Мир боевых искусств — это яма

Глава 129

Zi Yingfeng glanced at Zi Jin, who was adjusting his clothes, and smiled slightly: "Jin'er, let's go out and take a look. The hibiscus flowers should be blooming by now..."

Zi Jin frowned and said in a low voice, "'Bu Ri Gu' is covered in snow all year round, and there are no hibiscus flowers there..."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zi Yingfeng's eyes as he murmured, "Is that so?"

Zi Jin glanced out the window and then said, "Although there are no hibiscus flowers here, the plum blossoms are blooming beautifully. Would you like to go take a look?"

Zi Yingfeng turned his head to the side and smiled, "Alright."

Zi Jin got up and went outside, only to see the old woman who had just left standing outside.

The old woman smiled slightly at Zi Jin: "I've already had them take care of it."

Before long, the four of them brought out a small bed, covered with thick quilts and animal fur. They carried Zi Yinfeng onto the bed, and Zi Jin wrapped the heaviest cloak around him and covered him with two layers of quilts, still feeling uneasy.

The bright red plum blossoms outside the pavilion were in exceptionally vibrant bloom. The dappled sunlight melted away the snowflakes on the plum blossoms, and the glistening water droplets adorned each blossom with a captivating allure.

The plum blossoms resembled the smiling face of a young woman in her late teens; though cool and elegant, they were full of vitality.

Inside the pavilion, four braziers were placed around the small bed.

With a smile on her lips, Zi Jin sat on the bed, letting Zi Yinfeng lean against her chest, and pointed to the plum grove in the distance: "Look over there, you can't see so many winter plums in the Moon Kingdom."

Zi Yingfeng glanced at Zi Jin sideways and asked, "Do you...like this place?"

Zi Jin's heart felt like it was in a sweltering steamer, making it hard to breathe: "I like it... As long as Father is well, we can stay here forever, okay?... If Father misses Sister... and the General's wife, I'll find a way to bring them here... okay?"

Zi Yingfeng gazed into the distance for a long time, and then, with his still-movable hand, he grasped Zi Jin's hand: "Jin'er, shall Father tell you a story?"

Zi Jin smiled, concealing the tears in her eyes: "Of course, I'd love to hear Father's story."

Zi Yingfeng leaned weakly against Zi Jin, a look of disorientation on his face: "When Yaochen Dynasty was founded, the Zi family was the most powerful of the three great families that made great contributions to the founding of the dynasty. Unfortunately, the head of the Zi family died young without an heir, and the collateral branches of the family framed each other in order to seize the position of head of the Zi family. The founding emperor at that time saw that Yaochen was gradually stabilizing, so he took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to concentrate imperial power. Without a head of family and with the people's hearts scattered, the Zi family, the first great family, was naturally the first to be taken away by the emperor from military and political power. Under the deliberate suppression of the court and the internal strife of the family, the Zi family never recovered."

Zi Yingfeng paused slightly, then continued, "Since then, no member of the Zi clan, whether scholar or military officer, has risen above the fifth rank. My father was a rare genius, proficient in both civil and military affairs. Although he was only a minor sixth-rank military officer, he harbored lofty ambitions and only wanted to serve the country. In the tenth year of the Yanzai era, the water conservancy in Jiangnan was neglected, and my uncle, the head of the Jun clan, was stripped of his military power due to the Empress's wrath..."

"Cough...cough cough...cough cough cough..." Zi Yingfeng leaned weakly against Zi Jin and coughed violently.

"Father is tired. Let's tell Jin'er about it tomorrow," Zi Jin said, frowning as she stroked Zi Yingfeng's chest.

“No, let me finish.” Zi Yingfeng took a breath and continued, “That same year, my uncle sent my eldest and second cousins to my house, instructing my father to protect their lives. My father, of course, knew the gravity of the situation and dared not be careless, staying by my cousins’ side almost every day. But… that day… my mother and I went to the temple, and when we returned… my father and cousins had already been brutally murdered by thieves… cough cough…”

Zi Yingfeng leaned against Zi Jin for a long time before catching his breath, then continued, disregarding everything else, "Later, my uncle took me into his home and carefully nurtured me. After moving in with him, I was always depressed, and my aunt, Yi Wan, who was two years younger than me, stayed by my side every day. When I won first place in the martial arts competition at the age of fourteen, I secretly vowed to make a name for myself so that I could marry my aunt in a grand and glorious way. Although I inherited my father's talent, I also inherited the curse of my Zi family's lack of success in officialdom. My uncle ran around for me and finally got me a sinecure of the seventh rank. I was depressed all day because of this, but my aunt did not despise me for it and comforted me with kind words every day... cough cough... cough cough cough cough... At that time, I thought that as long as I, Zi Yingfeng, lived, I would never abandon my aunt... cough cough cough cough... cough cough..."

Zi Jin's eyes shimmered with tears: "I know Father's suffering. It wasn't Father's fault before. Father did nothing wrong. The only mistake was that person who insisted on forcing things and stole Father's happiness..."

"Cough cough...cough cough cough...not...cough...that's not it...Jin'er, let me finish..."

Zi Jin lowered her head: "Father said, Father said, don't worry, Jin'er is listening..."

"At sixteen, I had gradually lost interest in a career in government when fate unexpectedly presented me with a tremendous opportunity. I painstakingly used all my knowledge and skills, and within three months, at the cost of three thousand soldiers, slayed the monster, winning the emperor's favor. He bestowed upon me the title of 'General-King,' granting me the salary of a prince, a hereditary title. I was overjoyed; not only could I marry my aunt in grand style, but the Zi clan would no longer have to suffer the hardships of a career in government… But unexpectedly… just as I was about to propose… the emperor and empress's decree preemptively bestowed upon me the title of ruler… At that time…" Drinking every day, what a cruel joke fate has played on me… In just seven days, I went from a general, envied by all and with a promising future, to a concubine of the Empress… How could I accept this… What have all my years of hard work amounted to? …Nothing but a joke… If it weren’t for my mother, I would rather commit suicide in front of the palace than enter the palace to become the Empress… My sister-in-law, Yiwan, cries every day, and my uncle shakes his head and sighs. To avoid implicating my uncle’s family and the few remaining branches of my Zi clan… I have only one path… That is to enter the palace to become the Empress…”

Zi Yingfeng turned his head slightly, took Zi Jin's hand, looked into Zi Jin's eyes, and said softly, "As for the rest, I don't know how much you know, but I don't want to recall it anymore... I'm not trying to absolve myself now, I just want to tell you... I regret it... I regret it so much... I don't know when I fell in love with her, but when she lay there silently, I realized what heartbreak meant, I realized what despair meant..."

“Cough…After that, I locked myself in my room every day, afraid to face anyone, even myself. The Dugu clan rebelled first…I had just stepped out of Taiping Pavilion to volunteer to quell the rebellion for her…but the Emperor and Empress rejected me…The Emperor and Empress said: ‘The Empress has no heir, so it seems that the Yaochen Dynasty has come to an end…’I was filled with remorse…At that time, although I wanted to help my uncle seize power, I did not intend to kill her…After thinking it over…it was just a life after all…I should just return it to her…But who knew that Jun Ying would knock my sword away…cough cough cough cough…cough cough…”

Zi Jin dared not raise her eyes, afraid that he would see her tears, nor did she dare stop him from continuing. She could only keep stroking Zi Yingfeng's chest.

"That night... I learned... that the sister-in-law I'd always loved was actually the legitimate son of the Jun family, raised as a girl from a young age to avoid being harmed. My two deceased cousins were merely scapegoats sent out by my uncle, and even my father... I was furious. I rushed in and killed that old scoundrel with a single sword stroke... My sister-in-law, seeing this, fled, taking my mother hostage... and told me that I'd been poisoned since I moved into the Jun family at age eleven... without the Jun family's unique antidote, I wouldn't live past thirty... cough cough... I think... no one can understand how I felt then... My mother understood the cause and effect from the conversation and immediately committed suicide by that man's sword... With red eyes, I chopped that man into pieces... I swore an oath before Jun Ying and my mother... that I would follow Jun Ying as a slave, a lowly servant... determined to unify the world under the Empress... cough cough..."

Zi Yinfeng leaned against Zi Jin's chest, looking at the plum blossoms in the distance: "Will Jin'er forgive me?"

Zi Jin wrapped her arms around Zi Yinfeng's waist, a smile playing on her lips: "Back then I was young... I didn't understand Father's forbearance and hardship... I didn't understand Father's helplessness... I only thought about myself and forgot to think about Father. So Jin'er doesn't blame Father. She and I never thought about Father. We only took things by force and forgot Father's feelings. So she never blamed Father until she died... not even a little bit."

Joy flashed in Zi Yingfeng's eyes, his eyebrows slightly raised, and his face, warmed by the fire, had become quite rosy. He looked as radiant and full of life as when they first met. He slowly sat up straight, took Zi Jin's hand, and looked into the distance: "Jin'er...look how beautiful the plum blossoms are in the distance...I've never seen such beautiful plum blossoms before...If there is an afterlife...will you roam with me through this secluded plum blossom valley?"

Zi Jin felt a sharp pain in her chest. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No...no next life...as long as Father lives well, we'll stay here forever, and Jin'er will never leave again, okay?"

Zi Yingfeng leaned gently against Zi Jin's shoulder, a dazed smile on his face: "Jin'er... Jin'er, Jin'er, Jin'er... If there is an afterlife... I will definitely find you first... watch over you... protect you... and never let you suffer again..."

"No afterlife! No afterlife! I will not grant you an afterlife! You are not allowed to die! You are not allowed to die! Zi Xiaofeng! I command you not to die! I command you not to die! Or I will exterminate the Zi clan! Exterminate your Zi clan! Zi Xiaofeng... please don't die... don't die... I will not grant you an afterlife... I do not believe in an afterlife..."

"...Forgive me, Your Majesty...I cannot...obey Your Majesty's decree..." Zi Yingfeng turned his head to look into Zi Jin's eyes, gently stroking her face with his hand, and slowly closed his once bright and spirited eyes, a single tear silently sliding down his cheek.

Snowflakes slowly began to fall from the sky. Who was crying loudly in the snow...? Whose tears were sliding down their cheeks...?

Unresolved emotions and inescapable demonic obstacles; karmic retribution—when will we meet again? Ten years of grudges and debts, all lost in the vastness of time. (Part Two)

Ten Years of Enmity, Now Lost (Part Two) Every day, Zi Jin stood in the pavilion where Zi Yingfeng had last lingered, gazing at the plum grove opposite. Unbeknownst to her, a new grave had appeared in the open space in the center of the plum grove.

Today, Zi Jin carried a small bundle. She still stood in the pavilion, gazing at the distant new grave as always, unwilling to approach. Her eyes gradually reddened: "Father, I'm leaving. Perhaps... I'll never come back..."

"Are you willing to accept this?" the old woman asked coldly, standing behind Zi Jin.

Zi Jin turned around abruptly, her eyes full of defensiveness: "Whether you're willing or not, what's it to you?"

"Come with me to a place first, then decide whether you want to leave or not." A hint of disappointment flashed in the old woman's eyes as she turned and walked towards the corridor.

Zi Jin considered for a moment, then followed the old woman. The two walked for an unknown amount of time before the old woman led Zi Jin to the door of the tallest building in the valley and gently pushed the door open.

The first thing that catches the eye is a huge portrait of a woman. In the painting, the woman stands against the wind, holding a book in her hand. Her reddish-brown hair cascades down, making her skin look even whiter. Her eyebrows are tightly furrowed, with long eyelashes, slender phoenix eyes with upturned corners, a small nose, and tightly pursed lips. Her bright yellow dress flutters in the wind, as if she is about to ascend to the heavens. However, the bleak sadness between her brows makes her seem to have fallen back to this mortal world.

Although the portrait bears a resemblance to the woman he saw in the Nalan Family Temple, the person depicted is not the same. The woman in the Nalan Family Temple lacked the delicate charm of this woman, and the woman in the painting also lacked the imperial aura. Moreover, this woman's hair was an unusual reddish-brown.

The old woman turned her head with a smile: "Do not doubt, she is not the same as you before. She is the first monarch of Yaochen Kingdom—Nalan Liushuang."

Zi Jin frowned as she looked at the portrait. Although it was the first time she had seen it, it felt strangely familiar, as if she had seen it long ago: "If you want to do something, just say so."