Chapter 93 Leisurely Creating New Styles of Flowers
Qin Shaozong paused slightly, his hand still around Dai Li's waist, but he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat and asked another question, "Has Madam eaten?"
"I've already used it."
Dai Li got straight to the point, "This afternoon, Zhouzhou and I went to see Mr. Ding for a consultation. Mr. Ding said he couldn't figure it out and suggested that Zhouzhou go to see his grandfather. Qin Changgeng, I'd like to take my son to Yuyang County first."
She didn't ask him when he would return, but instead said directly that she wanted to go ahead first.
Qin Shaozong: "My wife and I will return to Yuyang together in a few days."
Dai Li frowned anxiously. Her son said that it would recur every ten days, and she didn't want to wait a moment longer. "How many days is 'every few days'? How about this, we split up. Zhouzhou and I will go first, and you can come back after you're done."
After saying that, Dai Li belatedly realized that her son had followed her out of the house, and she immediately felt the large hand on her waist become unusually hot.
She tried to gently push his hand away, but couldn't. His dark hand, as if cast in iron, was firmly gripping her waist.
Qin Yanzhou looked away and said, "Mother, I'm going back to my room now. Goodnight."
“…Goodnight, Zhouzhou.” Dai Li was embarrassed.
Qin Yanzhou turned and went into his room. After he entered, Qin Shaozong took Dai Li back to his room.
There were no lights in the room, only a few embers of dusk remaining by the window.
Qin Shaozong turned around, trapping her between himself and the door, and leaned down to kiss the small red mole on Dai Li's forehead. "Wait two more days, and then my wife will travel with me back to Yuyang."
He had just drunk wine in the main hall, and his breath reeked of alcohol. Dai Li wrinkled her nose and turned her head away. "Two days is a bit long."
Qin Shaozong could never stand her disliking him, so he immediately pinched her chin with two fingers and turned her back. "Soon, my wife and I will travel day and night, with infantry following behind. We can catch up in time."
Dai Li still frowned, "I still want to..."
He swallowed the rest of his words before he could finish.
The smell of alcohol exploded in her mouth, surging in like a fierce tsunami, and Dai Li's pupils trembled slightly. The other party came on strong, as if they hadn't eaten enough at the banquet, and now they were eating and drinking to their heart's content.
The soft red flesh was hooked, and the greedy tiger found the hidden delicacy. It smacked its lips and ate with great gusto, as if trying to extract the flavor from the very marrow.
Unlike any of Dai Li's previous relationships, Qin Shaozong would not close his eyes at this moment.
He always stared at her intently, not only wrapping his arms around her but also keeping his gaze fixed on her, like a tiger or wolf guarding its prey, not allowing anyone else to take it away, nor allowing her to be distracted.
The room was dark, and the man's light brown eyes appeared dark and deep, like a bottomless black pool.
Although she hadn't drunk any alcohol, Dai Li was somehow made slightly tipsy by the smell. When she came to her senses, she was already on the couch, her outer robe lying not far from the bed.
"Clatter".
The soft clinking of the beads was exceptionally clear in the night.
Dai Li felt a chill on her wrist, as if something was wrapped around it. She raised her hand, and in the dim light, she could only vaguely see an unusually vibrant blue-green.
"What is this?" Dai Li moved her wrist.
With a piece of soft meat dangling from his mouth, Qin Shaozong mumbled, "Nangong came to the manor for a meal. After tasting the meat stir-fried in an iron pot, he was greatly amazed and couldn't stop thinking about it, trying to get the recipe. I told him it was the madam's masterpiece, and if he wanted to know, I would bring some treasures for you to see. Upon hearing this, that fellow couldn't wait a moment longer and sent someone back to the manor to bring over several large boxes of jewels. Madam, take a look and see if they suit your taste?"
Dai Li turned her hand over.
The item wasn't heavy; it seemed to be a string of beads or something similar.
After saying that, Qin Shaozong snorted lightly, with a hint of disdain, "There aren't many treasures in Qingzhou and Yanzhou. After you return to Yuyang with me, I will let you see other treasures. For now, we'll just have to make do."
Despite saying he disliked other people's things, he kept moving, conjuring up a long necklace from somewhere and putting it on Dai Li.
The lack of oxygen to her head, combined with the influence of alcohol, made Dai Li's thoughts a beat slower than usual. When he lifted her hands and waist, she did not resist.
It took Dai Li a while to realize that she had become a Christmas tree.
The cool, beaded chain slipped through the open bodice, feeling smooth and refreshing. Dai Li reached out and touched it. She couldn't see it, but it felt nice to the touch. The fact that this person had taken it from several boxes of jewelry suggested it was no ordinary item.
She does love collecting jewelry, that's true, but who wants to wear a whole bunch of jewelry in bed?
"No, these are uncomfortable when I turn over." Dai Li tried to take them off.
Qin Shaozong grabbed her wrist, stopping Dai Li's movements. "Take a look first, then take it off. What did Madam promise me back in Nanyang County?"
As if reminding her not to forget, he patted her pert and full side with his other hand.
Dai Li: "..."
She discovered that this man had some other fetishes on the couch.
He suddenly became very excited and, on a whim, devoted himself to dressing up Dai Li.
Not only around her neck and on her hands, Qin Shaozong also put two gold bracelets on her and pulled the necklace down to use as a waist chain. He also hung thin gold chains on other places.
After finishing the basic decorations, Qin Shaozong stood up, scooped up Dai Li with one hand, and let her sit on his left arm, thus carrying her off the bed.
Her feet couldn't touch the ground at all, and she couldn't get down. There was nothing behind her to lean on. Afraid that she would fall, Dai Li had no choice but to hook one hand around his neck.
Qin Shaozong carried the person around the room, took two items, and then went to the mirror box.
"Ma'am, light the lamp."
Something was stuffed into Dai Li's hand; she pulled it out and found it was a flint and a small piece of iron.
In this era, not only were lighters nonexistent, but even the earliest version of the lighter, the tinderbox, had not yet appeared.
To start a fire, people generally use two methods: metal flint and stone flint. The former uses sunlight, while the latter uses flint, a phosphorus-containing silica stone, to strike iron objects and start a fire manually.
There was a soft chair in front of the dressing table. Qin Shaozong sat down, and then let Dai Li sit on his lap.
There was a lamp standing quietly in front of her. Dai Li was holding something in her hand. She had never used this thing before, and since she wasn't very enthusiastic to begin with, she tried to light it but only managed two sporadic attempts after a long while.
Qin Shaozong patted her on the shoulder, "Stop dawdling. Go back and rest only when you've finished reading."
This gave Dai Li motivation. She tilted her head slightly, avoiding the warm kiss on her ear, and said, "Give me a break."
"You do your thing, I'll do mine, we're not related." Qin Shaozong finished speaking and took the round, snow-white earlobe into his mouth.
Dai Li shuddered, then felt a rough sensation, like a snake, creeping under her hem. It measured her little by little, growing upwards like a vine, then transforming into a graceful fallen leaf that supported her.
Concentrating, Dai Li tapped the stone twice more, and finally saw sparks appear.
Having the motivation is one thing, but knowing how to use it is another. Perhaps her method was wrong, because Dai Li knocked several times, but not a single tiny spark landed on the wick.
"Qin Changgeng, did you give me a fake flint?" Dai Li refused to give up.
"Nonsense, I'll teach you, Madam." Qin Shaozong withdrew his hand from her clothes and instead wrapped it around both of her hands, teaching her how to use flint.
With a "thud," the force was much greater than when Dai Li had bumped into it herself earlier, and the wick lit up in just one moment.
"That's it, what's so difficult about it?" Qin Shaozong said with a smile.
Dai Li pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, thinking to herself that a tinderbox was still much more useful, as it only required blowing on it.
Thinking of tinder, her thoughts inevitably drifted further away. It was already autumn, and the weather was getting colder day by day.
Yuyang County is in the north, where winters are even colder. Using flint to start a fire would definitely hurt your fingers, making it inconvenient to start a fire for hot pot or barbecue. It would be better to make a batch of tinderboxes. Then she, Zhouzhou, and Nianxia Bipo can enjoy hot pot around the stove.
The hot pot was already floating in front of her when a sudden chill on her chest pulled Dai Li back to reality.
Her blouse hung loosely, and after the long amber necklace wrapped around her neck twice, the largest rabbit-shaped amber in the center was hidden in the tall, snowy white.
The lamp flickered, reflecting a bright light in the bronze mirror in front of it. The golden and silver gleams combined to create a luxurious and elegant scene.
The knot of the cloth was almost within reach. Qin Shaozong leaned closer, bit the knot with his sharp canine teeth, and then tilted his head to the side.
The smooth silk slipped down.
Under the lamplight, in the bronze mirror, other more vivid and bright colors were added to the snow-white painting. Dai Li raised her hand to pick up the fallen handkerchief, her fingertips just touching the apricot-colored undergarment, when suddenly she was lifted up by him.
She was originally sitting sideways, but now she is sitting upright, facing the bronze mirror with her back to him.
As she slowly sat down, Dai Li's breathing became slightly labored, and her waist was very tense. She didn't even bother to pick up the handkerchief that had fallen off.
Qin Shaozong's breathing became heavy as she tightened her muscles, and he reached out to rub her lower back.
The not-so-gentle wind stirred up ripples in the pool, which spread out layer by layer, creating a babbling murmur.
The mirror reflects a beauty like a flower fairy, with snow-white flower branches entwined with gold and silver ribbons, and jade, agate of various colors, amber and turquoise adorning the delicate flower branches.
"Does Madam like it?" He personally decorated each item, measured it carefully again, and couldn't put it down.
"Don't wear it here, Qin Shaozong, you pervert." Dai Li's face was flushed, and she was acting inappropriately. She raised her hand to take it off, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Your wife said earlier that this was a compliment, and it seems you like it very much," he chuckled softly.
Occasionally, strong winds and huge waves would crash by, causing the flower branches to tremble and even stirring up rabbit-shaped amber from the depths of the canyon.
"These things from Qingzhou are still a bit inferior." After he had his fill of admiring them, he picked them off for her one by one, then carried her back to the bed to continue the second half of the encounter.
The lamp in front of the mirror case was barely lit, looking as if it would go out at any moment. The dim light fell on the handkerchief that its owner had neglected.
The warm-colored blouse, glowing with a soft light, lay quietly on the soft chair. The blouse was a little wrinkled, but it was not hard to see that a beautiful peony was embroidered in the middle.
At the heart of the peony flower in the center, a different dark color appears, as if it has been accidentally wetted by water.
The candlelight went out abruptly, but the commotion inside the room had not yet subsided.
*
Qin Shaozong said he would set off for Yuyang in two more days, and he did so in two days.
Two days later, he left Kuang Ye in Bai Ri City to finish things up, and amidst Nangong Xiong's cursing, he led a group of men and Dai Li on their way.
Bai Ri City is in Yanzhou, and Yuyang is in Youzhou. The journey from Yanzhou to Youzhou crosses the not-so-small province of Ji.
Jizhou had been annexed by Qin Shaozong years ago, so passing through this area now is like going home, with no obstacles along the way.
Normally, Qin Shaozong would stay in the various prefectures of Ji Province for at least a few more days to check on the work in each prefecture, but now he was just traveling.
During the day, they mostly marched, and if they encountered a county or prefecture at night, they would stop in the city; otherwise, they would continue on their way.
On the way back, something happened that was neither too big nor too small.
The story begins when they arrived in a place called Dahong County. Dahong County was not a large county, and there were only a handful of post stations scattered throughout it, which could be counted on one hand.
Qin Shaozong went straight to the most expensive one and, with a wave of his hand, booked the entire inn.
After having dinner downstairs, Dai Li went upstairs to rest. She had slept in the same room with Qin Shaozong the entire way back to Yuyang County; Qin Shaozong was still downstairs when she came up.
Nianxia and Bibo lived in the room next door. After Daili finished washing up, there was nothing for them to do, so she let them go back to their room to rest.
Although there are fewer mosquitoes in autumn than in summer, Dai Li still casually put down the plain curtain in the less humid weather of autumn.
As a result, the plain curtain that had been hanging on the wooden hook came undone, and a piece of silk cloth fell gracefully down.
The silk fabric is in a very plain color and looks very clean, so clean that you wouldn't feel like you'd get your hands dirty if you picked it up.
Dai Li bent down and picked it up. As she got closer, she discovered that there were words on the silk cloth.
His inscription read: "Of all the medicines in Yanzhou, only I can cure them."
Dai Li's pupils suddenly contracted. At that moment, it felt as if a venomous snake had unexpectedly bitten her heart, and the corrosive venom stung her chest painfully.
She froze on the spot, staring intently at the silk cloth.
Where did the silk cloth come from, and how did it happen to be placed in her room by such coincidence?
Yes, the followers of the Qinglian Sect are spread throughout the states, so it is not surprising that there are people of the sect in the counties and prefectures of Jizhou. There are people of the Qinglian Sect in this inn, and they even accurately calculated the room she would stay in.
No, those aren't the point.
The key question is whether the poison in Zhouzhou's body can really only be cured by the Qinglian Sect.
Dai Li felt as if a rolling pin was being vigorously stirred inside her head, causing her eardrums to vibrate and her head to spin. Unable to stand, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.
Qin Shaozong ended his conversation with Mo Yanyun within fifteen minutes of Dai Li going upstairs. "It's getting late, everyone go back to your rooms and rest."
He turned and went upstairs, walking all the way to the best private room in the shop, and pushed the door open to enter.
The door wasn't locked, and the lights weren't off.
The room was divided into two small rooms, an inner and an outer one. Qin Shaozong had just opened his mouth to call out "Madam" when he turned his head and saw Dai Li slumped down on the bed in the inner room.
The man's eyes sharpened, and he rushed forward in three quick steps, scooping the person up. "Why are you sitting on the ground? Did you hurt your foot again?"
"No, it's not..." Dai Li seemed to wake up from a nightmare. She gripped the silk cloth tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Qin Shaozong immediately noticed what was in her hand. He wrapped Dai Li's cold hand in his palm and then skillfully took away the plain silk cloth.
The eight characters on the cloth were written in cinnabar, bright and eye-catching. This color would normally be festive, but at this moment it carried an ominous premonition.
A chilling ruthlessness flashed in the man's brown eyes. He tightened his grip on the silk cloth, instantly forming a ball. "This kind of scare tactic is clumsy, but it's very effective. Madam, don't fall for their trick. We'll arrive in Yuyang in four days. Then, Madam and I will go to the Ding family together."
Author's Note: I'm here! [Sprinkling flowers]
Please provide nutrient solution. I'll revert to updating at 9 PM tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
