The weather gradually warmed up after the beginning of spring. The afternoon breeze was slightly intoxicating. Xie Wangzhi had the window of the outer hall opened and set up a chessboard. She sat on the couch for entertaining guests with Li Qishen and played chess intermittently. She was not stupid. She had learned chess from a teacher when she was young. However, playing chess was similar to the layout of political affairs. She could compete with her sisters at home, but she was not good enough in front of Li Qishen.
Li Qishen was quite considerate and tried to let her win as quietly as possible, splitting the game with her. However, Xie Wang played really badly in this game, and in the end he really didn't know how to let her win, so he simply placed a white piece at the corner of the chessboard, completely away from the central battle.
Xie Wangzhi was immediately annoyed and threw the black piece in his hand into the chess box: "I don't want to play anymore. It's meaningless to give in like this."
"I didn't ask you to do that. I was distracted. It's my fault for not playing chess seriously. Don't be angry with me." Li Qishen couldn't take this line seriously. He didn't have time to make up excuses. Fortunately, he was good at coaxing Xie Wangzhi. He could distract her with just a thought. "If you want me to keep my eyes on the chessboard, why not make a bet?"
"Okay." After two years of marriage, Li Qishen paid for all the food and clothing expenses. Xie Wangzhi was not afraid of him, a shoe-wearing man, and nodded openly, "What are you betting on?"
"If I lose, you decide." Li Qishen threw the chess pieces on the chessboard back into the chess box one by one, and said lazily, "If I win—"
"What if you win?"
Li Qishen picked up the last white piece and looked up at Xie Wangzhi. That look contained a myriad of scenes, and the light amber pupils completely reflected the girl sitting across the table. Her thick and long eyelashes were slanted, and when he looked at her, it was as if he was looking at a lover, or observing prey.
Xie Wangzhi made his back hairy: "... What's wrong with me?"
"It's time to talk about the bet. If I win," Li Qishen licked his sharp canine teeth and threw the white chess piece between his fingers back. The chess pieces collided, making a crisp sound. He looked at Xie Wangzhi again nonchalantly, lazily, as if he was just saying something insignificant, "You will be punished to serve the king here."
Xie Wangzhi was shocked: "You..."
There is nothing to be shy about between husband and wife. She has been married to him for two years and has tried all the tricks. Xie Wangzhi is not the kind of person who is pretentious and will not pretend to be a girl. But now she is sitting on the couch in the outer hall with the window wide open. Li Qishen is the kind of person who keeps his word. If he loses this game to him, he will really do it. Even if the palace servants of Penglai Palace know the limits and should pretend to be deaf and dumb and not say anything more, Xie Wangzhi cannot accept the sound of blurting out when a quarrel really breaks out. He feels embarrassed just thinking about it.
She panicked and wanted to refuse, but then she thought it was not good, as it would make her seem untrustworthy; she wanted to scold Li Qishen for being shameless, but she couldn't bear to do it. After holding it in for a while, Xie Wangzhi made up his mind, encouraged himself, and picked up the black piece: "Then, shall I go first?"
"please."
Xie Wangzhi stared at the empty chessboard for a while, then carefully placed the first chess piece.
**
"… how?"
Xie Wangzhi felt dizzy for a while, and she closed her eyes tightly before she recovered. She took a breath, looked up, and saw Li Qishen, who was dressed in the emperor's uniform, across the chess table. His skin was white and his hair was black. He was so beautiful that he looked lifeless.
The chess game on the table has already been decided. It is at most an endgame. The white pieces' moves are fierce and direct. The black pieces have been almost eaten by the white pieces. Even if a chess god appeared in the world, he couldn't save it.
It seemed that Li Qishen had shown no mercy at all. Xie Wangzhi realized how much respect the man opposite her had given her when they played chess earlier. She put the black piece in her hand back into the chess box, thought for a moment, and changed her name: "I lost."
"Are you okay?" Li Qishen asked in a different way.
"Nothing."
"Yes." Li Qishen responded, "Then answer it."
Xie Wang was stunned: "... What did your majesty say before? I was only focused on the chessboard..."
"You have been in the palace for three years. Do you want to go home?" Li Qishen did not dislike this woman who had never been favored or acted like a demon in the three years since she entered the palace. Although he could not understand why she insisted on staying, he could at least take care of her and be patient with her. "Just tell me directly. I will not make things difficult for you."
"… Three years." Xie Wangzhi couldn't help but sigh softly, "It's been three years."
"If you want to go home, go back with the beautiful girls who entered the palace this time." Li Qishen continued, "Just say that you are a female official in the palace and it will not hinder you from getting married, or..."
"No." Xie Wangzhi didn't let him speak. After he said that, she realized that something was wrong. The person in front of her was the emperor, not her husband. She felt a little strange, but she suppressed it and apologized first, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my impoliteness."
"It's okay." Li Qishen really didn't care. He wanted to continue, but the words turned into a series of coughs when they reached his throat. He quickly covered the lower half of his face with his sleeves. Fortunately, the coughing was not serious this time. His chest still hurt, but after only a few coughs, his throat felt much better.
"… Your Majesty?" Xie Wangzhi poured a cup of tea and stared at Li Qishen with concern, "Why are you coughing? Would you like some tea to moisten your throat?"
"No need. I just have a cold." Li Qishen glanced at his sleeves and put them back on his knees. "Let me ask you, do you want to go back?"
After a few words, the question was thrown back. Xie Wangzhi didn't know how to answer for a moment. He hesitated and closed his hand. His nails scratched across the palm of his hand, which felt slightly itchy and painful.
To be fair, she certainly didn't want to go back, but from the questions and answers just now, she could also infer that Li Qishen and this body had no contact that violated the rules. This shell was already 20 years old, and if she dragged it on, it would be difficult to get married. Xie Wangzhi didn't care. If she couldn't marry Li Qishen, she would rather live alone for the rest of her life, but she really didn't know what this girl, who was also from the Chang'an Xie family and named Xie Wangzhi, was thinking. Even if they looked the same and had the same background, she couldn't make a decision for the other person rashly.
She was silent for a moment, and then returned the right to choose: "I can't explain it clearly now, Your Majesty, can you wait? In a few days, I will tell Your Majesty when I figure it out."
"Okay." Li Qishen was not in a hurry, he got up and got off the bed, "It's almost done, I'm going back."
Xie Wangzhi followed him down and bowed politely: "I respectfully send you off, Your Majesty."
Li Qishen nodded gently, turned around and was about to leave, when he suddenly heard the girl's voice: "... Your Majesty!"
He stopped and asked: "What's the matter?"
"… No." After understanding the situation, Xie Wangzhi actually didn't know how to face this man who was not her husband. She knew that they shouldn't have more interactions, but she really couldn't bear to let him go, and couldn't help but speak out to keep him. She slowly walked forward, stood in front of Li Qishen, looked up at him, and said softly, "The collar is messed up."
Without waiting for Li Qishen to answer, she reached out her hand first, touched his slightly messy collar with her fingertips, and gently smoothed out the inconspicuous wrinkles. Such a small wrinkle would not be visible if you stood a little further away, so there was really no need to call him over, but she had no other choice. This was the only excuse she could use to get close to Li Qishen, and it was so clumsy that it made people want to laugh and cry.
The two of them were half a head apart in height, and Xie Wangzhi kept her head down. Li Qishen could see the top of her head as soon as he lowered his head. Her hair was jet-black and smooth, with some slightly curled strands that made people want to rub it.
Strange to say, he doesn't care much about beauty. Every year, there are all kinds of beauties who enter the palace through selection. There are few with a radiant and moving appearance like Xie Wangzhi, but there are also some stunning beauties. However, he is not moved at all when he looks at them. At the beginning, he could purely appreciate who is pretty. In the past few years, he has become more and more calm, his heart is like dead water, and he sees everyone as a beauty with withered bones.
The only exception was standing in front of him. Xie Wangzhi was indeed beautiful, but it was not so beautiful that he was moved. He kept her at that time just because of the peach blossom in full bloom and those two lines of tears.
Now he looked at her, and the thoughts that suddenly rose in his mind had nothing to do with beauty. It was just that when he saw that soft white neck, he suddenly felt that this girl was suitable for family life and pitiful and lovely. He should hold her in his arms and comfort her. The Changsheng Palace was lonely and cold at night. If he could hold such a person in his arms, he would probably feel better, and would not toss and turn, and curl up in a ball when he fell asleep due to exhaustion.
Li Qishen's heart moved slightly, and he raised his hand tentatively, wanting to hug someone for the first time.
"Okay." However, Xie Wangzhi did not notice his little movement. He took a step back, lowered his eyes, and looked like he was seeing someone off.
Li Qishen immediately released the strength from his hands, and retracted his hand which had not yet been extended, with his fingertips clasped on the inside of his cuffs, just blocking the bloodstains that looked like flying flowers.
The author has something to say: In this adult version of Changsheng's world line, Changsheng and Wangzhi have no marriage, and Changsheng's body does not allow him to do anything unspeakable_(:3)∠)_
And I seem to be in Stockholm... Before the end, I felt so annoyed with writing that I didn't want to write anymore. Now that it's finished and I'm working on the sequel, I feel bored again and can't help but write... It's all your fault (cat crying like a washing machine.jpg)