Hanging Knife (15)
After the beginning of spring, the mountain road leading to Ping'an Village was full of fresh green. The mountain breeze blew gently on her face. Li Qi felt a sense of relaxation that she had not felt for a long time. She took a long breath, looked at the swaying grass and wild flowers on both sides of the road, and her mood became much brighter.
Leaving the bustling city of Kyoto, my mood is different.
The carriage rattled on. Yun Shanmin, who was driving outside, turned around, looked at Li Qi and said with a smile, "County Lady, the peach blossoms at the entrance of Ping'an Village are in full bloom. From a distance, they look like a sunset glow. You'll definitely like them. Sister Mingrong said the same thing."
Li Qi smiled lightly and said nothing, looking forward to seeing Dong Mingrong again.
Qinglan, who was beside Li Qi, lifted the car curtain and saw the outline of Ping'an Village gradually appearing in the lush jungle in the distance.
Qinglan said, "No wonder the Lord likes to listen to the bamboo garden. The scenery in the wild mountains and forests outside the city is indeed incomparable."
Li Qi paused slightly: "Feng Siji likes to listen to Zhuyuan?"
Qinglan nodded, gazing out the window at the vibrant green scenery of spring. "When my lord took me away, he was already living in Tingzhu Garden," she said. "He hasn't left for many years. If it weren't for this trip to Beijing, he'd probably still be there. He'd trim the plum tree in the yard every year."
Li Qi stopped talking.
She had never been curious about what kind of life Feng Siji lived in Qianzhou.
After they met again in Kyoto, neither of them mentioned the past. Even if they did, it would only lead to endless arguments over past schemes and betrayals.
Feng Siji felt that she owed him, and her heart was full of hatred. When they first met again, her heart and eyes were full of revenge. He imprisoned Li Qi, and Li Qi also hated his control.
If you think about it carefully, even after they met again in the capital, they were either involved in Mingrong's case and quarreled with each other, or argued endlessly about the past. Feng Siji spent a lot of energy to control Li Qi, and Li Qi also spent physical strength to play games with him. Neither of them won.
No one mentioned the other's past or what kind of life they had lived during the years of their absence.
Don't you want to know? Why hasn't anyone mentioned it?
Li Qi suddenly thought about this problem. She was too stubborn and strong. Feng Siji only thought about how to conquer her. He was exhausted both physically and mentally and had no time to think about anything else.
Now facing nature, Li Qi relaxed and suddenly became very curious about the years when she was absent from Feng Siji.
How could he, a truly foolish man like him, who was so destitute at the time and abandoned by her, regain hope and survive?
Li Qi looked at Qinglan and wanted to ask, but then she changed her mind and thought it would be better to ask Feng Siji in person. Perhaps they could sit down and talk about the past calmly.
"County Lady, why are you looking at me?" Qinglan withdrew her gaze from the window and turned around to see Li Qi staring at her.
Li Qi shook her head. At this time, the carriage stopped outside Ping'an Village. Shan Min jumped out of the car first. When he was about to turn around to help Li Qi, he saw that she and Qinglan had already jumped out.
Li Qi looked up at Ping'an Village. Just as Shan Min said, the peach blossoms outside the village were in bloom. Deep pink clusters hung on the treetops. From a distance, the flowers connected with the distant blue sky, as if they were pastel clusters hanging upside down in the sky.
Qinglan couldn't help but sigh: "It's really beautiful. The county lady really knows how to choose a place."
Li Qi said calmly, "This was chosen by Shan Min."
Yunshan Min was happy to hear this, and he was even happier when he saw that Li Qi's expression of liking him didn't seem fake. However, this happiness didn't stay in his heart for long before it faded away.
His expression was slightly tense, and he said seriously, "Let's go quickly."
Li Qi nodded, and followed Shan Min into the village with Qinglan.
When the villagers saw Li Qi, they greeted her happily and asked her why her husband didn't come with her.
Li Qi was a little confused, but she didn't show it. After entering Aunt Yun's house, she asked Shan Min, "What do people mean by 'husband'?"
Shan Min's expression turned even darker when this was mentioned. He said with some jealousy, "It was Lord Feng. Last time, he came to us to cause trouble at He Mu's house. Everyone saw him. He claimed to be your husband."
After Shan Min finished speaking, he looked at Li Qi again with a hint of expectation and tentativeness and asked, "County Lady, are you really going to marry him?"
Li Qi glanced at him when she heard the voice. Shan Min was one year younger than Lin Che. He always showed his joy on his face and did not know how to hide his thoughts. Li Qi understood what he was thinking.
She had to admit that Feng Siji was right. Even if Feng Siji was not there, she would not like Shan Min.
Because she never likes people who are useless to her, especially men.
This was a good opportunity to stop Shan Min from thinking about it and let him live his life well. Li Qi said, "We got married in Qianzhou a few years ago."
Shan Min's expression was slightly condensed, and the stars in his eyes slowly fell, even the glimmer of expectation and the little thought of trial disappeared completely.
He lowered his head, pushed open the door, and whispered, "Sister Mingrong is inside, you go see her, Sister Qinglan and I will be waiting outside."
Li Qi nodded, and before entering, she reached out and patted Shan Min's shoulder like an elder, "My brothers, Li Qi, are all strong and chivalrous. Stop hunching your backs and be more imposing."
Yunshanmin was stunned, knowing that Li Qi had something else to say. She was asking him to show off, but in fact she was telling him that he would always be her younger brother, no different from Dong Linche.
Shan Min had already prepared himself mentally, knowing this day would come. He quickly adjusted himself, stood up straight, and changed his listless look. He patted his chest and smiled, "Yes, sister."
Li Qi smiled and walked in.
Behind her, Shan Min closed the door for her.
As soon as he stepped over the threshold, a strong smell of medicine hit him in the face. Li Qi frowned slightly and walked quickly towards the unconscious person on the couch.
Dong Mingrong had lost a lot of weight, and her chin was not as round as it was when she left Kyoto last year. She was not wearing any jewelry and lay quietly on the couch. Her face was pale and her lips were chapped. Her facial features, which were lively and vivid in the past, were now lifeless, like a strong grass that was about to die, fragile, but with a shocking ability to survive.
The weather was warm, and Aunt Yun covered her with a thick quilt, which caused a layer of hot sweat to appear on her smooth forehead.
Li Qi pulled a low stool and sat on the edge of the bed. She picked up the handkerchief on the shelf and gently wiped away the sweat from Dong Mingrong.
Dong Mingrong was still in a deep sleep, unaware of what she had done.
After Li Qi finished wiping, she let go of the handkerchief and took Dong Mingrong's hand. It felt hot and burning, and there was a faint sweat and a thin layer of calluses on the palm of her hand.
Li Qi opened her palms and found that her hands looked much older, with calluses all over her fingers, black nails, and slightly cracked skin on the back of her hands.
It is far different from when she was in the palace before. Her nails are painted red, and her fingers are slender, white, delicate and smooth, as beautiful as scallions.
Dong Mingrong's fingers suddenly moved slightly. Li Qi looked over and saw Dong Mingrong slowly opening her eyes. Her eyes were no longer as bright as before. She looked at her with a cloudy look, "Sister."
She lay there for a long time without speaking, and her voice was unusually hoarse, as if there was sand in her throat.
After hearing this, Li Qi poured a cup of hot tea. She gently helped Dong Mingrong up and fed her the hot tea.
When the teacup was empty, Li Qi gently laid her back down and placed the teacup on the bedside table. Then he asked, "How did you get so badly injured?"
"Zhang Zhouzhu's men chased me all the way, wanting to catch me alive. Their tactics were a bit aggressive, but it didn't matter. We got through it."
Dong Mingrong drank the hot tea, and her throat became much smoother. She didn't feel tired when she spoke more. After she finished speaking, she asked, "I heard everything when I arrived in Kyoto. The city was in chaos. Is Li Ke okay?"
Li Qi nodded and told her not to worry. With Li Ke's current power, few people in the court could hurt him.
Dong Mingrong looked at Li Qi longingly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Li Qi knew what she wanted to say. She had been away for more than a year and must have missed Li Ke. Now that she was back, it was understandable that she wanted to see him.
However, Li Qi took Dong Mingrong's hand and comforted her, "There are so many things going on right now, you'll be safer in Ping'an Village. Zhang Zhouzhu is among the Southern Yan envoys, and if he finds you again, who knows what he'll do. When this is over, I'll have Li Ke come to see you."
Dong Mingrong had expected this to happen, so she wasn't disappointed. The situation was unstable now, and there was very little she could do to help Li Qi. She just wanted to avoid causing her any trouble.
Dong Mingrong then said, "I've learned all about Yunzhou's situation. When Southern Yan first occupied Yunzhou, they captured many men and sent them to Southern Yan to do hard labor. Over the years, with the free labor, the Southern Yan emperor has been renovating palaces and gardens. To raise enough money, he's increased taxes on the people and reduced military pay."
"Many people in Southern Yan are dissatisfied. The ruler and his subjects are alienated, and the people are suffering. All the money has been used to build palaces and gardens, leaving military pay scarce. The soldiers stationed in Yunzhou are already dissatisfied, and many have deserted. Now is a perfect time to go to war."
Li Qi pondered for a while. Eight years ago, the actual military strength of Southern Yan was not very strong. Although Emperor Liang's side was not very good, they were at least evenly matched. If it were not for He Zhangjing, Southern Yan would never have been able to break through the Yunzhou city gate.
In the past few years, Li Qi not only trained Dong Linche, but also used all kinds of means to save money and assisted Dong Linche in training soldiers and raising horses. She has made all the preparations and only lacks the east wind.
A wind that blew away the various feudal lords.
It was because Emperor Liang had been afraid of the rope for ten years and was unwilling to send troops to attack Southern Yan. If Li Qi forced Dong Linche to send troops, it would be considered treason against the imperial edict.
In fact, with her current snobbery, she could even commit treason. The difficulty was that Emperor Liang's royal family had already been crumbling, and the various vassal states were ready to make moves, and everyone wanted to force the emperor to abdicate. If Li Qi did so at this time, it would give the vassal states an excuse to purge the emperor's side and march into Beijing.
At that time, the feudal lords became obstacles.
Li Qi's army was small, and could only be used to attack Southern Yan, not to suppress the feudal lords. That was the royal family's business, and she wouldn't be stupid enough to be a knife for the royal family.
She wanted to send troops in a logical way and had to get Emperor Liang's consent so that the vassal states would have no excuse.
In the past, Zhang Zhouzhu controlled the vassal states, but now he has collapsed. Li Qi only needs to get Emperor Liang to agree.
Li Qi stroked Dong Mingrong's hair and said softly, "When the time is right, we will send our troops."
After she finished speaking, the door behind her was pushed open.
With a creaking sound, Qinglan said at the door: "County Lady, we should go back."
Now Li Qi's identity has become that of a marriage candidate, and people are always staring at her. It is no longer like before when she could go out at will without caring about the time.
"I'll come see you another day. Take good care of yourself." Li Qi said goodbye to Dong Mingrong, stood up and followed Qinglan away.
Outside the village, Yunshan Min was already waiting in the carriage to drive the horses for them. Li Qi and Qinglan got on the carriage one after another and the carriage was bumpy as it moved forward.
Outside the carriage, Yunshan Min's voice drifted in: "Don't worry too much, County Lady. My mother will take good care of Sister Mingrong. You can rest assured and find a job in Kyoto."
Li Qi responded with a "hmm". Qinglan then said, "Since Zhang Zhouzhu is already here, why didn't he show up?" If he showed up, he could be killed.
Li Qi thought for a moment and said, "His current position is considered collaborating with the enemy. How dare he appear openly in the envoy group? I would like to find someone to kill him, but the fact that he was accepted by Southern Yan must have brought a lot of benefits to Southern Yan. Those people will not let him die so easily.
"On the contrary, if the envoys encounter any misfortune, the blame will be placed on the imperial court, and Southern Yan will probably take this opportunity to cause trouble."
Although Southern Yan is now equally precarious, on par with Daliang, Li Qi does not want to provoke a war.
Regardless of who wins or loses, she has seen the devastation of Yunzhou after the war, and she does not want to see another innocent war.
Qinglan understood and stopped talking. Li Qi remembered something and ordered, "Pass the message to Jiao Lan and ask her to sow discord between Emperor Liang and Zhang Wan. The deeper the discord, the better."
Qinglan agreed.
Before the carriage reached the county lord's mansion, Li Qi asked Yunshan Min to change the route and go to the prison.
She wanted to ask Feng Siji that question.
-
This time, Feng Siji was dressed neatly, his hair combed perfectly. His wound had been bandaged, and it wasn't as bloody and hideous as last time.
Li Qi knew without hesitation that Chen Hu was afraid that Feng Siji would die and he would no longer have bargaining chips to exchange with him.
However, Feng Siji was not in much better condition. He was lying unconscious on the small couch, his face pale and he looked almost as weak as Dong Mingrong.
Li Qi was afraid of disturbing him, so she walked lightly to his side. As soon as she sat down on the small couch, someone grabbed her fingers.
Li Qi was slightly stunned when she saw Feng Siji open his eyes and look at her with a smile while lying under the oil lamp. The light brought a gentle warmth to his eyes.
Li Qi asked curiously, "You're not asleep?"
"I fell asleep at first," Feng Siji took Li Qi's hand, slowly sat up, moved to Li Qi's side and hugged her, "I woke up when I heard your footsteps."
"That's strange. I'm obviously very light."
Feng Siji looked at her with a smile and didn't say anything. Ever since she came here, his smile had never faded, as if the wounds on his body didn't hurt at all and he could smile all the time.
He is a good man. His smile towards her at this moment shows that he is sincere. Li Qi is becoming more and more curious. Feng Siji gave all his love but ended up almost dying in Jiedu Mansion. How did he get through his later life?
When Li Qi asked about this, Feng Siji's smile suddenly froze, but in a moment, he smiled again, "Why are you asking this?"
Li Qi didn't say anything, just stared at him.
After a while, Feng Siji was defeated and brought up the days he didn't want to mention.
After Li Qi left, he briefly considered dying, no longer burdened by all that. But the thought was fleeting. He felt a mixture of love and hate, wanting to find Li Qi, seeking an explanation, or something else entirely. He couldn't just die in the Jiedu Mansion.
Feng Siji pulled the rag hard to block the bloody hole in his abdomen. Fortunately, Li Qi's knife did not penetrate his heart and lungs, so he could still be saved.
But during the days of recuperation, he almost felt like his mind was flying away and his soul was out of his body. He lay in Tingzhu Garden all day, looking at the plum tree in the courtyard, and always holding a wine jug in his hand.
He reeked of alcohol and looked decadent and ugly.
It was a long time before Feng Siji came back to life, but he was just a walking corpse. He recruited people, built up his own power, and searched all over the world for Li Qi.
Just because Dong Mingrong said she had left long ago, he hadn't searched Jingdou again. Thinking about it now, Li Qi was actually right. He was trusting and being deceived was inevitable.
Feng Siji said all this and then asked Li Qi again, but Li Qi refused to tell him. She just smiled and said, "I have to go back."
She stood up from the bed, and Feng Siji's eyes followed her movements and looked up at her and asked, "Why did Chen Hu suddenly do this to me? But what did you do?"
Feng Siji was just afraid that she had made some deal with Chen Hu and was threatened to pay some bargaining chips.
Li Qi shook her head, and he asked again: "Is there any news from the Empress?"
Li Qi was silent for a moment, then said, "Not yet. You'll have to endure for a while."
Feng Siji hummed and said, "I'm not in a hurry to leave. I'm just worried that you'll be anxious if you can't find her. But my people are already walking around, and I believe there will be news soon. You don't have to worry too much."
"good."
Li Qi didn't look back and walked onto the long path outside the cell.
-
Li Qi lived a peaceful life for a few days, and soon, Jiao Lan's matter was settled.
Hearing the news brought by Qinglan, Jiao Lan took a dose of non-lethal poison and slandered Zhang Wan, which made Emperor Liang furious.
Emperor Liang and Zhang Wan were originally a couple who got married later in life, not a married couple. Although they had feelings for each other, they were not many. Over the years, Emperor Liang had grown tired of Zhang Wan and now favored Jiao Lan more. How could he not be angry when the beauty in his heart was being bullied by an old man?
Li Qi found the right time and went to the palace to meet Emperor Liang.
She was originally the one that Emperor Liang wanted. Although he couldn't change that now, he still felt regret in his heart, but in the end, he still felt pity for her. When he saw her, the love in his eyes didn't seem fake. He just leaned back on the dragon throne with a bit of fatigue: "Why are you here?"
After Li Qi saluted, she took the initiative to walk behind him, stretched out her hand to massage his Taiyangxue, and said, "I heard about the Queen's matter. I think Your Majesty must be upset, so I came to see you specially."
Emperor Liang sighed and patted Li Qi's delicate arm. "You are thoughtful. The Empress has always disliked Concubine Li and has made things difficult for her, both openly and covertly. I have tried to teach her a lesson several times, but Concubine Li stopped me. Jiao Lan had a bad temper and cried for justice. I couldn't help it and punished her with house arrest."
Emperor Liang's tone was filled with annoyance. "She's a few years older than me, and her beauty has faded. I get annoyed just by looking at her. I'm already being merciful by not deposing her. She's got the position of Empress, so what is she still fighting for?"
Li Qi took the opportunity to ask, "Your Majesty, do you wish to depose the Empress?"
Emperor Liang sighed, "It's just a thought. I have no reason to displease the court officials. This emperor is really frustrated. He can't even make the decision about the position of Empress."
Li Qi thought to herself, Emperor Liang always loved people by their looks, and he had doted on Mingrong in the past. His love was real, but it was also true that he would not love only one person, and it was even more true that this love would turn into disgust as time went by.
It was totally expected that he wanted to depose Zhang Wan, not to mention that he now had Jiao Lan.
Li Qi said, "Your Majesty, do you remember? I told you that no matter what Your Majesty wants to do, I will support you."
Emperor Liang turned his head to look at her: "What do you mean?"
Li Qi said, "If Your Majesty wishes to depose the Empress, please let me do it."
"What are you going to do?"
"Your Majesty, just trust me."
Emperor Liang hesitated for a moment. He only thought so when he was annoyed with Zhang Wan, but when it came to actually taking action, he was a little scared.
No matter how stupid he was, he knew that changing the queen's position would affect the stability of the court.
Li Qi saw his hesitation, but she wasn't in a hurry to avoid exposing herself. With a look of loyalty, she said, "Your Majesty, you can reconsider. If you need me, I'm always here. But Your Majesty, you still need to make a decision quickly. Otherwise, once I marry in Southern Yan, there will be no one left to help you."
"Okay," Emperor Liang said, "I'll think about it again, I have to think about it again..." He murmured in panic, his thoughts were in a mess, one moment he was thinking of Jiao Lan's pretty face, the next moment he was thinking of Zhang Wan's aging face.
Li Qi did not stay to disturb him and asked to leave the palace.
Back at the County Lord's Mansion, Li Qi instructed Qinglan: "Tell Jiao Lan to add more fuel and make it even more ruthless."
Qinglan was a little confused, but she didn't dare to ask Li Qi what she wanted to do, so she just followed her instructions.
Li Qi waited quietly for news in the county lord's mansion. After more than ten days, three days before the marriage, she finally got news from the palace.
It was only said that Jiao Lan lied to Emperor Liang that she was pregnant, and then bribed everyone in the Imperial Hospital to cause a miscarriage, and put the blame on Zhang Wan.
Emperor Liang indulged in lust when he was young, which damaged his foundation. As a result, he had no children after he ascended the throne. Offspring were what he valued most. Another reason why he favored only one concubine was that he thought it would increase the probability of pregnancy.
He had children in his youth, but his mind was preoccupied with marrying the most beautiful woman in the world, so he delayed marrying a wife. Without a wife, he naturally did not want to have a illegitimate child born first, so he ordered every concubine to have an abortion if she became pregnant.
Perhaps because he had committed too many sins, the woman he later married was not the most beautiful in the world, and he never had any children.
Jiao Lan's strike was accurate and deadly. Emperor Liang was not only angry but also desperate. Because between husband and wife, it was impossible for Zhang Wan not to know that he was eager to have a child, but she still did it, which was tantamount to betrayal.
He despaired of Zhang Wan.
Emperor Liang was sad all night, and finally asked Li Ke to deliver the message to Li Qi, saying that he agreed.
Others may not know, but Li Qi knows exactly what he agreed to.
After receiving the news from Li Ke, Li Qi immediately took action and asked Ye Shu to tell Chen Hu that it was time for Zhang Wan to come and get the Phoenix Seal in person.
Fearing a trick, Chen Hu personally visited Li Qi and asked, "When will you come to get it?"
Li Qi was choosing her wedding dress for her upcoming marriage to Nanyan, and absentmindedly replied, "I'm getting married tomorrow. All marriages are arranged from the palace, so I'll go to the palace tonight to prepare."
As she spoke, she raised her head, looked at Chen Hu and smiled, "I only have time tonight, so naturally I'll let her come to get the Phoenix Seal tonight."
Chen Hu was a little suspicious, so Li Qi said, "If you're afraid, then don't take it."
Chen Hu hurriedly said, "I will tell the Queen."
He was about to leave when Li Qi stopped him. Li Qi handed Chen Hu a piece of paper and said, "By the way, please ask the queen to choose one and ask her which one she thinks is the best."
Chen Hu opened the paper in confusion and saw three bright red wedding dresses painted on it.
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