Третий брак

Глава 71

With two knocks, Tang Yufeng knocked on the bamboo door. The mother and son inside the house had completely different expressions when they saw them.

Zhao Yi happily ran to the doorway and knelt on Tang Yufeng's lap, sweetly calling out, "Mr. Tang." Then she looked curiously at Qin Zhen. Zhu looked at Qin Zhen, her lips trembling with nervousness; she didn't understand why she was here at this time!

Zhao Yi, oblivious to the tension among the adults, tilted his head and asked Tang Yufeng, "Sir, my mother said that when I grow up, I can go down the mountain. Is that true?"

Tang Yufeng stroked Zhao Yi's head with one hand and pointed to Qin Zhen beside him with the other, saying, "If you're willing, you can go down the mountain with this aunt now."

Zhao Yi gazed at Qin Zhen with delight, his eyes shining so brightly they almost hurt Qin Zhen's eyes. Suddenly, Zhu Lian abruptly pulled Zhao Yi behind him, saying anxiously, "He's not going anywhere! He's my son, he needs to stay by my side!"

Qin Zhen met Zhu Qiushi's gaze and slowly said, "Let's have a talk."

Zhu looked at Qin Zhen for a while, hesitating. At this moment, Tang Yufeng waved to Zhao Yi: "Would you like to accompany the gentleman for a stroll by the lake?" Zhao Yi looked at Zhu with a questioning gaze, and Zhu finally nodded.

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 133 Mother's Love is the Greatest

When only Qin Zhen and Zhu remained in the bamboo house, Qin Zhen sensed the tense atmosphere and asked, "How have you been these past few years?" The next moment, she almost wanted to bite her tongue. How could such a life of imprisonment be good?

Zhu gave a cold laugh but didn't answer. Qin Zhen moved a chair and sat down opposite Zhu, getting straight to the point: "I want to take Zhao Yi down the mountain. Do you agree?"

"What are you trying to do now? My son and I only want to live a peaceful life. Can't you even grant us this simple request?"

“If you want peace of mind, Zhao Yi must come down the mountain with me. The Western Xia people already know of your existence. If you stay here any longer, I don’t know what they will do to you.”

Zhu was stunned, and murmured, "How could this be..."

"He probably doesn't know about his background yet, does he?"

Zhu nodded and said, "Ever since he was old enough to understand, Your Majesty... his father was not quite right in the head. Later on, I stopped them from meeting and never mentioned his background to him."

Qin Zhen revealed his plan: "As long as Zhao Yi gives up the surname 'Zhao,' I can guarantee him a peaceful life. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu didn't speak, but he seemed slightly hesitant. Qin Zhen pressed on, "Do you really want him to stay in the mountains for the rest of his life?"

"Are you really doing this for his own good?" Zhu asked, as if seeking confirmation.

“Zhao Gou and I owe you both a lot, but we had reasons to do this, so we can only feel guilty towards you. But the child is different; he is an innocent victim, and I only want him to live a good life.”

Finally, Zhu seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Alright, I'll trust you one more time. I hope you won't forget what you said. I'll talk to him tonight, and you can take him away tomorrow."

Qin Zhen smiled with delight, but as she stood up, she suddenly noticed Zhu's graying temples, and her heart sank again. What a good mother, truly thinking of her child. She had probably only lived strong these past few years for her child's sake. Now that she had so resolutely let go, what would become of her?

The next day, Qin Zhen arrived at Little Mirror Lake early, but the bamboo house was tightly closed. She suspected that the mother and son hadn't finished their discussion. She waited quietly. Around dawn, Zhao Yi suddenly flung open the bamboo door and rushed out. Seeing Qin Zhen, he grabbed her, his eyes red and tear-streaked, and said urgently, "Aunt Qin! My mother told me to call you! Please save her..."

Qin Zhen's heart skipped a beat; something terrible had happened. He used his lightness skill to grab Zhao Yi and flash into the room. There he saw Zhu Lian lying on the bed, barely breathing, with black blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"You... why do this!" Qin Zhen shouted anxiously. He reached out to press her acupoints to control the spread of the poison.

Zhu raised her hand to stop him, saying, "No need. I took the poison last night, and it's about to seep into my heart and bones. There's no saving me..." She looked at her son and said with a smile, "Go out and play for a while. I have something to say to Aunt Qin."

Zhao Yi looked at her mother with concern. She bit her lip before slowly walking out.

"Qin Zhen... I only wish to exchange my life for my son's life... After I die, there will be no one to prove his identity, and you will have no more worries. So... remember to promise me!"

Qin Zhen's expression was filled with sorrow as she nodded vigorously. Zhu Weixiao, unable to catch her breath, gasped for air and coughed up a mouthful of black blood, startling Qin Zhen who cried out, "Sister!"

Hearing Qin Zhen's cries, Zhao Yi rushed into the room. Seeing his mother on the verge of death, he could no longer heed his mother's teachings that "a man does not easily shed tears," and he lay on the bed and began to wail.

Zhu Xiao looked at Qin Zhen and said, "It's so good to hear you call me 'sister' again... Come here, Yi'er, remember what your mother told you. You must live a good life from now on and listen to Aunt Qin, okay?"

"Mother...no, I want to stay with Mother..."

"Silly child. You'll soon see the colorful world outside. Mother is too tired... Mother is leaving..." Zhu's voice grew softer and softer. Finally, she closed her eyes. Qin Zhen covered her mouth and cried out in anguish, while Zhao Yi shook his mother's body, crying and refusing to let go.

The crying by Little Mirror Lake startled the people in the manor. When everyone rushed over, they could only remain silent, unable to utter a single word. Tang Yufeng hugged the sobbing Zhao Yi and then cast a comforting glance at Qin Zhen.

That evening, the people of Fuyun Manor buried Zhu nearby by Xiaojing Lake. Looking at his small yet resolute figure beside the grave, Qin Zhen felt a pang of heartache for him. Qin Zhen shook her head; she still had to make arrangements for Zhao Yi's future and couldn't wallow in grief like him.

Besides Nongying, a rather special maid, there was another person in Floating Cloud Manor who was also quite special: Yuqin, who had come to Kunlun Mountain with Zhu. As a member of the Blowing Flower Society, Yuqin's actions over the years were indeed commendable, and she was someone Qin Zhen could trust.

After receiving Qin Zhen's message, Yuqin secretly met with her. Qin Zhen instructed, "I'm leaving with Zhao Yi tomorrow. Clean up those tails behind me." What's the point of leaving with Zhao Yi if you don't cut off the Western Xia's spies?

"Yes." Yuqin was efficient and decisive; she agreed and went to make the arrangements.

As dawn broke, Qin Zhen turned and went back to her room to pack her things, only to find Zhuo Yiyi waiting for her there. Qin Zhen glanced at her and asked, "What are you doing in my room, my junior sister?"

Zhuo Yiyi, still half-asleep in the early morning, saw Qin Zhen arrive and took out a black triangular flag embroidered with a white wolf's head from her bosom, saying, "I'm going to stay at the manor a little longer this time to wait for my master to return. You're leaving tomorrow, right? I won't see you off. Put this flag in front of your horse's head, and you won't have to worry about bandits causing you trouble."

Qin Zhen smiled at him, jumped up and patted his head, saying, "Yiyi is so good. You care so much about your uncle. I will tell you to speak well of her to your master."

Zhuo Yiyi blushed for the first time ever, and stammered, "Don't... call me... Yiyi..."

Qin Zhen smiled faintly, picked up his bundle, waved it at him, and said, "I'm leaving. Go to sleep now."

Zhuo Yiyi rubbed her eyes, turned around and lay down on the bed in Qin Zhen's room, covered herself with the quilt, and hummed... the faint fragrance of Qin Zhen was so nice.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 134 A Very Sensible Child

Qin Zhen arrived at the shore of Little Mirror Lake with his bundle. Zhao Yi knew it was time to descend the mountain. He stood up, rubbed his aching knees from kneeling, wiped away his tears, and said to the grave, word by word, "Mother, I promise you, from today onwards, I will begin a new life. I... will not come back to see you. I will repay your kindness in raising me when I come to find you!"

At that moment, Qin Zhen felt that the child had grown up overnight, and this feeling wasn't pleasant. She reached out her hand to Zhao Yi and said, "You must live happily, so that your mother in heaven will be happy! Come, come with your aunt."

Zhao Yi stared blankly at her, managed a weak smile, and reached out her cold little hand to grasp Qin Zhen's hand.

Before dawn, without bidding farewell to the others, the two left Floating Cloud Manor. Qin Zhen led Zhao Yi along the rugged mountain path. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, and realizing he must be exhausted after kneeling all night, she said, "How about Auntie carries you?"

Zhao Yi shook his head firmly and said, "I can walk by myself."

"What a strong and good child," Qin Zhen thought to herself.

After a day's journey, the two finally arrived in the small town of Golmud that evening. Qin Zhen went to the inn where they had stayed earlier, ate a hearty meal, and then quickly let Zhao Yi rest. The young child was exhausted after a day and a night and had no energy left to grieve; he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

The next day, they set off early again, retrieved their horses from the inn, and headed straight for Lintao Prefecture. After another day's journey, they were unexpectedly attacked by a band of cavalry resembling bandits. Qin Zhen was blocked in their path. Holding Zhao Yi tightly in his arms, he pointed to the flag planted on the horse's head and asked, "Don't you recognize the flag of 'Shabang Village'?"

The man who appeared to be the bandit leader shouted rudely, "I don't care about any sand dunes or strongholds. If you little girl behave yourself and go back to be my wife, you'll be fine. Otherwise... hmph!"

Qin Zhen shook his head and sighed. "This Zhuo Yiyi, I thought she was so powerful. These bandits are showing her no respect at all. Let's see how I deal with her next time we meet!"

As Qin Zhen began fighting with the dozen or so men in front of him, he gradually realized something was wrong. These men moved in an orderly fashion, unlike bandits, and seemed more like... soldiers!

Qin Zhen initially intended to show mercy, but when she realized these were likely people sent by the Western Xia to abduct Zhao Yi, her whip lashed even more fiercely. The silver whip "Phoenix Wing" only needed to lightly graze the enemy's skin; the poison on the whip would be fatal. Zhao Gou had personally experienced its effects. Qin Zhen had no doubt. Those men had clearly underestimated the Phoenix Wing; some were even too lazy to dodge the seemingly weak whip. Today, they would experience what it meant to regret it deeply.

After the figure in blue wielded a silver whip through the swirling sand, completely defeating more than a dozen "bandits" in their path, Zhao Yi, sitting in front of the horse, tugged at Qin Zhen's sleeve and said quite insistently, "Auntie, I want to learn martial arts."

Qin Zhen was slightly taken aback. Not wanting to dampen the child's imagination, he could only nod and say, "Okay, I'll find you a good master in the future."

Aside from this minor bumpy ride, their journey was relatively smooth. Upon arriving in Lintao, Qin Zhen went directly to the Tianxing Inn, showed the token given to him by Zhao Gou, and said to the innkeeper, "I want to see the person in charge here."

The shopkeeper respectfully led them into the secret room at the back. Qin Zhen never expected that he would meet Liu Qi here!

"Commander Liu, what are you doing here?"

After bowing to Qin Zhen, Liu Qi said, "Your subordinate has come to investigate some matters on the Emperor's orders."

Qin Zhen knew it was about Zhao Huan. He said, "I have already investigated this matter thoroughly, you don't need to investigate further. I will go back and tell him myself."

Liu Qi glanced at the child Qin Zhen was with, feeling somewhat puzzled, but asked nothing. He only heard Qin Zhen instruct, "Find someone to escort us back to the capital. Cut off all surveillance. Do you understand what I mean?"

"yes."

If Qin Zhen hadn't been worried about Zhao Yi's whereabouts being spied on, she wouldn't have come to Zhao Gou's forces. Her Blowing Flower Society's influence was concentrated in the Central Plains martial arts world, and apart from Floating Cloud Manor, which had specially dispatched people, there were very few people in this peripheral area.

Liu Qi arranged things meticulously, and Tianxing Inn was a place with many people coming and going, so they easily disguised themselves as a caravan entering the pass and headed straight for Bianjing without arousing anyone's suspicion.

In early summer of June, Qin Zhen finally returned to Bianjing. She didn't even go home, but went straight to the palace with Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi didn't know that the place he was in was called the Imperial Palace. He had limited ability to discern unfamiliar things. After all, he had never left the manor since he was old enough to understand things, and his knowledge was limited to the area around Xiaojing Lake. Moreover, the people around him would never tell him these things.

Since Zhao Gou ascended the throne, many people in the Prince's Palace...

After being brought into the palace, Qingmei became a lady-in-waiting and continued to manage Zhao Gou's affairs. In front of the Zichen Hall, Qin Zhen handed Zhao Yi over to Qingmei and instructed, "Take him down to have something to eat and take good care of him." As they passed each other, Qin Zhen whispered, "Don't say anything out of line."

Qingmei nodded and smiled as she led Zhao Yi to the side hall. Qin Zhen straightened his clothes and entered the Zichen Palace.

Hearing Qin Zhen's footsteps, Zhao Gou continued writing rapidly with his pen in hand. He looked up at Qin Zhen and smiled, saying, "You're back? Sit down for a moment. I'll finish reviewing this memorial."

Qin Zhen looked at him and walked on until she reached Zhao Gou's desk. She sat down next to him on the large dragon throne and rested her head on his shoulder.

Zhao Gou was somewhat flattered. Qin Zhen rarely took the initiative to be so close to him. He put down his vermilion brush and asked softly, "Was this trip tiring?"

Qin Zhen grunted a few times, her voice tinged with exhaustion, and said, "You must be having a hard time too, with so many things to handle... and I'm just adding to your troubles."

Zhao Gou chuckled a few times and said, "Good to know! From next month onwards, you'd better stay obediently by my side and not run around."

Qin Zhen lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at Zhao Gou's profile, which was very close to hers. Suddenly, she playfully pecked Zhao Gou's earlobe, making him tremble and speechless with surprise.

His words amused Qin Zhen, who tried to dodge, but Zhao Gou grabbed her shoulder and whispered, "Are you teasing me?"

"Uh... so what if it is?"

Zhao Gou's eyes held a smile, yet also a burning rage.

"Don't get yourself into trouble... then... I won't be responsible."

Qin Zhen sensed something was wrong from his tone and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let me tell you some things I found out during my investigation."

When the topic shifted, Zhao Gou's expression turned serious as he listened to Qin Zhen recount the affairs of Zhao Huan, Zhu, Zhao Yi, and the Western Xia. After thinking for a moment, Zhao Gou said, "I've also received some information, but not as detailed as yours." He paused for a moment and then said, "I thought you wouldn't tell me about Yi'er."

Qin Zhen looked embarrassed and said apologetically, "I won't overthink things anymore. I'll tell you everything from now on."

Zhao Gou was overjoyed to hear her say this, and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Hearing you say you believe in me makes me happier than anything else, that's wonderful!"

Seeing him so happy, like a child, Qin Zhen was also happy. It turned out they shared joy and sorrow.