In the darkness, Ji Yujin’s eyes turned red, and his voice was slightly hoarse. “Alright.”
He gently pulled out Chu Fengqing, who was buried in his arms. Chu Fengqing was thin-skinned and felt a little embarrassed.
Chu Fengqing lowered his eyes and didn’t look at him much. He was still wondering in his heart. He didn’t expect that it would be so smooth.
The next moment, he felt a slight warmth on his forehead. Ji Yujin kissed his forehead and said to him in a hoarse voice, “If you were a little puppet, I would put you in my pocket and take you away.”
“But, Qing’er, this time is different from last time. You may not even have a bed to sleep on. You are not afraid, but I am. I can’t bear to take you there. Why should my family’s good physician like you, Physician Chu, suffer that kind of hardship?”
“I’m reluctant to part.”
Ji Yujin paused and said, “Besides, auntie and sister are already on their way to the capital. If you go with me, what will happen to them?”
He said a lot, but not a single word mentioned Chu Fengqing’s body. In fact, that was the most critical factor.
Chu Fengqing pursed his lips. He knew very well that he couldn’t go. If he went, he might not be able to help much and might even cause more trouble. What he said just now was just an impulsive remark.
He placed his forehead on Ji Yujin’s chest and said, “Then you must come back safely.”
As he spoke, he gently bumped his forehead against his chest. “It’s finalized. That means you agree to it.”
Ji Yujin was slightly stunned, his heart burning, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Chu Fengqing heard the voice and looked at him with a frown.
Ji Yujin took advantage of this opportunity to kiss him, prying his lips open with his tongue, and then he whispered, “What happened just now doesn’t count. This is the seal.”
“I promise you.”
No matter how reluctant he is, there is always a time to say goodbye.
Chu Fengqing was wearing a fox fur coat. He only sent Ji Yujin out of the mansion and did not send him any further. Ji Yujin kept chattering for a long time. They talked all night last night, but he always felt that he had not given enough instructions and kept repeating the same things over and over again.
“A group of refugees have also poured into the capital. Don’t go out unless it’s important. If you have something to do, ask Qing Niao to look for Li Yu.”
“When I’m not around, you can go back to live in the Chu Residence. You’ll have more company.”
“Auntie and sister are coming to the capital, and I can’t even entertain them. Help me entertain them. Thank you for your hard work.”
“When I’m not in the capital, no matter who summons you, you don’t have to go. Just use my token to block it. Especially the Princes. The Seventh Prince is a little different now. If you meet him, avoid him if you can.”
“If you’ve been wronged, write it down in the little notebook I prepared for you. When I come back, I’ll take you to get it back. If you don’t want to endure it, go to the Xichang, or go find Li Yu, and take them to get it back.”
“The weather won’t warm up until early March, so don’t take off your clothes. Make sure to carry your asthma medicine with you. If you have any questions, write to me.”
“I will send a letter home every three days, so you don’t have to bother to reply.”
Ji Yujin paused and said, “Of course I would be happier if you replied to me.”
Chu Fengqing did not interrupt him this time, even though he had heard these words no less than three times. He hung the medicine sachet he had made yesterday on his waist and said in a voice as clear as the sky, “Come back home soon.”
The word “home” he said made Ji Yujin’s body stiffen slightly, and his eyes showed a complicated look. He was afraid that Chu Fengqing would see the clues, so he lowered his eyes and stared at the medicine sachet. The eye-catching word “Qing” on the medicine bag made his eyes change again.
“Qing?”
Chu Fengqing pursed his lips and pretended not to know: “What’s wrong?”
Ji Yujin curled his lips, his fox eyes smiling wantonly, “Nothing.”
He lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear him and said, “Qing’er, is this considered a declaration of sovereignty?”
Chu Fengqing’s expression did not change after his secret thoughts were exposed, but his earlobes were quietly stained with crimson. He tried his best to appear calm. “So what?”
Ji Yujin shook his head and smiled like a flower. “I just want to say that you don’t have to do it. Me, myself can’t wait to carve the word “Qing” on my face so that everyone in the world can see it—”
“Don’t worry, I am yours in life and death. No one can take me away from you.”
When it comes to love speech, even ten Chu Fengqings are no match for one Ji Yujin.
Seeing that the time of departure was approaching, Ji Yujin could not say anything more, no matter how reluctant he was. He wanted to hug Chu Fengqing tightly in his arms, but this only made him more reluctant.
In the end, he just restrained himself and gently hugged Chu Fengqing and said with a smile, “I will be back as soon as possible, wait for me.”
Chu Fengqing said, “En,” and “Hope everything goes well.”
The emperor specially saw Ji Yujin and his party off at the city gate. After drinking a glass of strong liquor, everyone smashed the bowls. With the sound of porcelain bowls breaking, Ji Yujin set off.
On the third day after Ji Yujin left the capital, Mother Chu and Chu Yinyin arrived in the capital.
Chu Fengqing went outside the city specifically to pick them up, and the person taking care of them was Chang Wang, Chu Fengqing’s follower who had followed him since childhood.
Chang Wang was driving the carriage. He saw Chu Fengqing standing in the rain pavilion, waiting from afar. His eyes instantly turned red. He shouted into the carriage, “Madam, Young Lady, the Young Master is here to pick you guys up.”
Mother Chu hurriedly lifted the door curtain and looked ahead.
Chu Fengqing has a tall and straight figure, with his black hair tied up with a jade crown, and the white fox fur makes him look even fairer.
Mother Chu saw it from afar, her vision blurred, and her hand holding the curtain of the sedan trembled slightly. “Good, good, good, as long as he is safe.”
There was another woman in the carriage with a beautiful face who looked seventy percent similar to Chu Fengqing, but their temperaments were completely different. She was supporting Mother Chu, her eyes slightly red. “Mothed, don’t cry, Second Brother will be sad when he sees you later.”
Mother Chu nodded, “Yeah.”
Both of them were dressed very simply, with just a few plain hairpins on their heads.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Chu Fengqing went to meet them.
Chang Wang bowed and said, “Young Master.”
Chu Fengqing helped him up. “Thanks to you for all this time.”
Chang Wang grinned and sniffed, “Young Master is too polite.”
Chu Yinyin’s temperament was more lively than Chu Fengqing. She jumped off the carriage without anyone’s help. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Chu Fengqing was quick to help her up, but she didn’t care much.
She said in a clear voice, “Second Brother!”
Chu Yinyin has a pair of clear and lively eyes like a deer. The most different thing between the two is their eyes.
Chu Fengqing tapped her head, a smile flashing in his eyes: “Still so naughty.”
Chu Yinyin was not convinced. “This is not called naughty, this is called informal.”
Chu Fengqing looked at her with a headache. Sometimes he wondered if Chu Yinyin was born into the wrong family. She should be Ji Yujin’s sister. The Chu family has strict family rules, and he didn’t know how she could have such a lively personality.
“Qing’er.”
Chu Fengqing turned around and saluted to Mother Chu, “Mother.”
Mother Chu couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw Chu Fengqing and stroked his face with her hand. “Why have you lost so much weight, child? You’ve suffered so much.”
Chu Fengqing was slightly startled. His mother, who used to take good care of herself, now had several more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her jet-black hair was mixed with some silver threads, and the veins on the back of her hands were bulging. She didn’t look like the noble lady before at all.
He clenched his fists and tried his best to calm himself down. “Child is not suffering, but you, mother, you’ve suffered.”
“Let’s go back home, father is waiting for you guys.”
When Chu Fengqing mentioned Chu Zhengyin, Mother Chu’s eyes lit up slightly. “Is your father alright?”
Chu Fengqing pursed his lips, “Father…”
She knew her own son well. When she saw him hesitating, she knew that something might have happened to Father Chu.
Mother Chu’s eyes sank, and she was obviously quite flustered. “Let’s go back and see your father first.”
When they arrived at the residence, the usually dignified Mother Chu walked towards the inner courtyard in a disorderly manner. She did not wait for Chu Fengqing and the others. When she arrived at the inner courtyard, she saw Father Chu sitting in the pavilion looking at the lake. She stopped, tucked the hair around her ears, and straightened her not-so-nice clothes. Then she called softly, “Master?”
Chu Fengqing looked over with some worry. The medicine was too harmful. He came here every day to give acupuncture and decoction, and he also updated the daily prescription, but Chu Zhengyin’s spirit was still up and down. When he was sick, he stared blankly at one place, and no one could wake him. It was not that he ignored people, but his perception of the outside world was too weak, and he didn’t know that they were calling him. In this case, he could only let time slowly heal him.
He is now afraid that his mother’s emotions will fluctuate too much.
Sure enough, after Mother Chu called out to Father Chu several times, it seemed as if he didn’t hear her. He just stared blankly ahead, motionless.
Mother Chu turned to look at Chu Fengqing, her eyes red and full of disbelief.
“What happened to him?”
Chu Fengqing was speechless after being asked. Chu Yinyin pulled the corner of Chu Qingfeng’s clothes, tightening them tighter and tighter, with a trace of sadness in her eyes.
Mother Chu took a few more steps closer, walking cautiously, and called out again, “Zhengyin?”
These two words seemed to turn on a switch in Father Chu. He curled his fingers, then his upper body, and then turned around very slowly. He stared at Mother Chu with misty eyes, as if everything around him was strange to him.
Chu Fengqing was a little surprised. In the past few days, no one could wake his father up whenever he had an attack. He didn’t expect that he would respond to his mother’s voice.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to disturb him. After a moment, he finally opened his mouth and called out silently, “Su Mei?”
Mother Chu nodded quickly and cried with joy: “Yes.”
Father Chu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and his tone became firmer: “Su Mei?!”
Mother Chu sat next to him and wiped the stains on his face with a handkerchief, crying and laughing: “Yes, it’s me, I’m back, Zhengyin.”
A smile also appeared on Father Chu’s face, although it was unconscious, he also had infinite trust in Mother Chu.
Chu Fengqing took the opportunity to take his pulse, thinking that perhaps his mother could help him get better by staying by his side.
In the evening, Father Chu regained consciousness briefly. Chu Fengqing stood in the yard and looked at the brightly lit Chu Residence. Steaming hot food was placed on the table, and charcoal was burning under the table, which was very warm.
He was in a trance for a moment, and then he said softly, “Really great.”
On the second day, Chu Fengqing took Chu Yinyin to the Chu family’s ancestral hall. Compared to last year’s New Year’s Day ancestral worship, there was one more spirit tablet in the hall.
After the Chu family was rehabilitated, the eldest brother, Chu Feng, was posthumously named the great general guarding the nation and granted a title, but his body has never been found.
Chu Fengqing handed three incense sticks to Chu Yinyin and took three more and lit them.
In the thick smoke, the two kneeled on the futon. Chu Fengqing looked at the smoke climbing up and said, “Brother, the Chu family’s case has been vindicated, and I have taken mother and Yinyin back to the capital. I will take good care of them, don’t worry.”
Chu Yinyin couldn’t hold it back for a moment, tears streaming down her face, she choked and said, “Brother, you’re a liar. You said you would give me a bow for the Spring Festival this year, and I waited so long ah, but now you don’t want to give it to me anymore.”
“Wuwu.” She wiped her eyes and felt it was too sad, so she said, “Brother, I was just kidding. I won’t play around anymore. I will help Second Brother take care of the house.”
Chu Fengqing: “Mother and father won’t come to see you. This time you are unfilial. It is unreasonable for you to let the elders worship you.”
“If there really is an afterlife, you have to pay it back. When the time comes, come to find us.”
Chu Yinyin bit her lip and stared at the familiar name. Her eyes were blurred by tears again. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Wuwuwu, I don’t want to endure it anymore, brother, I hate you! You said you were invincible, but you lied to me!”
……
On the other side, Ji Yujin and others went ahead, followed by supplies. They rode horses faster and reached the disaster area in a few days.
He stood on the city wall and looked down with a dark gaze. He felt that what Li Yu said was a little light. This was simply hell on earth.
No one looked like a human being. Half of the houses in the city were washed away by the flood. The streets were full of mud, and the silt was so thick that if one sank their feet into it, they had to work hard to pull themselves out.
Many of the refugees here were already starving to death, so they had no strength to move. Some of them got their feet stuck in the mud, unable to pull them out, and died of thirst and starvation. The people around them were used to it and pretended not to see anything.
Such absurd incidents are common here.
The son is no longer the son, and the father is no longer the father, so how can they help an outsider in vain? Not to mention, they can’t help either.
This is just a small town, the big city would be even more horrible.
Ji Yujin summoned all local officials to understand the current situation first.
The local officials wanted to complain, but Ji Yujin didn’t want to give in to them. He put one foot on the chair, threw a dagger on the ground, and said with a smile, “If there are people who can’t speak next time, just cut off their tongues.”
The author has something to say:
Hey, the two people won’t be apart for long—they’ll meet again soon.
