1 Reunion
◎ "It doesn't matter. I will let you stay by my side forever."◎
The study room of Prince Yi's Mansion.
A woman in a crimson satin gown with a pattern of golden heron sat on a mahogany chair, eyes closed in deep thought. She tapped the handle subconsciously a few times before opening her eyes and looking at her subordinate standing at the desk.
The woman looked at her expressionlessly, "Is everything done?"
The subordinate didn't dare look directly at the woman, but bowed his head slightly and said respectfully, "Master, everything is done."
Jiang Yan hummed, then asked, "What about the Zhao family?"
"Today is the day Zhao Qiuxin is buried. The Zhao family doesn't allow men to accompany the funeral procession. They are only allowed to wait at the foot of the mountain. The Zhao family should have already left by now."
"Where are the people planted in the Zhao family?"
The subordinate said, "We are ready. We can act tonight. We will be at the master's command."
"Very good." Jiang Yan stood up and looked out the window. The sky was clear and cloudless. It was indeed a good day.
Jiang Yan laughed meaningfully, "It's time to go meet that 'old friend'."
————
Paper money fluttered down from halfway up the mountain. A master and servant, dressed in mourning clothes, stood alone at the foot of the mountain outside Beijing, one in front and one behind. Several pieces of paper money fell slowly to the ground near them, making their presence seem so abrupt.
The leading man, with his black hair tied in a bun and a slender figure, stood tall and straight like a bamboo. His handsome face was a bit haggard, but not worn out. His expression was indifferent and distant, like an immortal who was unperturbed by worldly affairs, neither happy nor sad.
Jiang Yan was ten feet away from them, staring at Cui Huaifeng intently.
Cui Huaifeng seemed to sense something, so he turned his head to look for the direction of the gaze. Coincidentally, at this moment, a piece of paper money fluttered in the wind between the two of them. After it passed by, they could see each other clearly.
When Cui Huaifeng saw the person coming, he was stunned for a moment.
Those eyes, as warm and bright as spring water, stared at Jiang Yan quietly. After a while, he lowered his long eyelashes, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes.
The servant standing behind Cui Huaifeng also recognized Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan is the most favored sixth princess of the current Fengyi Dynasty. She and the Crown Princess are both born to Feng Jun. Years ago, she made military achievements and was named Prince Yi by the Empress. Cui Huaifeng is the eldest son of the Langzhong of the Ministry of Works.
Four years ago, Jiang Yan and Cui Huaifeng fell in love with each other. They often met secretly, and their correspondence and meetings were often covered by Cui Huaifeng's servants. Their feelings gradually deepened, and they even secretly decided to spend their lives together.
However, a year ago, while Jiang Yan was away on a campaign, the Zhao and Cui families formed an alliance, with Cui Huaifeng marrying Zhao Qiuxin, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue. Zhao Qiuxin was born with a weak constitution and died of illness within a year of their marriage. Today happened to be her burial day.
The servant glanced at his master with a worried look. Ever since the incident that year, his master and Prince Yi had lost contact. He had assumed they would never see each other again, but Prince Yi suddenly appeared at this critical juncture. He wondered what she was planning.
Jiang Yan slowly walked towards Cui Huaifeng. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were cold. She looked at the particularly eye-catching mourning clothes on Cui Huaifeng and felt truly jealous.
He was supposed to marry her, but now he is mourning for another woman.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yan felt even more hatred.
"Goodbye, old friend. Mr. Cui, won't you say something?" Jiang Yan said with a forced smile.
Cui Huaifeng lowered his eyes and called out politely, "Your Highness Prince Yi."
He was so calm and didn't want to say any more polite words. Jiang Yan laughed at himself in his heart. People who didn't take him seriously naturally couldn't cause any ripples in his heart.
Jiang Yan said sarcastically, "Master Cui is such a passionate person. Zhao Qiu's heart is broken, but you still follow him closely..."
She took a few steps forward, got close to Cui Huaifeng, and said through gritted teeth, "Do you care about her that much?"
Cui Huaifeng paused, "Zhao Qiuxin was kind to me. Now that she's gone, I should be there to bury her."
"A favor? What favor?" Jiang Yan couldn't help laughing when he heard this. "Could it be the favor between a wife and husband?"
Cui Huaifeng didn't want to argue with her and didn't respond.
Jiang Yan chuckled softly a few times, then said viciously, "I almost thought I was dead or alive at the border, and you were wearing mourning for me."
Cui Huaifeng felt a pain in his heart, but remained silent.
"Zhao Qiuxin should be thankful that she left early..." Jiang Yan leaned over to his ear, her warm breath spraying on his ear.
The distance between the two was too close, Cui Huaifeng felt a little uncomfortable and subconsciously turned his face away.
Jiang Yan chuckled softly, and in a voice that only the two of them could hear, he said without letting anyone else know, "From now on, your wife can only be me."
Cui Huaifeng saw that she was angry and unwilling to give in, so he didn't think much about it and responded, "I'm already married, there's no possibility for us."
"Don't be so confident," Jiang Yan took a few steps back and smiled freely, "Huaifeng, we will see each other soon."
————
Night, Zhao Mansion.
Cui Huaifeng sat in the side room, recalling what happened today in his mind.
Jiang Yan had changed a lot. Although she used to be spoiled and straightforward, she was now unpredictable and moody.
In fact, the last time they met was before Jiang Yan went to war.
At that time, Jiang Yan looked quite proud. She smiled brightly and said happily, "When I return victorious, I will marry you in a sedan chair carried by eight people!"
He said, okay, I'll wait for you!
Unexpectedly, things went against her wishes and she ended up breaking her promise and marrying someone else.
Cui Huaifeng had difficulty breathing and secretly mocked himself for being pretentious.
"Squeak--" The servant Zheng Pu pushed the door open angrily, the anger on his face difficult to conceal.
"What's wrong?" Cui Huaifeng probably guessed something.
Zheng Pu pointed outside and cursed, "Master, they're so cruel! You're not feeling well and need to take medicine every few hours. They know that. But now they're saying the medicine furnace is broken and won't let us use it. These people... Miss Zhao was buried right after she was buried, and they didn't even bother to put her back up."
Zheng Pu had served Cui Huaifeng since childhood, and although they were master and servant, they were as close as brothers. When this happened, Zheng Pu was extremely anxious and even more angry with Cui Huaifeng.
Cui Huaifeng was relieved. "Never mind. It's not a big deal. I can cook it after I buy a new medicine furnace. It's almost time. I'll go to the mourning hall first."
Cui Huaifeng didn't want to argue, and Zheng Pu didn't know what to say. He could only sigh heavily and follow Cui Huaifeng to the mourning hall.
On the way to the mourning hall, Cui Huaifeng's physical discomfort became more and more obvious. He guessed that it was a problem caused by the recent night vigils at funerals, and thought about at least holding on through tonight.
Cui Huaifeng walked along the bluestone path, and the road ahead of him became increasingly blurry. He felt dizzy, his heartbeat was rapid, and he had difficulty breathing. After walking a few steps, his vision went black and he fell uncontrollably.
Cui Huaifeng felt that he was caught by Zheng Pu in a chaotic state, and heard Zheng Pu calling anxiously in his ear.
"Master! Master! Someone come quickly!"
"Why...why isn't he breathing...help..."
Cui Huaifeng vaguely thought that he might be dead. Before he lost consciousness, his past with Jiang Yan flashed before his eyes. He watched helplessly as those memories faded away bit by bit, swallowed by the darkness, along with himself.
“…”
"……Awake……"
In the boundless darkness, pitch black was the only background color where he stood. Cui Huaifeng vaguely heard some sounds, as if from another world.
Following the familiar yet unfamiliar call, his scattered thoughts were pulled back little by little, and at a certain moment, the darkness suddenly disappeared.
Cui Huaifeng blinked his eyes with all his might, and light entered his vision. There seemed to be someone sitting next to him. He tilted his head slightly, and the hazy halo gradually became clearer, and the appearance of the person in front of him gradually became clear.
He was very familiar with this person, it was Jiang Yan.
"You're awake. You've been sleeping for two days." Jiang Yan sat beside him and said with a smile.
Cui Huaifeng's mind was still a little confused. He looked at Jiang Yan in bewilderment, as if half asleep and half awake, and muttered to himself: "Am I not dead..."
Jiang Yan didn't answer in a hurry. He supported his shoulders and helped him sit on the soft cushion, then handed him a cup of warm water.
Cui Huaifeng stared blankly at Jiang Yan, wondering if he was dreaming. After all, they had long been strangers, so how could she appear beside him? Only a dream could explain it. Yes, it was just a dream.
So he obeyed his dream and took the porcelain cup. But the touch and temperature of the real thing made Cui Huaifeng shudder. It was a little too real.
Cui Huaifeng slowly looked at Jiang Yan. Her skin, clothing, and other details were too clear. He raised his cup and drank a few sips of water, feeling even more convinced that he was not dead!
The originally vague and illusory scene suddenly became real, and Cui Huaifeng forced himself to calm down.
Seeing that Cui Huaifeng had realized what was happening, Jiang Yan continued, "Do you want to eat something? I've been feeding you porridge regularly for the past two days you've been comatose, but I'm not sure about your exact condition."
Cui Huaifeng's mind was much clearer at this time. He insisted on asking, "No need. Where is this? What exactly happened?"
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. He was going to know sooner or later, so he laid it all out. "This is my room in Prince Yi's mansion. You're still alive. Two days ago, I sent someone to inject a fake death drug into your medicine. The drug takes several hours to take effect. During your fake death, I switched you with a more recognizable corpse, creating the illusion of overwork and illness."
Even a calm man like Cui Huaifeng found it hard to believe such absurd words. He was so frightened that he was speechless.
After a while, Cui Huaifeng said with difficulty: "Are you crazy?"
"I'm crazy? Maybe..." Jiang Yan muttered to himself and laughed softly, "No, I've been crazy for a long time."
"The moment I heard you were marrying someone else, I went crazy!"
Jiang Yan pressed down on Cui Huaifeng, held his wrist, kissed his cool lips, trying to absorb his breath.
Cui Huaifeng was kissed so hard that he couldn't breathe. After a moment of distraction, he broke free from Jiang Yan's control and pushed Jiang Yan away.
Jiang Yan looked at him suspiciously, "Tell me, are you and Zhao Qiuxin actually husband and wife?"
Cui Huaifeng was shocked by her shamelessness and was extremely angry. She had just "killed" herself, how could she have the nerve to ask such a question!
Jiang Yan's love and hatred for him had reached a peak, and she had long since lost her mind. Cui Huaifeng's slip of the tongue was taken as tacit approval, and Jiang Yan felt half-hearted.
When we were in love, I had to be very careful not to kiss his lips, even holding his hand was a big deal.
He and Zhao Qiuxin had been married for a year, so he must have done everything he should have done. As for what he shouldn't have done... she didn't dare to think too deeply, only feeling a surge of jealousy.
Although Mr. Zhao is a sickly person, he is not inhumane.
Jiang Yan's face looked a little ugly, his eyes were filled with deep sorrow, his voice trembling as he asked almost beggingly, "She's dead, are you still going to keep your virginity for her?"
Cui Huaifeng was in great pain, "Jiang Yan, you bastard!"
"Yeah, I'm a bastard!"
Jiang Yan pressed Cui Huaifeng down on the couch and held his wrists tightly.
Cui Huaifeng's eyes were red, his black hair was disheveled, his eyelashes were trembling, and he glared at her angrily. Seeing this, Jiang Yan felt a little better.
They missed it, but fortunately, he finally came into their hands.
Jiang Yan stared at her beloved, feeling a twisted sense of pleasure in her heart. She looked at Cui Huaifeng and said slowly and methodically, "Even if you were married to someone else, or made love with someone else..."
She raised her hand to cover his soft abdomen, gently stroking it, and lowered her body slightly to get closer to his neck. There was an irrepressible madness in her eyes, "Anyway..."
"I will let you stay with me forever."
【Author’s words】
First update on January 10, 2024
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