107 Father's Abnormality
◎I can't go back, I can't go back...◎
Behind her, Qi Gu heard footsteps, opened her eyes, and turned around.
Sima Hong walked to Qi Gu's side. Her long, flowing hair brushed against his face. He raised his hand, and strands of hair gently passed through his fingers.
"Hongyan told me you had nightmares last night?"
Qi Gu glanced at her, somewhat displeased, "Why does Hongyan tell you everything?"
"Once His Majesty returns from the Fengshan ceremony, I will ask His Majesty to grant us a marriage." Looking at her face, which was noticeably thinner when she first returned to the capital, he was always worried that something might happen to her when he couldn't see her.
Qi Gu was about to shake off his hand, "Who said I agreed to marry you?"
Sima Hong pulled her into his arms instead, "Don't move, Qi Gu, and don't refuse me. You know I'm determined to marry you."
Sima Hong's hand stroked Qi Gu's black hair, which wasn't soft but exuded a sun-kissed feel.
Like stroking a tabby cat, Qi Gu let him hold her, shielding her from the wind on the city wall.
For a moment, the two embraced quietly, enjoying a brief moment of peace.
"By the way, are you and Mother already planning to deal with Prince Yi...?"
"You guessed it." Sima Hong wasn't surprised; Qi Gu's meticulousness reassured him.
He hugged her tighter. Thank goodness, he was back too…
Sima Hong leaned close to Qi Gu's ear and told her about the plan.
Qi Gu's ears turned red; Sima Hong was too close!
She felt very uncomfortable and squirmed in his arms.
Sima Hong's voice grew increasingly low and hoarse, "Qi Gu, stop moving if you still want to hear what I have to say."
Only then did Qi Gu stay obediently in Sima Hong's arms.
After an unknown amount of time, Sima Hong finished explaining all his plans and finally planted a kiss on Qi Gu's rosy and lovely ear.
Qi Gu covered her ears, her eyes glistening with tears, "Just say what you want to say, why do you have to do this? It's despicable!"
Sima Hong chuckled, looking only at her ears, and couldn't help but raise his hand to rub her soft, red ears.
Qi Gu brushed away his mischievous hand and asked, "Would the Prince of Yi really fall for this?"
"He will come."
Qi Gu stopped asking questions. She thought of her previous life, when the Prince Yi returned to his fiefdom, he amassed troops there, privately forged weapons, and used a lot of gold and silver to win over the people, which led to the army that followed him in his rebellion.
In this life, he is in the capital, and his power is still weak, so it is indeed easier to deal with him.
Sima Hong said with concern, "Don't leave the palace casually for the next month. I know you don't like to sit and wait for death. Discuss things with me before you act, okay?"
Qi Gu looked up and saw the worry in Sima Hong's eyes. He had really changed.
He told her all his plans because she had said she didn't like being kept in the dark, and he was genuinely afraid that what happened in his past life would repeat itself.
Qi Gu bit her lip, a warm feeling welling up inside her, a feeling that seemed familiar. She lowered her eyes and nodded.
Sima Hong, still worried, instructed, "If any unexpected situation arises, have Huang Bing leave the palace to find me."
"Well, so Huang Bing is one of your men. You've been spying on the princess's privacy. Tell me, what is your punishment?" His eyes were smiling, not that he was really angry.
"I coveted the princess, a crime deserving of death. I only ask that the princess punish me however she wishes." Sima Hong bowed his head. "Only one thing: do not mention leaving again."
"If you dare to make me angry again, I will naturally leave."
"Okay, I won't provoke you, and you shouldn't go anywhere either."
"If you're hiding something from me, I'll leave too."
"I'll tell you everything."
"If they look down on me and don't listen to me, I'll leave too."
"I have never looked down on you, and I will listen to you from now on."
"If you marry someone else, I will leave."
“I have said that there has never been anyone else, neither in the past, present, nor in the future.”
Qi Gu's small, red lips kept moving. Seeing that she rarely didn't refuse, Sima Hong couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her rosy lips. Qi Gu's voice was swallowed by him.
He whispered in her ear, "I'll listen to you from now on, okay?"
...
The emperor is about to travel to Mount Tai, and the entourage has been finalized. Except for Gao Situ Ling, who was originally on the list of attendants but was disqualified because of his daughter's assassination attempt on the princess, there is also Prince Yi, who has been ordered to reflect on his mistakes in his residence.
Ministers trusted by the emperor, such as Wei Xin and General Zhang, were all going, and of course, the Marquis of Linxi was also present.
Before the group departed, Qi Gu went to the residence of the Marquis of Xilin, as she was still concerned about what the Marquis of Xilin had said.
Upon arriving at the gate of the Marquis of Xilin's residence, they encountered an unexpected person who appeared at the entrance.
"Father!" Qi Gu called out in confusion.
Li Shi looked up. "Qi Gu? What are you doing here?"
"That's what I should be asking. What are you doing here, Father?"
Li Shi said naturally, "I hit it off with the Marquis of Xilin at first sight, and we've been chatting about everything these past few days."
"Liar!" It's more believable that the Marquis of Xilin and the Marquis of Yongkang could get along at Quyan, but to say that he could talk to Father is simply impossible!
"Father, you wouldn't... really want the Marquis of Xilin to help you with your marriage, would you?"
"Hahaha, you guessed it..." Li Shi said mysteriously, "Hehe, the Marquis of Xilin said that I will meet a fair-skinned and beautiful woman in the future who will bear my children..."
"Really?" Qi Gu didn't believe it. She said, "I have to go ask the Marquis of Xilin." As she spoke, she was about to enter the Marquis of Xilin's residence area.
Li Shi stopped her, "Qi Gu, the Marquis of Xilin has closed his doors to visitors."
Qi Gu looked towards the gate, where a servant said, "Princess, our master said that he will not receive any guests today, and asked me to pass on a message."
"What did you say?" Aunt Qi asked.
The servant glanced in Li Shi's direction, his eyes flashing, and said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."
"Look, the Marquis of Xilin can't just reveal heavenly secrets." He pulled Qi Gu out of the Marquis of Xilin's mansion: "Come on, treat me to drinks and roast chicken at the biggest restaurant!"
Qi Gu was led away half-believing and half-doubting. Oh well, she'd ask her again when Marquis Xilin returned.
Upon seeing the fine wine and the golden-brown roasted chicken, their eyes lit up, and they each devoured a chicken leg with the wine.
Li Shixin let out a satisfied burp, "Qi Gu, look at your greasy little mouth, you're not like a princess at all, you're clearly just a little glutton."
“Father, you’re still laughing at me. You’re no better yourself. You’re an old glutton with a little glutton.”
The two looked at each other's greasy lips and burst into laughter.
"Qi Gu, your father is so happy to see you like this." Li Shi asked with a gossipy look in his eyes, "You and Sima Hong..." He had an expression that said, "I know everything."
Qi Gu's face was flushed, partly from the alcohol and partly from shyness.
“He, he…” Aunt Qi didn’t know what to say.
"No need to say more. I think this person is good. He has good character, but he's a bit cold-hearted. However, he complements you."
Qi Gu said, "Father, I'm still a little scared."
"Fear?"
"Yes, I'm worried about repeating the same mistakes."
Li Shi patted her on the shoulder: "Qi Gu, don't miss the present because of things that haven't happened yet."
Li Shi stood up unsteadily. "As the famous poet said, if you cry because you missed the sun, you will also miss the moon."
Aunt Qi asked, puzzled, "A famous poet? Who? And Father, are you sure this is a poem?"
“This is a poet from another era. You don’t understand, Aunt Qi. There are many different things in that world.”
Qi Gu was somewhat drunk, but upon hearing this, she suddenly sobered up a bit. She looked at her father, who seemed both drunk and sober.
He said, "Aunt Qi, do you believe in the existence of another world?"
"Is this the world Father spoke of?"
"Yes, they value science there, and everyone is equal, or at least appears to be. You can talk and video chat with people from all over the world without meeting them in person. Messages can reach every corner of the world in minutes. There are countless skyscrapers, and the roads are smooth and wide. You can travel thousands of kilometers overnight on an airplane. If you get sick, you can have surgery..."
Qi Gu was shocked by what she heard, but the way her father spoke these words made them sound so vivid, as if he had really been to that world.
Li Shi was indeed a little drunk. He turned around, his eyes sparkling with a light that Qi Gu couldn't understand. "Qi Gu, Father has a secret."
He looked around before whispering to Qi Gu, "Father, what world do I come from?"
Qi Gu had always known that her father was different from ordinary people. The ways he taught her to farm, his thoughts, and his behavior were all different from those of people in this era.
It was incredibly unbelievable, but looking at her father, she felt as if it were true.
She tentatively asked, "Can Father still go back?"
To everyone's surprise, Li Shi burst into tears and collapsed onto Qi Gu's shoulder, crying, "I can't go back, I can't go back..."
Father cried like a child, but for some reason, Aunt Qi felt a little more at ease.
Sima Hong arrived at the entrance of the restaurant to greet them, and A Xiang helped the drunk Li Shi into the carriage.
Seeing her father drunk, Qi Gu felt a pang of sadness. "Father seems to have something on his mind."
Sima Hongdao said, "I heard from the servants who take care of Mr. Li that he often gets up in the middle of the night to look at the moon recently."
Qi Gu was worried and wanted to move out of the palace to see her father so she could feel at ease.
But Sima Hong dissuaded her: "Qi Gu, not right now. You know, although I really want you to come to my villa, can we wait until after this period?"
Qi Gu knew that her idea could not be realized, so she said, "Then you must keep a close eye on Father. If he shows any abnormality, you must tell me."
"Don't worry, Mr. Li is a magnanimous person, he'll get over it soon."
"I hope so."
On July 29th, an auspicious day as calculated by the Marquis of Xilin, the emperor led a grand procession out of the capital.
The capital city seemed to be mostly empty all of a sudden. Fortunately, the emperor left Sima Hong and the empress to manage state affairs.
Lady Guo spoke to the Second Prince in the Pixiang Palace, saying, "If you are made Crown Prince, you will be the one left to handle state affairs now."
"Mother, there's no need to worry. It's a good thing that the Empress is temporarily handling state affairs; at least it doesn't allow my elder brother to interfere."
Madam Guo laughed, "My son is right. No matter how much the Empress oversees the country, she can never sit on the dragon throne."
The Second Prince said, "Right now, the most important thing is still Prince Yi. His desire to acquire Chen Zhan's iron mine is a good thing for us."
"But we don't know where Chen Zhan is being held now."
"Mother should keep an eye on the eldest princess's movements recently."
"You mean, the eldest princess knows where Chen Zhan is?"
“That’s right.” The Prince of Yi had him keep an eye on the eldest princess, so his information must be correct, since it came from the Marquis of Guangshun.
Madam Guo patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely take care of this for you."
The second princess overheard their conversation outside the door, walked in, and said, "I do have an idea."
The second prince was very dissatisfied with his sister's attitude because of Sima Hong's matter. "You'd better shut up. Wasn't what happened before embarrassing enough?"
The second princess gritted her teeth, her face dark and ferocious. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Listen to my method before you decide whether to use it."
She told the two of them her idea, and the second prince clapped his hands, "Good, very good indeed. If the plan succeeds, when I ascend the dragon throne in the future, I will make you the eldest princess."
The second princess coldly looked into the void and said, "Chu Qigu, I will make you wish you were dead."
[Author's Note]
Those people everyone dislikes are finally about to face their end. Stay tuned! [sunglasses]
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