Chapter 65: Warmth
Qin's flame really didn't deceive her, when she opened her eyes, she really saw the bright sun.
Qing Xia's mouth was agape, her tongue almost tied in knots as she struggled to speak. Everything before her eyes was utterly unbelievable. She stared at the massive, shining, circular mass of air suspended in mid-air, radiating intense heat, and felt that her lifelong values had been completely shattered. All of this was so absurd, so beyond comprehension, that it was impossible to believe.
Stammering and stuttering, she pulled at Qin Zhiyan's sleeve corner for a while before asking: "T...this is...where are we?"
Qin's flames faintly smiled, stretched out his hand to push open the small wooden door in front of him, and laughed as he said: "The Eastern Blue Wood Temple."
It's called a temple, but it doesn't look like a grand hall at all. Qing Xia looked at the dense bamboo forest in front of her, the serene small bridge and flowing water, the bright and beautiful flowers, and the fluttering butterflies, and her first reaction was that her eyes were bad, and she rubbed them for half a day before recognizing reality.
It turned out that everything was real after all.
She suddenly remembered a movie she had seen before called Journey to the Center of the Earth, could it be that she too had arrived at the center of the earth's crust?
All this, how can it be expressed with just one phrase "ghostly craftsmanship".
The fragrance of the orchid wafted out, a delicate bamboo door was slowly pushed open, and what came into view was an expanse of emerald green ocean.
A long bamboo table, a small bamboo chair, green curtains floating gently on the emerald bamboo bed, a landscape painting with a distant atmosphere on the wall, in the corner, a white elegant candle holder, boxes and cabinets are neatly placed in the corners of the room. The small house is not big, but it's exceptionally quiet, the bamboo forest outside the window makes a soft rustling sound in the gentle breeze, a refreshing fragrance wafts from the window. White flowers sway gently in the bamboo forest, like a paradise of beauty.
On the bamboo bed, neatly arranged quilts and bedding. On the bookshelf, full of books. In front of the door, even a pale blue wooden basin is placed, but it can be seen that the water inside has dried up, however, the white hand towel is still hanging on the wooden basin.
The whole house was so quiet and elegant, with a thick layer of dust accumulated, looking like a treasure that had been sealed for many years, carefully uncovered.
Qin's flames walked in big steps, carefully placing Qing Xia on the bed, then picked up the wooden basin from the ground, turned around and walked out, reminding her as she went: "I'm going to fetch some water, you wait here for me, don't run around."
A huge doubt and shock rose from Qing Xia's heart, ignoring the pain in her feet and Qin Zhiyan's reminder. She carefully got up, slowly moved towards the long table, on which a thick layer of dust had accumulated. As soon as Qing Xia moved, the dust in the room began to rise. She was choked into a fit of coughing, with red eyes, and it took her a while to recover.
On the table was a tray with a teapot and cups, a set of simple and elegant bamboo utensils, very delicate.
Next to the tray, the four treasures of the study were covered in dust. The fine wolf hair brushes were placed on the brush holder, and next to it, a paperweight was carved with a pure white jade orchid, which was very elegant and noble.
After the table, there was a bamboo chair. Qing Xia's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily as she remembered that during the Qin dynasty, there were no chairs. The history here had changed since the time of Qin Er Shi, and it seemed that even the local products and technology had also undergone changes.
Behind the chair, there was a huge bookshelf filled with thick and old books. Qing Xia walked forward, casually pulled out one, a burst of choking dust instantly rose, Qing Xia hurriedly covered her mouth and nose, but still got a dusty face.
On the faintly white surface, there were fine patterns, which didn't seem like modern paper, but was smoother than modern paper. A faint fragrance wafted up, and Qing Xia couldn't help but wrinkle her nose slightly. It was unknown what material this was made of, yet it hadn't decayed after so many years.
Qing Xia secretly admired it in her heart and slowly opened the book. She saw that the beautiful small characters were written on it, and at a glance, they were written by a woman's hand.
"The three kingdoms' great armies gather to form an alliance and contend for the deer, but when they meet face to face, they disperse without a fight."
Chu State said: Without a fight, cede 15 cities as compensation. Xia State said: Without a fight, send 5,000 pieces of silk and cloth as tribute. Qin State said: Without a fight, leave a letter begging to surrender, as a vassal.
The elder said: Without a fight, they compared their wine, the one with the stronger wine was considered the winner. Fifteen cities were ceded, 5,000 pieces of silk and money were given as a gift, a letter was left asking for surrender, and loyalty was pledged to become a vassal.
The three countries said: Alright.
The country of Chuan had wine as blue as a flower and sweet as a gentle rain. They caught a mouse, poured some down its throat. After the time it takes to drink one cup of tea, the mouse was drunk and fell over. The envoy from Chuan was overjoyed, saying: "Our country's liquor is potent, there's no comparison."
In the land of Xia, there was a wine called White River Jade Creek. They caught a mouse and poured it some, and after half a cup of tea's time had passed, the mouse became drunk and fell over. The envoy from Xia was overjoyed, saying: "The liquor of our country is potent, there is nothing that can compare to it."
The Qin state has a wine called Burn Knife. Catch one mouse, pour it in, the mouse drinks it without harm and scurries back to its hole.
What is it?
Qin Shi smiled faintly: Don't be impatient.
Fruit, after a short while, the mouse rushed out of the hole, holding a huge stone and shouting: Where is the cat? Where is the cat? I will fight it to the death!
Two countries sighed: "Alas!"
Qing Xia was greatly surprised, never expecting to see such a classical joke written in this way. Moreover, the strangest thing is that he seemed to have heard this joke before, which was about Chinese, Americans and French competing in drinking, could it be that this joke has been passed down since ancient times?
Qing Xia was taken aback for a moment, and then continued to flip through the pages. He saw that they were all written in the woman's elegant handwriting, small script, recording large sections of jokes. Some Qing Xia had heard before, while others he had never heard of.
At this time, there was a sudden commotion outside the door. When he looked up, he saw Qin Zhiyan standing at the door with a gloomy face, looking at Qingxia with some annoyance and said in a low voice: "You're injured, why are you still running around?"
"Qin's flames, this is quite strange." Qing Xia didn't notice his anger at all and hurriedly said: "Look, the objects and utensils here are all intact, not even a single book is damaged, and the signs of life are so strong, could it be that someone has lived here?"
Qin Zhiyan's face was slightly displeased, he glanced at Qing Xia and walked to a wooden cabinet, opened it with his hand. Qing Xia had experience, hurriedly covered her mouth and nose, and waited for Qin Zhiyan to be choked by the dust. But unexpectedly, the box creaked open, but not a speck of dust flew out, just like it was often cleaned, clean and refreshing.
"Huh? How can this be?" Qing Xia stretched her neck in puzzlement and leaned forward eagerly.
It seems that Qin Zhiyan knew what Qing Xia was referring to, and from a pile of fabrics, he took out a bright yellow bead and said to Qing Xia: "Indeed, there is no mistake. Here is the dust-repelling bead, which is used to avoid dust. Look at those quilts over there, they are all clean."
Qing Xia's eyes scanned the room, and she looked at the clean quilt on the bamboo bed. She couldn't help but curiously stretch out her hand, grasping the bright yellow bead in her palm, and exclaimed: "There is actually such a magical thing, isn't it better than camphor balls?"
"What is camphor ball?" Qin Zhiyan asked diligently and inquisitively.
"Oh, similar to this function, but the efficiency is much worse, a specialty of my hometown."
"En." Qin Zhiyan nodded slightly.
"Ah!" Qing Xia held up the bead against the sunlight and suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Qin Zhiyan, come quick and look, there's a small insect inside."
"Hehe," Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly, "What's there to be surprised about? This is called a cleansing insect. Born to feed on dust, male and female share the same body, laying eggs and giving birth alone, that's why it can maintain the cleanliness here for thousands of years."
"Ah?" Qing Xia exclaimed loudly: "It's so amazing, isn't that just like Qing Daofu."
"What is a Qingdao husband?" Qin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and asked in puzzlement.
"It's a type of fish," Qing Xia hastily explained, "that specifically eats the feces of other fish. Raising it with other fish will keep them very clean and save the trouble of frequently changing the water."
"Really?" Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly: "It's indeed very mysterious."
"How amazing is this thing!" Qing Xia held the yellow bead, her eyes wide with wonder as she leaned forward to examine it closely. "With something like this, you can go a lifetime without cleaning your closet... heavens, not just a lifetime, but for all eternity! Qin Zhiyan, can I take it away? I really love this thing!"
"Hehe," Qin Zhiyan chuckled and said with a smile, "It's not like it's something rare. I have many of them in my mansion. If you like, I can give them all to you."
"Really?" Qing Xia laughed happily with a big smile: "Qin Zhiyan, you're too good."
He pulled out a crisp, new white silk garment from inside and turned around, looking up and down at Qing Xia's disheveled attire, smiling as he said, "The master has already prepared everything, why don't you change into this?"
"Ah?" Qing Xia's face turned red with embarrassment, and she rubbed her nose awkwardly: "Yeah, the clothes really stink."
"Come with me, there's a hot spring in the woods."
"There's a hot spring! That's great!" Qīng Xià Jí exclaimed loudly, then hurriedly said: "I just realized now that being able to take a bath is such a happy thing."
Qin's finger flicked against Qing Xia's forehead, and he smiled, saying: "Be careful of the injuries on your body, come, I'll carry you."
In the small trunk, it was filled with women's daily clothes, clean and simple, emitting a faint fragrance. Qing Xia rummaged through it and found a set of men's clothing at the bottom.
Delighted, Qing Xia grabbed her clothes and shoes, and then climbed onto Qin Zhiyan's back. They walked out of the serene bamboo house. The forest was vast, with no end in sight. A gentle breeze blew, and the rustling sounds filled their ears. In mid-air, a bright yellow gas similar to the sun surrounded them, radiating warm and cozy light. The ground was covered with fresh flowers and soft green grass, creating a harmonious scene. Butterflies and birds flitted about in the bamboo forest and sea of flowers, adding to the serene atmosphere.
In the quiet woods, lively rabbits occasionally popped out of their heads, gentle little deer curiously looked at the two, with a very surprised look. Various birds chirped and called in the forest, their voices clear and pleasant. Qing Xia lay on Qin Zhiyan's broad back, feeling that everything was like a beautiful dream, too good to be true.
"Has anyone lived here in Qin's Flame?" Qing Xia's voice was crisp, with a hint of joyful surprise and disbelieving daze.
"It should be where I used to live." Qin Zhiyan's voice was soft and warm, and he replied in a low tone.
"I think so too," said Qing Xia: "I looked at the books in that house, and they were all written by one person. It seems to be a woman's handwriting."
"Well, I think it should be Daxin Female Emperor who lived here."
"What?" Qing Xia exclaimed in surprise, hastily saying: "Does Great Qin still have an Empress?"
"Don't you know?" Qin Zhiyan said with a puzzled expression, "This is something that everyone in the world knows. In the first year of Renchen, Hu Hai's second ancestor ascended to the throne and ruled for 15 years before dying from illness. After his death, his wife Qin Dianqiu ascended to the throne, becoming the third generation of the Great Qin, the only unprecedented female emperor in history."
"Qin Dianqiu?" Qing Xia muttered in surprise: "Is it a coup? Can a woman actually become emperor in a feudal society? Wu Zetian?"
"What about Wu Zetian?" Qin Zhongyan furrowed his brow in puzzlement and said slowly, "The Empress was the only wife of our Second Ancestor throughout his life. In the year of Gui Si, she entered the imperial family as a widow with two children, the elder four years old and the younger two years old, and followed her husband's surname Qin. In the year of Jia Wu, the Empress became pregnant, but was kidnapped by the Xiongnu at Hansha City. Our Second Ancestor personally led an army of 800,000 to pursue them to beyond the Yanmen Pass, more than 4,000 miles away, killing over 200,000 Xiongnu and burying over 300,000. He completely exterminated the Southern Xiongnu branch. Unfortunately, the Empress was defiled in the enemy camp, and the child in her womb was lost. She also fell ill and could no longer bear children. After that, our Second Ancestor established the Empress's elder son Qin Nianzhi as the Crown Prince. Later, after his ascension to heaven, the Crown Prince was still young, so the Empress took the throne. Two years later, the Crown Prince began to rule, and the Empress retreated from her position. Less than a month later, she died of illness. It seems that she didn't die of illness, but rather came to the imperial mausoleum to accompany our Second Ancestor."
Qing Xia listened with a stunned expression, and after a long time, he suddenly realized: "No wonder your Qin family is surnamed Qin and not Ying. It turns out that your Qin family is not the descendants of Ying Zheng."
"En," Qin Zhiyan nodded, "but we still consider ourselves descendants of the Ying family. Except for the surname Qin, on the genealogy, we use Ying as our national surname. My country's name is called Yingyue."
"My goodness!" Qing Xia exclaimed in a low voice: "Huhai is indeed a devoted person, marrying a widow as his daughter-in-law, and when his wife was raped and couldn't bear children, he let the widow's son become the emperor, how selfless!"
"Heh heh, the affection between the Second Ancestor and the Female Emperor has been a legendary tale for thousands of years, yet you don't know about it." Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly and walked forward.
Qing Xia's mind was reeling, his mouth agape for a long time. It was truly unexpected that among these ancient emperors, there would be such a man. The Hu Hai here not only swept away the foolish and cruel image left by Qing Xia in later generations, but transformed into a majestic and powerful emperor who stood tall and swept across the four seas, and was also sentimental and righteous, marrying only one wife in his lifetime, it was simply unbelievable.
I recall the small bamboo hut from earlier, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. The woman who had received endless doting from that man, now stood alone guarding his mausoleum, reminiscing about their past years together every day - what kind of sorrow and heartache would she be feeling?
No wonder, in the underground imperial mausoleum, such a grand project was opened up, and only the royal family had this skill.
In the blink of an eye, I arrived deep in the bamboo forest, surrounded by clusters of green bamboo, a steaming hot spring appeared before my eyes.
Qing Xia was overjoyed and forgot all about the Second Ancestor's daughter, Emperor and everything else. She jumped up and down on Qin Zhiyan's back, shouting: "Ah! It's a hot spring! How wonderful!"
Qin's flames turned back with a faint smile, seeing Qing Xia's cheeks red and puffy, under the enchanting reflection of the spring water, with a breathtaking beauty, smiling and saying: "Alright, it's just a hot spring, look at you getting so excited, like a little kid."
Qing Xia heard this and was slightly stunned, Ah, when did she become like this?
She used to be cold-blooded and ruthless, walking in the midst of bloodshed and death every day, forever shuttling under the cover of night.
But since entering this imperial mausoleum, she seems to have slowly changed. She will be vulnerable, cry, despair, be moved, excitedly shout loudly, and sadly wail. Some things have quietly changed her in this harsh environment of the imperial tomb, making her more and more like a normal 20-year-old girl.
And all of this has an inseparable relationship with the man in front of me.
Slowly turning her head, Qing Xia placed her face against Qin Zhiyan's profile, leaning sideways on his shoulder.
Under the sunlight, Qin Zhiyan's long and narrow eyes appeared extremely gentle. His eyebrows were light in color and slanted into his temples, his nose bridge was high and straight but not awkwardly so, his lips were thin yet didn't seem to belong to an unfeeling person. Although his complexion was slightly pale and wan, it still exuded a rich scholarly aura.
His appearance may not be stunning at first glance, but it is absolutely the most comfortable and warm. With a noble temperament and an extraordinary elegance. Not as sharp as Chu Li's, nor as cold and hard as Yang Feng's, but like the fragrance of his clothes, although not luxurious, it is the warmest and most intimate medicine. Without any vulgarity, only pure and refreshing.
Qin's eyes widened slightly, and he felt a bit embarrassed under her gaze. A faint blush appeared on his pale face as he glanced sideways at Qing Xia, who was still lying on his back. He cleared his throat and said, "What are you looking at?"
"Qin's flame," a big smile bloomed on Qing Xia's face, her eyes narrowed into a semicircular arc, and she smiled and said: "Being able to meet you is really great."
Qin's anger was momentarily stunned, after a long time, a hint of smile slipped into his eyes, and the whole person warmed up.
"It's also my good fortune to have met you."
The sky is blue and white, with a hundred flowers in full bloom. In the depths of the bamboo forest, where the sound of dripping water is crisp and clear, two people who have survived a disaster are leaning tightly against each other.
