Volume Two: An Abundance of Blossoms Always Feels Lonely
A Kiss of Emotion
This kiss was so sudden, so sudden that both of them were caught off guard.
Yuzhou and Jidu are very far apart, and traveling south requires passing through Qianzhou, Weixian, and Zhouji. The journey involves climbing mountains and crossing ridges, wading through lakes and rivers, with limitless southern scenery, and the entire Jichao is prosperous, making it hard to imagine the disaster situation in Yuzhou.
After a day of hurried travel, nightfall descended, and they finally found an inn in Qixia town. This small town is a famous scenic spot in Qianzhou, a must-pass route for merchants, and also the most affluent small town.
“Shopkeeper, we need five upper rooms.”
The shopkeeper glanced at these distinguished and handsome young men, smiling broadly, “Sorry, young masters, our inn only has three rooms left.”
“In that case, we’ll look elsewhere,” Li Yue turned and was about to leave.
“Hey, young master, you must be from out of town. Our small town’s inns are full every day. If not for three guests leaving unexpectedly today, we wouldn’t have any rooms. If you go find elsewhere, it might not be an easy task.”
“It’s getting late, arrange the rooms first, we’ll discuss the rest later,” Qin Junlan, showing family head demeanor, said. The shopkeeper, being perceptive, replied, “This young master speaks rightly, I’ll arrange it for you, do you need wine and food prepared?”
“Naturally.”
How to allocate three rooms became a rather troublesome issue. Qin Junlan, being of noble status, naturally required a single room, as did Liu Qianxun. Bai Ruoxi, being a princess, also required one, leaving Ye Ming and Li Yue, the two attendants.
“Hey, we are five people with three rooms, even if two share each room, one will still be left alone,” Bai Ruoxi said, rolling her eyes, as she slowly approached Qin Junlan’s side, holding her arm, “Brother, I want to sleep with you.”
“No, you know, I never share a bed with anyone.” Qin Junlan was aware of her little whims, in the palace she liked to cling to her, but knew the boundaries. No matter how much Qin Junlan spoiled her, the sleeping palace could not allow her to stay overnight, and now they were out, she became bolder.
After all, when outside, even the emperor’s orders might not be followed, especially now they were traveling as ordinary people.
“I can sleep anywhere, no need for a guest room, you arrange it,” Ye Ming said lightly. Having traveled the Jianghu, she often used the sky as her cover and the earth as her shelter, sleeping on trees, rooftops, wherever she could lie down, never sticking to formality.
“Without a bed, where would you sleep?” Bai Ruoxi asked curiously, finding Ye Ming quite interesting, as sleeping should be a relaxing enjoyment, shouldn’t it?
“Anywhere is fine.”
“I don’t need one either,” Li Yue stated.
“Are you all going to sleep on the rooftop?” Bai Ruoxi asked with interest.
“Not necessarily impossible, young master, you should sleep safely indoors, we martial artists aren’t afraid of these things,” Li Yue replied. She couldn’t possibly sleep soundly; she had to protect Qin Junlan’s safety at all times and receive news from the shadow guards about the palace.
“I also want to try sleeping outside. Ye Ming, how about you take me to sleep on the rooftop, or under the bridge, or even on a tree?” Bai Ruoxi, who had never suffered hardships, suggested. She didn’t understand the struggles of the poor or the unrestrained spirit of Jianghu people.
“Don’t fool around, Xi’er, let’s eat first.” Qin Junlan, despite wearing common attire, still carried the majesty of an emperor, and Li Yue and Bai Ruoxi dared not disrespect her.
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Eight dishes and one soup, considered top-tier side dishes, Li Yue paid the silver, just as she wanted to taste the food for Qin Junlan, Liu Qianxun stepped ahead and took an empty bowl, placing a bit of each dish in it, and ate herself first.
This was supposed to be Li Yue’s duty, whether outside or in the palace, the emperor’s meals must be scrutinized and tasted for poison and improper flavors before she could eat them.
“Yan’er, have a piece of fish, it tastes quite good.” She picked a piece of the fish she tasted, removed the bones, and placed it in Qin Junlan’s bowl.
This was the first time someone served her food; from her earliest memories, Qin Junlan’s meals were prepared by palace maids, placed before her for her to enjoy. After becoming emperor, the imperial kitchen would select the essence of each dish, placing small servings before her.
Every dish was first tested with a silver needle for poison, then tasted by a special eunuch; when traveling, this task was assigned to Li Yue.
“Xun’er~ I’m not that picky, traveling outside, casual is fine.” She raised her chopsticks, picked up the fish, brought it to her mouth, unable to discern the taste but feeling a sweetness in her heart.
She picked up a shrimp for Liu Qianxun with her chopsticks, feeling clumsy and shy doing so for the first time. Liu Qianxun smiled gently, bringing it to her mouth, and Qin Junlan felt an indescribable warmth. She had never experienced such intimacy; palace etiquette was strict, who would dare place food in her bowl, who could endure the emperor’s care, even dining with the empress dowager was never like this.
Now thinking, as an emperor, even the simplest warmth between people is a luxury.
“Young Master Liu, in the future, leave this task to me.” Li Yue always felt this was her duty, even outside the palace, she must ensure nothing went wrong, if anything happened to the emperor, even ten heads wouldn’t suffice.
“Who does it is the same, isn’t it? Yan’er is a noble lady, meals should be refined, and when traveling, even more attention should be paid to food safety.” After speaking, she continued to taste the second dish.
“Xun’er, there’s no need for this, I don’t want you doing these tasks.” In Qin Junlan’s eyes, these were duties of palace maids and eunuchs, and seeing Liu Qianxun doing them made her heartache with reluctance. She is such a wonderful existence, meant to be cherished, not serving her.
“Is what I do not as good as Li Yue?”
“Of course not, but there’s no need to be so particular, traveling should avoid unnecessary trouble.” Qin Junlan said, and then began eating herself.
She eats with extreme particularity and etiquette. Not speaking while eating is basic, tasting each dish once is enough, as she always has a small appetite, and with soup, she can fill her stomach.
As evening came, more people dined at the inn, and discussions grew louder.
“Hey, have you heard? The drought in Yuzhou has already killed over a hundred people.”
“I’ve heard. This is the biggest disaster since the empress ascended the throne, I didn’t expect there to be problems that the emperor can’t solve.”
Qin Junlan was shocked; she had already approved the funds, and by the timeline, they should have reached Yuzhou. How could there still be victims starving?
“Even if it can’t be solved, the disaster relief funds shouldn’t be delayed. There hasn’t been enough food for a long time, not enough to share, and now a large number of disaster victims are heading north. Zhouji has already closed the city gates, not letting them in.”
“How do you know this so clearly?”
“Hey, I have business in Zhouji, and now I can’t enter or exit the city gates, so I came back.”
“The emperor has always been wise and intelligent, even though she’s a woman, she governs Ji State so orderly, and now it’s the strongest among the four countries. How can she be so indifferent to the disaster victims this time?”
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Qin Junlan felt a surge of anger, but her exterior remained calm, as she habitually kept her emotions in check. At this moment, she suddenly lost her appetite, “I’m not eating anymore.” She said, then headed toward the upstairs guest room.
“I’ll go check on her,” Liu Qianxun quickly followed.
Li Yue really wanted to tear these people’s mouths apart; the emperor hadn’t eaten much, and recently, because of this matter, she had been working tirelessly and had lost weight. But, the disaster relief funds still hadn’t arrived; could someone dare to embezzle the relief funds? If even such money is embezzled, it’s hard to escape the punishment of extermination of nine generations.
No way, Li Yue must find an opportunity to notify the following shadow guards to investigate where the money went.
“I’m also unable to eat.” Since the master isn’t eating, how can she eat?
“What’s with you all, if you don’t eat enough, how will you go for relief…” Bai Ruoxi’s words stopped halfway, realizing she couldn’t reveal they were heading south for Yuzhou, knowing that Qin Junlan’s reason for inviting Liu Qianxun was just to travel south together.
Ye Ming remained expressionless, watching Liu Qianxun’s figure follow up, with mixed feelings. The tower master, so high and cold, had never pursued anyone like this before. Maybe the tower master is different, this time, for the so-called beauty trap, she must trouble herself this way. Ye Ming always felt heartache, why someone like the tower master is used as a pawn by the sect leader, yet has to embrace others.
Qin Junlan stood alone at the terrace of the upper room, looking at the bustling scene outside, feeling sorrowful. She had allocated funds several times, approved by herself, and the Ministry of Revenue disbursed the funds according to the decree. Every city had people counting the numbers, until the funds reached Yuzhou, where the state government used them to purchase food and distribute it to each household of the disaster victims.
The disaster relief funds have yet to arrive; could someone really dare to embezzle this money? She found it hard to believe that in her governed country, corrupt officials would be so rampant. In places she couldn’t see, there were surprisingly so many corrupt activities. But thinking positively, maybe, it was just delayed on the road?
“Yan’er, are you worried about the disaster in Yuzhou?” Liu Qianxun approached and gently stroked her shoulder, “You’ve gotten thinner lately.”
“I just feel that while this side flourishes, that side is on the brink of life and death. Since the emperor ascended the throne, there have never been disaster victims dying of starvation. This time it’s so severe, with so many victims starving, how can I eat?” Qin Junlan sighed slightly, her brows tightly knit, her thin face more defined.
Over a hundred people have already starved to death, what kind of number is this? The disaster is unexpectedly severe to such an extent that victims can’t even get a mouthful of life-saving food.
“Yan’er must be the daughter of a high court official, such concern for the common people isn’t common among women. Why don’t we go to Yuzhou, see where people need our help, and why the disaster here is so severe? The Ji Dynasty has always had favorable weather, how can there be a water shortage? This reason is intriguing.” Liu Qianxun was truly wise and considerate. She knew Qin Junlan intended to go to Yuzhou and just gave her an excuse and reason, turning this southern journey into a mission.
“I want to go to Yuzhou, but I’m afraid it might spoil your fun. This time I brought you out mainly because I want to…”
“Having me accompany you is enough, why worry about where, go where, do what? Having Yan’er is enough, isn’t it?” Liu Qianxun’s gaze was profound, under the moonlight, her beauty was beyond compare. Her male disguise couldn’t hide her stunning face, and Qin Junlan’s previously oppressed mood suddenly lifted because of her.
Qin Junlan pulled Liu Qianxun closer, holding her hand, gazing at her, “Will you always accompany me?”
“I…” Liu Qianxun couldn’t meet her gaze, always evasive at this moment. Such a question was actually easy to answer, but under Qin Junlan’s passionate eyes, Liu Qianxun couldn’t say a word. How could she promise always to accompany her? She would leave one day, everything she was doing now was for Ling Yu, to get what she wanted.
“Aren’t I accompanying you now?” Liu Qianxun, shedding her coldness, was gentle, sometimes even she couldn’t distinguish whether she was pretending or being real.
Qin Junlan has this kind of magic; every time she looks into her deep eyes, she always feels completely exposed. She is ashamed to speak insincere words and doesn’t want to give any hope or promises. They will ultimately only be passersby, perhaps even strangers or enemies.
“Now is enough. I’m not greedy, being able to see you smile every day, hear you speak to me, feel your breath beside me, that’s enough.” Qin Junlan did not think otherwise, nor dared to think otherwise. Yi Qingyu’s words still echoed in her ears, and her own defenses were not completely down.
But she always can’t help but reveal true feelings, always hoping the doubts in her heart are just overthinking, and being so close at this moment is the most real.
“Mm~” Liu Qianxun smiled weakly, smiled helplessly, unsure how to respond, so she chose silence.
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She raised her eyes and suddenly felt a gaze directly on her. Looking closely, isn’t that the Shura Sect’s unique “stealth technique”? On the opposite roof, there was someone crouching, his body blending with the eaves’ corners and lamplight, the best hiding method for nighttime tracking.
Ordinary eyes can’t see it, but Liu Qianxun was long familiar with this technique. Ling Yu indeed sent people to follow them all the way. She faced the stalker directly, while Qin Junlan had her back to her. In case that person wanted to shoot an arrow or use a hidden weapon, wouldn’t it harm Qin Junlan?
Thinking of this, she panicked, stepped forward, and suddenly kissed Qin Junlan, taking advantage of her unpreparedness to change their standing positions, shielding her with her body.
Qin Junlan’s eyes widened, seemingly forgetting to breathe, forgetting herself. Everything around seemed to stop, only the sound of her heartbeat and her own disordered breathing was audible.
She dared not move her body, let alone her lips. What kind of magical and beautiful feeling was this, her body seemed to float. Every breath was filled with Liu Qianxun’s essence, her heart full of joy and excitement, also nervousness and surprise.
This kiss happened too suddenly, so suddenly that Liu Qianxun herself was stunned. She hadn’t thought they would develop so quickly. Her first reaction was just to move Qin Junlan away from the dangerous spot, without any thought, almost an instinctual move. Why did wanting to save her turn into kissing her?
Liu Qianxun hurriedly stopped her actions, what was she doing? She must be crazy, all her so-called reason and wisdom had dissipated. What could Ling Yu want to do to Qin Junlan that would require action now? She had exerted so much effort to use the beauty trap, and before obtaining what she wanted, how could she kill her?
It was just her own mind in chaos, everything was her own unfounded worries. When did she become so afraid of Qin Junlan getting hurt?
“I, I will return to my room…” she hastily fled, leaving the stunned Qin Junlan, who did not recover her senses for a while…