Heaven is the shore of mortal dust - Chapter 46
Wei Zijun gestured for Liu Yunde to be quiet, then pulled him to the window and gestured for him to jump. Liu Yunde felt a surge of bitterness; what kind of evil second brother was this, wanting to treat him like this? A wave of sourness washed over him.
Seeing that he stubbornly refused to move, she pushed him down. After committing the despicable act of silencing him, Wei Zijun clapped her hands, put on her clothes, and then realized that she had been too nervous. What did it matter if two men slept together? She had been too anxious and forgot her "man" identity. She laughed self-deprecatingly and opened the door.
"Fourth Brother!" The man in the cloud-patterned brocade robe rushed in, bringing a refreshing breeze.
"Second Brother!" Wei Zijun looked at his outstretched arms, hesitated for a moment, but still went up and hugged his neck. She really missed him.
"Zijun, your second brother misses you." Li Tianqi hugged Wei Zijun tightly, buried his head in her neck, and after a while, raised his head, "Come and give your second brother a kiss." He then leaned in to kiss her face.
Li Tianqi couldn't understand why he, who was usually calm and proper, would act this way when he met his fourth brother. He didn't understand why his feelings for this fourth brother were different from his feelings for his other brothers. With others, he always maintained a gentlemanly and detached relationship, but with this fourth brother, he missed him terribly. When he met his other brothers, he would greet them with laughter and polite greetings, carefully observing etiquette. But when he saw this fourth brother, he wanted to hug him tightly and couldn't help but want to kiss his smooth, white face, making him completely forget about manners.
"Second Brother—" Wei Zijun forcefully pushed away Li Tianqi's face, pulling him down to sit. "Second Brother, is the battle over?"
"Hmm! How can I come to see you if I don't finish playing?" Li Tianqi pinched her cheek; it felt incredibly nice.
"When did you arrive? Where is Third Brother?" She noticed that Chen Chang hadn't come.
“I arrived last night, but it was too late and you were already asleep, so I came to block your bed early this morning. Gongzhi will likely have to stay and guard the border, as the garrison commander there has been killed in battle.”
"Oh? Then we won't see Third Brother for a long time?"
"What? You still miss him after seeing me?" Li Tianqi grabbed her hand. "Don't think about him anymore. Come on, look what I brought you."
Li Tianqi pulled Wei Zijun downstairs, where she saw several black-clad guards standing. Beside them on the ground was a lidded vessel resembling a four-cornered bronze cauldron, with hanging rings at its four corners and a meander pattern carved all over its surface. "What is this?" Wei Zijun asked curiously.
Li Tianqi gestured to the guards, "Open it!"
The guards hurriedly pried open the lid by the four corners, and a blast of cold air billowed out from the cauldron. Upon closer inspection, sparse green patterns were visible beneath the broken ice inside. "Iced watermelon!" Wei Zijun exclaimed excitedly. She immediately ordered Liu Lang to bring a knife to cut it.
"Eating so early? You haven't had breakfast yet, won't the cold food upset your stomach?" Li Tianqi asked with some concern.
"No, I'm thirsty!" She finished cutting the entire watermelon. She picked up a slice and handed it to Li Tianqi, who shook his head. "I brought it for you to eat."
He then handed a few more slices to Liu Lang and the guards. The guards, seeing this, dared not accept them. They knew that these were watermelons brought as tribute, and as servants, they could only look at them; they dared not eat them.
Wei Zijun looked at Li Tianqi, indicating that he should ask them to take it. Li Tianqi smiled wryly and said, "This was brought all the way from the capital for you, so don't worry about this or that."
“But they must be thirsty. Did you carry all this heavy stuff here?” Wei Zijun was annoyed that Li Tianqi didn’t care about his subordinates.
Helpless, Li Tianqi ordered his subordinates, "Take them all."
Only a few guards dared to take the watermelon. Wei Zijun also picked up a piece and took a bite. "Mmm! So sweet, delicious! What kind of watermelon is this?"
"This is a tribute melon, how could it not be sweet? It's been kept chilled since summer, even the concubines in the palace can't get to eat it anymore." Li Tianqi watched her eat with a smile and wiped the melon juice off her face.
"Hmm, no wonder it tastes so good." Wei Zijun didn't think about why she could still eat it when the other concubines couldn't.
He picked up another slice of watermelon, and his eyes caught sight of a figure outside the door. "Liu Lang, call Liu Yunde in."
Seeing Liu Yunde's dejected expression, a pang of guilt swept over him, and he stuffed a large slice of watermelon into Liu's hand.
Liu Yunde turned his face away in a huff, refusing to take the watermelon, and glared at Li Tianqi. He wanted to see what kind of devilish second brother had made her throw him out of the third-floor window.
The two men's eyes met, and they were both taken aback.
Liu Yunde stared intently at Li Tianqi. No wonder she wanted to throw him out; this so-called second brother was indeed handsome, with a clear and refreshing aura like the wind from the grasslands, and those piercing eyes reminiscent of the sun. A wave of bitterness welled up instantly. He turned to look at Wei Zijun, but something seemed amiss, so he looked back. This face... why does it seem so familiar?
Li Tianqi also stared at him in a daze. The handsome face made him feel a little dazed. He seemed to have seen this person somewhere before.
Seeing the two staring at each other, Wei Zijun stepped forward and teased, "Gentlemen, it's already broad daylight. Are you awake?"
The two turned their heads at the same time, and Wei Zijun was slightly surprised. "No wonder you two appreciate each other so much. It turns out you are so alike."
Indeed, she found that the two had about 60-70% similar facial features, but their temperaments were completely different.
Upon hearing this, the two suddenly realized why they felt a sense of déjà vu.
Wei Zijun gave a brief introduction to the two, and Liu Yunde simply gave a cold "hmm".
The workers who lived in the shop had all come downstairs, and Wei Zijun called out, "Come over here and eat watermelon."
With so many people talking, in the blink of an eye, all that was left of the watermelons was just the rind.
Li Tianqi couldn't help but smile wryly. This watermelon had been transported all the way from the capital, and he himself hadn't even dared to touch it, yet she had given it all to the servants without a second thought. You see, after months of fighting, when the Emperor asked him what reward he wanted, he had given up gold, silver, and brocade, choosing only this watermelon—something priceless—and yet she had given it all away in an instant.
"Huh? Why isn't this ice melting? This cauldron is pretty good! How about we buy a melon and put it in to keep it warm?" Wei Zijun looked at the cauldron, amazed at how it could keep things warm.
Li Tianqi angrily tapped Wei Zijun on the forehead, "Where would you find melons at this time? They were all gone by August, it's October now. And that wasn't a cauldron, it was an ice chest."
"I see!" Wei Zijun hadn't considered whether there were any watermelons left. She'd been so preoccupied with the Danhe Tower matter that she'd forgotten to buy her favorite watermelon. Watermelons must be a rare treat right now, yet Li Tianqi had gone to such lengths to bring them. She was deeply moved. "Thank you, Second Brother… for coming all this way…"
"Alright," Li Tianqi interrupted Wei Zijun, "Hurry up and pack your things, we're setting off for Yuhang today to visit Qiantang Lake."
[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 41 Identity]
Standing at the bow of the boat, gazing at the rolling waves of the Grand Canal, Wei Zijun was filled with mixed emotions. She thought of Yang Jian's foresight and the infamy Yang Guang bore for building the canal. Yet, the relentless flow of history could not obscure this remarkable achievement, which continues to benefit people today. Did their heroic spirits now linger on the canal? Was it a sense of relief, or regret?
Li Tianqi stared at the slender figure at the bow of the ship. Tall and thin, she stood against the wind, her white robes fluttering as if she were about to transform into feathers and fly away. On her fair face, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her expression solemn, and her gaze was fixed on the distance, as unfathomable as a deep pool.
He turned to the woman beside him and said, "How about it? My fourth brother is quite dashing, isn't he!"
"She is naturally more charming than you, more handsome, and more feminine. She must also be better at taking care of people than you," the woman in the light blue ruqun commented, her beautiful watery eyes filled with laughter.
"What! Is this what you call love at first sight? You wouldn't be trying to seduce my fourth brother, would you? Hahaha..." Li Tianqi laughed, flicking the hem of his cloud-patterned brocade robe as his athletic figure strode out of the cabin, leaving the people around him behind as he walked towards Wei Zijun. "What is Zijun thinking about?"