The Long Night (10)
Chapter 10 The Long Night (10)
It was already noon when Li Qi's carriage stopped outside the military camp.
Li Qi got off the carriage and saw Shengxiang squatting outside washing vegetables. She also noticed Li Qi and immediately laughed out loud. She turned around and shouted, "General Dong, come and see who's here?"
A young man in his twenties walked out of the middle tent. He had a handsome face and sharp features. He walked quickly forward, his voice filled with uncontrollable joy. "Sister, why are you here? Didn't you say there were a lot of things going on in the city?"
Li Qi was a little dazed as she looked at Dong Linche's joyful eyes.
She, Dong Mingrong and Dong Linche were rarely together, and every time they got together they talked about retaking Yunzhou. They had lost so much that they should have at their age, whether it was starting a family, or being free.
She had never felt miserable over the years, but at this moment, she actually tasted a hint of bitterness in her mouth.
Shengxiang put the washed vegetables away and followed. "How's Envoy Feng doing?"
Li Qi looked around silently, watching soldiers coming and going on patrol.
She pulled Shengxiang and Dong Linche to a corner and said, "Feng Siji already knows. I've tried to test him, and he won't let it go this time. If anything happens to me, I'll follow Shengxiang's instructions until Mingrong returns."
She knew Dong Linche. He was young and reckless, and if he took Shengxiang with him, he might get into trouble because he was too prominent.
The only thing he can listen to is the fragrant one.
Shengxiang is more calm and reserved than him.
Dong Linche frowned. "Sister, how can you say this so calmly? You can't just accept your fate like this."
Before Li Qi could say anything, the sound of wheels rolling across the ground suddenly came from not far away. The three of them looked at the same time and saw a horse-drawn carriage leading a dozen soldiers coming towards them with great momentum.
Next to the carriage's crimson curtain hung a lantern with the word "Feng" written on it.
Li Qi's heart tightened, and she subconsciously protected Shengxiang and Dong Linche behind her.
She watched the crimson-purple curtain being lifted, and Feng Siji's figure slowly emerged from inside.
Feng Siji calmly stepped down from the carriage, the corners of his pine-green clothes brushing against the white snow.
Standing still in the snow, he raised his head slightly, his deep eyes flickering dimly in the daylight as he stared at Li Qi: "Are you guys planning how to escape Kyoto?"
"What do you want?" Li Qi silently counted the soldiers he brought with him. Led by Ye Shu, there were exactly ten of them, no more, no less.
With this number, they shouldn't be here to take anyone away.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Feng Siji's gaze passed over her and looked at Shengxiang who was protected behind her: "Take her for questioning."
Li Qi's heart tightened again, and she asked with a stern face, "What do you mean?"
Feng Si walked towards her quickly, his soapy boots leaving a trail of deep and shallow footprints on the snow. "Last night before you came to my house, I went to the county lord's house to look for Shengxiang, but she was out of town."
He smiled meaningfully and gently stroked the Buddhist ring on his finger: "So you were hiding here."
Li Qi did not respond to him. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the person behind him.
Ten soldiers rushed forward and surrounded them, two of them reaching out to grab Shengxiang.
With a clang, a flash of cold sword light passed by Li Qi's eyes. The moment the cold light flashed, Dong Linche swung the sword across Feng Siji's throat: "Who dares to move!"
"Lin Che!" Li Qi's pupils constricted in shock. He had finally gotten to this position, and there were so many people eyeing him covetously. Feng Siji was the special case envoy appointed by His Majesty himself, so how could he treat him so impulsively!
But Feng Siji didn't move under the knife, still with that chilling smile on his face, staring at Li Qi.
Li Qi didn't have time to think about Feng Siji's intentions. She just wanted to persuade Dong Linche: "What is Feng Siji's current status? You drew your sword against him. Don't you want to live?"
Dong Linche seemed to be unable to hear any of her words. His face flushed red with anger, and his finger bones gripping the hilt of the sword were so strong that a crackling sound could be heard.
Dong Linche's sword tip was only a millimeter away from piercing Feng Siji's vitals.
"Sister, don't stop me. It's because of him that we have to retreat again and again."
There was a strong red glow in his eyes, and Li Qi could see it clearly. It was the blatant murderous intent.
The noisy commotion disturbed the military camp. Dong Linche's deputy general Ma Biao rushed out first, shouting to protect the general: "Capture them all!"
About a hundred soldiers rushed over and formed a larger encirclement outside the circle of Feng Siji's ten soldiers.
The soldiers of both sides pointed their swords at each other, neither side gave in, and the atmosphere was so tense that it could draw blood.
Li Qi stared at Dong Linche's sword, afraid that he would get impulsive and reckless. When she glanced over, she saw Feng Siji's deep and calm eyes. He was calm and composed, not affected by others at all.
He even walked forward calmly and took the initiative to meet Dong Linche's sword. "General Dong is young and brave, I admire him. But why doesn't General Dong take action?"
The tip of the knife pierced the skin, leaving a small trace of blood.
Li Qi realized that he was deliberately provoking Dong Linche.
Her heart was in her throat. Before she could dissuade him, Dong Linche had already fallen into the trap and said angrily, "Do you really think this general wouldn't dare?"
The cold light of the sword flashed by, and Dong Linche raised his sword and swung it, with the tip of the sword heading towards Feng Siji's throat. He wanted to pierce the opponent's neck with one sword, achieving the effect of killing him with one blow.
Without any extra time to think, Li Qi rushed forward and pushed Feng Siji away fiercely, watching the tip of Dong Linche's knife rapidly enlarge in front of her eyes, and suddenly deviated when it was just a millimeter away from her chest, and hit the carriage next to her heavily.
With a loud bang, the carriage parked next to Li Qi broke into pieces.
The driver was so scared that he rolled out and was helped up by Shengxiang.
"Sister, you're just protecting him like this!"
Dong Linche's chest heaved with anger, and his gaze was filled with resentment: "Can't you forget him? Can't you forget the friendship you had in Qianzhou?"
"Pah!"
Li Qi slapped Dong Linche, causing his face to twist to one side and a red mark to slowly appear on his face.
The slap stunned everyone, and there was a moment of dead silence around them.
Dong Linche was stunned for a long time before he looked up and stared at Li Qi in disbelief.
Li Qi had a blank expression on her face: "I'm not protecting him, I'm saving you. Envoy Feng was specially summoned back to the capital by His Majesty, but he died at your hands before the case was solved. Have you thought about the consequences?"
"I've told you more than once not to be impulsive and to think twice before you act. When have you ever truly taken my words to heart?"
Dong Linche retorted angrily: "But I'm also considering you, Sister!"
He glanced angrily at her empty chest: "I noticed that you didn't wear the Duobao necklace today. Why did you take it off? You don't want to wait for that noble man anymore, right? Have you made up your mind to leave me and Shengxiang? Then what are all these years of hard work for? Isn't it because Feng Siji blocked your way that this happened? Then I can just kill him! Why are you trying to stop me!"
Shengxiang quietly pulled his sleeve, "General, stop talking..."
Li Qi looked at his furious expression and realized that as he was young and full of energy, there was no point in saying more.
Because I knew him too well, I wasn't too disappointed.
She stopped looking at Dong Linche and slowly turned around, saying to Feng Siji, "Mr. Feng, Shengxiang is just my maid. She knows nothing about the Majesty's case. If you want to arrest someone, arrest me. I'll go with you."
Feng Siji tried to see something from her, but her eyes were gray when she raised them, as if the gloomy sky was pouring down on the ground, making him breathless. He secretly clenched the case report hidden in his sleeve.
He had planned to submit his resignation to the palace, denounce Li Qi, launch a real investigation, and make the case public.
When he met noisy people on the way, he lifted the curtain and saw Li Qi's carriage. For some unknown reason, he followed.
Seeing the gloom in her eyes, he suddenly felt that this resignation letter was too hot to handle.
At this time, Li Qi added: "Lin Che is young and acts impulsively. I hope Lord Feng will not hold it against him and forgive him this time."
Dong Linche stomped his feet unwillingly behind her: "Sister!"
Feng Siji glanced at Dong Linche indifferently. He was too young and too aggressive. Wouldn’t it really hurt Li Qi if he followed her like this?
Feng Siji retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Take it away."
He observed Li Qi's expression, afraid of missing any hint from her, but until Yeshu put the handcuffs on her wrists, she didn't say another word, and naturally, she didn't look at him again.
She looked calm and accepted it all.
Feng Siji suppressed his emotions, turned around and walked in front. The crisp sound of handcuffs and chains came from behind him. Li Qi followed him and walked towards his carriage.
After walking a few steps, the road ahead was blocked by Dong Linche's troops. Hundreds of soldiers blocked the road.
Feng Siji looked at him coldly and impatiently.
He refused to give in, and didn't even look at Feng Siji. He just stared at Li Qi and said, "Sister, are you just going to accept your fate? If you leave now, what if... what if that noble lady Yingluo shows up tomorrow?"
Feng Siji glanced at Li Qi's reaction. Her pale face was shrouded in the gray light of the sky. He said slowly, "If you block my way again, I will no longer have you as my brother. Get out of the way!"
“Sister…!”
Dong Linche didn't understand why she was so stubborn and why she didn't fight back. But no matter what he said, she ignored him, as if she really didn't think he was her brother anymore.
Dong Linche gritted his teeth and was stubborn for a long time, but he couldn't beat Li Qi in the end. He put away his knife angrily and stepped aside.
The soldiers behind him also automatically dispersed to the left and right, leaving a path in the middle.
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Feng Siji was used to a cold and simple life in Qianzhou. Unlike Li Ke's carriage, which was not burned with silver charcoal, his carriage was empty and even the seat cushions were made of the most primitive hardwood.
As soon as Li Qi got into the carriage, she shivered with cold and her upper and lower teeth chattered.
She kept her head down. The handcuffs on her wrists were very old and covered with a layer of yellow-brown rust, which left red marks on her delicate wrists and caused her to feel a sharp pain.
Her head was swollen and her temples were throbbing, but Li Qi didn't dare to relax. She didn't want to give up, but she didn't have the face to look at Feng Siji again. She lowered her head and asked, "Is it really impossible? Are you going to protect me?"
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