Cold Year (9)
Chapter 24 Cold Years (9)
She was stunned for a moment and took a small step back: "Master Feng? Why are you here?"
Feng Siji opened his umbrella and said, "Let's talk while we walk."
The umbrella over Li Qi's head shielded her from the cold wind and snowflakes, so she wasn't affected by the winter chill at all. She and Feng Siji walked forward in silence.
There were two horses tied outside the city. Feng Siji folded his umbrella and put it on his back, then got on one of the horses. Li Qi consciously got on the other horse.
Two horses and two people slowly moved forward along the muddy path. There was no light, it was pitch black all around, and no one was talking. Only the sound of horses neighing could be heard.
Feng Si said slowly, "You went to Qunfang Tower to meet Wang Mo, right? I heard the old man selling sandalwood in Zhuyuan was the signal for you to meet."
Li Qi's heart skipped a beat.
She looked up at Feng Siji. His expression was unclear in the darkness, and only a vague figure could be seen. He asked calmly, "Saving me on the street and in jail was all your plan, right?"
"You know everything."
"yes."
Feng Siji found it hard to accept. The hope he saw in his desperate situation during his first visit to Qianzhou was ultimately just a calculation. He hoped to hear her explanation. He would believe her even if it was nonsense.
Unfortunately she didn't.
She remained silent all the way home and didn't say a word, just leaving him alone. She was silent as if nothing had happened, making him wonder what she was thinking. Would she explain, and when would she explain?
The messy speculations made him irritable, and he hated this feeling of being out of control more and more. The more he thought of the touch of red on the street that day, the more depressed he felt. The touch of red seemed like blood dripping from his heart.
It was quiet in the bamboo garden. Ye Lan and Lin Che had both gone to bed. They left a light on in Li Qi's room, and a ray of candlelight leaked out from the window.
With this little light, Feng Si quickly dismounted and led the horse to the stable.
Feng Siji stroked the horse's fur. There were already three horses in the stable. Two were newly bought while he was waiting for her today, and one was her own.
The three horses exhaled a whirring breath, which turned into circles of white mist in the cold winter. Feng Siji watched the white mist slowly dissipate into the air and asked, "So what's going on between you and Wei Ming is just a show. Are you going to treat him the same way you treated me?"
"Not really." Li Qi tied up the horse and walked into the house. "My feelings towards him are completely different from yours. I'm really just a man of pleasure. It's him who has developed improper thoughts."
"Yeah?"
As soon as Li Qi entered the room, she heard a loud bang behind her. She turned around in surprise and saw Feng Siji had locked the door. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled hard.
Her vision was spinning. Li Qi was grabbed by his hands and pressed against the door wall. Her back hit the door bolt and she felt severe pain. Tears welled up in her eyes and she moaned softly.
"I'm just a useless person. What's there for you to gain? Why are you plotting against me with something like this?"
The veins on his wrists where he held her hands were bulging, and he stared at her with rapid breathing, his eyes like a ferocious wolf pouncing on its prey.
Trapped in this small world by him, so close she could feel his cold breath, she felt very uncomfortable and tried to struggle free. But he was surprisingly strong, and his grip on her was like an iron wall, not allowing her to move an inch.
“Feng…”
"Li Qi!"
Veins popped out on his forehead, which was soon covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat.
He is enduring.
Resist the urge to break her neck and resist revealing your craziest side.
Even he himself was afraid of that side of himself. After living for so many years, what he had done most was to endure and hide that abnormal self.
He trapped her in the narrow space between himself and the door wall, like a towering mountain enveloping her. From behind, he could hardly even see her, she was so small, like a treasure in his arms.
"In order to investigate the case that was solved in Yunzhou, I mingled with all kinds of people. In Kyoto, from the emperor Liang to the servants, everyone was plotting against me. They worked together and finally brought me down and pushed me to Qianzhou.
"On my way to Guizhou, everyone wanted me dead. To survive, my hands were stained with the blood I hated the most. I never understood why I fought so stubbornly. What did I care about the people of Yunzhou who lost their homes? What did I care about the people of Daliang who were wrongfully imprisoned?"
He gradually spoke of the things on his mind that he had never mentioned to anyone else. At first he was just unwilling, but then he gradually choked up:
"When Wang Mo was beating me to death, I even thought that none of this had anything to do with me. I could just die and it would all be over. I would be free of burdens and would not have to fight any longer. But you saved me. That day, when I first saw you, you were dressed in red, like the most dazzling light, shining powerfully into my eyes that could not see the light.
"You brought me back to Tingzhu Garden. I saw Ye Lan and Dong Linche, the vegetable patch, the swing, the plum blossoms, and the well in the yard. I felt a peace and relaxation I'd never felt before. I even thought, being demoted isn't a big deal. At least no one will scheme against me anymore, trying so hard to get rid of me."
He suddenly laughed at himself. "But it turns out it was all fake. The conspiracy is still around me, and there are still people who are trying every possible way to use and get rid of me."
A tear suddenly fell from the corner of his eye.
Li Qi thought she was seeing things and wanted to take a closer look to confirm, but he suddenly flicked his sleeve, knocking down the candlestick on the table, and the candle fell to the ground with a clatter.
The fire went out and the room was plunged into darkness in an instant.
His dark silhouette was right before my eyes. It was so dark around me that I couldn't see his expression clearly, and I couldn't be sure if he was crying.
"Don't look at me," he hissed.
"Okay, I won't look at you." Although she couldn't see, Li Qi still cooperated and closed her eyes.
He slowly let go of her and retreated back to the table to sit down. Li Qi slowly opened her eyes and saw his silhouette in the darkness. He was hunched over with his head lowered deeply, like a majestic mountain collapsing into dust.
At this moment, Li Qi seemed to see himself when he first came to Qianzhou, wandering around with nowhere to go.
The mother of Qunfanglou gave her warmth, food and clothing. She thought she had met the best person in the world, but her mother just thought she was beautiful and wanted to support her for two years and let her entertain customers.
If she hadn't won Wei Ming's favor, she would probably have stopped being a musician long ago.
Isn't Feng Siji today the same as she was back then? They're both just pitiful people.
She walked forward and gently hugged Feng Siji from behind, holding him with both hands. She could feel Feng Siji's body stiffen in her arms, as if he was frozen in place, motionless, even his breathing was stagnant and inaudible.
She whispered in his ear, "I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I want to reclaim Yunzhou, and there's no other way. You're a good person and a good official. I've actually been suffering a lot these past two days. I don't think you deserve this."
Feng Siji raised his head and said, "What does your plot against me have to do with retaking Yunzhou?"
"I need troops, so I need money. Jiedushi Wei Ming has a mountain of gold, but not many people know about it. I want to get it secretly. I plan to raid his house. Once no one is around to take care of the gold mountain, I'll take his seal and claim it."
What she wanted was a mountain of gold, and she also wanted to go to Kyoto. She had only known Feng Siji for three days and didn't trust him at all.
So after a long silence, Li Qi continued to talk nonsense: "I can not plot against you, but I want to ask you, are you willing to help me?"
Feng Siji sneered: "You know the answer, don't you?"
If you know, why bother calculating?
"Master Feng, I only know that you are a good person."
This time, Li Qi spoke from the bottom of her heart, "You said you wanted to investigate the cause of Yunzhou's fall. I also want to reclaim Yunzhou. We're actually on the same path. Now that you've been demoted, and I'm still free, I promise you, if you help me today, I'll definitely help you investigate someday."
Someday?
Feng Siji suddenly felt numb.
Would he still have a future? Perhaps, but he didn't know when, so he had to wait.
"I have only one request: no matter what, don't take my life. The rest is up to you."
He wanted to keep his life and return to Kyoto to complete what he had not finished.
He didn't say it directly, but Li Qi understood in her heart. She nodded, pretending to be serious: "I will never endanger your life. From now on, we are all on the same side. Lord Feng, we can definitely climb out of Qianzhou together. You are not the only one who is resisting stubbornly.
"Tingzhuyuan will be our home from now on."
The darkness in his heart seemed to be dispelled. Feng Siji didn't quite understand why he was so easily persuaded by her. He didn't even want to think about whether there was any truth or falsehood in her words.
He just wanted to hold on to something urgently and regain the feeling that he was still in control of everything, so he turned around from the stool and hugged Li Qi tightly eagerly.
"I never knew I could have such a deep connection with someone I had only known for three days."
It seems like three years, not three days.
He felt that she was the only one in his world, but it was obvious that she had never belonged to him.
He couldn't figure out why, but he just felt that there was more than just him on this road, and he felt a power in his heart. That power pushed him towards her, and the closer he got, the more different she became from others.
"Li Qi, you must not take my life. As for the rest, I can let it go."
Li Qi buried her face in his chest, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart. She was silent for a long time, not saying whether it was okay or not, but simply saying, "Master Feng, you are truly a good person."
Feng Si said quickly, "Even if you don't plot against me, there will always be someone in Qianzhou City who can't stop me. You just took advantage of the situation to save me. You have so many daggers and can fly to the rooftop out of thin air. I believe you are a good martial artist and can protect my life. After all, there are many people who want to take my life now. Just treat it as us two getting what we want. I want his life, and you want Wei Ming's money."
Each taking what he needs?
She suddenly felt relieved and liberated, finally no longer having to carry a secret.
But she felt a little guilty, because she had even thought that if Feng Siji wanted to leave because he hated being deceived, then she would directly instigate Wei Ming to get rid of him.
It was because she knew very well that the path she was going down was not the right one but an evil one, and she didn't know how much blood would be stained on her hands. If she let him, an honest official who wanted to return to Kyoto, live, it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountain.
Who knows if he will become the official who arrests her one day?
While thinking, Li Qi picked up the tinder, propped up the fallen candlestick, and relit the candles in the room.
She sat down at the table, poured a bowl of water, drank it herself, and then poured another bowl for Feng Siji.
He took it, and she leaned over the table and said, "Actually, it wasn't all an act for you. I'm homeless, and you're down and out. When I see you, I'm actually seeing myself. My plot against you is true, but my sympathy for you is also true. No matter what, I hope the best for you, because you're a good person, and good people should be rewarded."
Feng Siji put down the water bowl, looked at her seriously and said, "In that case, let's go back to Kyoto together after this is done."
Li Qi was stunned for a moment, then straightened her back and looked at him: "Together?"
"Didn't you say that we are actually walking the same path? Seeing me is seeing you. I will investigate Yunzhou, and you will recover Yunzhou. We will return to Kyoto together and support each other."
Li Qi looked at his serious expression and wanted to say that they were not the same kind of people. She was not as kind as she appeared. She saved him and sympathized with him only because they shared the same suffering.
There was more than one beggar on the street, and countless more would appear in Qunfang Tower at night. Not everyone could save her. Over time, her heart became cold and her emotions numb. Apart from reclaiming Yunzhou, she had almost no other thoughts.
But Feng Siji was different. She had heard of him from Wei Ming. He was a truly good official. He was willing to be demoted for the sake of the people and could even use his own money to save refugees.
No matter how many night-struck beggars he saw, he would save them as always.
But she won't.
Seeing his seriousness, almost obsession, Li Qi didn't want to disappoint him. Perhaps she felt that raising fish also required feeding; otherwise, the fish wouldn't willingly stay in a small pond. Only by feeding him some nutritious food could she calm him down and make him willingly stay and continue to be used by her.
So after hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Then let's go together. I'll take back my home in Yunzhou, and you can go back to Kyoto and do what you want."
Feng Siji said, "Although I don't know what your plan is, I still want to remind you. Since you said that not many people know about Wei Ming's gold mountain, how did you know about it? And how can you be sure that the gold mountain is real?"
Li Qi frowned: "What do you mean? How could Jinshan be fake?"
"I just think that gold cannot hide its light. If the gold mountain is real, it would be like a piece of meat in a famine year. Countless people or animals would want to pounce on it and take a bite, instead of being unknown like Wei Ming."
Li Qi pondered over what he said, and suddenly felt that something was indeed wrong. She looked at him suspiciously, "How do you know so much?"
"Sister!" There was a rustling outside the door. Dong Linche poked his head in and waved at her, "We agreed to grab Laba porridge tonight. Where are you and Master Feng? We've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Li Qi had no choice but to temporarily suppress her doubts about Feng Siji and got up and walked out.
When Dong Linche saw her coming, he excitedly exclaimed, "The hero is chasing us," and turned around and ran away.
Li Qi was about to chase out the door, but she turned back and grabbed Feng Siji, who was motionless, and asked, "Why don't you come?"
Feng Siji was stunned: "No."
"It's already this late and you're still acting like a high-ranking official. You should adapt to the local customs and abide by our rules! You..."
Feng Siji suddenly stood up, reached out to her, and with a snap, stuck a note on her shoulder.
"You!" Li Qi reacted: "You cheated me!"
Feng Siji found her furious look inexplicably cute, with her eyes wide open and cheeks wrinkled, like a puffed-up pufferfish.
"And how do you have Laba strips? I don't even have any!"
He smiled softly, "Lin Che told me this when I went to Ye Lan to get an umbrella today. The more notes you put up, the more Laba porridge will be snatched away. The one with the fewest notes will be the boss and receive the most New Year gifts. And you're not allowed to use violence, right?"
"Yeah. But why didn't you tell me you had Laba sticks?"
Feng Siji helplessly spread his hands: "Even if I told you, you can't get closer to me."
"How do you know?!" Li Qi was unconvinced. She had never lost in the Laba porridge fight since she was little. Every year, she was always the boss, snatching all the New Year's money and Spring Festival gifts from Dong Mingrong and her younger brother!
"Okay, then you try it." Feng Siji said, and tore off the strip on her shoulder.
The moment he extended his hand, Li Qi, holding a note between her fingers, tried to press it against him. He slightly sidestepped, avoiding her perfectly. As he passed by her, he pressed a note behind her shoulder and exited the room smoothly.
The whole set of movements was smooth and flowing, as if it was well-trained. Li Qi reacted and grabbed a handful of strips of paper and chased after him.
The small courtyard was instantly filled with the sounds of four people chasing and playing. To be exact, three people were chasing and playing. Feng Siji had only been holding a handful of paper the entire time, standing by the well, under the plum tree, or sitting on the swing, watching the three of them laughing and playing with a calm expression.
He clearly didn't participate much, but when the time came and they started counting the notes, he had the least.
Dong Linche pointed at him in surprise: "Sister, I thought you were the boss this year too, how could it be him! Did you give in to him?!"
"How could I have that?"
Ye Lan was puzzled. "Could it be that Master Feng has done nothing in Kyoto and has been playing games like this all day, that's why he's so skilled at it?"
Li Qi snorted: "He's just keeping to himself."
No matter what, he would stay away from them, hiding when someone came, and while hiding, he would stick a piece of paper on them. If anyone wanted to stick a piece of paper on him, he was tall and could just stretch out his hand and stick the paper on the person's forehead.
There were a lot of stickers densely packed on Li Qi’s forehead, all of which were his masterpieces.
She said, "Whoever wins will have to give the most gifts, the kind that will bankrupt everyone."
Ye Lan and Lin Che said in unison:
"I want ten of the best swords!"
"Then I want ten bags of the most popular vegetable seeds in Kyoto! Lord Feng grew up in Kyoto, so he's sure he can find them, right?"
Li Qi said, "I want ten mansions inlaid with gold!"
Compared to their excitement, Feng Siji looked calm and said softly, "It's late, let's get some rest first."
After saying that, he walked into the room alone.
Li Qi pulled Ye Lan over and asked, "Why didn't he respond? Isn't he trying to cheat? How could a high-ranking official cheat?"
"I think it's very likely."
“…”
-
Qianzhou didn't have much snow in previous years, but this year the snow was exceptionally heavy. The ground, which never had snow before, was covered with thick snow after just one night.
The weather was getting colder, and in order to save money, they only burned charcoal in Li Qi's room, closed the doors and windows, and the charcoal fire made the small room warm. The four of them squeezed into one room to keep warm and chat.
The house was already narrow, and with Feng Siji's presence, it became even more cramped. Li Qi had no choice but to give up her seat to them and sit cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with her daggers.
Each knife must be taken out, wiped clean, and checked to see if it is still sharp. The ones that are not sharp should be picked out and wait for sharpening.
Ye Lan was doing embroidery. The weather was getting cold, so she wanted to make a pair of warm knee pads and wrist guards for everyone, especially Dong Linche who needed to practice martial arts, so she wanted to make a few more pairs for him.
There were many colorful silk threads. She picked and chose, and chose a green one. While threading the needle, she asked, "Young lady, you really don't have to go to the Jiedu Mansion to play the piano anymore, right?"
Dong Linche, who was squatting by the charcoal stove doing his homework, looked up at her expectantly when he heard her say, "It would be great if you don't go. This way we can have a good New Year together."
Every New Year in Qianzhou, she was summoned to the Jiedu Mansion to play the qin. They never had a proper New Year's celebration. Either it was early or late, though as long as everyone was together, any New Year's celebration was fine. But missing the Qianzhou New Year's celebration, the bustle wasn't there, the atmosphere wasn't there, and the subtleties were different.
Li Qi arranged the sorted daggers into two piles and said, "Thanks to Lord Feng's help last time, I won't have to go anymore. This year, I'll be with you all and celebrate the New Year on time."
She waved to Feng Si quickly: "Master Feng, come and take a look. Which one do you think is the best looking?"
She asked him the same question yesterday, but was interrupted by Tanmu's shouting.
Feng Siji pulled a stool over, sat down next to her, and carefully selected a red one inlaid with pearls.
“This one looks the best.”
"Why?"
"Red is more intense than the others. This pearl is lustrous and translucent in color, very similar to your temperament."
Li Qi smiled, put away all the daggers, and carried the one he had chosen with him.
Ye Lan looked out the window and said, "Why is it still snowing? Qianzhou has never seen such heavy snow. I'm so worried. I wonder how many people will freeze to death this year."
Dong Linche sighed and said, "Sister Yelan, there's no need to panic. Auspicious snow means a good harvest. It's a good omen. Look, you don't have to play the piano anymore. We can celebrate the New Year together this year. Master Feng's cooking is especially delicious. This year, he'll make the reunion dishes, and we'll help. It will definitely be more lively than in previous years."
Ye Lan tapped his head with his index finger: "Big head ghost, what do you know? But it's true, Master Feng's cooking skills are hard to find. Oh, and he has to give us a lot of New Year gifts this year! Didn't he lose the Laba porridge yesterday!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qi bumped Feng Siji's shoulder with a smile, trying to find out: "Master Feng, how many years of gifts are you going to give me? What are they going to be? Can you give me ten golden houses?"
"Maybe." Feng Siji smiled faintly, glanced at the simple silver hairpin in her hair, and said, "How about you guess."
"How could I have guessed that?" Li Qi moved closer to him, almost sitting next to him, and asked with a smile, "But where did you get the money? You bought two horses yesterday, but you borrowed copper coins from me the day before yesterday."
"But remember I told you that my mother was a hairpin maker, and she made a living by her craft when I was a child. I also learned some skills, and on the way to the governor's mansion, I found a job at a jewelry store."
"But you can't get that much salary right away, right?"
"I have a ready-made piece of jewelry on me, so I'll sell it first."
Li Qi sighed and said, "So, you really can't do that paperwork thing anymore? Also, I heard that adults like you always have a loyal servant by your side, so why did you come to Qianzhou alone?"
"The journey to Qianzhou is dangerous, and I was afraid he would be implicated by me. Now that I have settled down, I have written back and he will arrive soon."
——Dongdongdong
Suddenly someone knocked on the door: "Is anyone there?"
Who would come in such a heavy snow? Li Qi and Ye Lan exchanged a glance, then jumped off the bed and went to open the door. Standing outside was a man from the Jiedu Mansion. He smiled and said, "Li Le Ren, I'm sorry to bother you. Although Lord Wei has already agreed not to have you play the piano anymore, the court has issued an order requiring you to play."
Dong Linche put down his homework, stood up and asked excitedly, "Why?"
The man said, "It's the Empress's order. The Empress and His Majesty are coming to Qianzhou and will be staying at the Jiedu Mansion. They have specifically requested you to perform. Li Leren's guzheng playing is truly renowned; even the Empress knows you. The Jiedushi has said that you should go to the mansion to practice immediately. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it won't just be Li Leren's fault."
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