novel-bin Chapter 1205 I paid back what I owed you with half a cup of tea.
Chapter 1205 I paid back what I owed you with half a cup of tea.
Ke Qing didn't answer, but went to make tea for Ning Guang on her own.
Finally, Keqing returned with a pot of tea and two porcelain cups, and personally poured a cup of tea for Ningguang.
Ningguang looked at the teacup in front of her, and the last bit of doubt in her heart dissipated.
In Liyue's social rules, true forgiveness is only shown by drinking the apology tea brewed by the other person themselves.
Ke Qing's insistence suggests that she genuinely wants to apologize for the celebration banquet.
Although Keqing's approach was somewhat aggressive, Ningguang remembered that this Yuheng Star was a stubborn girl who acted decisively and never looked back once she had made up her mind, so her behavior was not unusual.
"Alright, since you've already offered me the tea, I can't refuse. I'll drink this tea, and let's put the past behind us."
As she spoke, Ningguang picked up her teacup, tilted her head slightly, and was about to drink the tea that could lead her to eternal damnation.
"Wait a moment……"
Just as the tea was about to touch Ningguang's lips, Keqing suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Ningguang was startled by Keqing's sudden action, and a few drops of tea spilled onto the back of her hand.
"What's wrong? Why won't you let me drink it?" Ningguang looked at Keqing's unusual expression, not understanding what she meant.
At this moment, Ke Qing's heart was pounding wildly, and her mind was in complete chaos.
In that brief moment, the last vestige of reason within her told her she couldn't do that!
She opened her mouth, about to tell the truth, but the words caught in her throat as she suddenly remembered Barbara.
If Keqing were to reveal the truth, wouldn't that be betraying Barbara?
Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back; I can only go all the way down this path!
Ke Qing unconsciously swallowed, then suddenly reached out and snatched the cup of poisoned tea.
"you……"
Ningguang was taken aback by this sudden action. Before she could ask anything, she saw Keqing tilt her head back and drink half of the tea in her cup.
She put down her teacup and arrogantly wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"So you won't worry that I poisoned you! I'll take a sip first, then you can rest assured, right?"
With only half a cup of poison remaining, it certainly wouldn't be enough to kill Ningguang. This could be considered Keqing's way of repaying Ningguang for her protection and care over the years.
Ningguang stared at Keqing's arrogant expression for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, almost laughing until tears streamed down her face.
"Hahaha, so that's what happened! Keqing, Keqing, that's no joke at all!"
"I wasn't even on guard against you, but you're already on guard against me."
"You think I would suspect you of poisoning me? We've worked together for so many years, don't you know me? If you really had that intention, you wouldn't have waited until today."
In Ningguang's view, Keqing's act of "drinking half a cup first" was just a way for the proud Yuheng Star to cover up the embarrassment of "taking the initiative to apologize" and deliberately find a way out.
She completely dispelled her last doubts and even found Keqing's earnestness somewhat endearing.
Ningguang picked up the half-full cup of tea, showing no disgust at the traces of Keqing's drinking, and tilted her head back to drink the remaining half cup in one gulp.
She tasted nothing unusual as the tea went down her throat.
The colorless and odorless poison that Zhongli found was indeed so well hidden that it was impossible to detect.
Setting down her empty teacup, Ningguang looked at Keqing and teased, "I trust you. How could you possibly resort to poisoning? Is there really such a rift between us?"
She reached out and gently patted her chest, continuing, "You even drank half of it on purpose. Honestly, you're so serious and so concerned about saving face."
……
Ningguang teased Keqing for a while, but gradually stopped laughing when she saw that the Yuheng Star in front of her still had her head down and her ear tips slightly red.
Then, she began to earnestly correct Ke Qing's thinking.
At the victory celebration banquet, Keqing told her not to be so dictatorial and to share the profits with the merchants in Liyue.
Ningguang patiently explained to Keqing why she couldn't avoid being "dictatorial".
It's nothing more than that, following Mao Cai Gong's coup, he only killed Mao Cai Gong and spared the lives of the rest, which was already merciful enough.
As for profits, it's enough to ensure that these competitors don't starve. What more mercy do you expect me to show, Keqing?
Ke Qing sat at Ning Guang's desk, letting the poison go in one ear and out the other, quietly waiting for it to take effect.
……
After a while, Ningguang felt a sudden, intense pain spread from her temples to her entire brain, as if countless needles were piercing her head at the same time.
She groaned and swayed. What was wrong? Why did her head suddenly hurt so much?
Before she could even process what was happening, she suddenly felt a warm sensation in her nose. She instinctively raised her hand to touch it, and her fingertips were instantly covered in bright red blood!
Immediately afterwards, her eyes began to itch, and warm liquid slid down her cheeks. She wiped it with the back of her hand, and another patch of glaring red appeared.
A strong, metallic taste welled up in her throat, and Ningguang could no longer hold back, coughing up a mouthful of blood with a "whoosh".
Ningguang immediately understood: Keqing had really poisoned her?
"You poisoned the tea?" Ningguang, who had been poisoned, looked up at Keqing in disbelief.
She clearly remembered that Ke Qing also drank that cup of tea, so how come she's alright?
Seeing Ningguang's pained expression, Keqing guiltily closed her eyes.
She dared not look Ningguang in the eye, and could only say in a low, hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Ningguang... You left me with no other choice."
"No other choice?" Ningguang struggled to her feet, stumbled to Keqing, and grabbed her arm.
"How did you poison me? You also drank the tea, so why are you unharmed!"
Keqing slowly opened her eyes, and Ningguang could see that blood was seeping from the corners of Keqing's eyes and nostrils, revealing a desperate madness.
Keqing's body also began to sway, clearly indicating that she had also been poisoned, only the effects were taking a little longer.
Ningguang suddenly loosened her grip on Keqing's arm and staggered back two steps.
"You...you even poisoned yourself? Are you insane! Do you want to drag me down with you?"
She finally understood Keqing's madness. Not only did the other party want to poison her, but she also prepared a way to "die together" as an escape route. In order to stop her "dictatorship", she was willing to risk her own life!
Ke Qing clutched her chest and coughed violently, with blood oozing from the corner of her mouth with each cough.
She looked at Ningguang, blood choking her throat, and said hoarsely, "I cannot... watch Liyue be destroyed under your dictatorship."
Poisoned, Ningguang lunged at Keqing again, grabbing her collar tightly with both hands.
Coughing up mouthfuls of blood, she roared in a hoarse but resentful voice, "You repay kindness with enmity! Ke Qing, have you forgotten who saved you?"
"During the chaos of the Battle of Bache, your command was flawed, resulting in the loss of 80% of the elite Thousand Rock Army!"
"For this incident alone, according to Liyue's laws, it's enough to have your entire family executed! It was me! I protected you under all the pressure! And this is how you repay me?"
"Now that True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng has stopped causing trouble, and that clown Maocai Gong is dead, are you starting to oppose me? Why is that?"
Ke Qing was jolted to the side by Ning Guang's attack, but she didn't push her away.
Upon hearing the words "the chaos of the pulling of the lever," her body trembled violently, as if her most painful wound had been reopened.
But she quickly regained her senses, steeled her resolve, and struggled forcefully, shouting, "Don't mention that! Cough cough..."
"It wasn't you who saved me back then, it was Mr. Shao Yun! Have you forgotten what you said yourself?"
She clearly remembered that after the chaos of the chariot, when she was lying in the Bubu Lu, Ningguang came to see her and said, "Mr. Shao Yun specially protected you."
For so many years, she had always believed that it was Shao Yun's kindness that gave her the opportunity to continue serving as Yuheng Star.
At this moment, Ningguang never expected that she had only used Shao Yun's reputation to fool Ke Qing, but she never thought that she would end up like this.
It's true what they say, "Success and failure both depend on Xiao He!"
Ningguang gave a bitter laugh, coughed up another mouthful of blood, and her body could no longer support her, slowly sliding down Keqing's clothes.
Ke Qing took the opportunity to push Ning Guang away. Seeing Ning Guang lying weakly on the ground, a metallic taste rose in her throat, but she still tried to defend her actions.
"Ever since the incident with the pull of the lever, you have become increasingly dictatorial... All matters, big and small, in Liyue are decided by your word. Officials dare not object, and merchants are at your mercy. Liyue has long become your one-man show!"
"I cannot, and absolutely cannot, watch Liyue be destroyed in your hands!"
She clutched her chest, coughing violently, blood gushing from between her fingers. "I can't... cough cough... let Mr. Shao Yun's hopes be in vain..."
Ningguang collapsed to the ground, her chest heaving violently, each breath carrying a strong, metallic scent of blood.
Hearing Ke Qing's explanation, tears of despair welled up in her eyes, mixed with blood and tears, making her look exceptionally miserable.
She mustered all her strength to lift her head and shouted at Ke Qing, "Wasn't I doing that to protect you? Do you think it was easy for you to survive until today?"
"After the chaos of the Ba Che incident, how many people are watching you, this 'sinner'? The families of the Qianyan Army want to hold you accountable, the merchants want to use your mistakes to suppress your family, and even the immortals think you should atone with your death!"
"If I didn't take a hard line then and increase my voice, how could I protect you? How could I suppress those voices that wanted to kill you?"
She coughed, and blood trickled down the corner of her mouth.
"Now that the storm has passed and you're safe, have you forgotten how desperately I protected you? Have you forgotten that I was the one who stood up to those who wanted to kill you?"
"Ke Qing, how could you be so heartless!"
Ningguang vehemently denounced Keqing for repaying kindness with enmity and having no conscience. Keqing, too, accepted this label of ungrateful, saying:
"I know... I've wronged you now, I accept the label of being ungrateful. But... but we have to think about the future of Liyue!"
“Killing you will allow Liyue to return to its state before the Tuche Rebellion, to an era where officials performed their duties and merchants competed fairly.”
"I will not allow Liyue, which I have been able to govern, to become a puppet kingdom that only obeys your commands. Absolutely not!"
Finally, Keqing took a deep breath, as if making a final decision, and said resolutely:
"I drank half a cup of poisoned tea for you, sparing your immediate death. This settles all our grievances! From now on, I will protect the future of Liyue!"
Ningguang looked at Keqing's unrealistic fantasies and listened to her whimsical promises, and the last bit of hope in her heart was completely shattered.
She's still so naive and foolish! What's wrong with you? Why have you suddenly become like this again?!
(Barbara, Zhongli: I can't get there?)
Ningguang shook her head in despair, her chest heaving, and she coughed up another mouthful of blood, staining the floor red.
"Keqing, let me tell you... don't think too badly of Liyue, but don't think too highly of Liyue either."
"Those guys who have been lying in wait are all waiting for their chance. If you're not ruthless, they'll devour you alive sooner or later!"
After saying this, Ningguang's head suddenly tilted to the side, and she completely lost consciousness. Her body slumped onto the carpet, with only the slight rise and fall of her chest proving that she was still alive.
Ke Qing looked at the unconscious Ning Guang, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her consciousness became increasingly blurred.
She managed to utter a few words with difficulty, saying, "This... you don't need to tell me... but I must... before you end the future of Liyue..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ke Qing suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, her eyes rolled back, and she completely lost consciousness.
……