Chapter 52 Qian Yingyi, actually you can't bear to part with me either. ...
An explosion shook the entire officialdom of Jinling for over ten days. The news that the emperor had dispatched the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Jinling to investigate corrupt officials caused a great uproar in Jinling.
The weather was fine that day, but there were far fewer pedestrians outside. Why? Naturally, it was because people were afraid that if the city gates caught fire, they would be caught in the crossfire. No one dared to linger outside, and even the shouts of the street vendors were much quieter. Only the deafening sound of horses' hooves coming to arrest people remained.
Yan Ruheng and his wife Yan Yu were blown to pieces in the gunpowder. Several relatives of the Yan family who used to visit each other wanted to hold a funeral, but dared not do anything because the case had not been finalized.
Although it was warm outside, the prison was as cold as an ice cave. The open fire heated the scorching iron tongs, and a heavy, lingering smell of blood and decay permeated the interrogation room. Qin Lizheng sat alone in a chair with a calm expression, staring at a wet patch in front of him, waiting quietly without saying a word.
The Imperial Guards pulled Lin Bianhong out of a vat of warm oil, and before they could give the order, they threw him back in heavily.
The oil was slightly viscous and somewhat slippery, and it was extremely dangerous when it got into Lin Bianhong's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He struggled repeatedly, but still gritted his teeth and refused to reveal the details of his embezzlement.
Because of Yan Yu's death, most of the interrogation details fell on him.
Seeing that he was stubborn and wouldn't speak, Qin Lizheng remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand.
Wang Yi was gagged, his hands and feet were bound to a rack, and Jinyiwei guards stood on both sides of him at all times, with a sharp knife hanging in front of his neck.
Since the torture began the day before yesterday, he hadn't closed his eyes. Although not a single hair had been cut off, whenever he repeatedly fell asleep from exhaustion, a member of the Imperial Guard would whisper a reminder, "Lord Wang, please don't fall asleep. If you do, we can't guarantee that your neck won't be cut open."
Therefore, his strength had reached its limit. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, the knife suddenly pressed against him, his throat instantly turning cold, and even the blood in his body turned cold. In excruciating pain, he finally couldn't bear it anymore, his eyes widening in horror as he let out two "oohs".
The Imperial Guard removed the ramie ball from Wang Yi's mouth, and Qin Lizheng then slightly lifted his eyelids to look at him.
Wang Yi gasped for breath and cried out in despair, "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Qin Lizheng smiled and glanced at Lin Bianhong. "It seems that Lord Wang is more sensible."
Over the next half hour, Wang Yi meticulously recounted how many officials throughout Yingtian Prefecture, and even the two directly administered counties of Shangyuan and Jiangning, were involved in corruption.
The Imperial Guards rushed off to arrest more people.
In the afternoon, the Embroidered Uniform Guard led about twenty officials in official robes into the imperial prison.
From the county government, there was a county magistrate of the sixth rank, down to the bureaus, offices, and departments, there were ambassadors of the ninth rank, such as the tax commissioner, the inspection commissioner, and the supervisor of Longjiang Customs.
These officials had long since formed a corrupt chain. When various supplies were transported upwards, they would first pass through Longjiang Pass, where Wang Yi would secretly detain them. Then, they would disperse them to the Capital Tax Office, where, under the pretext of errors in the supplies, several hands would shuffle the cards like dealers in a gambling den. After this process, the money would be thoroughly laundered, and each official would take a kickback before sending the lion's share to Yingtian Prefecture.
In addition to goods such as grain, silk, and cotton, they also colluded with many merchants to forge salt and tea permits, which were then used by merchants to transport salt and tea.
For example, officials might secretly use a sum of embezzled silver to pay salt prices and taxes through merchants, and then issue more than twice the usual amount of salt permits. After going through several hands, the extra salt would turn into silver and end up in their pockets.
The wind that rushed in from outside swirled a few times before blowing into the prison, becoming biting and chilling.
Several of the Imperial Guards were only seventeen or eighteen years old, young and impetuous, their blood boiling. They couldn't stand such underhanded methods. After gritting their teeth for a moment, they kicked one of the officials to his knees and yelled, "Beast!"
Qin Lizheng glanced at the group of officials who were secretly trembling and asked, "So, how much of this money ended up in your pockets, and how much was given as tribute to Yan Yu and Lin Bianhong?"
The officials exchanged bewildered glances, while the Longjiang Customs Ambassador trembled, stammering, "This...this humble servant doesn't quite remember..."
"Can't remember?" Qin Lizheng gave a relatively gentle smile and nodded slightly. "Okay, I remember. Your surname is Yuan."
"Then please, Lord Yuan, clear your head first."
Before he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards quickly stripped Lord Yuan of his outer robe, revealing his slightly thin upper body. They then brought over a long bench and, with a little effort, pressed him down onto it.
Immediately, a square table was moved over to Lord Yuan. A round hole was drilled in the center of the table, and inside was a round cup that was not completely embedded.
The Imperial Guard poured in about two fingers' width of honey, and the next moment, he used fire tongs to pick out the red-hot iron ball from the fire.
Qin Lizheng lazily got up and paced back and forth in front of the group of officials. "I've often heard that the honey from Jinling is sweeter than that from the capital. Do you gentlemen know what happens when this iron ball is put into a cup?"
The officials were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they shrank back as soon as they saw the iron ball.
With a smile that seemed both genuine and fake, Qin Lizheng patiently explained, "The honey is only two fingers wide. When the iron ball is put in, the honey will boil. Of course, one iron ball is not enough to make the honey splash out. It's only interesting that you have to put them in one after another. The most interesting thing is that Lord Yuan knows that the scalding honey will overflow, but he doesn't know when it will overflow."
"Hiss, if it were water, scalding it and peeling off a layer of skin wouldn't be so bad," Qin Lizheng turned around, his dark eyes sweeping over the group of officials. In those pairs of terrified, trembling eyes, his expression became even more terrifying. "But with honey stuck to his body, would we have to drill a hole through Lord Yuan's body?"
After saying this, Qin Lizheng's smile faded, and he calmly ordered, "Make your move."
With a "plop," the iron ball fell into the cup, and the bubbling sound was like a deadly tune rushing straight to Lord Yuan's ears.
Lord Yuan's eyes widened in utter horror. Though only a few breaths had passed, it felt as if he had been lying on the long bench for an eternity. His flat stomach heaved rapidly, and he finally cried out in a shrill voice, "I remember! I remember!"
The square table was removed, and Qin Lizheng glanced at Lin Bianhong, whose face had turned deathly pale, and Wang Yi, whose face was ashen. He lifted the corner of his robe and sat down on a chair, maintaining his usual etiquette as before. "Then please think it over carefully, Lord Yuan."
In a short time, a charge was drawn up.
If you count it all, any small amount of the money Lin Bianhong has pocketed in the past two years would be enough to equal the treasury silver of any one of the thirteen provinces.
Just then, Chu Zhiyan rushed in from outside, a letter between his fingers. He walked up to Qin Lizheng in a moment and said, "His Majesty's intention is to spare their lives for now and send them back to the capital for execution. As for the rest, we will decide what to do with them."
A group of officials rolled their eyes, and several of them collapsed in fear.
Lin Bianhong was covered in oil, his mind blank as he was held captive by the Imperial Guards. Oil dripped from his chin repeatedly, as if he had been rolled in a pot of oil countless times before finally being fished out. The oil he had absorbed naturally seeped back into his body little by little.
A cold glint appeared in Qin Lizheng's eyes as he looked at Lin Bianhong and said without any mercy, "Ran the homes of these convicted officials."
From then on, corrupt officials in Nanjing were exposed. The Embroidered Uniform Guard contacted Wei Ming of the prefectural government and immediately began confiscating their homes and arresting their families.
Wei Ming posted the notice outside the government office. For a time, the people crowded in front of the government office and refused to leave, cursing and stomping their feet in satisfaction, shouting that it was a great relief to the people.
As night fell, half the sky over Jinling was overcast, except for the banks of the Qinhuai River, which still shimmered with golden light. A long stretch of road leads east from Qili Street to the Great Bao'en Temple. In front of the temple is a lane called Saozhou Lane, where most of the residents are ordinary people.
It was after dinner time, and every household lit lanterns. Through some window screens, one could see people washing pots in front of the stove. Near the Great Bao'en Temple, a family opened their door and poured leftover food into a dog bowl.
A short while later, the door was closed.
The yellow dog was lying cross-legged, clearly not hungry yet, and was dozing off when suddenly a figure darted out from around the corner, snatched the dog bowl, and then, ignoring the dog's barking, squatted down in the corner and began to wolf it down.
Upon closer inspection, he was disheveled, his robe was so dirty that its original color was no longer visible, he didn't have a single decent pendant on him, and even his face was covered in filth. Who else could it be but Yu Minsen?
He fell from the city wall that day, but luckily he was caught by the Imperial Guards. Although he was crippled, he still thought about escaping. That night, it was pouring rain, and by a moment of carelessness, he managed to escape.
Because of Guo Qi's suspicious behavior, the official Li, who was opportunistic, dismissed Guo Qi from his post with a few words. Guo Yue was also stunned for half a day, and then returned to her original state. Because of her close relationship with the Prince's Mansion, everyone avoided her like the plague these days.
The more she wanted something, the more it all came to nothing. In the end, she could only hide at home and dared not even leave the house.
With Prince Rui and his wife captured and unable to return to the palace, and Guo Yue betraying him, Yu Minsen is now being searched for by government officials and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He is like a shadowy rat hiding in Nanjing, reduced to a state where he can only compete with dogs for food.
Outside the temple pavilion of the Great Bao'en Temple, Qin Lizheng glanced down at Yu Minsen's flustered eating, then turned to look at Prince Rui and his wife, whose hands were bound behind their backs by the Imperial Guards, and asked with a smile, "I bring you here to see our son every day, can that be considered a kind act?"
Prince Rui and his wife were all talk and no action; their only redeeming quality was their deep affection for their only son.
Watching his son fall into depravity and even lose the dignity of being a decent human being, Yu Chenghe felt as if his heart was being torn apart, his eyes filled with bloodshot tears. However, because his acupoints were sealed to silence him, he could only glare angrily at Qin Lizheng.
Qin Lizheng ignored his resentful gaze and waited quietly for half a day. After Yu Minsen sneaked away, he had his men release the couple's speech-impairing pressure points. A faint smile played on his lips. "I'm really curious, why did the Prince leave the city that night?"
He kept asking the same question. In fact, Wang Yi's confession included Yu Chenghe, but Qin Lizheng did not pin the crime of embezzlement on Prince Rui. He simply imprisoned him and asked him every day why he had left the city.
It was as if they were forcing him to say something.
Yu Chenghe gritted his teeth, still holding his chin high, maintaining the dignity of a prince. Qin Lizheng smiled even more warmly and nodded, "If Your Highness doesn't give an explanation, I can only let the young master wander for a while longer."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Princess Rui's face was covered in tears. Although she was not a good person either, as a mother, she could no longer bear to see her son suffer like this. Her slightly fragile mind had been pushed to the limit. With a bit of ruthlessness, she gritted her teeth and said, "We left the city that day because we were afraid of being implicated by Yan Yu. In recent years, Yan Yu has been giving money to the Prince, but the Prince has never used it. We...we left the city simply to protect ourselves."
Qin Lizheng feigned surprise, "You embezzled money?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Lizheng saw a hint of despair in Prince Rui's eyes. He then suppressed his smile, feeling a sense of satisfaction, and turned to step down from the pavilion. "Your Highness, don't despair yet. I'll take you back to the Imperial Prison to see someone."
They escorted Yu Chenghe and his wife back to the imperial prison. As soon as they stepped into the main hall, Yu Chenghe caught sight of a figure dressed in coarse linen clothes. The figure had terrifying scars on his face, resembling veins, but calmly stood up and bowed to him. "Your Highness, it's been many years. You still look the same as before."
Yu Chenghe paused, unable to resist taking two slow steps forward, the shackles on his ankles rattling. His eyes held a mixture of unfamiliarity and memory, as if he felt the person before him was familiar, yet could not quite recognize him.
The newcomer took two steps forward, revealing a pair of cold, hateful eyes. The flames from the prison wall hung over his shoulder, as if they could ignite his churning blood at any moment. "Your Highness, we meet again in the prison. I want to ask you a question: back then, I helped you devise strategies, but you showed no mercy and drove us to our deaths. In all these years, have you ever regretted it even once in your midnight dreams?"
Seeing Yu Chenghe's eyes widen, the newcomer spoke, his voice echoing in the empty prison hall as if from the underworld, "Your Highness, I am Liang Tu."
“...Liang...Liang Tu…” Yu Chenghe repeatedly chewed on the slightly unfamiliar name. Clearly, after so many years, he had completely forgotten his advisor, whom he had regarded as an ant. After a moment, he suddenly remembered the first half of the sentence and stood there in disbelief, “You’re not dead? You’re not dead?!”
Liang Tu looked back at him with lonely eyes, "The Lord of the Underworld took pity on me and spared my life, ordering me to crawl back to take revenge."
“Your Highness,” Liang Tu said softly, “Living in the shadows is unbearable. You should give me justice.”
Yu Chenghe finally came to his senses, his gaze shifting between Qin Lizheng and Liang Tu several times. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain. "To try and convict me based on just one person's words? You ignorant brat, you're far too arrogant!"
To everyone's surprise, Liang Tu silently removed his outer robe, then his inner robe, revealing a hideous scar on his chest. In the cold, impersonal prison, he stared at Yu Chenghe, a fire gradually gathering in his eyes. "Your Highness doesn't remember?"
“Back when Prince Heng had not yet rebelled, the late emperor ordered you to go to the capital for the New Year. At that time, the heir was still young, so you left the princess in Jinling and only took me and another advisor with you to the capital. It happened to be during a Nuo opera performance, and the fire stand accidentally fell down. I shielded you from it, and that's how this scar on my heart was left.”
"When the late emperor heard of this, he praised me highly in front of all the officials. Your Highness, I think that more than half of the officials from that time are still in office and remember this matter," Liang Tu said. "I wonder whether they believe what I say or not?"
Yu Chenghe's eyes flickered slightly, but he still sneered, "You want to falsely accuse me of treason back then? I have an imperial edict..."
"An ironclad guarantee?" Qin Lizheng suddenly interrupted him, his cold words causing Yu Chenghe's expression to gradually turn panicked. "Your Highness knows in your heart that with witnesses present, even an ironclad guarantee is useless. Treason cannot be tolerated, so why bother struggling to the death?"
Qin Lizheng looked at him indifferently, and then reminded him, "There is one more thing that I just remembered. Your Highness, you are wise all your life, why don't you guess who is responsible for my parents being alive and well to this day?"
"The dragon throne has been changed, and everything has been overturned and started anew. Your Highness, from ancient times to the present, no emperor has ever tolerated his brothers, relatives, or ministers who harbor rebellious intentions."
"I have served the Emperor for so many years, and the Emperor has already promised me a blank edict. If it can confirm that you were indeed guilty of treason back then," Qin Lizheng suddenly changed his expression, his teeth clenched with a sinister look, "from now on, your life or death is in my hands."
These words struck Yu Chenghe like a hammer blow. He instinctively felt panic and stumbled back two steps. He instinctively spun around and tried to escape, but Qin Lizheng grabbed his shoulder and suddenly pulled him back, pressing him against the cold wall.
The next instant, a dagger, filled with intense hatred, pierced Yu Chenghe's shoulder blade.
Qin Lizheng's eyes were filled with a mixture of hatred and grief. He tightened his grip on the dagger, stirring up the wet blood. His voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Does it hurt? Even if it hurts, you'll have to endure it. I won't kill you in Jinling. Instead, I'll drag you and your husband, along with your son, back to the capital with me. You'll kneel before my brother's grave and kowtow until you're on your deathbed, until the world knows that you slandered my brother! Until my brother's spirit in heaven can rest in peace! Then I'll personally kill you all, and that will be the end of it!"
Yu Chenghe's face contorted in pain, but Qin Lizheng took a deep breath, restrained himself, and released his grip, coldly ordering, "Improve the conduct of this rebellious couple! They will be taken back to the capital with the other convicted officials!"
Knowing his fate was sealed, Yu Chenghe felt as if his soul had been ripped out. Even with the Princess Rui's cries echoing in his ears, he did not react. He simply let the Imperial Guards drag him into the prison cell.
Qin Lizheng withdrew his gaze, remained silent for a moment, and bowed to Liang Tu, "Thank you, sir. I would like to ask that you accompany me back to the capital to meet the Emperor."
Liang Tu let out a relaxed smile, nodded, and said nothing more. Feeling completely at ease, he walked out of the prison and into the bustling and magnificent city of Jinling.
The case of embezzlement and the hatred that Qin Lizheng carried were finally resolved. Heaven seemed to sense this, and for several days in a row, the weather was fine. It was said that the green willows along the embankment and the reed-flower islet were lovely and the streams and mountains were beautiful.
Without corrupt officials, the figures harvesting rice in the fields appear even more nimble. Beside the rice paddies flows a babbling brook, where farmers are casting nets to catch fish. Thick clouds overlap in the sky, and the autumn colors are delightful. The beautiful scenery and rustic charm intertwine, creating a brand-new scene.
A carriage slowly drove towards the fields and stopped under a willow tree. The light yellow curtain was lifted by a slender finger, revealing Qian Jiayingyi's smiling face.
She dismounted from the carriage and followed Qin Lizheng along the country path. Her phoenix-embroidered shoes crunched on the pebbles. After a while, she stood on tiptoe, her bright and clear eyes hovering over Qin Lizheng's shoulder. She glanced around and sighed with a smile, "Without the villains, I feel like watching the farmers harvest the autumn crops is a completely different experience."
Qin Lizheng continued to hold and knead a few of her fingers, smiling along with her, "Of course, Miss, are you feeling much better now?"
Qian Yingyi glanced at him, abruptly pulled her hand back, turned her head and snorted softly, then walked forward with her back straight, "Is this a trip out of town to clear your head, or is it for you to take advantage of me?"
Qin Lizheng followed closely behind her, gripping her waist and pulling her close. "Hmm? Explain yourself before you go. What do you mean by... taking advantage of me?"
"Oh dear, there are so many people outside," Qian Yingyi said, her eyes darting around. She then stuck a few fingers back onto his hand, pretending to pry them off, but she didn't really use any force. "If you want to hold my hand, hold it when we get back."
Qin Lizheng tilted his head and kissed her cheek, then released her and tied her arms behind her back, letting her hit him in embarrassment and anger. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Stop fooling around. There's a secluded stream ahead, no one's around. I'll take you there."
Qian Yingyi secretly gave a shy smile and rubbed her finger against him, "If you say we'll go, then we'll go."
The two walked straight ahead. Strangely enough, there was some fine dust on the road, which settled on Qian Yingyi's clean and delicate shoes, but she didn't notice at all. She walked beside him, slightly lifting the hem of her skirt, her shoulder pressed against his arm.
After a half-day's delay, they arrived at a secluded stream. Qin Lizheng found a small stool and gestured for her to sit down, saying, "It's clean."
Qian Yingyi's eyes darted around like a nightingale's, and when she saw that there were even fishing rods, she came to her senses. She stuck her phoenix-head shoes out from under her skirt and kicked Qin Lizheng's calf. "Oh, you tricked me out here again."
Despite her words, she showed no anger. After kicking him, she smiled and sat down on the stool. Half a ray of sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees, dappling her face and making the peony-patterned gold pendant around her neck even more dazzling.
“I’ve never fished outside before,” Qian Yingyi leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and cupping her chin in her hands, deliberately pursing her lips as if afraid he would see through her fondness for this place where it was just the two of them. “But I think fishing is not very interesting.”
Qin Lizheng cast his fishing rod, turned and handed it to her, squatted down beside her to set up some firewood, and didn't expose her, always indulging her little thoughts, only saying, "Then do you want to eat grilled fish?"
Qian Yingyi's eyes lit up immediately. She sat up happily, gripping the fishing rod tightly in both hands, and casually replied, "If you put it that way, then I suddenly find it somewhat interesting."
This secluded stream was obviously found by Qin Lizheng in advance, and all the necessary tools were also prepared beforehand. After waiting quietly for a while, Qian Yingyi lost her patience and listlessly threw down the fishing rod, saying, "My hands are sore from holding it!"
She rarely cried out in pain, not even when she fell from such a tall tree before. But as she said this, she glanced at Qin Lizheng out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to have suddenly become a fragile leaf on the tree above her head, waiting for him to reach out and catch her.
Qin Lizheng reached out and took her hand in his, leaning down to peck at her palm repeatedly. As he kissed her, he looked up at her, his dark eyes filled with her image.
After a moment, he asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Qian Yingyi shrank back somewhat awkwardly, "Why are you looking at me like that, and kissing my hand?"
"It's not the first time," Qin Lizheng said with a brazen laugh. "What, are you shy?"
Not the first time? Qian Yingyi thought about it carefully. Ever since they confessed their feelings for each other, he had always kissed her lips more often, or other places. He had kissed the back of her hand too, but her palm...
She raised her suspicious eyes and asked, "When did you kiss like this again?"
Qin Lizheng thought for a moment, then said, "Well... to be honest with you, you're not allowed to hit me."
Qian Yingyi lost her patience. Hearing that there was indeed something she didn't know, she hurriedly got up and started circling around him. Coincidentally, she was wearing a ginger-yellow dress today, and the hem of the dress twirled like a nightingale in spring. "Tell me, tell me!"
"Don't spin around. If you get dizzy, it's not my fault," Qin Lizheng teased her deliberately. Seeing her spinning around, he simply got up, pressed down on her thin shoulder, licked his lower lip, and said, "Do you remember when we were learning swordsmanship at Yunteng Pavilion? Qian Qiyu said something wrong and choked on his wine. You got anxious and your hair got caught on my ring."
"You didn't notice at the time, but your hand brushed against Qian Qiyu's waist. I sneaked into your room at night to apply medicine for you, and that's when we kissed."
Qian Yingyi was somewhat stunned, and couldn't help but recall the events of that day. Before she could react, Qin Lizheng said again, "That evening when I was making the wooden bed for Tuanjie, I also secretly kissed you."
Seeing her face growing increasingly red, Qin Lizheng didn't dare say "Xia Ling knows too," and quietly waited for her to raise her hand and hit him.
Unexpectedly, after her initial embarrassment and anger, Qian Yingyi only glared at him secretly and let out a soft snort, "Consider it a lenient decision since you confessed, I won't hold it against you!"
Now that she was standing, she didn't intend to sit down immediately. She twirled her skirt and walked towards the stream, stepping back and forth along the pebbles. After a moment of silence, she said, "I have something to deliver..."
"I have something to give you."
The two opened their lips at the same time, looked at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Qian Yingyi simply put her arms behind her back and swayed her skirt at him, "This is what you call being in sync. Do you have anything to give me?"
Qin Lizheng gazed at her sparkling eyes in the sunlight, reached into his pocket and pulled out a love knot, beckoned to her, lifted her collar, went behind her, and slowly tied a knot in the thin string.
He then turned to her, shamelessly reaching out his hand, "Where's mine?"
Qian Yingyi couldn't help but touch the love knot, then pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment.
Today she wore a ginger-yellow skirt with a white crane patterned robe over it, and unusually, she carried a cloud-embroidered paper bag as she was going out of the city to relax.
The document bag was bulging, and no one knew what was stuffed inside.
Seeing Qin Lizheng urging her again, she opened the bag and took out a clay figure no bigger than the palm of her hand. It had been fired and painted, and looked exactly like her.
Qian Yingyi glanced at him, a strand of hair on her forehead was blown aside by the breeze, she took half a step in front of him and smiled brightly, "I'm giving 'me' to you, you'd better treasure it and keep it safe."
Qin Lizheng looked down at "her" who was placed in his palm, and couldn't help but poke her with his fingertip. He smiled along with her and asked, "When did you get it done?"
“It’s because you were in prison the other day,” Qian Yingyi said, her fair neck drooping and kicking pebbles with her toes. “I studied with someone for a long time. Luckily, I’m talented and skillful. Don’t you think I look a lot like you? Much prettier than that Moholy you bought before!”
Qin Lizheng nodded, carefully tucked "her" into his arms, took her hand and walked back, "Are you hungry? I really was planning to grill some fish for you."
Qian Yingyi scoffed, but her smile deepened. "You go fishing. I don't have the patience."
Before long, the two returned to the stool together. Qin Lizheng was indeed very patient; after a while, he caught several fish that were still jumping around. Since he had prepared in advance, Qian Yingyi simply sat and waited to eat.
At this moment, she remembered something and said half-jokingly, "Speaking of which, last time outside the city, you said you wanted to grill fish for me, but before I could catch the fish, I went up into a tree. That was really dangerous. To be honest, I was afraid that I would die if I wasn't careful."
To his surprise, Qin Lizheng paused. He seemed unable to bear hearing the word "death" come out of her mouth, and when he looked at her, there was a hint of warning in his eyes.
Qian Yingyi thought to herself that she had scared him badly that time, and knowing she shouldn't have said those things, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Before long, the aroma of grilled fish filled the air, and Qian Yingyi's mouth watered. She excitedly went over to him, and after half a day, she finally managed to fill her stomach.
Originally planning to wander around some more, a few raindrops suddenly fell from the sky, landing on the back of Qian Yingyi's neck with a cool sensation. She shrank her shoulders, hooked her arm around his, and gently shook it. "It's going to rain, let's go back?"
Qin Lizheng looked up at the sky and saw the fine raindrops gradually becoming clearer. He nodded slightly, took off his outer robe and draped it over her head, and the two hurried back together.
On the way back, we discovered that the farmers who had been there earlier had disappeared, as if they had sensed that it was going to rain.
Qian Yingyi smiled, ran a little faster, and went straight back into the carriage. She patted her wet hair to wipe away the raindrops before laughing and ruffling Qin Lizheng's head. "You're wetter than me!"
Qin Lizheng didn't care at all, he rubbed her hand back and forth, and looked up at her, "Go back?"
Qian Yingyi met his smiling eyes, but the smile gradually faded from her lips. She suddenly threw herself into his arms, saying nothing more, only calling his name again and again, "A-Zheng...A-Zheng..."
"Hmm? Let me see, you sound like you're about to cry again," Qin Lizheng lifted her from his arms and saw her wet eyelashes. He softened his voice, "I'm leaving for the capital tomorrow, Qian Yingyi. You'll miss me, won't you?"
Qian Yingyi finally let out her pent-up emotions, raising her hand angrily to slap him, "You knew it, you knew it but you still pretended to me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly kissed his lips, just lightly touching them without separating, her touch filled with a slightly bittersweet reluctance as she clung to his warm skin.
Qin Lizheng could no longer control his emotions that he had suppressed for half a day. He responded to her little by little, wiping away her salty tears. How could he bear to part with her?
The moment she pulled out that clay figure, he thought he would forget everything else and just stay in Jinling with her for the rest of his life, living a life of love and devotion.
But the thought of marrying her made him suppress his impulse again. Only when she cried out her reluctance in front of him could he suppress his impulse by kissing her lips, his tongue darting into her mouth, and their tongues intertwining. Only in this way could she understand that he, too, was reluctant to part with her.
He started with light, gentle kisses, but later they both became quite reckless, their kisses becoming increasingly forceful. Their damp clothes clung to each other's bodies, the cold rain creating an intense, earth-shattering heat.
Qian Yingyi's breath became hazy, and feeling his warm fingers, she couldn't help but press them against hers. Even then, she could barely muster the energy to speak to him, "...Ha...Ah Zheng...that clay figure...you even have to sleep with it..."
Qin Lizheng kissed her lips passionately, his impatience flowing from his fingertips. Hearing her increasingly rapid breaths, his voice followed suit, "I'll take you with me wherever I go."
He then pressed his lips heavily against hers, lingering for a moment before feeling her heart pounding for him. With longing for each other, they listened to the raindrops falling on the carriage roof, as if fine, continuous rain was also falling inside the carriage, as if they wanted to entwine each other until the end of time.
As autumn drew to a close, it was a sudden downpour. The next day, the sky cleared, the maple leaves blazed like fire, and a refreshing breeze carried a sense of ease.
A group of officials, led by Lin Bianhong, were imprisoned in a prison cart. As they passed by, many people pointed and cursed them. If it weren't for the guards stopping them, the people would have already torn their bodies apart.
Qin Lizheng sat high on his horse, with Chu Zhiyan and the Imperial Guards beside him. Below him, Wei Ming smiled and saw him off, saying, "Commander Qin, you must be tired from your journey. When you arrive in the capital, please give my regards to the Emperor."
Qin Lizheng nodded, then immediately turned his horse around, spurred his legs, and the procession escorting the convicts slowly headed towards Taiping Gate.
On the way, Qin Lizheng remained indifferent. Chu Zhiyan glanced at him and said, "I know what you're still worried about. Don't worry, we've left five people in Jinling to guard Miss Qian. We'll kill Pei Ji as soon as he shows his face."
Qin Lizheng turned to look at him, and after a long while nodded, as if she had been relieved.
After traveling for more than half an hour, we finally got out of the city gate. Under the beam of sunlight, there was a mess of dust. In a quiet corner near the city gate, a carriage was parked quietly with a light yellow curtain hanging on it.
Qin Lizheng seemed to sense something and gazed intently in that direction.
The next moment, the carriage curtain was lifted by a delicate hand, revealing a pair of crystal-clear eyes. From a distance that wasn't too close, she looked back at him with a calm smile.
Qin Lizheng let out a carefree laugh, and instead of riding his horse towards Qian Yingyi, he took out the clay figure in his arms that represented her and shook it.
In the late autumn of Jinling, the city was filled with fallen sycamore leaves. The wind blowing against people carried a slight coolness. Qian Yingyi sat in the carriage, gazing at the gradually blurring figure, yet she felt a sense of comfort as the wind seeped into her bones.
She knew that there was still a long time between them, and they could take it slow. If he was a leaf drifting back to the capital, she was a tree that had temporarily taken root in Jinling. Her world always moved quickly, and he would eventually grow back into her.
Finally, after Qin Lizheng could no longer be seen, Qian Yingyi said softly with a smile, "Let's go back."
The carriage turned around, and for the first time since they first met, the two stepped in opposite directions. The distance between them was vast, but their hearts were quietly drawing closer, intertwined like vines.
-----------------------
Author's note: Qian Yingyi: I'm giving you my figurine; you have to take it with you wherever you go!
The young couple has a short break~ Next up is Yingyi's segment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com