189 End of Text
◎ "Xie Qi, do you want to marry me?"◎
Xu Qinghe's consciousness gradually became clear.
When I looked up, I saw a man carrying a child in.
The little girl has black hair, a red dress, and a fair and tender face. Who else could she be but my daughter?
"Safety!"
Ping'an also cried and called for his mother.
"The princess woke up so early."
The man brought Ping An to her and said with a smile, "I was worried that the princess would be lonely, so I took great pains to kidnap the young lady from the princess's mansion and bring her here to accompany you. Are you satisfied?"
Xu Qinghe's hands were tied to a broken wooden chair. She first comforted her daughter softly, and then looked at the man's face.
"Nan Mingzhao, what exactly are you going to do?"
The man finally shifted his gaze from the crying little girl to the beautiful woman behind her who was pretending to be calm.
It is undeniable that after not seeing each other for many years, the woman in front of me is still as beautiful as ever. Compared with when she was in Kyoto five years ago, she has gained a lot more mature charm.
These are things that Feng Yao in his mansion cannot compare to.
"I didn't expect to be recognized so quickly."
He pulled off the human skin mask on his temples, revealing the face of Nan Mingzhao.
But this face was much paler and thinner than what Xu Qinghe remembered.
Nan Mingzhao smiled and said, "It seems the princess is still thinking about me. Tell me, when did you recognize me?"
Xu Qinghe did not answer.
"Let my daughter go, and I will go with you."
Nan Mingzhao didn't get angry, and continued to smile: "Come with me? When you say come with me, you mean you'll dawdle for several hours, taking the opportunity to have your men close the city gates and trap me here?"
"Xu Qinghe, you really did give me a death order to capture me. Even though I had already put a dagger to your face and threatened your life, the people at the city gate refused to let me go."
"If you don't value your own life, you should at least value your daughter's life, right? I didn't want to go through the trouble of looking for your daughter, but I really have no choice but to ask her to accompany you. I hope you can be content."
Ping'an had just been detoxified and was already weak. Now he was frightened and didn't dare to cry out loud, so he just shed tears with a pale face.
The dagger that Xu Qinghe had just used was being played with by Nan Mingzhao.
Xu Qinghe glanced at him and stroked his wrist with his hands that were tied behind the chair.
Fortunately, her bracelet was still there.
She first reassured Ping An Mo Pa, then looked at Nan Mingzhao and said directly, "Today, you are not on the battlefield commanding the battle, why are you here?"
Things have come to this point. As long as he can control these two people, he will have grasped Xie Qi's vital point.
Nan Mingzhao threw the exquisite dagger aside and leaned lazily on the worn couch beside him: "It's okay to tell you, the one who is currently battling wits and courage with Xie Qi on the battlefield is none other than my good fourth brother."
Fourth brother...
"You mean Yang Ye?!"
Xu Qinghe's pupils suddenly shrank, and her hand trembled. The mechanism in the bracelet scratched her fingertips, causing a sharp pain.
She was shocked and said, "Isn't he dead?!"
Nan Mingzhao raised his eyebrows slightly: "Yang Ye? Did he tell you his name is Yang Ye?"
He suddenly laughed a few times.
"But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what his name is. What's important is that we two brothers have joined forces."
"Now that you and your daughter are in my hands, guess what? Even if my fourth brother is incompetent and fails to stop your Southern Border Army, with you in my hands, will Xie Qi kneel down in surrender and then submit to me?"
"You're despicable!"
Xu Qinghe was furious. If she hadn't been restricted in her movements at the moment, she really wanted to pull out her dagger, rush forward and kill Nan Mingzhao swiftly!
During the Battle of Mengyuan Valley, she and tens of thousands of Southern Border Army soldiers had more than one enemy. Besides Wei Yiqun, there was also Nanyiguo, the mastermind behind the usurpation of Wei Yiqun's treason.
Wei Yiqun had been executed by slow slicing, but Nan Mingzhao was still alive, and the revenge for her parents had not yet been truly avenged.
The night before they separated, Xie Qi had hugged her and promised that he would personally chop off Nan Mingzhao's head and avenge the prince and princess.
But now, Nan Mingzhao appeared here.
While dealing with Nan Mingzhao, she continued to use the mechanism in her bracelet to cut the rope.
"You let Yang Ye lead the troops into battle. Aren't you afraid that he will ascend the throne after his triumphant return? If that happens, how will you, Nan Mingzhao, have a good ending?"
Nan Mingzhao sneered and rolled up his sleeves.
"Even if I don't help him, do you think I can still live well?"
Beneath the wide sleeves was an arm that was somewhat too thin.
And on that pale skin, there were many dark red silk threads crisscrossing each other, which made people feel their scalp tingling when they saw it.
"This savage from the underworld only uses these low-level tricks. He actually secretly poisoned me! By the time I discovered it six months ago, the poison had already penetrated my body. He was the only one who had the antidote that could save me. Otherwise, why would I have been so forced to submit to him?"
He should have killed that man long ago!
"Also, Xu Qinghe, you might not know this yet, but my fourth brother is truly a lovesick man. For you, he even gave up the throne. Do you know why I came here to capture you, and not him?"
Nan Mingzhao suddenly laughed out loud, "How ridiculous! It's because my fourth brother has been defeated by your honey traps time and time again. He couldn't resist your tears, your retreat to advance, and your unexpected moves. So, he made a deal with me."
"As long as I can bring you back to him intact, he will give me the antidote and make me emperor."
Admittedly, he had once had some thoughts about this famous beauty in the southern region, but in his eyes, women were only meant to be played with. Even if he couldn't play with her in person, he could just find a substitute.
But he didn't expect that his fourth brother was just like their father, a lovesick man.
For the sake of a woman, he even gave up the supreme throne.
How ridiculous!
“…”
Most of the hemp rope in Xu Qinghe's hand had been cut off.
She glanced down at her daughter again.
"Since Yang Ye only wants me, if you release my daughter now, I will immediately have the city gates opened for you and go to Nanyi with you."
Nan Mingzhao glanced at the little girl she had thrown on the ground. She was obviously terrified, but because her mother had just told her "Don't be afraid", the little girl remained silent and just sat there crying silently.
"Let her go? Why should I? Look at this adorable little girl, she looks just like you. My fourth brother told me she's your daughter with Xie Qi? Look, now his wife and daughter are in my hands. If I ask him to switch sides and help me capture Da Ling, do you think he'll do it?"
The rope on Xu Qinghe's hand had been completely cut.
She pretended nothing had happened and continued to maintain her original posture.
"In Xie Qi's eyes, this is not her daughter, so there is no point in you arresting her."
Nan Mingzhao was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Xu Qinghe said, "I told Xie Qi that this was my child with another man. That's why he doesn't care about this child. Instead, he wishes she didn't exist in this world."
"Yang Ye also knows about this. If he ordered you to capture my daughter and threaten Xie Qi, he must have no good intentions."
Xu Qinghe looked at him and said word by word: "Nan Mingzhao, you have been deceived."
Nan Mingzhao was stunned.
Thinking back to when Yang Ye told me about this, it seemed like there was nothing unusual.
Xu Qinghe gave his daughter another soothing look before continuing to look at Nan Mingzhao. "You're now deep inside the enemy's city, surrounded by enemies. But what about Yang Ye? He must have already returned with his troops to seize the throne. All your efforts over the years will ultimately be in vain!"
"You Hu...hiss——"
Nan Mingzhao suddenly felt a sharp pain in his throat.
"Run safely!"
It turned out that at the moment when he was stunned, Xu Qinghe had already found the right time to pick up the dagger that had just fallen on the ground.
With a flash of cold light, she stabbed the sharp tip of the knife into Nan Mingzhao's neck without hesitation!
Nan Mingzhao was a martial artist, so even if she had attacked him with great force, he would have definitely resisted.
But she was not worried that Nan Mingzhao would leave here alive, she was only afraid that her daughter could not escape.
No matter what, Ping An can no longer stay here.
As expected, even though everything that just happened happened in a flash, and even though his neck was bleeding from the knife, Nan Mingzhao reacted quickly, immediately took out the dagger from his sleeve, and stabbed it into Xu Qinghe's heart with his backhand.
"Bitch, how dare you lie to me?!"
What is intact, what is the antidote to the throne.
Go away, all of you go away. Now he just wants to kill this lying woman!
Yang Ye had said that this woman was cunning and asked him to remember to search her body, but he didn't believe it. Now it seems that what he said was true!
Such a cunning woman should die by my own knife as soon as possible!
The sharp dagger was pushed in inch by inch, and the sound of flesh being cut rang in the ears.
Xu Qinghe's eyes went dark, but she held Nan Mingzhao's hand tightly and told her daughter to run quickly.
Nan Mingzhao let go of the dagger and was about to chase the fleeing girl, but at this moment——
"Bang"
"Bang"
“Bang, bang, bang!”
Suddenly, several explosions sounded in my ears, and the area around my feet suddenly shook.
Flames immediately spread from the explosion site, the beams collapsed, the ground was damaged, and the attic, which had been in good condition just now, was immediately blown into ruins!
**
Xie Qi led his troops all the way to attack the imperial city of Nanyi Kingdom, forcing the current leader of Nanyi Kingdom to open the gates and surrender.
However, just when Xie Qi finally felt relieved, he discovered that this person was not Nan Mingzhao.
He later realized and remembered Yang Ye's question at that time.
——You might as well guess, it is me who is leading the troops here now, so where has the real Nan Mingzhao gone?
Thinking of this, his face turned pale, and he quickly ordered the people of Nanyi Kingdom to write a letter of surrender by hand, and asked most of the southern border troops to garrison here. He then took a group of people and rode at full speed to Jizhou City.
He was careless. He was careless.
He should have thought of it earlier. What's the point of sending Qinghe back to Jizhou? Jizhou is still too close. She should have sent her back to Kyoto or sent her to the martial arts world!
Nan Mingzhao is not on the battlefield or in the imperial city, so he must have gone to Jizhou to look for Xu Qinghe!
He could probably guess what this man was going to do. It was nothing more than using the people he cared about as hostages to threaten him to withdraw his troops or defect.
If that happens, what choice should he make?
They rushed all the way to Jizhou City. By then, dusk had fallen and the city gates were closed.
The guard glanced at him warily, as if to confirm his identity.
Xie Qi raised his head and said, "I am Xie Qi, the Marquis of Dingnan. Open the city gate immediately!"
The guard replied, "No, the Princess's Mansion has an order that no matter what happens, no matter who it is, the city gates are not allowed to be opened without permission!"
Since she specifically ordered the city gates to be closed, something must have happened to her.
Xie Qi's heart tightened, and in panic he remembered that Xu Qinghe had given him something when they parted.
He took out the things and said to the guard at the city gate, "Princess Zhaoning's order is here. I am returning to the city on her orders. Open the gates immediately!"
The warhorse he used was faster and had been in a stalemate with the guards for a while. The people behind him were gradually arriving.
When the guards saw the eye-catching banner with the word "Thank You" under the city gate and several familiar generals, they began to believe it a little.
He opened the city gate and was about to touch Xie Qi's temples to confirm whether he was someone else wearing a human skin mask in disguise.
At this moment, a few "bang bang" sounds came from somewhere, causing the ground on their side to shake.
Everyone looked up and saw a building in the distance suddenly burst into flames.
“Hey—you!”
Xie Qi's pupils shrank, and he immediately whipped his horse, breaking through the guards' obstruction and galloping away.
Qinghe, Qinghe.
You must not get into any trouble.
**
After several explosions, the beams in the attic loosened.
A burning beam fell from a great height and hit Nan Mingzhao in the chest as he was about to chase Ping An.
Xu Qinghe lay on the ground, watching the fallen Nan Mingzhao looking at him in disbelief.
The wound was extremely painful and was still bleeding, but she pulled up the corners of her lips and smiled.
"You never thought about it? I ordered people to bury gunpowder here a long time ago."
Nan Mingzhao wanted to break free from the beam and stand up, but there were a few more bangs and the gunpowder exploded again.
The beam above his head showed signs of loosening again, and even though Nan Mingzhao wanted to dodge, he was still hit on the legs in the end.
He screamed a few times and was completely pinned to the ground, unable to move anymore.
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the place on his body that was burned by the fire hurt more, or the place where the dagger was stuck in his neck hurt more.
"You...when did you..."
The flames quickly spread and surrounded the abandoned attic.
The blood on his chest had soaked his clothes. Xu Qinghe felt dizzy and his vision gradually blurred.
She didn't have the strength to respond to Nan Mingzhao's words, but she still forced herself to get up from the ground and walked towards Nan Mingzhao step by step.
Ever since someone disguised himself and entered the city that day, she has been searching for his whereabouts, especially checking all the inns.
A few days ago, his men discovered signs of human habitation in a long-abandoned three-story attic in the northwest corner.
Xu Qinghe sent people to investigate secretly and found out that this was the residence the man had found when he was desperate.
When she left the princess's mansion with Nan Mingzhao, she exchanged glances with Nanzhi.
Even though she didn't say anything, Nanzhi understood what she meant. While blocking the city gate, she buried the gunpowder that Xu Qinghe had ordered people to prepare in advance around the attic.
As soon as the man entered the attic, he ignited the gunpowder.
The smoke and dust were too thick, and Xu Qinghe couldn't help coughing, which affected the wound on his chest and caused pain that almost penetrated into his bones.
However, as long as Nan Mingzhao was still alive, she didn't dare to close her eyes.
She walked up to Nan Mingzhao, who was currently unable to move due to being hit by two beams. Even though the beams were still burning, he couldn't exert any strength and could only endure the pain of his skin being burnt.
Xu Qinghe raised his hand and tried to pull the dagger out of his neck.
Once the dagger was pulled out, blood would gush out. Even if Nan Mingzhao was not crushed to death by the beams or burned to death by the fire, as long as he stayed here without anyone to rescue him, he would sooner or later bleed to death.
So he raised his face pleadingly and looked at the woman in front of him whose face had lost all color.
"Please, don't kill me. As long as you don't kill me, I'll do anything for you. Really! Please!"
"Don't kill you?"
Xu Qinghe sneered and grabbed the dagger that Xie Qi gave him for self-defense.
"I want you to return my parents to me, can you do it?!"
The dagger was suddenly pulled out, and warm blood spurted out immediately.
The bright red blood splattered on Xu Qinghe's no longer clean dress and also stained her smoke-stained cheeks.
Nan Mingzhao screamed and immediately covered the wound, trying to stop the blood from flowing.
But Xu Qinghe had a cold face and raised his knife.
Puff——
Puff——
Puff——
The fresh flesh and blood was pierced repeatedly by the dagger. The three times the knife stabbed Nan Mingzhao's heart, throat and thigh respectively.
She even heard a "crackling" sound when the blade pierced her thigh.
Xu Qinghe had never killed anyone before, so he didn't know what was hurt, maybe a bone.
Nan Mingzhao screamed in agony and didn't even have the strength to speak.
Finally, Xu Qinghe raised his knife and slashed several times, and the man on the ground vomited blood and closed his eyes forever.
Seeing him dead, Xu Qinghe felt as if all the strength in his body was drained away, and his consciousness became confused again.
She couldn't help but half-lie on the ground and look at the heavy flames in the attic.
She realized it later. Her body was in pain and the fire was very hot, but her eyes were sore and she wanted to cry.
Nan Mingzhao died, but her parents would never come back.
There will never again be such strict yet loving parents who would speak out to comfort the little princess when she is angry or acting coquettishly.
She is a mother now, and naturally knows that parents only want their children to be safe and happy.
But the opportunity for revenge was right in front of her, and she couldn't help but seize it.
She couldn't give the enemy the opportunity to take her hostage, nor did she want to make things difficult for Xie Qi because of her.
Therefore, she probably will no longer be able to see the happiness that comes after peace.
I hope that before he is buried in the grave one day, Xie Qi can tell her every word of it.
In her last moments before she lost consciousness, she only hoped her daughter could escape.
She closed her eyes and was greeted by darkness.
…
However, I don’t know how long it took, but perhaps because I missed her too much, I seemed to hear my daughter’s childish voice in my ears.
Xu Qinghe was awakened by the smoke and dust. When he opened his eyes, he saw his daughter's frail and petite back.
She was talking to herself.
"Ping'an, don't be afraid, you can do it. You are your parents' daughter, you can definitely take your mother out..."
But as he spoke, he couldn't help choking up.
"Ping'an, you can do it... Don't be afraid... It's just a fire... You've seen it before... It's okay... It's okay..."
"Woo...but Ping An is still so scared..."
Xu Qinghe finally opened his eyes completely.
The fire was burning even more fiercely than before, and her daughter was pulling her towards the window by her clothes.
"Safety……"
How come she is still here?
Seeing his mother wake up, Ping'an burst into tears.
"Mother... Ping'an wanted to run, but the beam in front collapsed, blocking the way. Ping'an was so scared, so he came back and wanted to go with mother..."
Xu Qinghe didn't know how much time had passed, and how much longer this attic, which was already in disrepair, could last.
There was a noisy sound of people trying to save water outside the attic, and there must be people from the princess's mansion among them.
She held her daughter's hand and tried to get up, but she couldn't muster any strength and fell to the ground with her daughter.
The fire grew bigger and bigger, and the raging flames rushed to lick the corners of her and her daughter's clothes.
Xu Qinghe was covered in cold sweat. She looked at her daughter deeply and let her go first.
"Ping'an, be obedient. Go to the window and ask someone from the Princess's Mansion to pick you up and rescue you."
Ping An shook his head: "Ping An wants to go with mother!"
Xu Qinghe deliberately put on a cold expression: "Mom can walk on her own, but if you stay here with me, you can only hold me back."
Ping'an sniffed, frightened by her mother.
As I was hesitating, I heard two "clicks" above my head.
The connection between the beams is loose.
Xu Qinghe reached out and pushed his daughter away.
This push used a lot of strength, and Ping An was almost pushed with his feet in the air. He finally landed on the ground after a few breaths.
Before she could feel the pain, she saw several broken beams falling to the ground with a clang, landing right between her and her mother.
A raging flame instantly ignited between the beams and pillars, and the raging flames were almost taller than her.
"Mother! Mother!"
The daughter's figure gradually became blurred, and at the last moment of her life, Xu Qinghe couldn't help but shed tears.
"Ping'an, I can only accompany you here. Listen to me, stand up bravely, turn around, and walk to the window."
Ping'an wiped his tears, his legs shaking badly in the fire.
But because her mother was behind her and she could hear her mother's gentle and firm voice, she was able to move forward step by step.
Xu Qinghe looked at his daughter's back as she walked away.
"Don't look back, stay safe, and keep going. You have to live on, live with your mother's hope. There are still many beautiful things in this world that are worth your experience."
"If you see your father, remember to tell him..."
"I love him very much."
Xu Qinghe pursed her lips, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
This was the first time in all these years that she took the initiative to express her love to him.
It's a pity that he can't hear it with his own ears at this moment.
"Xu Qinghe has always loved and cared for Xie Qi. Tell him to stop worrying about gains and losses..."
…
"Daddy! Daddy!"
At first, Xu Qinghe thought his daughter called him that because he mentioned Xie Qi.
But later, when she opened her eyes again, she actually saw Xie Qi in the scorching firelight.
He was wearing a red robe, holding his daughter, and was about to walk towards her.
She burst into tears. Seeing her lover, she seemed to see hope again.
However, there were two more "cracking" sounds above my head.
The beam broke completely and crashed down in front of her with a clang.
The fire instantly became more intense, surrounding her tightly.
In the dancing flames, Xie Qi paused slightly, but still walked towards him.
He had told her that if she and her daughter were trapped in a fire together, he would save both of them and would not show favoritism.
But now, as long as he steps into the circle of fire, he will no longer have the chance to get out.
What's more, he brought his daughter with him.
So, Xu Qinghe would not let him in.
She raised her hand and grasped the dagger that had never been pulled out from her chest.
Across the flickering and scorching flames, Xie Qi actually understood her gaze.
Her eyes were saying: Take my daughter away immediately. If you dare to take another step forward, I will draw my dagger and die in front of you.
The dagger hit the heart right in the process. If it was pulled out hastily, blood would surely gush out and there would be no cure.
Xu Qinghe, you are so cruel.
Be cruel to yourself and be even crueler to him.
He closed his eyes, turned around quickly, and jumped out of the window with his daughter.
Xu Qinghe finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Qi will not let anything happen to his daughter.
At this moment, there were many people gathered outside the attic.
There were guards from the princess's mansion, guards from Jizhou City, and the southern border army that arrived later.
Just as Xie Qi put his daughter down, he heard two "boom" sounds behind him.
The originally three-story attic had begun to collapse, and suddenly became only two stories.
And Xu Qinghe was on the second collapsed floor.
He was so panicked that he could not control himself. With shaking hands, he poured two buckets of cold water over his head and was about to rush in again.
One step later... one step later and he might not be able to see her...
However, the two brothers Chen An and Chen Tai knelt in front of him and tried to stop him.
"General, the fire is too big, you can't go!"
“Get out of the way!”
Xie Qi kicked them away one by one.
"General! If something happens to you and the princess, what will happen to the young lady?"
"Yes, General, do you want this little lady to lose both her parents overnight like the princess did back then?!"
Xie Qi turned around in a daze and saw his daughter lying in Shen Yueying's arms.
The little girl's face was flushed red from the heat. She was obviously very scared just now, but she still listened to her mother's words and tried to save herself.
It was not until she saw him that she fainted with relief, knowing that her father would save her.
He had seen the pain Xu Qinghe went through when she lost her parents.
Even a year later, he himself experienced such pain.
But he couldn't leave her there alone.
He looked at Shen Yueying.
"Second sister-in-law, the daughters of the Xu and Xie families—"
"Leave it to me, don't worry."
Shen Yueying looked at him and said only two words: "Go."
Xie Qi turned and left.
Chen An and Chen Tai were puzzled: "General Shen, why are you——"
"Don't you know?"
Chen Yueying held the little girl in her arms, as if she remembered something, a bitter smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"The person who is left alone is in great pain."
I just hope that God will bless this couple and let their wish come true, and let this family of three be reunited again.
What just happened outside the attic was just a blink of an eye.
Xu Qinghe, who was in the attic, had just sent his daughter and lover away when he felt the ground shaking.
Then came a sudden collapse.
She didn't have the strength to react, she just knew that her body was in pain, very painful.
But when I looked up, I saw a familiar figure again.
It’s Xie Qi.
He jumped in through the window, ignoring the fire around him and the wooden pillars that could collapse at any time, and ran towards her step by step.
On the way, he was knocked to the ground by a beam and his chest was licked by flames.
But he kept stumbling and didn't want to stop.
Xu Qinghe fell completely to the ground. She had lost too much blood and had lost all her strength.
She watched Xie Qi rush into the fire scene covered in wounds and gently hold her in his arms.
As the surrounding scenery changed, she suddenly remembered: didn't this man say that he was most afraid of fire?
A gust of hot wind blew by, and it was Xie Qi who took her out of the window.
After landing, Xie Qixian forcefully stuffed two pills into her mouth.
"Heart-protecting pills, used to save lives."
Xu Qinghe heard his voice trembling.
Even his arms, which were hugging himself, were shaking.
The bitter medicine melted between his lips and teeth. Xu Qinghe closed his eyes and seemed to be feeling better.
She heard Xie Qi asking where the nearest clinic was.
Nanzhi told him to go back to the princess's mansion, as there was a doctor there who specialized in treating external injuries.
Xie Qi carried her into the carriage and ordered Chen An to drive quickly.
Xu Qinghe closed her eyes. Because she was held in Xie Qi's arms, she could not really feel the shaking of the carriage.
Even so, Xie Qi held her shoulders firmly to avoid hurting her wound.
"Safety……"
Before she could speak, Xie Qi interrupted her: "My daughter is fine. She is in the car behind with Sister Yueying."
Xu Qinghe asked again: "You..."
Xie Qi said: "I'm fine, I'm not injured, they are just minor injuries."
Xu Qinghe was dazed and didn't react to the contradiction in his words for a moment.
She couldn't tell Xie Qi's current mood, and she didn't know whether she could survive.
If not, there are some things she still needs to say.
"Xie Qi, he's dead..."
"who?"
"Nan Mingzhao, the Nan Mingzhao who killed my parents."
"oh."
Xu Qinghe was dissatisfied: "Why don't you ask who killed him?"
"Who killed him?"
The girl, who was clearly soaked in her own blood, suddenly laughed.
It was rare for Xie Qi to see her laugh so happily in his life.
Xu Qinghe said, "It's me."
"I killed him myself."
But the person holding her had a sullen face and frowned, as if somewhat dissatisfied.
Xu Qinghe was also dissatisfied: "I killed my enemy, and you are not happy?"
Xie Qi closed his eyes, unable to maintain his so-called composure any longer.
He was extremely flustered.
He was extremely flustered.
The girl he loved most in his life was now lying in his arms, covered in blood, and the temperature from being burned by the raging fire was gradually cooling down.
He couldn't tell whether it was the fire's temperature that was dropping or her body temperature.
There was a sharp knife stuck in her heart, and he didn't even know how far the knife was from her heart.
Why is the way back to the princess's mansion so far?
He should have taken her back on horseback, but that would have jarred her wound.
He had never felt so powerless, nor so desperate.
The person in his arms stammered and tried to speak, but Xie Qi spoke in a trembling voice, "Qinghe, you have to live well, okay? It's just a minor injury, you won't die, you won't die, okay?"
Xu Qinghe actually laughed.
The person who never liked to smile in the past now smiled at her.
"Xie Qi, are you talking to me or yourself? Do you believe what I'm saying?"
Xie Qi gripped her shoulders tightly, but didn't dare to use force.
He trembled as a few drops of liquid rolled down and landed on the back of Xu Qinghe's hand with a "pat, ppat" sound.
Xu Qinghe trembled from the heat of the liquid.
She hooked her hand around Xie Qi's and talked to him incessantly.
"After I die, you are not allowed to marry another woman or take a concubine. You must take good care of our daughter."
"My daughter's last name is Xu. I will never allow you to ask her to call anyone else "mother," and I will never allow you to give her any chance to be bullied."
"You will raise your daughter by yourself. Let her do whatever she likes. When she grows up, if she wants to get married, you can find a husband for her. If she doesn't want to get married, you can support her until she grows old."
"You are not allowed to die too early, understand?"
"I have many paintings hidden in my study. I love them all. When I die, you have to burn them for me."
"From now on, on the anniversary of my death every year, you must burn a few beautiful paintings, a few beautiful clothes, and beautiful head ornaments and jewelry for me."
"You must bring me all the poetry collections, books, and storybooks that I like..."
She talked a lot, from her daughter, to her favorite things, to other random things.
But he was never there.
Xie Qi lowered his head and buried it in Xu Qinghe's neck, his voice trembling.
"Xu Qinghe, do you no longer have me in your heart?"
Xu Qinghe vaguely felt that these words seemed familiar. Had he said them once before?
"Your heart and eyes are filled with your daughter. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Feeling the hot breath on his neck, Xu Qinghe thought for a long time.
Just as I was about to speak, he interrupted me again.
"Forget it, don't say it, I don't want to hear it."
"I didn't hear what you just said."
"If you dare to die, I will immediately commit suicide by your bedside and will never live alone."
"As for my daughter, let her do whatever she wants. There's no one in the Xie family, and there's no one in the Xu family either. She has no one to look after her, and she can only grow up in misery."
"She may have no money, no food, no clothes, and may not even be able to survive."
How could her daughter, whom she had raised so pampered, grow up in such a miserable state?
Xu Qinghe was dissatisfied and wanted to scold him, how could you curse our daughter like this?
But she had no strength left.
She closed her eyes weakly and heard Xie Qi speaking anxiously in her ear.
"Xu Qinghe, Qinghe? Don't sleep, don't close your eyes!"
"Did you hear me? If you dare to die, my daughter will not have a good ending. I will not let my daughter have an easy life. I will not care about her!"
"I will marry someone else, I will have many concubines, and I will have many children. I will let those people bully Xu Ping'an, and I will not care."
"Xu Qinghe, if you die, your daughter will not be able to have an easy life!"
After a moment, he almost choked and said, "I won't have an easy time either..."
"Qinghe, please, don't die..."
"You promised me that you would marry me when I returned victorious. You also promised our daughter that you would stay with her until she grows up. How could you, Xu Qinghe, break your promise?"
"Qinghe, I beg you, don't leave..."
"Don't leave..."
…
What did Xie Qi say next?
Xu Qinghe couldn't hear clearly.
She fell into endless darkness and saw many people.
There are her parents, relatives and friends of the Xie family, her buddies in Jizhou, Empress Chenfei in Kyoto, Jing'an, Lin Xiao, Nanzhi, and the guys in the shop in Lanzhou City.
And her lover, her daughter.
Finally, it was herself.
At that time, the little princess had her parents by her side, swinging on the swing carefree.
Her parents asked her what kind of life she wanted to live in the future?
The little princess thought for a moment and said crisply, "That would naturally be a free and carefree life."
Now that the great revenge has been achieved and Nanyi has been pacified, the two countries have finally ushered in peace.
She no longer had any worries or burdens in her heart, and it was time for her to live a free and carefree life.
How could she die at this time?
She doesn't want to die either.
However, darkness returned to my eyes again.
…
In the dim morning light, the air is filled with sweet fragrance.
It was the golden osmanthus tree in her yard.
As the fragrance wafted over, Xu Qinghe's dissipated consciousness gradually gathered.
She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't.
In desperation, I had to move my fingers.
But it was held even tighter.
The man's palms were warm.
There would probably be no fragrance of osmanthus in the courtyard of the underworld.
So... she's not dead?
“…”
With a thought in her mind, she finally opened her eyes and met Xie Qi's red eyes.
His eyes were redder than he remembered, his cheeks were thinner than he remembered, and there was stubble on his chin, which was very unsightly.
How long did it take to become like this?
But he clearly saw her wake up, but she didn't move or say a word.
He even blinked several times.
After a few breaths, he finally called for the palace doctor.
The noise was so loud that it gave Xu Qinghe a headache. She closed her eyes in disgust.
However, Xie Qi quickly lowered his voice. He clenched his hands, but did not dare to use much force.
"Qinghe..."
The voice was very hoarse. If Xu Qinghe hadn't been able to see his mouth shape, she wouldn't even know what the person in front of her was saying.
"Besides the wound, is there any pain anywhere else? Is there any discomfort anywhere?"
Her throat was dry, like it was on fire.
So she scratched Xie Qi's palm.
Xie Qi understood, stroked her hair, and said softly, "Your throat was damaged by the smoke and dust in the fire. I'll give you some water after the court doctor comes, okay?"
Xu Qinghe blinked reluctantly.
After the court doctor took her pulse, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Congratulations, Princess. The bleeding has stopped, and the high fever you've had these past few days has finally subsided. All that's left is for you to slowly recuperate. Just slowly recuperate and you'll be fine."
Xu Qinghe scratched Xie Qi's palm.
Xie Qi seemed to have just come to his senses, and then he remembered to ask: "What about your throat? Is your throat okay? Can you drink water and eat?"
The court doctor said, "The injury has healed, but you still need to be careful. You can drink water and eat some light soups. Do not eat anything that is too hard, too spicy, or too strong in flavor."
Xie Qi said he understood and asked the court doctor to go and rest.
After being detained and busy for so many days, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief and the court doctor hurriedly left with his medicine box.
This time, before Xu Qinghe could tickle his palm, he tactfully went to pour him some water.
She was injured, and Xie Qi didn't dare to help her up for fear of hurting her. He fed her water little by little with a spoon.
When the warm water flowed into the throat, it caused a piercing pain.
Seeing her frown, Xie Qi knew that this was not a pleasant feeling at all, and he only wished he could bear the pain for her.
The less strength he put in his hands, the more violent the tremors became.
His throat was sore and the person in front of him had red eyes. Xu Qinghe took a few sips, and after moistening his throat, he simply stopped drinking.
Xie Qi still held her hand, sitting on the footstool in front of the bed without any hesitation, staring at her intently.
While watching, I told her what had happened during this period.
"Half a month has passed since you were seriously injured and fell into a coma."
"My daughter is fine and is now well. She has been guarding your bedside for the past few days. I just sent her back to her room to rest."
"Qi Sheng has returned to the capital to report on his work. Princess Jing'an was worried about your condition, so she stayed. You should be cared for in the safe room at this time."
"Nanzhi and Lin Xiao are waiting outside. Call them in when you need them."
"Nanyi is now leaderless and in chaos. They surrendered on the day I attacked the city and voluntarily submitted to Daling. There is no need for the two countries to fight."
He lowered his head slightly and rubbed the back of her hand with his face.
"Qinghe, there will be no more wars in the Southern Territory."
He had finally done what he promised her.
But the person who had promised to wait for his triumphant return was now lying weakly on the bed.
I don’t know how long it will take for this fragile body to recover, and I don’t know if it will cause any chronic illness.
However, she was lucky enough to finally save her life from the gates of hell.
Otherwise... in the future without her, he really didn't know what to do with himself and his daughter.
After so many years, Xu Qinghe could certainly understand the fear in his eyes.
She tickled his palm with her fingertips and motioned him to come closer with her eyes.
Xie Qi sighed and leaned closer.
Xu Qinghe was still not satisfied and continued to scratch his palm.
Until he was almost close to her lips.
She stopped what she was doing and gently kissed him on the forehead.
The soft touch made Xie Qi stunned for a moment.
Under the warm light, the girl's skin is as white as snow and her eyes and eyebrows are as beautiful as a painting.
A pair of clear eyes are full of him.
This is the girl he has liked for more than 20 years.
She was the wife he had chosen since childhood.
It is also the treasure that he has tried his best to protect over the years.
Fortunately, God was kind and did not let the fire and fatal knife wound take her away.
Fortunately, she is still by my side.
The man in front of him stood there stiffly.
Her faint smile was reflected in those beautiful eyes.
She rarely encountered such a pleasant thing.
The great revenge has been achieved, the border is at peace, and the beloved husband and well-behaved daughter are by my side.
With relatives and friends by my side, I met old friends, and I survived a great disaster.
Xu Qinghe couldn't imagine that there was anything in the world that could be more joyful than this.
So, she kissed him on her own initiative, which was rare, and he was stunned for a moment.
Xu Qinghe was very satisfied with his stunned expression, and was even more looking forward to his next stunned expression.
Because what she said next was—
"Xie Qi, do you want to marry me?"
—End of Text—
【Author’s words】
Updated in advance [dog head]
I don’t know what to say. After finishing the main text, I feel a very novel feeling [pat my head]
Everyone will be happy forever, I hope you who see this will also be happy.
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A little repair
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Add a side note [rainbow fart] I forgot to mention it before because I didn’t have experience [burst crying]
1. Some daily life after the main text is finished, including getting married [dog head]
2. Childhood sweetheart if line [Rainbow fart]
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