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墨書 Inktalez
Qi Qing was pressed through the stone gate by the crowd, his gaze falling on the person peacefully lying on the stone bed. With an exquisite face and a serene expression, it almost felt like those tightly closed eyes would open in the next moment…
How many years had it been? How many years had he planned, just for this day when the beloved could awaken under Hua Qianshu and turn back to smile at him, calling out, “Qing Ge…”
Now, everything had become a luxury.
Liu Ji… Qing Ge, I’m sorry.
Qi Qing was nudged from behind, his eyes reddening as he reluctantly moved away from that person. He bent down and walked ahead, but with each step, the light in his eyes dimmed until it vanished.
What is love in this world, that it compels one to pledge life and death?
…………
Qin Ge felt uneasy in her dream. There had always been a pair of hands holding hers as they moved forward, warm and strong.
But today, those hands that had always guided her disappeared. She stumbled through the darkness, desperately wanting to scream but not knowing where to start. All she could do was run while crying, thinking about why she was crying…
“Ge'er…” Someone pushed her. She opened her eyes to see her weary, scruffy senior brother Ji Yu, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She hoarsely asked, “Where is he?”
Ji Yu’s gaze flickered for a moment, his lips forming a bitter smile as he looked elsewhere. “You’ve been asleep for two days; you must be very hungry. I’ll have the kitchen send some food over.”
“Where is he?” Qin Ge asked again, her face pale and unwilling to accept the answer.
Ji Yu fell silent, his hand clenched tightly on the blanket. He didn't know how long it had been, but as he looked at the stubborn gaze of the person on the bed, he finally spoke with a certain sadness: "He’s gone..."
Qin Ge propped herself up, struggling to get up: "Where did he go?"
Ji Yu saw her wound split open, oozing bright red blood, and quickly pressed down on her: "Are you trying to kill yourself?!"
"Where did he go?" Qin Ge looked at Ji Yu with tear-filled eyes, feeling a suffocating pain in her chest: "Qi Mo, where did he go... Senior Brother, can you help me find him? I still have so much to tell him. I haven't told him whose child Sheng'er is, I haven't told him... I haven't told him how much I..." how much I love him...
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat on the bed with disheveled hair, crying like a child while holding onto Ji Yu, repeatedly calling for Qi Mo, looking for Qi Mo. Ji Yu held her with a complex and deep gaze, which ultimately turned into a bitter smile: "He’s not here anymore, Ge'er."
Wounds must be exposed to heal properly. Since no one else was willing to be the executioner, he would take on that role. Jin Sheng only had her left as family; if she was unwilling to pull herself together and remained in despair, what would happen to Jin Sheng?
Qin Ge heard Ji Yu slowly speaking; his voice spun like a spell within the House, drilling into her ears even as she covered them.
"Stop! Stop... Senior Brother, please don’t..." She choked on her sobs and suddenly blacked out.
Ji Yu quickly called for Hua Qian. The room became chaotic for a moment, leaving only the tranquil woman on the bed with her eyes closed tightly, biting her lip, tears still shimmering at the corners of her eyes.
For a long time, she had almost forgotten that Qi Mo was her enemy, an enemy with whom she had a blood feud...
She greedily sought to possess and enjoy the affection this man gave her because deep down she knew that this affection required no repayment. So she recklessly trampled on this love and this gift because she knew it was what he owed her... She didn't know when it started, but she began to fall madly in love with the way that man frowned for her. Looking into those peach blossom eyes filled with love and helplessness made a sense of pride swell within her...
If there were only one person in this world who would never abandon her, she would only believe that person was Qi Mo.
Look, Qin Ge! Because you didn't cherish him, he finally let go of your hand and left without looking back... Now, even if you repent and cry, that person will never come back.
The name Qi Yuchen has been burned deep into her heart with a hot iron; it is so deep that she dares not touch it for fear of the pain. But now that the owner of this name has finally left her, she no longer has the courage to reach out.
Their entanglement began either on the day of The Fall of the Great Yan or during the fragrant springtime of the Flower Festival? Or even earlier...
There will never be anyone who climbs Changbai Mountain overnight, turning gray-haired while kneeling at that door just for her to be reborn; nor will there ever be a cold, firm voice that says: "...I have no regrets."
Yes, she remembers everything... everything... about those two years of blankness, she remembers it all.
Qi Yuchen had arranged everything, including her! He truly intended to leave without her...
On the third day after waking up, she was sunbathing in the yard when Jin Sheng ran over with a bead in his hand, looking somewhat sad: "Is this the bead from that handsome uncle?"
Qin Ge looked at the Night Pearl in her palm, nostalgia and pain flashing in her eyes, but she had to force a smile at Jin Sheng: "How do you know, Sheng'er?"
Jin Sheng sat beside her, lowering his head: "The handsome uncle is with me; there’s a message for my mother on the bead... Will that uncle come back? He has eyes just like Sheng'er’s, but his seem even more powerful and change colors..."
Qin Ge could no longer hear what Sheng'er was saying; she only felt that the warm Night Pearl in her palm seemed to be burning, causing pain in both her hand and heart. She raised the bead to examine it closely; this bead was given to her by him at Matang Mountain Nunnery. At that time, she only remembered the light rain making it a bit chilly while his fingertips were warm...
In this farewell concerning life, everyone was present—except for her.
May I grant you three lifetimes of joy.
His last words to her were: "I grant you three lifetimes of joy..." Little did he know that without him, she would never be able to truly feel joy again.
That night, after waking up, she could not forget how Qi Che had pushed the door open, his face weathered, and shouted with red eyes, "Do you know what he has done for you? Thirty years of life just so you could return to this world! Yet you won't even let the child call him 'father'... When he left, all he thought about was you. Even so, he never once asked to see you! Qin Ge, you are truly the cruelest woman in the world..."
She was the cruelest woman in the world... then Qi Yuchen was the cruelest man in the world.
No one knew what kind of determination she had made during that time in the bamboo forest.
She truly intended to forget the mundane world and live a good life with him...
This year's first heavy snow fell all night. She stood by the window, touching her abdomen, watching the snowflakes drift outside in the dim candlelight. Inside, Hua Qian lit the incense burner and draped a fox fur coat over her shoulders. "It's cold outside, my lady. You need to take care of yourself now that you're with child. You should go back inside."
In the second month after he left, on a winter day fragrant with plum blossoms, she felt life stirring within her; it was his last gift to her.
"Alright." Qin Ge turned and walked back inside, sitting on a soft couch, holding a warm pot and lost in thought.
In the fifth month after he left, Qi Che led Crimson Gate to successfully conquer Crimson Kingdom Territory. Nan Xie Tower took this opportunity to support her as Empress, naming the country Yan.
Wearing the dragon robe amidst the cheers of the crowd as she ascended to power, she looked down at the kneeling masses below and felt a genuine sense of loneliness that comes with elevation.
You see, Qi Yuchen, though I can continue living without your company, I no longer feel like a person...
In the first year of Great Yan, the Empress successfully gave birth to a princess in Yulan Palace, named Huai Mo. When Princess Huai Mo was born, she had rare Azure Eyes that sparkled like crystal and was incredibly adorable. However, according to palace gossip, the Empress only glanced at her daughter when she was born and never held her again.
Although the princess did not win the favor of the Empress, she was fortunate that the Crown Prince cherished this hard-won sister, allowing her life in the palace to be relatively peaceful.
It is rumored that the Empress specifically opened a palace within the imperial residence, forbidding anyone from entering, even the favored Crown Prince. Every night, she would remain alone in that grand hall.
The hall has no name or plaque to this day, yet it is heavily guarded at all times, allowing no one but the Empress to enter.
Some gossipers in the neighborhood spread rumors that the mysterious hall housed the Empress's male favorites. Hearing this, many were intrigued, and soon everyone in Great Yan was searching for handsome young men to send to the palace.
Many ministers also harbored similar thoughts, wanting to send their sons to the Empress in hopes of securing promotions and wealth for themselves.
It is well-known that the Empress is beautiful. The renowned beauty of the Legitimate Daughter of the Su Family has long been famous, and even today, many sons of high officials go to great lengths just to catch a glimpse of her in the palace. Although officials see the Empress every day during Morning Court, they are sometimes still astonished by the cold beauty that inadvertently radiates from her.
Despite many harboring such thoughts, whenever someone petitions about how empty the harem is and how it harms the state, the Empress lightly dismisses their words with a glance. According to her, this position will soon be passed on to the Crown Prince in a few years; thus, they might as well focus their thoughts on him.
In Great Yan's third year under the Empress's governance, the Great Yan Kingdom enjoyed peace and prosperity. Thanks to Nan Xie Tower's support, doors remained unlocked at night and theft was unheard of. The city of Chang'an was particularly wealthy; one could almost see coins scattered on the ground with just a few steps. Even the most destitute beggar in Chang'an managed to have three wives, showcasing how affluent the nation had become.
As a result, people gradually turned their attention to the Empress's palace, actively discussing why she was unwilling to take male favorites into her harem.
Thinking of the princess's unusual eyes— even the Crown Prince occasionally revealed azure hues— some began to recall figures from previous dynasties like the Desolate King, who was said to have had azure eyes during his lifetime...
Ten years later in Great Yan, after the Empress abdicated, her harem remained empty. The retired Empress became even more mysterious; she spent her days unseen, alone in that nameless grand hall, rarely meeting anyone.
Qin Ge sat among a pile of orchids, holding a Night Pearl in her hand. After years of rubbing it, the surface of the pearl was incredibly smooth. In her other hand, she held a Wolf Hair Brush, sketching on Xuan Paper. Before long, a person came to life on the paper; the light laugh she missed lingered in her mind as her gaze remained fixed on that figure for a long time.
Ten years had passed, and in this fleeting time, without your company, she learned to use her brush to outline a thought. Looking closely at the great hall, portraits hung everywhere, depicting various postures. However, all the figures in the paintings shared one characteristic: their faces were completely blank.
She feared that if she painted that face, she would no longer have the strength to walk alone…
It had been almost eleven years. The Huai Mo he left her was already eleven years old. During these eleven years, she had not dared to meet that child at all. Between Jin Sheng and Huai Mo, Huai Mo resembled her father even more. As time accumulated, this child increasingly mirrored him, and she feared that seeing him would cause her to collapse entirely.
Yu Chen, do you know?
I miss you so much… I really miss you.
A drop of crystal-clear tear fell onto the freshly painted Xuan Paper, spreading the still-wet ink. She leaned back against the soft cushion behind her, her Water Eyes tightly closed, with shimmering silver strands in her hair.
Suddenly, she heard a commotion outside. Initially intending to ignore it, the noise grew louder. Frowning, she got up and opened the hall door: "What is causing such a ruckus?"
The guard at the door looked troubled as he addressed the Supreme Emperor: "Your Majesty insists on barging in..."
Qin Ge's gaze softened slightly as it fell on the young boy dressed in bright yellow but deliberately avoided his face: "Sheng'er, do you need something from your mother?"
Jin Sheng had shed his childishness and spoke solemnly: "The child has prepared dinner in Maple Courtyard. Today is Huai Mo's birthday; does Mother truly wish to be so heartless?"
This child was already beginning to resent her…
Qin Ge's hand froze against the door, and she unnaturally avoided that piercing gaze. How heartless… this child is so heartless. What about Huai Mo? Would he hate her to the bone?
"Let's wait for Mother for a stick of incense time..."
Jin Sheng's star-like eyes brightened, yet he still spoke in a deep voice, "That child will wait for Mother along with Huai Mo."
Qin Ge nodded, turned around, and stepped inside, sighing softly as she closed the door behind her.
Since she couldn't avoid it, she would eventually have to meet Huai Mo... Huai Mo... reminiscing about Qi Mo.
After changing into a comfortable robe, she followed the palace maid toward Maple Courtyard. It was already late autumn, so the air was a bit chilly. Having not been out for a long time, she had almost forgotten the layout of the palace.
At just thirty years old, her hair was already streaked with gray. She smiled bitterly as she watched the Eunuch lead her to the entrance of Maple Courtyard, then respectfully stand guard at the door while Qin Ge slowly walked inside.
The deep autumn maple leaves covered the stone-paved path, and daisies bloomed along the sides, vibrant and beautiful. The air was filled with a nostalgic atmosphere.
As she brushed aside clusters of maple leaves, a sudden sound of a guqin echoed from ahead—melodious and lingering. Taking slow steps forward amidst the fluttering red leaves, she seemed to return to her youth, seeing someone sitting with their back to her in front of the grand hall, fingers dancing across the strings of the guqin...
Eleven years is too long; she has grown old...
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