Chapter 50 The Wife of Two Lifetimes
Through the thick darkness of the night, Zhang Yin stared intently at the arrow aimed at his vital point.
Rain slanted down and pounded on the arrow, splashing up countless transparent droplets.
The moment the arrow pierced the wind, the muffled sound of it cutting through the air seemed to penetrate every inch of flesh and deeply resonate in Zhang Yin's mind.
With a sharp, dreamlike clang, Zhang Yin saw the cold glint of an arrowhead flash before his eyes. In that glint, he saw his past life, also pierced by such an arrow, hung on the city wall, and subjected to slow slicing every day, one arrow a day.
He finally died when his body was riddled with arrows, his flesh was completely mangled, and his blood flowed down the cracks in the city wall, staining half the yellow earth red.
The person who carried out the execution was Feng Huaihe.
All the unfounded hatred found an explanation. The moment the memory flashed through Zhang Yin's mind, the arrow was aimed at the door. He suddenly turned to the side, and the arrow grazed his earlobe before flying and embedding itself in the tree behind him.
A small cut was made on the earlobe, and traces of blood seeped out.
Zhang Yin's expression darkened as he turned back to look at Feng Huaihe's eyes, which were hidden under the grass.
Feng Huaihe picked up the second arrow. This time, he didn't draw the bow, but held the arrow in his hand and walked across the muddy, slippery mountain path toward Zhang Yin.
He intended to use the arrow as a blade, piercing Zhang Yin's skull and killing him instantly.
The night was too dark, and the rain blurred the view. Feng Huaihe couldn't see clearly that Zhang Yin's eyes were filled with boundless blackness, a darkness that contained malice and hatred from two lifetimes.
The eyes of Zhang Yin, who has lived two lives, are different from those of the nineteen-year-old Zhang Yin.
Feng Huaihe raised an arrow and thrust it at the back of Zhang Yin's head.
Zhang Yin raised his hand and grabbed the arrow that was thrusting down. The sharp head pierced his palm, and excruciating pain came along with the flowing blood.
Zhang Yin raised his pale face and stared at Feng Huaihe in the endless rainy night.
Raindrops pelted his face, and his phoenix eyes revealed the hatred and malice of two lifetimes. "So the renowned strategist Zhijian is actually such a despicable person, taking advantage of others' misfortunes and eliminating them in the wilderness?"
Feng Huaihe recognized that familiar look in his eyes.
In his past life, Zhu Qing's home was burned down. When Zhang Yin stared at him and mocked him word by word, saying that everything he wanted but didn't have was easily possessed by others, that was the look in Zhang Yin's eyes.
Feng Huaihe gritted his teeth and said in a cold voice, "So you really came back."
"Looks like you got here a bit earlier than me." Zhang Yin smiled, his weak voice full of provocation:
"You came back so much earlier than me, yet you only made your move now. Was it her who stopped you? In both lifetimes, you're still less than a dog in her eyes, so you still hate me so much that you wanted to take advantage of my vulnerability to get rid of me?"
Just like in his previous life, Feng Huaihe trembled violently from the shock.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Zhang Yin, gripping the arrow tightly in his hands and thrusting it downwards with all his might.
Zhang Yin also used his hands to resist, trying to prevent the arrow from falling, but being above, the arrowhead still slowly approached Zhang Yin's throat.
The sounds of torrential rain and wind were completely inaudible; all that could be heard was each other's rapid, low breathing.
"So that's where you are!" A third voice suddenly rang out from behind the two who were locked in a stalemate.
Feng Huaihe paused, his grip loosened, and Zhang Yin suddenly gripped the arrowhead tightly, threw it aside, and then forcefully tilted his head to let the man see him: "My leg is injured, help me!"
That man was a trusted confidant of Li Keyong, who had been sent by Li Keyong to meet Feng Huaihe.
Hearing Zhang Yin say this, without thinking, he walked over, squatted down beside Zhang Yin's feet, and parted the bushes. "What happened? This is quite serious; it's almost rotten from being soaked in the rain..."
The confidant looked up at Feng Huaihe and said, "Sir, lend a hand and pull him out."
Feng Huaihe gritted his teeth and stood still.
The men who arrived happened to be Li Keyong's personal guards; they couldn't be killed, otherwise Li Keyong would surely pursue the matter to the end. Otherwise, he could have killed them both here.
"Give me a hand!" the guard urged again.
Feng Huaihe picked up the bow, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I injured my hand when I came here, and I can't move it."
The guard sighed, and without suspicion, pulled Zhang Yin out.
He helped Zhang Yin up, intending to turn back, and then advised Feng Huaihe, "The Prince of Jin said to go find someone at dawn, so let's go back and take shelter from the rain first."
Feng Huaihe ignored him and continued walking. Since he could find Zhang Yin here, the chances of finding Zhu Zhengyang were still quite high.
He didn't want to be like the previous generation, searching for a needle in a haystack, waiting until everyone had grown up before he could find Zhu Zhengyang.
Seeing that his confidant still wanted to persuade him, Zhang Yin covered his mouth and coughed weakly, saying, "It hurts..."
Upon hearing this, the guards stopped trying to persuade Feng Huaihe and helped Zhang Yin walk back.
Zhang Yin's calf was pierced by a sharp wooden stick, and with each step he took, his flesh and bone felt as if they were being torn apart.
But this pain is nothing compared to the agony of remembering a past life.
In his past life, he possessed Zhu Qing, but he craved fame and fortune even more.
He had witnessed Feng Zhijian's renowned reputation and heard that Feng Zhijian was a hard-working young man who had risen from humble beginnings in Qingxi Village.
Zhang Yin couldn't understand why someone could rise to a high position with nothing but their own merits. When he was in Lingnan, he was fawned over by everyone.
Upon meeting Feng Zhijian, he became the one who had been forgotten.
Zhang Yin was jealous of Feng Huaihe's achievements, but he was helpless. He tried to climb up the ranks, but laziness could always defeat diligence in an instant.
He later married Zhu Qing, and was delighted to learn that she was the rumored female disciple of Feng Zhijian.
After several encounters, Zhang Yin was even happier to realize that Feng Zhijian liked Zhu Qing.
He finally had something tangible that he could use to suppress and torment Feng Zhijian.
As Zhu Qing had wished, he fought with Feng Zhijian for half his life.
Every time Zhang Yin saw Feng Zhijian make the wrong decision because of Zhu Qing and lose the trust of his lord, he felt a vague sense of superiority.
He is at least no worse than Feng Zhijian.
Zhang Yin was helped back to Li Keyong's side by his personal guards. Zhu Yubo brought a medicine box and helped him treat the wound on his calf.
No matter how Zhu Yubo treated him, Zhang Yin seemed not to feel any pain, because the pain in his heart took over more of his mind.
This life is different; Zhu Qing is not by his side.
The only thing he could use to surpass Feng Huaihe was gone.
Zhang Yin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He was unwilling to let Zhu Qing stay by Feng Zhijian's side like this.
Zhu Qing was his wife in his past life, and he can only be her in this life.
-
The Palace of the Prince of Jin.
Zhu Qing stayed in this small room for over a month.
The room was fairly clean and spacious, and fully furnished. However, it was heavily guarded by soldiers from the Prince's Mansion, so Zhu Qing could not go anywhere and could only wait here for news from the battlefield.
It was already late spring and early summer, and there was still no news from Feng Huaihe.
Zhu Qing grew increasingly uneasy. She wasn't one to wait. She had lost count of how much time had passed. Unable to contain herself any longer, Zhu Qing jumped off the small bed and opened the door to the side room.
As soon as I stepped out the door, the warm sunshine of late spring shone down, making my whole body feel cozy and warm.
Zhu Qing looked up, squinting at the golden sunlight in the sky, and once again realized how fast time had passed; so much time had already gone by since she arrived here.
Zhu Qing walked toward the head soldier guarding the courtyard. Before he could ask a question, he saw a person turn out from the flower-lined path not far away.
Zhu Qing looked closely and saw that the man was Wang Zhao, an advisor to Li Cunxu who had spoken up for him last time.
Wang Zhao walked briskly, his robes fluttering, and arrived in front of Zhu Qing. He stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "Miss Zhu, there is news from the Prince of Jin!"
Zhu Qing's eyes lit up: "How about it?"
Wang Zhao said, "Come with me."
Zhu Qing didn't think twice and followed Wang Zhao, hurrying towards the front courtyard.
Zhu Qing thought that as long as Feng Huaihe led Li Keyong back safely, they would be over this hurdle.
From now on, I will have no worries about the future in Jinyang.
Upon arriving at Li Cunxu's study, Zhu Qing found neither Li Keyong nor Feng Huaihe as she had expected.
A few people were scattered in the study, including Li Cunxu and his advisors, but among them was Zhang Yin, whom Zhu Qing knew well.
Zhu Qing stopped beside Zhang Yin, her gaze puzzled: "Why are you the only one who came back?"
Zhang Yin glanced sideways at Zhu Qing.
Having experienced something in a past life, my feelings towards her changed when I looked at her again.
His wife, who sacrificed herself for him and the Sixteen States in his previous life, stood before him again, her gaze filled with only indifferent doubt, devoid of the love from their past life.
Thinking back to her close relationship with Feng Zhijian, Zhang Yin's throat tightened. Would she fall in love with Feng Zhijian in this life?
He felt as if he had just taken a nap, and after waking up from a long dream, his beloved wife suddenly forgot about him.
Zhang Yin was panicked inside, but he didn't show it on his face. He pretended that he hadn't returned yet and said to Zhu Qing with regret, "After we came from Bozhou, those people chased us relentlessly. We only managed to escape after a fierce battle. Feng Huaihe and my eldest and second brothers all went missing in that battle."
Zhu Qing's steps faltered, and she nearly fell. Zhang Yin quickly supported her, asking, "Are you alright?"
Zhu Qingqiang tried to calm himself down, and after regaining his composure, he pushed Zhang Yin's hand away. "Then..." The Prince of Jin and his son suspect them?
Just then, Li Cunxu said in a deep voice, "Go back first and await your fate."
Zhu Qing looked at him, puzzled: "What does Your Highness mean?"
Li Cunxu ignored her and instead looked down at the official documents in his hand.
Zhu Qing wanted to ask more questions, but Zhang Yin grabbed her sleeve. She turned around and saw Zhang Yin gently shaking his head at her.
At this moment, Li Cunxu suddenly put down the official document, looked up at Zhu Qing and said, "Feng Zhijian has confessed that the events in Bozhou and Kaifeng were all planned by him and you, and were deliberately done to force my father into a desperate situation."
Zhu Qing's brain suddenly shut down.
Did she hear that right? What do you mean Feng Zhijian has already confessed?
Li Cunxu said, "I will imprison you and await Tian Lingzi's letter. I will deal with you according to his instructions."
As soon as she finished speaking, two soldiers rushed in from outside, grabbed Zhu Qing from both sides, and dragged her out of the study.
Zhu Qing asked anxiously, "Your Highness? Isn't there some misunderstanding? Feng Zhijian hasn't even returned yet, how did he confess?"
Li Cunxu ignored her and didn't even glance at her.
Zhu Qing was dragged out and escorted to the prison. All the way there, she couldn't understand why Li Keyong had only summoned her today, even though he had returned three days ago.
The next time they summoned her, it was to have her imprisoned.
Zhu Qing was imprisoned and still couldn't figure things out. She was trapped in an information cage, knowing nothing and having no idea how to break free.
She hadn't been brought in long when she saw Nie Zhen and Manman come in as well.
The three were locked in a cell. As soon as Nie Zhen entered, she grabbed Zhu Qing's sleeve, her face pale with nervousness: "Qingqing, we..."
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