The Long Night (6)
Chapter 6 The Long Night (6)
Qingqi Temple.
Feng Siji stood on the incense hall, looking down at the excited and generous crowd below. Their eyes looked at him as if they were looking at gods, full of expectation, worship and admiration.
The words "Catch Li Qi and get rid of the county lady" were shouted more and more passionately and indignantly, and it seemed as if a flame was ignited in the icy weather.
Feng Siji whispered to He Mu beside him: "Why do you all hate her so much?"
He Mu said coldly, "After she came to Kyoto, she became an accomplice of Zhang Zhouzhu, plundering the people's wealth and acting arrogantly in the streets. How can I not hate her?
"You must be familiar with my brother He Zhangjing. He has been a wheelchair-bound invalid since last year, and it's all because of Li Qi."
Feng Siji recognized He Zhangjing, who was appointed to the Ministry of Revenue at a young age. He cared deeply about the people and was very popular among them.
Li Qi caused him to become disabled, which aroused public anger.
But Feng Siji didn't believe it.
During the time they were together in Qianzhou, he knew Li Qi well. Although she loved money, she would not harm others for it.
She was just an orphan with no one to rely on in Qianzhou.
He Mu saw that he didn't believe it and said, "There is a room in her county lord's mansion that is specially used to store the money she extorted from the people. If you don't believe it, you can go and check it out."
Feng Siji asked: "If that's true, the Imperial Palace will investigate."
"The Imperial Palace?" He Mu laughed heartily, as if he had just heard a horrible joke. He said, "Your Majesty wants to take her into the harem, don't you know? Zhang Zhouzhu just came to the palace to advise Your Majesty on how to take the orphaned commoner Li Qi into the harem and silence the gossips about giving her a concubine position."
On the night he first returned to Kyoto, he heard He Rucheng and Chen Hu talking about this matter.
But at that time I knew very little and did not understand the depths.
Feng Siji's eyes slowly turned gray.
He Mu added, "Since she's the woman you want to take away, Your Majesty will naturally protect her everywhere. Why would he really investigate her? Besides, there's Zhang Zhouzhu, and he's also protecting her. In the entire capital, no one can do anything to her except you."
Feng Siji clenched his fists, and at this moment he suddenly felt that the angry voices of the crowd below were particularly harsh.
His ears were piercing with pain, and he seemed to have tinnitus. He could not hear clearly what they were shouting. He could only see their mouths moving in unison, all of which were "Exterminate Li Qi".
After not seeing each other for three years, she has really fallen to this point and is in cahoots with Zhang Zhouzhu?
Feng Siji still couldn't believe it. He asked, "Last time you said you had evidence that she killed the Empress."
"Yes." He Mu glanced at him sideways: "Have you thought about it? Want to help us? If so, go catch her. Once you catch her, I will give you evidence."
Before Feng Siji could say anything, He Mu had already taken it in. She raised her head and shouted to the noisy people below, "Master Feng has promised you that within a month, he will investigate all of Princess Yun'an's evil deeds and arrest her. He will bring justice to you and restore peace to the capital!"
This statement caused a stir, and the crowd went from being furious to delighted, with some even bursting into laughter. Those who had been criticizing Li Qi also turned into words of praise for Feng Siji.
"We knew that Lord Feng wouldn't leave us alone!"
"The Emperor, it was the Emperor who summoned him back! It seems our Majesty is more than just a pleasure seeker!"
"Yes, Your Majesty still has us in his heart! Great, Feng Qingtian, you are the God of our people!"
“…”
He Mu turned around and smiled confidently at Feng Siji.
She had already pushed him out in front of the people. Whether he agreed or not, he would definitely take care of Li Qi's matter.
Feng Siji raised his head and looked at the statue of Yama next to him.
The ferocious face of the statue was blurred by the rising sandalwood. Feng Siji gently stroked it and it felt cold.
His own heart should be as cold as this one, just handling the case without showing any emotion.
But why do I still feel like I can't breathe? My heart feels like it's tied up in a knot, causing severe pain.
-
At dusk, a carriage stopped outside the Feng Mansion.
The driver brought a small stool and shouted into the carriage, "County Lady, we're here."
The curtain was lifted by a pair of slender jade fingers, revealing a bright red figure inside.
Li Qimai got out of the car. She was wearing a red dress and stood on the snow-covered street, like a red plum blossom blooming on a snowy branch.
She raised her head slightly and looked at the mansion in front of her.
The house was purchased for Feng Siji by Emperor Liang before he came to Kyoto. It was a small house with two entrances and two exits. It was not as luxurious as the nobles in the court, but it was decorated in a quiet and elegant manner.
As if someone had specifically instructed them, the two doormen did not stop her, and Li Qiru walked into the house as if no one was around.
As soon as you enter the yard, there is a grape vine trellis providing shade, a swing in the shade, and a well.
At this time of year, the grape vines have withered and are clinging weakly to the racks.
She gently stroked the dry bark, imagining it growing green in the summer while she swung in the shade.
If Feng Siji were here, he would definitely push the swing very high. The sun was scorching and the wind was hot, but it didn't matter, he would fan her and feed her iced grapes.
What kind of carefree life would that be? It's a luxurious dream, but as long as you think about it, it can warm your whole life.
Li Qi reluctantly withdrew her hand and slowly walked into the second courtyard, where there was a patch of green bamboo planted. Beneath the bamboos was a small spring, and beside the spring was a pavilion of medium size.
"Li Qi?"
Someone called out from behind her, and she turned around to see Ye Shu coming back from buying clothes.
How familiar! Li Qi looked at the person in front of her and smiled slightly: "It seems like more than three years? You haven't changed at all."
With a broad waist and thick arms, he looks like a strong martial artist.
He immediately drew his sword and swung it at her, "I was just about to go find you, but I didn't expect you to come to me on your own!"
A bright and sharp sword came towards her, and the tip of the sword slowly enlarged in front of her eyes, but Li Qi did not dodge or avoid it. Suddenly, the sword blade suddenly turned when it was about to pierce her throat, brushed past her temples, cut off a strand of hair, and fell lightly on the snow.
The thin white neck suffered some damage, the skin was a little broken, and a trace of blood was oozing out. It was a little painful, but bearable.
Ye Shu asked angrily and helplessly, "Why didn't you hide?"
She gave a faint smile, "Because I know you're just like your young master, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, cold on the outside but soft on the inside. We've been through so much together, and the reason you can't bring yourself to do it is simply because you want to vent the hatred you had back then."
"you……!"
"Page book."
A clear voice came from outside the yard. Li Qi glanced sideways and saw Feng Siji, wearing a snow-white robe, slowly walking into the yard. He raised his phoenix eyes slightly and glanced at her.
As if feeling guilty, she looked away.
He said to Ye Shu, "Stand back."
Ye Shu's voice was very unwilling: "But..."
Looking at the sharp blade still near his eyes, Li Qi knew what Ye Shu was thinking. He felt that even if he really couldn't bring himself to kill himself, he could always do it to retaliate.
"Stand back."
Feng Siji looked at him with a more serious look. Ye Shu hesitated for a moment, but finally put away the knife reluctantly. He stared at Li Qi with an angry look, as if he wanted to stare holes into her.
Li Qi saluted Feng Siji and said, "Envoy Feng, I have been ordered to assist you in investigating the case of Concubine Li."
"Come in."
He walked straight to the center, passed in front of her, leaving behind a faint scent of sandalwood.
Has he ever been to the temple?
But as far as I can remember, he didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, and therefore never visited temples. Perhaps after three years, he had changed.
-
Feng Siji's main room is decorated as quiet and elegant as the outer courtyard.
With just one glance, Li Qi felt a scent of books spreading into her lungs along her line of sight, as if to permeate her from the inside out with the scent of books.
But after the fall of Yunzhou City, she pondered day and night on how to retake Yunzhou and never had the chance to touch poetry and books again.
She thought she would be filled with regret and annoyance, but now there was not a ripple in her heart. She realized that many things she had not done or obtained had been let go without her realizing it.
A beam of light shone in from the open window and fell on the desk in front of him, on which were scattered three or two messy files. Li Qi recognized that they were the ones Feng Siji took in the Imperial Garden.
One of the scrolls was torn and had traces of repair.
Suddenly, the light and shadow on the desk dimmed, and Feng Siji stretched out his hand, holding a white silk handkerchief between his slender fingertips. "Wipe it."
Li Qi just remembered that the skin on her neck was scratched by the leaf book.
"Thank you, Envoy Feng." She took it. The silk handkerchief was soft and pure white without any embroidery, just like Feng Siji, who was honest and incorruptible without any stain.
He recalled that he was demoted because he refused to obey the orders of Prime Minister Zhang Zhouzhu and accepted bribes to handle false cases, which angered Zhang Zhouzhu, who then dismissed him from the court and exiled him to Qianzhou.
He would rather step down from the position of Dali Temple Minister than make a wrong judgment. With such a person investigating Concubine Li's case, Li Qi felt that she could not escape this time.
Feng Siji suddenly asked, "Why? Isn't it said that His Majesty holds you in the palm of his hand and wants to take you as his concubine? Why doesn't he apply ointment to you?"
Li Qi followed his gaze and saw her fingers were red and swollen from making clothes, and understood what he was talking about.
She didn't want to tell him that a maid's fingers wouldn't be like that. It was just that she accidentally rubbed them too hard when she washed her hands when she returned home from Yongshou Palace last night.
She didn't want to respond to his words, so she put away her handkerchief and said, "I'm very busy. Envoy Feng sent for me to come over. If you have anything to say, please tell me."
Feng Siji pushed all the scattered files on the table in front of her and said, "I have carefully examined Concubine Li's case. Just like when Wang Xiu was murdered, all the candles around her were extinguished at the same time. Besides that, there is another common point between their cases. County Lady, can you guess what it is?"
Hearing this, Li Qi clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said, "I don't handle cases, I don't want to guess."
The voice was steady and without any flaws.
Li Qi raised her eyes in confusion after hearing his two soft chuckles. He smiled gently, but there was no smile in his eyes as he looked at her. "The common point is that you were the last person to see them."
Li Qi placed the handkerchief back in front of him and responded calmly, "So? Envoy Feng is suspicious of me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
