Chapter 18: Infatuated Beauty
"Open the door! Open the door!"
Li Ji thought, this is my fate. If I hide in this compound, your mother will have no way to escape.
The government troops have arrived, where can I hide?
Li Ji didn't want to implicate Qi Kaixiu, so he whispered:
"Master Qi, please let me out. I can't let you get into trouble."
Qi Kaixiu said with pity: "You will die if you go out."
"If we were to find them in your house, we would all die. Master Qi, this is a crime that will lead to the extermination of the entire clan."
Qi Kaixiu said: "If you leave my yard, you will implicate us!"
Li Ji was in a dilemma.
"I have a solution!"
As the sound like a silver bell came, a young woman stood in front of Li Ji gracefully.
Li Ji took a look and saw that the girl was only 16 years old, with a face as white as snow reflected on a silver plate and as beautiful as a flower in the spring morning.
All I could see were her delicate breasts, bright eyes, slightly parted red lips, and her hair in a high bun.
He was about to bow when the woman said:
"Sir, this is urgent, follow me!"
The woman grabbed Li Ji's sleeve and walked forward quickly.
When Qi Kaixiu saw his little daughter Qi Yu doing this, he immediately felt relieved.
At this time, the officers and soldiers outside the door shouted loudly:
"Open the door! Open the door!"
Qi Kaixiu saw Li Ji and his daughter enter the boudoir, and he ordered hastily:
"Butler, go open the door!"
Butler Qi Da jogged all the way.
"Hey, here I come! Here I come!"
He just opened the door.
Snapped!
A loud slap hit his wrinkled old face.
General Linghu Da of the Zuotunwei Army led his men into the courtyard.
"Did you see the two young rebels hiding in here?"
Qi Da covered his feverish face with one hand and said in panic:
"No, sir."
"Didn't you see it? Search carefully. If you find it, I'll skin you alive."
At this time Qi Kaixiu hurried forward.
"General, there really are no strangers coming in."
Linghu Da looked at Qi Kaixiu and shouted coldly:
"Master Qi, I have made it clear that harboring a traitor is a crime punishable by extermination of the clan."
"General Ling, I have been at home the whole time, and I really didn't see anyone hiding in here."
Qi Kaixiu said this while bowing.
"General, come and have a cup of tea!"
Butler Qi Da brought a cup of hot tea from the guest room.
“Get lost!”
Linghu Da pushed it away with his palm, and the hot water scalded Qi Da's hand, making him shiver.
"Report, the kitchen, living room, warehouse, stables and other places have been searched, and no suspicious persons were found."
Linghu Da looked up and asked, "Have all the rooms been searched?"
A small leader responded in a low voice:
"I haven't visited the young lady's room yet!"
Snapped!
"Damn it, why don't you search it?"
Linghu Da raised his hand and slapped the captain of the guard.
"General, calm down. The young lady is a girl waiting to be married. I hope you can be lenient with her."
Qi Kaixiu said this as he stuffed a bag of gold into Linghu Da's arms.
Linghu Da shook his shoulders and said, "Stand back, I'll take a look."
Qi Kaixiu was so frightened that his whole body trembled.
He followed closely behind Linghu Da and said, "General, please be kind and let my daughter go!"
At this time, Li Ji was hiding in the young lady's room and could hear every sound outside clearly.
Holding a sharp knife, he was ready to rush out and fight the officers and soldiers.
Qi Yu knew that as long as Li Ji went out, he would surely die.
She took a step forward and, regardless of the taboos between men and women, hugged Li Ji directly.
She said in a trembling voice: "Quick, take off your coat and hide in the bed with me."
Qi Yu turned off the lights in the room.
Li Ji was helpless. While he was hesitating, he was held tightly by a pair of delicate hands.
A fresh fragrance wafted into the air, and then Qi Yu took off her coat.
"General, I kneel down in front of you, please be kind, you see the young lady has fallen asleep."
Outside in the yard, Qi Kaixiu pleaded in a crying voice.
Linghu Da walked to the door of Qi Yu's room, put his ear to the door and listened carefully for a while, and a faint breathing sound came through the crack of the door.
He stretched out his hand to push the door, only to see Qi Kaixiu kneeling in front of him.
"General, please let my daughter go."
Linghu Da was stunned, the hard thing in his arms pressed against his chest.
He turned around and squeezed the gold in his arms.
In the shadows, a sneer appeared on his lips. He shook his head and strode out the door.
"Master Qi, excuse me for interrupting you."
As he walked he said:
"Remember, if you find those two rebels, report them to the authorities immediately."
"Yes, General Ling. General, have a safe journey!"
Qi Kaixiu was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. His legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
"Quick, go and lock the door."
In the room, Li Ji was tightly held in Qi Yu's arms, and his back was soaked with sweat.
Qi Yu said shyly, "Master Li, don't be nervous. The soldiers have already left."
Li Ji lifted the quilt on his body with one hand and said, "Miss, thank you for saving my life. I have to leave quickly."
Qi Yu was as angry as if he had received an electric shock. "Master Li, go to sleep! The soldiers outside are searching everywhere. Do you want to give up all your efforts?"
Li Ji had no choice but to lie down with his face hot and his heart filled with guilt.
In a panic, his right hand touched a piece of warm and soft jade. Just as he was about to pull it back, it seemed as if it was stuck and he had no strength to move back.
It was late autumn, the north wind was howling outside the window, and the night shadows were dancing.
A warm current lingered in Li Ji's heart, and inadvertently, two lines of cold tears flowed down his cheeks.
Suddenly, there was a cough outside the window, followed by the voice of the maid Chunxiao:
"Master Qi, the young lady has gone to bed."
"Oh! I want to tell Master Li that the pursuers have retreated."
"Okay, sir, I'll go back to the lady!"
"Hey, okay, okay!"
At dawn the next day, Li Ji bid farewell to Master Qi and Miss Qi.
The housekeeper Qi Da led Li Ji's horse and took him all the way to the riverside at the east end of Beggar's Village.
At this time, the sky is blue, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the willow bank is shaded by the morning breeze and the waning moon.
Li Ji mounted the red horse given by the owner of Qi Manor and turned to look at the Qi family compound.
At the gate of the courtyard, the infatuated beauty stood alone, their shadow hanging in the air.
Li Ji suddenly recited a poem:
When I first saw you in Jingyi, your hair and beard were as black as lacquer, without a single strand.
This year when we met in Yingchangbu, I knew who he was with his face covered in frost and snow.
Old friends are scattered, separated by life and death, and I am left alone with only my shadow to follow me.
My love for my son is as strong as iron, and what I said in the past remains unchanged today.
Who is the one who makes the right choices in this world? Only the ancient Buddha can never be deceived.
Alas, I myself do not know you, but I know that you are a pure and upright person.
Suddenly he smiled without saying a word, and a new poem appeared in his sleeves.
It’s a pity that we have known each other for twenty years, but we still don’t know each other when we are facing each other
The oyster holds the pearl and refuses to spit it out, it hides its brilliance under the sand.
It is a good idea for the clam to think about itself, but if others don't understand, they will be laughed at.
What a great sentence: "Old friends are separated by life and death, and I am left alone with only my shadow."
After Li Ji finished reciting the poem, he waved to Qi Yu, rode away on his horse, whipped it and left.
…
Half an hour later, he confirmed that there were no more pursuers behind him.
He stopped, stood on the peak of Changbai Mountain, and looked towards Shenmiao Village.
Black smoke rose in the distance, and the entire village was burned to rubble.
