Duke Jing's younger sister

Chapter 218 Chapter 99 Double Ninth Festival

The night wind is mixed with the fragrance of autumn osmanthus in the courtyard.

The young man's uncertain tone made Jiang Li's heart ache.

She immediately raised her hand and covered his lips to stop him from saying such unlucky words.

"I don't want any ifs. If you don't come back, I will go up to the mountains and become a nun."

Half of Shen Beiqi's face was covered by her hands, leaving only a pair of extremely beautiful peach blossom eyes exposed.

The brightness of the candlelight was reflected in his dark pupils, and all the darkness in his eyes disappeared, leaving only tender affection as he stared at her intently.

Then, he pulled out a gentle smile, "Ari, do you like me now?"

Jiang Li's thick eyelashes trembled slightly, and she asked awkwardly, "Why do you ask this suddenly?"

If she told him that she had liked him since she was a child, and had been thinking about him for many years since she was not yet an adult.

Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

What would he think of her?

"I would like to know."

His large, warm palm rested on the half of her wrist that was exposed by her wide robe, and he rubbed it gently.

The movement was so light and gentle that it made her heart confused.

"Well, a little bit."

She now lied and said that she only liked him a little.

Later, after a long time, she admitted that she liked him very much.

This makes perfect sense!

Shen Beiqi didn't expect that she would answer so quickly, almost without thinking, and blurted out.

So, what he had asked for, to conquer a place in her heart, had actually come true?

Inside the chest, the heart began to beat rapidly.

Although I didn't eat any sweets, I felt like something was flowing slowly in my body, and wherever it went, a sweet taste came to me.

He smiled and pushed her down on the couch, but he felt mixed emotions.

......

After the two had dinner together, Shen Beiqi came to Bishuixuan alone.

Xiao Wencong was still lying on the couch.

Miao Yu sat on an embroidered stool beside the couch, holding a bowl of steaming minced meat porridge in her hand.

She held the porcelain spoon, scooped up a spoonful of hot porridge and blew it gently to her lips. When the temperature was just right, she brought it to Xiao Wencong's mouth.

After Shen Beiqi entered the room, he looked indifferent when he saw the two men like this.

Without saying anything, he found a chair and sat down.

Upon seeing this, Miao Yu knew that the two had important matters to discuss. As there was little porridge left, he stood up and left.

"Hengzhi, is there anything important you want to tell me?"

Xiao Wencong sat up with the help of the bed frame, with a thin quilt covering his legs.

Having known Shen Beiqi for nearly ten years, Xiao Wencong believed that he knew him quite well.

There was nothing unusual on his face, but his eyes, which were usually indifferent, now looked solemn.

What he is going to say today must be of great importance.

Suddenly, the wind blew in the yard, making the branches and leaves in the garden rustle.

The birds perched on the branches were frightened by the night wind and flew away in all directions.

"It's time." Shen Beiqi looked up at him and said calmly, "Have you thought it through?"

With his fingers tightly grasping a corner of the thin quilt, Xiao Wencong fell into silence.

From the moment he decided to embark on the journey to succeed the throne, he knew that this day would always come.

One day, he and his brothers will face off against each other and fight to the death.

The road to imperial power, even if he doesn't want to fight, he has to fight for it.

If you don’t fight, you will die.

If he doesn't fight, everyone related to him, inside or outside the palace, must die.

I had clearly made up my mind long ago, but when the day finally came, I felt a little hesitant.

Shen Beiqi said calmly, "Since you have chosen this path, the last thing you should keep is your soft heart."

"You know better than me what the price will be if you are soft on them."

As he spoke, his bony fingers tapped lightly on the armrests of the wooden chair.

Although the sound was small, it was like a muffled thunder that exploded in Xiao Wencong's heart.

"We've got news from the Imperial Hospital that His Majesty has started coughing up blood recently. How long can he hold on, a year or two? Neither you nor I know."

The important thing is, no matter how long Emperor Hongyang can live, he can no longer wait for a year, or even two years.

Emperor Hongyang knew that he was interested in A'li, but he still wanted to establish his authority by introducing her to the prince.

If it weren't for A'li's cleverness, he would have been able to find a way to escape the disaster.

I'm afraid that when he comes back, he will see her dead body.

He once said that if Your Majesty dared to force her, he would change the emperor of the world.

Therefore, he could only break the original plan and take advantage of the prince's favor to speed up the progress.

"I will leave tomorrow, and you must give me a clear answer as soon as possible."

After saying that, Shen Beiqi stood up and walked out.

Just as he walked around the veil and was about to step over the threshold, Xiao Wencong's low and hoarse voice came from behind him: "Okay."

Shen Beiqi paused slightly.

He stared through the door frame at the dark sky outside the window.

The autumn wind blows without stopping, and the shadows of the trees dance.

Today is the first day of September. There is no bright moon in the sky, but only a few dim stars sparsely dotted above.

"Hengzhi..."

Xiao Wencong endured the pain in his back and stood up from the couch. "What are you going to do?"

The night wind blew through the branches, making a slight whistle.

The young man turned his back to Xiao Wencong and looked up at the shadows of the trees swaying in the wind in the yard.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind."

......

After Shen Beiqi left, Jiang Li stayed in Yiran Residence every day.

Occasionally I would go to Miao Yu and watch her fiddle with centipedes, scorpions and other things.

Jiang Li was most afraid of those insects. After going there a few times and seeing them a few times, she no longer dared to go there again.

Even though insects are dead, seeing them can still make people feel creepy.

In a blink of an eye, it is the ninth day of September, the Double Ninth Festival.

As soon as she woke up in the morning, Xingping walked briskly into the house holding a few blood-red dogwood branches. When she passed by Jiang Li, she put one in her hair.

"Enjoy the solar term, girl." Xingping said with a smile.

"We wear flowers on the Dragon Boat Festival, but I've never heard of it before. We also wear flowers on the Double Ninth Festival."

Jiang Li said this, gently raising her hand and stroking the flowers on her temples.

Now the gauze on her hand has been removed, and Miao Yu said her fingers have recovered well.

Apart from not exerting too much force, there is no impact on daily life.

"You can wear flowers in your hair even during festivals, but you should wear them even more during festivals."

As Xingping spoke, she placed the dogwood in her hand into the porcelain vase on the incense table and said,

"This morning, there were many people selling chrysanthemum cakes on the street. The big kitchen also made some and shared some with us. Would you like to try some, young lady?"

Chrysanthemum cake is made by picking fresh chrysanthemum petals, cleaning them, and kneading them together with tapioca flour and rice flour.

When the dough turns light yellow, cut it into small square pieces and steam them.

After it cools down, sprinkle with crystal clear sugar.

It tastes sweet and refreshing, but tapioca flour is difficult to digest and you will always feel bloated if you eat too much.

"No," Jiang Li said, "I'm afraid there will be chrysanthemum cakes in the palace soon, so I'd better eat less."