Chapter 62 - There is no ending unless I die

As soon as Gongxiang Xiao walked away, Yun Fenghuang quickly withdrew her hand, and pushed Qi Jiulu away. With a disgusted face, she took a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe her fingertips, sneering, “Is Chao Jingyou very complacent? She always pretended to be good and liked to stay with you since childhood. Now, she finally becomes your legitimate wife. Congratulations!”

“You always let me disregard her since childhood. When did I not listen to you?” Qi Jiulu tidied up the collar of his cloth, slowly stepped forward to hug her and then kissed her, “You are really cruel. In front of Shizi, you slapped me that hard. I almost…”

Yun Fenghuang glanced at him sideways, and sneered, “Almost fight back? Why didn’t you go ahead and try?!”

“How is it possible?” Qi Jiulu hugged her and whispered softly, “The hidden rule is that you can chase me around the house to vent anger and I cannot touch you even a finger, isn’t it? I mean, I almost knelt in shock!”

Yun Fenghuang pinched his arm around her waist and said hatefully, “You call this that you don’t dare to lay a finger on me? I say you did too much!”

Qi Jiulu kissed her once more and said softly, “I haven’t seen you for three years… Can’t you have mercy on me?”

“For what?” Yun Fenghuang snorted, with a cold voice, but massaged the spot where she had just pinched, and said, “For that you’ve married recently, or that you are highly respected by Prince Regent’s Mansion that even Shizi valued you to help you against the rule to visit me?”

Before Qi Jiulu answered, she patted the back of his hand and said seriously, “I don’t care what agreement your family has with Chao’s Family, but you promised in the past that you would have no child if you marry Chao Jingyou! Now, you’ve broken that promise. Considering that you came here to see me, I will forget that. But! If you let Chao Jingyou deliver a child, even if you have thousand kinds of excuses, I would regard you as my mortal enemy. In that case, either you die or I live!”

“Deliver a child? Is she qualified?” Qi Jiulu said contemptuously, “If it weren’t for their mischief, it would be the time for us to get married! They have ruined our whole lives. Even gutting them like fishes would not be enough to dispel my hatred toward them!”

His tone changed to be gloomy, “I didn’t expect that you would join the Imperial Harem… My original plan was that I could marry Chao Jingyou as my family wished to dispel their doubts, and then replace Jiuzhang to Dijing. After meeting with you, I could leave Chao Jingyou and her maids to you for handling. We could tell the public by then that I did so impetuously for finding that she had slept with some household servant! We could deal with them as they had done to you! At that time, Qi’s Family and Chao’s Family would fall out anyway, but we would be at Dijing, which is far away from the north, so those old guys would be able to do nothing!”

According to the plan, next, he and Yun Fenghuang would look for opportunities at Dijing and use the intricate situation to gain some power, so that people in the north could no longer control them and even had to be their supporters… This was finalized after many secret discussions with Ms. Jiang, and it went very smoothly at the very beginning.

Unexpectedly, when he was about to leave, Yun Fenghuang suddenly joined the Imperial Harem.

Words cannot describe the despair and anger in Qi Jiulu’s heart at that moment.

Because of Ms. Jiang, he had never considered that Yun Fenghuang would marry others when he came to Dijing.

He always felt that Yun Fenghuang was waiting for him at Dijing.

For more than a thousand days in the past three years, he had suffered as well as been patient and full of expectations. Finally, he pleased his family and suppressed his anger and hatred to marry Chao Jingyou, whom Yun Fenghuang and himself were very disgusted at and even hated… When he was about to embark on the road to reunite with his sweetheart, fate gave him an incredible blow!

“… Since you know that I have joined the Imperial Harem, why do you still visit me?” Yun Fenghuang listened to him, kept silent for a moment, and then sighed, “Actually, I have always felt strange about this matter. Is it also done by Chao’s Family? Is the one behind them Duke Yi’s Mansion? Well, Chao Jingyou, and the rest children of Chao’s Family were embarrassed by me for many times. Knowing that I am at Dijing and you would come here, of course they would stop you. Since they couldn’t stop you, they could start with me, couldn’t they? It was also my fault for losing vigilance living in my aunt’s home peacefully. That day when my aunt told me about it, I was stunned for a while.”

Qi Jiulu lowered his head and hugged her tighter. He said coldly, “How could it be your fault? After all, unlike your parents, your aunt can’t treat you. You must be very cautious in terms of speaking and acting for living in other’s home… When I arrived at Dijing, I bribed some followers of your aunt to inquire about you. They all said that you are gentle, docile, sensible, and generous…”

These were originally good words, but they made Qi Jiulu heart-wrenching.

Because he grew up with Yun Fenghuang, he knew well how unruly and arrogant she was by nature.

She had a reputation of being gentle and sensible at Dijing, but Qi Jiulu believed that she must have suffered many grievances and depressions.

They should have brought up indulgently by their parents in the north, and then got married under the blessings of the two families and lived together for a lifetime.

Qi Jiulu even took the names of their eldest son or eldest daughter…

Therefore, he could not forgive those people forever.

Qi Jiulu calmed his nerves and said, “When you came out of the carriage and drove me away that day, I said that since I was unable to accompany you to Dijing at that time, but I would be wherever you would be one day. Even if you are now in the Imperial Harem… Will I lose my words?”

Yun Fenghuang was silent for a while, and suddenly she relaxed and leaned towards him.

Qi Jiulu bowed his head and kissed her hair lightly.

The two did not speak for a moment.

“At that time, Childe Wang used every means to show his favor to my sister.” Yun Fenghuang looked at the cold stars in the sky and spoke slowly, “When we were still young, my mother always showed preference for my sister, giving her the good clothing, good jewelry and others first, and then came my turn… Although my sister always observed carefully and said she disliked the things I liked, I still felt unhappy.”

“So, when my mother told me in private that Childe Wang was not ideal, I echoed, saying that my sister had no taste that she loved a bastard among many matched childes.”

“But I also thought that Childe Wang loved my sister so much.”

“My mother was very angry when she knew my thought. She called my sister and me in front of her and blamed us, saying that the status of Wang’s Family was much lower than that of Xie’s Family. If Childe Wang wanted to marry another girl from a branch of Xie’s Family, he would have to consider their parents for fear of being refused ruthlessly. Therefore, he had no reason to maltreat my sister, didn’t he?”

“Perhaps seeing that my sister was not convinced, my mother turned to use our relationship as an example, saying that you were a noble Zongzi who always had to study hard. But you always gently played with me whenever I went to your home no matter how busy and tired you were. She asked us whether it was because that we were childhood sweethearts? And then she told us that you acted so also for considering of our families. If some maid disturbed you, would you forgive them easily?”

“I was not really convinced at that time, because I thought you always listened to me and was not so polite to the people of Chao’s Family!”

“Later, when my sister was in trouble, I realized that it was right that a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

“Since then, I no longer believe in the people around me. Even when you said that you would not marry Chao Jingyou, I did not really believe that… When several days ago I knew from Ning Bi Hall that you really married her, I got angry but also felt that men in the world were all the same. Always impetuously pledging to love but sharing no sincerity!”

Yun Fenghuang was too active when she was in the north that she hardly spoke calmly in this way. At this moment, she pushed Qi Jiulu away while said lightly, “But you came here tonight and said these words I love to listen to, so I am very happy.”

Qi Jiulu had inexplicable fear in his heart, and could not help hugging her again. He said in a trembling voice, “Why do you say this? I know you have been wronged these days. You can rest assured, since I am now in the side of Prince Regent’s Mansion, and later…”

“My mother lied to you.” Yun Fenghuang shook her head and pushed away his hands again. She said calmly, “When I come to Dijing for more than half a year, she wrote to my aunt and asked her to help me find a good husband. If I am not in the Imperial Harem now, my aunt has almost arranged for me to start meeting the man.”

Qi Jiulu was startled, and immediately said, “Really? But this sounds okay. Aunt Jiang is your mother, and therefore she has to plan for you. At that time, it was impossible for me to come Dijing to reunite with you. She certainly had to do so.”

As for the blind date, he said, “Although my ideal wife is only you, I married Chao Jingyou in the end. Perhaps Aunt Jiang did so for fear that I would underestimate you. She wanted to warn me that even if I was hesitant and dared not to continue our love… you would still have many pursuers. Since these are well-intentioned by your mother, why should I care about it? If we have daughters in the future, we must plan this for her, too.”

Yun Fenghuang looked at him and smiled, “My mother… is certainly very good to me. But to you…”

She pondered, but still determined to speak it out, “My mother didn’t really expect us to be lovers like before. Why she said and did that was for revenge… One target was Chao Jingyou, and another one was your mother!”

Getting even with Chao Jingyou didn’t need more words to explain. After all, Chao Jingyou laughed at Yun Fenghuang at that time. Even if she didn’t, Ms. Jing wouldn’t let her go, either. Considering that the girl raised up by her was ruined and her sib daughter was forced to leave home, but the one who was always horrid to her daughter took the chance to gain benefits, how could Ms. Jiang bear it?

As for revenge on Ms. Chen, Yun Fenghuang said calmly, “My mother always thought that your mother was indifferent to me but preferred Chao Jingyou, which encouraged Chao’s Family to be ambitious. Because you are the only child of you mother, my mother hoped you could be estranged from her and let her suffer this… So, you don’t have to care too much about what my mother said to you in the past two years. She did it on purpose.”

Qi Jiulu opened his mouth and was at a loss. After a while, he said sadly, “Are you… going to renounce me? Otherwise, why do you say such a thing?”

Before Yun Fenghuang opened her mouth, he said anxiously, “I am not a three-year-old child. I know clearly whether one is well-meaning or malicious. Aunt Jiang really does not like Chao Jingyou, but it doesn’t matter, right? How about us? Aunt Jiang never said a bad word about my mother, and even often advised me accompany her and be more compassionate with her… But you know my mother well. I totally have nothing to say to her!”

After recalling the days he got along with Ms. Chen when he was young, he became agitated, “Not every mother could be amiable to her child like Aunt Jiang.”

“If you get along well with your mother, would my mother be so good to you?” Yun Fenghuang thought.

She sighed secretly to herself, “She was sure that the more she advised you to get along with Ms. Chen, the more contradictory your mother and you would have become. Therefore, she pretended to be kind… It was impossible for Ms. Chen not to cherish her own son. But people are different, so, not every mother can be good at pleasing child as my mother, especially her child and other’s child.”

“Since you know my mother would try every means to protect me, you should also know that she can’t treat you wholeheartedly.” Yun Fenghuang calmed down and raised her eyes, “I don’t know what she said and did to you in the past two years… If you didn’t come tonight and if anything you said tonight made me unhappy, I would follow your thoughts to be cheated by her. I’m just like that. But since you came and pleased me, I…”

Yun Fenghuang stopped for a while. In Qi Jiulu’s almost impassive gaze, she said calmly, “I’m going to tell you the truth… My mother is only sincere to her own children and the children raised up by her. As for others’ children, no matter how she acts friendly, in fact, she has no feelings in her heart. She is making use of you.”

“As for me…”

“Since we both have new lives, is it useful to contact more? I don’t mind betraying the Emperor and he actually doesn’t mind the concubines other than Jie Yu Yue… But you shouldn’t keep turning around me anymore.”

“I used to want you to care about me all the time, because I thought we would be married. If so, if you don’t turn around me, who else do you want to please?”

“I was so young and ignorant that I cruelly let you pledge like that. Now, you just treat it as my prank. It doesn’t matter whom you had married and whoever you would have children with… Actually, from the moment our engagement was broken up, I should not interfere in your affairs anymore…”

Qi Jiulu looked pale and stared at her, only to feel that his heart became cold gradually. He murmured, “When I heard that your family sent you away, I hurt my uncle, and robbed my brother’s horse to chase you. Bearing the heavy snow, I finally caught up with the carriage in Kong Que Hill, wanting to take you away… but you… I thought at that time that there would be no more cruel people than you in this world!”

His eyes seemed to be wet gradually, but Yun Fenghuang’s face seemed to be sculpted in ice and snow, without any slight changes. Qi Jiulu finally smiled bitterly, “Three years passed, but you are still cruel.”

Yun Fenghuang said calmly, “You should leave, and don’t come to see me again. We shouldn’t have any contacts a long time ago!”

“Shouldn’t have any contacts?” Qi Jiulu stared at her for a moment and suddenly pressed her into his arms!

He was so powerful that he almost couldn’t wait to embed the whole person into his body. Yun Fenghuang was sore and frowned, but she seemed to push on a thick wall, finding it difficult to break away. Qi Jiulu ignored it and lowered his head to kiss her lips!

The two had always stayed with each other since childhood. As they gradually grew up, they fell in love with each other and sometimes had intimate acts in private. But they both came from big families and therefore they dared not to go too far for considering the traditional etiquette. In the past, when they became most passionate towards each other, they only kissed slightly.

At the moment, as Qi Jiulu’s heart was intertwined with love and hate, he kissed her for a long time and then released Yun Fenghuang with a cold face.

After that, Yun Fenghuang’s hair was shaggy and the hairpins were loosened. She grabbed his arms and took a deep breath for a moment. After she could stand steadily, she immediately got furious, raising her hand to slap him!

“It was you who had stuck with me all the day, and if I had accidentally glanced at others, you would have been furious. But at this moment, you say that you want to cut off the relationship. How could it be that easy?” Qi Jiulu was not convinced, being gloomy. He sneered, “If you want to hit me, just do it. Remember to bring a sharp knife next time and stab me with it, otherwise we two will never have an ending unless I die!!!”

Yun Fenghuang suddenly stopped. Out of breath, she seemed to be very angry. Within a second, she suddenly took out a silver dagger with a sharp edge from her sleeve, which must be very harmful, threw it in front of Qi Jiulu’s foot and said resentfully, “Who the hell are you! Are you qualified to be killed by me…? I don’t want to dirty my hands! If you want to die, just do it in person!”

Then she flicked her sleeves and went away with anger!

“…” Qi Jiulu stood still, and saw her figure disappear quickly under the night. After a while, he slowly raised his eyes and looked at the starry sky. If he didn’t leave, would it be dawn?

He suddenly laughed out of no reason.