Chapter 62 From the Sky (2) Another war is about to break out.
Snow was falling softly in Xihua Hall as winter approached and the Spring Festival drew near.
Feng Huaihe tidied up the Xihua Hall, and Zhu Qing's clothes and belongings were arranged as before, as if she had never left.
Last year, Feng Huaihe wanted to spend the Spring Festival with Zhu Qing, but he couldn't be with her because he went on a campaign with Li Keyong. Now, the second year, he is at Xihuatang, but she is no longer there.
On the day before the Spring Festival, Feng Huaihe bought New Year's supplies. Even though Zhu Qing was not there, he still prepared several sets of her clothes, jewelry and hairpins, as well as many of her favorite snacks.
When he returned carrying his things, he habitually looked at the wishing tree in the courtyard.
As time went by, his wishes were hung all over the branches.
Countless prayer plaques, densely packed together, swayed in the wind and snow along with the red silk. Each plaque bore the same eight words: "If you wish, let's meet again."
In his previous life, Feng Huaihe used this method to beg Zhu Qing to see her again. Now, unable to find the way to the moon, he can only continue to use this method to beg her to come back.
Feng Huaihe has been staying in the side courtyard of Xihuatang recently, without touching Zhu Qing's original space. He has figured it out: if Zhu Qing comes back and sees his clothes and belongings mixed together in Xihuatang, she will definitely not want to stay there.
He first neatly placed the things he bought for Zhu Qing in the Washing Flower Hall before going to the small kitchen in the side courtyard.
Since the Zhu family moved away, the huge Xihua Hall has been empty. Without Zhu Qing, Feng Huaihe doesn't need anyone to take care of him. He dismissed the maids and servants he had originally recruited, leaving only Bao Fu.
The vast Xihua Hall was desolate and lonely, with snow falling in the wind.
Feng Huaihe felt so lonely and suffocated that he couldn't breathe until he entered the small kitchen and saw Bao Fu start a fire in the stove, with the water on the stove bubbling away. Only then did that suffocating feeling dissipate a little.
"Sir, are you going to a banquet at the Prince of Jin's palace today?" Bao Fu asked Feng Huaihe as he ladled out hot water.
Like Feng Huaihe, Bao Fu was homeless. In the past, Bao Fu would spend the Spring Festival with Hua Ning at the shogunate.
This year, both old friends and new acquaintances were separated by the war, so Bao Fu stayed at Xihuatang.
This was the first time he had been invited by the seemingly unapproachable Party Secretary to spend the Spring Festival together. He was flattered and happy all day long.
Feng Huaihe placed the purchased vegetable samples on the kitchen counter and began to personally select the vegetables. "Has the Prince of Jin come to summon me?"
“No, not at all,” Bao Fu chuckled, “but I thought…”
“Since I’ve kept you here, I naturally won’t leave,” Feng Huaihe said. “How are things with the Zhu family?”
"They say that Third Brother Zhu is traveling through Chang'an on a trade route and plans to bring Sister Zhu Qing to Jinyang to celebrate the New Year together. She should be arriving soon."
Feng Huaihe paused in his vegetable-picking process.
He kept Zhu Qing's departure a secret from everyone, including Zhu Qing's family.
The reason is that we know Zhu Qing will come back, so there's no need to worry during this period.
But Zhu Qing hasn't returned yet. If Zhu Feichuan goes to Qingxi Village in Chang'an in person, the lie will be exposed.
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and we need to give New Year's gifts. But I feel like you have everything, so what should I give you?" Bao Fu asked Feng Huaihe with a smile, interrupting Feng Huaihe's thoughts.
Feng Huaihe shook his head. "No need."
Bao Fu thought carefully, "I used to spend the Spring Festival with Hua Ning." He sighed, "I wonder where she is now. I should have brought her with me when I came to Jinyang."
Feng Huaihe remained silent, quietly preparing Zhu Qing's favorite dishes: steamed fish and stir-fried chestnuts.
The method of 'stir-frying' was taught to him by Zhu Qing.
Feng Huaihe's prepared dishes filled the entire long table in the kitchen. Bao Fu stood to the side watching, his face full of happiness, and said, "This is the most sumptuous Spring Festival I have ever had in my life!"
For Feng Huaihe, this was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to spend the Spring Festival with other people.
Normally, he would be summoned directly back to his residence by Feng Ruling to celebrate the Spring Festival.
Feng Huaihe sat at the same table with them, watching Feng Ruling's concubines fight over him, and seeing Li Shi's withered face, too sick to speak, feeling utterly bored.
Later, he would spend the Spring Festival alone in the Secretariat, year after year, all by himself.
If Zhu Qing hadn't let him leave, he wouldn't have kept Bao Fu this year.
Feng Huaihe never spent the Spring Festival with Zhu Qing.
In his previous life, Zhu Qing would suspend his studies and return to his home in Qingxi Village every year before the New Year, and never stayed to manage the secretariat.
There was an opportunity this year...
Feng Huaihe sighed with regret, looking at the wishing tree in the courtyard, remembering that the wishing plaques for today had not yet been hung up, and now it was time to hang them up.
He had just stepped out of the door when he saw a figure rushing in from outside the house. Feng Huaihe looked closely and saw Zhu Feichuan carrying a long sword, his eyes blazing as he charged straight at him.
Feng Huaihe stopped and remained motionless in place.
Zhu Feichuan closed in, raising his longsword at Feng Huaihe, "Tell me, where did you hide Qingqing!"
Feng Huaihe glanced at the tip of the sword that was almost to his nose.
Sharp and pointed, it was clearly a newly forged weapon made by Zhu Feichuan using Chen Zhong's technique.
“I didn’t hide her,” Feng Huaihe said calmly, looking at Zhu Feichuan’s dirty clothes, tired face, and travel-worn appearance. He had obviously just returned from trading in Chang’an and, upon discovering that Zhu Qing was not in Qingxi Village, came to confront him as soon as he returned to Jinyang.
Zhu Feichuan gritted his teeth: "Even now you're still lying! I've asked the villagers, and Mu Zao said she saw you at my house, and you were even carrying Qingqing's shoes. If you didn't hide Qingqing, then what were you doing at my house?"
Feng Huaihe remained silent for a moment.
How should we put it, Zhu Qing returned to the moon that originally belonged to her?
Inside the house, Bao Fu heard the commotion and hurriedly came out. He was so frightened by what he saw that he stammered, "Third Brother Zhu, let's talk this out... ah!"
"Shut up!" Zhu Feichuan slashed with his sword, the blade grazing Bao Fu's face. Seeing Bao Fu's pale face, he sneered angrily, "If you want to protect your master, I'll kill you first!"
Upon hearing this, Bao Fu immediately raised his hands in surrender and stepped back.
Zhu Feichuan then raised his knife again and pointed it at Feng Huaihe, demanding, "Where exactly is Qingqing?"
Feng Huaihe reached out, pinched the sword tip between his index and middle fingers, and said in a cold voice, "I don't know."
"Feng Zhijian!" Zhu Feichuan trembled with rage, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Do you think that with the heir apparent alive, I wouldn't dare kill you?!"
"I never thought of it that way."
Feng Huaihe spoke indifferently, as if he didn't care at all.
His attitude infuriated Zhu Feichuan even more. He couldn't suppress the fire burning in his chest, and he tried to draw his sword to stab the man, but found that his sword didn't budge.
Zhu Feichuan was stunned. Seeing Feng Huaihe's fingers gripping the sword tip, he was somewhat incredulous. "How can a scholar like you have such strength!"
"You're no match for me if you want to kill me." Feng Huaihe loosened his fingers, stood with his hands behind his back, and said indifferently, "I advise you to leave before I get angry."
Zhu Feichuan refused to believe it and had never heard of Feng Huaihe knowing martial arts. He swung his sword and aimed for Feng Huaihe's vital point.
Feng Huaihe glanced sideways and dodged, while simultaneously grabbing Zhu Feichuan's hand that was holding the sword hilt. With a twist, the sound of bones dislocating rang out, and Zhu Feichuan cried out in pain as the long sword fell to the ground.
Feng Huaihe stepped on the sword, then grabbed Zhu Feichuan's arm and twisted it forcefully, causing Zhu Feichuan to cry out in pain again.
Feng Huaihe released him. "Aren't you leaving?"
Zhu Feichuan felt tricked by Feng Huaihe's manipulation of his bones in an instant. His face turned pale with anger, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I am no match for you now, but you wait. I will definitely capture you and torture you to find out Qingqing's whereabouts, and then kill you with one sword."
"I'm ready to serve you anytime."
"You'll be going to the Battle of Luzhou with the Heir Apparent, won't you?" Zhu Feichuan sneered. "You just wait."
Feng Huaihe pursed his lips and remained silent.
The Battle of Luzhou was a lingering regret from his previous life.
Before he could think further, he saw Zhu Feichuan walk past him and stride into the kitchen. Just as Zhu Feichuan was about to kick the long table in the kitchen, Feng Huaihe tried to stop him, but it was too late.
With a loud crash, the long table overturned and spilled all the dishes that Feng Huaihe had prepared that Zhu Qing liked onto the ground.
Feng Huaihe clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, resisting the urge to snap Zhu Feichuan's neck and suppressing all the anger in his heart.
Zhu Feichuan is a close relative of Zhu Qing, and he cannot lay a hand on Zhu Feichuan.
"Feng Zhijian, when you were a child in Qingxi Village, we must have been blind to have helped you!"
Feng Huaihe sneered.
He knew that once these people had a conflict, they would define all the good they had done for him as 'helping and giving alms' and feel regret and remorse for it, as if Feng Huaihe didn't even deserve to be given alms.
For example, Feng Ruling regretted bringing him back to the Feng family mansion, and Daoist Jingwan regretted taking him as a student.
Only Zhu Qing never did this.
Even when they later became enemies, Zhu Qing never said she regretted it.
She was the only pure land for Feng Huaihe.
Amidst his jumbled thoughts, Zhu Feichuan had already bypassed Feng Huaihe and was walking away.
Bao Fu followed him into the kitchen in shock, and looking at the mess on the floor, he said regretfully, "My most prosperous year is gone..."
Zhu Feichuan turned back at the door and looked at Feng Huaihe coldly, saying, "Do you think I can't tell that these dishes are all her favorites? If you hadn't hidden her away, who would you have made these for? Feng Huaihe, with us around, you can forget about having a good New Year!"
After Zhu Feichuan finished speaking, he seemed unwilling to stay in this awful place any longer and left quickly.
Feng Huaihe looked at his retreating figure disappearing through the gate of the house, then at the mess on the ground, his face darkening.
"Has the heir apparent mustered his men for the battle in Luzhou?" Feng Huaihe suddenly asked.
Bao Fu shook his head: "Not yet, it seems we have to wait until the matter of Prince Jin is over."
According to Feng Huaihe's calculations, Li Keyong, the Prince of Jin, was likely to pass away soon.
At that time, there will be a palace coup in the Prince of Jin's palace that is not considered a palace coup. After that, Li Cunxu will succeed to the throne and then send Zhou Dewei to Luzhou.
At that time, Zhu Wen had already proclaimed himself emperor and established what later generations called the Later Liang dynasty.
Thinking of this, Feng Huaihe knew that he would soon be going to Luzhou to fight, but then he would no longer be able to hang the wishing plaque in Xihuatang every day.
If Zhu Qing comes back... Feng Huaihe doesn't know when or where she will return.
As he pondered this, he went back into the house to pack his belongings, making sure he had a cannon and arrows.
After leaving Chang'an, Tian Jiuzhu went to Zhu Wen's side. As for her, Zhang Yin is now assisting Zhu Wen.
Feng Huaihe thought that if the path was the same as in his previous life, Zhang Yin would follow Zhu Wen to Luzhou, just like he had in his previous life.
At that time, Li Cunxu will discover that Zhang Yin is not dead at all.
Perhaps this time, it will be the end. Now that Zhang Yin has left Li Cunxu, Feng Huaihe has no more scruples and can kill him directly.
He stroked the bow with his fingers, pondering that all those killed by this bow were the people he hated most.
-
Zhu Qing felt icy water choking her throat, and her body was so cold that her skin felt like it was about to crack. She woke up groggily and found herself lying by the water.
"Oh, it's so cold. Why are you sleeping here?" A woman's voice drifted into my ears.
Zhu Qing looked over and saw an old woman dressed in thick clothes standing three steps away from her, carrying a bucket of water.
Having already traveled through time, this scene was completely familiar to Zhu Qing. She got up from the ground and asked without changing her expression, "May I ask where this place is?"
"This is Luzhou," the old woman said, looking into the misty, snow-covered distance, and sighed, "I heard there's going to be a war here soon! Alas, war every day, when will it end?"
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Author's Note: I'm getting ready to write 10,000 words a day and it's almost over. If there are any side stories you'd like to see, feel free to let me know in the comments!
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