Cold Year (10)
Chapter 25 Cold Years (10)
Li Qi asked, "May I ask which lady it is?"
"It seems to be Concubine Li." The man gathered his sleeves and urged, "Mr. Li Le, don't delay any longer. Hurry and leave."
Concubine Li, it’s really Mingrong. It’s not because Li Qi plays the guzheng so well, but because Mingrong wants to see her.
She smiled without revealing any flaws: "I'll be right there."
Turning around, Feng Siji took out a cloak from the closet, put it on her personally, and said, "Are you okay? Otherwise, I'll go with you."
"No need. Your identity is sensitive, and I'm worried that Wei Ming has other intentions."
Li Qi stepped out of the door and said, "If it snows later, come pick me up."
Feng Siji nodded to her in the light and watched her go away.
Less than half a cup of tea after she left, a shout rang out from outside the courtyard: "Sandalwood! Top-quality agarwood!"
Feng Siji paused while helping Li Qi sharpen her dagger and looked up at Ye Lan, who was leaning against the window. Ye Lan leaned out the window and saw the old man passing by with his shoulder pole. She turned back to Feng Siji and said, "It's him, the signal. But the girl isn't here."
Feng Siji put away the dagger, took down the umbrella hanging on the wall, walked out the door and said, "I'll go."
Ye Lan stood up in a hurry, almost knocking over her embroidery basket. "Master Feng? You?"
Feng Siji stood with his back to her by the door frame and said, "You don't have to worry. It will be the same no matter who goes now, her or me." After that, he walked out of Tingzhuyuan with an umbrella on his back.
-
Jiedu Mansion, Qili Hall.
Qili Hall was specially renovated by Wei Ming for his extravagant life, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a place of wine, meat, and ponds. He favored Li Qi, so he named it after her, but he euphemistically called it "building it for her."
In the magnificent sky loft, the magnificent Qili Hall was as bright as day. Li Qi walked in the corridor beamed with golden light, holding Wei Ming's newly bought guzheng. She felt that all this luxury was so dreamy and unreal.
The rich have rotten meat, while the poor have corpses. She almost became one of the corpses. No matter how many times she walked this road and went hungry, every time she saw it, she would still feel countless resentments in her heart.
The door of Qili Hall was pushed open, and it was filled with people playing the piano, flute, and dancing. Wei Ming changed his previous attitude of watching and stood aside with his hands behind his back, obviously wanting to watch them practice in person.
It is not difficult to understand that people like him have a serious side. After all, the emperor has arrived, who dares to neglect him?
Li Qi went in with her guzheng in her arms, found a corner to sit down, and was about to start playing when Wei Ming came over and looked at her with a leer, "Oh, I thought you wouldn't come."
Li Qi smiled faintly and said, "I dare not disobey the Majesty's orders."
Wei Ming stared at her with an indifferent look, and the restlessness in his heart for not being able to get her became more and more intense. What he hated and liked most was her dead look. He wanted to torture her and see her lose control.
She is born beautiful, and whether she is out of control in pain or out of control in happiness in bed, she must be a beautiful sight in the world.
Wei Ming narrowed his eyes, looking her up and down, and said with determination: "The monk can escape but the temple cannot. Li Qi, one day I will make you willingly be carried into my house."
"I don't doubt Lord Wei's ability. Maybe there will be such a day, but you'd better not regret it when that time comes." Li Qi said this coldly and started playing the guzheng.
She had played it countless times and her skills no longer needed to be practiced, but Wei Ming just wanted to see her and insisted that she come.
Wei Ming had listened to these songs countless times. If they didn't pay attention to the beauty, even he could play them. He couldn't focus on the songs at all and was completely attracted by her.
The last time her little brother broke into the house, he was just angry. When he calmed down, Wang Mo told him that this was unusual. Although her brother was young and impulsive, he never dared to offend him.
Because he knew that his sister's life was in his hands.
Last time, when he rushed over so recklessly with a sword, and Feng Siji came right after, he suddenly realized that he was being tricked by Li Qi, but he couldn't guess her purpose.
Wei Ming suffered no substantial loss except for being so angry that his liver ached. Moreover, the emperor was about to arrive, and he was busy entertaining him, so he had no extra energy to pursue the matter.
He ordered someone to bring a soft stool, sat down next to Li Qi, and asked, "Has Feng Siji ever told you any news from the court, such as about a certain Mr. Zhang?
"He said that Lord Zhang wanted to kill me. You should also know that apart from the attendants, the only people accompanying His Majesty this time were Concubine Li and Lord Zhang."
He looked around, making sure the string music could cover up most of his own voice, before whispering, "It's better to believe it than not. To be honest, I'm very panicked and haven't slept well these past few days. If you just tell me, I can give you countless gold."
Li Qi paused, and the sound of the guzheng stopped abruptly. "Really?"
"How could this be false?"
His wrinkled face was distorted by the golden light of Qilitang. She looked at him and smiled: "You have to give it first."
The thing that Jiedu Mansion had the most was gold, so it was not difficult to give it to them first. Wei Ming waved his hand and said that he would reward those who had worked hard to practice dancing and string music. He distributed gold to each of them. Li Qi got the most, five pieces more than the others.
Li Qi carefully confirmed it was genuine gold and carefully stored it in her embroidered bag. She resumed strumming the guzheng, the melodious string music slowly rising alongside her voice. "I don't know anything about Lord Zhang. But I know Feng Siji wants to return to Kyoto. He seems confident and has some ideas. You'd better be nice to him, or else if he does make a comeback, even if Lord Zhang doesn't kill you, he will."
Wei Ming was stunned: "Why has everyone wanted to kill me since Feng Siji came to Qianzhou?"
While admiring the dancers' movements, Li Qi said slowly, "Master Wei has been an official for so many years, don't you understand? If you want to stand high and survive in this world for a long time, you must do things thoroughly.
"If I were you, I would kill Feng Siji first, then set up a Hongmen Banquet in the mansion to get rid of Lord Zhang. If His Majesty asks, I will use Wang Mo as a shield. Not only will I be able to retire successfully, but I will also be able to eliminate all threats. This is the best of both worlds."
Wei Ming sighed. He admitted that his brain wasn't as sharp as Li Qi's, and the people in the palace were no different. He said, "To put it simply, His Majesty and his men must be heavily guarded. What can my men do with their limited skills? Don't let them get killed before they even show up."
He looked at the dancers helplessly. One of them was as light as a swallow, and was lifted up into the sky by the other five. She scattered countless plum blossom petals, which floated in the air, so beautiful as a dream.
Li Qi suddenly broke a string of the zither.
Wei Ming turned around and said angrily: "Do you think this guzheng is cheap? You have broken my second one!" But he bought a more expensive one, ten gold coins, to entertain His Majesty!
Li Qi plucked up the broken string and looked at it, then said calmly, "Master Wei, have you forgotten what my brother and I do? We can do what your soldiers can't. With just one word from you, Master, we will fight to the death, whether it's Feng Siji or Master Zhang."
Wei Ming looked at her in a daze: "You? Seriously?"
"A gentleman's word is as good as gold."
-
At midnight, the sky was as dark as ink.
The city of Qianzhou fell into a deep sleep, as quiet as an empty city. Only the sound of silk music could be heard from Qili Hall.
Li Qi came out of Qili Hall carrying a guzheng on her back and slowly left the Jiedu Mansion amid the endless sounds of beautiful singing and dancing.
It was snowing outside. Feng Siji stood in the middle of the street with an umbrella, walking slowly in the snow. He gently brushed the snow off her shoulders and asked, "Are you tired?"
Li Qi stretched, hugged Feng Siji's arm, and slipped under his umbrella. She puckered her eyebrows and said, "I'm so tired." She rested her chin on his shoulder, looked at him and asked deliberately, "But why is Lord Feng here?"
Feng Siji curled his lips, put his arm around her shoulders and walked home: "Let's pick up a little wild cat and take her home, so she won't get lost."
"Alas, there are no wild cats, only miserable people."
Li Qi supported her waist and rubbed her legs. "I'm so tired. I should have learned the guqin instead of the konghou. When I play the konghou, I have to sit on my knees all the time. My waist and legs are so numb that they don't even feel like mine anymore."
Feng Siji looked at her wrinkled little face and asked with concern: "Does it hurt?" Without waiting for her to answer, he handed her the umbrella and squatted down in front of her, "Come on, I'll carry you."
Li Qi didn't take the umbrella and decisively rejected him: "Forget it, you are injured."
"It's okay." He patted himself on the back and said, "Come on up."
"Really, there's no need. Just support me and help me walk. Just be my crutch." Li Qi hugged his arm, with her entire weight on him, as if she was hanging him and walking.
Feng Siji sighed helplessly and stopped forcing her, just dragging her along the way.
She buried her head in his shoulder and sniffed, "You smell so clean, like soap."
He didn't say anything, just smiled and walked forward, holding the umbrella over her head to block all the wind and snow.
On the empty street, there were only the sounds of two people chatting casually. Li Qi told her how disgusting Wei Ming's face was today. He deliberately made her play the piano for a long time to settle a personal grudge, and her fingers were swollen.
Feng Siji smiled caringly and said that once His Majesty's matter was over, she would no longer have to play the guzheng for others.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the outline of Tingzhu Garden began to vaguely emerge.
It was still dark, and Ye Lan left the light on in Li Qi's room as usual, and warm light shone through the small window.
With the light, Feng Siji could see his ear clearly, with its clean outline right in front of her. She suddenly thought of how easily he got shy, and became playful. She turned around, put her arms around his neck, pushed him down, and kissed his earlobe.
"Li Qi!" He seemed to be extremely frightened, his feet slipped and he staggered several steps.
He held onto the door frame and looked at her in shock.
"Why are you so nervous?" Li Qi approached him, put one hand on the door frame, and trapped him in the space between herself and the wooden door. She even stood on tiptoe and tilted her head to kiss his earlobe.
"Stop it!" he yelled nervously, but Li Qi seemed not to hear him. She pressed him even harder, her breath against his ear, practically licking his earlobe as she said, "What do you feel? Did you raise your head and stand up like they say in the storybook?"
Lifting her knees, she deliberately tapped between his legs, "What does it feel like to stand up with your head held high? Is it really like the stories in the novels, feeling as happy as a god?"
Feng Siji took a deep breath, "We've only known each other for four days, are you..." He wanted to escape, but he was trapped by her and was afraid that if he pushed her, he would accidentally hit her...
"So what? There are people who get married after falling in love at first sight!"
"you……"
The door he was leaning against suddenly loosened and creaked open as he pushed it open, and he fell into the house without any preparation.
After he stood firmly on his feet, he closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was home and could finally get rid of that restless person.
But she didn't give up. The moment he turned around, she hugged his neck in front of him and said, "I'm asking you a question, tell me."
His face flushed red and he turned his head away, as if he thought he could escape from her.
Li Qi laughed out loud: "Why are you so nervous? What are you shy about? I didn't do anything~"
She put her hand on the back of his neck and pressed him down towards her, their cheeks almost touching, so close that she could feel his breath. "If you don't tell me, I'll kiss you."
Feng Siji turned around in shock, looking at the girl in red before him. She was sixteen years old, so radiant, yet so...
He sighed and finally explained, "How can you feel as happy as a living god? That kind of thing varies from person to person, and storybooks tend to exaggerate. Besides, if you just stand up without any relief, it's actually the same as hell. You should read fewer storybooks, otherwise your thoughts will become distorted and unrefined."
"Why would I want to be elegant? I just want to be happy with you." Li Qi looked at him cunningly: "So did you have it or not just now?"
Feng Siji hugged her waist, pulled her off him, and pressed her under the table. "Let's apply the medicine first."
He turned to get the medicine from the drawer, and when he came back, he lifted his shirt and sat opposite her. He took her hand, looked at her fingers which were as red and swollen as radishes, and carefully applied the medicine to her.
Li Qi supported her chin with her other hand and looked at him quietly. The handsome man was even more touching when he was serious. His eyebrows and expression were as cautious as if he was treating a precious treasure, which made her have the illusion that she was very important to him.
"You're so skilled, did you wipe it for other people before? Who did you wipe, was it also a girl?"
Feng Siji dipped his fingertips in the medicine and applied it to her. He said, "When I was a child, my family was poor. My father couldn't afford to burn charcoal in the winter when he was preparing for the imperial examinations, so his hands were always frozen and stiff. My mother was busy with her craft to earn a living, and her hands were also easily damaged. I often applied medicine to them."
"Then you must have a lot of affection for your parents. From what you said, they must be very loving."
"Well, after my father died, my mother became depressed and ultimately didn't make it. I promised my father before he died that I would be a good official who cared about the people."
Feng Siji raised his head: "Give me the other hand."
Li Qi shifted her hand to support her chin and heard him ask, "What about you? I've never heard you mention your parents."
Li Qi smiled faintly and said, "My father is Dong Yan, the governor of Yunzhou, and my mother is a maid in his room. They fell in love when my father was still a teenager. Later, my father married a wife of equal status. After my mother gave birth to me, she stuffed me into the young lady's room. Although I was nominally a maid, I lived and ate with the young lady and received the same treatment."
Feng Siji was stunned for a moment: "So do you hate your father?"
She shook her head. "Ever since I can remember, he's been good to me and my mother. And my mother, even though she doesn't have a legitimate status, meeting him means she no longer has to serve others and can enjoy fine silks and satins. This is already a great blessing."
"Whatever Daddy gives to Mingrong, he will definitely give me as well. Mingrong is also a good person. She is very perceptive and must have guessed something a long time ago, but she never says anything. She treats us like sisters in private."
She was silent for a moment, then continued, "Our family once enjoyed a peaceful and beautiful life. Our only misfortune was that we weren't able to defend Yunzhou."
"Alright." He put the medicine bottle back into the wooden drawer. "If that's the case, why can't I see the bright face you mentioned?"
"She's gone."
Feng Siji paused for a moment, thinking that Li Qi was no longer alive. Worried that mentioning Li Qi would make her sad, he stopped talking.
Li Qi undressed and lay on the couch. She pulled the quilt between her legs and patted her side. "Will you stay with me tonight?"
Feng Si's hand stopped as he was about to close the drawer.
"I used to sleep with Mingrong, and I've been alone for so many years. I've never been used to it." Li Qi held up her head and looked at him: "Just stay."
Feng Siji was silent for a while and said, "Then I'll stay with you."
He came to the candlestick and looked back at her: "Close your eyes and go to sleep."
Li Qi closed her eyes obediently.
He blew out the candle with a whoosh, and the outlines of household items could be vaguely seen in the dark room. He pulled a stool in the dark and sat down beside the bed, his hands resting on her soft quilt.
"Feng Siji, are you there?" she asked softly in the darkness.
"I'm here," he replied softly.
She took his hand in the dark and drew circles in his palm with her fingers: "Have you ever had another girl?"
"No."
Feng Siji wrapped her small hand in his palm and gently stroked her round and smooth nails.
"Go to sleep." He coaxed in a low voice.
"Yeah, I'm asleep."
"good."
"It's too dark. I can't see you. How about a light?"
"How can you sleep with the lamp on? Just sleep peacefully. When tomorrow morning comes, you will see me when you open your eyes."
Li Qi pulled his hand over and placed it under her head, sniffing the elegant soap scent on his body and closing her eyes: "Feng Siji, I feel so safe with you by my side."
-
"Envoy Feng?" A delicate hand waved back and forth before his eyes. "Envoy Feng? What's wrong with you?"
Feng Siji suddenly pulled himself away from his memories, his unfocused eyes gradually focused, and Li Qi's pretty face was right in front of him.
She picked up his fox fur coat. "When I woke up, I saw you clutching this thing. No matter how I called you, you didn't respond. What were you thinking about?"
Her slender fingers looked even smaller against the backdrop of the fox fur cloak, as if she was back in Qianzhou that year, sleeping sweetly with her head resting on his hand, saying that she felt safe with him by her side.
The feeling of her pillow on his head was still fresh in his mind. Her ears were small and warm, just right in the palm of his hand. Her hair fell on his wrist and the back of his hand, tickling him.
Even though his hands were so numb that he couldn't lift them the next day, he was happy in his heart.
But later, she really stabbed him in the heart.
She wore a red wedding gown and stabbed deep into his chest with the most beautiful dagger he had chosen and sharpened for her every day.
He fell to his knees, his eyes red as he looked at her: "Why?"
She reached out and pinched the back of his neck, bent down and pressed a kiss to his lips, and whispered against his lips, "You said you were willing to die for me, now it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, blood was dripping from his heart, and the pain was so numb that he bit his lips hard and used all his strength to hold back his tears, but his lips were bitten and blood flowed down the corners of his lips.
"So... Tingzhuyuan is my home, and you will return to Kyoto with me... is it all a lie?" He was unwilling to give in, his choked voice was shaking, and he couldn't hold it back, and finally sobbed out loud.
"Master Feng, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too kind. In this world, good people don't get good rewards. We will never meet again."
She pulled out the dagger with force, and he violently vomited blood, staining his wedding clothes even redder.
Her eyes were bloodshot with anger and she could not see anything clearly. Her blurry figure walked away step by step.
The bright red light that had forcefully penetrated into his abyss was also withdrawn in an extremely forceful manner.
Feng Siji believed in his own feelings and also believed in his vision of loving someone. Li Qi's later interactions with him were not fake, but her true nature without any deception.
But why would they go so far as to cut out his heart and bones?
He didn't understand, and kept thinking about it in the following years. He vaguely realized that all the deviations started after His Majesty came to Qianzhou.
"Mr. Feng, look, this is the case of your father, Feng Yijun."
Li Qi's voice once again pulled him out of his memory.
She took out a yellowed piece of paper. She had been looking at it every day, and the edges of the paper had turned yellow and curled, and even the creases were almost torn.
It was densely packed with records of the case Feng Siji was investigating before he was demoted.
The year he was demoted was the fifth year since Yunzhou was destroyed. Before his exile, he had been investigating the reasons for Yunzhou's destruction.
Yunzhou City is located in the southwest, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The mountains are steep and there is heavy fog all year round, making it difficult to walk on the steep road. In addition, the city has trained swift mountain soldiers, and the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Logically, the city will not be destroyed.
But eight years ago, Southern Yan attacked the city as if it were an empty city, and broke through the city gate in just three days.
This became a concern for his father, Feng Yijun.
Feng Yijun felt that something was fishy, so he bid farewell to the court and went south to investigate the truth in person one month after Yunzhou City fell.
However, on his way back to Beijing with the truth, he was murdered.
Three years after his death, Feng Siji took over the case.
Prime Minister Zhang Zhouzhu obstructed his investigation and when he was getting close to the truth, he was demoted and exiled to Qianzhou, and he never had the chance to continue his investigation.
This case has always been a concern for Feng Siji.
It is also Li Qi's concern.
She also wanted to know why Yunzhou was conquered by Nanyan so quickly.
When she returned to Kyoto and planned with Dong Mingrong to retake Yunzhou, she also discovered some clues.
The Wang Xiu she killed was a small soldier under the command of Governor Dong.
After Yunzhou fell, Governor Dong committed suicide, and the entire city was massacred by the Southern Yan. The governor's 50,000 mountain soldiers were shot and buried alive, becoming only bones beneath the soil of Yunzhou.
But Wang Xiu was still alive. He entered the palace and became the head chef.
Feng Siji picked up the paper she had placed on the desk. There were densely packed notes on it, each pointing to Zhang Zhouzhu.
She said, "I promised you that as long as you protect me, I will assist you in the investigation."
He put down the paper and looked up at her: "Zhang Zhouzhu killed my father in the inn. I knew it before I was exiled to Qianzhou. This is not what I want you to do for me."
Li Qi frowned, "What is that?"
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