Cold Year (15)
Chapter 30 Cold Years (15)
Feng Siji was stunned for a moment when he blurted out the word "a lifetime" without thinking. He felt a little flustered, but more worried. Would she think he was frivolous and casual, or that he could easily promise a lifetime to everyone?
He lowered his eyes to look at her, expecting and yet fearing her response. His heartbeat quickened unconsciously. In that short period of time, it seemed incredibly long. Even the howling sound of the wind and snow outside the window seemed to slow down.
Li Qi hugged him with a smile. His waist was just the right width and thinness, just enough for her to hug him. Even through the clothes that were of moderate thickness, she could feel the strength of his muscles.
"Master Feng, how long have you known me, and you want to promise me your whole life?" She hung on his chest and looked up at him.
Feng Siji put his arm around her waist and looked at her little face buried in his chest. Her face looked even whiter against the snow-blue fabric of his clothes. Her pair of peach blossom eyes were full of affection, blinking clearly and roundly.
"Haven't you heard a saying?"
"What?"
He took her hand and walked out of the house. Under the plum tree were two horses that he had just fed. They both got on their horses. He smiled, whipped the horse, and ran ahead without telling her what he was talking about.
Li Qi galloped after him, the horse's hooves kicked up countless snow powders, and the misty snow-capped mountains on the horizon slowly grew larger before his eyes. He passed through the bamboo groves, through the dense forests, and over the white hills. After running for an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up in front of him, and a fiery red plum forest appeared in his eyes. The air was filled with the cold fragrance of plum blossoms, and the bright red color stretched as far as the eye could see, as if falling into a sky full of fiery clouds. There was no end, only beautiful and dreamy light and color.
Li Qi stopped his horse, sniffed the fragrance of cold plum blossoms, and said in surprise, "This is the Qianshan Plum Forest! How did you find this place?"
She had heard before that there was such a paradise on earth in Qianzhou, but she didn't know where it was and couldn't get away from her busy schedule, so she hadn't been there for many years.
Feng Si laughed and said, "It's not nice to say, but I did see this place on the way to Guizhou."
At that time, he was in a desperate situation and could not see any hope of survival. Until he passed by this plum forest, he saw three or two women in the teahouse, brewing tea around the stove, doing housework or coaxing children in the curling tea aroma. He realized that this was the people's livelihood. To others, it was a simple daily life, but to the people of Yunzhou who were still waiting for the court, it was something that could only be realized in dreams.
So he persevered and met Li Qi, who had the same obsession as him, that was Yunzhou.
He dismounted and tied the horse under a plum tree, then turned around to hold Li Qi's hand.
"Why is it so cold?" He frowned, cupped Li Qi's hand in his palm, and gestured to the distance, saying, "There's a teahouse in the woods over there. Let's go over there and warm up."
Li Qi followed him silently. The bright red fallen plum blossoms covered the entire road, stretching into the invisible distance. They felt soft and fluffy when stepped on.
Li Qi looked at the red path and couldn't help laughing: "What do we look like?"
Feng Siji thought for a moment and answered seriously, "It feels like walking on a wedding carpet."
But there is no brazier, no room full of guests and friends, and no parents to worship.
Li Qi reached out her hand, caught a red petal, and showed it to him with a smile: "When we get married in the future, let's choose a winter like this one, where we can sprinkle red petals from plum blossoms."
He talked about getting married right after receiving the flower petals, and stupidly didn't realize anything was wrong until Feng Siji couldn't help but chuckled, "You want to marry me?"
Li Qi finally reacted, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, and she quickly threw the petals away: "Who said that?"
"You." He uttered a simple but serious word. They had already arrived at the teahouse. The person making tea was a white-haired old man. He asked them to sit down and started to light the fire to make tea.
It was still early and not many people were around. The endless plum forest and the distant snow-capped mountains were shrouded in layers of mist. The air was cold and silent, and the only sound was the bubbling of tea.
Li Qi looked around and felt that this place was so quiet and remote that it made people feel clear-minded. It was a paradise on earth.
The old man brought the teapot and teacups, lit a fire on their table stove, put the boiling teapot on the stove, and the boiling teapot began to bubble. Wisps of tea mist rose up, bringing with them the bitter aroma of the tea and lingering into their nostrils.
Li Qi pouted and blew at the rising tea mist. The white mist flew towards Feng Siji, and it felt hot and damp when it hit his cheek. He didn't try to hide or avoid it, but said seriously, "I have something for you."
"What are you giving me?" Li Qi couldn't help laughing as she watched him sitting so straight. "Sitting so straight, I almost thought I had done something wrong and was being interrogated by you."
Feng Siji was silent for a moment, wanting to be more casual. He observed her for a moment. She had her hands loosely supported on the table, her back hunched, as if she had no bones, and was extremely loose.
He frowned and thought for a moment, then maintained the status quo.
A slow sound of footsteps came from afar. Li Qi looked over and saw a young man slowly approaching with something wrapped in coarse cloth. The young man had a handsome appearance and a sword on his waist. He stopped beside the table where she and Feng Siji were sitting.
"Sir, the things are here."
The young man put the cloth on the table and sat down next to Feng Siji.
As Feng Siji unraveled the cloth, he explained, "He's Yeshu. I was exiled to Guizhou, and everyone wanted me dead. To avoid implicating him, I asked him to come a few days after me. He just arrived in Guizhou yesterday."
Li Qi let out a long "oh" and didn't seem to care much. All her attention was focused on what Feng Siji was dismantling.
The coarse cloth was opened, revealing an extremely exquisite guzheng inside.
Li Qi was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she stood up in surprise: "It's Jue Yin!"
The konghou, a marvelous instrument, is all blue, inlaid with gold, and dangling with tassels. It is priceless and can be bought with silver. Silver is a small matter; the difficulty lies in having nowhere to buy it.
Seeing her surprise, Feng Siji also smiled: "You try it."
Li Qi was a little nervous. The beautiful sound she had dreamed of was actually right before her eyes. She slowly plucked the instrument with her fingertips, and a crisp sound came out with a light pluck, like raindrops hitting the window, jade beads falling on a plate, making a clear sound, flowing among the plum blossoms in the ten-mile snow-capped mountains. It was as if she could smell the sound of the piano mixed with the fragrance of plum blossoms, pouring into every nerve.
Li Qi's eyes lit up, and she excitedly walked around to his side and hugged him tightly.
Feng Siji patted her waist and said, "Sit down, someone is watching you."
Li Qi pulled a stool over and sat beside him. She hugged his arm and asked excitedly, "Where did you buy it? Don't you have no money?"
"I had heard of it in Kyoto, but I wasn't interested then. Later, I saw that all your konghous were given to you by Wei Ming, and you didn't like them very much. You didn't have your own konghou, so I thought of finding one for you.
"This is the second year's New Year's gift."
Li Qi was puzzled: "Second year? That's still early."
"I can't help it. I'm anxious to give it to you."
Feng Siji looked at her face and spoke seriously. However, what he didn't tell her was that he just had a very strong intuition that if he didn't send it out now, there might be no chance.
Although she was by his side every day, she seemed very far away, as if she would disappear from his sight at any time.
He was afraid that he could not keep her, and even though he didn't know where this feeling came from, he still couldn't control his fear.
"Li Qi, let's get married. We'll get married as soon as we return to Kyoto."
His eyes were serious and stubborn, revealing a persistence and desire she had never seen before. "I will go through the formalities of marriage and marry you officially. I will be reinstated after returning to Kyoto. No one will be able to bully you or the others in Tingzhuyuan. You won't have to wander the land. I will help you reclaim Yunzhou. I know words are too pale to give you real peace of mind and assurance. This is all my wealth, and I'll give it all to you."
As he spoke, Ye Shu presented a crudely made wooden box. He opened it and found it was filled with land deeds, house deeds and banknotes.
Feng Siji said, "Before the accident, I exchanged all my gold and silver for these and gave them to Yeshu to carry. The ones that couldn't be taken away were confiscated by the court, and this much is left."
Li Qi took a quick look and knew that these things were quite a lot, enough for her to live a comfortable life in Kyoto.
Seeing him so serious, she suddenly felt a little scared. What if he knew it was just a plot?
Her silence made Feng Siji panic, fearing she would refuse. He said anxiously, "I also know that it's unfair for you to wait all the way back to Kyoto. So if you meet someone better during this time," he said with difficulty, "I can leave Qianzhou alone."
"Are you volunteering to be my reserve?"
"I'm happy with it."
"Okay." Li Qi held his hand and smiled, "We'll get married as soon as we get back to Kyoto."
She leaned against his chest, her fingers digging at the small hole in his shirt. Snow was falling outside the teahouse again. The air was cold, but his embrace was warm. The snow and falling petals, the cold wind, and her lover were all before her. She had never felt so desperately like this, longing for time to stop at this moment forever.
She didn't have to retake Yunzhou, and he didn't have to investigate the truth about Yunzhou. He didn't have to try his best to go to Kyoto and climb to a higher position to plan everything. They could just get married like this and live in Tingzhuyuan forever, growing vegetables with Ye Lan, raising chickens and ducks, watching the changes in the courtyard throughout the four seasons, and slowly living out their ordinary lives.
She asked softly, "Do you wish time would stay at this moment forever?"
He answered seriously, "I don't hope so. Because if that happens, you'll never be able to retake Yunzhou."
Li Qi kept silent and didn't say anything else.
-
When I returned to Tingzhuyuan, it was getting dark. The misty blue evening light enveloped the sky, blurring every scene and object in the yard.
Li Qi lit the oil lamp, threaded the needle between her fingers, and mended the holes in Feng Siji's clothes.
She had embroidered a bright red plum blossom on it. Feng Siji brought a bowl of sweet porridge and placed it in front of her, then asked carefully, "This plum blossom is too red. Does it not suit me?"
"What do you know? Anyone who sees this flower will know that you are already taken."
Feng Si laughed and stopped talking. Snow was falling outside the window. She had finished sewing. He stood by the window and waved at her: "Look, it's snowing again. The snow tonight is different from usual."
Li Qi wanted to see what was different, so she put down her embroidery and came to stand beside him. Outside the window, the snow was as big as snowballs, crackling down. This snow was completely different from the usual ones, too heavy. She had never seen such heavy snow in all her years in Qianzhou. It was overwhelming and roaring, as if it wanted to cover everything in the world.
Li Qi stretched out her hand, watching the snowflakes fall into her palm and melt into icy water. She said in a daze, "Did you know? It never snows in Yunzhou. I first saw snow when I first came to Qianzhou. It was beautiful, but also very cold. It claimed countless lives. That year, my brother and I almost died in the ice and snow."
She tilted her head, looking at me, her peach blossom eyes gleaming with hope. "I really want to recapture Yunzhou, but I always feel that it's a difficult and dangerous road, and there might be no return. So don't wait until we return to Kyoto. Let's get married tomorrow, while everyone is here, including His Majesty and His Majesty. Maybe we can get their blessings."
Feng Siji grasped her cold hand that was stretched out outside the window, pulled her back and held her in his arms: "Isn't it too hasty? There are still many things that have not been prepared yet, and I am afraid of letting you down. Otherwise..."
"I'm not afraid. Everything is just a ritual. I've already prepared my wedding dress. As for the rest, we'll pray to heaven and earth first and then buy them one by one."
Her firm tone cut off all his concerns. She was not afraid of his low status or the fact that many people wanted to kill him. She was determined to marry him. Feng Siji felt as if a spring water had been poured into his heart, warm and cozy. He could not even feel the cold weather outside. In the world, there was only her sincerity and the charcoal fire in the house, which was incredibly warm.
A warm smile could not help but fill his eyes and eyebrows. He gently held her in his arms, resting his chin on her hair, smelling her elegant fragrance, as if he was in a sea of flowers.
Li Qi raised her head and looked into his eyes that were as gentle as spring. His thin lips had a cold peak and an almost perfect arc. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and give him a light kiss on the lips.
-
I hardly slept that night. Ting Zhuyuan was so busy that he had no time to rest. There were so many things to do for the wedding, and even if he wanted to keep things simple, there was still a lot to do.
It wasn't until dawn that everything was packed up.
Shengxiang was dressing Li Qi. The person in the mirror had red makeup on her face and yellow makeup on her eyebrows. She looked charming and beautiful but not vulgar.
Shengxiang smiled and said, "I didn't know your facial features were so bright before. You don't have any arrogant behavior, but you are flamboyant everywhere. With your appearance, you will be the focus of everyone's attention wherever you go."
Ye Lan brought a red veil and covered her head, smiling, "She suits red. All kinds of red make her look alive. Stop talking! The groom is here to kick the door!"
"Empress Li is here!" Dong Linche shouted loudly outside. Li Qi was delighted when she heard it. The door was pushed open. Looking out through the red veil as thin as a cicada's wing, she could vaguely see Dong Mingrong's smiling face.
Li Qi lifted her veil, stepped forward, and took Mingrong's hand: "Did His Majesty come with you?"
Mingrong shook his head indifferently: "Ever since arriving in Qianzhou, he has been staying in Qunfang Tower, enjoying himself and not wanting to leave."
Li Qi was lost in thought, wanting to ask His Majesty if he was just like what she had imagined when she was young. But when she saw Li Ke following her as always, she felt that some things already had answers without even asking.
Mingrong took off her veil and said with a smile, "It's unlucky to lift the veil casually in the bridal chamber. Come on, I'll take you out."
She took Li Qi's arm and helped her out of the east room step by step.
Her marriage this time was simple. Tingzhuyuan was their home, and it was just a short distance from the east room to the west room.
There were not many people in the yard. In recent years, Li Qi had not had the extra energy to make new friends. No one in the neighborhood had any interaction with them. When they saw the wedding here, they just looked at it from a distance. However, some children came to the yard to ask for good luck.
Feng Siji was waiting beneath the plum tree. Through the red veil, she couldn't see anything clearly, only his rough outline, tall and majestic, like a mountain. She thought of his lifelong ideal, which he had said was to overturn the verdicts of those who had been wronged. Wasn't he also a mountain that sheltered the people from the wind and rain?
She couldn't help but tighten her fingers and squeezed Dong Mingrong's hand, her voice trembling: "My Lady, do you think I did something wrong? He is a good man..."
Mingrong held her cold hand and comforted her: "If you are afraid, it is not too late to stop now."
Li Qi didn't respond, but her grip on her hand suddenly loosened. Mingrong knew she had made her choice, so she said softly, "Since you've chosen to go all the way, be calm and bold. There's no need to overthink and stress yourself."
Li Qi understood this truth very well. Having made her choice, regretting and dwelling on it would only hurt her. But she couldn't help herself, and she couldn't really calmly and coldly put Feng Siji to death.
Her messy thoughts grabbed too much of her attention. She ignored the flower petals Feng Siji sprinkled for her, ignored the brazier that Ye Lan and Sheng Xiang asked her to step over, and also ignored how warm Feng Siji's hand was holding hers. When she came back to her senses, she was already sitting at the table in the west room.
This west room was a new house built overnight. It was not the room Feng Siji and Dong Linche lived in. There was a smell of new things in it.
There were no guests, no need to drink with anyone, and no one was making a fuss in the bridal chamber. As soon as the bamboo garden became quiet, Feng Siji pushed the door and entered the bridal chamber.
The room was decorated in a fiery red, and was filled with joy. She sat on the edge of the bed with her veil covering her head, the hem of her gorgeous wedding dress draped on the ground, and was faintly illuminated by the candlelight.
Feng Siji walked towards her, lifted his robe and sat down beside her. His slender fingertips gently pinched a corner of the veil and slowly lifted it up.
Her beautiful face slowly revealed itself, her peach blossom eyes were full of affection, her bright red lips were slightly parted, with a shy smile at the corners of her lips, she looked at him quietly without saying a word.
Feng Siji felt as if his heartbeat had stopped. He had never felt this way in his twenty years of life. He felt both uneasy and nervous, happy and panicked. The complicated emotions collapsed in his chest, making him feel a little helpless.
"I'll go pour the wedding wine." He tried to stand up, but Li Qi grabbed his sleeve. He turned his head and saw her shaking her head. "My hair is heavy. Please help me take it off first."
Feng Siji glanced at her tall golden crown, which had been sent by Concubine Li overnight. The crown was intricate, with red agate tassels dangling from it. He bent down and reached out to remove it, but a strand of hair had stubbornly gotten tangled in the golden hook. He didn't dare pull it hard, so he leaned in closer and carefully unwound the hair.
This strand of hair seemed to have self-awareness. It took a long time to get the hang of it, and it was only a little bit away from being untied.
Feng Siji's tense heart gradually relaxed. He let out a breath and was about to say something, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He stood still as if struck by lightning. His hands lost strength, and the black hair slipped from his fingertips. He could no longer hold the golden crown, and it fell to the ground with a thud. The red agate on it fell out and rolled a long way on the floor before stopping.
Feng Siji slowly lowered his head and saw Li Qi holding a dagger, stabbing it deep into his heart.
The dagger had a red border and a red saffron pendant, which matched her temperament very well.
It was the best-looking dagger she had ever had, the one she had asked him to choose.
She reached out her other hand and gave him a hard push. He staggered a few steps without strength and fell to the cold floor.
Her golden crown fell off, her hair bun was loose, her three thousand black hair hung down on her shoulders, and she walked towards him step by step in her fiery red wedding dress.
His eyes were blurred by tears and he couldn't see anything clearly. He couldn't see her expression, whether she had any pity or guilt towards him. His heart ached, as if his heart and bones were being cut out. He trembled all over with his teeth chattering.
A warm finger brushed across the corner of her eye, wiping away the tears that blocked his vision. He could see clearly, her eyes, her red lips, and the indifference with which she looked at him.
He seemed to have tinnitus in his ears due to the pain, and vaguely heard her say, "You said yourself that you were willing to die for me." She grasped the handle of the dagger and pulled it out with force, causing another pain as if skin was being peeled off and flesh was being scraped off. Feng Siji lunged forward with the force of her force, spurting out large mouthfuls of blood.
She lifted his face, leaned in close, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I want to raid Wei Ming's house and take the gold he hid in Qili Hall to use as money to recruit soldiers. I can't find any fault with him, and you are my only chance to break through."
Her kiss shifted to his ear, her cold breath lingering beside it: "From now on, Wei Ming is your murderer. With the Empress' help, the Jiedu Mansion will be raided tonight."
Feng Siji's throat was filled with blood and foam, and his voice was unclear. He clenched his fists, staring at her with red eyes: "You promised... not to take my life..."
Li Qi gently stroked his bloodstained lips with her index finger and said cruelly, "It's just a woman's words to coax you, and you believe it?"
"Li... Qi," Feng Siji grabbed the hem of her glittering golden wedding dress, "No... no."
She told him to do anything, as long as she didn't leave him alone to go to Kyoto. He still had a lot to say to her, but the dagger had drained his strength and he couldn't speak. He wanted to save some strength so that he wouldn't die so quickly and could see her a few more times.
"Sir Feng, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too kind. Good people will never be rewarded, they will only be used by bad people." She stood up, took two steps back, and looked down at him coldly. For the first time, he realized that peach blossom eyes are not always affectionate, sometimes they are much colder than phoenix eyes.
His whole body was cold, every hair and every inch of his skin, so cold that he couldn't feel any pain. He just fell to the ground and shivered, like a lizard that couldn't get up, funny and ridiculous.
Li Qi said, "With this marriage with you, my reason for avenging my husband will be very clear. I will use you as an excuse to kill Wei Ming."
She changed out of her wedding gown in front of him, revealing her beautiful body, every inch of it just right and seductive. Feng Siji just looked at her blankly, his mind numb.
She put on her everyday clothes and took some ropes to tie his limbs.
As he tied me up, he said, "I will transfer you to the Jiedu Mansion. I don't know when you will die, but I hope that if you are still breathing after arriving at the Jiedu Mansion, you will keep it a secret and not say anything. Otherwise, my plan will fail and I may even die.
"I know you can't bear to see me fail, nor can you bear to see me die. Since you want to be a good person, then be a good person to the end and keep this secret to yourself until you die."
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