Chapter 5: The Shattered Inkstone - Jealousy, Anger, Possessiveness...
After spending two days at Chongde Garden, Feng Huaihe returned. As soon as the carriage arrived outside the gate of the Mufu, he heard the voice he had been longing for day and night.
He eagerly lifted the carriage curtain to look out, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. He had finally seen her. He had remained calm and composed when presenting his lord with strategies concerning the fate of the world, but at this moment, he was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
Finally, I saw Zhu Qing, whom I had longed for most of my life.
Zhu Qing is only sixteen years old now. She is beautiful and has a captivating gaze. Bathed in the golden morning light, her eyebrows and temples are full of youthful vibrancy, and her petal-shaped eyes seem to hold a myriad of colors.
After decades of separation, the face that Feng Huaihe had forgotten in the sea of his memory became clear again. Even that person was now standing vividly before him, standing in the wind. She was still alive.
But she wasn't alone.
Another man was supporting himself against the pillar with one hand and holding Zhu Qing in his arms with the other.
Feng Huaihe quickly told the driver to stop, then hid behind him, his eyes red as he stared intently at the two men.
Zhu Qing, clutching a cloth bag, her eyes red-rimmed, looked up and spoke to the boy in front of her. The boy lowered his head anxiously, chattering as if trying to comfort her. Zhu Qing, in a huff, lowered her head, wiping her eyes as she looked at the cloth bag in her arms. The boy then knelt down and helped Zhu Qing straighten her clothes, which were not only messy but also covered in dust.
The golden morning light shone on them, warm and serene, just like a young couple. He, however, could only peek from the dark carriage.
The scene before him overlapped with the scene of Zhu Qing's wedding in his previous life. Feng Huaihe suddenly remembered a huge mistake that he had kept hidden in his previous life, one that he dared not mention or admit.
In his previous life, he had never intended to assist Zhu Wen.
But he secretly went to the State of Jin and witnessed the grand wedding of Zhu Qing and Zhang Yin. The house was full of guests, and the sky was ablaze with joy. Her wedding dress was embroidered with landscapes and was exquisite and beautiful. She was led into the bridal chamber, where she and Zhang Yin drank the nuptial wine. Zhang Yin leaned down and kissed her...
Feng Huaihe's world collapsed instantly, and an unprecedented rage filled his heart, making him wish he could pierce through heaven and earth, overturn the Jin Kingdom, and destroy everything.
He rushed back to the Central Plains overnight and joined Zhu Wen's forces, assisting Zhu Wen in his desperate struggle against Li Cunxu. If Zhu Wen won and overthrew the Jin state, he could bring Zhu Qing back to his side.
However, Zhu Qing served Li Cunxu, which gradually turned into a struggle between Feng Huaihe and Zhu Qing. They fought to the death, endlessly, for most of their lives, until Zhu Wen was defeated.
Feng Huaihe also lost.
She was defeated by Zhu Qinghe... her husband.
Later, people often asked him, "Since he didn't support Zhu Wen at first, why did he change his mind later?"
He never gave a direct answer.
Now Feng Huaihe is finally facing the dark hand that drove him. It turns out that the restlessness that made him want to pierce through heaven and earth was jealousy of Zhang Yin and the delusion of possessing Zhu Qing.
Jealousy, anger, possessiveness—the lowest of emotions he once considered shameful—now invaded and devoured him from head to toe, leaving him utterly devastated.
Feng Huaihe nearly ripped the carriage curtain off with his strength. He had never felt the morning light so dazzling before. It shone on the two people, making his eyes sting with pain!
Feng Huaihe took a deep breath, calmed himself for a moment, and then stepped down from the carriage, asking in a seemingly calm manner, "What are you doing?"
They were both from Qingxi Village, and Mu Zao's heart jumped when she saw Feng Huaihe.
Mu Zao still vividly remembered the way Feng Huaihe had knocked down his companion when they were children. After that, he became taciturn, gloomy, and aloof, which made Mu Zao feel that he was psychologically dark and dared not get close to him.
Not to mention that Feng Huaihe now oversees the entire shogunate, while Zhu Qing is just a minor secretary. Feng Huaihe has issued an order that outsiders not on duty in the shogunate are not allowed to enter the shogunate.
Worried that he might cause trouble for Zhu Qing, Mu Zao quickly reached out to protect Zhu Qing behind her, straightened her chest, and explained the whole story of the Shence Army's charge. She added, "I only came in because of an emergency, and besides, I was only at the entrance and didn't actually go into the headquarters. Zhu Qing has an injury on her palm. Could I ask for leave so I can take her to get it bandaged and then come back?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Huaihe looked at Zhu Qing's hand.
A deep bloodstain ran across her palm, dividing it in two, and blood trickled down between her fingers.
Feng Huaihe tightened his fingers hidden in his sleeve, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "There are gauze and medicine in the secretary's room. Come with me."
As he spoke, he took a step forward.
As Zhu Qing passed by, she smelled a faint scent of blood, but for a moment she couldn't tell if it was from Feng Huaihe or from her own hand.
She took a step to follow, but Mu Zao grabbed her sleeve and called out to Feng Huaihe's back, "Let's not trouble Mr. Huaihe. I'll take Qingqing to the clinic to get her bandaged myself. If I don't see her get better myself, I won't dare to go back and I won't be able to explain to her three brothers."
Zhu Qing stopped walking.
After all, in the original owner's memories, Feng Huaihe never looked at her directly when she was on duty. The last time the two interacted was when Zhu Qing was ten years old, when she asked Feng Huaihe what the outhouse was.
In other words, they came from the same village, but after Feng Huaihe lost his mother and left the village, they never crossed paths again.
Not familiar with it.
She didn't follow, so Feng Huaihe turned around and looked at Zhu Qing with his dark eyes: "Aren't you coming?"
He glanced at Mu Zao furtively, feeling dissatisfied. Mu Zao kept calling him "Qingqing" and saying she wanted to explain things to her brothers.
What is there to explain? What is his relationship with Zhu Qing? It's just an excuse of growing up together, a pretext for his lustful desires. Every word he utters sounds like he's someone's brother-in-law, which is taking on too much responsibility for himself.
Feng Huaihe glanced at Zhu Qing again, and when he saw her hiding behind Mu Zao, his breath hitched slightly.
Regardless of his opinion of Mu Zao, Zhu Qing was only sixteen years old. To be honest, he didn't really understand sixteen-year-old Zhu Qing.
What if, at this point, she really does like Mu Zao?
Upon realizing this, Feng Huaihe forgot that he was still staring at Zhu Qing, and his eyes visibly turned cold.
Zhu Qing felt a chill run down her spine, and her whole body trembled as goosebumps rose on her skin.
Was it necessary to look at her with such a terrifying gaze? As if she could eat someone alive. It's just that she brought an outsider to the company, and besides, the person was only at the entrance. Sure enough, all leaders are petty.
He gave her a deep, unwavering gaze, but Zhu Qing dared not disobey him.
To rise to become the top strategist in the Five Dynasties period, one can only imagine how deep his cunning and scheming must be. What if he harbors resentment and secretly plots against her in the future?
Zhu Qing then turned to Mu Zao and said, "You go first, I'm fine. I've also put medicine and gauze in the secretary's room, come back next shift."
"But……"
Mu Zao wanted to insist, but seeing Zhu Qing mouth the words, she had no choice but to agree, "Then I'll wait for you outside the city. If anything goes wrong, come find me."
Zhu Qing nodded and watched Mu Zao drive the oxcart away before taking small steps to catch up with Feng Huaihe.
Feng Huaihe turned and walked towards the Secretariat, asking in a low voice, "What did you say to him?"
He saw her lip-syncing.
"Ah, it's nothing." Zhu Qing pursed her lips. Could the boss hear what the cricket was saying?
Hearing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Feng Huaihe did not press her for details. He glanced sideways at the cloth bag in Zhu Qing's arms, which was exactly the same as the one she had brought when she came to study in her previous life.
So, what was inside was an inkstone, and she came to seek knowledge?
Feng Huaihe's gloomy mood of the past two days dissipated somewhat. He opened the three-locked courtyard gate and stepped inside.
Zhu Qing followed him slowly and noticed that he walked very slowly. It wasn't a leisurely, carefree pace, but rather a slowness as if he had some kind of leg ailment.
Even though Feng Huaihe tried his best to conceal it and make his gait look normal, Zhu Qing, who was behind him, still noticed.
Thinking back to that smell of blood...
"Don't walk behind me." Feng Huaihe suddenly turned around, looked at her, and said, "Walk in front."
"oh……"
With a strong sense of self-respect, Zhu Qing hurriedly walked to the front and entered the chief secretary's office.
In the large house, three walls were lined with tall bookshelves, densely filled with books. In the center was a large desk, on which various files, books and letters were scattered.
A round, crescent-shaped window was carved into the wall directly opposite the door. Under the window, there was a small couch, a small table, and a chessboard.
Several potted plants were scattered haphazardly, growing sparsely with withered leaves that drooped and seemed lifeless.
This was Zhu Qing's first time visiting Feng Huaihe's office, shattering her illusions about literati. She had imagined a scene of flowing water, famous paintings, and even a piece of wood would be worthy of the word "literary talent."
Zhu Qing found a reasonably decent spot to sit down and waited for Feng Huaihe to fetch the gauze and medicine powder.
Feng Huaihe moved with practiced ease, gently lifting her sleeve with his fingertips, first cleaning the wound, then sprinkling medicine on it, and finally wrapping it with gauze.
His fingers were long and pale, yet strong and powerful. Zhu Qing had never seen such beautiful hands before, and stared at them blankly, completely ignoring the pain in her palms.
One can't help but think that, apart from his hands, Feng Huaihe's face is also quite handsome.
He had a pair of upturned phoenix eyes, thin lips, a straight nose, thick eyebrows that reached his temples, and a fair and delicate face. However, his childhood gave him a gloomy temperament, especially his eyes, which seemed to tell a lot.
Like a tender and tragic storybook, or even a pot of cold wine. When she looks at people, even without speaking, her eyes seem to flow with a thousand unspoken words.
He is indeed quite outstanding. No wonder the original owner admired him and wanted to learn from him. After all, it's not just his outstanding appearance. Feng Huaihe's ability to climb out of that environment and fight his way to this position is extraordinary in itself.
"You were feeling unwell the other day and took leave, but you seem to be feeling better now," Feng Huaihe suddenly said, putting away his medicine box and sitting down to the side.
Zhu Qing looked down and saw that her palm had already been bandaged while she was lost in thought; he had even twisted the gauze into a small bow.
Zhu Qing touched one end of the bow and replied, "Much better."
Feng Huaihe put the medicine box away and returned, sitting up straight. He looked at Zhu Qing and said, "Be careful in the future, don't get it wet. If your hand hurts, don't copy official documents for now. The canteen is crowded, so to avoid being bumped into, you'll have to eat here with me for the next two days."
Zhu Qing listened with some suspicion in her heart.
She thought back carefully again. In her memory, the original owner of this body only had one interaction with Feng Huaihe: after he disappeared for a few years, he became a strategist, and then she came to work here.
On the surface, they were related by connections, but Feng Huaihe never really gave her a second glance. He was arrogant and aloof, and no one in the shogunate knew that they both came from Qingxi Village.
Why did he suddenly become so friendly? He even bandaged his own wound.
Could it be that she forgot some memory of Feng Huaihe, and that the two were actually quite familiar with each other? After all, that's how it's written in novels.
After much thought, Zhu Qing felt that this was the only possibility: it must be a side effect of time travel that caused her to miss some memories of the original owner and Feng Huaihe.
Otherwise, it's impossible to explain why Feng Huaihe suddenly became close to her.
After Zhu Qing figured things out, she relaxed and changed her gaze from that of a leader to that of her big, goofy childhood friend. She smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I won't die. But you're the boss here, so your food must be even better. I'll gladly accept your offer!"
Feng Huaihe gave a soft "hmm," his gaze falling on Zhu Qing's bundle. Thinking that she should mention her studies, he deliberately prompted, "What's this?"
Mentioning this breaks Zhu Qing's heart; she frowns as she opens the cloth bag.
Feng Huaihe watched her movements and took a deep breath.
It's finally here.
He thought he had made a mistake in this life and that Zhu Qing would never come back to study.
Feng Huaihe reached out to take the inkstone she offered, only to find the cloth bag open, revealing a broken inkstone inside.
Feng Huaihe froze abruptly.
Zhu Qing sighed deeply and complained, "You've brought up my sad story again. The inkstone is broken and can't be sold for money. It's terrible! My money could have been equivalent to several months' salary."
Selling? Silver?
The result was completely unexpected, but having lived two lives and being a shrewd strategist, Feng Huaihe reacted quickly. He casually brushed his clothes with his outstretched hand and asked nonchalantly, "Are you planning to sell the inkstone?"
Feng Huaihe glanced at it again discreetly. It was indeed the same dark blue, snake-shaped inkstone that Zhu Qing had brought as a gift for his studies in his previous life.
But it not only shattered, it shattered into the same shape he had broken in her past life, and it was the very thing she had originally planned to sell.
Feng Huaihe thought he had returned to the right track of studying with Zhu Qinglai, but little did he know that he was still going astray.
He thought that as long as Zhu Qing didn't leave after completing her apprenticeship, she wouldn't meet Zhang Yin, and he could keep her by his side forever. But if she stopped studying altogether and was no longer his student, how could he keep her?
She will still meet Zhang Yin.
Feng Huaihe slowly clenched his fists, unable to understand why.
Zhu Qing noticed that his eyes had become serious and his face was gloomy and unpleasant, so she assumed that he was angry with the Shence Army.
After all, in her past life, when her best friend complained about her scumbag boyfriend, she was just like him.
Zhu Qing sighed and comforted him in return: "Don't be too angry or bothered by me. But I am really curious about what case the Shence Army is handling. They are so domineering, even riding horses in the street."
She only knew about the Shence Army in history, but not much.
At this time, the Shence Army is under the control of the eunuch Tian Lingzi.
Tian Lingzi is a notorious figure, a treacherous and wicked man. Emperor Xizong of Tang recognized him as his father, and he now holds absolute power in the court.
A note from the author:
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