he had been trained by his father to untie knots by himself when he was promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister, he could not break free now.
The thick rope was tightly tied around his wrists. The more he struggled, the more burning pain his wrists felt.
"Don't waste your energy. The knot I tied can't be untied by anyone except myself."
Feng Siji wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, a pool of blood spurted out. At that moment, the door opened and Concubine Li walked into the room in casual clothes, followed by Dong Linche and Ye Lan.
Dong Linche has changed from his previous childish appearance. The suppressed calmness in his eyes is no less than that of a man in his thirties. Ye Lan is no longer as idle and lazy as before. The two of them walked over and lined up on both sides behind him, then bent down and took Feng Siji's arms on the left and right.
Li Qi ordered in a cold voice: "Put him in the carriage, and the Empress and I will take him to the Jiedu Mansion."
The two men said nothing as they lifted him up from the ground and walked out.
Passing by Li Qi, he smelled the fragrance of cold plums on her body and saw the peach blossom hairpin he gave her stuck diagonally in her black hair. He was unwilling and resentful, staring at her longingly, hoping to see even a trace of reluctance and hesitation in her. Then he might be able to comfort himself that she still had feelings for him and that the time in Qianzhou was not just a show.
But no.
Nothing.
She didn't look at him from beginning to end, nor did she make any movement. She just watched indifferently, ordered someone to put him in the carriage, and covered his mouth with a handkerchief to prevent him from doing anything.
All the actions were carried out smoothly, without any hesitation on the part of Dong Linche and Ye Lan. They looked so skillful that he would not believe it if they had not planned and rehearsed it in advance.
After leaving the courtyard, I saw Yeshu also tied up and leaning against the plum tree, with Shengxiang guarding him.
Concubine Li's men, led by Li Ke, blocked the outside of the courtyard, and no one could come in to know the truth.
Feng Siji looked at all of this. Every step was almost perfect, with such a great ability to calculate things that were linked together. Who else but Li Qi could have such a great ability?
At this moment, he was extremely sad and angry. The initial confusion and chaos gradually dissipated, and his mind became clearer than ever. He connected everything and thought about it again. Wang Mo was her man. He was beaten and killed by Wang Mo all the time, and was rescued by her on the roadside; she went to the Jiedu Mansion to play the piano, and Dong Linche, who was "young and frivolous", took a sword to find the Jiedushi. He followed her to repay her kindness and felt pity for the oppressed Li Qi. Once he had pity, many things changed.
What happened next? She deliberately revealed her flaws, letting him know about the Golden Mountain, and then had Wang Mo just the right moment to tell him that the Golden Mountain was empty. He then accompanied her to see it, encountering the so-called assassin... She shielded him from the arrow, deeply moved by his sincerity, coaxing him into saying he was willing to die for her.
It turned out to be all fake, every single one of them was a calculation on her part. She was far from the bright and cheerful girl she appeared to be. Her heart was dark and gloomy, filled with ruthlessness and determination to achieve her goals.
No wonder Ye Lan and Dong Linche were able to find them just in time when they were in the cave, and even brought them medicine, clothes and food.
No wonder she was not curious about what was in the golden mountain, and Dong Linche's going down to check was just a pretext.
——"Let's go back to Kyoto together, hand in hand and support each other. Tingzhuyuan will be our home from now on."
Those were the sweet words she said on the night she 'revealed herself'. He remembered that the wind was very light that night, the bamboo garden was very quiet, and they even grabbed the Laba porridge together afterwards.
—"Have you ever had other girls before?"
It was she who asked him to stay with her at night, and she fell asleep sweetly on his hand, and asked him these questions in her daze. He remembered that her hand was red and swollen from playing the piano, and when she applied medicine to her, she kept staring at him and said that he was so handsome.
——"We'll get married as soon as we return to Kyoto."
It was her promise yesterday in Merlin, when the air was filled with the aroma of tea and the fragrance of cold plum blossoms.
——"I promise not to harm your life."
Frame after frame flashed before his eyes, like a dagger, slashing his heart again and again. In fact, she did stab him in the heart. Feng Siji could no longer restrain himself. He fell to the ground of the carriage and kept shaking. Painful whimpers came from his blocked throat, sometimes high and sometimes low, like the cry of a lone goose before being shot by an arrow.
His eyes and cheeks were flushed red, and he lay down in a low position with resentment and unwillingness, looking at Li Qi who was sitting up high.
It was the first time that Li Qi had seen someone collapse so directly. It was truly like a landslide or tsunami. She couldn't help but clench her palms, her chest feeling stuffy as she said,
"You don't have to look at me like that. I nearly froze to death on the street that year. Actually, I don't like snow at all, but the plum blossoms I love bloom in the cold winter. If I want to see the flowers, I have to accept the cold winter. If you want to see me smile at you, be nice to you, and flirt with you, you have to accept the fact that I'm just using you."
She stood with her back straight, high above him, looking down at him with no emotion in her eyes. And he was like a maggot, groveling at her feet in a humble manner.
The carriage beneath him started moving and began to bump into the city.
He crawled at her feet, moving, trying to get closer to Li Qi, the sobs in his mouth getting louder and louder, and his eyes, which had always been calm and peaceful, were like a huge wave rolling up, slamming towards her violently like a storm.
The carriage suddenly jolted, throwing him towards Li Qi. He finally reached her side and struggled to get up, but his hands and feet were tied. He could only kneel before her knees, looking up at her with longing eyes as she sobbed non-stop.
He had something to say, and he pleaded with her with his eyes to take away the cloth that was blocking his way.
However, she only glanced at him lightly and turned away, not looking at him, nor paying any attention. She didn't want to listen to him, afraid that if she heard his voice, she would be unable to help but soften her heart.
Feng Siji looked at her for a long time and felt as if he had just met her. She was not as passionate and straightforward as before, but was clearly cold and ruthless.
His eyes gradually became calm, without any more terrifying waves or violent storms. It was as peaceful as the surface of a lake without any ripples, revealing a deep and dead silence.
It seemed as if there was nothing left to look forward to. It was a foregone conclusion. From the moment he set foot in Qianzhou, he had walked into her carefully designed trap. It was because he was so eager for the light that could save him when he was down and out that he ignored all her abnormalities and jumped into this trap.
He bent his head and rested it on Li Qi's knees. He could feel her body temperature coming from his cheeks, and he could also feel the blood flowing out of his abdomen. The narrow carriage was filled with the smell of his blood.
He suddenly became quiet, and Li Qi felt uneasy. Many emotions, whether it was anxiety or pity, surged into her heart. She looked at Feng Siji's head resting on her knees, and couldn't help reaching out to gently stroke his hair. His hair was hard and black, and it made her palms itchy.
She said nothing and he slowly closed his eyes.
-
When the carriage arrived at the Jiedu Mansion, it was late at night and the mansion was quiet.
Li Qi got off the carriage first and met Wang Mo. Wang Mo opened a secret passage leading to Qilitang, giving her and Dong Mingrong a way to transfer Feng Siji.
Feng Siji's soul seemed to be pulled out, and he was so numb and dull that he could not see anything. He only felt a pitch-black darkness in front of his eyes. Even the bright light of the Qili Hall that flashed before his eyes seemed to be shrouded in a layer of black fog.
Although there was brilliance, everything was gray. He knew that it was because of a layer of despair that made everything look colorless. He heard them discussing how to bring him into the Qili Hall, and felt them carrying him, one in front and one behind, like a corpse, from a narrow, dark alley into the magnificent Qili Hall.
Wang Mo and Concubine Li both retreated. After a while, the door was pushed open again. He blinked his dry eyes and saw Wei Ming walking in with his hands behind his back.
Li Qi greeted him with a smile and said, "I have done everything I promised you. The next one is Master Zhang."
Her smile was so dazzling that Feng Siji couldn't help but squint his eyes.
Wei Ming walked up to Feng Siji with a happy smile, not noticing that Li Qi had been following him. He was just surprised that Li Qi was so beautiful in doing things, and his admiration for her deepened a little.
The last time she came to practice piano, she said that she could help him get rid of the two threats, Feng Siji and Zhang Zhouzhu. She didn't expect that she could act so quickly.
He looked at Feng Siji's bewildered appearance and laughed heartily. "His Majesty is now enjoying the singing and dancing in the Qunfang Tower. He hasn't asked about you since he arrived. Don't think His Majesty will save you. Last time, you traded the secrets of Kyoto for Li Qi's freedom. How did it go? Did you gain her freedom, or did you suffer the consequences?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sudden pain in his neck and a red line shot out from in front of his eyes. Before he could react, he fell to the ground. By the time he realized that the red line flashing past his eyes was the blood spurting out of his throat, he was already dead.
Li Qi used the dagger to cut his throat from behind with a clean and neat movement.
She had rehearsed this move countless times in her mind that day, and when the time came to actually do it, she was extremely calm.
Li Qi squatted down and put the dagger into Feng Siji's hand. Feng Siji had no strength left. He leaned on the table leg with his head drooping.
She lifted his face, squeezed his hand tightly, and spoke in a chillingly calm tone, "Today you married Li Leren, the woman you've admired for a long time. But Li Leren was called to play the zither, and you were dissatisfied. When you came to see her, you had a conflict with the governor. He wanted to kill you, and in order to protect yourself, you accidentally killed him."
Feng Siji's eyes were blurry. He tried his best to focus on her face, but he couldn't say anything.
"If Your Majesty investigates this case thoroughly, you will answer according to these words. If you tell everyone the truth, I will die. Can you bear to see me die?" After saying this, she bent down and gently kissed his chapped lips.
Feng Siji couldn't help but curl his lips and gave a miserable and powerless smile. She was so calm and cruel that it was outrageous. She was still using tenderness as a knife to exploit him when he was dying.
"Lord Feng, I'm leaving. We won't meet again." She stood up and stepped back.
Alone in the quiet yet bustling Qili Hall, he heard a commotion outside. Some shouted that the Jiedushi had killed the Dali Temple Minister, others that the Jiedushi was dead, and still others listed Wei Ming's numerous crimes in Qianzhou, declaring that the Jiedushi Mansion would be completely raided.
In a daze, he recognized that it was Li Ke's voice. From what he read out, it was an imperial edict.
It seems that Concubine Li came to Qianzhou just to assist Li Qi. Li Qi should go to Kyoto with her.
After a chaotic sound of house searches, the courtyard became quiet. Feng Siji heard someone discussing how to transport all the gold hidden in the secret room under Qili Hall.
This is the moment Li Qi has been waiting for.
She had long known that the gold mountain was empty. Wei Ming was afraid that many people would covet it, so he hollowed it out and left it in Qilitang early on.
After that period of silence, when Feng Siji was about to fall asleep due to exhaustion, he heard an even more intense noise coming from outside. It seemed that Concubine Li was attacked by an assassin, and Li Qi blocked an arrow for her.
Feng Siji had clearly run out of strength, but upon hearing this, he still couldn't suppress his worry for her. He crawled over Wei Ming's body, his clothes stained with Wei Ming's blood, and crawled to the crack of the door to look out. He saw a mess outside. It seemed that Emperor Liang had returned. He was relieved to learn that Concubine Li was not injured, and questioned the captured assassin why he killed the empress.
He looked carefully and found that the assassin was Wang Mo.
Feng Siji laughed at himself. He was still worried about her at this moment. Wang Mo was loyal to Li Qi. Was this assassination another of her plans? He was really worrying too much. How could someone as vicious and deep-minded as her put herself in danger?
Sure enough, the next moment, Concubine Li leaned delicately in Emperor Liang's arms, crying, "Your Majesty, Li Le Ren has done a great service in protecting me, and she was injured. I like to listen to her playing the zither, so why not take her with you to Kyoto?"
Feng Siji stopped looking and lay on the ground with his back turned. Wei Ming's body was facing him in the distance.
She finally got what she wanted, got the gold, and accompanied Concubine Li to Kyoto. With the merit of saving the concubine, she would surely enjoy endless wealth and glory in the capital.
He didn't know how long he had been lying there. The floor was very cold and he was about to lose consciousness. He listened to the noises outside gradually fading into silence. His Majesty and others had left, and the Jiedu Mansion became an empty mansion. He didn't know what tricks or rhetoric Li Qi used, but no one came to take care of Wei Ming's body.
He watched Wei Ming's blood flow out and then dry up, and watched the sky outside brighten and darken.
He was suffering in this world with only Wei Ming's corpse, as if he had been abandoned by everyone. He had lost his sense of time and only knew that it would get light when it got dark and dark when it got light, over and over again. But once Li Qi left, she would never come back.
The seeds of hatred were quietly buried in his heart. He had engraved the name Li Qi into his bones and was waiting for the day of reunion.
-
This was their first year. Everything that happened after they met was her plan, and it ended tragically with him spending three days with Wei Ming's corpse.
But Yeshu later said it correctly: he knew everything, understood everything, yet he still ended up with a dagger through his heart. He deserved it. He didn't cut his losses in time. He kept trusting Li Qi, willingly becoming a pawn in her upward climb.
Just as Li Qi said, he was selfish. Since he wanted to see her smile and show off to him, he had to accept the result of being used by her.
Three years had passed since the events in Qianzhou, and this was their fifth year of acquaintance.
This is his and her first year in their new place - Kyoto.
This time in Kyoto, he was a special case envoy investigating the case of Concubine Li. He was no longer the impoverished former Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, but she was still the orphan with a glamorous appearance but an unpopular heart. To him, their relationship had just begun.
Now that she was right in front of him, she still foolishly thought that he was still the kind and easily blushing Lord Feng. He had too many opportunities to hold her lifeline.
"We'll celebrate Spring Festival together this year," she asked, holding his hand. "Do you agree?"
Feng Siji looked at her jade fingers grasping his sleeve, nodded, and said in the same gentle and calm voice he used to say to her in Qianzhou: "Okay."
"Then let's go to Qingxi Village. I've bought a new house there. You like quietness, so I'm sure you'll like it there too."
Hearing the words "Qingxi Village", Feng Siji was stunned, remembering that place was his hometown. After his father's body was transported back that year, his mother died of depression not long after. Later, he left and never went back.
He almost forgot that it was said that Qingxi Village was a place of outstanding people and had produced two top scorers in the imperial examinations, him and his father.
He went back recently and built a treasury there a long time ago, just for the moment of meeting her openly again.
She had disguised herself well in Qianzhou, and he had also learned some acting skills. He smiled at her gently, "Really? Although I've never been there, the place you chose must be good. Perhaps it's a paradise like Tingzhuyuan, full of a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere."
Li Qi thought of the towering treasury pavilion, so luxurious and beautiful, with only glory but no life. She shook her head honestly and said no.
Feng Siji's smile deepened: "It doesn't matter, as long as I live with you, it will happen sooner or later."
He touched her hair and said, "You go first. I have something else to do. I'll come find you later."
Boom——
Suddenly, a muffled sound was heard from behind the incense table in the ancestral hall. Li Qi swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and looked sideways. There was a wall behind him, which was the end of the ancestral hall. How could there be a sound?
"Did you hear anything just now?" she asked.
"It's Yeshu who's practicing martial arts."
Li Qi listened carefully and found it was true. She put away her attention and said to him, "Qingxi Village is hard to find. I'm afraid you can't find it. Wait until the hour of Xu. I'll meet you outside the city."
He nodded and smiled: "Okay."
Li Qi passed by him and left. He smiled and watched her go until her pretty red figure disappeared from his sight. The smile on his face disappeared bit by bit. His cold face was covered with layers of frost, and he walked towards the back of the ancestral hall with a cold gaze.
He put his hand on the cold wall and pushed hard. The wall moved back, revealing a dark room of medium size.
As he walked into the dark room, the wall automatically turned back, blocking this piece of sky and earth. From the outside, it was still just a wall.
There was a small window in the room that was so narrow that it could be ignored. At that moment, a few beams of sunlight leaked in through the window like alms, faintly illuminating the things in the room.
There was a small bed in the corner, with two iron chains extending from under the bed, tying up a disheveled man who smelled bad because he had not washed for a long time. Next to him was some uneaten and smelly food.
Feng Siji looked down at him, looking at him as if he were looking at an ant, an insignificant ant that could be easily crushed by him. He kicked the man lightly and said, "Look up."
The man suddenly shrank back and began to tremble as if by reflex. He clasped his hands together and knelt down to kowtow to Feng Siji, sobbing non-stop: "I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me..."
After he said that, he did not forget to disobey the order of the person in front of him and slowly raised his head.
The face was so dirty that only a pair of dark eyes could be seen clearly, but Feng Siji would always recognize this face. Even if it turned into ashes, he would still recognize it at a glance. It was Wang Mo who had plotted against him together with Li Qi in Qianzhou.
Feng Siji picked up a dagger scattered in the corner, squatted in front of him with a smile, and gently tapped his face with the sharp dagger. He said sinisterly: "Were you the one knocking on the door just now? You didn't want her to rescue you, did you?"
Feeling the coldness of the dagger hitting his cheek, Wang Mo trembled like a sieve and cried out in fear, "I dare not, I dare not..."
He rushed forward, and the chains that tied him made a crisp clanging sound. He hugged Feng Siji's legs and looked up as if to a god and begged: "I just want to ask, when can I go to testify for you?" As long as he testified, he could leave here. He could no longer bear the days of imprisonment.
Feng Si laughed a little, and that smile only made Wang Mo feel a chill running up his spine. He said coldly, "It will be soon. It will be very soon."
After a moment's silence, he continued, "You saw her just now. What do you think of her compared to Qianzhou?"
Wang Mo lowered his head. He still didn't know what Feng Siji was thinking and feeling about Li Qi, so he said harshly without any embellishment, "She has changed a lot. Her eyes are even crueler than before. I guess her heart must be even darker now..."
His words betrayed no trace of his hatred for Li Qi. They had agreed to split the gold in half, but she had used Concubine Li to pressure him into giving him only five gold leaves before leaving. Furious, he went to Feng Siji, hoping to join forces with him for revenge and to get the gold back.
Feng Siji agreed on the surface, treated him as a brother, and even competed in drinking with him. He got drunk and slept in Tingzhuyuan where he lived alone. When he woke up again, he had been locked up by Feng Siji.
Wang Mo later realized that people change. Feng Siji has changed since Li Qi abandoned him.
He was no longer the honest official who was loved by everyone and always worked for the people. He seemed to have gone mad, and his methods were a thousand times more cruel than Li Qi's. All the people left behind by Wei Ming were brutally killed by him, and even the old man selling sandalwood died in his hands.
From the maid in Qili Hall to the mother in Qunfang Tower, none of those who had been enemies with Li Qi and bullied her, and none of those who had received her kindness and friendship, survived.
He attached himself to the new governor and almost acted arrogantly in Qianzhou. He no longer talked to others like he used to. He was taciturn, kept to himself, and moved around every corner of Qianzhou like a ghost.
For a long time, no one could figure out whether he was a good person or a bad person.
It was not until later that he told Wang Mo that the people he killed were all related to Li Qi, he hated Li Qi, and he wanted revenge.
The purpose of imprisoning Wang Mo was to overturn Wei Ming's verdict, make the truth about the raid on the Jiedu Mansion public, and use this crime to severely push Li Qi into the abyss.
In the Qianzhou plot, Li Qi was the mastermind, but Wang Mo was just a small follower and was treated like this by him. Wang Mo didn't dare to think about what would happen to Li Qi, the mastermind, if he really fell into his hands.
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