Seeing the familiar plum blossom hairpin in Su Zhirou's hair, Lin Feng's hand, which had been playing with her long black hair, trembled slightly, and the smile on his face gradually froze. After a moment, he seemed to come out of his thoughts: "Alright, you can go down first. I'll have someone tell you the plan for the future, you go back and prepare first."
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
After Su Zhirou left, Lin Feng changed into casual clothes, took off his sword, and went out with only a bamboo flute. Seeing that Lin Feng was in a good mood today, the guard boldly asked, "Sir, where are you going?"
Lin Feng smiled and said, "Just stroll around, no need to follow me."
"yes."
Walking from the government office to the streets, everything I passed by was the same scenery as before, and the people rushing by were still the same people as before. As I continued along the familiar road, the streets became increasingly crowded, and the once bustling market was now reduced to just a few lonely stalls.
The stall owner who used to chat with me and sometimes give me two wild fruits or a bag of homemade dried meat when he saw me, now just lowered his head when he saw me.
Lin Feng sometimes even had some outlandish thoughts. How wonderful it would be if he really was from Liang State, someone who grew up in Qinghe County. A war had turned a once peaceful and prosperous town into a dead, lifeless place. Had he done something wrong?
Unconsciously, after many days, Lin Feng walked under the familiar wall again. Unlike the first time he came here, the wall was bare. Now it was surrounded by trumpet creepers, standing quietly here, guarding the spring scenery in the garden.
The copper lock on the courtyard gate was already covered with dust. Lin Feng stood in front of the gate and thought for a moment before going back to the corner. As before, he jumped over the wall with his flute in hand.
When he landed steadily in the yard, Lin Feng seemed to hear someone in the house calling his name, asking him if he had brought any snacks.
The weeds in the courtyard could not hide the beautiful flowers in the garden. The owner of this courtyard was still careless. Although he closed the gate to the courtyard, he forgot to lock the door to the house before leaving.
He gently pushed open the door. Aside from the dust, everything looked familiar to Lin Feng. However, the large red Double Happiness sign in the main hall was dangling, making him feel uneasy.
Lin Feng touched the dust on the table and couldn't help but sigh slightly: "It's so dusty. If you hadn't left, would things be completely different now? Would we still be the same as before, or maybe..."
Many times, people are forced to do things against their will. This is because some people never live for themselves. After leaving Tang Chen's courtyard, Lin Feng went straight to Chun Zai Tang. For Tang Chen's sake, this small study was the only shop on this street still open and related to Qingliang Valley.
Although not many people come to buy or read books now, Liu Yong and his staff clean the store inside and outside carefully every day.
Liu Yong saw that it was already past noon and thought that no one would come today. Just as he was about to close the door and go home, he ran into Lin Feng who came in plain clothes. He was startled: "Why are you here, Lord Lin? Come in!"
When the guy saw Lin Feng coming, he quickly put down what he was doing, hurriedly made a cup of tea, and hid in the attic.
While Lin Feng was looking at the books and antiques in the store, he asked, "How's business going lately, Manager Liu?"
Liu Yong didn't know why Lin Feng suddenly came today. He was worried to death and didn't dare to speak against his wishes. He could only smile and say, "Thanks to you, sir, everything is fine."
Lin Feng casually picked up a book and said, "The world is in chaos right now. Why hasn't the Qingliang Palace allowed the shopkeeper's family to take refuge there?"
Liu Yong's heart skipped a beat. He had expected this day to come. Alas, it was all fate. "Your Excellency, you are joking. We are just ordinary people doing small business. How can we have any connection with the Qingliang Palace?"
"Oh, really? So I'm just being overly suspicious?"
After wandering around the shop for a while, Lin Feng explained the reason for his visit: "In these troubled times, I imagine these paintings and calligraphy are of no use. I imagine Shopkeeper Liu isn't too busy. I'd like to host a banquet at your house tomorrow. Would you be so kind as to honor me?"
Liu Yong looked flattered and quickly bowed his head and said, "No, no, thank you for your kindness, sir. I will definitely attend the banquet on time."
Lin Feng added with a smile, "Thinking that it would be more lively with more people, why don't you invite everyone in the family? It's a rare opportunity to have a banquet now, so it would be nice for everyone to have fun together."
Upon hearing this news, Liu Yong rejected it with all his heart, but what could he do? He had thought Lin Feng was trustworthy, but who knew he'd suddenly become a member of Tianshu Tower? People elsewhere probably didn't know what Tianshu Tower was doing behind the scenes, but the people of Qinghe County had experienced it clearly during the months they'd been trapped in the city.
I had thought of going to Qingliang Valley to seek refuge with Tang Chen, but the city gates were closed, barring anyone from entering or leaving. Now, I thought I could find peace for a while by avoiding trouble and following Lin Feng's wishes, but who knew this peace would be so short-lived.
Lin Feng sat in the shop for a while longer before leaving. As soon as he left, Mrs. Liu, who had been hiding in the attic with her staff, came out with red eyes: "Husband, what should we do? This Lin Feng must have bad intentions. If we go, won't it be..."
Liu Yong looked at the empty street outside and couldn't help but sigh. "If it weren't for the princess, our family would have been in tatters long ago. No matter what happens tomorrow, we absolutely cannot cause any more trouble for the princess."
Mrs. Liu had originally considered asking someone to take the news to Qingliang Valley to let Tang Chen know, even if it meant losing everything, so that she could find a way to save their family. But after hearing what Liu Yong said, she had no choice but to suppress the thought: "Ah, what is going on? Is this just fate?"
At dusk, under a fiery red glow, Lin Feng and a group of people surrounded the courtyard of his old friend. The neighbors saw their menacing presence and, although curious about what they were up to, they didn't dare go out and could only watch from their rooms.
After Lin Feng's men had piled kerosene, dry branches, and other items throughout the courtyard, Lin Feng personally took a torch and lit the dry grass. In the gradually growing flames, those still distant memories flashed through his mind.
"If I had anticipated the situation today, I would rather have never met you." Looking at the courtyard gradually collapsing and disappearing in the flames, Lin Feng's heart seemed to turn into wisps of smoke and ashes along with all this.
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