“These days… I haven’t seen you… You’ve even lost interest in handling state affairs… Those old ministers… have started gossiping about me behind my back…”
"Ah Hao... I feel so bad... I'm used to holding you as I fall asleep... These past few days I've been lying alone on the bed... tossing and turning, unable to sleep... Look... how haggard I've become... Don't you feel sorry for me at all...?"
He seemed to sob: "Ah Hao... don't ignore me... even if... even if you... have someone else in your heart... I don't care anymore... I just want you... to talk to me... okay?..."
The drunken Emperor Rongcheng was like a helpless child, rambling on and on as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances he had suffered in recent days.
He spoke for a very long time, until the "Jiang Xianhao" in his arms responded softly:
"Your Majesty... I don't blame you... I only love Your Majesty... My heart belongs only to Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, do you love me? If you love me, I can help you..."
These words were like lighting the final fuse.
Emperor Rongcheng could no longer control himself and suddenly pressed "Jiang Xianhao" down on his body.
******
The afterglow of Qi County
In late spring, the blue bricks of the Qi County city wall gleamed warmly in the sunlight.
After two months of restoration, this weathered city has been revitalized.
In the streets and alleys, people carried their farm tools back and forth, their faces gloom replaced by hope, and the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted up to the city walls on the wind.
Shen Hechuan and Gu Jingchun stood side by side, looking at the bustling scene below, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
Gu Jingchun praised softly, "Your Highness deserves much credit for Qi County's ability to overcome this crisis."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Hechuan reached out and gently pinched the tip of her nose, his eyes brimming with laughter.
"I think someone is trying to brag, isn't he? If it weren't for your advance preparation of supplies and your efforts to appease the refugees, these people wouldn't be where they are today."
His tone suddenly became serious, "Honestly, Jingchun, I could never have done these things without you."
At this point, Shen Hechuan suddenly changed the subject, his gaze fixed on Gu Jingchun with a probing look:
"I wanted to ask you last time, what methods did you use to reduce the number of those refugees to a minimum without killing them?"
Gu Jingchun blinked.
"Well...didn't Your Highness arrange for people to be by my side?"
"Didn't he report this to you?"
"They say these people were all knocked away by Seele in one move. How is that possible!?"
"Putting aside the fact that Seele is just a child, there are so many refugees. Even if there were hundreds of them, they could definitely fight them off. How could Seele do it all by herself!"
Gu Jingchun looked at Shen Hechuan, still thinking about how to explain the poison in Gu Jinxi's body to him, when Shen Hechuan continued:
"Tell me the truth, have you designed some new weapon that can kill someone in one fell swoop?"
"If such methods were used on the battlefield, wouldn't they be invincible, utterly annihilating the Qi forces?"
Gu Jingchun opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his explanation about Gu Jinxi's poison and turned to walk down the city wall.
Shen Hechuan hurriedly followed, his tone ingratiating: "I was just saying it offhand, don't walk so fast!"
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, as if spreading two lingering ink streaks on the blue brick ground.
Today is their last day in Qi County.
The two of them had been staying in Qi County for quite some time.
Even though neither of them wanted to leave.
However, upon learning that Prince Rui had re-entered the court, Shen Hechuan feared changes in the court and prepared to return the next day.
Today is their last day in Qi County.
As night fell, Lanxin had already prepared a sumptuous feast.
The hall was brightly lit, and Lanxin and Xiaoman were busy adding dishes and pouring wine. Ye Wenxi, Tianji, and others sat around the table.
During this period, everyone worked together to provide disaster relief. Shen Hechuan personally carried stones to build the city wall, and Ye Wenxi was also busy with other tasks. The once clear distinction between ruler and subject quietly melted away in the midst of shared hardship.
Seeing that Shen Hechuan and Gu Jingchun had arrived late, Ye Wenxi picked up the wine pot and swirled it, a blush spreading across her usually refined face.
"You're late, you should be punished!" he said, filling Shen Hechuan's glass to the brim.
Ye Wenxi, who was usually dignified and self-possessed, had been forced to drink a few glasses of wine before they arrived, and now she seemed like a completely different person, talking a lot.
"Come on, drink!"
Shen Hechuan looked at the wine in his hand, his gaze first falling on Gu Jingchun, and finally glancing at Ye Wenxi before he smiled, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
"Great, that's satisfying!"
Ye Wenxi clapped her hands and cheered, then immediately poured him another cup.
Shen Hechuan, however, picked up Gu Jingchun's wine glass and drank it down in one gulp.
“Jingchun is not good at drinking, so I will drink this cup for her.”
Ye Wenxi smiled upon hearing this.
"I've never heard that Jingchun is not good at drinking before."
He glanced at Gu Jingchun as he spoke.
"When I first met Gu Jingchun, she single-handedly drank eight strong men under the table!"
"If she wants to drink, none of us can compete with her."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingchun glared fiercely at Ye Wenxi.
When Ye Wenxi saw her look, she quickly smiled and made a gesture as if she wanted to clench her lips.
His rather vivid gestures elicited a light laugh from Gu Jingchun, who then glared at him feigning anger and added three words in a sinister tone.
"Ye, Wen, Xi!"
Seeing this, Ye Wenxi immediately made a zipping motion and said with a grin:
"Your Highness, I misspoke! Our Miss Gu has never touched a drop of alcohol!"
"Oh, Your Highness, I misspoke today. Our Miss Gu Jingchun has never touched a drop of alcohol, so how could she be drinking?"
"I was just talking nonsense, so I'm punishing myself with a drink."
As he spoke, he poured himself a glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
When Gu Jingchun saw that Ye Wenxi had poured himself another glass and was about to drink more, he knew that Ye Wenxi had drunk enough, so he quickly reached out and pressed him down.
"You've had enough to drink, don't drink anymore, I don't want to drag you back."
Upon hearing this, Ye Wenxi smiled gently and gave up, opting instead to drink tea instead of wine, raising her cup to look at Shen Hechuan.
"Very well, since you have spoken, then I will offer a cup of tea in place of wine to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Shen Hechuan watched the interaction between the two and sneered inwardly.
very good!
The familiar gestures and intimate words between the two served as a reminder of the affection between them.
The little-known past that the other party spoke of, every single word of which silently proclaimed:
In the years that Ye Wenxi and Gu Jingchun were not involved in, they had already established an unshakable bond.
This secret intimacy, like a thorn between him and Gu Jingchun, pricked painfully.
Shen Hechuan gritted his teeth and squeezed out a "good" through gritted teeth, and the two of them drank it down at the same time.
As the candlelight flickered, the tea and wine in the cups reflected each other's thoughts, creating ripples on the eve of parting.
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