Lu Jiayi studied history books for a few days, but her memory was limited and she couldn't digest too much. What she remembered most clearly was the brother and sister of the Murong family who were said to have stunning looks. According to the imagination of fans of all dynasties, they were probably so beautiful that they almost caught up with fairies...
But it must be said that Princess Qinghe is really a very beautiful person, which was confirmed the first time Lu Jiayi saw her.
Due to the hasty preparation, Lu Jiayi was trapped in a snowy field and was frozen for two whole days. During this period, the only thing Lu Jiayi could do was to take out the three-legged golden toad, curse at Lu Yu, and then move carefully and slowly on the snow according to the instructions from the other side.
Two days later, Lu Jiayi couldn't walk anymore. She was cold and hungry, and almost fainted. No matter how Lu Yu called her, she refused to move. She sat under a rock, resting her head on the hard stone, her eyes slightly narrowed, and all she saw was an endless expanse of white.
"Am I really going to die here?" She thought vaguely. As if Murphy's Law was in effect, Lu Jiayi was wondering if she was really going to be taken away by the King of Hell, when a shadow loomed in front of her eyes.
"Hey, wake up." Someone was shaking her body violently.
What for?
Lu Jiayi rolled her eyes vigorously and cursed impatiently, but unfortunately it turned into an inaudible moan at the tip of her tongue.
Seeing her reaction, the man finally stopped shaking and quickly ran to a nearby carriage and reported respectfully: "Princess, the person is not dead!"
"I think she is quite pitiful. Why don't we take her back to the palace?" Someone sighed softly in the carriage, and his words were full of tenderness and compassion.
"Yes, sir!"
…………
When she woke up again, Lu Jiayi was still in darkness. She tried to move her body and found herself in a soft place.
"Girl, don't move." Someone whispered in her ear, "You've been sleeping for a whole day. I was worried that you wouldn't wake up, so I came to check on you."
Lu Jiayi relaxed a little after hearing this gentle voice. She waved her hand in the endless darkness and asked worriedly, "Where am I?"
A soft little hand covered her eyes, and Lu Jiayi felt that there was a thin barrier between her eyes and the person's hand.
"You've been in the snow for too long. You've developed snow blindness and you can't see for the time being." The man said softly, "Don't worry, I've asked a doctor to check you out. He said you'll be fine in a few days."
Lu Jiayi finally put her mind at ease and lay down on the bed obediently. Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Are you...are you from Yan?"
The man smiled gently and seemed to nod.
"Yes, I am the princess of Yan State, and my title is Qinghe. You are in my bedroom now, just rest for a few days. By the way, what is your name?"
As soon as Qinghe finished speaking, Lu Jiayi was so moved that she almost cried. Although she was tricked so badly by Lu Yu, at least she found the key person on this trip.
Lu Jiayi took a deep breath, a tear slowly fell from the corner of her eye, and she instantly turned on the actor mode. She opened her mouth and choked up as she answered, "My name is Lu Jiayi, and I'm a tea girl who escaped from the battle. Your Highness, can you take me in?"
It is not difficult to impress a fourteen-year-old girl, not to mention that Princess Qinghe is full of curiosity about Lu Jiayi.
When Princess Qinghe came to Lu Jiayi's bedside again, the two girls of similar age gradually started chatting.
"Did you really escape alone?" Qinghe seemed a little hesitant, but still asked, "Have you seen a very tall and handsome man? He was injured in the snow last year, and he should be well now. I wonder if he has gone to the nearby area to take a look..."
Lu Jiayi was confused, but she vaguely understood the implication of Qinghe's words.
"Princess, so you went to that snowy area... to meet someone?" Lu Jiayi rolled her eyes and tried to persuade him with ill intentions, "The war is so intense now, but you are ignoring the danger and staying away from the palace. That person must be very important to you, right? I met a lot of people during my escape, and I wonder if I have seen the person you mentioned. Can you tell me about him?"
Qinghe was a little shy and couldn't help but glance at Lu Jiayi lying on the bed. Knowing that she couldn't see his blushing face, he finally hardened his heart and said, "I...I met him last year, in that snowy field. He was seriously injured, and I took care of him all night. He is a very gentle person and treats me very well. He also said that he would do everything he can to find me and repay me in the future. However, a year has passed, and I went to wait in that snowy field every month, but he never showed up again."
"So that's how it is." Lu Jiayi nodded thoughtfully, but couldn't help complaining in her heart. She should have asked for a name, address or contact information or something like that!
"Princess, you... like him?" Lu Jiayi asked cautiously.
"I..." Qinghe suddenly stood up nervously, twisting the corner of his clothes with his fingers, and said with a red face, "I just want to see him again and ask him if he has forgotten me..."
Qinghe left the edge of the bed, and Lu Jiayi touched around with her hands randomly, indicating her inner anxiety.
"Your Highness, you are beautiful and kind. Which man who has met you would be willing to forget you?" Lu Jiayi said.
Qinghe asked curiously: "Do you know what I look like?"
Lu Jiayi chuckled and said, "Although I can't see the princess now, your voice is so beautiful, I think you must look like a fairy!"
Qinghe couldn't help laughing, and suddenly became close to Lu Jiayi. She sat down again, playing with a corner of the quilt, and said quietly: "I drew a portrait of him. When your eyes are better, help me take a look."
Lu Jiayi nodded solemnly.
Snow blindness is an inflammation caused by ultraviolet rays damaging the cornea and conjunctival epithelium. Snow has a very high reflectivity to sunlight, and looking directly at the snow is like looking directly at the sun. Lu Jiayi was trapped for two days, so she became seriously ill. Fortunately, the Yan Kingdom Palace had a complete range of medical supplies, and Qinghe had someone take good care of Lu Jiayi, so Lu Jiayi's eyes recovered after a few days.
She could clearly feel the light through the thin ribbon, so she couldn't help but pull it off. At first, she couldn't open her eyes because of the dim light, but after a few seconds, she opened her eyes a little and finally saw where she was.
This is a small bedroom with oil lamps burning all around. It was late at night and everything was quiet outside. Lu Jiayi had been recuperating in bed for a few days and now she couldn't sit still.
She quietly slipped out and looked around the Princess of Yan's residence curiously. Suddenly , she caught a glimpse of an unclosed door and could not help but push it open gently.
"Who?" someone shouted in panic.
Lu Jiayi looked carefully and saw a young man lying in front of the desk in the room with a scroll in his hand. At this moment, he turned back in astonishment and stared at Lu Jiayi blankly.
The boy was only about eleven or twelve years old, wearing a golden crown, with a face as beautiful as jade, as beautiful as the fairy boy in the temple. Lu Jiayi was immediately delighted and even had the urge to pinch his face.
"Who are you?" The young man couldn't help but scold when he saw Lu Jiayi staring at him boldly.
However, he had no dignity at his age, and Lu Jiayi was not afraid at all. She rolled her eyes and guessed the identity of this young man in a moment.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?" Lu Jiayi asked softly.
As expected, when the boy heard her speak, he panicked unconsciously and subconsciously wanted to hide the scroll in his hand. Lu Jiayi couldn't help but laugh. As expected, she guessed correctly. The delicate and handsome boy in front of her was the famous handsome man in history - Prince Murong Chong of Yan State.
"What are you laughing at?" Murong Chong said unhappily, "Don't let Sister Wang know that I have seen this painting."
"Is this... a painting by Her Royal Highness the Princess?" Lu Jiayi asked curiously.
Murong Chong was about to put the painting back to its original place, but when he heard this, he turned around. He looked at Lu Jiayi with a playful smile on his face, and said, "Are you also curious about the secret in Sister Wang's painting?"
Lu Jiayi nodded.
She really wanted to know what the man who attracted Princess Qinghe looked like.
"Come here." Murong Chong hooked his finger at her.
Lu Jiayi walked over, and Murong Chong unfolded the scroll, only to see the silhouette of a man standing in the snow. The man in the painting was tall and handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a long sword on his waist, and a hint of majesty between his eyebrows.
"This..." Lu Jiayi was just about to say that the person in the painting looked familiar, but Murong Chong closed the scroll with a snap and looked at her with a leisurely expression.
"Now that you have seen the painting, when my sister asks you about it tomorrow, you should know what to say, right?" Murong Chong grinned, unable to suppress his joy at having his conspiracy succeeded.
Lu Jiayi stood there frozen.
I actually fell into his trap! Just as Lu Jiayi was about to think of a way to teach this clever little prince a lesson, the door was suddenly pushed open.
"Sister Wang!" Murong Chong screamed, then pushed Lu Jiayi, causing her to hit the desk.
Taking advantage of Lu Jiayi's cover, Murong Chong quickly put the scroll back to its original place, and then quietly kicked Lu Jiayi.
"Ouch!" Lu Jiayi cried out in pain, then reluctantly bowed her head and apologized to the person who came, "Your Highness, I woke up and couldn't see anyone, so I wanted to come find you. I didn't mean to break in here..."
"Are your eyes okay? Look up and let me see." Qinghe interrupted her and walked over slowly.
Lu Jiayi looked up and saw a graceful girl in palace dress walking towards her in the dim light . She had curved eyebrows, eyes as sharp as water, and a thin cherry mouth. She was as quiet as a flower reflecting on the water, and as moving as a willow swaying in the wind. Lu Jiayi stared at her in a daze, as if someone had covered her eyes with a veil. She couldn't see clearly at all. The Qinghe River reflected in her eyes was also covered with a layer of soft light.
The clouds look like clothes and the flowers look like beauty; the spring breeze blows across the threshold and the dew drops on the face make it gorgeous.
She smiled faintly and was awakened that night.
Lu Jiayi suffers from a disease called flower mania.
From the day her eyes recovered, she began to stick to Qinghe all the time. How could there be such a beautiful person in the world ? Lu Jiayi almost fell into a morbid trance. Last time the school was rumored to have a transfer student, Lu Jiayi had prayed that it was not a girl. Because every girl loves beauty, and they don't like to be overshadowed by other beauties. It wasn't until Lu Jiayi saw Princess Qinghe that she finally understood that a beautiful woman is not liked by the same sex, mostly because she is not beautiful enough!
Thinking of this, Lu Jiayi began to envy the mysterious man that Qinghe liked.
Being loved by such a beautiful princess, why don’t you show up quickly!
In this way, Lu Jiayi successfully obtained the position of Princess Qinghe's personal maid with her "love of beauty". She was good at tea ceremony and shared little secrets between girls with Qinghe. She was treated differently from ordinary people and was very successful in the Yan Kingdom palace.
"Sister Wang, why haven't you left yet?" As usual, Murong Chong ignored the maid's notice and rushed straight into Qinghe's bedroom. Seeing Qinghe sipping tea leisurely, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Someone in the court recently advised that Murong Ping was selling firewood and water in the garrison, which caused the army to lose morale and be unable to resist Fu Jian's army. Brother Wang asked us to prepare for the worst. Sister Wang, you should pack up your things quickly and leave the city to hide!"
The Pu'er tea in the pot was being brewed for the second time, and a faint bitter smell filled the air. Lu Jiayi's hands kept moving, but her heart was slightly tense.
In November 370 AD, the Former Qin Dynasty destroyed the Yan State. Lu Jiayi arrived too late. The only hope of the Yan State, the famous general Murong Chui, had already defected to Fu Jian. Murong Ping, who was now in power, was a master of courting death. He did not forget to amass fortunes during the war. The Yan State was about to embark on an irreversible road to destruction.
Qinghe sighed and frowned. She looked at Murong Chong who was rushing around and said softly, "My brother didn't leave, and the people of Yecheng didn't leave. As a princess of a country, can I just walk away?"
"Sister Wang, don't think like that." Murong Chong sat down next to Qinghe and said sullenly, "The current situation is full of wars, which is not suitable for women to survive. Don't look at my young age, I am not afraid of anything. I have agreed with my brother that if Fu Jian really attacks, I will go out of the palace with my brother to kill the Qin people!"
"Since you have such backbone, doesn't Sister Wang have it too?" Qinghe smiled faintly, and his gentle eyes were slowly covered with a touch of determination. "I will accompany Yan State until the last moment. If you die in battle, I will go with you."
As he spoke, Qinghe suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Jiayi and said, "By the way, if there really comes a day when the country is destroyed and the city is destroyed, then I will let you leave the city first."
Lu Jiayi smiled slightly, knelt down in front of Qinghe, and said, "Princess, you saved my life, I will not leave you at this time. If the Qin people really attack Yecheng, I will accompany you until the last moment."
Upon hearing this, the Murong siblings couldn't help but turn their gaze towards Lu Jiayi.
Both of them were touched, and Qinghe's eyes were red. Lu Jiayi quickly handed her the handkerchief, blinked her eyes, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Princess, can't you let go of the person in the painting?"
Qinghe was stunned and lowered his head silently.
No matter what the outcome of the war is, the longer I stay here, the greater my hope of meeting that person.
This can be considered as Qinghe's selfish motive.
Time flies, and before we know it, late autumn has turned into early winter. Fine snow falls from the sky, like a silent dance. However, the theme song of this winter is sad. Murong Ping's 150,000 Yan troops were destroyed by Qin general Wang Meng, and Yecheng was surrounded by 100,000 troops led by Fu Jian himself.
Without a desperate resistance or a last stand, Prince Murong Wei of Yan fled from Yecheng and headed for Liaodong. Behind him, Murong Chong, who was wearing armor and eager to fight, and tens of thousands of people in Yecheng were left behind.
"Walk!"
King Yan took Princess Qinghe out of the city and left her on the road.
Lu Jiayi helped Qinghe stand up. Under the gray sky, the two of them looked a little lonely. Lu Jiayi asked with some concern: "Princess, are we really not going to follow the king?"
After the Qin army entered the city, the maids, guards and civilians in the palace fled together. Now only Lu Jiayi was left with Qinghe. Even though Lu Jiayi knew that Qinghe would not die here, she still felt sad when she saw such a scene.
Qinghe watched the few riders led by the King of Yan go away, and said word by word: "I will not abandon my blood relatives, and I will not abandon my people."
After that, she brushed off the dust on her body, straightened her chest, looked up at the tall walls of Yecheng, and said firmly: "Let's go back to find Chong'er."
Lu Jiayi accompanied Qinghe back to Yecheng, and they were captured by the Qin army as soon as they entered the city gate. Qinghe said calmly: "I am Princess Qinghe of Yan State, and I want to see my brother."
The Qin army looked at the two men with strange eyes, whispering to each other. Finally, a man who looked like a commander stood up and said, "Follow me!"
The man led Qinghe and Lu Jiayi through a large of troops and walked to a makeshift execution ground. The stranded people panicked and tightly grasped their bags and relatives around them, trying to take the opportunity to escape from the encirclement of the Qin army.
On the high Xingtai, Murong Chong, with a childish face, was tied up, his golden crown fell to the ground, and his armor was torn, as if he had been through a fierce battle.
A tall figure stood in front of him, holding a painting in his hand. He was very calm, and did not get angry when Murong Chong attacked him just now, but asked a question instead.
He unfolded the scroll in his hand and asked carefully and sincerely, although he looked down at him: "Have you seen this person?"
The person in the painting wrapped her thin body in a red cloak, with a corner of her elegant dress showing through the white snow. She walked alone in the snow, like a delicate yet strong orchid.
Murong Chong took a look at the scroll, his eyes suddenly changed, he raised his head abruptly, and stared at the person in front of him with resentment.
At this time, someone came and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Qinghe wants to see you."
"Chong'er!" Qinghe saw Murong Chong tied to the high platform at a glance, and ran forward with Lu Jiayi. The person on Xingtai turned around, revealing a silhouette, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a long sword on his waist, and a faint sense of majesty between his eyebrows.
"Oh my God..." Lu Jiayi stopped running, opened her mouth wide, and looked at the man standing high up in shock.
Qinghe looked at him, her expression changing from anxiety to shock, pain and loss. She stood in front of the guards who came to stop her, her whole body stiff, as if she didn't know where she was.
The man who destroyed the State of Yan looked exactly like the man in her painting.
Why……
Will they meet again under such circumstances?
The moment Fu Jian saw Qinghe, something seemed to flicker in his eyes. He showed an irrepressible joy on his face and hurried off the stage. He walked cautiously to Qinghe and opened his arms, as if he wanted to hug her, but was afraid of hurting her. He could only sigh and say, "I finally found you."
Fate is always wonderful.
When Fu Jian finally embraced Qinghe, Lu Jiayi felt for the first time that she was a complete bystander. She watched from afar, watching Qinghe finally struggle and cry in Fu Jian's arms, then sit on the ground in grief. Lu Jiayi heard Qinghe's low pleading, asking Fu Jian to let Murong Chong and her most loyal maid go.
Murong Chong watched all this coldly, and his sorrowful cries seemed to tear the gray sky apart.
Lu Jiayi followed the Qin army to Chang'an.
After returning to the palace of the King of Qin, Qinghe was immediately made a concubine. At Qinghe's request, Murong Chong and Lu Jiayi saved their lives and moved into the palace with Qinghe. This matter was strongly opposed by Wang Meng, a hero of the fall of Yan, but Fu Jian overruled all the opposition and strictly prohibited the ministers from discussing the matter again. As a result, there was a lot of resentment between the king and his ministers.
Lu Jiayi found out all this from the palace servants.
As night fell, Fu Jian came to visit Qinghe as usual. His face was peaceful and his tone was so gentle that it seemed to drip water. It was not obvious that he had been upset at the court meeting.
"People have always praised your beauty, saying that you are phoenixes from heaven. I was so slow to realize it that I never thought of connecting you with the woman who saved me that day. I heard that after I left, you often went to that snowy field to wait for me. Is that true?" Fu Jian sat down next to Qinghe and wanted to hold those cold hands.
Qinghe avoided him calmly. She stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the sky in the distance in a daze.
Fu Jian withdrew his hand and sighed inaudibly.
The two of them were silent for a while, and Lu Jiayi felt that she should leave. At this moment, Fu Jian suddenly stood up, walked behind Qinghe, and looked at the sky in the deep palace with her.
He smiled heartily, looked around the huge Afang Palace, and said with a smile: "Now that the phoenix has come to my side, this Afang Palace should also be changed. The ancients said that the phoenix 'will not stop unless it is on the Chinese parasol tree, and will not eat unless it is on the lychee fruit'. I will have people plant Chinese parasol trees and bamboos where you live. Do you think it's a good idea?"
Qinghe didn't turn around or answer him, but his body was slightly stunned.
After hearing this, Lu Jiayi sighed slightly in her heart. The ministers of Qin were already dissatisfied with Fu Jian's favoritism towards the daughter of a fallen nation. If Fu Jian built a large-scale project for Princess Qinghe, it would probably cause even greater criticism.
Seeing that she still ignored him, Fu Jian had no choice but to leave. Before stepping out of the palace gate, he thought for a moment, then stopped, looked back at Qinghe's back, and said softly: "I don't know what you like, as long as it's something that can make you happy, just tell me, and I will definitely do it."
After saying this, he waited for a while, but the person by the window still did not make any movement, as if he did not exist. Fu Jian had no choice but to shake his head and leave the bedroom.
After Fu Jian left, Lu Jiayi quietly walked to Qinghe and whispered, "Princess..."
Qinghe slowly covered his face with his hands, choked up, and sad tears flowed through his fingers.
"Humph." A mocking voice came from outside the door, with a ruthless laugh, "Who are you crying for?"
Lu Jiayi turned around and saw Murong Chong had arrived here at some point. He was dressed in simple and elegant clothes and had lost a lot of weight, which made him look more mature. He stood in the shadow of the bedroom, looking at Qinghe who was crying with her face covered with her hands without any emotion, and sneered: "If father knew that you saved the king of the enemy country and caused our Yan country to be destroyed by this man, what expression would he have?"
Qinghe was trembling all over. She turned around and looked at Murong Chong with a painful face, shaking her head helplessly: "I, I'm not... I didn't know it was him..."
"Your Highness." Lu Jiayi whispered, "You know this is not what the princess wants to see. Please stop making things difficult for her, okay?"
"I'm making things difficult for her?" Murong Chong walked out from the shadows, walked to Qinghe step by step, raised his face stubbornly, stared at Qinghe with wide eyes, and said, "If you hadn't saved this person, how could my sister and I have fallen to this point! You are a sinner of the Murong family! You are a sinner of the entire Yan State!"
Qinghe sat on the ground dejectedly, tears flowing silently. She closed her eyes and said weakly: "I am sorry for Yan State, you can scold me as much as you want. Do you know how many times I have thought about ending my life during this period? But you are still so young, the hope of Yan State's revival lies in you, I can't just abandon you like this..."
Seeing Qinghe almost collapsed, Murong Chong's eyes turned red. He sat down silently, leaning against Qinghe, and said coldly: "What's the point of saying this now? My brother has been killed by them, and I am trapped in this huge Afang Palace. I can't leave even if I want to, so how can I talk about revival..."
Lu Jiayi sighed, walked to the two of them, held their hands together, and said softly: "Your Highnesses, you only have each other now. You must support each other in the future and stop quarreling."
The three of them put their hands together, reflecting the night light, and there was a long silence.
The quarrel between Murong siblings soon reached Fu Jian's ears. Seeing Qinghe was depressed all day, he proposed to take them out of the palace to play.
Lu Jiayi had to admit that Fu Jian was sincere to Qinghe and tried every way to make her happy. The newly planted sycamores and bamboos in the Afang Palace were lush and green, with hundreds of thousands of them stretching out like a legendary phoenix nest. Lu Jiayi looked back at the green, and occasionally saw a corner of the palace eaves under the shade of branches and leaves. The entire Afang Palace had completely changed its appearance.
"Let's go." Someone beside her urged her. Lu Jiayi came to her senses and got on the carriage to leave the palace.
Fu Jian ordered a new carriage to be built. It was magnificent in appearance and very spacious inside. The four of them sat in the carriage, and there was a small table in the middle, which was filled with fruits and sweets.
Fu Jian took a look at Lu Jiayi, who was the last to board the carriage, and suddenly asked, "Are you the tea lady? What kind of tea does my beloved concubine like to drink?"
Lu Jiayi quickly replied, "There is a kind of bitter tea in the southwest of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, called 'Pul', which Your Majesty likes very much. However, the Qin Kingdom does not like the tea ceremony, so I have not found any new tea for Your Majesty these days."
"Our country values ​​military power and does not like these exquisite and luxurious things." Fu Jian smiled and said, "Well, since you like 'Pul', I will send someone to the Eastern Jin Dynasty to bring some back for you. Tea girl, my beloved concubine's diet will be up to you from now on."
Qinghe lowered his head, showing no reaction. Lu Jiayi nodded quickly.
During the whole process, only Murong Chong sat in the corner, watching everything coldly. His hateful eyes were fixed on Fu Jian, like a little lion that could explode at any time.
Although Fu Jian felt the hateful gaze, he didn't care and continued to concentrate on talking to Qinghe. However, this awkward situation couldn't last long. If Fu Jian hadn't considered Qinghe's feelings, Murong Chong would have paid the price for his rudeness.
Lu Jiayi intentionally or unintentionally walked to Murong Chong and poured tea for him attentively, actually using her body to block his eyes from looking at Fu Jian.
"Look, it's the carriage from the Afang Palace!"
"How beautiful! Come and see! I wonder if our king is in there!"
"It's the princess's carriage! Come, stand further away and don't block her way."
The carriage creaked into Chang'an City, attracting many people to watch. The adults pointed at the gorgeous carriage and whispered to each other, while the children gathered in groups of three or five, clapping their hands and singing the latest popular ballads.
"One female and one male, both fly into the Purple Palace..."
A little girl on the street tugged at her father's clothes and asked in a daze, "Daddy, a princess can be the king's concubine, can a prince be the king's concubine as well?"
The rumors were clearly transmitted into the magnificent carriage. Lu Jiayi felt that the people around him clenched their fists tightly and trembled, as if they could suddenly kill someone at any time. Lu Jiayi squatted down and quickly grabbed Murong Chong's hand.
Murong Chong's whole body trembled, and his almost blood-red eyes looked at Lu Jiayi.
Lu Jiayi looked at him motionlessly and shook her head gently.
"Your Majesty..." Suddenly, a faint voice sounded in the silent carriage, but it was enough to attract everyone's attention.
Qinghe closed her eyes, her face full of pain. She bent down slightly towards Fu Jian and pleaded in a low voice: "Let's go back."