Cold Year (14)
Chapter 29 Cold Years (14)
"no."
Feng Siji picked up the book and stood up. When he passed by her, he stopped and said, "I just want to ask clearly, and also remind you that you promised me that no matter what you planned, you would not harm my life."
No matter what she said, he would believe her. Even though he knew better than anyone else, the reasons she gave could not convince him at all. She wanted to recapture Yunzhou so much, and Jinshan was her treasury for recruiting troops. How could she not know whether it was empty?
Since she knew it was empty, why did she go with him to check it out? Why did she meet the "bandits" by such a coincidence?
What he was afraid of was that those bandits were related to her, and that everything was arranged by her to stage a tragic drama.
But he himself didn't understand why he didn't expose the truth or ask questions.
Perhaps, he thought, it was because whatever she was planning, she had promised not to take his life.
He believed that she would do it, and he also believed in his own judgment of people. As long as she kept her promise and did not plot against him, and allowed him to live until the day he returned to Kyoto, he would accept anything and would not care what she was planning.
As for the bandits, maybe they really have nothing to do with her?
"You should go to bed early." Feng Siji walked around her and went out.
Li Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he did not delve into it and chose to believe it.
Otherwise, she herself doesn't know how long she can keep it secret.
-
Li Qi got up very early the next day.
The snow-capped mountains in the distance were shrouded in a layer of misty blue light, which looked like circles of green smoke, making things in the yard blurry. I could vaguely see a person drawing water from the well. When I got closer, I smelled a fragrant smell.
Apart from Feng Siji, no one in Tingzhuyuan would get up so early. Li Qi was a little puzzled: "What are you doing so early?"
Shengxiang carried a bucket of water into the small kitchen. "It's cold, so heat up the water so everyone can wash up. The Queen didn't ask me to come here to enjoy a leisurely life."
Li Qi followed behind her, watching her put down the water, add firewood to the cold kang, light a fire, and pour water into the big pot on the kang.
Her fingers were slender, white as scallions, and looked even more delicate than her own. Li Qi was already considered one of those people who did less work, so she couldn't help but feel a little curious about her: "You shouldn't be from a slave family, right?"
The hand that was adding incense and firewood paused, looked at her with puzzled eyes and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Li Qi pulled a bench and sat down next to her. The flickering flames of fire licked the cold air warm. She stretched out her hand to warm it and said, "I can tell from your hand. If you're not a slave, why are you by the Empress's side?"
"The Queen is not from Kyoto, and there is no election in the palace, so why is she in the palace?"
Li Qi was stunned for a moment, and suddenly found that she was interesting. It seemed that she could always make him speechless.
Shengxiang continued, "As you thought, life isn't always smooth sailing. The Queen said we have the same enemy, so she sent me to you."
Li Qi stopped talking, thinking Shengxiang and Yelan were very different. Shengxiang, like herself, was a slave, harboring hatred. She was sharp-tongued and ruthless. Shengxiang, on the other hand, was born a slave, so she could accept all injustices more calmly. She just wanted a peaceful life. Yelan was lazy, and only wanted to cook and make her life more peaceful.
Li Qi began to have some concerns. Should she bring Ye Lan to Kyoto? She didn't seem suited to growing up in Kyoto.
-
Perhaps because they knew Dong Mingrong would come today, Ye Lan and Dong Linche did not sleep in for too long. Shortly after the water was heated, they got up and began to clean Tingzhuyuan inside and out. They then went to the vegetable garden together to pick vegetables, intending to cook a table of Qianzhou hometown dishes for Dong Mingrong.
The sky gradually became brighter, and at noon, light snow began to fall.
Feng Sixi went to the jewelry shop to work early. Li Qi led Dong Linche, Ye Lan and Shengxiang to wait outside the courtyard gate, looking into the distance expectantly.
Finally, a dense crowd of people appeared at the end of the muddy path. Two rows of soldiers and more than twenty palace maids and eunuchs were escorting a sedan chair slowly towards them. The sedan chair was covered with a layer of dark red gauze embroidered with colorful phoenixes, which pressed tightly and covered the people inside tightly.
As the precious sedan chair passed by, almost everyone knew who was sitting inside. Every time a passerby passed by, one of them would kneel down. In the short distance, in just a moment, there were people kneeling all the way.
Even Li Qi had never seen such a grand spectacle before. She felt that the sedan chair was both familiar and unfamiliar. When it creaked to a stop outside the courtyard, Li Qi led Dong Linche and the others to kneel down and respectfully called out, "Welcome the Queen home."
A palace maid opened the cover of the sedan chair and helped Dong Mingrong out.
In the limited field of vision of the kneeling people, a pair of embroidered shoes adorned with expensive oriental pearls appeared. Dong Mingrong stopped in front of Li Qi, bent down and extended her hand to her: "Everyone, stand up."
Li Qi stood up straight. Dong Mingrong glanced at her and then turned his gaze to Dong Linche who was standing beside her.
Dong Linche's eyes were bright, but there was a sense of awe and unfamiliarity in his gaze when he looked over. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Li Qi pushed him, and he got anxious and shouted, "Sister, I..."
Mingrong smiled faintly and didn't care what he shouted. She reached out her hand to touch his head, but suddenly realized that he had grown up, she was already a concubine in the palace, and now he had become a man from outside.
The hand then moved upwards, just to compare his height: "I didn't expect you to have grown so tall. I have taken good care of you over the years."
Dong Linche scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.
Li Qi said, "My Lady, please come in. I've made some home-cooked food..."
"No," Dong Mingrong interrupted her slowly, saying, "I can't stay long. His Majesty is still waiting for me."
The fact that she could come back alone was an opportunity she had obtained after begging His Majesty for a long time. If she stayed too long, it would probably make His Majesty dissatisfied. If he was dissatisfied, he would not protect her, and her life would be difficult after she returned to the palace.
She glanced around the bamboo garden, the well with its hanging bucket, the vegetable garden covered with a cloth tent, the strings of chili peppers and dried corn hanging from the eaves. Every scene and object exuded a strong sense of life. Unlike her palace, which was only made of gold bricks and jade tiles, which glittered but felt cold to the touch.
A plum tree is full of red flowers, clustered together, like a sky full of fiery clouds.
Dong Mingrong felt warm at the sight and said, "This plum tree is in full bloom. I think it must have been taken care of with great care."
Ye Lan chuckled and said, "I did it."
Dong Mingrong looked at her approvingly, then asked her maid to present a jade box.
The jade box reflected a bright, cold light. Dong Mingrong picked it up with her jade-white fingers and handed it to Li Qi: "This is my gift for you this time. Open it when you need to go to Kyoto."
"I've also contacted Wei Ming. If Lord Feng is willing, he can return to his desk job at any time. I heard that he's currently working as a craftsman in a jewelry store."
"Yes, he learned the craft from his mother."
Li Qi brought it over. The jade box felt cold in her palm. It was neither heavy nor cold, so it must contain something small.
Dong Mingrong paused, then smiled. "Lord Feng and I have been in Kyoto for so many years, and we didn't even know his mother was a hairpin lady. How long have you known him? And you already know it so clearly."
Li Qi lowered her head slightly, her cheeks a little hot. She knew that Mingrong had a keen eye and a clear mind, and could see through everything.
Dong Mingrong didn't continue talking about this. Seeing Li Qi accept the box, she said, "It's time for me to go back."
She turned to leave, but Li Qi hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "When will Your Majesty return to Beijing?!"
"In three days, the whole city will see you off. But I have nothing to do with you while I'm away. I came to see you this time just to find an excuse to listen to some music. If you want to see me off, you can just blend in with the people in the city."
After saying this, Dong Mingrong held the palace maid's arm and slowly stepped onto the sedan chair.
Once the dark red cover was put on, it completely covered her entire body. The thick cover could not even be wrinkled by the wind, which showed how heavy and tight it was.
Li Qi saw it, but felt that it was like a cage trapping Mingrong.
This was the first time they met after she gave Dong Mingrong to that noble man.
She has changed so much. She used to be just a girl who liked to read storybooks and yearned for love. Now she is more dignified and elegant than before, with a noble status, but she is lifeless.
Li Qi felt that the emperor was definitely not the husband Mingrong had ever imagined.
"My Lady, I heard from Wei Ming that there are many acrobatic performances and snacks in the west of the city at night. Do you want to go?"
Someone looked up and spoke to the sedan chair, and only then did Li Qi notice the eunuch in blue leading the group.
His voice was sharper than the other eunuchs' and he had a fair complexion. Li Qi felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember who he was.
A few words, concealing all emotion, floated out from the sedan chair: "I'm not going. I'm tired."
The eunuch gave the order back, and the huge team started marching out again.
Looking at the team of people walking further and further away, Li Qi clenched the jade box in her hand.
Dong Linche sighed and said, "I've only been here for a short while. Sigh, I've prepared a lot of things to say but haven't said them yet."
Ye Lan asked: "You had so many opportunities just now, why didn't you say it?"
"I was nervous and forgot."
"Tsk, what a success."
Dong Linche waved his hand and said, "Never mind." He then tugged at Li Qi's sleeve and asked, "Sister, did you see the eldest brother of the Li family just now? How did he become... the eunuch beside the Empress?"
Dong Linche felt that Mingrong was too unfamiliar now. He couldn't call her "Sister Mingcheng" because he was afraid that Li Qi would say something about him. Fortunately, she didn't say anything and just asked, "Which eldest brother of the Li family?"
"Li Ke! Sister, you forgot that he was the man that Mother arranged for the Empress to marry!"
Dong Linche remembered it clearly because Li Ke was not from a wealthy family, nor was he a scholar with a bright future. He was just an ordinary hunter's son.
I remember my mother told me to find someone from an ordinary family to marry into, so that when Yunzhou City was broken, at least she wouldn't be implicated.
The hunter's family lived in the deep mountains and forests, isolated from the outside world. No war could reach them, so Mingrong thought it would be safe for her to marry there, so she chose Li Ke.
But before they could get married, Yunzhou was destroyed and Li Ke disappeared. Unexpectedly, he became a eunuch.
Li Qi was stunned after hearing this. No wonder she felt that he looked familiar. He was the future husband that Dong Mingrong had thought was good before.
only……
Li Qi subconsciously glanced at Shengxiang and saw that she looked puzzled. She probably didn't realize that the eunuch was the empress's former fiancé.
If even Shengxiang didn't know, it showed that Mingrong had hidden the matter very well. Li Qi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She returned to the room carrying the box left by Mingrong. Shengxiang followed her and locked the door.
Li Qi looked back puzzledly: "Why lock the door in broad daylight?"
"I guess you want to open the box. The gift that the queen took the risk to give you must be extraordinary. Lock the door for safety."
Li Qi uttered an "oh," feeling a little uncomfortable at having her thoughts read through. She sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the jade box in front of her.
There was a bright yellow scroll inside. Li Qi unfolded it and was shocked when he saw the words inside. How could it be?
How did Mingrong know that she wanted to seize the Jiedu Mansion?
Shengxiang leaned over to take a look, seemingly not surprised at all, and explained, "It was Wang Mo who came to see the Empress. Wang Mo said that the Jiedushi once had a gold mountain, and in order to prevent it from being coveted, he had it hollowed out early on and all the gold hidden in a private vault. Wang Mo said that he could tell the Empress where the private vault was, but the Empress had to help him find a way to raid the Jiedushi Mansion and take the gold openly.
"Your Majesty, if you think about your relationship with the Jiedushi again, you will understand what you want to do."
"Wang Mo again?"
Li Qi frowned tightly. She had long guessed that Wang Mo was not truly loyal to her. She believed that he had also received some benefits from Wei Ming. However, she did not expect that he would be so bold as to go directly to Ming Rong.
It seems that he wants to keep the gold in the private treasury for himself.
Li Qi sneered. This Wang Mo has no ability but a big appetite.
Shengxiang said, "The Empress mentioned to me before that she would lend you a hand. I think she fabricated this imperial edict without telling His Majesty. You just need to prepare everything you planned, and then the imperial edict will help you seize the Jiedu Mansion."
Li Qi had never thought of such an extreme method before. If His Majesty knew about this, Mingrong would lose his head.
Shengxiang seemed to see what she was thinking and said, "The Queen said she has prepared everything, you just have to do it. Qianzhou is 1,800 miles away from the capital, and it will take a long time for the news to reach her. In the meantime, she has a way to escape."
Li Qi was still a little hesitant and did not dare to use this fake imperial edict.
She rolled up the imperial edict and put it back into the box.
This is a gamble with Mingrong's safety, and she doesn't want to take the gamble even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance of error.
Only one Feng Siji is needed to sacrifice himself for this plan.
Li Qi picked up the box and put it in the drawer, intending to put it away and pretend that this incident had never happened.
Shengxiang watched her do all this, said nothing, and quietly left the room.
-
Feng Siji returned at 10:00 p.m.
He walked into the house with a sleeve of snow in his hand, bringing with him a chill. Li Qi grumbled, "I feel cold the moment you come in."
"I'm sorry, it's snowing so heavily outside. I can't wait to see you. I heard that the queen came to listen to music today. Did she give you any trouble?" Feng Siji lifted his robe and sat beside her, watching her wipe the dagger that he had said was very beautiful.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he felt that the dagger was sharper. It must have been sharpened by her.
Li Qi shook her head and after thinking about it, she decided not to tell him that Concubine Li was Mingrong. It would be best for him to just think that Mingrong had died in the battle of Yunzhou.
The more he knows, the worse it is for him.
She sheathed the dagger and said, "The Queen is a very easygoing person. She didn't make things difficult. She listened to a song and then left."
Feng Siji pondered for a moment, then took her warm hand, rubbed it, and asked, "What song is she listening to?"
"Romance of the West Chamber."
"Yeah?"
Feng Siji looked at her thoughtfully, wanting to see how long she would keep it from him.
He had never been to the jewelry store today and had been hiding in the dark. Although his snooping was despicable, he also saw things he had never known.
The Concubine Li in the palace was actually Mingrong, whom she had been calling when she was injured and unconscious.
This time, Your Majesty came to Qianzhou not for a private visit or for government affairs, but only to make Her Majesty happy.
What was the Empress's purpose in coming here? Was she plotting with Li Qi, or was she supporting Li Qi?
When Li Qi heard him ask this, she realized something was wrong. His hands were ice cold. He had been to a jewelry store, but there was no smell of the store on his body.
When Li Qi worked at Qunfanglou, she often went to the jewelry store where he worked to dress up her hair and accessories, so she naturally knew what it was like inside.
She had some doubts in her mind, but soon thought that perhaps the cold wind had blown it away along the way.
Feng Siji asked again, "Why would Your Majesty listen to such a tragic song?"
"Perhaps life in the palace isn't easy?" Li Qi pretended to speculate, then pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "You're an official in Kyoto, so you've been to the palace before, right? Do you know the Empress?"
"I know, but she rarely appears. Foreign officials rarely enter the harem. I have seen her a few times when I accompanied His Majesty in the Imperial Garden."
"So how do you think she's doing?"
Feng Siji was silent for a moment. To avoid her suspicion, he told her the truth: "Neither good nor bad. Fortunately, His Majesty favors her alone. But badly, she's the target of public criticism. The Empress, in particular, can't tolerate her and often opposes her. Your Majesty once had twins, a boy and a girl, but they died at the Empress's hands when they were three years old."
"Let's not talk about her anymore." Feng Siji took out a peach wood hairpin from his pocket and handed it to Li Qi: "I carved this for you myself. Do you like it?"
"Is this a peach blossom?" Li Qi stroked the pattern on the hairpin. It was a lifelike peach blossom, and it exuded fragrance. She leaned in to smell it. It was sandalwood. "It has a fragrance, just like a real flower."
Seeing that she liked it, Feng Siji smiled and said, "I bought this sandalwood from the old man last time. I made this hairpin because I thought it was the right size. This is my first New Year's gift to you."
Li Qi touched the hairpin. It was finely carved and had beautiful patterns. Although it was made of wood, it felt smooth and the low-key style was just right for her.
"I'll put it on for you."
Feng Siji stood up with the hairpin in his hand and said, "Turn around."
Li Qi changed direction and crossed her legs, with her back facing Feng Siji. His slender fingers shuttled through her hair, giving her a soft touch.
"Okay," he said.
Li Qi turned back and looked up at him expectantly: "Does it look good?"
“It’s not pretty.”
"You're talking nonsense! I'm clearly the most beautiful in Qianzhou City, no, in the whole world!"
Feng Si laughed out loud, "Okay, you are. The most beautiful girl in the world, can you accompany me somewhere?"
"Where?"
"You'll know when you get there."
"Let's go!"
Li Qi smiled with her eyes curved. She never knew that there would be someone who could make her heart blossom with joy and make her yearn for him like Mingrong.
But my mother said that men can only be tools and can be discarded at any time.
She looked at Feng Siji's tall figure standing in front of her. He looked down at her, and there was nothing else on his moon-white clothes. It was simple and elegant, just like him, indifferent and peaceful.
He suddenly lifted her chin, bent down, and slowly approached her.
Li Qi felt her heartbeat quickening, and her face began to heat up uncontrollably. Looking at his face getting closer and closer, and his thin lips, she felt both panicked and expectant.
Suddenly, my vision went dark and he covered my eyes with his hand.
Vision disappeared, and other senses were infinitely magnified. Li Qi felt the hot breath he sprayed lingering on her cheek. His thin, cold lips slowly touched hers, gently rolling her. Just as she was about to go deeper, the wooden door was pushed open: "It's time to eat!"
Li Qi panicked and quickly backed away, not daring to look at Ye Lan at the threshold. She buried her head deeply and kept repeating in her heart that Ye Lan could not see her or him.
Feng Siji stood there in a daze for a long time before he reacted and looked back. He saw Ye Lan standing stiffly at the doorstep with a shovel in his hand.
When she received Feng Si's urgent gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She inexplicably recalled his abnormal behavior in the cave. The awkwardness of interrupting their intimacy instantly turned into panic. She suddenly raised the spoon to shield her eyes.
"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything. I'm just a nobody here to call you guys to dinner!"
She turned around, and when she was sure she was out of sight, she put down the spoon and ran to the small kitchen.
After the people left, Li Qi slowly raised her head and coughed awkwardly: "Go, go eat?"
Feng Siji hummed, not daring to look at her, and bent down to put her shoes on.
The two walked to the small kitchen and saw that everyone was looking at them with strange eyes. Li Qi felt even more embarrassed. It was an indescribable feeling. Simply put, she was afraid to see people.
Fortunately, Shengxiang waited until they sat down before she started a conversation to divert their attention: "When the Empress came today, she said that she had already taken care of the Jiedushi and everything that needed to be packed up. If you are willing, Lord Feng, you can return to the desk position that His Majesty has arranged for you. You don't have to work hard in the jewelry shop."
"Forget it," Feng Siji said, "making jewelry is my mother's craft. I don't feel tired if I inherit her legacy."
Shengxiang didn't say anything more.
-
The next day, the gloomy snowy sky finally cleared up, and a few inches of bright sunlight shone through.
The little snow on the eaves began to melt, and the air was colder than usual. Li Qi pulled the quilt over herself. The sunlight shone through the window paper, so bright that she couldn't sleep.
She opened her eyes dazedly and saw Feng Siji sitting beside her bed, looking at her with a smile. Seeing that she was awake, he asked softly, "Are you awake? If you are, get up. The water is heated and I have found clothes for you. I will take you somewhere today."
Li Qi was a little confused: "Where are we going?"
"The most beautiful girl in the world, as I promised you last time, you'll know when you get there."
This name made Li Qi blush. Ever since he exaggerated last time, he often used this to tease her.
Li Qi didn't stop him. After all, she was the most beautiful woman in the world, so what? But every time she heard him call her that, she felt a little embarrassed.
She got off the bed and just opened her arms. Feng Siji dressed her and put on her shoes, taking good care of her.
Li Qi held her chin and said, "You take care of me so much, what if I can't take care of myself in the future?"
"What are you afraid of? I can take care of you for the rest of your life."
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