64. Strong Wind
◎Ye'er, have you ever lied to me?◎
Chapter 64
At this moment, the wind finally died down, and Jiang Qiuye finally understood that he really would not become emperor or rebel. The thought of slowly persuading him gradually subsided.
"Your Highness, is your anorexia also due to those years of exile? I remember that there was severe famine everywhere in the years before and after Ganyang was captured."
Ji Ci just nodded without answering.
Yes, those years of famine were something he had never imagined, having grown up in the palace, until he became one of the refugees. There was no harvest anywhere. At first, there was corn, but later, even that was gone. First, the guards starved to death, then his mother. Finally, he and the two remaining guards made their way to Shengjing, gathering firewood and tree bark for food.
Until the guards also starved to death, in order to survive, they could only eat the flesh of dead people. The disgusting smell was still fresh in his memory. It was the most disgusting food in the world. He would rather eat firewood.
It was not until his young wife made that bowl of mutton soup in the Ministry of Justice prison that the fishy smell that had always lingered in his mind was wiped out.
Jiang Qiuye grasped his hand tightly and said solemnly, "Your Highness, you have never done anything wrong, so how can you be in debt?"
"If it weren't for my existence..."
"But Your Highness, even if you were not born, as the Crown Prince, you are already the target of public criticism. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Even without the instigation of the sorcerer, there would be other schemes to frame the Crown Prince. That is his fate." She interrupted him directly.
"Your Highness, you clearly didn't do anything wrong. Empress Qiyuan was unfair to her own eldest son, but now she's placing all her sins on you. How can that be fair to you? Your Highness has taken the blame for your brother's crimes, and now for Empress Qiyuan's as well. You've already been injured, but what do their sins have to do with you? You're too... too kind."
At this moment, Jiang Qiuye could no longer understand his kindness. Kind people are often bullied, and kind horses are often ridden. She was a selfish person and could never do what he did.
His anorexia stemmed from his heart, not just from the years of starvation in exile, but also from the fact that he considered himself a sinner, personally shackled his own hands, and devoted everything to the people of the world to atone for his sins.
How unfair! He didn't owe the emperor anything. It was clearly their mother who owed the emperor. He had been a favored child since childhood and had never done anything wrong. Why should he have to endure all this pain?
But he is too kind.
Now she knew she couldn't counsel him, nor could she incite him to rebellion. This incident, decades in the making, was too deep, too deeply etched in his mind. No one could enlighten him, no one could change it. All she could do was try to understand him, to be with him, to become him.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I will never have the idea of letting you rebel again." She looked intently into his eyes, suppressing all the heartache in her chest, not letting it overflow.
"But my lord, you must remember that you are not alone now. You have a wife and will have children in the future. If you are willing to be a lamb to be slaughtered, your wife and children will also die at the hands of the tiger. You can consider yourself a sinner, but I will not allow you to abandon yourself."
Jiang Qiuye smiled slightly, two shallow dimples appearing on her face, along with the falling apricot blossoms beside her. The color of her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, looking up to see the flower god, killing all the darkness in the world, "What a pity, we have become a burden for you to atone for your sins."
She said, I have never done anything wrong, so how can I owe anything?
She said he could consider himself a sinner, but he was not allowed to give up on himself.
She said they became a burden to his atonement.
She and their future child became a burden for his atonement.
very nice......
This was enough, enough for him to hold up a canopy for her and protect her under its shade.
He had once truly believed that he would have a wonderful life. When his brother ascended the throne, he would become a leisurely prince. He loved his father, the emperor, his mother, and his brother. They were also very kind to him, doting on him since he was a child.
He wasn't afraid of the rebels, nor of hunger or flight. But when his mother died before him, looking so exhausted, watching strangers wrap her body in a straw mat and disappear somewhere, she was clearly the Queen of the Great Jin Dynasty, yet she died like an ant.
At that moment, the cold wind swept through him, and he felt abandoned in this unfamiliar environment. He had been abandoned by his father, the emperor, who loved him the most, and by his mother, the queen. Now, he had been deceived by his brother. In this life, if possible, he really hoped not to be treated like this, especially by the people he loved.
There is no place for him to stay in the vast universe.
Until she came to him, forcibly broke the barrier between them, and gave him a home.
Ji Ci slowly leaned forward, held her in his arms, held her shoulders tightly, buried his head in her neck, and took a deep breath. It turned out that the unknown fragrance was a mixture of hundreds of flowers.
Unable to suppress the throbbing in his heart, he whispered in her ear, "Ye'er, are you happy with me? The kind of happy love between a man and a woman."
Jiang Qiuye suddenly froze. His embrace was warm and safe, but did she like him?
Her answer has always been no.
She has always looked down upon the love between men and women. All she seeks is a shelter and a mission to gain freedom.
She has always given everything for the sake of survival. If you ask her, if Ji Ci died, would she look for a way out, such as Ji Kang?
The answer is yes.
But does she really not like him?
She suddenly felt hesitant. What exactly was this so-called joy, liking, and love?
"I......"
"Ye'er, have you ever lied to me?" Ji Ci didn't seem to want to hear her answer. He interrupted her before she could speak and asked another question.
At this moment, it seemed as if the flesh and blood were torn apart and difficult to reshape.
Did she lie to him?
Perhaps the question should be how many truths she has told him. Perhaps she can count them on one hand.
She is not Qiu Ziye, Qiu Ziye died long ago.
Jiang Qiuye lowered her eyes and could only shake her head stiffly, not daring to look at him.
Ji Ci hugged her even tighter, "It doesn't matter if you're not happy with me."
He figured it out. The coldness he had felt these days was too painful and suffocating. With Xiangyu in his arms, he missed her caress. She was beautiful and pure, sometimes bold and unrestrained, sometimes shy and low. No one, no thing, and no event in the world could compare to her.
So for the next few days he could only go to the study room alone. He was a normal man, and it was too difficult for him to be Liuxia Hui. He was already fond of her, so how could he control himself from possessing her? So he lowered his bottom line for her again.
A faint voice continued to reach Jiang Qiuye's ears, "As long as you don't lie to me, that's enough. I will fulfill my promise to protect you."
Jiang Qiuye tried his best to control himself from trembling and breathing. He tried his best to calm his mind, but his heart was still in turmoil and the uneasiness became more and more intense.
She suddenly hated her own identity. She was a scam herself, so how could she be sincere?
She couldn't imagine what would happen to her if he discovered her deception one day, and how she would deal with it.
If only she were really Qiu Ziye...
She was speechless, kept her eyes down, and nodded gloomily.
Ji Ci smiled slightly, gently kissed her lips, slowly pried open her teeth, and savored this delicacy. Spring is the time for animals to mate, and humans are also easily affected by it.
As the kiss deepened, his body temperature gradually rose. He turned sideways and pressed her to the ground. Jiang Qiuye was startled, "Prince——"
Ji Ci frowned in dissatisfaction, "Why are you still calling me Prince and husband?"
Jiang Qiuye licked her lips, "Husband...Brother Jian Xi..."
He sealed it with a kiss. After a moment, breathing heavily, he whispered in her ear, "Let's go back to the city."
Just as he was about to stand up, Jiang Qiuye pulled him down. Her mood tonight was too complicated. She knew the unspeakable truth behind Ji Ci, and he had lowered his bottom line for her. He tore off all his layers and showed her his true self.
However, she remained fully armed and deceived him once again.
She didn't know how to hide her feelings. At this moment, she wanted to use another more intense thing to drive out the emotions hidden in her heart.
Use the thunder and rain to suppress the raging waves.
Her voice was shy and her cheeks were red. "Stay here, Brother Jian Xi, don't go back."
Ji Ci swallowed his saliva. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't guess what she was really thinking. He just felt that this was some kind of special hobby and interest of hers, and he also felt deeply stimulated and excited.
He smiled softly, took off her cloak and spread it on the grass behind her, then kissed her again.
A sudden strong wind blew up at Man'er Hill, and apricot blossom petals filled the sky, drifting everywhere, as if they could not find a place to stay.
Ji Ci possessed her domineeringly, and she couldn't help but chant "Brother Jian Xi" several times. The petals fell even more crazily, and her toes stretched straight. The weather was clear and the sky was full of stars, but there were lightning and thunder inside. When it reached its peak, it attracted an even more violent storm of flower dance.
She opened her eyes and first looked at the distant sky, where she seemed to see the Big Dipper. Then, apricot blossoms and beads of sweat fell on her nose, and the fragrance seeped into her skin and bones. Finally, her eyes met his. It was the place where duckweed sank after drifting, and she finally found her own harbor.
He was too good, and she was too ashamed.
By the time they had packed up and mounted their horses, an hour had passed. Their various emotions were overshadowed by fatigue, while Ji Ci, on the other hand, felt truly refreshed. His body felt incredibly sticky, as if he'd been run over by a carriage. His back and legs ached, and the thought of having to ride a horse was even more uncomfortable.
She could bear it at first, but the horse was going too fast and her body was weak. In the end, she sat sideways and collapsed in Ji Ci's arms like a soft worm. He couldn't help laughing. It was not until they returned to the inn and took a bath together that they finally fell into a deep sleep in each other's arms.
…
The next day, after packing up, they said goodbye to the Zhu family and continued on their journey to Shengjing. After five days of traveling, they finally arrived in Shengjing. After Ji Ci sent Jiang Qiuye back to the palace, he entered the palace.
Jiang Qiuye was really tired after the journey. As soon as he returned to the palace, he ignored everyone and went straight to bed and fell asleep.
Elsewhere in the palace, the emperor's sharp eyes watched the progress report on the Huaixi looting case below. He narrowed his eyes and said with a hint of sarcasm, "I didn't expect Jian Xi to achieve such a great feat this time. Not only did she rescue Anyang, but she also caught the mastermind behind it. She truly deserves to be called the lifeblood of the Great Jin."
Ji Ci pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Huaixi is far from Shengjing, and the new policies have not been fully implemented, which has led to local officials being tyrannical here. County Magistrate Liu and Governor Gao are in cahoots with each other, and now this position is vacant. I suggest that instead of promoting someone from the local area, it would be better to send an honest official who is trusted by the court to take up the post in Huaixi."
Huaixi is an important place for the Jin Dynasty and a transportation fortress. To completely eradicate the stubborn problems, we can only send people who will not go along with the crowd and are not afraid of power to avoid the recurrence of looting cases.
The emperor couldn't help but smile and said, "Okay, you have the final say on this matter."
He rubbed his fingertips and asked tentatively, "But Jian Xi, why didn't Governor Gao think of bringing him back to Shengjing for trial this time?"
"Your Majesty, this Governor Gao is extremely arrogant. He not only kidnapped Princess Anyang, but this time he also kidnapped the Princess of the County. To save the Princess of the County, I had no choice but to kill him. Please, Your Majesty, punish me for beheading first and reporting later."
After a long silence, the Emperor said slowly, "What crime has he committed? This Governor Gao has acted recklessly and unexpectedly even kidnapped the Princess of the County. This is unforgivable, so behead him. Jian Xi has performed such a great service this time, and I have decided to restore your title of Prince. What do you think?"
Ji Ci was startled, and immediately knelt down and bowed deeply, then said: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
He stood up, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "Your Majesty, I have devoted all my energy to the Great Jin over the years. My health has gradually deteriorated, and I am troubled by this anorexia. The only two things I have not yet completed are the Northern Expedition and the Western Regions. I would like to ask for Your Majesty's grace."
"Oh? What grace?"
"After the Northern Expedition succeeds in the future, unifying the Central Plains, establishing the Western Border Protectorate and implementing the policy of pacifying the West, I wish to resign and return to my fiefdom. From then on, I will stay away from the court and no longer be involved in military affairs. I only wish to enjoy the mountains and rivers and cultivate my character."
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When describing psychological activities, I always feel very smooth and inspiration comes to me.
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