Chapter 66 Calling My Husband the Lost Bell
"Isn't it covered by my seal?"
"oh……"
Zhu Qing recalled that the three words "divorce agreement" had indeed been covered by a red seal.
She had nothing more to say, standing there, looking at Feng Huaihe with a somewhat blank expression. Now, should she let her go?
Feng Huaihe looked at her quietly, his gaze so deep that Zhu Qing couldn't see what he was thinking. She only felt that he was different from half a year ago in many ways.
His eyes no longer held a fake smile; his expression was indifferent and detached, as if he stood on the horizon, high above and unable to see anyone else, yet he was clearly fighting for the people and for the war.
Beneath the armor, he wore the same white clothes he wore during the day, with specks of bright red blood at the hem, like plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
Zhu Qing recalled the plum blossom tree in Xihuatang, which bloomed brilliantly that winter, its branches laden with snow, the red and white blossoms contrasting beautifully, almost overlapping with the scene before her eyes.
She was momentarily dazed.
"You've come today to see Zhu Zhengyang and Zhu Yubo?" Feng Huaihe suddenly asked.
Zhu Qing snapped out of her daze. "How did you know?"
Feng Huaihe chuckled self-deprecatingly, "You wouldn't come looking for me, is it that hard to guess?"
"..." Zhu Qing pursed her lips.
“They are not in the Jin army,” Feng Huaihe said. “They are still in Jinyang.”
"How could that be?" Zhu Qing asked suspiciously. "You're not lying to me, are you?" He was trying to use some trick to get her to stay.
My eldest and second eldest brothers were fighting in the war and practicing medicine, respectively. With the battle in Luzhou becoming increasingly urgent, they should have joined the army.
Why would I need to lie to you?
Feng Huaihe smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Do you think I would lie to you or use any tricks to force you to stay by my side? To use those underhanded methods to get you? Although I have made those mistakes before, six months have passed. How can you be sure I still love you?"
"..."
"You think you have such charm that even after half a year, I still can't let you go?" Feng Huaihe said with a sneer. Zhu Qing didn't know what he was sneering about and was speechless.
At this moment, a servant came in carrying a package, placed it on the table in front of Zhu Qing, and then silently withdrew.
Feng Huaihe hooked the package with his fingers and handed it to Zhu Qing: "Take this. I'll have someone send you back to Jinyang. No matter what, don't come looking for me again."
Zhu Qing held the package in her arms, becoming increasingly suspicious of Feng Huaihe's attitude. Could it be that after half a year, he really had lost interest in her?
Regardless, this is a good thing. She hesitated and said, "I don't want to go back to Jinyang for the time being."
"how?"
Zhu Qing told Feng Huaihe about the old woman's situation.
Feng Huaihe didn't react much after hearing this, only asking in a calm voice, "Does Zhang Yin know that place?"
"I don't know, I only met him on the way." Zhu Qing asked tentatively in a low voice, "The old lady's husband and children have all died in battle. Could you give me a strong horse and some food? I want her to have a better life in her final days."
Feng Huaihe remained silent; the military tent was quiet, with only the occasional whistling of the wind outside.
Fearing he wouldn't agree, Zhu Qing changed her mind and said, "If it's difficult for you..."
When do we depart?
Feng Huaihe glanced at the sky. "Tomorrow morning?"
Zhu Qing nodded, "It's dark now, I'm prone to getting lost."
Feng Huaihe said, "I'll prepare it for you." As he spoke, he looked up and stared intently at Zhu Qing: "But where will you stay tonight?"
"With so many military tents, aren't there any extras?"
Feng Huaihe sneered, "On the battlefield, where are there any extras? Aren't all the men in the army sharing a room with ten or twenty people?"
"Then why did you make me come?" Zhu Qing realized what she meant as soon as she finished speaking, glaring at Feng Huaihe: "You did this on purpose?"
As Feng Huaihe walked towards her step by step, his gaze fixed on her, he said, "Otherwise? Do you really think that the freedom I give you comes without a price?"
He moved closer and closer, and Zhu Qing instinctively backed away, hitting her knee on the edge of the bed and falling down onto the bed.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Feng Huaihe pressed down on her, placing his hands on either side of Zhu Qing's body and looking down at her. "Zhu Qing, before the divorce papers reach the authorities, we are still husband and wife."
Zhu Qing was speechless.
She had gotten used to it and no longer resisted as fiercely as before. Lying quietly beneath Feng Huaihe, looking into his cold and distant eyes, she felt somewhat dazed.
Feng Huaihe turned to the side and blew out the candlestick by the bedside.
The military tent was plunged into darkness, with only the faint light of the snow outside providing illumination.
Feng Huaihe reached out and touched Zhu Qing's eyebrows and eyelashes, "Where have you been for the past six months?"
"I'm going back."
Feng Huaihe followed her eyelashes downwards, his cool fingers tracing the side of her face, slowly reaching her chin. With a gentle lift, he raised Zhu Qing's face and gazed deeply into her eyes.
"When did you get back? Were you with Zhang Yin as soon as you arrived?"
"no."
In the darkness, Zhu Qing heard Feng Huaihe's breathing gradually deepen. He leaned closer, his thin lips almost touching Zhu Qing's earlobe, and asked, "Is the matter over there settled?"
His scalding breath, like thick syrup, clung tightly to her ear, slowly mingling with his rising body temperature, weaving a scorching, impenetrable net that enveloped Zhu Qing from head to toe.
There is nowhere to escape.
Having already grown accustomed to his body, she was instantly filled with tremors. Zhu Qing couldn't help but shudder, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Don't get so close to me..." Zhu Qing's face was covered in his scent: the smell of ink, the smell of bitter tea, and a faint smell of blood.
She reached out to push him away, but Feng Huaihe grabbed her arm. "Is this what you call close?"
A sharp glint flashed in Feng Huaihe's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said coldly, "I didn't do anything, and you still think this is close?"
Zhu Qing was speechless as he pressed down on her and kissed her deeply.
Feng Huaihe hugged her even tighter, one hand cupping her head and the other around her waist, as if he were forming an impenetrable wall, completely embracing Zhu Qing in his arms.
"Then it's close. So what is this?" Feng Huaihe withdrew from Zhu Qing's lips, his thin lips still pressed against hers, and murmured, "Qingqing, what is this?"
Zhu Qing felt her calves suddenly exposed to the air, and she shivered from the cold.
"What's this?"
"Call me," Feng Huaihe whispered in Zhu Qing's ear, "Call me husband."
Zhu Qing refused.
The rejection on her face was obvious. Even in the dim light, Feng Huaihe could still see it, or rather, imagine it. He could picture Zhu Qing's expression every time she refused someone—frowning, pouting, her little face all scrunched up.
Feng Huaihe knew that Zhu Qing had no romantic feelings for him.
Whether it's a past life or this one.
This might be the last time. Feng Huaihe has decided that he should let Zhu Qing experience the present moment and let her go.
Feng Huaihe embraced Zhu Qing's slender waist, pressing closer. She was so warm, and that warmth made Feng Huaihe want to be entangled with her forever.
“Call me husband, my lord, or by your name, anything is fine…” Feng Huaihe buried his face in Zhu Qing’s neck. Her black hair had spread out and was spread on the pillow. The faint fragrance of her hair lingered in the air, making people feel very safe.
"After tonight, you will be free." Feng Huaihe's eyes welled up with tears, which fell uncontrollably into Zhu Qing's hair.
From now on, she will go anywhere, but she will never be by his side.
Then everything he did would be meaningless, so he went to the battlefield and always put himself on the front line, thinking that it would be good if he died in battle.
Zhu Qing noticed the sob in Feng Huaihe's voice.
She immediately felt a bit disgusted. What kind of grown man makes her cry during sex?
Zhu Qing resolutely refused to call out to him and remained silent. Feng Huaihe did not insist any further, but instead propped himself up, grabbed Zhu Qing's waist, and turned her over.
Zhu Qing recalled, rather untimely, that Feng Huaihe liked this very much.
He does this almost every time.
She couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"That way you won't see me." You won't see the vile, base desires in his eyes, nor his humble, possessive, and unhealthy love for her.
Feng Huaihe stared at Zhu Qing's beautiful shoulder blades in the darkness, leaned down and kissed them lightly, a kiss devoid of any passion or desire.
Zhu Qing trembled slightly and gripped the pillowcase tightly with all her might.
Feng Huaihe had never left so many marks on Zhu Qing in this matter.
From her neck to her collarbone, from her slender waist to her ankles, every spot bore ambiguous marks. Especially the birthmark on Zhu Qing's collarbone, which was almost rubbed red.
He had never been so ruthless before.
Zhu Qing fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion. When she woke up, she saw the marks all over her body and the cold spot next to her, and she was filled with shame and indignation.
They really left decisively and cleanly.
Zhu Qing propped herself up and sat up. She saw a warm charcoal fire burning in the center of the tent, food laid out on the table, and clean clothes placed within her reach.
Zhu Qing picked up the clothes and put them on. They were thick and warm, and the material was as smooth as clouds. It felt like Feng Huaihe had prepared them in advance, otherwise there would be no such things on the battlefield.
She walked to the table and saw that all the dishes were her favorites. Zhu Qing took a bite; it was the familiar cooking style, made by Feng Huaihe himself.
The bundle that Feng Huaihe gave her last night was right next to her. Zhu Qing opened it and found some money, paper and pens, food and clothes inside.
Everything is ready, but no one is to be seen.
"Miss Zhu, may I come in?" A familiar voice sounded outside the military tent. Zhu Qing nodded, and the person who entered was Bao Fu. He was rubbing his hands and bending over from the cold, his face red from the cold, but he was all smiles: "The master sent me to escort you back. The horses have all been fed. Have you eaten? Shall we go now?"
"Let's wait a bit," Zhu Qing asked, "Where is he?"
"The gentleman said that today should be the last battle with Liang Jun, so he went to the battlefield early."
Zhu Qing recalled the way Feng Huaihe returned last night; his face was covered in blood from his armor, and he exuded only violence and murderous intent.
Zhu Qing stared at the food in front of him. "Has he been personally going to the battlefield since the start of the war?"
"That's right, he was both a strategist and a soldier."
Zhu Qing ate in silence, her mind filled with thoughts. She had received the divorce papers, and Feng Huaihe hadn't even seen her off. It seemed that this time he would truly let her go and sever all ties with her cleanly.
"By the way, this is a willow branch. The master said that since you've come back, it still belongs to you."
As Bao Fu spoke, he took the arrow from his back and handed it to Zhu Qing.
Holding the cold bow with its piercing blade, Zhu Qing thought of the icy river water and her younger brother, whom she had killed in the river.
Her nightmare has come to an end, and she has given herself a very satisfactory result.
That was the power given by Feng Huaihe.
Zhu Qing slung Chuan Yang over his shoulder, finished eating, casually wiped his mouth, and was about to set off when he suddenly heard a bell ringing.
She looked in surprise toward the sound and noticed a string of small bells tied to the bow, the same string that Chen Sangguo always used to tie her hair with.
Zhu Qing paused: "How come Mulberry's bell is here?"
Bao Fu exclaimed, scratched the back of his head, and asked in surprise, "Didn't the master tell you? I'll give you the silk sash. When you're done with the old woman's business and you return to Jinyang, take her bell with you to your third brother."
Zhu Qing sensed something was wrong, and her heart skipped a beat. "What does this mean?"
"On their way back from Kaifeng, your third brother and Miss Sangguo were captured by men arranged by Zhang Yin. They demanded that your third brother sell the weapons that were originally made for the Jin army to the Liang army. Your third brother refused, and those men killed him. Both your third brother and Sangguo perished."
The difference is that Zhu Feichuan survived. When Chen Sangguo and he fled to Weizhou, they were stopped and pursued by the Liang army of Weizhou. Zhu Feichuan hid Chen Sangguo and showed himself to attract the killing force.
Zhu Feichuan was seriously injured in Weizhou. When he returned to find Chen Sangguo, she was gone.
Out of his promise to Chen Zhong, Feng Huaihe sent people to search for it, but they only found this string of bells.
Bao Fu sighed, "I thought the master had already told you. Your third brother is seriously injured and hasn't woken up yet, so your second brother stayed in Jinyang to take care of him and couldn't go to the battlefield. Your eldest brother also stayed behind to help take care of him and is looking for you."
Zhu Qing felt dizzy, her palms were sweating, and her legs went weak, about to fall. Bao Fu quickly reached out to support her.
Zhu Qing endured the dizziness, thinking of Chen Sangguo's fate in her previous life. Could it be unchangeable? She asked anxiously, "Hancheng, the Hancheng of the Khitan, the place of Aluye Baoji, have you searched for it?"
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