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The bright red blood pierced the pure white background of the snow.
Qu Linghan lay in Bai Hui's arms, her breathing growing weaker and weaker, while the snow continued to fall around her.
Qu Linghan didn't know when she lost consciousness. In her hazy state, she had the same dream as a few days ago.
This time she tried her best to get closer, but a beam of golden light in the distance shattered her wish. In her dream, she subconsciously covered her eyes with her hands. When she opened her eyes again, the person in her dream had already disappeared.
Even after searching the valley with wide eyes, it was still to no avail.
After a long time, snow swept away her dream. Qu Linghan huddled in a crevice in the rocks at the foot of the mountain when suddenly an echo resounded through the valley.
"Some people thought I had feelings for her, and used this as an excuse to kill me."
Qu Linghan was still not fully conscious, but in his dazed state, he heard a familiar, deep voice.
"My lord, what should we do with the shops that the concubine recently selected?"
"But someone has already wanted to rent it?"
"Exactly."
"Let's not worry about it for now, let's wait until she wakes up before making a decision," Bai Hui said softly, with a hint of weariness in his voice.
"Why...why don't we need to worry about it?"
Qu Linghan struggled to stay upright, his voice hoarse.
Bai Hui was instructing Qin Hang to check out other shops in the capital when Qin Hang vaguely heard a familiar voice and turned to look.
"My lord, the concubine has awakened!"
Bai Hui responded and looked towards the bedside.
It was that same emotionless, cold silence again.
"woke up?"
"Go and summon the imperial physician."
Bai Hui waved to Qin Hang, then walked to Qu Linghan's side, still with that disdainful look in his eyes.
"Can you stop looking at me like that? I even took a knife for you."
Qu Linghan spoke weakly.
"I'm used to it, I can't change it."
Qu Linghan was speechless, but he couldn't say anything. After all, if she hadn't blocked that sword for him, it wouldn't have been difficult for Bai Hui to escape from these assassins.
I was hoping to use a self-inflicted injury to get him to change the interest rate, but it seems that won't work.
"You mentioned the shop earlier, has it already been rented out?"
Qu Linghan's voice was muffled.
"It's been rented out."
Upon hearing Bai Hui's answer, Qu Linghan lowered his head.
"What should we do then?"
Did I say that I could only choose from those few shops?
Upon hearing this satisfactory answer, Qu Linghan's eyes sparkled like stars.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis!" She smiled gently at Bai Hui, her beautiful eyes crinkling.
"Ahem, the imperial physician will be here soon. After you've applied the medicine, get some rest. I'll come back later."
As he spoke, Qu Linghan saw Bai Hui stride out of the room.
Why are you walking so fast? Do you think I'd dare eat you?
Qu Linghan was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on.
A smile played on her lips as a perfect idea popped into her mind: if the self-inflicted injury trick didn't work, then she would try the beauty trick!
As dusk fell and the sun set, the afterglow cast long, thin shadows. Qu Linghan lay on the bed reading, bathed in a gentle light.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Qu Linghan looked up to see Qin Hang walking at the door.
"What is it?" Qu Linghan put down the book in his hand.
"Madam, the Marquis invites you to his room for dinner."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qu Linghan suddenly opened his eyes wide and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Alright, please wait a moment, Lord Marquis. I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, Concubine." Qin Hang bowed and left.
"What a great opportunity! A great opportunity to make money!"
Qu Linghan got out of bed humming a song, accidentally aggravating his wounds.
"Ouch, that hurts so much!!! I should have known better than to shield him."
Qu Linghan walked to the dressing table and carefully combed her hair. She admired her appearance in the mirror: clear and bright almond eyes, a small nose, natural lips, and hair ends with sunlight-dappled gold.
"Tsk tsk, watch me seduce you to death."
After tidying up her appearance, Qu Linghan spent a little while adjusting her pace.
Finally, she stood at the door of Bai Hui's room with light steps and a standard smile, her hair swaying gently in the breeze and her skirt swaying gracefully.
"Is the Marquis well?" Her voice was soft and gentle, like cool water.
Bai Hui looked ahead following the sound, froze for a moment, and then spoke in a daze.
"You're here? Come and sit down."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis."
However, Qu Linghan did not sit in the seat opposite that Bai Hui pointed to. Instead, she chose the seat next to Bai Hui. She brushed aside the stray hairs from her temples and slowly sat down.
During the short time it took to eat, Qu Linghan thought of a hundred ways to get Bai Hui to concede.
As for Bai Hui, looking at the sly expression on the face of the person beside him, he was at a loss for what to do.
After the meal, just as Qu Linghan was about to speak, Bai Hui dismissed the servants.
"later..."
Okay, you go first.
"From now on, you can eat and live with me."
This sentence seemed to become a golden headband, and Qu Linghan was like Sun Wukong bound by it.
In a second, Qu Linghan considered a million possibilities.
"What! What is going on!?"
"No way, no way, he really likes me?!"
"Are they planning to kill me while I'm sleeping because they think I'm being nosy?!"
"Or does he have some shady business to do?!"
Seeing the rapid change in the person's expression, Bai Hui's lips curled into a slight smile.
So much so that when he spoke again, his icy voice unexpectedly carried a hint of amusement.
What are you thinking about?
Suddenly prompted to think about what he was saying, Qu Linghan looked helplessly at Bai Hui.
He spoke calmly.
"I'll sleep in the bed, you'll sleep on the floor."
"Why?"
Qu Linghan still couldn't hide the doubts in his heart.
As if suddenly remembering something,
"Alright, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, I'll sleep on the floor for now."
Qu Linghan really didn't know if he was pretending or if he really didn't understand. He silently rolled his eyes at Bai Hui in his heart.
Qu Linghan smiled, strained her voice, and tried her best to make it sound vicious...
"I wanted to ask you, Lord Marquis, why do you choose to live with me?"
Qu Linghan looked at Bai Hui's incomparable, but perpetually expressionless, icy face.
Admit it, man, you've fallen in love with me.
"Assassins want to take my life; they're trying to use you as bait."
Qu Linghan stared wide-eyed at Bai Hui.
There are always treacherous subjects trying to harm me!
However, it must be said that these assassins' reconnaissance skills were really lacking, and they actually took her seriously.
Even so, Qu Linghan still asked.
"Even a marquis of such high status would be harmed by villains."
"It is precisely because of his high status that people would harm him."
Qu Linghan seemed to be thinking about something, and nodded to Bai Hui.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis. With you by my side, I am sure I will not get hurt."
…
The moon was just past its zenith, and the winter wind was biting cold. The flowers had long since faded, and the trees in the yard were bare, making the place seem especially desolate.
Qu Linghan leaned against the window, looking at the few trees outside that had been ravaged and looked utterly disheveled, and felt a pang of heartache.
She turned to look at Bai Hui, who was reading a book, and after thinking for a few seconds, she spoke.
"Does Your Excellency know why my parents gave me this name?"
Why?
Bai Hui put down the book in his hand and looked at Qu Linghan by the window. The moonlight shone down, and the silvery light surrounded her. At this moment, she seemed like a saintly maiden in ancient literature who saved the world, lingering in his heart.
"I was born in winter. My dad was driving my mom to see plum blossoms. Perhaps the plum blossoms were too beautiful, because I was born a few days after we saw them. I didn't stay in my mom's womb until full term, and I wasn't very healthy when I was born. They hoped that I could be like the plum blossoms in winter, possessing extraordinary vitality!"
Changing the subject, remembering that Bai Hui was a dull-witted military general, Qu Linghan laughed.
"You know that poem, right?"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Hui.
"Several plum blossoms in the corner of the wall, blooming alone in the cold."
"You really didn't know!"
The wind outside the window howled like a savage; it was the wind, whipping up another fragile branch.
Anyone who sees this will feel sad, and Qu Linghan is no exception.
What a wonderful name! It's just a pity that her mother passed away not long after she was born.
Her imagination of her mother over the years has come entirely from one little story after another told by her father.
Some are true, some are false.
Qu Linghan's eyes flashed, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
"And you, why are you called that? Is it because you were born in the night?"
晦 means obscure or dark.
It looks just like the night.
"no."
Qu Linghan hesitated for a moment, then quickly smiled again.
"Why is that?"
Qu Linghan really wanted to know why his parents had given him such a frightening name.
Historical records describe Bai Hui with only one terrifying sentence, while there is no record of his parents.
Even though he had been here for several days, due to the lack of information and the absence of opportunities to go out, Qu Linghan still only had a vague understanding of Bai Hui's background.
Just as he was pondering this, Bai Hui's voice rang out.
—
"Because I am someone that everyone finds unlucky."
He stared at her, his voice icy cold and devoid of any warmth.
Qu Linghan bit her lip, wishing she could slap herself.
I have such a sharp tongue, I always bring up the things I shouldn't talk about...
Qu Linghan was stunned for a moment, then tried to adjust his voice to a gentle tone before speaking.
“No one avoids you, you’re my god of wealth! I wish I could revolve around you day and night, begging you to pay me rent.”
"…good."
He hesitated for a moment, then chuckled softly.
...
The last ray of moonlight was swallowed by the night, and the candle then extinguished itself.
The two of them shared a makeshift bed on the floor and a soft bed.
The dream is serene.
The next morning, Bai Hui woke Qu Linghan up early.
By the time Qu Linghan had finished washing up and getting ready, the sun was already high in the sky, and the two walked out of the Marquis's residence side by side.
Qu Linghan was somewhat excited. She felt that their outfits today would be so striking that they would be photographed on the street in modern times.
Moreover, the person next to me, Bai Hui, if she didn't wear a mask and showed her face, her face... was indeed quite exquisite.
Listening to the shouts of the street vendors, Qu Linghan was excited all the way, and the two finally arrived at the bustling part of the capital.
Looking at the shops with "For Sale" signs posted, Qu Linghan looked up at Bai Hui beside him.
Which one do you think is better?
"what you think?"
Qu Linghan pointed to a shop to the west with a somewhat dilapidated signboard.
Bai Hui's lips unconsciously curled up.
Not too stupid.
"Let's go in and ask."
The shop owner warmly brewed tea for Qu Linghan and Bai Hui.
“I’ve been running this shop for over ten years, and many of my customers don’t want me to move. But alas, natural disasters and man-made calamities have struck. My several acres of land and hundreds of livestock have been hit by a sudden snowstorm, and I’m afraid we’ll run out of food! I have no heart to continue running the business!”
Upon hearing the boss's words, Bai Hui's brows furrowed slightly.
A natural disaster? Why is no one in the imperial court mentioning it?
"Boss, I've got my eye on this location. How about a flat rate of ten copper coins a month?"
"This...this must be at least eleven strings of cash."
Qu Linghan noticed the boss's somewhat anxious face.
She spoke lightly, "Do you know who this person beside me is?"
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