My enemies became my companions

Chapter 384 I Want to Marry You

Chapter 384 I Want to Marry You
Compared with the bustling courtyard of the imperial concubine in the palace, Chen Yi's courtyard outside Donghua Gate is more like a cold palace.

I am afraid that even when the first day of the new year comes and firecrackers are blasted, this yard will still be quiet and the moonlight will be bleak.

When Min Ming turned around, he saw Zhou Yitang sitting alone in the hall.

Min Ming discovered that the lady she mentioned did not return to the guest room early as usual after she came back, but sat there, waiting for something.

In the light of the fireworks, she saw that Zhou Yitong's tea bowl was empty, so she put down the broom and went to add more tea.

But the tea is gone, so I have to order it again.

Min Ming sat down at the tea table, made a cup of tea with his bare hands, put in the tea foam, boiled it with boiling water, and stirred it with a tea spoon. After repeating this process several times, the tea was ready.

She was about to pour the tea when she heard a voice:
"Order one more bowl."

The voice was calm, and Min Ming nodded in agreement. When the eldest lady spoke, her voice was always calm. If Min Ming had not been a prostitute and good at observation, she would probably not have been able to figure out her thoughts until today.

And today, he didn't figure it out clearly, but Min Ming would occasionally get a feeling from clues.

Min Ming didn't say much, and just followed her instructions and ordered another bowl of tea.

Sitting on the small coffee table in the middle of the main seat in the hall, it seems like he is waiting for someone to come.

Min Ming sat in the second seat, keeping watch together, waiting for the arrival of the New Year and the blast of firecrackers. Actually, it's not that there are no firecrackers prepared in the yard, but Chen Yi has arrived at the palace for a banquet, so the firecrackers have not been hung up, and they will probably have to wait until tomorrow night.

Min Ming was looking out the door quietly when he suddenly heard a voice:

"Chat?"

Min Ming turned around, lowered his eyebrows and nodded:
"What does Madam want to talk about? The only thing I can talk to Madam about is Min Ning's affairs."

"Then it's her."

Min Ming looked at her closely, holding up her clothes, and said, "Min Ning has loved swordplay since she was a child. When she was catching Zhou, she caught a small wooden sword. She was born to be a martial artist. When she was a child, she played with the kids in the alley and disappeared for a long time. I had to go look for her. One time, her face turned pale, but she pretended nothing happened. She didn't make a fuss when she got home, but I still noticed something was wrong with her."

"What's up with her?"

"She was competing with other kids in climbing stairs and accidentally broke a tooth." Min Ming chuckled and continued, "But she was very happy that day because she won. She even brought back a small wooden sword. When I found her, she didn't think she was wrong. Instead, she was very proud, like a victorious general."

The one-armed woman listened quietly, and her apprentice's past gradually emerged in her mind.

Unknown to Chen Yi, Min Ning was already hundreds of miles away from Beijing.

She practiced sword skills as she walked along the way, never slacking off. She was a much better apprentice than Chen Yi.

Among the four disciples Zhou Yitang has accepted, whether it is the eldest sister Lu Ying, or Min Ning and Yin Tingxue, they are much better than Chen Yi.

"When she grew up, she stopped going crazy in the alleys. Her parents taught her to read. She could read, but she just didn't have any literary talent."

When Min Ming said this, there was a soft light in his eyes.

"The same goes for him," said the one-armed woman.

Min Ming raised his head and saw that she also had a similar light in her eyes, but it only flashed by.

Min Ming was stunned for a moment, then smiled apologetically and said:

"That's a good thing."

"maybe."

Zhou Yitang's eyes widened. Others might not know, but she knew what Min Ning had been doing during the days he was away from Beijing.

It was good to practice swordplay along the way, but when I had some free time, I would mutter about Chen Zunming.

Chen Zunming is tall, Chen Zunming is short...

Zhou Yitang felt disgusted when he heard this.

Apart from these, she was quite satisfied with this apprentice.

It was understandable. Just after having physical contact with him, Min Ning left the capital where she had lived for more than 20 years and headed west to Sichuan. It was the prime time for her to experience love, but she left her hometown to become a knight-errant.

"Are you worried that she might be in danger?" Zhou Yitang asked.

Min Ming thought for a moment and said, "Of course I am worried. I am very worried that she will encounter an accident on the road. Otherwise, I would not tell her so many stories about the martial arts world."

"Don't worry, she knows what to do." Zhou Yitang said.

These words were not false. Min Ning had not encountered any accidents in these days. Not only that, he was currently escorting a wealthy woman.

The story goes like this. The rich girl's surname was Bai. She was originally from a merchant family in Nianxiang County, which bordered Dayu in the Western Jin Dynasty. She went to Dayu to seek medical treatment. Along the way, in addition to her own servants, she was also escorted by a bodyguard agency.

However, on the way to Dayu, she was attacked by her enemies in an inn where she rested on the road. Local bandits besieged the inn and half of the servants died. In order to save their own lives, the bodyguards handed her over.

She was nearly defiled, but fortunately, she met Min Ning.

We are just passers-by in this world, and all the grudges and grievances we have are irrelevant to us.

But Min Ning still took action and rescued the girl surnamed Bai. He did not go to Western Shu, but wanted to escort her back to Western Jin Dynasty first, even if it meant taking a long detour.

Miss Bai was grateful and moved, but she was confused.

At that time, the white girl asked her: "Young man, although I am grateful for your life-saving grace, there is one thing I can't figure out. Young man, are you willing to change my way for me?"

Min Ning replied: "Since I saved you, I have to finish what I started. If you get killed on the way, then I saved you in vain, right? So I decided to send you back."

"Decision? When did you decide?" asked Miss Bai.

"I've made up my mind." Min Ning jumped on the horse and smiled.

So, a heroic young man escorted the unmarried rich girl back home, just like what was played in the story.

The difference is that this young man is a woman dressed as a man, and already has someone in her heart.

Zhou Yitang saw all of this and knew that she was born to be a living swordsman.

Although Lu Ying is good at Taoism, his swordsmanship is not very good and is far inferior to Min Ning. Although Min Ning knows little about Taoism, he has excellent aptitude in martial arts.

Zhou Yitang recalled this and said softly:
"Min Ning is fine."

Min Ming responded in a low voice, and then heard the one-armed woman say:
"If it's not good, I'm afraid he won't like it."

Min Ming was startled and wondered for a moment what the knock was, but there was nothing. Zhou Yitang's face was calm, and he sipped his tea silently.

So, Min Ming breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"At that time, I was always worried that she might not be the right person to trust. But now I see that Captain Chen is a good man."

It was originally a compliment.

But Min Ming was surprised to find that the one-armed woman's face darkened.

"My dear?" she sneered.

Min Ming glanced at the bowl of tea that was gradually getting colder, then looked at the dead silent yard, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, she finally understood that Zhou Yitang was not just asking Min Ning, but was talking about another person through Min Ning.

A person who didn’t come back on New Year’s Eve.

Min Ming was about to comfort her when he heard the sound of firecrackers.

new Year is here.

What followed was fireworks rising and exploding in the night sky.

Fireworks roared and exploded in the distance, illuminating the one-armed woman's face, but she remained silent.

Zhou Yitang lowered his head and sipped the tea, which had a rich aroma.

After she tasted it, she said softly, "Not bad."

"Thank you for the compliment, Madam."

Min Ming responded in a serious tone, and then he heard another sentence:
"Better than the Xiangwang daughter's."

Min Ming didn't dare to reply.

Is the Madam...jealous?
It was unknown how long the two girls stayed in the hall.

Occasionally, you can hear bursts of noise in the distance, like being driven away or chased.

"It's gone. My fireworks are gone."

"Fireworks thief, fireworks thief, someone is stealing fireworks!"

"Catch him, catch that man!"

Those were the voices of children. It was New Year's Day, and there were many children setting off fireworks on the avenue outside Donghuamen.

.........

The noise of laughter became louder and drifted far into the buildings. Countless people who were on night watch poked their heads out.

Min Ming also stood up and wanted to go and see, but after walking out of the yard and looking for a while, he didn't see anything, so he came back.

Soon after, the noise of playfulness died down.

The fireworks in the distant sky gradually dispersed and cooled down.

Min Ming knew one thing.

That person won't be coming back tonight.

The tea bowl was empty and Zhou Yitong didn't want to wait any longer, so she stood up and went back to the guest room.

Min Ming watched her leave, turned around, and saw that there was still tea in the other porcelain bowl.
The tea has gone cold.

Min Ming sighed softly, not knowing how to comfort her.

She was just about to close the door of the hall and go back to sleep when suddenly a rush of footsteps rushed into the yard. Instead of going through the main door, he jumped in.

He shouted inside without hesitation:
"light fireworks!"

Min Ming stopped and saw Chen Yi holding a bunch of fireworks and placing them casually on the ground.

He called toward the guest room:

"I just stole the fireworks!"

So the fireworks thief was him?!
Min Ming was stunned.

Chen Yi turned around and saw Min Ming. It took the latter a while to react and he walked over in small steps.

"Master... these are..."

Min Ming pointed at the fireworks on the ground.

"I stole the fireworks. Where can I buy fireworks in the middle of the night?"

Chen Yi, who had returned from the palace, took a look and laughed softly:

"To be honest, I did give them the silver, but those kids insisted that I stole it."

Min Ming also didn't believe that Chen Yi would really steal the fireworks. As a thousand households, his family was not short of money.

Chen Yi squatted on the ground, stroking the series of various fireworks.

It was late at night, and after settling Yin and Yin Xiao, he hurried out of the palace.

Since I have made up my mind that the three of us should enter together, how can I favor one over the other?

After leaving the palace, he went to find some children to buy fireworks.

I had clearly paid the money, but a few more kids came and started complaining that they had lost money and wanted to raise the price.

Chen Yi didn't care about all that. He had already paid a high price, so he just ran away with the fireworks.

"light fireworks!"

Seeing that she was taking no time to come out, Chen Yi used his hand as a loudspeaker and shouted again.

After a long time, the one-armed woman finally pushed the door open and said coldly:

"I'm not deaf."

Chen Yi then asked: "Then why don't you come out?"

She kept silent.

Chen Yi laughed, he covered his mouth and looked like he was going to roll over, he looked like he deserved a beating.

Zhou Yitang's eyes were cold.

The laughter died down, he rubbed his eyes and said:

"Do you think I won't come back?"

The one-armed woman's heart suddenly slowed down.

The next moment, she looked away and said:

"Shut up."

"Okay, okay, let's set off the fireworks."

As he spoke, Chen Yi placed a seven-tube firework on the ground, stood up, casually pulled out a stick of incense from his arms, lit it, and held it in front of Zhou Yitong.

The one-armed woman frowned and tried to push his hand away.

Chen Yi suddenly turned sideways, not only dodging the push, but also walked around her side, grabbed her only remaining right arm, and carefully placed the incense stick in her hand.

His gentle voice came to the one-armed woman's ear:
"Let's release it together, okay?"

Zhou Yitang did not reply.

Chen Yi then took her hand and lit the fuse with the incense stick.

After a slight crackling sound, a flickering light shot up into the sky.

With a bang,
Brilliant fireworks exploded.

Chen Yi said loudly like a child: "So beautiful!"

Zhou Yitang glanced at him sideways.

He didn't stop there, and added a voiceover to the fireworks: "Swoosh!"

Seeing him like this, the one-armed woman curled her lips and said, "Childish."

Chen Yi looked up at the fireworks and said without turning his head: "But I am only childish in front of you."

Zhou Yitang was stunned, then turned his face away.

If I think back, it seems so.

He had never behaved like this before, whether in front of Yin Tingxue, Yin Weiying, or Min Ning.

While thinking about it, Chen Yi lowered his head and shouted to Min Ming:
"Min Ming, you let go too!"

Min Ming was stunned. He thought that he and Chen Yi were now master and servant, and their relationship was strained, but he never thought that he would be so enthusiastic.

Chen Yi didn't think so much. After the seven tubes of fireworks burned out, he kicked a firework up and threw it into Min Ming's hand.

Min Ming hurried back to the house, got a stick of incense, and lit a string of fireworks.

With a bang, another round of fireworks appeared.

Looking at the fireworks all over the sky, she thought of the time when she and Min Ning set off fireworks together.

The fireworks in the Chen family's yard seemed like a second round of signals. Then, fireworks continued to rise into the sky. The night was long, and every household in the capital was bustling with activity.

White and yellow colors exploded, the night sky became bright, thousands of lights and trees were hung high, flower-like flames rose with the wind, and with a few whooshing sounds, the golden ground and glazed platforms were dyed in every household. Even when the cold wind blew, there were still brilliant fireworks.

Under the fireworks, Chen Yi turned his head and saw the one-armed woman also looking up at the fireworks.

The light flickered and it was hard to see clearly. Chen Yi asked for no reason:

"Did you shed tears?"

"I have already killed three corpses, why would I shed tears?" she asked.

“But I shed.”

Chen Yi grabbed her fingertips and placed them on his cheek. Zhou Yitong felt the tear marks on his face.

Zhou Yitang fell silent for a long while before he uttered:
"Don't cry."

Chen Yi curled his lips and smiled. The entire sky of Dayu Capital was lit up by fireworks. Balls of fire and silver flowers exploded, flashing dazzling light, illuminating their faces.

He took a deep breath, still smiling at Zhou Yitang, and said:

"I want to marry you."

Zhou Yitang did not answer.

Just my fingertips scraped across his tears.

The two stood facing each other. Chen Yi couldn't hear the answer from her mouth, but he knew what was in her heart.

After a long time, Chen Yi suddenly asked:

"Have you known this for a long time?"

Zhou Yitang didn't even ask what he knew, but said:
"know."

Chen Yi smiled bitterly. As expected, she saw through it, but because of Yin Tingxue and other complicated situations, she did not bother to argue with him any further.

The one-armed woman looked straight at him and said:

"Do you think I don't know?"

"You just want to see how long I can keep the secret from you, right?" Chen Yi said with an apologetic smile.

Zhou Yitang said: "Yeah."

Chen Yi held her hand and did not let go, but slowly moved forward.

He said gently: "I have thought of a way, but in the new year, can you let me hug you? I will tell you after you hug me."

The fireworks reflected his face, but Zhou Yitang did not respond.

She just nodded imperceptibly.

Chen Yi stretched out his hands and held her in his arms.

The sound of fireworks continued, but Zhou Yitang could only hear his heartbeat.

His heart was beating fast.
Always fast.

She suddenly thought of her past life, when he died...