Жизнь сельских жителей в городе во времена династии Сун

Глава 101

"Yes. Imperial Physician Lin is very accurate in taking pulses."

"Huh? You... you checked his pulse?" Wei Zijun stared at Li Tianqi.

"Yes, thankfully there's nothing seriously wrong," Wei Shulan comforted her.

Hearing her father say this, Wei Zijun felt relieved, it seemed that nothing had happened.

"Zijun, don't sit there anymore. You've gotten so thin from all the work. It breaks my heart to see you like this," Wei Shulan said gently, stroking her head.

Wei Zijun remained silent for a long time without making a sound.

His large hand stroked her cheek again. "You've grown up, haven't you? Hehe, our Ziju is even more beautiful than before."

Wei Zijun lowered her head, her face slightly flushed.

"Hehe." Wei Shulan chuckled softly, "You've even learned to be shy. Hehe, you never knew how to be shy when you were little, you were always the one causing me trouble."

Wei Zijun looked up and grinned foolishly. Yes, she really caused a lot of trouble for her family when she was a child.

"You're always causing trouble. You even punched someone in the forehead until it bled. Now their whole family is coming to our door."

Wei Zijun was stunned. Could it be that even their childhood experiences were the same? Oh my god. That means her mother might be exactly the same. Heavens, why are you so kind to her?

Wei Zijun tentatively replied, "Ha, yes, Father confined me for three whole days."

Wei Shulan chuckled softly, "But you didn't even stay a full day before running off again."

"Ha, yes." It really is. Wei Zijun's eyes were blurry with tears; she really wanted to cry again.

Li Tianqi chuckled to himself. He was already so mischievous as a child, no wonder he's so full of tricks now. Thinking back to the methods he used to catch him, only he could come up with them.

"You're so stubborn and proud; you'll stick to your guns no matter what," Wei Shulan said with a fond smile.

Li Tianqi secretly chimed in, "Who can argue with that? He's as stubborn as a mule."

“Your mother said one thing to you, and you went on a hunger strike for five days in protest.”

Yes, she remembered. That time, she felt so regretful. How heartbroken her mother must have been.

"It broke my heart. How could you not eat? So I tried to force you to eat something, but I found you had bought a whole bunch of snacks and were secretly eating them."

"Hahahaha—" Li Tianqi burst into a series of loud laughs.

Both father and daughter shuddered, instantly shattering the warm atmosphere.

Wei Shulan thought to himself, "They're having a heart-to-heart talk, why is he still here? Doesn't he even want to leave? He's got this silly grin on his face, looking completely absorbed."

I stared at him intently a few more times, but he didn't move an inch, so I had no choice but to give up.

"I knew it! How could my Ziju be so foolish? It turns out you were just torturing me and your mother."

"Father, Zijun will never do it again, never hurt your and your mother's hearts again," Wei Zijun said, her eyes blurry with tears.

"Father knows that Ziju has grown up and knows how to care for her parents." Wei Shulan's eyes began to redden again.

"Father, Zijun will never leave you and your mother again. She will stay by your side forever and never leave."

"Yes, my son, I will never let you go again."

The father and daughter hugged each other and cried again.

Li Tianqi cried so hard he couldn't bear it and left with his eyes wet with tears.

Volume Two, Turkic Chapter Ninety: Decision

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping, and the water plants on the ground were almost completely submerged. Standing at the entrance of the main tent, Wei Zijun looked at the dark, menacing armor gleaming in the rain, and her eyes welled up with tears.

These are her people, her army, her brothers. She fought alongside them on the training grounds, defended the battlefield with them, weathered storms together, and shed blood and sweat together to protect this country.

Could she really abandon them? Abandon this land? This land, though barren, was where her blood had been spilled. How could she bear to do it? How could she possibly abandon the people of the Western Turks, those who regarded her as a goddess?

No, she couldn't abandon them for her own selfish reasons. Besides, how could she easily admit defeat to that person? Admit defeat? Surrender? That was clearly not her style.

He took a step forward, and the next moment, he was already walking slowly forward in the pouring rain, toward the soldiers who stood straight in the rain.

As she emerged, the crowd stirred, chanting, "Khan—"

She saw the person in front of her, with an exquisitely beautiful face and eyes slightly narrowed by the rain. He stood there for a long time, silent and still, just staring at her.

A pang of sadness struck him. "He Lu, take them back."

"Let's go back together!" That face held an unyielding determination that brooked no refusal.

"I can't go back for now. I need to resolve things here. Trust me, I will definitely go back tomorrow, and I will return unharmed."

"Won't he make things difficult for you?"

“No, he wouldn’t dare do anything to me. He treats me… well, he’s alright.” Wei Zijun carefully chose her words.

A pang of sadness flashed in his eyes. He turned his horse around and said without looking back, "If you don't return by noon tomorrow, I will lead my troops to attack." With that, he spurred his horse and galloped away.

Looking at the still motionless army, Wei Zijun ordered, "Go back and await further orders."

"Yes—" The unified shouts were deafening, drowning out the thunder in the sky.

Turning around, she had barely stepped into the tent when she was grabbed. "Are you trying to catch a cold again? Quickly change out of these clothes." Li Tianqi pulled Wei Zijun towards the bed. "Take off your clothes and get under the covers."

Wei Zijun glanced at the bed and said, "No need to take it off, I'll use my internal energy to dry it off."

"Ji Sheng, bring me a set of my casual clothes for him to change into," Li Tianqi said to the young man who had been standing to the side.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The young man responded and went to leave. A moment later, he returned with a black robe with a coiled dragon pattern and a white undergarment.

"Hurry up and change." Li Tianqi took the casual clothes and threw them on the couch.

"No need for Your Majesty to trouble yourself," Wei Zijun said coldly. "I'm going to see my father."

"Don't bother him. He knew he was coming to see you, and he hasn't slept well for several nights in a row. He just fell asleep and will probably sleep until tomorrow." Then she turned to Ji Sheng and asked, "Is the bathwater ready?"

"Alright, Your Majesty, it's all set."

"Hmm, let's take a bath to warm up first." He then pulled Wei Zijun to a bathtub behind the screen.

Wei Zijun glanced at the bathtub, then at him, and stood there motionless.

"Alright, I know your problem, and I don't know what's wrong with you. I'm going out, I'll be back in half an hour." He turned and walked out. "Ji Sheng, take good care of him."

After the sudden rain, the sky cleared, and twilight arrived as expected. Standing quietly before the bed, gazing at the weary man, her eyes were moist. Half of his hair had turned white. Her father—what should she do? What was the right thing to do? Family or country—how should she choose? She couldn't let go; she couldn't let go of either.

That man has imprisoned her mother to blackmail her. What can she do? Why does she always cause her parents worry instead of doing anything for them? Even if she could rescue her parents… even if she had the ability to rescue them and bring them to Western Turks, would they truly be happy away from their home? She doesn't know what to do.

A cool night breeze brushed against the curtains, and the candlelight flickered, illuminating the sumptuous dinner laid out on the table.

She picked up her chopsticks gracefully and ate on her own, ignoring the gaze directed at her from the side.

Soon, she finished eating, pushed her chopsticks away, glanced at the person, and asked, "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

“There!” He stared at her, then pointed to the bed behind him.

Following his finger, she got up, walked to the bed, took off her boots, pulled the blanket over herself, and fell asleep immediately.

Li Tianqi was furious. He didn't say more than a few words to him from beginning to end. He ate his food, drank his drinks, wore his clothes, and took his things as if it were all his due.

"You're not even going to ask me why I haven't eaten a single bite?" Li Tianqi couldn't help but ask.

"Why?" A lazy question came from behind.

"Because judging from the way you eat, I'm already full."

The person with their back turned did not answer, but simply wrapped the blanket tighter around themselves.

"You seem to be enjoying your food and drink to your heart's content. Aren't you worried about the water being drugged? You actually put drugs in my water. If you try to scheme against me like this again, I'll drug you, strip you naked, and hang you on the city gate."

Seeing that she still didn't answer, he lost interest and turned to call Ji Sheng, "Take it down."

He got up and walked to the bedside, whereupon Ji Sheng immediately came over to undress. He sat on the bed, took off his boots, and lay down on the outer side.

Summer nights are cool, especially in the territory of the Western Turks, where sand dunes are everywhere, the climate is unusual, and the temperature difference between day and night is extreme. At night, you need to cover yourself with a blanket.

She gently reached out and carefully tried to pull the blanket that the person had wrapped around their neck. Just as she pulled open a corner, Wei Zijun suddenly sat up, grabbed the torn corner back, tucked it under her body, and lay back down.

Li Tianqi was both angry and amused. "How rude!"

The candlelight flickered, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I turned to look at her back, and there she was, sleeping so soundly in the enemy's tent.

The person who was sleeping soundly, perhaps because they were hot, stretched their arm out from under the covers, turned around, and a clean and transparent face came into Li Tianqi's view.

Gazing intently at the face before him, the charm between his brows seemed to intensify even in his sleep. Two years had passed, and his allure had only grown stronger. It was a captivating charm that drew people in, making them want to pursue, touch, and explore it. But what exactly that charm was, he could never quite grasp, and it troubled him greatly.

Looking at those long eyelashes, that fair face, those pale red lips, so close, so close that I could touch them with just a slight lean forward. My already restless heart was suddenly stirred up by another turbulent surge.

His lips are so red.

Suppressing the wild pounding in her heart, she turned away sharply, refusing to look at that face again.

Seeing the young man who had been guarding the screen, he said, "Ji Sheng, go and rest. Don't guard me anymore."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The young man withdrew.

The night was as clear as water, pure and transparent after being washed by the rain.

Perhaps the one who was too hot kicked off the covers, or perhaps the one who was too cold in the middle of the night found warmth; before they knew it, the two had rolled under the same blanket. Perhaps to keep warm, or perhaps because their positions were just right, the stronger one had already wrapped his arms around the slender one's waist.

When they woke up in the morning, they were both startled by their position. Their two bright red faces faced each other, one glaring angrily, the other looking completely innocent.

Now, Li Tianqi was her enemy, no longer the doting second brother who had always cared for her. Wei Zijun reminded herself. He had imprisoned her mother. He was her enemy.

"What have you done to my mother?" The first thing he said upon waking was a cold, accusatory question.

"You don't need to worry too much about her." Seeing her piercing gaze, he added, "The Daxing Palace is a place of luxury, but... if you disobey... I can't guarantee what might happen..."

"You...you're despicable!" Wei Zijun took a deep breath. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I know as well as you do, but whether I know or not is irrelevant now, you are already my subject."

"Is Your Majesty joking? When did I become your subject? How ridiculous!" Wei Zijun said sarcastically.

"Am I being ridiculous, or are you trying to renege? Do you remember our bet? If you lost, you have to pay your bet."

Wei Zijun curled her lips and said, "Your Majesty is being presumptuous again. You only promised to release my parents if I won, but I did not promise to submit to you if I lost. Think about it carefully and see if that is true."

Upon hearing this, Li Tianqi thought for a moment and recalled that after he had stated his demands before the duel, he had indeed remained silent. He couldn't help but feel angry again; he had been tricked again. However, even so, what could he do?