Chapter 73 Mountain Feast "You're going to make your move tonight?"...
"Xue Rongyue, is there a single truth left in your mouth?"
"You're someone who can't be warmed up."
From this day forward, we shall have no further connection.
Thick, hot blood slowly flowed to her hands. She stared blankly at the corpse in front of her, its eyes wide open in death. It felt as if a piece of cold, hard iron was stuffed into her throat, preventing her from uttering a single word.
......
Xue Rongyue abruptly sat up in bed, her gaze sweeping past the thin blanket covering her and landing directly on her trembling fingers—
A fine layer of warm sweat seeped from my palms, but otherwise they were clean and dry.
"......"
Her rapidly beating heart slowly calmed down. Xue Rongyue closed her eyes, exhaled almost silently, and finally escaped from the nightmare.
A small crack opened in the window, letting in a breeze carrying the heat of summer. Xue Rongyue couldn't help but shiver. She then realized she was drenched in sweat, and the breeze turned it into a sticky, cool sensation against her skin.
Leaning her head back, Xue Rongyue leaned against the pillow, her emotions unable to calm down for a long time.
That night, the long-absent system voice finally rang out again, and the strategy data that had been stagnant for several days finally made new progress, and it was a rapid and unstoppable progress.
She should have been happy, but for some reason, she had nightmares for several days in a row, dreams of blood flowing freely and Qin Jin's bloodshot eyes.
The scene from her nightmare and Qin Jin's struggling expression that night were etched into her mind, leaving her feeling bewildered and uneasy. She vaguely sensed that perhaps some things were never under her control from the beginning, but she simply couldn't know the reasons for it yet.
With a soft sigh, Xue Rongyue suppressed the myriad doubts in her heart and raised her voice to call out, "Jingnu."
Jingnu responded and pushed open the door, then stepped forward to help her dress: "My lady, Luo Hongfang just sent someone to inform you that there will be a banquet at noon today, and he would like to invite you to attend."
A hint of surprise flashed across Xue Rongyue's eyes: "It seems the bandits went smoothly when they came down the mountain a few days ago."
Turning around and closing the window, Jingnu leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "Zhao Dong sent a message to Luo Zhen last night. In the past few days, they followed the bandits all the way to the ferry and found that some of the passing ships would leave behind a few boxes of goods when they docked. The bandits would then take the goods away and carry them up the mountain under the cover of night."
Zhao Dong was one of the henchmen Xue Rongyue brought from Chang'an. In order to go up the mountain, she used Hu Dong, who had already been exposed, as bait. After Luo Hongfang took the bait, she left only Jingnu and Luo Zhen with her. The rest of them were not discovered and scattered in various places in the neighboring county. Some stayed at the foot of the mountain to gather information and were responsible for making backup, while others found a place to stay near the mountain to wait for orders.
Xue Rongyue couldn't help but ask, "Where is Qin Jin?"
“Zhao Dong said they haven’t seen Prince Qin yet,” Jingnu said. “But they have seen Prince Ji a few times.”
"It seems Qin Jin's mission isn't here," Xue Rongyue muttered to herself.
After dressing up, Xue Rongyue ate the porridge and several side dishes that Jingnu had made herself, as usual. By the time she put down her chopsticks, it was almost noon.
Although Luo Hongfang used polite words, Xue Rongyue knew perfectly well that she had no choice but to accept his invitation given her current situation.
The moment she stepped out the door, Qin Jin entered the courtyard.
Caught off guard, the two locked eyes.
After that night, Qin Jin seemed to be very busy, and he was often nowhere to be seen in the mountain stronghold. This was the first time the two had met since that night.
Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly for a moment. After standing still for a moment, Xue Rongyue stepped forward and asked, "You're not hiding from me anymore?"
Qin Jin denied it: "I wasn't avoiding you."
"Ah." Xue Rongyue nodded in agreement, but her tone clearly showed disbelief. "Then you really are busy."
Qin Jin smiled slightly but said nothing more.
The two interacted as usual, as if the conversation that night had been tacitly buried and deeply forgotten by them. But Qin Jin knew in his heart that after he answered "okay," the emotions that prompted him to answer that word could no longer be avoided or corrected.
It's like carefully cultivated seeds being placed in the soil. If you don't destroy them the moment they sprout and grow into tender shoots, and their countless roots firmly take hold in the soil, and the tender shoot slowly grows into a towering tree, ready to blossom and bear fruit, then it's clearly too late to pull them out.
Mountain bandits are people who live on the edge of a knife, so they shouldn't have much time for fancy talk. However, Luo Hongfang has been a young nobleman for many years, and even after all these years, his temperament is hard to change. Along the way, it was discovered that he had put a lot of thought into this banquet.
"This is... a lotus?"
Xue Rongyue watched as two bandits carried a water vat past quickly. Several lotus flowers in the vat stood gracefully, exuding a delicate fragrance.
Qin Jin explained, "Luo Hongfang loves flowers, and he always makes sure to gather some fresh flowers to decorate banquets."
Xue Rongyue narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping over the lush, blooming flowers: "These flowers don't all seem to be wildflowers from the mountains."
Her gaze fell on a pot of orchids with soft and delicate petals: "This kind of variety is not suitable for growing in the mountains exposed to wind and sun. Just by looking at the branches and leaves, you can tell that it must have been carefully cultivated by a craftsman. This bandit is really impressive."
Qin Jin said, "Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have come to rely on him."
Xue Rongyue withdrew her gaze: "He's so flamboyant, yet he's not afraid at all. Is it only because he has the governor of Shangzhou backing him?"
A barely perceptible glint flashed in Qin Jin's eyes, and his pace gradually slowed: "He's not a smart man."
Xue Rongyue was taken aback, then slowed her pace: "What's wrong?"
"Tonight, have your men lie in ambush outside the mountain," Qin Jin said in a low voice. "Remember, after the banquet, no matter what noise you hear, do not go out easily. Go back inside, and only after you hear three knocks on the door should you rescue Madam Zheng and rush down the mountain. You must be quick."
Xue Rongyue suddenly stopped in her tracks: "You're going to make your move tonight?"
Qin Jin nodded.
"this......"
Xue Rongyue frowned slightly: "Why so suddenly?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Hongfang appeared in front of him. Although they were far apart, he saw the two of them at a glance, smiled, waved away the people beside him, and waved to the two of them.
Xue Rongyue had no choice but to swallow her questions for the time being. She glanced at Jingnu beside her without showing any emotion. Jingnu nodded slightly to show that she understood, her expression serious.
As the two walked over side by side, Luo Hongfang revealed an ambiguous expression and smiled meaningfully: "It was indeed the right decision to invite Madam Xue up the mountain. As the saying goes, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. This time, I have done you two a favor."
Xue Rongyue's smile froze for a moment, barely perceptible. She suppressed the urge to sneer, lowered her head, and hid behind Qin Jin, a shy and timid smile on her face.
Qin Jin stood in front of Xue Rongyue, lowered his head, and pleaded, "Girls are easily embarrassed, please don't tease me anymore."
Upon seeing this, Luo Hongfang burst into laughter: "Madam Xue is thin-skinned, and you're not much better. Fine, fine, I'll give you face in front of Madam Xue."
As they spoke, the three of them walked into the main hall.
Unlike the unconventional style of the mountain bandits, the east and west sides of the hall were decorated with a dazzling array of fresh flowers, and a bronze beast-shaped incense burner emitted wisps of smoke. The hall was divided into two seats, left and right, with exquisite utensils and fine wines and dishes on the tables.
If not told otherwise, Xue Rongyue would have thought she was attending a grand banquet hosted by a noble family, never imagining that she was in a bandit's den.
Just as Xue Rongyue was about to take her seat, Luo Hongfang raised his hand to stop her: "Madam Xue, you should sit at the same table as Brother Qin."
Xue Rongyue paused, her heart sinking slightly.
Since the banquet was so elaborate and the arrangement of everything followed the rules of aristocratic families, Luo Hongfang must have known that it was impolite for men and women to sit together at the same table.
Luo Hongfang laughed and said, "We are all people who live on the edge of a knife, so we don't care about so many formalities. Madam Xue and Brother Qin are engaged, so why bother with the distinction between you and me? Let's sit at the same table."
If one truly disregards formalities, the banquet wouldn't be arranged like this. Xue Rongyue knew that Luo Hongfang's words were merely a perfunctory response, but she didn't show any unusual expression on her face. Instead, she smiled happily and quickly walked to Qin Jin's side.
Seeing this, Luo Hongfang couldn't help but tease again: "Lady Xue is truly devoted to Brother Qin. She is willing to abandon worldly honors and stay on this mountain with you. Brother Qin, you must treat her well in the future and never let down Lady Xue's deep affection for you."
Qin Jin lowered his eyes, a hint of coldness flashing in them unnoticed by anyone. He poured himself a cup of wine, stood up with a smile, and toasted Luo Hongfang. Luo Hongfang did not refuse and drank the wine in one gulp.
As noon approached, everyone took their seats.
Luo Hongfang found several Hu women and musicians from somewhere. Amidst the deafening drumbeats, the Hu women lightly touched the ground with their toes, their swaying skirts brushing against the drums. Luo Hongfang was mesmerized by their graceful dance. He swayed his head as he drank his wine, clapping and cheering from time to time.
The more this happened, the more uneasy Xue Rongyue felt. She dared not touch the food on the table until Qin Jin poured her a glass of wine. Only then did she feel a little relieved, picked up the glass of wine, and sipped it listlessly.
After the dance ended, Hu Ji knelt on the ground, panting heavily. Luo Hongfang, drunk, took the money bag tied to his waist, grabbed a handful of copper coins and silver fragments, and threw them down, repeatedly shouting, "Good, good, reward me!"
The Hu woman and the musician cried out in surprise and scrambled to pick up the silver coins that had rolled off the ground, which caused Luo Hongfang and the bandits present to point at them and burst into laughter.
A moment later, Luo Hongfang waved his hand, still seemingly unsatisfied. The musician, Hu Ji, tactfully withdrew. Xue Rongyue sensed something and put down her wine cup. Sure enough, she saw Luo Hongfang's gaze looking over from afar: "Madam Xue, why haven't you touched your chopsticks? Is the food not to your liking? I heard that your meals have been taken care of by your maids these days. It seems I haven't been hospitable enough."
Qin Jin put down his chopsticks and was about to speak when Luo Hongfang raised his hand to stop him: "I'm talking to Madam Xue. Brother Qin, please enjoy your food."
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