Chapter 108 Coaxing Me
The loose-fitting plain silk could not conceal her pregnant belly, nor could it hide her precarious breasts and valleys.
Li Qu sat on the couch, looking at the contracts of the people in the courtyard.
She had previously released Granny Xu and the others from the courtyard, and now their indentures were found intact in the box in her hand.
Now, another contract of indenture for Huai Xia has been added to the box.
Li Qu knew that these indentures alone were useless.
To control these people, one must be absolute and independent of Zhou Jin's authority.
Or perhaps they could grasp the hearts of people that even Zhou Jin couldn't sway.
Only those people can be considered her people.
From nothing to something, from dependence to independence, she charted a path that was not easy for herself.
Cuiguo stood beside her, carefully drying her hair.
Zhou Jin sat on the other side of the couch, pretending to be seriously focused on peeling shrimp.
His gaze occasionally fell on her little feet that were sticking up, and occasionally swept over the embroidery on her nightgown.
Three dishes and two snacks, along with a bowl of fish porridge, were laid out on a low table; this was Li Qu's late-night snack.
Li Qu: "One, two, three, four, five... fifteen..."
Her Fanghuayuan Group now has eighteen people.
"Ouch~" came the sound of the group's general manager, Granny Xu, crying out in pain from outside the door.
Then came Xu Mama's hoarse shout: "Huaixia, don't let her get hurt!"
Li Qu closed the lid of the box and handed it to Hong Guo.
The red fruit was stored in a small box in the west study, which was specially used to keep this item, and then locked.
Then I went out to check the situation.
Cui Guo loosely tied Li Qu's hair into a simple bun with a hair tie.
He instructed a maid to bring water for Li Qu to wash her hands and then served her dinner.
Zhou Jin handed the peeled shrimp to Li Qu: "Next time, no matter what happens, you must eat well."
Li Qu scolded him, "Isn't it all because my husband is causing me trouble?"
Zhou Jin's eyes softened, and his heart fluttered.
The maidservant helped him wash his hands.
Li Qu picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and handed it to him, smiling as she looked at him: "Thank you for your hard work, husband. Please have the first bite."
He quickly washed his hands and leaned forward to accept her kindness: "Thank you, Madam."
Then he took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid and slowly wiped his hands.
"You're welcome." She smiled and picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks.
The fresh and sweet taste just began to linger on the lips and teeth.
Hongguo then entered and reported: "Miss Qingsu said she came to bid farewell to Madam, but unexpectedly, when she arrived at the corridor, she bumped into a pillar."
Fortunately, Granny Xu shielded her with her own body, and she was not injured.
"The person has been gagged and pinned down in the courtyard by Huai Xia."
The smile on Li Qu's face gradually faded.
She slowly chewed the food in her mouth and put down her chopsticks.
Zhou Jin's gaze never left Li Qu's face.
As soon as Hongguo finished speaking, he knew things were going badly.
He casually placed the hand towel on the low table: "Hand the person over to Huaiqiu; he knows how to handle it."
Hongguo went out to deliver a message.
Li Qu stayed there.
Zhou Jin raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows.
Never before had he felt such hatred for the outdated practice of elders arranging women for younger generations.
“A-Qu…”
Li Qu interrupted him before he could speak, and launched the first attack: "My husband is more desirable than a hot commodity."
“Since you said you’ve explained it to her, she agreed to rest at another house for the night and go back tomorrow to find a better match.”
"Why did she pretend to say goodbye to me so soon after, and then act like she was going to die in my courtyard?"
Xu Mama was rubbing her stomach, which had been hurt by Bao Qingsu's bump, on the corridor when she watched Huai Xia turn her away.
Hearing Li Qu's angry words from inside the house, his heart skipped a beat.
Hurry up and go inside.
Inside the room, the maids held their breath, heads bowed, all like wooden stakes.
Li Qu supported her waist and stood barefoot on the carpet.
“I’m protecting her reputation and I’ve promised to personally take her back tomorrow.”
"Just say it was a casual visit from a relative who stayed overnight at our house, to smooth things over."
"Not to mention that when I visit my second aunt tomorrow, I will inevitably be ridiculed and made difficult."
"If she had even scratched her skin in my courtyard today..."
"I made a few noises because I couldn't tolerate her and forced her to die. Then I asked my second aunt to come and seek justice for her."
“Then I, Li Qu, will be branded with a vicious reputation for being jealous and intolerant.”
"Or, to protect my reputation, I might swallow my disgust and step in to take this concubine on behalf of my husband, thus silencing them."
"I come from a humble background, so I dare not do anything wrong and bring unnecessary trouble upon myself."
"They've figured this out and are trying to force me to give in."
She seemed furious, yet also extremely aggrieved; her voice was a mixture of annoyance and grievance.
"There are only those who steal for a thousand years, not those who guard against thieves for a thousand years."
"Granny Xu kept a close eye on things today, and she didn't succeed."
"If another cousin comes one day, who can guarantee that Granny Xu will still be able to stop her!"
“I endured the hardships of being heavily pregnant to carry your Zhou family’s five-generation chart and to deal with your Zhou family relatives, not to live this miserable life with you.”
She walked to the flower stand and reached out to pluck a chrysanthemum petal from it.
"My husband is devoted to me. If I were to deceive you, he would be resentful."
"No need."
"Human hearts are made of flesh, and I have been moved by my husband's feelings for me."
"My separation from you was merely out of anger at what you did back then, and I harbored too much resentment in my heart."
"Many of the harsh words he uttered were spoken out of spite."
“I already have my husband in my heart.”
Petals fluttered down from her fingertips, landing on her jade-like toes.
Zhou Jin bent down to pick up her shoes and stepped forward.
"My husband can immerse himself in the joy of being pursued by countless women."
"Just don't expect me to be as virtuous and generous as my second sister-in-law."
"If that's the case, we might as well separate sooner rather than later and cut ties cleanly."
"So that you can marry a virtuous woman from a high-ranking family, so that you won't have to worry about the secrets of the inner quarters, and she can also help you take concubines and manage the inner quarters."
"He won't be as jealous as I am and will get angry at you."
"There's no need for her to become a nun halfway through her life and have her mother-in-law teach her how to be a matriarch."
He knelt down beside her and brushed the petals off her feet: "It's cool in autumn, you shouldn't go barefoot."
She threw a tantrum, but it was like hitting cotton.
Furious, she slipped on her shoes and strode away, saying, "My husband said he'd deal with this when he got back!"
"I washed up and dried my hair, and this is the result!"
"My husband handled it terribly!"
Don't expect me to lull you to sleep tonight!
With a soft "pfft".
Cui Guoshi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Realizing she had laughed at the wrong time, she covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling, and knelt down with a thud.
The head maid knelt down, and the other maids quickly followed suit.
Granny Xu quickly dragged Cuiguo and the others away.
The masters are flirting; what's the point of all this?
Pregnant women's tempers are often unpredictable.
When Li Qu saw that Granny Xu was leaving, she secretly gave her a wicked smile and a knowing look, then covered her face and cried.
She probably didn't realize how adorable she was.
She looked like a shrew about to start a fight with him.
Yet every word she said touched his heart.
He liked her no matter what.
He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms: "If you won't comfort me, I will comfort you."
"Who needs you to coax me!"
She struggled gently.
It tickled him so hard he felt an itch.
He instinctively grabbed the back of her head.
After realizing what was happening, he changed his approach and started rubbing the back of her head.
She punched his chest: "You can't even manage your own family affairs, how can you possibly bring peace to the world!"
That's not how you use that phrase.
"If I say so, then it is."
"Alright, whatever you say, Madam."
She pounded his chest.
He took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Aqu, your husband has done his best, even if he hasn't done anything particularly great. Please coax me this once, okay?"
"You wish."
He kissed her earlobe, not daring to push too hard, cautiously probing.
She pushed him, but not hard.
Her coy refusal only fueled his irresistible urge to get closer and closer to her.
She unconsciously stepped back.
He sensed that her back was about to touch the flower stand, so he reached his large hand under her armpit, placed his palm on the flower stand, and pressed the back of his hand against her.
He held her in his arms, his gaze probing her with lustful intent.
"Aqu, please."
"Soothe me."
"The matter will be handled in a way that satisfies you."
She turned her face away, her ears slightly red: "Hmph~"
His heart melted.
His little Aqu is so cute.
He kissed her forehead and made a promise to her.
"If anyone forces you, I'll force them instead."
His kiss landed on her cheek.
Carefully exploring and meticulously examining.
Her fingers, which were pounding his chest, curled up unconsciously.
He kissed the lips he had long coveted.
He gave her a light, tentative kiss, and only dared to be more forward when she agreed.
A man who is provoked but restrained will become even more greedy once he tastes a little sweetness.
His large hands, unable to resist, wandered over the plain silk.
The embroidery on her chest is of twin lotus flowers.
Pink and tender.
He could trace the direction of the embroidery stitches.
He held her, his greedy kisses traveling down to her neck and collarbone, leaving marks with each light suck.
He gently pulled down the loose robe covering her, his gaze falling on her rounded shoulders adorned with delicate straps, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He raised his hand, his fingertips touching the slender ribbon. He saw her blushing face, her eyes lowered, and her breath coming in short gasps. She didn't object and continued to play with it.
The strap slipped off her shoulder.
Hidden among the clouds and mountains, deep valleys conceal rivers.
She closed her eyes and nestled into his arms, whispering, "My husband~"
It seems to be an invitation.
He raised his hand to untie his waist belt: "Aqu, you're coaxing me."
His voice was deep and hoarse.
Li Qu's hand slipped inside his open robe and wrapped around his waist.
He relentlessly bullied her, but in the end, he only made himself feel worse.
A thin layer of sweat gathered on his forehead.
He was panting as he grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.
She was in a bad mood, so we could only give her light kisses, not deeper ones.
She buried her face in his chest.
My palms felt increasingly hot.
His breathing was sometimes rapid, sometimes suppressed.
He was tortured to the point of ecstasy.
He thought it would take a very, very long time before she would accept him.
But she said that he already had a place in her heart, and she only said those harsh words because she was angry with him.
He gripped the flower stand tightly with his hand on her back.
He shielded her with his arms and the back of his hands.
He knew she was just angry.
She loved him; she always had.
The sweat on his neck seeped into his loose collar.
His uncontrollable lust made the veins on his neck stand out even more.
Amidst the shaking and devastation, the potted plant on the flower stand, already plucked bare, received its fatal blow.
It fell headfirst to the ground, its body crushed by the flowerpot and unable to turn over.
After Zhou Jin finally calmed down, Li Qu was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
He sighed deeply, "Aqu! My heart is set on you!"
She offered her wrist as a sacrifice to the heavens, which brought a faint blush to his face and softened his features.
After the two finished getting ready, they came out of the bathroom. The potted plant that had fallen off the flower stand had already been cleaned up.
The cold food on the low table was removed, and Granny Xu served Li Qu a large bowl of seafood and vegetable noodles.
Li Qu took out an outer robe for him from the wardrobe: "Wear this and go do your job. Don't come back if you don't do it well."
“Huaiyan has gone.” Zhou Jin didn’t want to leave.
I had no choice but to leave; Kaiseki had arrived.
Granny Xu rushed in and reported, "Third Master, Huai Shi has come to report that an urgent message has arrived from the capital and requires your personal attention."
Li Qu then helped Zhou Jin get dressed, saying, "My husband has important business to attend to; my affairs can be postponed."
Zhou Jin remained silent.
Li Qu escorted Zhou Jin to the corridor.
"My husband, please take care of your health and rest early."
Zhou Jin's eyes lingered on her.
"Eat your food properly and don't worry me."
She tiptoed and rubbed her face against his, saying softly, "If my husband is well, then I am well."
She gently clung to him, sometimes playful, sometimes sensible.
He walked away, and she watched his figure gradually disappear.
"Madam, don't look anymore, the gatekeeper has locked the door," Xu Mama teased her from the side.
She raised her hand and tucked the stray hairs that the night wind had blown onto her cheek behind her ear.
She smiled faintly and turned to enter the room.
She felt alive again after finishing a bowl of noodles.
It was late in the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) or early in the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).
Take the pregnancy-preserving medicine 15 minutes after the meal.
It was late, and Li Qu did not go out to digest her food.
After circling the room twice, she turned and walked towards the west study.
She didn't immediately consider bringing her parents to Hezhou, not because she wasn't waiting and seeing.
In her view, her parents were living peacefully in the capital, Xiao Cong didn't cause them any trouble, her second sister was wary of Lin Xiaocong, and with her eldest sister's husband, who was on a promising official career, looking after them, they were safe.
It would be safer to bring them over after she has established herself in the area.
Otherwise, someone like the Second Madam could easily set a trap for her by using her parents, and she would be unable to defend herself against it.
But tonight, upon hearing the word "Beijing," she inexplicably felt a sense of unease.
The letter she sent to the North wouldn't arrive for several more days.
I wonder how things are in the capital now.
Sitting down at her desk, she leaned back in her chair and calmed herself for a while before instructing Lan Guo, who was on night duty, to "add water and grind the ink."
Lan Guo obediently ground the ink and got to work.
Li Qu smoothed the paper with a paperweight, selected a fine rabbit hair brush, and dipped it in ink.
Since the North and South are not yet separated, what her brother-in-law is doing now must involve the South.
She wanted to give Zhou Jin a heads-up.
*
Without stopping her pen, she casually asked Lan Guo, "Your mother was burned the day before yesterday, how is her injury now?"
Lan Guo was surprised that Li Qu suddenly spoke to her, and replied respectfully, "Thanks to the burn ointment that Madam gave me, I am much better now."
“Your mother only has you as her daughter. Go back and visit her more often when you have time. If you need to change your leave, just tell me.”
"Thank you for your concern, Madam."
"You're too kind."
Li Qu could multitask without hindering her writing.
The room fell silent.
The woman's shadow, projected onto the wall, was dignified and gentle.
Lan Guo, fiddling with her fingers hidden in her sleeve, suddenly knelt down: "Madam."
Li Qu paused, stopped writing, and turned slightly to look at Lan Guo kneeling on the ground.
She put down her pen and leaned back in her chair: "Kneel in front of the table, where I can see you."
Blueberry crawled to the desk and lay prostrate on the ground.
Li Qu leaned back in her chair: "What happened?"
“This servant has betrayed her master and has repeatedly informed the Third Master of what the Madam has done.”
"He let you have it?"
"yes."
"Anything else?"
"No, this servant has only revealed your daily routine to Third Master."
Lan Guo kowtowed: "Madam taught me embroidery, allowed me to learn to read, was kind to us servants, and made good use of us."
"Knowing that my mother is somewhat mentally challenged, she has never looked down on or disliked me."
"The lady has shown me kindness and even more so, she has given me a second life."
"This servant has betrayed her master; this servant deserves to die!"
Because her mother was somewhat mentally challenged, she was ostracized and ridiculed, and was assigned to work as a lowly concubine who had offended the Third Master.
The future is uncertain.
Unexpectedly, she is now a second-class maidservant to the third wife.
Those who looked down on her back then now greet her with a smile and call her "Blue Fruit Girl".
She boldly looked up at Li Qu and said, "No matter how Madam punishes me today, I will accept it willingly."
"Just a reminder to Madam: Third Master may seem lenient towards you, but in reality, the entire Fanghua Garden is under his control."
"When did you laugh, who did you get angry with, what did you eat more of, what did you eat less of, where did you go, and what did you say to someone? Third Master can find out anything he wants to know."
"Madam, from now on, you should live a good life with Third Master!"
After she finished speaking, she lay down on the ground.
When it comes to serving someone personally or offering advice, it's far from her place as a second-class maid to speak.
With her eyes closed, she regretted not telling Li Qu about the Third Master's question to her immediately.
“This servant has disobeyed her master and overstepped her bounds; she deserves to die.”
"But I still have a mentally challenged mother to support. I beg you, Madam, to spare my life. I will repay you by serving you like a cow or a horse in my next life."
The lights crackled.
Her calm voice rang out: "My husband and I are one, and it is not disloyal of me to report to him."
"Next time he asks you a question, just let me know secretly."
"Get up. You're just like Granny Xu, destined to worry."
"None of my head maids came to persuade me."
"Go to the kitchen and see if the medicine to prevent miscarriage is ready."
"Yes." Lan Guo got up and walked outside.
She lowered her brows and frowned, feeling even more guilty towards her beloved wife.
She received the madam's care, but in return, she was tasked with monitoring the madam's actions for the Third Master.
The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt to face his wife.
After leaving the kitchen, he asked Granny Xu for leave.
Upon learning this, Li Qu allocated five taels of silver as a visitation allowance and gave her two pomegranates.
Lan Guo clutched the visitation fee given to her by Granny Xu and returned home in the middle of the night.
Her mother held up her arm, which was no longer oozing yellow fluid, to show her.
Praise the ointment she brought back.
I'm so happy to cook her a late-night snack.
She sat to one side watching her somewhat simple-minded mother enthusiastically making soba.
She peeled a pomegranate while she shed tears.
From being starving and bullied to now having dignity, everything she has is thanks to the lady of the house…
*
In Fanghua Garden, Li Qu put down her pen, blew on the writing on the paper, stretched, drank the medicine to prevent miscarriage, washed up, and went to bed.
She was unable to overcome Zhou Jin's power.
All she can leverage is the complex, ever-changing, and tender human heart.
First there was Granny Xu, who was willing to shield her from a sword; then there was Cui Guo, who obeyed her every command; and now there is Lan Guo, who has admitted to betraying her master.
Winning people's hearts and minds is like building blocks; it can't be rushed.
Qingguo, who works overtime temporarily, always wears an exorcism talisman when she's on night duty.
After helping Li Qu into bed, she wrapped herself in a quilt and slept on a bench in the outer room, so that Li Qu could call for help if he got up at night.
It was already past midnight when Li Qu had difficulty falling asleep and tossed and turned in bed.
My heart is with the capital.
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