kidnapped onto the ship

On the other side, Xie Zhuo knew that Fu Zhi Qiao had visited Zhou Li Zhang, and he felt jealous. He sulked for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back and found Fu Zhi Qiao. His tone was quite hurt: "You really fell for that poor scholar?"

Does she really not like me anymore?

"You were following me?" Fu Zhi Qiao asked incredulously. She had just visited Zhou Li Zhang during the day, and Xie Zhuo came looking for her that evening. If she hadn't been followed, she wouldn't have received the news so quickly.

The two were thinking on completely different wavelengths.

“I told you, if he dares to bother you again, I will make him pay the price.”

Xie Zhuo's brows furrowed even more deeply, his tone sinister: "He's about to take the provincial examination, isn't he? Ah Qiao, do you think he might fall into the river and drown on his way to the exam, or be robbed and killed by bandits? It's truly pitiful..."

"You dare?" Fu Zhiqiao's anger soared at the mention of Zhou Lizhang.

She initially approached Zhou Lizhang only to use marriage to avoid the five-fold tax penalty. She already felt guilty towards Zhou Lizhang, and was even more furious after hearing Xie Zhuo's words that he wanted to kill him.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xie Zhuo coldly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly frozen in ice, and glanced at her lightly: "If you insist on separating from me, then you will only see his corpse."

As he spoke, a hint of murderous intent flashed in Xie Zhuo's eyes. Although he quickly suppressed it, Fu Zhi Qiao still noticed it.

He was serious; he wasn't joking!

Seeing Xie Zhuo's eyes turn sharp and terrifying, Fu Zhi Qiao realized that her understanding of him was only a drop in the ocean.

Having lived in the Great Wei for so long and witnessed so many different aspects of life here, she thought she had already integrated into this era and become a part of it.

But is that really the case?

This is not a world governed by the rule of law where everyone is equal; this is a world where power reigns supreme!

It is said that the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, but the emperor has a hundred ways to escape punishment. To aristocratic families, the lives of ordinary people are no different from weeds; killing them is as easy as crushing an ant.

Murder and arson meant nothing to Xie Zhuo.

Fu Zhi Qiao's heart sank instantly, her face turned pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

She underestimated him. Xie Zhuo was a member of the royal family and a person in a higher position. How could he tolerate being suppressed? How could someone who had received an education from the upper class and had fought on the battlefield be a soft-hearted person?

A huge sense of loss welled up in Fu Zhiqiao's heart, and she even doubted whether the Xie Zhuo she had been with before was a fake.

When she first met Xie Zhuo, she thought he was just a mature-beyond-his-years, somewhat aloof young nobleman. She never imagined that he had such a sinister and perverse side.

Fu Zhiqiao lowered her eyes, inwardly cursing herself for misjudging him; she shouldn't have been blinded by his appearance.

Seeing the fear on Fu Zhi Qiao's face, Xie Zhuo's expression finally softened, and he said gently, "As long as you give up the idea of ​​getting engaged to him, he can live."

His tall figure enveloped Fu Zhi Qiao completely.

Xie Zhuo lowered his head and cupped her face, kissing her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and her ears. His movements were incredibly gentle, but his tone carried a domineering and aggressive quality.

“I think dealing with him would be a piece of cake, Joe, you know that.”

There are so many women in the world, does she think he can't live without her? When he's angry, he deliberately tries to find her instead of thinking about her, but the consequence of forcibly suppressing his feelings is that they come even more intensely.

He couldn't live without her.

Xie Zhuo was driven to desperation by her. If he didn't come to her, she would act as if he didn't exist and even wanted to get engaged to another man. How could he not be angry?

Fu Zhi Qiao turned her head away, refusing Xie Zhuo's touch: "I'll let you go, and you let me go too, okay?"

"This is bad." Xie Zhuo felt a tightness in his chest, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his expression grew increasingly cold.

Fu Zhi Qiao was truly at a loss. She pushed against his chest with her elbow, forcefully breaking free from his embrace, and took a step back. "Xie Zhuo, do you really have to force me?"

Xie Zhuo's eyes were calm and deep. He stepped forward and grabbed her hand, not letting her go far away from him.

Fu Zhi Qiao's face was full of disappointment, and her voice unconsciously carried a hint of grievance: "Go away, I don't want to see you!"

After saying that, she turned and ran away.

Xie Zhuo immediately chased after her and precisely tapped her chest twice with his fingers.

Her body went numb, and Fu Zhi Qiao instantly lost control of her body.

When Xie Zhuo carried Fu Zhi Qiao out, Yin Xing happened to come over. She was already used to the occasional intimate gestures between the two.

"Tell your wife that my daughter and I have some business to attend to and need to return to the capital first."

Ginkgo nodded obediently, but her daughter's posture looked a little awkward, as if she were being held hostage. She wanted to say something more: "But..."

"Did you remember?" Xie Zhuo's voice suddenly turned low.

Seeing Xie Zhuo's icy gaze, Yinxing felt a tightness in her chest and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

*

The journey back to Beijing was by waterway.

When he came to Qingzhou, he brought the Imperial Guards with him. On the way back, he brought Fu Zhiqiao with him. It was fine for the men to ride horses, but he couldn't let a delicate woman like her be exposed to the wind and sun. Taking a carriage would slow down their journey. Bringing Fu Zhiqiao along was his own selfish reason, and Xie Zhuo couldn't expect everyone to accommodate her alone, so he decided to simply return to the capital by water.

He chartered a Fujian-style boat, and Fu Zhiqiao was placed on board.

Upon arriving in the Great Wei, this was Fu Zhiqiao's first time on a ship for such a long time. Apart from feeling a little sleepy on the first day when she boarded the ship, she didn't experience any discomfort.

There were maids on the ship to serve her with her washing and meals, and even several sets of clean clothes were prepared. All kinds of daily necessities were provided, just like on land. The only thing that bothered her was that the maids wouldn't let her leave her room, and Xie Zhuo hadn't appeared in front of her for a long time. She didn't know how much time had passed, two days, three days, or even longer, but Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't take it anymore.

As usual, the maid brought her food, but as soon as the food was placed on the table, Fu Zhi Qiao overturned it onto the ground.

The maid glanced at her, silently cleaned up the floor, and soon brought back the food. Fu Zhi Qiao was speechless. She felt that she didn't need to make things difficult for a maid, so she vented her anger in the room instead.

However, everything that was broken on the first day was repaired on the second day.

Xie Zhuo seemed to be deliberately testing her patience. The porcelain cups and bowls that came back the next day were obviously not as exquisite as those on the first day. They were replaced with common styles on the market, as if they were bought specifically for her to vent her frustrations.

Fu Zhiqiao was furious. She wanted her to vent, right? Well, he would grant her wish!

A tea set came with several teacups, which Fu Zhiqiao smashed one by one.

"Xie Zhuo, come out here!"

With a "smash," Fu Zhiqiao slammed the last cup against the door, the sound of it shattering sending shivers down Wang Qianxin's spine.

Xie Zhuo was right outside the door. His face was gloomy, but he didn't say anything. He waved for the two maids to leave.

He only entered the room after Fu Zhiqiao had completely vented.

Looking at the mess of broken pieces on the ground, Xie Zhuo didn't even blink, as if nothing had happened. He walked leisurely, and his every move unconsciously gave people a sense of oppression.

Xie Zhuo was dressed in a snow-white brocade robe, his jade-like face was like that of a celestial being, and his jet-black hair was tied back with a white ribbon, making him look like a handsome and noble young master.

Fu Zhiqiao had no interest in appreciating beauty at this moment.

"Is this interesting? Breaking into a house and forcibly taking a woman?" She had been locked up for several days and was now furious. Her words were sharp and pointed, and she seemed ready to fight at any moment.

“You are now a county magistrate, not a commoner.”

Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. He was still in the mood to joke, so it seemed he was in a pretty good mood after being locked up here!

After venting her anger in the room, she asked expressionlessly, "Where are you taking me?"

"Return to the capital."

"Did I say I was going back to the capital? There are still many things in Qingzhou that I need to take care of."

Xie Zhuo gave him a look, and Wang Qianxin immediately brought over a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

“You can write to them.”

"You've even prepared carrier pigeons, it seems you've been planning this all along!" Having finally calmed down, Fu Zhi Qiao felt her blood pressure rising again.

Xie Zhuo was used to others submitting to him, but he just couldn't do anything about her.

"You can keep smashing things. Once you've destroyed everything, you'll have to sleep in the same room as me." Xie Zhuo ignored her sarcastic remarks, instructed the maid to clean the room again, and then left.

It has to be said that Xie Zhuo has grasped her personality pretty well.

Fu Zhi Qiao was alone in her room, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down. Xie Zhuo, outside the door, sighed softly. Although he hadn't let her leave the room these past few days, he had secretly come in to check on her every night after she fell asleep.

By evening, the broken porcelain pieces in the room had been cleaned up, and the items damaged by the shards had been replaced with new ones.

Fu Zhiqiao was fast asleep in bed.

Xie Zhuo tiptoed to the bedside, sat on the edge of the bed, and gazed at her quiet and innocent sleeping face, his heart softening.

Fu Zhiqiao's sleeping posture is very standard, with her hands placed in front of her abdomen and her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing, like a well-behaved little kitten.

Her jet-black hair flowed like clouds, her skin was so white it seemed to glow, her lips were a pale pink, neither too dark nor too light, and her eyelashes were long and thick, like two small brushes, casting a small shadow under her eyes...

Xie Zhuo's gaze lingered on her face for a long time, unwilling to look away. She was so beautiful; how could there be such a perfect person in the world!

I want to kiss her cheek, I want to hold her hand, I want to...

The thought popped into his head, and he followed his heart and did it. Worried that kissing her might wake her up, he changed his target.

Xie Zhuo raised his right hand and gently touched Fu Zhi Qiao's hand. After pausing for a moment to confirm that she showed no signs of waking up, he intensified his movements, his fingers deftly finding the gaps between her fingers, and then slowly placing his palm on top of hers.

Their fingers were intertwined.

The delicate touch stirred Xie Zhuo's heart, giving rise to an impulse to hold her in his arms and cherish her.

Although his gaze was fixed on Fu Zhi Qiao's face, his mind was racing.

If only time could stand still at this moment.

She was much more obedient when she was asleep than when she was awake. Only when she was asleep would she not dislike him. During the day, it was difficult for him to get a smile from her.

Suddenly, Fu Zhiqiao moved.

Xie Zhuo held his breath. Their hands were still clasped together. If she found out that he had sneaked over while she was asleep, his reputation would be ruined... Fortunately, Fu Zhi Qiao just groaned and turned over to continue sleeping.

Xie Zhuo felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He slowly released his grip on her hand, pulled the blanket over her, glanced at her reluctantly, and tiptoed out of the room.