Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Hold on tight.
The dark earth was dotted with twinkling sparks. That was the Yizhou border military camp. The camp, which had been dull and silent for many days, finally became noisy again.
This was the second victory since Ji Sui came to the border.
After two months of continuous suppression and humiliation by the Dian Kingdom, they finally won two decisive battles. Not only did the soldiers show a long-lost look of joy, but even the Marquis of Yong'an raised his wine cup and sat at the head of the tent, saying to Ji Sui, "Young men are formidable. The Great Zhou is fortunate to have a general of your caliber!"
The man in silver armor sat at the lower left, his chin resting on one hand, his eyes narrowed slightly with a faint blush at the corners. He raised his glass in response, "Your Excellency, you are too kind. The men of the Great Zhou are all brave men. How can we allow those Dian people to bully us?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Yong'an laughed, patting his knees. "Good! Good!" He refilled his glass with wine and toasted to the soldiers present.
Ji Sui then raised the wine cup, placed it lightly against his lips, and drank it all in one gulp. The smile in the corner of his eyes disappeared the moment he raised his head.
Late at night, Ji Sui sat on a stone in front of the fire outside his tent. A cold wind blew, and the dead branches crackled in the blazing flames. The flames reflected in his blazing black eyes. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Send someone to investigate again to see if the Dian reinforcements were truly intercepted."
They had been in Yizhou for half a month, but their master had not mentioned a single word about the Marquis of Yong'an. If they really allowed the Marquis of Yong'an to win the battle and return to the capital, it would be much more difficult to take action against him then.
Although Shizhu was worried about this, she didn't dare to ask directly. She just whispered in Ji Sui's ear against the wind.
*
Lin Yue sat in the tent with her knees hugged, staring blankly at the lid of the pot that was churning and making noises in front of her. Inside was the medicine she was preparing for Ji Sui.
The tent curtain was suddenly opened. The camp was full of rough men. Lin Yue was naturally on guard. She held her arm tightly, frowned and turned her head vigilantly.
The tight black iron boots came into view, and a glimmer of light flashed in the woman's eyes. She staggered to her feet and barely stood firm. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly turned around to get a porcelain bowl from the low table not far away. In her haste, the moment her fingertips touched the sand pot, she was burned so much that she almost cried.
Lin Yue had never done such a waiter's job before. After she clumsily poured the medicine into the bowl, Ji Sui had already strode behind the screen.
In fact, although Lin Yue can get close to Ji Rui, she must have his consent.
At this moment, she was standing outside the screen with a bowl of medicine in her hand. Her eyelids slowly drooped, and she paused for a long time before returning to the table.
The slowly burning candle flickered in the quiet night. Suddenly, a muffled sound came from behind the screen, and Lin Yue was awakened.
She stood up and ran over barefoot. Ji Bai was wearing only a thin shirt and fell under the couch. His eyes were closed, his lips were pale, and beads of sweat were on his forehead.
Lin Yue squatted beside him and lifted his arm with great effort. She wanted to help him back to the couch, but in her haste she ignored the weight of this tall man. Not only did she fail to help him to the couch, she was also dragged to the ground and pressed on him.
A muffled groan escaped the corner of the man's lips. Lin Yue took a breath in hastily. After two consecutive fights, he must have had new injuries on his body. Just as she was about to stand up, her arm was suddenly pulled by someone. She fell back heavily again and unexpectedly bumped into a pair of dark and deep eyes.
He actually woke up.
Stared at by such a gloomy and sharp gaze, she couldn't help but breathe hard, her fingertips curled up slightly, and her eyes unconsciously closed tightly. The long-lost wave of fear once again covered her heart. When she was about to be drowned, she suddenly felt the force that was tightly gripping her arm loosen.
Lin Yue tentatively opened her eyes slowly, her dark and bright peach blossom eyes still staring at her intently, but the icy coldness in them had disappeared, and it was gradually replaced by an indescribable look.
It contained a passion and sincerity she had never seen before, even a humble desire...
That look was like an invisible hook that had slowly hooked her into the abyss without her realizing it, making her lose consciousness and immerse herself in it, so that when she heard that low, gentle call, she would echo it.
"Lin Zhen..."
"……I am here."
*
Qizhou.
The central stand in the Cuiwei Pavilion lobby was now tightly enclosed by curtains, leaving only
Facing the stage.
Although the guests sitting around were curious, no one dared to look around randomly. The regulars who came here all knew that the seat was reserved for the wife of the governor.
The woman sitting at the head of the tent, with her hair adorned with pearls and jade, was none other than Mrs. Li, the Governor. On her left and right were Mrs. Zhang, the wife of the Qizhou prefect, Mrs. Wu, the wife of the magistrate, and several other wives of officials in Qizhou.
The actors on the stage were singing passionately and loudly. Zhang slowly put down the cake in her hand, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and then said slowly: "Although I grew up listening to this kind of singing, I only accidentally heard a performance by a troupe from Lingbei once. I felt that the clear and graceful tune had a unique flavor."
Wu, who was standing by, was surprised. She glanced sideways at the plain-dressed woman sitting below her and asked, "Lingbei? I vaguely remember that Madam Qin is from Lingbei, right?"
The woman lowered her snow-white neck and responded calmly, "It's beautiful and graceful, mostly the tunes of Lingnan. The singing style of Lingbei is not much different from that of Qizhou."
After saying this, Zhang secretly glanced at Li, who sat upstairs with an expressionless face, and said with a slow smile, "I see. It's my fault for not remembering it correctly."
"I don't understand these things. I think any play is good!" Wu said with a smile, as if to smooth things over, and poured more wine into the woman's cup, "Madam Qin, drink more. This fruit wine is not intoxicating."
The woman held the wine cup with her slender fingers, said thank you, then put her sleeves together, raised her head and drank it all.
The wine cup was about to be placed back on the table. Wu picked up the wine pot and was about to refill it. The woman in plain clothes finally raised her head. Her phoenix eyes were already misty, and a light blush appeared on her cold face. She frowned slightly and said, "Madam..."
"This wine is a special reward given to you and your wife by Madam Li because she considers that Lord Zhou has traveled to the capital to attend the sacrifice and has worked hard on the journey." Zhang said.
After a pause, Lin Zhen had no choice but to raise his glass to express his gratitude.
As soon as Zhang said this, several female relatives also toasted her to show their goodwill.
After three rounds of drinks, Lin Zhen's consciousness began to fade. She didn't even hear who asked her, "I wonder how old your son is?"
Qin Sulan, a native of Lingbei... modest by nature... often dressed in plain clothes... had a son, who was only...
Years...
The contents that were originally memorized in Lin Zhen's mind began to become blurred and confused due to the gradually rising drunkenness.
After a long while, she finally found her own voice amidst the cacophony of opera: "Four...my son is already four years old..."
As the sun set in the west, the people in the tent had almost all left. Zhang and Wu looked at Lin Zhen who was lying on the table and glanced cautiously in the direction of the seat of honor.
Li looked at Lin Zhen steadily. After a moment, she nodded slightly to the nanny beside her. The nanny understood, bowed, and walked towards Lin Zhen not far away.
The woman in plain white clothes was now drowsy, leaning on the table. Her snow-cold cheeks were slightly flushed due to drunkenness. Her phoenix eyes were tightly closed, and her slender eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes.
The nanny stopped beside Lin Zhen, half-knelt down, reached out and grabbed her long hair at the back of her neck, and pulled her up from the table.
Lin Zhen frowned in pain, her eyes slightly opened, and a magnified unfamiliar face came into view. The corners of her lips twitched, and just as she was about to speak, she heard a voice in her ear: "Tell me, Chen Liangji, who is it?"
Lin Zhen's mind was hazy, and with the last bit of willpower left, she managed to answer Chen Liangji's identity: "He is from Lingbei... He served as the governor of Qizhou in the fifth year of Shunhe..."
She was so drunk that she couldn't realize that her answer was not like a wife's response at all.
The nanny paused, glanced at Li who was sitting in the upper seat, then turned back and continued, "Chen Liangji, what does this have to do with you?"
Lin Zhen was too drunk, and the answer she just gave was based entirely on the information she had memorized. If she asked more, she would just feel dazed. Her wet eyes were open in a daze, and her red lips were slightly parted, but she didn't know what to say.
"Tell me quickly, who is he!" The maid increased the strength of her hands, forcing Lin Zhen's head to tilt higher. The pain made her half-closed eyes open completely. A corner of the curtain was lifted by the cold wind, and she caught a glimpse of the man sitting in a wheelchair not far away.
Her blurred vision gradually gathered together, and her phoenix eyes became clear and lucid. She replied in a low voice: "Husband, he is my husband."
As Lin Zhen replied, Li's clenched hands on the armrest slowly loosened, and the tense expression on her face calmed down. At this time, the maid guarding outside the tent came in and whispered something in her ear. Li nodded at her, and soon, a man pushing a wheelchair came in.
Qi Yushi bowed to Li and said with a guilty smile, "I heard from my roommates that my wife's banquet was over. Seeing that my wife had not returned home yet, I had no choice but to come and check on her."
I heard that Chen Liangji and his wife were a young couple and have been in love for many years. Chen Liangji has never taken a concubine and rarely goes to places of entertainment.
Li narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at her for a moment, and said with a smile: "Madam Qin is not good at drinking. She is drunk. I was just about to send someone to send her back."
The nanny who had just squatted beside Lin Zhen had disappeared long ago, and Zhang and Wu also hid aside to avoid other men.
Qi Yushi looked at Lin Zhen who was lying on the table and replied, "I dare not trouble my madam, so I will take her away." He pushed the wheelchair to Lin Zhen's side and leaned down to support her. The maid who was standing by and serving tea saw this and was stunned for a moment before stepping forward to help.
Qi Yushi gently embraced the person in his arms, nodded and saluted to Madam Li, and slowly walked out.
After they left, Zhang and Wu came out from behind. Wu asked first, "Since Madam suspects these two are imposters, why not just hand it over to the Provincial Administration Commissioner for investigation? Why bother with your worries?"
Wu originally said this with the intention of currying favor, but unexpectedly, she only received a cold look from Li, who then turned away.
The group left immediately after, with the nanny walking at the end. She stopped in front of Mrs. Wu and said, "Mrs. Wu, you better mind your own business."
Mrs. Wu's face flushed red, and she bit her lip silently and bowed in the direction where Madam Li left.
*
The wind was biting as the twelfth lunar month approached. The bustling streets during the day were now deserted, with only the dim lights on the roadside flickering in the cold wind.
Qi Yushi stopped pushing the wheelchair, held Lin Zhen tighter in his arms, and pulled up the cloak that had slipped off Lin Zhen's body.
"Lin Zhen, hold on tighter." He lowered his head and whispered in Lin Zhen's ear, then took her hand and put it around her neck.
Lin Zhen's consciousness gradually became clear under the cold wind. She took the initiative to hold Qi Yushi's neck tightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is anyone following us?"
They arrived in Qizhou five days ago. Qi Yushi's illness and Xinyi's injuries had both healed. When Lin Zhen was about to leave and went to say goodbye to Qi Yushi, he was interrupted by a servant who rushed into the door in a panic.
The servant caught sight of Lin Zhen in the room, and he pursed his lips quietly. Only after Qi Yushi's signal did he speak slowly.
Originally, the wife of the governor wanted to invite all the wives of officials to watch a play in Cuiwei Pavilion, and the wife of the prefect, Qin, was among them.
Although Lin Zhen only stayed in Qizhou for two days, he knew that Qin did not exist.
They stayed at the Chen Mansion, and everyone in the mansion called Qi Yushi "Mr. Chen".
She had felt that the old wound on Xinyi's body was very familiar, and she suddenly remembered along the way that the location of the wound was exactly what she had heard Kong Jinghe say in the Dali Temple.
In addition, she had also run into Qi Yu on the day Meng Liangyu was assassinated. On that day, Xinyi, who always followed him closely, was not by his side.
And there were two big men who suddenly appeared on the boat...
Compared to the assassin who was easily captured, Lin Zhen suspected that the person who stabbed Meng Liangyu that day was more likely to be Xinyi.
Perhaps because he was Meng Liangyu's enemy, or perhaps because of that night in the epidemic village, even though Qi Yushi's identity remained a mystery, she still chose to believe him.
When the servant said that he couldn't find a suitable new face to replace Qin, she took the initiative to agree.
Just now during the dinner, the wife of the Governor was obviously testing them intentionally. She was too drunk and almost made a mistake. Now that she has sobered up a bit, she naturally cannot make any more mistakes.
Lin Zhen grabbed Qi Yushi's neck and pressed tightly against his chest, not daring to move.
The cool night air made the heat blowing against his neck even more distinct, and he even felt that Lin Zhen's lips were about to touch his throat.
Qi Yushi looked around hesitantly, but saw nothing. He still lowered his head and replied solemnly, "Yes."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman held his hand even tighter.
A silent, unpretentious smile appeared on Qi Yushi's lips, which he himself did not even notice.
It was clearly not him who was drinking. He was the one who had been moving forward clearly and firmly in the darkness for the past five years, but now he was drunk in this short and empty dream.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
