Chapter 65. I apologize for the offense, but in this urgent situation, I must act expediently…
The Great Snow solar term this year was unusually cold, just like the previous year. In the palace where the earthen dragon was burning, Emperor Shunren slowly awoke.
After taking the medicine for a period of time, I no longer suffer from sleepless nights.
The sorcerer's medicine has miraculous effects.
After a deep sleep, Emperor Shunren leaned against his dragon bed and joked with the imperial eunuch, "Guess who I dreamed about?"
The imperial eunuch hurriedly laughed it off, not daring to presume to guess the emperor's thoughts, "This humble servant is dull-witted and cannot fathom it."
“I dreamt that Cao Angui was traveling through various places and passed through the capital. He made a special trip back to the palace to visit me, bringing many gifts with him.”
Emperor Shunren laughed as he spoke, feeling a sense of pride at being remembered by an old friend. But he quickly fell into a daze. Having stood at the peak for so long, many of his old friends, young and old, had already left him.
"I wonder where that old geezer Cao Angui has gone off to."
There was not a single word from them.
It was still early, so Emperor Shunren didn't rush to get up; his thoughts drifted away.
Cao Angui was a meticulous and shrewd man, but his only dilemma was navigating between the Emperor and Empress Yide. When the eldest prince was born, he often took the little one to the Emperor's presence, only to be turned away each time.
When the little guy learned to walk, it was he who led him to meet the emperor.
Each time they were refused a visit, the old man would hold the little one's hand and walk down the long path. The old man and the little one were silhouetted against the sunset, one bending over to match the little master's size, the other constantly fiddling with the little legs, their hands always clasped together.
Emperor Shunren watched silently, feeling that he was not as kind to the child as an old eunuch. In fact, given Cao Angui's position in the inner court, he did not need to fawn over the Empress and her son. Perhaps he was destined to be with that child.
The little one, just learning to speak, was chubby and fair-skinned, a pleasing-looking child, but unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time.
Achoo!
The old doctor, who had just stepped out of the side room, sneezed and kicked Yan Yi in a fit of rage. "It's your turn to cook today! What time is it? Why aren't you cooking?"
Yan Yi rubbed his buttocks, not daring to utter the slightest complaint.
The old doctor looked up at the sky, where snowflakes swirled and danced wildly, falling in a fine, dense flurry.
"The winter snow came early this year."
"It was early last year too."
Xie Jincheng, wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, pushed open the door and stepped out. Compared to Wei Qin, who was dressed in a thin scarlet robe, he looked much more frail.
The old man reminded Wei Qin's retreating figure, "It's getting cold, young master, please put on a cloak."
"No need." Wei Qin mounted his horse, Zhui Feng, and rode away.
Snowflakes blanketed the long street, freezing the bluestone slabs. Carriages and horses slipped and slid, causing congestion in the alleys. Wei Qin rode his horse through the crowd with agility and ease.
Sitting inside the carriage, Jiang Song lifted the curtain, his gaze stretching out as the young man's departing figure receded into the distance.
When the fire appeared before Jiang Song's eyes, he finally understood why Wei Qin was afraid of the heat.
He has his difficulties, and his daughter has her grievances.
Jiang Song lowered the curtain and looked at the woman sitting opposite him. "You've been listless for days. Today, go with your older brother to the outskirts of the city for a stroll and clear your head."
Jiang Yinyue, who was in a bad mood when she woke up, glared resentfully at her father who had dragged her out of bed early in the morning. What was wrong with her being listless?
I can't sleep well at night and can't wake up in the morning.
Outside the curtain, Jiang Taolue, who was driving the carriage, responded, "Come with me to sit at Mother's grave."
Jiang Song raised his hand to half-cover his face, missing his mother. The sight of the scene stirred up his emotions, making him even more heartbroken.
After seeing his father off at the dismounting stone in front of the palace gate, Jiang Taolue turned his horse around and lashed Wei Qin's peripheral vision with his whip.
The man in scarlet robes, waiting to enter the court, glanced sideways as the carriage disappeared into the morning mist and snow.
Jiang Taolue changed course and picked up Hong Mei, claiming that his younger sister needed someone to take care of her on the road.
Jiang Yinyue huddled in a corner of the carriage, not revealing her brother's little scheme. He was just trying to get closer to his sweetheart as they were about to set off after the New Year, using her as an excuse.
Before the Yu family's grave, the brother and sister knelt for a long time, until the midday sun pierced through the thick clouds and slanted down on their shoulders, as if their mother's hand was gently stroking them.
Hongmei stood at a distance, overwhelmed with emotion amidst her illusion.
In the latter half of the day, the three of them strolled around the nearby hills.
The north wind whipped up fine snow, which felt icy cold against the skin. Jiang Yinyue, holding her veiled hat, followed behind a man and a woman, feeling utterly superfluous.
The young lady didn't eavesdrop on her brother and Hongmei's conversation; instead, she listlessly counted the cypress trees on the hillside.
A gust of wind swept by, and the snow-white veiled hat fluttered away, its thin gauze billowing into the distance.
"Veil."
Jiang Yinyue instinctively chased after him, but slipped and fell on the snow-covered, withered grass slope.
The figure quickly disappeared into the dense cypress trees.
"Nian Nian!"
"Miss!"
"Don't wander off."
Leaving behind a single sentence, Jiang Taolue slid down the hillside.
The dark clouds lingered, and snowflakes accompanied by hailstones the size of beans rained down.
The snow in the city was piling up thicker and thicker.
When Wei Qin arrived at the backyard of the Jiang residence, he learned that the brother and sister and Hong Mei had gone out of the city and had not returned for a long time. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you go out of the city in this weather?"
"Young master and young lady have gone to the madam's grave." The old woman in the manor couldn't help but worry. When the young master and young lady left the city, it was only a light snowfall, which would not have hindered their travel. Unexpectedly, the snowfall has become heavier.
The head of the family had not yet returned to the manor, and the steward had already sent people to look for him.
Wei Qin mounted his horse and headed straight for the Yu family's grave. He didn't see the three people. He looked around and noticed several figures on the hilltop.
Hongmei and the others searched the entire mountain for the brother and sister.
They had assumed that the hillside covered with cypress trees would lead to a low-lying area where two peaks connected, but when the Jiang family's entourage slid down, they discovered that it was actually a junction of several peaks, branching into several forks.
"Miss and young master may have drifted in different directions."
People have already gone down to search at each fork in the road.
Glancing at the dark clouds looming overhead, with nightfall approaching, Wei Qin decided not to stay put. He grabbed a cypress branch and slowly moved downhill, eventually finding the steepest slope at the fork in the road and leaping off.
The steep slope made it difficult to maintain balance, and Wei Qin slid down rapidly, disappearing into the snow-covered cypress trees.
On the windward side of the hillside, the grass and trees were damp and covered with frost. Wei Qin stood up, leaning against a towering pine tree. Without bothering to brush off the mud and frost from his body, he bent down, picked up a long, dead piece of wood, and pushed aside layers of evergreen pines and cypresses.
"Singing to the Moon".
He called out along the way, but did not encounter anyone from the Jiang family. Instead, he found a veiled hat lying on the ground.
He picked up the veiled hat and tucked it under his arm. He continued to probe the way with the dead wood. After a while, he spotted a figure on a patch of withered grass not far away.
"Miss."
Wei Qin rushed over, helped her sit up, held her in one arm, and used his other hand to check her breathing.
Jiang Yinyue, who was unconscious, had a bruise on her forehead and her face was ashen white.
Wei Qin looked around, picked the person up horizontally, and looked for a sheltered place.
Fortunately, there was a narrow cave where they could take shelter.
After casually releasing the signal arrow, Wei Qin found some dry branches and sat at the entrance of the cave, partly to shelter Jiang Yinyue from the wind inside, and partly to test how to make fire by rubbing wood together.
The man, who was afraid of fire, withdrew his fingers several times from the short-lived flames, but tried again and again.
Making fire by rubbing sticks together is not difficult, but it was a torment for Wei Qin, both physically and mentally.
After lighting a small campfire, Wei Qin glanced at the sky. With heavy snow falling, it was easy to get lost in the wilderness. There was no better way than to wait for the Jiang family to rescue him.
"Um......"
The woman by the fire showed signs of waking up.
Wei Qin helped her up, held her in his arms, and used his calloused fingers to rub her clothes to warm her up.
As Jiang Yinyue's vision gradually cleared, she couldn't tell whether she was in a dream or in danger.
Hearing the soft hiss of the man she was choking, Jiang Yinyue felt a slight sense of relief, followed by a bittersweet feeling. "How come it's you? Where are my brother and Sister Hongmei?"
"They're all fine."
To prevent her from panicking, Wei Qin coaxed her gently.
"Let me go."
"You are cold."
"Then let me go."
Wei Qin didn't let go, continuing to rub her back and arms, but the person in his arms seemed to be losing temperature little by little.
The fragile moon is likely to shatter in its own embrace.
Wei Qin grabbed a handful of snow, held it in his hand, and tentatively stretched it towards the fire, feeling the scorching air currents burning his skin, while the snow in his palm melted into water.
Time and time again, he fed Jiang Yinyue with snow water in his hands.
The sky was completely dark, and the firelight in the cave was warm, but the woman in his arms continued to lose her temperature.
It was to no avail.
Wei Qin brushed aside the long hair that clung to Jiang Yinyue's forehead, stared into her eyes, and solemnly said, "I apologize for the offense."
After laying the woman flat on the ground, Wei Qin untied the sash of her cloak under the woman's puzzled gaze.
Jiang Yinyue, suffering from hypothermia, was too weak to get up. "What are you doing?"
"I'll save you."
The cloak spread out on the ground, and the woman's pink and white dress was peeled away one by one like layers of flower buds.
On the pinkish-red blouse, reeds are in bud, ready to bloom.
Jiang Yinyue, who understood his meaning, shivered when her pocket was ripped off. She wanted to call for a stop, but Wei Qin would not stop and quickly and efficiently "peel off" her.
A soft moan escaped from the woman's lips.
Wei Qin looked away in the firelight, covered her chest with his veil, then knelt up and took off his leather belt and robe.
After an unknown amount of time, the dry wood and raging fire crackled and popped, and Jiang Yinyue was held on Wei Qin's lap.
A furry cloak draped over the two men, who were so close that only two pairs of trousers separated them.
The young woman, her face flushed with shame and indignation, felt her blood boil and her body gradually warm up.
However, he couldn't bring himself to accuse someone of taking advantage of another's misfortune; at best, it was a matter of expediency in a crisis.
Wei Qin's cold and aloof face showed no sign of frivolity; he was as upright and virtuous as Liu Xiahui, making Jiang Yinyue, who dared not move, feel ashamed of herself, as if she were the only one who was thinking about such matters of men and women at such a critical moment.
The two bodies wrapped in the cloak formed a warm room, and Jiang Yinyue, who was almost hypothermic, had fine sweat dripping from her forehead.
The skin that was in contact with the other skin also changed from dry to moist.
"That's fine."
"Wait a little longer."
Wei Qin wrapped his arms around Jiang Yinyue's waist, clasped his hands together at the tailbone, and pushed Jiang Yinyue towards him.
Hold him tight.
The howling outside the cave drowned out his breathing.
Jiang Yinyue realized something and turned her head to look at the man's profile, her nose accidentally brushing against his chin.
"That's fine."
As soon as he finished speaking, the arms that were wrapped around her tightened even more.
Vines entwine around the beautiful jade.
Jiang Yinyue, who should have been calm and composed, became breathless, forgetting that she could struggle to regain her strength.
After realizing what was happening, she raised her small hands and pushed Wei Qin away forcefully.
A blast of cold air swept through, dispersing the damp heat.
Jiang Yinyue shivered, turned her back, and put on her clothes one by one. Her cheeks were flushed, and a layer of pink appeared on her delicate, porcelain-white back.
Wei Qin put on his inner garment and draped his outer robe over Jiang Yinyue's shoulders, but it was pulled off.
The woman wrapped in the cloak turned around and raised her chin.
With the cloak already there, wearing his outer garment would be unnecessary.
Wei Qin silently draped the cloak over himself.
The fleeting beauty still lingers in my heart, my heart pounding.
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Author's note: 50 small red envelopes~
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