On the wedding night, everyone in the city seemed drunk.
Firecrackers and music rang non-stop, fireworks shot up into the sky, spreading happiness all over the night sky. Everyone was laughing, no matter whether they were from the new party or the old party, they were all drunk on the wine tonight.
Lu Jiayi watched all this quietly and felt genuinely happy.
If this was her last trip, this was the ending she would most like to see.
Taking the can of tea leaves that symbolized joy and happiness from Li Qingzhao, Lu Jiayi walked out of Zhao's house alone. Compared with the bustle inside, the street outside seemed quiet and vast.
She walked on the streets at night, thinking about this experience with a faint smile on her face.
I am leaving...
There is no reluctance at all, because everyone is very happy.
Lu Jiayi couldn't help but lower her head to look at the tea in her hand. With it, she could fulfill her promise with Lu Yu. Thinking of this, she gradually jumped out of the story of this era.
She took out the three-legged golden toad and stroked it gently, as if telling it that it was time to go home...
"Are you leaving again?" a voice came from the side.
Hearing this familiar voice, Lu Jiayi was startled and subconsciously looked towards the source of the voice. However, before she saw the figure, she felt her hands suddenly empty, and the tea can in her hands was taken away by a strong force!
Lu Jiayi turned around hastily.
Sure enough, there was someone standing behind her.
The man was wearing a simple long gown, just like the last time they met long ago. Today, he still stood under the moonlight, but he no longer looked at her, but carefully observed a tea can in his hand.
Looking at his eyes that emitted a cold light in the night, Lu Jiayi's heart trembled.
"You... why are you here?" Lu Jiayi swallowed and asked bravely.
Cai Jing finally glanced at her indifferently and sneered, "Two court officials with different positions have become relatives. As the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, how can I not come and see it in person? Lu Jiayi, you are not such a naive person, right?"
"I..." Lu Jiayi was frightened by his aura and began to stutter, "You... give the tea back to me!"
"Tea?" Cai Jing put the jar in front of his nose, sniffed it gently, and said with a forced smile, "Oh, yes, it's tea. Every time you appear, it's related to tea."
"I...I..." Lu Jiayi felt guilty. "Okay! I left without saying goodbye many times, I am sorry for you! Just tell me what you want to do!"
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. After all, you and I have known each other for many years." Cai Jing smiled slightly, put his hand holding the tea can behind his back, and said, "However, I will take this can of tea away first. If you want it, come to my house and get it."
After saying that, Cai Jing didn't even look at Lu Jiayi and walked away.
"Hey!" Lu Jiayi was anxious, pointing at his back and shouting, "That's my stuff! You can't take it! Hey, I told you to stop! Give it back to me now!"
Cai Jing walked towards the darkness as if he had not heard anything. Seeing that his back was about to disappear, Lu Jiayi stamped her feet and hurriedly chased after him.
Cai Jing’s prime minister’s residence was very grand, much larger than Li’s residence, and the rules were much stricter.
Lu Jiayi was invited to Cai Jing's study by a servant. After a cup of tea was served, the servant left without saying a word. Compared with the previous Cai Mansion, the servants here were much more cautious, fearing that a mistake would cause trouble. Lu Jiayi felt a little strange when she saw them hesitating.
Has Cai Jing really become a scary person?
Lu Jiayi stood up and began to look around the study. Suddenly, her eyes were attracted by something and she walked forward unconsciously.
There are two paintings hanging on the wall.
By the lake in summer, a young girl was leaning on the pavilion and gazing into the distance. It was her.
Under the lush green bamboo, there was a handsome young man standing with a book in his hand. It was her.
It turned out that Cai Jing had kept these two paintings and had them framed and hung them where he could see them every day when he looked up.
Come to think of it, on Cai Jing's timeline, Lu Jiayi and him have really known each other for many years.
Both times, Lu Jiayi left so suddenly. Whether it was the first time they met or the second time they met, Cai Jing clearly expressed his love to Lu Jiayi, but she turned a deaf ear and left without mercy.
If Lu Jiayi were replaced by Cai Jing, he would probably hate me too.
Lu Jiayi sighed, stopped looking at the paintings on the wall, and came to Cai Jing's desk.
There were some memorials on the table, representing the most timely government affairs and people's livelihood in the Song Dynasty. Seeing that no one was around, Lu Jiayi curiously flipped through them and took a look.
As soon as she opened it, Lu Jiayi's face froze. She read a few lines and quickly turned to another folded book. Her face turned pale and her chest began to gasp for air.
At this moment, the door of the study was pushed open with a creaky sound.
Lu Jiayi raised her head in fear and looked out the door in panic.
Cai Jing's face was very calm. He stood at the door, looking at Lu Jiayi quietly, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Lu Jiayi looked at him in a daze. His face was so calm, as if he was a husband who had just returned from court and asked his wife a question casually. However, Lu Jiayi felt a little angry.
"Why didn't you listen to me?" Lu Jiayi's voice trembled a little. Her fingertips were still on the memorials, and every word was a scolding to Cai Jing.
All of these memorials were submitted by the censors to the emperor. This large group of people seemed to have formed an alliance, and they ran to the emperor one after another to impeach Cai Jing, and their words were fierce, and the charges were listed loudly, and they almost knelt down in front of the emperor and cried.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from Prime Minister Wang's new policies?" Lu Jiayi pointed at the impeachment memorial on the table. "His reform movement caused the court to split into two factions, and now it's getting worse. Even if you become prime minister, what good will it do? Won't the outside party still see you as a thorn in their side and want to get rid of you as soon as possible!"
"Do you care about me?" Cai Jing asked back lightly, then walked in front of Lu Jiayi and looked down at her, as if he wanted to see her into his heart.
"But the mistress of my house is gone, why should I listen?"
Every word seemed to fall from Lu Jiayi's head like cold raindrops.
Lu Jiayi's heart trembled, she turned away and said softly: "We...are not that kind of relationship..."
Her attitude finally angered Cai Jing. There were thousands of emotions changing rapidly in his eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed Lu Jiayi's shoulders and pressed her against the wall!
Lu Jiayi felt pain and almost cried out.
Cai Jing pressed her hands hard against the wall, approached her, and growled in a low voice: "Since we are not in that kind of relationship, what qualifications do you have to control me? For so many years, I have been infatuated with you and dreamed every day that you would come back to me. But what about you? You disappeared without even saying hello. How are you going to settle what you owe me? We are not in that kind of relationship. So, what is our relationship?"
Lu Jiayi was frightened when she saw him so close to her. Her eyes were wide open and she could only stare at those bright eyes without daring to move.
Cai Jing looked at the panic that could not be concealed in her eyes and calmed down unconsciously.
He had clearly
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked at Lu Jiayi.
They were so close that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats. Cai Jing released one hand and gently stroked Lu Jiayi's cheek, saying in a tone that was almost like a sigh: "How come you haven't changed at all?"
This sentence was like a thorn in Lu Jiayi's mind. She shuddered and immediately woke up. She pushed Cai Jing away and subconsciously covered her face with both hands.
Cai Jing looked at her reaction and did not take any further action. He just said calmly: "I don't care whether you are a human or a demon. Since you have provoked me, be prepared to pay for it with your whole life!"
"You..." Hearing this arrogant declaration, Lu Jiayi was a little angry, but she explained unconsciously, "I'm not a demon, but..."
Lu Jiayi lowered her head.
Cai Jing glanced at her, and for some reason, he suddenly didn't want to ask any more questions. He always felt a vague uneasiness about Lu Jiayi's life experience. Finally, he let out a long breath, turned around and walked out.
Cai Jing did not ask about her origins, which surprised Lu Jiayi. Then she thought, if Cai Jing never knew her origins and she disappeared again, would he wait for her forever?
Thinking of this, Lu Jiayi unconsciously thought of the portrait in his study.
Last time, Lu Jiayi was a little shaken about her attitude towards Cai Jing.
But she knew that it was impossible for them to be together, so she controlled her heart in time. However, she didn't know that Cai Jing's feelings for her were so deep.
No matter in the past or now, Lu Jiayi didn't want to make Cai Jing sad. If there was a way to have the best of both worlds...
However, it turned out that Lu Jiayi was overthinking.
Because she can't leave the Song Dynasty now.
Lu Jiayi was forced to stay in Cai's house. The servants treated her very well, perhaps on Cai Jing's orders, and took care of her meticulously. But his attitude was a little distant. He went to court every day as usual, and when he came back, he was busy dealing with state affairs, and went out for social events from time to time. Apart from asking about Lu Jiayi's diet and mood on time every day, he didn't care about other things.
So, Lu Jiayi began to turn the entire Cai Mansion upside down.
When she turned the house upside down, the can of HEYTEA was still nowhere to be found.
Lu Jiayi couldn't sit still anymore.
"Hey, where did you put my things?" One morning, Lu Jiayi stopped Cai Jing who was about to go out in a threatening manner.
Cai Jing looked at her angry look, raised his eyebrows slightly, spread his hands, and said seriously: "I said, as long as you are willing, you are the mistress of this house. If you want to find something, just go and find it, no one will stop you." As he said, he took a step closer and whispered in Lu Jiayi's ear, "Even if it is my room, you can go in, even if it is demolished."
As he said this, he let out a low laugh and then walked away.
Lu Jiayi stood there, clenched her hands into fists, and was almost furious.
"ah--"
She rushed back and searched the Cai Mansion again. After she searched the mansion inside and out for no less than ten times, she finally realized that this time, she could not beat Cai Jing.
Lu Jiayi locked herself in the room in despair.
Knock, knock, knock. Suddenly, someone knocked on the window.
"Jiayi, are you there?" A familiar voice came from outside the window.
Lu Jiayi happily opened the door and called out, "Miss!"
Even though they had been separated for many days, she still couldn't change her mind.
"Shh!" The man blocked his lips with his food, signaling her to be quiet, then walked over with his back hunched.
That's right, the person who sneaked into Lu Jiayi's room was Li Qingzhao, who had just married. Lu Jiayi really didn't expect to see her again, and was surprised and happy for a moment.
"Why are you here?" she asked in surprise.
Li Qingzhao turned her head and looked around to make sure no one was around. Then she patted her chest and explained, "I thought you had returned to your hometown, but I happened to hear from a servant that someone saw you being taken away by Lord Cai on the night Mingcheng and I got married. I asked someone to inquire about the situation at the Cai Mansion, and only then did I confirm that you were really here."
"So what are you doing today..." Lu Jiayi was confused.
"I'm here to save you." Li Qingzhao lowered her voice, "Didn't you say you wanted to go home?"
"But, aren't you afraid..." Lu Jiayi pointed here, a little shocked. Li Qingzhao wanted to save herself? Wasn't she afraid of offending Cai Jing?
Li Qingzhao shook her head and said, "It is not gentlemanly to bully a woman, even if he is a prime minister! Let's not talk too much, Mingcheng is still drinking tea with him in the front hall to stall for time. Jiayi, if you want to go out, come with me."
Lu Jiayi looked at Li Qingzhao, as if she had gained courage from her. Since staying here would be useless, she might as well go out. Thinking of this, she nodded: "Okay!"
Li Qingzhao's plan was simple. She asked Lu Jiayi to change clothes with the maid she brought with her, and then the two of them slipped out through the side door. The escape went smoothly, but Lu Jiayi was a little worried. For some reason, she always felt that the servants in Cai's mansion could recognize her.
When they returned to Zhao's house and saw no one chasing them, Lu Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief. She cursed herself in her heart, thinking that she must have been frightened by Cai Jing.
After waiting for a while, Zhao Mingcheng also came back.
When the three of them met, they naturally reminisced about the past. Li Qingzhao asked Lu Jiayi to return to being a maid and hide in Zhao's house, waiting for the limelight to come, and then she would find a chance to send her out of the city.
However, the imagined storm did not come.
Cai Jing was very calm when someone was missing from the Cai Mansion. Everything in the mansion was just like normal. After waiting for a few days, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng did not see Cai Jing come to question them, nor did they see Cai Jing looking for someone. They could not help but feel puzzled.
"This guy must be relying on the things he has from me, so he's not in a hurry at all. Maybe he's even waiting for me to go back obediently!" Lu Jiayi said angrily.
"What did he take from you?" Li Qingzhao asked.
"It's the wedding tea you gave me!" Lu Jiayi said anxiously, "He snatched it away on the wedding night, and I still haven't found it."
After hearing this, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng looked at each other. After a long while, Li Qingzhao said softly, "Jiayi, what I give you is this year's tribute tea, Dragon and Phoenix Tuan Tea. The emperor knows that I am a bit of a false reputation, so he specially gave it to me when I got married. Although it is rare, it is not something particularly rare. If you like it, I can give you some more."
"No, no, no!" Lu Jiayi waved her hands and explained anxiously, "I don't want anything else, just that one can. For me, only that one can has special meaning."
Li Qingzhao frowned. Logically, she should be touched that Lu Jiayi cared so much about the gift she gave her. However, seeing Lu Jiayi trying so desperately to get the can of tea back, she felt that something was a little unusual.
What she didn't know was that what Lu Jiayi wanted was not the jar of precious tribute tea, but the greatest happiness and joy of a girl on her wedding night.
Lu Jiayi insisted on having the can of tea. Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng could not think of a suitable solution, so they had to temporarily put their escape plan on hold.
On the other hand, Cai Jing finally took action after a few days of silence.
As soon as he made a move, the situation changed drastically.
On this day, Lu Jiayi stayed at Zhao's house, helping the servants sort the new tea. Zhao Mingcheng and Li Qingzhao were out for a long time and only came back when the court was over.
Li Qingzhao came alone.
She almost ran to Lu Jiayi, her face as pale as paper, tears in her eyes, her chest heaving violently. Seeing her, Lu Jiayi realized that something bad had happened.
"Jiayi, my father..." Her lips trembled and she couldn't continue.
Lu Jiayi was also panicking. She grabbed Li Qingzhao's hands and asked, " What happened? What happened to Lord Li?"
"My father..." Li Qingzhao covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She choked and said, "Today, the court joined forces to exclude the Yuanyou Party. My father was implicated and was sent back to his hometown by Your Majesty..."
"What..." Lu Jiayi felt like the whole world started spinning.
The Song Dynasty was destroyed by factional struggles, and the ups and downs in the officialdom made people tremble with fear all the time. Today, the Yuanyou Party members were excluded, so the people who took action were the New Party.
Cai Jing was one of the leaders of the New Party.
Lu Jiayi's lips suddenly lost their color.
She looked at Li Qingzhao, who was in tears, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. The arrogant and rude young master had become a powerful minister who could play power games at will. Over the years, his changes had long been beyond Lu Jiayi's understanding.
Lu Jiayi's eyes flashed with the image of him looking at her calmly. She even felt that every smile of his concealed an invisible sharp blade!
very scary……
The defense that Lu Jiayi had built up with great difficulty in her heart completely collapsed, and she uttered half a sentence tremblingly: "I...I...don't worry...I will..."
As they were talking, Zhao Mingcheng rushed over. When he saw the two of them, he knew that they already knew. He picked up Li Qingzhao and said to Lu Jiayi: "Don't be impulsive, I'll take her back to her room first."
Lu Jiayi looked at Zhao Mingcheng's receding back, as if she had lost all her strength, and sat down on the ground dejectedly .
That night, Lu Jiayi returned to Cai's house.
The servants did not show any surprise at all, as if the hostess who went out to buy groceries had returned home. To the Cai family, Lu Jiayi's departure was not a big deal at all.
However, someone eventually informed Cai Jing.
Lu Jiayi followed the servant who went to report and walked directly in front of Cai Jing, saying in a pleading tone: "Let them go."
Cai Jing was copying a landscape painting in his study . He calmly changed a pen from the pen holder, as if he didn't hear Lu Jiayi's words.
Lu Jiayi reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from taking the next step. She looked into Cai Jing's eyes and repeated what she had just said: "I beg you, let them go."
Cai Jing finally looked her in the eye, but he only responded with a faint smile.
"This is the emperor's order. What's the point of you asking me for help?"
Lu Jiayi was startled, and slowly let go of his hand. After a long while, she lowered her head and said softly , "From now on, I won't go anywhere. I swear, I will stay by your side obediently. For my sake, can you help Lord Li?"
Cai Jing looked at the brush in his hand, pulled out a strand of wolf hair from the tip of the brush, and said calmly: "The playful bird knows to return to the nest, which is a good thing. However, the emperor has already issued an order today, and Lord Li's matter is already a done deal."
Lu Jiayi was completely disappointed. She tried to maintain normal breathing, then turned around, took heavy steps, and slowly walked out the door.
Feeling the oppression coming from her, Cai Jing raised his head and looked at her lonely back. He also tried to maintain normal breathing and finally suppressed the anger that had just surged up.
He just looked at her for a while, seeing her guilty look, seeing her helpless look, seeing how she had lost everything and had to come back to him for help.
This was what he wanted, but at this moment, he couldn't help but feel sad for her.
Finally, Cai Jing wanted to call her.
However, Lu Jiayi spoke first, and unexpectedly, her voice sounded somewhat calm.
"I am a time traveler."
Cai Jing didn't understand what he said, so he asked back, "What did you say?"
Lu Jiayi turned around, tried to look at him calmly, and told him the secret: "I am a person from the future. My era and your era are more than a thousand years apart. This is why I warned you not to participate in Wang Anshi's reform. I knew he would fail; I knew the Song Dynasty would fall into party struggles; I knew you..."
Cai Jing looked at her quietly, the emotions in his eyes changing rapidly like the wind and clouds, and finally calmed down. He put the pen in his hand on the unfinished painting, because it had just been stained with ink, a large area of ​​ink spread out at the tip of the pen.
He looked at Lu Jiayi and continued her words in a trembling voice: "You already knew that something bad would happen to me, because you saw my ending in history... right?"
Lu Jiayi nodded helplessly. She didn't want to look at him anymore, so she lowered her head. She didn't dare to imagine how Cai Jing would react, but this secret was the last resort Lu Jiayi could think of.
They are people from different time and space, and it is impossible for them to be together. Their meeting is just a disordered intersection of disordered time and space.
"Why... are you here?" As expected, Cai Jing's eyes became colder and colder as he looked at her, and his voice became colder and colder.
"I am the descendant of Lu Yu, the Tea Saint." Lu Jiayi sighed, "I travel through different eras to collect the world's rare teas. As you can see, every time I appear, it is related to tea. Because when I came, I was well prepared to approach specific people at specific times."
"what about me?"
"You...you are an accident..." When it comes to this topic, Lu Jiayi subconsciously wants to avoid it, "I don't know why you...would always remember me and keep meeting me. I...I never considered you as a target..."
Cai Jing looked at her guilty expression, and his indifference gradually faded away.
He walked around the desk and strode to Lu Jiayi. He looked down at her and asked seriously, "You didn't regard me as your target, but I kept meeting you. Does this mean that God arranged us to be together? Otherwise, how do you explain what happened today?"
Lu Jiayi looked up in surprise. She didn't expect Cai Jing to say that.
"You..." Lu Jiayi pointed at herself and asked in surprise, "You don't mind my background?"
"Why should I mind?" Cai Jing frowned, then smiled, "Since God has arranged you to be by my side, then I don't care where you come from. From now on, you just need to stay by my side."
Lu Jiayi's eyes widened.
Cai Jing was moved by her big eyes. While Lu Jiayi was not paying attention, he suddenly reached out and held her head. He quickly pecked her on the lips and whispered in her ear: "For me, stay."
…………
After learning about Lu Jiayi's identity, Cai Jing considered it for a long time, but ultimately did not imprison her. In Cai's mansion, Lu Jiayi was still free and no one dared to control her. However, Lu Jiayi made a promise not to leave Cai Jing's side, which really made her own trap.
Now, Lu Jiayi feels that she is full of negative energy.
At this point, she only has one magic weapon left - the three-legged golden toad. The three-legged golden toad and Lu Yu's agreement are all secrets that Lu Jiayi has not told Cai Jing. Because this is her bottom line, and it is what she uses to protect herself.
If there is really no other way...
Lu Jiayi was just thinking about it in distress, when she suddenly learned that Li Gefei was leaving Bianjing City. She hurried to find Cai Jing, panting and said, "I want to go out, I want to accompany Miss Li to see Master Li off! No matter what, I have been a maid in the Li Mansion for several months. You can't let me be indifferent to the people in the Li Mansion, right?"
Cai Jing frowned and looked at her for a long time, but did not answer.
"Don't worry, my tea is still in your hands!" Lu Jiayi raised her hand and swore, "I'm just going to see Miss Li. I will be back before dinner. Is that okay?"
Looking at her sincere eyes, Cai Jing finally softened and said, "Okay."
After getting the approval, Lu Jiayi left happily. Looking at her jumping figure, Cai Jing fell into unrest.
You must come back...
Lu Jiayi went out alone and finally caught up with the Li family's motorcade. Li Qingzhao was accompanied by Zhao Mingcheng, but her face looked much more haggard. Seeing Lu Jiayi coming, she didn't show much expression, as if she had forgotten everything.
The team slowly walked to a wooden bridge, and Li Qingzhao and her husband got off the car and came to Li Gefei. The three of them were speechless and could only say goodbye with tears. Lu Jiayi lowered her head and walked in front of everyone, saying with guilt: "Master Li, I'm sorry, I..."
Li Gefei twirled his graying beard and said, "What happened to me is nobody's business. The court is full of factional fighting, and all parties are united to attack those who are different. Now that you've gotten involved, don't expect to get out of this unscathed. This day will come sooner or later."
"Daddy!" Li Qingzhao threw herself into Li Gefei's arms and burst into tears.
Li Gefei gently patted his daughter's shoulder and said to Zhao Mingcheng, "Take good care of her."
"I understand, son-in-law." Zhao Mingcheng bowed.
After a thousand-mile farewell, we must finally say goodbye. Li Gefei asked them to stop, and walked slowly onto the wooden bridge with only two or three servants and a cart of luggage.
Li Qingzhao looked at her father who was gradually going away, and her heart was filled with growing sadness. She could not help but follow the team, and Lu Jiayi and Zhao Mingcheng hurriedly followed.
After Li Gefei crossed the wooden bridge and walked further and further along the road back to his hometown, Li Qingzhao finally stopped. Lu Jiayi reached out and gently pulled the corner of her clothes. Li Qingzhao turned around and followed her slowly back.
When Li Qingzhao reached the bridge, she lost her balance and suddenly slipped into the river. Lu Jiayi, who was holding her clothes, noticed something was wrong and immediately pulled her hand.
But this was a landslide, and Li Qingzhao had no foothold. She slid down too fast, and there was no time to rescue her! Lu Jiayi didn't even think about it, and actually jumped down and hugged Li Qingzhao! The two of them rolled down the landslide together!
"Qing'er!" Zhao Mingcheng shouted in fear.
Fortunately, the slope was not steep, and Lu Jiayi managed to stabilize herself in time before falling into the river. At this time, Zhao Mingcheng rushed down quickly and immediately went to check on the injuries of the two people.
Li Qingzhao turned pale with fear, but she opened her eyes and glanced at Zhao Mingcheng. Zhao Mingcheng felt relieved and immediately reached out to pull her up.
"Jia Yi!" Li Qingzhao turned around and pulled Lu Jia Yi.
Lu Jiayi did not hold her hand, but touched her back with her backhand and felt something sticky. At this time, she finally felt the intense pain. Lu Jiayi smiled and wanted to say something to the frightened Li Qingzhao, but suddenly her eyes went dark and she fainted.