56. Fire scene
◎Call me Ye'er again◎
Chapter 56
If Jiang Qiuye was not mistaken, the familiar figure that day was most likely his own sister, Jiang Xiahua.
Over the years, Xia Hua seemed to live an extremely "comfortable" life, because she was always immersed in her own world and couldn't extricate herself.
She is two years younger than Jiang Qiuye.
When Jiang Qiuye was six years old, she and her four-year-old sister were sold to Feiyan Pavilion. They cuddled together, ate and slept together, kept each other warm, and snuggled up to each other.
Xia Hua was far inferior to her in strength and had always relied on her. Until one day, someone from Feiyan Pavilion noticed this and took Xia Hua away to another training branch.
Three years passed since then, until Xia Hua returned to Jiang Qiuye as a bronze ghost. They cried with joy, and stayed together again, working together on tasks, as if time had returned to their childhood.
At that time, she couldn't see any problem with Xia Hua, she only found that she had extremely severe anorexia.
She learned how to make medicinal food to treat her illness. But even though her body was healed, her heart was still deeply ill.
It seemed that she began to notice something abnormal about Xia Hua two years ago.
Anyone who had a close relationship with her, no matter if it was a man or a woman, or if they were from Feiyan Pavilion or not, would always be brutally murdered after a period of time, and the person who did all this was Jiang Xiahua.
She didn't care about the mission at all, and seemed to only care about Jiang Qiuye. Her world revolved around one person.
If he had not been protected by Yan Wu, he might have been dealt with by the Li Kingdom long ago.
When Jiang Qiuye made a deal with Yan Wu and asked to leave Feiyan Pavilion, Jiang Xiahua went crazy after finding out.
She burst into tears and yelled at Jiang Qiuye: "How could my sister betray us? I only have my sister. I love her so much. How could she think of leaving?"
Then she rushed out of the door and stabbed the Tonggui who had just returned to hand over the task to her. From that moment on, Jiang Qiuye was even more determined that she would leave, leaving the sister who was most important to her.
Thinking of this, I can't be sure whether the shadow in Wangyou Tower that day was Jiang Xiahua.
But she didn't want to gamble, as Ji Ci must still be in Wangyou Tower at this moment.
Ji Ci couldn't die yet! If he died like Zhang Liang, his mission would fail, and he would most likely never escape Feiyan Pavilion.
Jiang Qiuye calmed down, threw away the hot water bottle in his hand, and ran towards Wangyou Tower quickly on the snow, ignoring the guards chasing him.
They were surprised that they could not catch up with such a weak woman, and soon they lost sight of her.
The snow on the ground was splashed and wet the shoes. As they got closer to Wangyou Tower, it gradually turned into melted snow water, and they gradually felt the heat of the flames rising into the sky on their skin.
When standing in front of Wangyou Tower, it was obvious that the fire started from the fifth floor and had not yet spread to the first and second floors. Countless panicked people ran out of the building, some of them even naked.
The fire brigade from Huaixi had arrived, but they were standing outside Wangyou Tower, scratching their heads. Faced with such a fierce fire, they didn't know what to do.
Jiang Qiuye searched everywhere but couldn't find Ji Ci. She looked up and met the gaze of someone at the second-floor window. The person gave her a slight smile and blinked.
It was indeed her! It was Jiang Xiahua!
Jiang Qiuye was only surprised at first, but without any hesitation, he took off his cloak and threw it away, then squeezed in against the flow of people. The whole building was like a steamer, with waves of heat rolling in.
The weather was dry in winter and the fire spread quickly. Fortunately, there was no strong wind, which did not increase the speed of the fire.
She quickly looked around in the crowded crowd on the first floor, but did not see Ji Ci, Tian Qu and others.
He rushed directly to the second floor, avoiding the not-so-big fireworks, and after twists and turns, he arrived at the place where Jiang Xiahua had just stood, but there was no trace of her.
Just as she gave up and prepared to leave, Jiang Xiahua suddenly appeared behind her and patted her gently, "Sister, long time no see."
Jiang Qiuye's mind was tense. She turned around, her eyes displeased, and asked, "It's really you? Why are you here?"
Jiang Xiahua chuckled and tilted her head, saying, "Of course I heard that my sister got married and came to Huaixi with that man. I...mostly missed my sister. Even though she betrayed us, I still love her the most."
"Where's Ji Ci? Did you set the fire?"
Jiang Xiahua didn't answer directly, but smiled and pointed upstairs, "Maybe he's still up there."
Jiang Qiuye felt as if the string in his head seemed to break, and his arms trembled uncontrollably.
"Sister, come back with us. The Pavilion Master won't mind. We all hope you can come back rather than letting you stay by Ji Ci's side every day and lower yourself to do the tasks that only low-level spies do."
"Get out." Jiang Qiuye lowered his head and said softly.
"elder sister."
"Get out!" She was very annoyed and picked up a piece of hot wood from beside her and pointed at Jiang Xiahua angrily.
Jiang Xiahua curled her lips unwillingly, turned around, jumped out of the window and disappeared.
Jiang Qiuye threw away the broken wood in his hand. His palm was stinging unbearably. He raised his hand and saw that the dagger wound that had healed was now covered with a burn.
She took two steps towards the stairs, felt the heat sweeping over her, bit her lip and stepped back, looking at the third floor that had been swallowed up at the stairs.
With such a big fire, if Ji Ci was still upstairs, he would have been burned to death.
She didn't need to gamble with her life.
If a person does not care for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth!
She was doing her best to come to Wangyou Tower to look for him. If he was really dead...
If he really died...
She was afraid that her mission would fail again and she would have to go through another level of hell.
For some reason, besides fear, I also felt a sense of emptiness in my heart.
But it was just a little bit, she had to plan for the next step.
Anyway, she would never accept her fate. If Ji Ci died, even though she missed his kindness to her so much, she couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
Maybe… maybe she could go find Ji Kang. After all, although he was a playboy, he was the most likely heir to the throne. The status of crown prince, the status of emperor, might bring far greater benefits than that of a prince.
As she was looking down and frowning, she suddenly heard a loud roar from a distance: "Ye'er——"
"Ye'er!"
Jiang Qiuye raised her eyes, but before she could turn around, someone grabbed her wrist from behind and rushed to the first floor.
She followed blankly, and when she looked up, she saw beads of sweat on Ji Ci's forehead, he was breathing heavily, and his face was a little black and gray.
Fortunately, they did not stay too long. When the beams on the second floor collapsed, they protected her and left the second floor. When they reached the first floor, there was no one else except Tian Qu and the guards who came to meet them in a hurry.
At the same time, the second floor was instantly engulfed by fire and heat waves.
Several people quickly escorted Ji Ci and Jiang Qiuye out.
She felt Ji Ci's tight grip on her hand, his palms dripping with sweat. She seemed to still be in the shock she felt when she was held by him, not saying a word, not showing any expression, like a frightened puppet.
After she completely ran out of Wangyou Tower, she finally realized that Ji Ci was not dead. The huge stone in her heart finally fell down. After her tense nerves relaxed, she was replaced by enormous fatigue.
Fortunately...
"Are you stupid? Why do you run in there without even looking at what a burnt mess it is?" After coming out safely, Ji Ci let her go, but he couldn't suppress the anger that had been pent up in his heart, and yelled at her.
When he heard the guard following her report to him just now, his heart tightened instantly, and his feet seemed to be floating in the air, unable to touch anything solid.
This stupid woman, who would run into a fire like this?
He didn't know when he'd first realized he liked this woman. It wasn't just the respect and admiration he felt for the Grand Empress Dowager; he felt a genuine, ambiguous attraction to her. Otherwise, how could he, knowing she was so scheming, have been so complicit in her despicable tactics and even sought a marriage for her?
If it were another woman, even if he had strong morals and responsibilities in his heart, he would definitely not be able to do this.
Staring at Jiang Qiuye, who was looking stunned with head down, with a dull expression, he was furious. "Why aren't you talking? Speak!"
Jiang Qiuye came back to his senses and asked blankly, "You...you have been outside the whole time?"
So Jiang Xiahua lied to her?
Ji Ci frowned and said "hmm" without elaborating.
She suddenly felt ashamed.
Although she had entered Wangyou Tower, she had first gone looking for Jiang Xiahua, and she had noticed that the second floor was not in any danger at that time. However, when she looked at the sea of fire on the third floor, she hesitated. She was not willing to risk her life for Ji Ci, and even considered using Prince Liang as a backup plan.
But when Ji Ci rushed into the second floor to look for her, the fire was already burning fiercely on the second floor. If she was not careful, she might really be buried in the sea of fire.
Ji Ci looked at her and lowered his head again without saying anything. His heart softened a little and his voice became gentler: "You...you rushed in because you thought I was inside?"
Jiang Qiuye said nothing, just nodded stiffly.
He curled his lips slightly, raised his hand and stroked her hair, which was in a mess. He seemed to have been so anxious on the way that he even dropped a few of his gold hairpins. He could no longer bear the fear in his heart and hugged her tightly in his arms. His hands pinched her shoulders so hard that they hurt, as if he wanted to make her merge into his bones and blood.
Jiang Qiuye felt even more upset because of this. She was really too despicable and was not worthy of him.
After a long time, he finally let her go. He looked at her seriously and said, "Don't do this again. I don't want you to risk your life to save me. At any time, you must protect yourself first. Do you understand?"
At any time... protect yourself first...
These words made her feel even more ashamed. She neither agreed nor refused, but just stared back at his eyes. She had a thousand words to say, but she couldn't utter a single word.
After returning to the house, he immediately asked the maid to prepare hot water. After soaking in the hot water, Jiang Qiuye carefully thought about what happened today.
That person was really Jiang Xiahua, but she didn’t understand why Jiang Xiahua came here. Was it really because she wanted to assassinate Ji Ci?
Since following Yan Wu, my sister has become his personal bodyguard and never goes on missions alone.
Could it be that Yan Wu had come here alone? Or was his sister acting alone?
Was it Jiang Xiahua who set the fire?
When she finished her shower, her mind was still a jumble of thoughts. Her hair, slightly damp, was casually tied up with a simple jade hairpin. After changing into clean clothes, she went to the study to look for Ji Ci.
When she opened the study door, Tianqu was also in the room. He stopped talking when he saw her come in.
Ji Ci glanced at Jiang Qiuye and raised his hand to signal Tian to continue.
"Yes, the fire in Wangyou Tower has been put out. Since the fire started on the fifth floor, no one was injured or killed. Those who should have escaped have escaped, but we haven't found anyone in the building."
Looking for someone?
Who are they looking for? It can't be the Pan family's sister, right?
If we listen to the heavens, could this fire...
Ji Ci tapped the desk lightly with his pen and thought carefully. "So they didn't hide the person in Wangyou Tower. So there are two possibilities. The first is that they received some news and moved the person to another place for detention."
"The second possibility is that the person behind Wangyou Tower is inextricably linked to the person behind County Magistrate Liu, but they are not the same person."
He paused, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Well, you continue to send people to keep an eye on County Magistrate Liu. We still have to use him as bait."
"Yes, Your Highness." After receiving the task, Tian Qu nodded, turned around and saluted Jiang Qiuye before leaving the study.
Ji Ci saw Jiang Qiuye standing at the door, looking uneasy, and waved at her.
She was usually so clever and scheming, but today she was so stupid that it frightened him.
Jiang Qiuye sat down beside him, pondering. Since she couldn't figure it out, she asked him directly, "Who are you looking for? Is it that Pan... Pan, the Pan family's sister?"
Ji Ci couldn't help but smile and said, "Not really. Besides, you are talking about Pan Mei, right? The one who is missing is not the elder sister, but the younger sister."
"Ah... so..." Jiang Qiuye raised his hand and knocked his head awkwardly. His intelligence had indeed declined a lot recently.
Ji Ci suppressed his smile and talked about business, saying tensely, "I went to Huaixi this time to look for someone."
"Looking for someone?"
"Yes, Princess Anyang."
Jiang Qiuye's eyebrows jumped. She naturally knew that Princess Anyang was the emperor's third daughter, and her biological mother was said to be a concubine.
Did he disappear? The news was kept secret so strictly.
Ji Ci continued, "Princess Anyang and Prince Dihu are engaged. In two months, she will marry into a distant land. Dihu is the largest nation in the Western Regions, and this marriage is intended to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions. It is crucial to prevent the Hu people from taking advantage of the conflict between Jin and Li to invade. "
"But Princess Anyang secretly left the palace on the day of our wedding and has been missing ever since. There are clues that she was most likely abducted."
"Plunder? Is it so rampant? That's the princess!"
Jiang Qiuye was shocked. She also hated the kidnapper. It was the trafficker who sold her and her sister to Feiyan Pavilion.
Ji Ci nodded and said, "Nowadays, our Great Jin strictly prohibits looting and buying, but because the truce has only been three years, the new law is still difficult to reach remote areas. Secret organizations are rampant, especially in Huaixi, a transportation fortress."
"So you suspect that Princess Anyang's disappearance is related to Wangyou Tower?"
"I've already found out that County Magistrate Liu is part of the looting and buying forces behind this, so I'm trying to get close to him in order to uncover the person behind this and rescue Princess Anyang."
Jiang Qiuye suddenly thought of the Pan family's sister who disappeared from the restaurant across the street and asked, "Then Pan and Pan Mei, are they also missing for the same reason?"
"Not sure yet, but very likely."
Jiang Qiuye's eyes turned and he gently covered his mouth, "So, the fire in Wangyou Tower today..."
Ji Ci's eyes were bright, with no other expression. He said, "Yes, I did it. Firstly, I wanted to search the entire Wangyou Tower for Princess Anyang's whereabouts through the chaos caused."
"Secondly, Wangyoulou, as the largest intelligence agency in Huaixi, freely sells our intelligence to other countries. A Wangyoulou like this should have been abandoned long ago."
"Huaixi needs to be cleaned up."
When Jiang Qiuye heard Ji Ci mention this second reason, her heart tightened for no reason. Such a large intelligence agency, with its close and complex relationships behind it, and Ji Ci actually burned it down with a single blow.
Ji Ci said, "Now that Wangyou Tower is gone, County Magistrate Liu will definitely be restless. This is a critical period. You should stay at home obediently for the next few days and don't go anywhere."
After hearing this, Jiang Qiuye pursed her lips reluctantly and hummed softly.
Seeing her unwillingness written all over her face, he thought of how she had rushed into the fire today. He felt something in his heart and took her hand, saying, "I know you want to follow me, but for your own safety..."
"Hiss!" Ji Ci accidentally touched the burn, causing her to groan.
He stopped suddenly, bent down and turned her hand over, only to see a red line across the previous knife wound.
Jiang Qiuye wanted to pull her hand away, but he held her back.
He frowned and asked seriously, "What's going on?"
"I was just burned by the wood, it's nothing serious." She pursed her lips and shook her head.
The burn wasn't a big one, and if it were on him, he would have just endured it. But it was on her soft, fair skin, and she was usually delicate and tearful, so he suddenly felt the pain.
Ji Ci immediately stood up, walked to the cabinet beside him, took out a box of medicine, unscrewed the box, and sat back next to her. He asked her to turn her palms out, dug out the snow-white and cool ointment from the box, and gently applied it on her.
"If you get hurt in the future, don't hide it anymore. Why didn't you tell me when you saw me?"
"Did you hear that?" Not hearing any response, Ji Ci raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Qiuye.
Jiang Qiuye felt the coldness in her palms and suddenly wanted to cry. In this world, he was the only one who could feel the little injuries and pains in her body, and he was the only one who cared.
She lowered her head and said in a low voice, "You scolded me as soon as you came, so I didn't dare to say anything."
“…”
"I called that scolding you?" Ji Ci was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After thinking about it carefully, well, it was considered a scolding...right?
She didn't want to raise her head, she wanted to cry so badly, how could she bear to give up this only kindness and preference. No matter whether Ji Kang could become the emperor or not, he would never be able to give her this indescribable feeling.
What a blessing!
Unlike her usual artificial acting, the gentle touch made her fingertips bend unconsciously.
Her eyes turned red quietly, and after hesitating for a long time, she softly said, "Can you call me again?"
"What?" Ji Ci raised his eyes to look at her, and unexpectedly her eyes were red. He thought that she must be crying in pain, this thin and helpless little wife.
He gently raised his hand and wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Ye'er, call me Ye'er again."
It's not Qiu Ziye's leaves, but Jiang Qiuye's leaves.
Ji Ci didn't quite understand what she was thinking. He twisted the burn ointment in his hand and put it away. He quietly watched her neck drooping. She was wearing a simple moon-white silk dress. A few strands of hair languidly fell over her collarbone. Her white and tender hair was so fragile that it made one want to lean over and take a bite. It must be extremely delicious.
He closed his eyes, lifted her hand, brought it close to his lips, and blew gently, his tenderness etched into his bones. His voice was a little low and muffled, "Does it still hurt, Ye'er?"
The author has something to say:
Rabindranath Tagore's "The Crescent Moon": Life is as gorgeous as a summer flower, and death is as quiet and beautiful as an autumn leaf
The inspiration for the name
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