Chapter 43 In fact, they didn't love each other

  In the following days, Qilin was almost always at home, either rolling around in bed or pretending to move her brush, and finally writing out words that could barely be seen by others.

  However.

  Since seeing that scene.

  She suddenly felt an urge to capture that moment with a brushstroke.

  And so she welcomed the final festival.

  The weather suddenly turned cool today, and even wearing a thin gauze was still very cold. However, looking around, almost everyone was dressed like this, perhaps not expecting the sudden chill. She could almost feel the people around her shivering, but on the surface, they were still pretending to be fine.

  Feng Changqing wore a red and black dragon robe, sitting at the top, coldly looking down at the crowd below. His gaze occasionally swept over to the side of the concubines, causing the women who met his eyes to blush and lower their heads. However, only Qi Lin's gaze remained fixed on the altar.

  "I report to Your Majesty, the Jade Maiden who is staying in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion has been waiting outside. Please issue a decree." Zi Yin said respectfully, kneeling on the ground with his head bowed.

  Feng Changqing waved his hand and said "Begin."

  Having received the order, Zǐ Yīng stood up and nodded to the priest on the altar, and the priest began to pray to heaven on the altar.

  The crowd began to make way for a path, and just like that day, Qilin looked sideways at the person being carried in on a stretcher, although she couldn't see their face clearly, but judging from their build, they shouldn't be more than sixteen years old.

  Time seemed to have returned to that day of sacrifice, Yu Mei was carried up, Feng Changqing took her up and walked towards her tomb.

  Cruel blood sacrifice, the pain of being abandoned by loved ones, and the figure dancing in the plum garden in the heavy snow.

  "Yunfei, I am Yumei, I love you, I love Yunfei."

  That sentence echoed in her ears, lingering on and on. Qilin slowly closed her eyes, wondering if this jade girl had been blessed by the god of love to have a romantic relationship that would leave a lasting impression, but at the same time, she didn't hope for it either.

  When you fall in love with someone, you will change yourself.

  Being favored by the god of love is not a good thing. In the end, what awaits her is only death from blood loss. This way, she doesn't fall in love with anyone, and when she leaves, it's clean and painless.

  Qilin raised her eyes to look at Long Yan, who was gently looking at Bu Yao beside him with a proud and arrogant expression. Bu Yao's gaze, however, remained fixed on a certain spot, where Yu Mu sat in his white clothes as gentle as ever.

  A faint smile. If Yu Mei mistakenly fell in love with Long Ye and ended up dying a miserable death, then wouldn't Long Ye falling in love with Bu Yao be his punishment?

  Looking at the woman on the altar, under her wide white sleeves was a delicate wrist as white as snow, and the sharp blade drew a red mark on it without any hesitation. The fresh blood flowed down her arm like spider silk, and was finally collected by the priest in a bottle, who then dotted a grain of cinnabar on her wrist.

  Zhilin naturally understood what it was, a jade girl couldn't be tainted by ordinary people, but she had to live in this place of smoke and flowers.

  Ridiculous.

  Qilin raised the corner of her mouth and gazed coldly at everything around her. If it was really so sacred, then why bring in such a rotten atmosphere?

  Carrying the title of Princess Ji Huang, conducting sacred and cruel rituals here is truly ironic.

  Suddenly, Qilin's eyes widened and an unbearable thought appeared in her mind.

  The Princess Imperial was born here, so... a Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers was also established here to commemorate her, but in some ways it seems more like a satire of her.

  The sound of the zither is scattered and fallen.

  A box full of pearls.

  The melody is "Clear and Peaceful Music".

  Can't remember the business.

  Dance in a rainbow-colored dress

  Forgot Cloud Sleeve Long

  My heartstrings were in disarray, and I awoke from a dream of love's sorrow.

  The flowers in the mirror are yellow, and the pipes are tired of responding.

  Searching through Poetry Book Lane

  Can't untie melancholy.

  Exhausted from emotional entanglement.

  Tears ruin new makeup.

  Morning brings heavenly light, the Mandarin ducks and butterflies are gone.

  Tears destroy new makeup. Morning leads to heavenly light, the mandarin ducks and butterflies are gone. Since they were so loving, why cry? The mandarin ducks and butterflies are gone??? Is it that Empress Ji actually didn't love that emperor, but was instead forcibly taken by that emperor?

  Qilin was startled by this idea in her mind, and her forehead was covered with fine sweat. She quietly wiped it away and tried to recall what Yu Mu had said about Princess Ji that day.

  There is also a poem written by Princess Ji, but Qi Lin can't hear any love in it.

  However, perhaps it was the Empress's loss of Xiang Yu that hurt the Emperor's heart. Wait a minute, Qi Lin seemed to have thought of something and suddenly raised her eyes, looking at the Baifa Pavilion, and finally at the Jade Girl kneeling on the altar.

  She could only say, what a ruthless emperor, what a pitiful Empress Ji.

  The ceremony was finally coming to a close, but under the high priest's orders, they were summoned up.

  First, Xiao Ran stretched out her white jade-like fingers, using a sharp white jade blade to cut open her finger, and fresh blood immediately flowed down, dripping into the white jade vase. Next, each person did the same thing.

  Finally, it wasn't until Zilin that when the white jade blade pierced her finger, the piercing pain was like when she was forced to have blood drawn before. No, at that time there was still some disinfectant alcohol, but now, the cold feeling, the cold blood, not a single sensation remained.

  She glanced down at the people below, they all thought it was a matter of course, without even a hint of heartache.

  Hehe... Is it Baiguge? The place where they mourned Empress Ji, singing praises of their love.

  But can love that has been baptized in blood bring peace to those who have passed away?

  She seemed to see Empress Ji's heart dripping with blood and her eyes soaked in tears.

  Also saw that man's icy eyes, cutting open her heart with a knife one by one.

  Isn't there anyone who has discovered this?

  While lost in thought, her hand was suddenly taken away, and the cold hand was instantly wrapped in warmth. As she raised her eyes, they met Feng Changqing's deep and profound gaze, which at this moment was shining with a gentle warmth that she had never seen before.

  Faintly.

  Feng Changqing lifted Qi Lin's hand, looked at it carefully, put it to his lips, opened his mouth gently and sucked in the blood that was flowing out.

  Everyone, including Jill, was startled by this move. Jill opened her mouth in surprise, but found that she couldn't say anything. She quietly looked around and knew that the person was watching her somewhere.

  I wonder what expression he will have.

  "So this is your taste." Feng Changqing released Qilin's hand, looked at her with a smile, casually licked the bloodstain on his lips, and smiled very slyly.

  Zhilin only felt a heat on her face, quietly withdrew her hand and bowed slightly, saying "Your Majesty's concubine thanks you for your concern."

  I'm afraid such consolation will only make her suffer more in the days to come.

  She thought that such a thank you would make Feng Changqing leave, but the next second Qilin felt her body lightened and she was swept off her feet by Feng Changqing.

  "Your Majesty." The one who called him was not Qilin, but rather Daji.

  Qilin closed her open mouth and prayed that the high priest wearing a mask would say something to make her come down, or else someone would really die.

  "Your Majesty, absolutely not." The Grand Priest hastily knelt on the ground, lowering his head very low, almost touching the ground, and continued to say "This is a sacred ceremony, even if Your Majesty misses the good person, please wait until the ceremony ends, I beg Your Majesty."

  It felt like Feng Changqing couldn't wait to do something with her, Qi Lin only felt her face burning, as if being burned by fire, she placed her hand on Feng Changqing's chest and gently pushed him away, softly calling out "Your Majesty".

  "Hmph." Feng Changqing merely let out a cold snort, sternly saying "I want to do something, must I still ask for your approval, Great Priest? Or is the throne of this phoenix empire going to change hands?"

  Although the voice was not loud, it was overbearing and intimidating, causing Qi Lin to tremble with fear.

  Everyone present also knelt down in fear and shouted "Your Majesty, calm your anger."

  Feng Changqing let out a cold snort and left with Qi Lin on his own.

  "We bid farewell to Your Majesty." The voice behind him was like thunder in his ears, but Feng Changqing didn't even turn around.

  Zi Yun looked at their backs and smiled slightly, got up to instruct the next thing, glanced at the side of the elm tree, who knew that there was no one there.

  Things are getting more and more interesting.

  She was carried by Feng Changqing to a small unnamed courtyard, but the familiar wine aroma made Qilin immediately understand where this was.

  Put Zilin down, Feng Changqing skillfully picked up a jar of wine, opened the lid, and drank a big mouthful with a gurgling sound, also wetting his collar.

  Then he handed the jug to Qilin and said softly, "I remember you said that when you're unhappy, you drink wine to drown your sorrows."

  Qilin hesitated for a moment, took over Feng Changqing's wine jug, but didn't drink.

  "What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Feng Changqing continued to pick up a wine jug from the ground, drinking alone, and then threw the wine jug far away. Hearing the sound of the jug shattering, he opened his mouth and said, "I can see that you're not happy in your heart. Since you're not happy, come and drink with me."

  Uh? ??? Qilin was taken aback, did he see through his own thoughts?

  "I'm not a fool, your unhappiness is written all over your face." After finishing speaking, she sat down on the stone, picked up a jar of wine and drank it without hesitation, then threw it away. She continued, "Is being my woman so unhappy? Or is it that you can't let go of that person in your heart?"

  The one in her heart? Qilin slightly furrowed her brow, finally remembering the time she casually mentioned someone as the one in her heart.

  Just as Qilin was about to explain, Feng Changqing took a step ahead.

  "Don't worry, although there are many women around me, not all of them are wanted. For example...". As he spoke, he looked up and down at Qilin, his gaze finally stopping at her slightly bulging chest, shaking his head and saying "Are you really a woman?"

  Zhilin suddenly came to her senses, wrapped her arms around her chest, and stared at Feng Changqing with a mixture of anger and shame. "Your Majesty has three thousand beauties in the harem, naturally you've seen everything... But I am a woman. This is true, truer than gold."

  Feng Changqing paused for a moment and looked at Qi Lin.

  "Hmph! Haha haha? Hehe?"

  Zi Lin looked at Feng Changqing with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment as he laughed uncontrollably. Was this still the cold and icy Emperor from just earlier?

  Why does it feel different?

  "Do you think Empress Ji and the previous emperor were truly in love?"

  Feng Changqing's sudden question almost made Qi Lin reveal her true thoughts, but the legend that had been circulating for so many years was better left unbothered.

  "What does Your Majesty think is true love?" She turned the question back to Feng Changqing, and Qilin sat quietly on the ground, fiddling with the wine jug in her hand, continuing "What qualifications do we have to comment on it?"

  "This is a fresh explanation." Feng Changqing smiled faintly and continued, "Actually, they don't love each other."