87. Dreaming
Perhaps it was a long separation, Lou Zhi stared at her for a long time. The local officials who came to greet Yun Zhihe were especially warm and flattering.
There were not many officials in Changzhou Beidi, and the trade between the two places was particularly prosperous. Long before, the mother of the State of Zhao had monopolized power, squeezed out officials, and almost swallowed up most of the money from the trade between Changzhou Beidi.
No, it should be the Queen Mother of Former Zhao.
A few years ago, she asked to be demoted one level of her title and gave it to Fang Li to express her loyalty. She then returned to Changzhou Beidi and became a local emperor.
When Yun Zhihe arrived, she, the local tycoon, had to come to greet him. The weathered woman looked at Yun Zhihe with a kind smile, sighing, "Heroes emerge young."
He then invited her to a restaurant to get drunk.
Yun Zhihe chuckled and said something polite, then out of the corner of her eye she saw Lou Zhi standing behind several officials, staring at her expressionlessly, his face calm and composed. He wore soft armor, black clothes, and silver ornaments, outlining his ascetic waist. On his waist was a sword given by His Majesty, and his posture was upright, which was out of place in this lively scene.
She paused, then Zhao Yin smiled and said, "I wonder how my good-for-nothing niece is doing? I heard she's been much more settled in the capital. She even told me in her letter that she's friends with Madam Yun. She's a drunkard and doesn't like to study. I'm afraid she's marrying up to Madam Yun. If she doesn't know the rules, Madam Yun will just have to teach her a lesson."
Yun Zhihe chuckled and responded politely, "Little Marquis Fang has grown a lot. Besides, I'm just a small official. How can I be considered a marquis?"
After such pleasantries, it was time for a lively official banquet. There were not many officials from Beidi, but the banquet was quite grand. Zhao Yin directly booked the most expensive Dengri Tower in Beidi. The wine and food were all top-notch. Looking at the carved railings and jade bricks of the restaurant, it was truly amazing.
Yun Zhihe narrowed his eyes and looked at the street and the restaurant, sighing in his heart.
It is no wonder that there is trade between the two places. Looking at how rich they are, this street is comparable to the capital.
After drinking to her heart's content, Zhao Yin's face flushed and she raised her head to drink another glass. She raised the glass towards Yun Zhihe, with a hint of drunkenness in her throat.
"Come! Madam Yun, Beidi is very cold. Thank you for taking care of me from now on!"
Yun Zhihe was a little tipsy, but he still raised his glass and swallowed the scorching Qianlizui.
Her throat felt a little hoarse and painful.
...It must be because she usually likes to drink tea and mostly drinks sake. For her, this wine is indeed too strong.
Zhao Yin was in high spirits. She patted the table and said to the door, "Come here! I'm in a good mood today. Bring the person up!"
Yun Zhihe paused.
She was familiar with this sentence, and her eyebrows twitched as she looked towards the door. From this sentence, she could infer that—
...is a man.
Sure enough, the door of the box was opened soon, and several tall and slender men walked in. They were wearing elegant white clothes, but their beautiful bodies were faintly visible.
She lowered her eyes.
This is what officialdom is all about: eating, drinking, having fun, and affairs between men and women.
Lou Zhiping did not participate in these things in Japan, but today he followed them for some unknown reason and drank silently in a corner.
However, everyone in Beidi knew what kind of evil spirit he was. No one dared to look down on him like people in the capital did. No one dared to toast him, and no one dared to get close to him.
The atmosphere around was lively, except for Lou Zhi, who was extremely lonely. He just lowered his head to drink, with his sword placed on the table beside him. His murderous aura frightened the servants who were pouring wine around him.
As several men came in, Lou Zhi finally raised his head. His hair covered his dark eyebrows and eyes. Through his hair, the men could feel the cold gaze and trembled in fear.
Zhao Yin said cheerfully to everyone, "Besides wine and meat, there's also male beauty. These are the newly trained beauties from the brothel, and they're here to help you all have fun."
She looked at Yun Zhihe again and smiled ambiguously, "I heard that Madam Yun was a chaste woman in the capital and never had a husband. You must get rid of these bad habits when you come to Beidi. You must not have tasted the gentlemen of Beidi..."
As the words fell, several men gathered around Yun Zhihe, pouring wine and serving food for her in a gentle and elegant manner.
Yun Zhihe frowned.
Lou Zhi's expression turned cold. At this time, Zhao Yin noticed Lou Zhi. Seeing that his face looked cold, he waved his hand again, and the servant outside the door hurriedly brought someone in.
Zhao Yin laughed out loud.
"General Lou, there's no need to be angry. I haven't forgotten you."
At this time, a woman came in through the door.
The woman had a gentle appearance, with a charming look between her eyebrows, which was similar to the men in the brothel.
"This is what I've wanted to present to you for a long time. It's a rare opportunity to see the general today, and everyone has a beautiful woman to accompany them, especially General Lou. You are in a high position with money and power, so you don't have to worry about spoiling your reputation with a spoiled girl. It's just a toy to pass the time."
The woman bowed gently and walked towards the building.
Lou Zhi paused, put down his wine glass, and said something coldly in a hoarse voice.
“…Don’t come over here.”
The woman said nothing, still smiling as she approached Lou Zhi. As she got closer, Lou Zhi suddenly drew out his sword.
In an instant, Lou Zhi stood up and pressed the sharp sword intent against the woman's throat.
"I told you, don't come over here."
Lou Zhi said calmly with a calm expression.
In an instant, the banquet became quiet, and everyone looked at Lou Zhijian pointing at the female favorite.
The concubine turned pale with fear, but she pursed her lips and refused to give up this opportunity.
She was a servant in the women's brothel, and she had fought hard to get the opportunity to serve this disfigured and loveless old man.
This old man sounds fierce, but judging from his experience, he has just been lacking love for a long time. She has been immersed in brothels and has a good ability to see through people's hearts.
If the two of them came into contact, she would be sure to make him obsessed and cling to her, control him, abandon his lowly status as a concubine, and coax some love from him, so that he wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his life.
She looked up at Lou Zhi unwillingly, smiled again, carefully dodged the sword and was about to move towards Lou Zhi.
"General Lou..."
Suddenly, the tip of Lou Zhi's sword was against her throat, and a small piece of flesh had been pierced through the contact, and blood flowed down her neck.
Lou Zhi said softly.
"Come one step closer and I'll kill you."
“Ahhhhhhhhh—”
The female concubine screamed and quickly stepped back, covering her throat while crying, with blood between her fingers.
She ran away crying in panic without waiting for Zhao Yin to speak.
The man's eyes were calm and cold, yet filled with a deep chill. The atmosphere suddenly became depressing, and even her standing hair reminded her.
…He would kill her.
Someone tried to smooth things over, speaking cautiously, "General Lou, don't be angry, let's just have a good banquet..."
The tip of the sword was stained with warm blood, which dripped onto the ground. Lou Zhi still stood there pointing at the sword. Lou Zhi paused and turned to look at the official.
He pointed the sword at the men again, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Let them out."
“…I don’t like it.”
Zhao Yin sobered up a little and wanted to smooth things over, but seeing Lou Zhi's deep eyes, she gritted her teeth, concealed her unhappiness and asked the men to leave. She took a deep breath, adding to the chill in the atmosphere.
"Ladies, drink, drink...Hahaha, I'll have someone send those gentlemen back to my house later, hahahaha..."
Yun Zhihe breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the gentlemen around her leave.
Lou Zhi ruined the fun of the banquet, and people were in low spirits until the end, but out of consideration for Lou Zhi's face, no one complained.
Instead, Zhao Yin glanced at Lou Zhi, and after some politeness, they left.
The cool night breeze blew away a trace of drunkenness. Just as Yun Zhihe was about to walk towards the carriage, Lou Zhi suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Yun Zhihe's hand.
“Hmm—”
His hands were cold and rough, and he gripped her wrist tightly.
Yun Zhihe lowered his eyes and turned to look at him again.
...The feelings of men were inexplicable to her, and the almost crazy obsession of some men in recent days made her feel a little scared.
Lou Zhi once hugged her under the moonlight and told her his joy.
Burning, yet solemn, each word pronounced with every emphasis.
Lou Zhi tilted his head slightly and looked at Yun Zhihe's evasive eyes. He pursed his lips and asked.
"…Why are you here?"
His voice was normal, as calm as if he was talking to an old friend.
"I came to Beidi this time to investigate something that involves many people, so it's best to investigate it myself."
Lou Zhi nodded. He looked at Yun Zhihe's face, which was flushed due to being slightly drunk. He stared at her for a moment, then gently reached out and put the hair that was stuck to her cheek behind her ear.
Yun Zhihe stiffened.
He was taller than her, and the cold fragrance on his body filled her nose, making Yun Zhihe's slightly dizzy head feel clear.
She watched the two's actions being really ambiguous, and her cheek still bore the touch of Lou Zhi's trembling fingertips. Lou Zhi lowered his head and looked at her in the night, his eyelashes trembling slightly, staring at her and refusing to look away.
As if he was obsessed with something, he spoke stubbornly and softly.
"...I missed you so much."
Yun Zhihe didn't know what to say. He retracted his pinched hand and nodded, "Thank you, General Lou."
Her words were full of official courtesy. Lou Zhi had been in officialdom for many years and knew this kind of words.
Lou Zhi frowned again, loosened his lips, and remained silent, looking at her eyebrows and eyes, as if letting her go.
Yun Zhihe bowed and took her leave. Just as she was about to turn around, Lou Zhi suddenly hugged her waist and buried his head in her shoulder.
"...I missed you so much."
His voice was hoarse and trembling.
"I missed you so much."
"…I was having nightmares."
Lou Zhi's voice was muffled, and his breathing was trembling barely perceptible.
He pressed the tip of his tall nose against Yun Zhihe's shoulder, and then hugged her, feeling the transfer of her body temperature, almost muttering to himself.
"There's mother, there's Xiao Qiniang, and Your Majesty..."
Accompanied by the sound of silver bells, it seems like a vague fairyland.
"But I don't know why, lately, you always appear in my dreams."
“…I feel very relieved.”
His eyes were a little confused, and he closed his eyes and rubbed Yun Zhihe's shoulder.
"but……"
"I didn't dream about you last night."
His voice was trembling.
"Do you hate me now? Why... don't you enter my dream?"
"Did I do something that annoys you?"
Lou Zhi's fingertips clenched the clothes around her waist, and the blue veins on his fingertips, where he exerted force, were particularly clear on his slender, bony hands.
"……sorry."
His voice was hoarse and choked, as if he could no longer hold back his tears.
"But please come into my dream again."
It was a trembling breath.
"Don't leave me alone... there."
“…Please.”
The author has something to say:
I always love to write about men who lack love.JPG
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
