Xia Xun was drunk.
His eyes were watery, and his earlobes were red.
Qi Yan kept kissing him, but he didn't respond.
When Qi Yan kissed him, he no longer closed his eyes tightly like before, whether he wanted to or not.
He kept his eyes open from the beginning to the end, but he didn't look at Qi Yan, he lowered his eyes, staring at an aimless point in the void, without focus.
Qi Yan bit his lower lip lightly, he felt a slight pain, and frowned faintly, without struggling.
He was very drunk.
Qi Yan loosened the cloth strips that bound him, picked him up, and put him on the bed.
He lay down obediently.
Qi Yan lay sideways beside him, hugged him in his arms, and kissed him delicately, starting from the hair on the top of his head.
In seven years, Qi Yan never dreamed of Xia Xun, not even once.
So he knew very well that Xia Xun, who was nestling in his arms at this moment, was not his dream or hallucination.
Xia Xun is really still alive.
After Xia Xun passed away, in Qi Yan's most greedy wish, he just begged for Xia Xun to come to his dream.
He never expected that Xia Xun would still be alive.
Now, Xia Xun was lying on his bed, in his arms.
But he felt that Xia Xun seemed to be further away from him.
Qi Yan pressed against his lips and murmured:
"Xia Xun... Xia Xun... do you like He Cong?"
Xia Xun felt itchy and turned her head away.
Qi Yan followed his hairline and gently stroked his face.
"Tell me, just treat it as your kindness..."
Xia Xun felt that his embrace was too hot and wanted to withdraw.
"… hot… "
Qi Yan leaned over to hold him down, and hugged him even tighter:
"You tell me, I'll let you go, okay?"
His tone was almost pleading.
He paid attention to every subtle expression of Xia Xun, trying to get the answer from his face.
Xia Xun moved her eyelashes, as if trying to regain her sanity.
Qi Yan coaxed him softly:
"Good boy, tell me, do you... like He Cong?"
Xia Xun suddenly regained consciousness and shook her head impatiently.
Qi Yan tried to ask:
"Then now... do you have someone you like? Who is he?"
Xia Xun's lips moved:
"Yes Yes… "
Someone's name is about to come out.
Qi Yan suddenly leaned over and kissed his mouth.
He dare not listen.
He was afraid that what he heard was not his name, and he didn't dare to expect Xia Xun to still like him as before.
He thought that maybe Xia Xun was already full of resentment towards him.
Qi Yan hugged him tightly, buried her face in his shoulder, and murmured as if sighing:
"It's okay... It's okay... It doesn't matter who it is... Now that I got you back, I will never let you go..."
After that, Xia Xun didn't see Qi Yan for a few days.
He heard from Zhigui that Qi Yan took people to look for him at He Cong's residence that day, and they had a very unpleasant quarrel with He Cong.
On the second day after the incident, He Cong went to the imperial court to file a complaint.
Naturally, he wouldn't mention Xia Xun, he only said that Qi Yan bullied others, brought guards to surround the He family, and even tried to break in, scaring his two children so much that they cried day and night, and fell ill in fright.
Qi Yan's back was injured, he could have taken a day off, but he expected that He Cong would attack him, so he went up to the court with his body covered in bandages.
Facing He Cong's accusation, he calmly said:
"I met an assassin the day before yesterday, and His Majesty also knew that I led people to surround He's residence last night. I just brought my attendants there because I found the assassin's whereabouts nearby and worried that the thief would harm Mr. He. Please, Mr. He, don't misunderstand."
He Cong insisted on asking the emperor to ask for an explanation for him.
When the two were at a stalemate, Qi Yan took out the clothes he was wearing yesterday.
He was wearing this robe, and it fell on the broken porcelain on the ground. Right now, this brocade robe is full of tears and blood:
"This is the clothes I wore when I was assassinated. Such bloody clothes should not have been taken in front of the hall to disturb the holy car, but I didn't want to be suspected by His Majesty, so I had to bring it to prove that my assassination was definitely not a fraud. "
When the emperor saw the bloody clothes, he only asked about Qi Yan's injury and completely ignored He Cong.
Qi Yan came prepared, but He Cong couldn't say no to him, so he could only give up, and went down to the court angrily.
After hearing Zhi Gui's words, Xia Xun shook her head secretly.
With He Cong's mind, how could he win Qi Yan
Then, after a few days of his birthday, the wound on his neck gradually improved, and the bump on his head never disappeared.
The prescription prescribed by the doctor contains Nuxyche, which has miraculous effects in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, but it is itself poisonous, and if you eat too much, you will convulse and die.
When Xia Xun was in Lingnan, she often heard that someone's child ate it by mistake and died.
This kind of medicinal material is not found in the Central Plains, and only grows in the Lingnan area, so it is extremely expensive in Beijing.
Xia Xun and her eldest brother used to be herb pickers for a few days, picking various herbs in the dense forest that stretched for hundreds of miles, including nux.
Collecting herbs is a hard job, you can't earn much money, and you have to beware of scorpions and poisonous snakes in the mountains.
As soon as Xia Xun heard that there was a lot of money in the prescription, she refused to drink it no matter what.
In the past in Xia Mansion, he didn't like to drink medicine, and often poured out the medicine quietly.
Every time he poured the medicine secretly, Yuzhu would always find out, and when he found out, he would bark loudly, wishing to spread the word, so that everyone in the world would know that Xia Xun was doing something bad.
Now it is buried in the ground forever, and it will never cry again.
Xia Xun pressed the bag on the top of his head, and the soreness and pain reminded him that this was a punishment for not following the doctor's advice.
He had nothing to do in his free time, so he sat by the lake and fed the fish. He fed a pool of koi until their bellies rounded, looking from a distance like a group of carp rice cakes that could float.
Zhigui once asked him:
"My lord, I heard that you like carpentry? Your lord has prepared all the tools for you, why don't you go and have a look? It's good to pass the time by using your hands."
Xia Xun asked her back:
"I asked you to count the red carp before, have you counted them clearly? How many are there?"
She was stunned: "This... slave..."
Xia Xun sprinkled the fish food in her hand on the lake, and the koi fish shuttled back and forth among each other, their colorful skin shone with golden light under the sun.
Qi Hui appeared at this time, he leaned forward to salute Xia Xun, and then walked in front of him:
"My lord, I received an order from His Majesty today. My lord is going to Gyeongju in a few days. He asked his subordinates to come and inform you. Then please go with him."
Xia Xun asked inexplicably, "Why?!"
Qi Hui explained in a good-tempered manner:
"My lord's exact words, if he leaves the capital, the young master will definitely leave without saying goodbye."
Xia Xun stood up vigorously:
"Where is the other person? I'll go find him!"
Qi Hui said that Qi Yan had official duties and would not be back until late at night.
Xia Xun glared at him, and Qi Hui avoided his gaze.
Xia Xun sneered:
"So he sent you to pass the message? He knows I'm embarrassed to embarrass you?"
Qi Hui bowed his head respectfully, not saying a word, not even changing his expression.
Seeing his resignation, Xia Xun held her breath in her chest, unable to move up or down.
"... Forget it." He waved his hand, "You go."
Qi Hui left quickly.
After he left, the bump on Xia Xun's head started to hurt again, and he didn't bother to look at the carp anymore, so he turned and went into the house.
Zhi Gui followed behind him, hesitant to speak.
After Xia Xun sat down at the table, she walked over and saluted lightly.
Xia Xun immediately said:
"Don't salute me! It's definitely not a good thing for the servants of your Qi Mansion to salute!"
Zhigui smiled shyly:
"My son was right, slave... I really have an unfeeling request."
Xia Xun turned her head:
"Don't look for me, look for your adults."
Zhigui stopped talking.
She poured a cup of tea for Xia Xun, stood beside him quietly, waiting for his next order with downcast eyes, without complaining or begging.
Xia Xun took a sip from her teacup and glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
She noticed, and smiled.
In the end, Xia Xun gave in. He sighed and put down his teacup:
"... Alright! Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Zhi Gui's eyes suddenly lit up:
"My lord, when you go to Qingzhou this time, can you please tell your lord to allow the servants to go with you? Along the way, the servants can still serve you!"
When Xia Xun thought of going with Qi Yan, she really couldn't put on a good face, and asked impatiently:
"Gyeongju has no beautiful scenery or delicious food. What are you going to do? Are you looking at the city wall?"
Zhigui twisted the handkerchief, saying it was not so.
She told Xia Xun:
"Qingzhou is the hometown of the slave girl. The slave girl was sold to the Qi Mansion by her family when she was nine years old. Since then, she has been far away from her hometown and has never been back. The slave girl has not heard from her family for several years. I don't know if her parents are still alive. If they are still there, The slave girl promises that she will only take a look at them from a distance and never see them! If the parents have passed away, the slave girl... can at least cry once in front of the tomb, and it will be regarded as repaying their love for their children."
Xia Xun thought for a while and asked, "Are you from Gyeongju?"
Zhigui said yes.
"But how do I feel..." He paused: "Forget it, I promise you it is."
Zhigui is about to kneel and kowtow.
Xia Xun stopped her:
"No need, I have something to ask."
Zhigui raised his moist eyes, and looked at him with sparkle:
"Young master, please tell me, Zhigui will go through fire and water as your son."
Xia Xun said: "You don't need to go through fire and water, as long as you go to your lord, if you can persuade him not to take me, I can kowtow to you, three kowtows will do."
Zhi Gui thought about it seriously, and said to him:
"Why don't you... slaves go and try?"
Xia Xun was taken aback for a moment, and withdrew her hand that was supporting her:
"Okay, I'm joking, do you really take it seriously? If Qi Yan hears this, he will drive you out. Why are you so brave?"
Zhi Gui whispered:
"The servant is not trying to be brave, the servant is seeing that you are so reluctant, thinking..."
Xia Xun interrupted her:
"Don't think about it, just wait and go back to your hometown."
Zhigui thanked you again and again.
She was overjoyed, but Xia Xun was frustrated.
On the day of departure, Xia Xun saw a plain carriage outside the Qifu Gate.
There is no complicated decoration in the carriage, and the appearance is ordinary, which is the style commonly used by ordinary people.
There were very few people in the entourage, and Qi Hui was the only one.
Qi Yan was waiting for him beside the carriage.
Zhigui followed Xia Xun, obviously nervous.
When Xia Xun saw Qi Yan, she said to him:
"I want to bring fat back together."
Qi Yan passed him, and glanced at Zhi Gui as if examining him.
Zhi Gui clenched his sleeves tightly, his hands trembling slightly.
Qi Yan stared at her for a while, and finally said:
"It's okay, as long as you're happy."
The tense strings in Zhi Gui's heart suddenly loosened, his legs suddenly went limp, and he almost fell limp to the ground.
Xia Xun saw it, and ordered Zhigui:
"Why don't you help me into the car?"
Zhigui hurried forward.
Xia Xun pretended to ask her to help her, but secretly held her arm instead, supported her body, and whispered to her:
"Persevere, don't let Qi Yan see it."
Zhi Gui glanced at him gratefully, then quickly lowered his head.
Qingzhou is to the north of the capital, and it takes less than ten days to drive a horse-drawn carriage.
For Xia Xun, ten days was long enough.
He sat by the window, looking out of the car through the thin screen.
At Qi Yan's hand was a pouch made of sheep's belly, which contained the medicine he wanted to drink.
His injuries are not yet fully healed.
He lifted the pouch, opened the lid, and a sour and pungent smell came out, filling the entire compartment.
When Xia Xun smelled it, the tip of her tongue felt bitter.
The dark concoction was still warm, and the bitterness became stronger as the heat evaporated.
Qi Yan frowned, brought the pouch to his mouth, held his breath and poured the medicine into his mouth.
He drank too fast and choked after he swallowed a few sips.
He covered his mouth with his hands and coughed violently, the medicine juice kept leaking from between his fingers and fell on the ground, as if he was vomiting blood.
The black concoction covered his nose and mouth, and some of it flowed down his chin to his neck, staining the collar of his clothes black.
Xia Xun said coldly:
"Master Zhongshu, why is he so embarrassed to drink medicine?"
Qi Yan only cares about coughing.
Xia Xun couldn't stand it anymore, he sat closer, and asked with disgust:
"I don't have a handkerchief on me, where is yours?"
Qi Yan said intermittently:
"Today, I left in a hurry... cough cough! Many things... I didn't bring..."
Xia Xun looked at him for a while.
His lips were pale, and his cheeks were unnaturally red from coughing.
Xia Xun raised her hand, pressed her sleeve on the back of Qi Yan's hand, and wiped off the leaked medicinal juice.
Qi Yan's cough gradually subsided, and he slowly raised his eyes to look at Xia Xun.
In the dark carriage, his eyes were still burning brightly.
Xia Xun was startled, and was about to withdraw her hand, but was suddenly held firmly by Qi Yan.
Qi Yan grabbed his hand, put his palm against her mouth, gently rubbed the back of his hand, and bit her teeth hard on his fingertips.
Xia Xun withdrew her hand suddenly, annoyed and annoyed:
"What are you doing again?!"
Qi Yan didn't answer, but stared at him deeply.
Xia Xun turned her head away:
"If you stop coughing, drink up the medicine, don't let it smell bitter, it smells disgusting!"
He sat in the seat farthest from Qi Yan just now.
Qi Yan touched his lips, where the touch of Xia Xun's fingers still remained.
He rubbed the medicine juice off his chin with the back of his hand, lifted the sac, and drank the liquid in the bag.