After more than a month, Li Qishen did not return, but news was sent back to Chang'an every now and then. It was not nonsense, and in a few words, the current situation was clearly explained. Xie Wangzhi did not understand this, most of which was what Ye Jian said to her. She could not understand anything too complicated, and Ye Jian did not explain it. She only remembered some simple things, such as the rebels in Shuzhou who killed the former Crown Princess and the young prince when they were in chaos, but fortunately the life of the retired emperor was saved, and the rebels in Fanyang were defeated, and Kang Lie's son was missing.
All in all, it was good news. Things gradually recovered in various places, and the land and water routes leading to Chang'an were open again. The tribute items were certainly not as good as before, but at least they all came up. It was not too extravagant to feed Coal Ball with a slice of a fresh fish that was not growing well.
Meiqiu loves to eat this fresh bite, so there is no need to feed it to other wild cats. It is better to do it the same way as before. Find some scraps that are really unpalatable in the kitchen, roll them into meatballs, burn them over the fire to bring out a slightly charred aroma, and place them in the open space in front of Qingning Palace, so that the group of cats will compete to put their heads on the plate. When they are full, they will lie down on the spot and turn over their furry bellies for Xie Wangzhi to touch.
There were too many cats for Xie Wangzhi to touch them all. He rubbed each cat's head a few times, stood up and stepped back, looking at Qingning Palace from afar.
According to her idea, Qingning Palace was renovated, and there were still not many palace maids, but all the wildly growing plants around it were plucked. Hearing that Empress Jingmu loved to pluck roses when she was alive, Xie Wangzhi had people open up a flower garden and plant Bingzhou roses and Chang'an peonies. Now is the rose blooming season, and the peony blooming season is still hanging on. One is in full bloom, and the other is still acceptable. Surrounding Qingning Palace, the branches sway in the wind, and the elegant fragrance blows on the face, which is completely different from the ghostly shadows of the past.
Xie Wangzhi smiled for no reason, lifted the hem of her skirt slightly, and walked towards the main hall.
After all, it was once the queen's residence. Except for the time when she accidentally entered it while chasing a coal ball at the age of twelve, she had never been there again. Now she felt a little strange when she entered the palace. Looking at the furnishings and scenery along the way that seemed familiar yet unfamiliar, she felt like she was looking back after six years.
The path was not long. She walked into the outer hall safely and took two steps. What she saw was the screen that separated the inside and the outside. The screen had never been changed. It was painted with flowers, birds, fish and insects. The silk used as the base was slightly yellowed no matter how well it was maintained. Together with the incense burner used as decoration on the side, it showed the passing of time.
But these things are immovable. They are placed like this now, and they were the same twelve years ago or even seventy years ago. Qingning Palace has changed from the residence of the queen where many palace servants come and go to an abandoned palace visited only by wild cats, but the screens, books, tables, chairs and lamp holders remain unchanged. Xie Wangzhi looked at the carefully painted screen and always felt as if someone would come out in the next moment, perhaps the queen who was called by her posthumous title in the history books, or perhaps a young man in green clothes, with a cold and beautiful appearance, and fine gold flakes flowing in his pupils when he raised his eyes.
She smiled again.
It was getting late, and it was not appropriate to stay too long. Xie Wangzhi took one last look at the screen and turned to leave.
Before she could even move her legs, she suddenly felt a strong force pulling her in the opposite direction from her arm, causing her to stumble back a few steps and suddenly fall into someone's arms. The man who grabbed her was obviously a man, who was half a head taller than her. His arms crossed her waist and abdomen, and through two layers of clothes, one could feel the perfect muscle lines, easily clamping her whole body, making her unable to move. Xie Wangzhi suddenly became nervous and couldn't help but take a deep breath. The faint fragrance on the collar filled her nose, slightly bitter, but if she sniffed carefully, it seemed to have a subtle sweetness.
She opened her mouth to scream, but the person who was restraining her anticipated it and raised his other hand. First, he stroked her cheek slowly with the tip of his index finger with thin calluses, and then slightly lifted her chin with the remaining fingers, as if forcing her to raise her head and prevent her from speaking smoothly, or as if he was deliberately appreciating this slender body and this radiant face.
He gently stroked Xie Wangzhi's lips with his thumb, and suddenly lowered his head and licked her ear. His voice was clearly low, but it sounded like teasing: "Young lady, you dare to go alone. Do you think I dare not touch you because of your beauty, or do you deliberately offer yourself to me?"
After all, we have known each other for such a long time. If you still don’t recognize him, you are stupid. Xie Wangzhi’s tense body relaxed and he pounded his elbow back, half embarrassed and half helpless: "... Changsheng!"
"It's me." Li Qishen was hit hard, hitting his waist and abdomen, making him groan, but he didn't mind. He just put down the hand that was holding Xie Wang's chin, and put it on her abdomen, hugging the girl from behind. He simply lowered his head and buried his face in the junction of her shoulders and neck, took a deep breath of the fragrance like peach blossoms, and said sullenly, "I'm back."
"How did you..."
"I came back in a hurry, and the army is still sorting out the situation." Li Qishen knew what she was going to ask, "So I didn't let anyone know."
"… I'm glad you're back." That was indeed a thrilling moment, and Xie Wangzhi was so scared that her heart almost jumped out of her chest, but Li Qishen was indeed a reckless person, and she had long been accustomed to it. Besides, she had been missing him for more than a month, so why couldn't she forgive him? She lowered her eyes and said softly, "I miss you so much."
"Me too." Li Qishen closed his eyes, "Don't move, let me hold you for a while."
He closed his arms and hugged the girl tighter, while Xie Wangzhi stood obediently, letting the man behind her hug her from behind. They were close to each other through the thin clothes, and even with their backs facing away, she could feel the rise and fall of Li Qishen's chest with his breathing, steady and even. There was also a faint heartbeat, one after another, and she couldn't tell whether it was her own or his, or maybe their heartbeats overlapped, entangled and indistinguishable from each other.
After more than a month's absence, this person finally came back. Although he scared her, the first request he made was to hug her for a while. He was as clingy as a kitten returning home after adventuring outside.
Xie Wangzhi sighed softly, raised his hand and touched Li Qishen's soft hair: "Is it okay?"
She was still full of emotions, but Li Qishen's mind was completely different from hers. What else could a 20-year-old man think about when facing his wife who he was forced to leave shortly after their marriage? The girl in his arms was slender and soft, making him hold her defenseless. Her neck was slender and had a peach blossom scent, which made people want to bite it and taste whether her skin was also like peach petals.
But he couldn't show it, otherwise, with Xie Wangzhi's personality, he would probably run away in shame. Li Qishen licked the sharp canine teeth, restrained himself for the time being, and let go of her: "Well. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Of course." Xie Wangzhi turned around, "I've heard some news from Shuzhou. Thank you for your hard work."
Those news were all from Cui Shi, and they were embellished. There was nothing much to say. Li Qishen just shook his head slightly: "Not bad."
He really had nothing to say, but Xie Wangzhi thought he was afraid that she would worry, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried. Looking at the man in front of her, she slowly raised her hand and gently placed it on his cheek, fearing that she would hurt him accidentally. She raised her eyes, and her pupils were full of Li Qishen. She frowned slightly, and her eyebrows showed that she was worried, but her words were teasing: "I wanted to say that you were hungry and thin in Shuzhou, but now I touch your face, it seems that you haven't. I heard that Shuzhou has a lot of delicious food, what did you eat behind my back?"
"I've been in Shuzhou for more than a month, and I'm hungry." Li Qishen followed her words, holding the back of her hand, rubbing her cheek against his palm, and lowering his eyes slightly with a satisfied look on his face, just like the look of a coal ball when it rubs its belly with fish sashimi after eating it. "No matter how many things I have, I still miss the peach blossom porridge in Chang'an City."
It's been almost a month since the beginning of summer, how can there be any peach blossoms? Xie Wangzhi was slightly startled, and then realized that he was talking nonsense. She wanted to be angry, but the man in front of her had a calm expression, and when he pressed against her palm, he was very affectionate and tender. His drooping eyelashes were clearly visible, and every blink touched her heart.
Xie Wangzhi had nothing else to say, so he could only touch his face and softly responded, "Yeah."
Li Qishen smiled, let go of her hand, and leaned forward, pushing the girl against the table beside him. With a surprised look in his eyes, he lowered his head slightly and put his forehead against hers. Xie Wang was shocked to see her little self in those light amber eyes, as if she was the only one in Li Qishen's eyes.
She suddenly raised her hands, put them behind his neck, and moved herself forward to kiss his lips.
Li Qishen never expected that she would be so proactive. He held Xie Wangzhi's waist, closed his eyes at the same time as her, and continued this kiss filled with longing and comfort.
After a kiss, he was reluctant to separate immediately, and rubbed his lips against Xie Wangzhi's for the last time, closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers for a while before pulling away. Li Qishen still held her between him and the table, lowered his eyes to look at the girl with a light red face, and asked her with a smile: "When you ran in chasing the coal balls and met me here, did you ever think that we would be like this now?"
"… I'd be crazy if I thought about it." Xie Wangzhi felt a little embarrassed and forced himself to look at Li Qishen, "Didn't I say that? At that time, I just thought that the only reason I could be in the abandoned palace was probably because the black cat had robbed my purse and was waiting for me here."
The scene at that time was so funny that Li Qishen couldn't help laughing when he recalled it. He was serious when he spoke to her: "When I saw you and saw your clothes, I knew you must be a palace maid. But looking at your appearance, I thought you might be a celestial maiden who came here because she saw that I was alone and pitiful."
Six years later, Xie Wangzhi couldn't go back and find the 14-year-old boy to ask him if he really thought so. She just felt a little sad. He was clearly a prince, and should have been loved by everyone, but he stood alone in the abandoned palace, with ghosts outside the window. Anyone who dared to talk to him thought it was a celestial being.
"I'm not a celestial being, but I think, even if I were," Xie Wangzhi smiled, "I would still stay for you."
Li Qishen smiled slightly, leaned over again, and hugged the girl, the only thing he wanted in his life.
The wind blew at dusk, the grass and trees outside the palace swayed, and the roses and peonies cast shadows on the window. The last rays of sunlight shone through the window paper and fell on the two people, casting a faint golden edge, like a silhouette.
The sun sank inch by inch, the light flickered for the last time, and then suddenly went out.
The author has something to say: It's over, the main text is finished. That's enough. The previous book was about the prosperity of the capital, and this one is about turning the tide. I have fulfilled the obsession in my heart and defended Chang'an, which I actually never defended. There is no need for more immortality and oblivion, it is enough.
Thank you for accompanying me here. I thought about giving up and cutting the outline halfway through, but I finally finished it with your support. I thought about it, wrote it, and finished it. I have no regrets, and I am no longer in pain because of it. To be honest, I don’t have much affection for Changsheng and Wangzhi. When I was writing, I sometimes doubted whether I was writing a romance. Although it is written from the perspective of the female protagonist, it feels more like Changsheng is the protagonist. This is his story, the story of this dynasty. What I wrote is probably only 70% of what I imagined in my mind, and the remaining 30% is probably only known to me in this life. Words have come to an end, and meaning will be exhausted, so let it be.
As for the extra chapters... don't wait. According to my experience, if it is added quickly after the main text is finished, then it will be there. If the battle line is dragged for a long time... then it will definitely not be there. Because the longer the time is, the less I want to write it_(:3)∠)_Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2019-12-08 12:12:40~2019-12-08 18:07:01~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: 1 for Daxi;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Li San Sui 10 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!