Hanging Knife (14)
In the medium-sized woodshed, a ray of light streamed in through the half-sized window, allowing Li Qi to see He Zhangjing clearly.
He Zhangjing leaned against the firewood pile, his head hanging, motionless, as if unconscious. Beneath his tattered clothes lay a red, rotten wound.
Despite Li Qi's previous instructions, no one dared to find a doctor for him, and his wounds were left untreated. As the spring weather warmed up, the wounds became inflamed, swollen and red, oozing pus and emitting a foul odor.
As soon as Li Qi came in, she smelled the pungent odor. Qinglan beside her sensibly handed her a handkerchief. She took it and covered her mouth and nose with it, then walked over to He Zhangjing and kicked him. "Hey, is he dead?"
He Zhangjing was stunned for a long time before he slowly moved.
The face he raised looked haggard and pale without a trace of blood. His lips were so dry that they were cracked countless times. His unfocused eyes looked at him blankly.
Li Qi frowned at this and kicked him again: "Speak."
He Zhangjing opened his mouth, and his dry lips immediately cracked, with blood flowing from the corners of his mouth. His confused eyes slowly focused, and he looked up at Li Qi and asked, "How are they?"
It's clear without having to say who the 'they' he's talking about are.
Li Qi felt incredibly happy listening to He Zhangjing's rough, hoarse voice. She smiled and said cruelly, "They're all dead. I don't know why the Queen took action. Could it be that the sins committed by your He family have even affected Zhang Wan?"
He Zhangjing was shocked when he heard the news. He froze in place and was unable to recover for a long time.
Li Qi silently admired his reaction. She knew better than anyone that silent collapse was the most desperate. He Zhangjing's current stupid look was no different from her when she was desperate.
"It's you, it must be you..." He Zhangjing murmured after a period of silence. Before Li Qi could hear what he said, the person who had been stiff and stunned at her feet suddenly jumped up and pounced on her with a ferocious face: "How dare you play tricks on me!"
"County Lady, be careful!" Ye Shu and Qing Lan shouted in unison. Ye Shu rushed forward and stopped Li Qi behind him.
Qinglan grabbed Li Qi and tried to move aside.
Unexpectedly, she couldn't pull it at all. Qinglan looked at Li Qi in confusion. She just stood there, looking at He Zhangjing who was roaring out of control, with a sinister smile slowly rising at the corner of her mouth.
Li Qi walked around Qinglan Yeshu and came to He Zhangjing, looking down at He Zhangjing's tearful face.
He Zhangjing hadn't eaten for the past two days, not even a sip of water. He was so thin that he fell to the ground with a light push from Ye Shu. He couldn't get up like a lizard. He cried so hard that his face was covered with tears and snot, making his already ugly face even more unsightly.
"Remember, I never came to Kyoto for wealth and glory, or to fight for power and profit. I, Li Qi, came here for revenge."
Li Qi looked at him coldly. When He Zhangjing heard this, his pupils widened. He moved his lips to say something, but Li Qi suddenly pulled out the sword from Ye Shu's waist and stabbed it into his chest with a "puchi" sound.
She drew her sword too quickly. By the time they reacted, she had already pulled it back. Warm blood flowed along the blade, gathering at the tip and dripping down.
He Zhangjing opened his eyes wide in pain or shock, his body twitched a few times, and finally he lay motionless in a pool of blood on the ground.
Qinglan Yeshu looked at each other in shock. After all, He Zhangjing was an official appointed by the court. Even if he was guilty, there would be people from the court to execute him. How could the county lord kill him directly, especially in her own house?
Qinglan looked at Li Qi cautiously. Seeing Li Qi's calm expression, she ordered leisurely, "Drag the man away, along with the father and daughter, and throw them into the mountains to feed the wild dogs."
Qinglan lowered her head and replied yes.
With a clang, Li Qi dropped the knife into a pool of blood. Ye Shu bent down and was about to pick it up when Li Qi said in disdain, "This sword is stained with the blood of scumbags. It's filthy. What else is there to pick up? I'll give you a finer sword instead."
Ye Shu paused, slowly straightened up, and nodded in agreement.
Seeing that He Zhangjing's blood was flowing along the crack in the ground and was about to stain her skirt, Li Qi stepped aside. She took a last look at the multi-treasure necklace around He Zhangjing's neck. She had worn it for eight years and finally took it off at this moment.
Li Qi slowly stepped out of the woodshed and looked up at the scorching sun on the dome. He thought that perhaps the souls of the Yunzhou soldiers in heaven had seen that He Zhangjing was dead, and they finally got some comfort.
-
After He Zhangjing's body was dealt with, the imperial edict for Li Qi's marriage came down from the palace.
The marriage date was set for the first day of next month. Li Qi calculated the days and found that there were only about ten days left.
Li Qi received the imperial edict, but she did not look worried about the upcoming marriage. Instead, she lived her life as usual, eating well and sleeping well. She sent a message to Dong Linche's military camp, telling Ye Lan that he could return to the county lord's mansion if he wanted.
But after waiting for two days, no one came. Li Qi knew that Ye Lan didn't want to come, so she didn't force him. While the day was good, she collected some food and took Qinglan to the prison.
Li Qi was familiar with the cell where Feng Siji was. When she came here before, Feng Siji was either sitting on a pile of grass or next to a small table, but today Feng Siji was lying on the ground, covered in blood.
As if he heard Li Qi's footsteps, his fingers moved slightly, then he raised his head, looked over weakly, and shouted, "You're here."
When Li Qi saw him like this, she remembered what Qinglan had said about Chen Hu's actions.
Knowing the whole story without asking, Li Qi said nothing, ordered the jailer to open the cell door, and walked in with the food box.
Qinglan, who was behind him, handed a bag of silver to the jailers and followed them away.
In the huge cell, only Li Qi and another person were left.
Li Qi squatted beside Feng Siji and asked, "Has Chen Hu been torturing you like this these past two days?"
She put the lunch box aside, reached out to help Feng Siji up, and found that he was so weak that he was staggering, so she just let him sit on the ground with his head leaning on her shoulder.
As they got closer, the strong smell of blood on his body hit them. Li Qi looked at the scars on his skin and frowned tightly: "Does it hurt a lot?"
Feng Siji's vision was blurred by pain, and he couldn't see Li Qi's face clearly, but he felt happy when he heard her voice. He slowly shook his head: "It doesn't hurt."
It was clearly a lie. Li Qi wanted to expose him, but he continued, "It's just that I feel tortured when you see me like this. Normally, I wouldn't mind this tattered prison uniform, but now that you're by my side, I find it glaring."
What Feng Siji said came from the bottom of his heart.
In the past, no matter what Chen Hu ordered Lin Feng to do to him, he never cared and never felt that he was in trouble. However, all his self-confidence collapsed the moment Li Qi arrived.
Li Qi looked at his eyes, which were still bright despite being in the gloomy prison, took a deep breath, and soothed him, "Just bear with it a little longer. When Mingrong comes back, you'll be fine."
Feng Siji nodded and looked carefully at Li Qi in front of him.
Her complexion was much rosier than before, her eyes and eyebrows were bright, and she looked very energetic and full of vitality. Compared with the lifeless her in the prison before, he still liked her now more.
Because now she looks just like she did in Qianzhou, bright and wonderful, the difference is that she was acting back then, but now she is sincere.
As long as he could hold on until Dong Mingrong came back to prove his innocence and he could leave prison, he could marry Li Qi.
Whenever Feng Siji thought of this, his heart beat faster involuntarily, thump, thump, thump, making his face flush and his hands and feet tense.
He looked at Li Qi with bright eyes, and had an irresistible urge to hug her. He had already stretched out one hand, and she happened to look at him sideways, her eyes as bright as spring. Feng Siji's raised hand froze in mid-air.
Li Qi blinked in surprise: "What's wrong?"
She was so bright and beautiful, which was totally out of place in this dark and damp prison. And in this state of mine, how could I bear to hold her in my arms?
Feng Siji slowly withdrew his hand, shook his head and said it was okay, lowered his head to look at his shabby appearance, and his cheeks became hotter inch by inch.
Inferiority complex, he had no idea what these two words meant before.
Now he didn't even have the courage to ask Li Qi about entering the palace.
Feng Siji smiled bitterly and was about to say something when Li Qi suddenly grabbed his hand.
The palm holding his hand was warm and soft like silk. Feng Siji was startled and looked stunned.
Li Qi smiled at him, took his bloody fingertips, took out a clean handkerchief, and carefully wiped the blood off his fingertips, revealing his originally slender and beautiful fingers.
As Li Qi wiped the wound, she said, "I'll have someone bring in some medicine later. You can ask a jailer to wipe it for you."
Li Qi looked up and met his astonished gaze. She knew what he was thinking and why he felt inferior, but he became like this to help her, so she didn't despise him.
In other words, Li Qi had been in a worse situation than he was now. She had seen everything and there was nothing for her to worry about.
After she wiped his hands clean, she opened the food box she brought and took out a bowl of wild flower soup. Considering Feng Siji's pain in his hands, Li Qi personally scooped the soup with a spoon and fed it to his lips.
"I made this especially for you. Last time I saw you using this the most, I guess you like the taste."
A faint and refreshing fragrance lingered in his nostrils. Feng Siji looked at her serious expression, slowly opened his lips, and swallowed what she fed him.
The wild flower soup is sweet and not greasy, and it melts on your teeth leaving a lingering fragrance.
Feng Siji felt incredibly warm in his heart when he saw her unprecedented gentleness. She fed him spoonful by spoonful, and from time to time she used a handkerchief to press the corners of his mouth. She was attentive and considerate, and extremely attentive.
Since their reunion, they have hardly had such moments again.
Even though the injuries on his body were painful, Feng Siji hoped that time could stay at this moment forever. For some reason, he always felt that he was extremely sensitive tonight, and his emotions were more intense than usual.
After finishing her bowl of wild flower soup, Li Qi put the bowl back into the lunch box, picked up the lunch box, and stood up, saying, "I'll come see you next time."
Feng Siji pursed his lips and looked at her.
Li Qi looked at him for a few seconds, then finally bent down and hugged Feng Siji.
Feng Siji felt Li Qi's warmth and suddenly froze. She actually took the initiative to hug him.
In just a moment, Li Qi let go of him, stood up, smiled at him, and walked out of the cell with the food box.
Feng Siji watched her bright red figure slowly disappear in the long street, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
-
Not long after Li Qi left, there were sounds of footsteps and some people talking outside the long corridor. Feng Siji seemed to hear Chen Hu's voice in a daze.
"Open the door." It was Chen Hu's voice.
Feng Siji was sure that he had heard correctly, so he opened his eyes and saw Chen Hu leading a large group of people who had blocked the long corridor. Even the slightly brighter light from the sky was blocked, casting a shadow, making the cell he was in even darker.
Feng Siji endured the pain in his flesh, supported himself on the ground and struggled to get up, then sat up when he heard the cell door unlock.
A corner of Chen Hu's crimson official robe came into view, and his voice rang out overhead: "Still refusing to confess?"
Feng Siji didn't look at him, because from his perspective, if he wanted to see Chen Hu, he would have to look up.
And apart from Li Qi, he will never look up to anyone else in his life.
He was even too lazy to talk to Chen Hu. There was nothing to say to a dog that barked at both sides.
"You are already a prisoner, but you are still so arrogant. Who are you showing your pride to?" Chen Hu spoke fiercely and sharply. He grabbed Feng Siji's collar and forced him to look up.
When Chen Hu saw Feng Siji's pale, depraved face covered in blood, he felt a surge of joy in his heart and couldn't help but laugh wildly: "Do you think you are still the same Dali Temple Minister who could boss me around? Your life is in my hands now. If you refuse to confess, I can kill you at any time."
Feng Siji looked at Chen Hu's furious and ferocious expression, and after a long silence, he suddenly laughed out loud.
Chen Hu frowned tightly and said dissatisfiedly: "What are you laughing at?"
"I laugh at you for being strong on the outside but weak on the inside. You haven't changed at all after all these years," Feng Siji said calmly, "You won't kill me. If you wanted me dead, you would have asked Lin Feng to torture me to death long ago. I guess I still have something worth asking for, so you will keep me alive."
Chen Hu's face slowly showed a mixture of embarrassment and anger at being exposed. He loosened Feng Siji's collar and shouted, "So what? I will make you confess today no matter what means I use."
Feng Siji was pushed by him and staggered a few steps, which pulled the wound on his flesh. The pain made his legs go weak and he fell into the pile of grass on the ground.
In the reverse view, Chen Hu's angry face became even more ferocious. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Torture him until he confesses!"
The sound of messy footsteps was heard, and Lin Feng, led by several jailers, brought three or five extreme torture instruments and placed them next to Feng Siji one by one.
Although there are not many torture instruments, they are all extreme punishments. Anyone who can withstand all of them is not an ordinary person.
Feng Siji was already injured, and his flesh and blood body didn't even make it through the first blow before his head dropped and he fell unconscious.
Lin Feng waved his hand and asked the men to leave with the torture instruments. He then stepped forward and kicked Feng Siji twice. Seeing that he didn't react, he turned around and looked at Chen Hu and asked, "He's fainted, sir. Should we throw water on him to wake him up?"
Chen Hu looked at Feng Siji who was unconscious.
Beneath the tattered prison uniform, there was barely a shred of intact flesh, and the wounds were bleeding profusely. His hair, clotted into strands by blood or sweat, covered his face, revealing only his pale, cracked lips.
Even when Feng Siji was exiled from the capital, Chen Hu had never seen him like this.
In the past, the two of them were in a superior-subordinate relationship. Feng Siji was not talkative and did not treat his subordinates harshly. He always looked cold and aloof, quietly doing his own thing.
But now he has ended up like this because of Li Qi, who is disliked by everyone.
Chen Hu was very curious about what was so attractive about Li Qi that made him so attracted to her that even His Majesty was confused.
"Sir?" Lin Feng called out again, bringing Chen Hu back to his senses.
Chen Hu shook his head and said, "No need, let it be." Only when Feng Siji fainted could he be at the mercy of others.
Chen Hu took out a pale yellow square and handed it to Lin Feng: "Dip his finger in blood and press your fingerprint on it."
When Lin Feng took it, he found that it was a small folded piece of paper. He opened it and saw Feng Siji's crimes written on the paper.
The purpose was to make Feng Siji sign while he was unconscious.
Lin Feng picked up the indictment, squatted beside Feng Siji, took up his hand, dipped it in the blood on the ground, and pressed his fingerprint on the name "Feng Siji" on the white paper.
After finishing, Lin Feng stood up and handed the indictment to Chen Hu with both hands: "My lord, it's done."
Chen Hu took a quick look, a look of satisfaction flashing across his features. "With this, I can now execute him whenever I want. I'm not afraid of Li Qi disobeying."
Chen Hu took his things and left with his men. But he was worried that Feng Siji's death would be more trouble than gain, so when he walked to the guard room where the jailers were changing shifts, he ordered the people inside to treat Feng Siji's wounds simply.
-
Li Qi knew nothing about what happened in prison. When she returned to the county lord's mansion, she saw Yunshan Min standing outside the mansion gate from afar, craning his neck to look at the street, as if he was expecting something.
Seeing Li Qi's carriage, he hurried to greet her and said with a smile, "County Master, you are finally back."
Li Qi jumped off the carriage and looked at him suspiciously: "Why are you here? Are you waiting for me?"
Yun Shanmin took the food box from her and followed her into the County Lord's Mansion. "Ping'an Village has nothing to do with me. I heard that things were going on in Kyoto, and I was worried that you needed help, so I took the initiative to come here. County Lord, do you mind?"
Li Qi shook her head and said she didn't mind. She walked into the flower hall and washed her face with the basin of water Qinglan brought. She watched Yun Shanmin hand the lunch box to Qinglan. After Qinglan left with the lunch box, she asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Yunshan Min looked around, walked a few steps closer, and said in a low voice: "County Master, I found Sister Mingrong."
Li Qi paused as she reached for a dry towel. Water droplets dripped from her fingertips back into the basin. She frowned and asked, "Where is it?"
Yunshan Min was about to speak when Yeshu strode into the flower hall and bowed to Li Qi, saying, "County Lady, Chen Hu requests an audience. Do you wish to see him?"
Yunshanmin glanced at him, quietly stepped aside and sat on the soft chair.
Li Qi picked up the towel, wiped the water droplets from her hands, and asked, "Please come in." This was a good opportunity to ask him about the torture he had used on Feng Siji. Thinking of this, she instructed Ye Shu, "Find a few people with connections and send some medicine and food to the prison."
Ye Shu retreated in response.
After a while, he led Chen Hu into the flower hall. Knowing that Chen Hu and Li Qi had something to say, he took Yunshan Min with him and left.
In the flower hall where the breeze was blowing gently, only Li Qi and Chen Hu were left.
Li Qi crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and looked at Chen Hu impatiently: "Let go."
Chen Hu sat down without being asked, picked up the teacup on the tea table and took a sip, then slowly said: "I heard that the Phoenix Seal is in your hands."
Li Qi paused for a moment, then quickly pretended not to understand: "How come the Queen's things are here with me?"
"County Lady, there's no need to play dumb. If I weren't sure the Phoenix Seal was in your hands, I wouldn't have come looking for you."
Li Qi smiled, looked at him calmly and said, "So, what do you want?"
"Take the Phoenix Seal in your hand in exchange for Feng Siji's life."
As Chen Hu spoke, he took out the indictment signed with the painting.
Li Qi glanced at him calmly and said with a smile, "Why do you think I care about Feng Siji's life?"
"I saw you brought Jue Yin with you when you entered the palace." Chen Hu said confidently, "We all know that Feng Siji endured humiliation and bought Jue Yin from Zhang Zhouzhu. What does it mean that he gave Jue Yin to you? Do I need to explain it?"
Li Qi's expression turned cold.
She stared at Chen Hu for a long moment before asking, "What did the Queen promise you that made you scheme so hard for her, cleaning up the He Mansion and now coming after us?"
They were both shrewd people fighting, so Chen Hu didn't keep it a secret and said, "After I get rid of you, the Queen will give me the position of Privy Councilor."
Li Qi laughed out loud: "Does Zhang Wan have the ability to be your Privy Councilor?"
"Even if she can't give it to me, at least she will be on the same side as me. As long as you are all gone, the Queen and I will join forces. I will be a powerful official with great power over the court and the country. Wouldn't the position of Privy Councilor be in my hands?"
"You have an idea." Li Qi said, "You can have the Phoenix Seal, but I want Zhang Wan to come and get it in person."
Chen Hu frowned: "You did this on purpose. How can the Queen leave the palace at will?"
"If she really wants the Phoenix Seal, she'll naturally find a way to get it."
Li Qi was certain that Zhang Wan would come. The Phoenix Seal was of great importance. She must have been eager to get rid of Li Qi and was so anxious that she gave it to He Mu.
Now that she has calmed down, she must be extremely anxious. The phoenix seal symbolizes the identity of the queen. How could Zhang Wan not be anxious?
Chen Hu also knew this fact, otherwise he would not have come to Li Qi with Feng Siji's life hanging on his neck.
He thought for a moment and asked, "When will you come to pick it up?"
Li Qi spread her hands helplessly: "I haven't thought about it yet. Let's talk about it when I think about it. You can go now."
Chen Hu put down his teacup, stood up, and stared at her angrily: "Li Qi! Don't go too far. Aren't you afraid that I will use this charge to convict Feng Siji and execute him at any time?"
Li Qi smiled indifferently: "You can execute him, but if he dies, you won't be able to get the Phoenix Seal anymore."
After Li Qi finished speaking, without waiting for Chen Hu to reply, she stepped out of the flower hall: "Master Chen, goodbye, I won't see you off."
As soon as Li Qi went out, she saw Yunshan Min and Yeshu hiding under a big tree in the courtyard.
Yun Shanmin noticed her and was afraid that she would see him in this state of neither standing nor sitting, so he immediately straightened up and coughed twice.
Seeing this, Ye Shu also stood up and looked over.
Li Qi approached them and told Ye Shu to get Chen Hu away. Ye Shu left immediately. Li Qi then grabbed Yun Shanmin's sleeve, a rare look of anxiety on her face. "You said you found Ming Rong, but where is she?"
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