Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Rings
Wait a minute!
Something’s not right!
A spark of inspiration hit Liu Ji’s mind, and he bolted up from the Taishi Chair.
Who practices in the middle of the night dressed like that?
Sikong Jian is not promoting him for the sake of their brotherhood; he’s clearly digging a pit for him!
Finally realizing it, Liu Ji met Qin Yao’s gaze and suddenly beckoned to her, "Wife, come closer, I have something important to tell you."
"But don’t get too upset after you hear it; I promise to keep my honor safe for you," Liu Ji added seriously.
Just about to urge him to go to bed early to prepare for the midnight training, Qin Yao raised an eyebrow and leaned in, only to hear Liu Ji shout:
"It’s a plot! It’s Sikong Jian’s devious plot! What literary leader representative? It’s all a scam, he’s trying to send a Prince Consort to the Beiman Princess!"
He had delivered grain to Beimang, and no one knows better than him what kind of place it is and what kind of people live there; it’s simply uninhabitable for humans.
With his unparalleled beauty, once he tidies up a bit, wouldn’t he just mesmerize the Beiman Princess, leaving her no choice but to marry him?
If the princess takes a fancy to him and demands a wedding from His Majesty, any resistance would be seen as defying an imperial decree, causing the extermination of his entire family.
Damn it, Sikong Jian wants him dead!
Liu Ji shivered in anger and lamented, "No matter what, we came from the same school, yet he seeks to harm me like this! No wonder the teacher kicked him out; such a person is a disgrace to our school!"
After hearing Liu Ji’s words, Qin Yao’s expression also turned ugly.
She felt something was off when Liu Ji joined Sheng Country’s welcoming delegation.
Going out to welcome a mission is a great job; with the whole city watching, any decent performance can easily build a reputation.
Thinking about the intense spring exams next year, every student in the Capital City wants to take the opportunity to show their face, right?
The doors of the National Master Mansion have likely been trampled by officials at all levels in the Capital City, with spots reserved for those preparing for the spring exams. How could there be a place for an ordinary civilian like Liu Ji?
But now, everything made sense after Liu Ji spoke.
However...
Glancing at Liu Ji, who was anxiously pacing in the hall because of his own extreme beauty, Qin Yao found herself momentarily speechless.
"You might be a bit too confident about your looks."
"But..." she smiled with a dangerous and assertive glint, "Anyone who dares to take my man—dies!"
Her domineering words made Liu Ji’s handsome face flush, and suddenly he wasn’t in such a hurry anymore.
"Wife, should I go to bed first?" He still had to rush to Beiding Gate in the middle of the night for the training, so getting some extra sleep would help build energy, avoiding mistakes during practice.
At first, he hadn’t noticed Sikong Jian’s malicious plot, but now that he realized the other side’s treachery, he needed to be extra vigilant to avoid getting caught in Sikong Jian’s trap.
Qin Yao nodded, "Go, get some rest."
Watching Liu Ji return to his room and turn off the lights, Qin Yao felt no sleepiness at all.
She thought she needed to do something; Sikong Jian’s cunning was truly insidious.
With Liu Ji’s intelligence, he had some cunning, but when facing someone at the level of a State Preceptor, it was like a one-sided battle of wits.
Qin Yao asked Yin Le to take the children back to their rooms to sleep, and planned a reason to ask the teacher for leave the next day, so she could join the excitement at the city gate early in the morning.
After settling the children, Qin Yao went to the kitchen in the second courtyard, found an iron hammer, a thick chopping board, and took off her Spiritual Snake Silver Hairpin.
Ah Wang, having fed the horse its night hay, patted the grass off his hands and went to check if the house’s doors and windows were locked. Suddenly, he heard a "bang, bang, bang" sound from the second courtyard.
Following the sound, he found Qin Yao sitting at the kitchen doorstep, with a thick chopping board in front of her and an iron hammer in her hand, hammering something on the board fiercely.
Curious, Ah Wang came closer and saw it was a silver bar, which she was using brute force to bend into a circular shape.
But the ring was too large, not looking like it was meant to be earrings.
The more Ah Wang looked, the stranger it seemed. Unable to resist, he squatted down and curiously asked, "Madam, what are you doing?"
"Making rings." Qin Yao didn’t even lift her head, continuing her struggle with the silver bar.
Ah Wang: "Never heard of it before."
Qin Yao showed no intention of explaining, raising her hand for another bang, making Ah Wang’s teeth ache.
"Go to sleep; don’t mind me." Qin Yao waved her hand, signaling Ah Wang to leave, as he was blocking her light.
Ah Wang looked at his precious chopping board with a pang of heartache; a deep groove had already formed on it. Left speechless, he looked at Qin Yao.
Qin Yao looked up, annoyed, "What’s wrong? Anything else?"
Ah Wang stiffly shook his head, choosing to submit to might, lightly reminding, "Silver is soft; you don’t need to hit it so hard."
He got up, reluctantly leaving the kitchen.
Qin Yao shrugged, mumbling something incomprehensible as she returned to her work.
She initially thought making two silver rings was a simple task, but the silver ingot deformed with the first hammer strike.
Qin Yao took a deep breath, lightening her actions, paying careful attention to the force and direction of each hit, to prevent it from becoming a flat strip, ruining her efforts.
The banging sound continued in the quiet night until it finally stopped.
Outside the courtyard, the night watchman beat the gong, reminding people that it was the third watch, the weather was dry, and to be careful with candles.
Liu Ji was still in his dreams, yet his body instinctively climbed out of bed.
With the meeting at 1 a.m., he had to prepare to leave, or he’d be late.
With a lantern lit under the porch, the candlelight seeped into the room, faintly revealing a rough outline.
Liu Ji couldn’t be bothered to light a lamp, as he yawned hugely, putting on his attire while patting his face to wake himself up completely.
Unfortunately, it didn’t help much; he was still sleepy to death.
With drowsy eyes, he found the copper basin and other washing tools, wandering to the door, opening it with a creak, and looked up to meet a pair of clear eyes.
Liu Ji froze, shaking his head, thinking he might still be dreaming.
Upon taking another look, goodness, a face came right up close, and he couldn’t control the instinctive fear, about to scream.
However, the word "wife" had barely left his mouth when it got covered.
"It’s me." Qin Yao, looking at the man frozen in fear under her hand, reminded him disdainfully.
Liu Ji immediately sighed in relief, removing Qin Yao’s hand from his face, patting his chest, still with lingering fear, asking:
"Wife, what are you doing up at this hour? Scared me to death."
Qin Yao didn’t answer, instead, she pulled out two shiny, perfectly round silver things from her waist, slipping one onto her left ring finger.
The other, she picked Liu Ji’s empty right hand, slipping it onto his ring finger just the same.
Liu Ji only felt the coolness and a slight weight on his finger.
Even though it was just a silver ring, it felt as if it not only encircled his finger but bound him entirely.
Comments